Disclaimer: I own nothing of CSI
Busy Household
Life with four kids was very busy but a lot of fun. Jackie and the baby had been home for only a few days but it already seemed like Karlie had always been there.
Jasmine had been the model big sister, following Jackie around all over the place every time she had the baby in her arms as if Jasmine was Jackie's personal assistant. Houston had also done well with the baby, he'd love on her and then go do his own thing when he wanted to. Johnna was coming around slightly she still didn't have to much to do with the baby but at least she'd come near the baby once in a while. Although they had to watch Johnna very closely because they caught her a couple times trying to give Karlie a love slap upside the head instead of a loving kiss on the cheek. Karlie for the most part was an easy baby, except she seemed to have her days and nights mixed up which was a challenge for Nick and Jackie. The baby also didn't like to be put down at all, any time you tried to lay her in her crib, car seat, or swing she'd wail but as long as she was in someone's arms she was as happy as she could be.
Nick's parents had come for a visit just one day after Karlie was born and they were such a big help. They were staying for two whole weeks, Nick and Jackie loved having them around as did the kids. Jackie's parents were also a huge help.
"Alright baby girl, mommy is just going to set you down for a minute while I go to the bathroom" Jackie cooed as she laid the baby down in her crib.
Nick had gone out to get some more diapers, he'd taken Houston and Johnna with him to give Jackie a break but Jasmine refused to go because in her words "Kari (That's Karlie in Jasmine speak.) no go."
Apparently going to the bathroom was not a good enough of an excuse for being put down in Karlie's book because she wailed as if no one had talked to her in hours.
"Kari no cry, mama potty." Jasmine cooed as she plugged her ears from the racket her baby sister was making.
Jackie hurriedly went to the bathroom, washed her hands and then dashed into the baby's nursery again.
"Her loud mama." Jasmine complained.
"Yeah she is isn't she?" Jackie asked with a laugh.
Jackie picked the baby back up and she was instantly quiet, as if Jackie had flipped a switch.
Soon Nick got home with the other two, he came in the door carrying Houston and Johnna and holding the paper bag containing the diapers in his mouth. He set the kids down.
"Suddenly Houston decided he didn't like walking." He mumbled to Jackie who was smiling at him.
"Are you ready for a fifth?" Jackie asked him jokingly.
"Oh yeah, let's go." Nick said with a laugh as he nodded his head up the stairs towards their bedroom.
Jackie burst out laughing.
"Where's my parents?" Nick asked.
"Your mom wanted to do some shopping so they left, but they said they wouldn't be gone long." Jackie said.
"Oh ok."
Nick said as he sat down on the opposite side of the couch from where Jackie sat with the baby in her arms. Jackie glanced down at the baby, she was just looking around contently as if she was enjoying beautiful scenery.
"Jackie look out." Nick yelled suddenly.
Jackie looked up just in time to swat one of Johnna's toy blocks away from the baby's face.
"Johnna Marie, no, no, we don't throw things at the baby, we are nice to the baby and we give her kisses." Jackie scolded the little girl.
"Donna Me, no no" Jasmine told her little sister, trying to sound just like Jackie.
Nick and Jackie looked at each other and tried not to laugh.
Later that night, Jackie was trying to lay the baby down in her crib but every time Jackie got Karlie to sleep the second she'd lay her down she'd start crying again. Finally after over two hours Jackie laid the baby down and when the baby didn't immediately wake up and start crying Jackie tiptoed out of the room and into her own bedroom.
"Nick, we need to talk." She told him who was half asleep.
"About what?" He asked groggily.
"Johnna, she is really struggling to adjust to her baby sister and I'm afraid that she's going to hurt her. Obviously Johnna's too little to know that Karlie is so fragile, and she'd never hurt her on purpose but I'm really worried about this. Just like earlier today when she threw the block at Karlie, had that hit Karlie it could have really hurt her. I can't ask my parents for advice because I'm an only child, they never had to deal with sibling rivalry so I was thinking we should talk to your parents about it, maybe they can at least give us some advice."
