He pushed the key in through the lock, heard it click, and opened the door. As he stepped inside, he heard his sons giggling and gurgling as he crawled down the hall towards him, a smile on his little lips. Smiling, Nathan picked up his son and held him against his chest, smelling the baby scent he'd gotten so fond of. Jamie cuddled against him, closed his eyes and wiggled his bum, making Nathan chuckle. The boy sure had a strong personality…! But with Haley as his mum, that was pretty much unavoidable.

"Hey buddy…! Daddy missed you so much today. Have you been good to momma?" Nathan asked, bouncing Jamie carefully. The boy gurgled and clapped his hands in response, a little drool slipping from the corner of his mouth. His little head bounced from side to side as he babbled excitedly in his own language, obviously telling his father about his day. Although he hadn't started talking yet, he was constantly babbling. Nathan nodded his head approvingly, as if he understood every word.

Jamie had seen his parents talking on the phone, and often copied them; picking up his toy phone, holding it against his ear and babbling non stop for up to half an hour. Every now and then, he'd stop talking and nod his head, as if there were actually someone on the other end.

Nathan walked them into the living room and smiled as he saw Haley sprawled out on the couch; fast asleep. Her t-shirt had ridden halfway up her stomach, her hair was covering the left side of her face, her legs were hanging halfway off of the couch, and a baby blanket was clinging to the tips of her fingers. And Nathan thought she looked absolutely beautiful. Tired, but beautiful.

Jamie's little hands slapped his father's cheeks playfully, obviously craving his full attention. Nathan reassured his son that he was in fact listening, kissing his son's little hands. Jamie kicked his feet and whined as Nathan walked into the kitchen and tried to lower him into the highchair, and accidentally kicked his father in the gut.
Nathan cursed under his breath, and found a whole new respect for Haley, who had carried the little kicker around in her stomach for nine months. After a lot of effort, he finally managed to settle Jamie down, and started feeding him. A wet, sticky… something landed on Nathan's cheek, and he blinked. Jamie was giggling and smiling, his hands completely covered in mashed banana, and an obvious guilty look on his face. He saw his fathers shocked expression, and his hands flew to his eyes, still giggling.

Nathan laughed and wiped the mass from his face, and looked at his son who was covered from head to toe with food. He wondered if anything had actually made it into Jamie's mouth.

"Jamie, Jamie where are you?" Nathan asked in fake shock, pretending to look for him. Jamie giggled, and snuck a little peak from behind his chubby fingers. "Jamie, come out son!"
Jamie removed his hands and clapped them, smiling and laughing. Nathan gave a look of relief, and put a hand to his heart. "There you are, Jimmy Jam! I was worried there for a second!" he said with a smile and gently pinched his full cheeks.

"You need to take a bath, little man!" Nathan laughed, picking up Jamie and heading for the bathroom. He put him, fully clothed, in the dry bathtub, and started to 'ready' the bathroom. This meant taking away anything electrical, all towels and rugs, Haley's make up and brush, until the bathroom was pretty much bare. His son was a very… enthusiastic bather.

Haley awoke to loud splashing and laughing, and made her way to the bathroom. Nathan was soaked, his hair dripping and his clothes probably 5 pounds heavier. Jamie was babbling and splashing, his hands waving all over the place.

"Hey guys!" she said, walking up behind Nathan and placing a kiss on his cheek. Jamie's face lit up and he stretched his arms to her, gurgling and giggling. She tickled his tummy and kissed his head, trying to stay as dry as possible.
"Mama!" he shouted, and both parents froze. They looked at each other, and back to Jamie. A tear rolled down Haley's face, and she smiled. "What did you say, baby? Did you say 'mama'? Say it again, Jimmy Jam!"

"Mama," Jamie said, obviously very proud of himself. "Mama, mama, mama!"
Haley picked him up and twirled him around, smiling and crying. Nathan was grinning, so happy he didn't know what to say. Their son had said his first word! Haley looked up and caught his eye, walked to him and kissed him hard on the lips. He could taste the saltiness on her mouth, and was surprised to find that he too was crying.

"That's right buddy, that's your mama!" he said, and kissed his sons head.

Lucas walked in the front door, and lifted one eyebrow as he heard cheering and laughing from the bathroom. He wondered what was going on, and he dearly hoped Nathan and Haley weren't… No, he didn't even want to think about it. He walked into the bathroom and found the little family jumping up and down and laughing, Jamie butt naked and Nathan completely soaked. And then he heard what all the racket was about; Jamie was talking!

"He said 'mama'!" Lucas laughed and stepped into the bathroom. Nathan turned to him and nodded, wiping away a stray tear before hugging his brother. Lucas congratulated him and turned to Haley and Jamie, hugging them as well.

Later that evening, Nathan and Haley put Jamie to bed, and stood in the doorway; watching him silently. His feet were tucked under his stomach, his arms against his side and his mouth slightly open. His pacifier had fallen out of his mouth, but his lips were still sucking.

Life wasn't perfect for the little family. But right then, it was pretty damn close…