"Ok, we'll ask them tomorrow." He told her as he reassured her with a smile.
Soon afterwards Nick and Jackie both fell asleep, but Karlie didn't want to sleep, she was awake almost the entire night.
The next morning both Nick and Jackie were exhausted, none of their other kids were this fussy during the night, they had all been good sleepers from day one.
"You guys look like you could use some coffee." Jill said as Nick and Jackie walked down the stairs.
Their eyes had big bags under them and they just looked out of it.
"Thank you." Jackie said as she sipped the coffee her mother in law sat down in front of her.
"You guys got a minute, we want to talk to you." Nick asked as he looked at his mom and dad.
"Sure what's up?" Roger asked.
"Let's go into the living room and sit on the couch." Jackie suggested.
All four of them went into the living room with their coffee in hand.
"We were wondering if you guys could give us some advice. Johnna seems to really be struggling with adjusting to the new baby, yesterday she threw a block at her head. We were wondering if you guys had any suggestions about how we could help her adjust better. Did any of your kids have trouble adjusting to a new baby?" Jackie asked.
"Yeah, our oldest had a really tough time when baby number two came along. I think she was jealous of the new baby, she was so used to getting all of our attention that it was a struggle for her when she had to share us with the new baby, Johnna is probably just a little jealous of the baby, she's used to being the baby of the family and she isn't anymore."
"Well what can we do to help her? What did you guys do when your daughter was going through the same thing?" Jackie asked.
"We tried to make her feel included with taking care of the new baby as much as possible and after we did that it didn't take her long to warm up to the baby, she loved to help take care of her, before long she was acting like Jasmine does with the baby. Another thing we did when our kids got a little older was something we called a fun day. One day a month each of our kids would get to go out with either Roger or I one on one, without their siblings and they would get to do something fun, and they got to choose what they wanted to do. They really liked it because it was all about them, they didn't have to share the attention and it didn't have to be anything big either, we sometimes went to the park, went to a baseball game, a movie, out to lunch, shopping, went for a bike ride, whatever the kids wanted to do. Maybe that's something you guys could start with your kids, that might help Johnna adjust to Karlie better, one of you can take her swimming or to the park without the other kids, it might help her see that she is just as loved and special as she was before Karlie got here."
"Those are awesome ideas Jill thank you so much, I especially love the fun day tradition, we are definitely starting that tradition, the kids are going to love that aren't they Nicky?" Jackie asked excitedly.
"Nicky?" Jackie asked when she didn't get a response.
She looked over at him and noticed he was sleeping!
"We didn't sleep very well last night. Karlie isn't a very good nighttime sleeper. Do you have any advice for us about that? We haven't really gone through that before, all of our other kids have always slept so well, I mean sure when they were infants they fussed in the middle of the night when they were hungry or needed to be changed but other than that, unless they were sick they were great sleepers."
"Yes we had that problem too." Jill said with a sympathetic smile.
"Your kids didn't sleep very well at night?" Jackie asked.
"Well we actually got pretty lucky in that department too, only one of ours wouldn't sleep at night."
"Which one?" Jackie asked.
"I'll give you a hint, he's fast asleep on the couch right next to you." Jill said with a laugh.
"Oh great, so Karlie's sleeping habits are payback for Nick not sleeping, it's his fault." Jackie joked.
"Yep." Roger said with a playful smirk.
"Well what did you do to help him sleep?" Jackie asked.
"We drugged him with cold medicine at night." Roger said.
"Roger." Jill said sounding horrified.
"We did not dear. I promise." Jill said as she turned her attention back to Jackie.
Jackie just burst out laughing, she knew her in-laws well enough to know that they would never do anything like that but the look on Jill's face was hilarious.
Jill gave her husband another dirty look.
"You guys could try getting Karlie a mobile, those help babies fall asleep. Do you guys have a mobile?"
"We did but it got broke, I'll go buy another one though."
"Ok, you can also try giving Karlie a warm bath before bed, that is suppose to help babies relax and therefore help them fall asleep. A gentle massage does the same thing."
"Those are great ideas. Did any of them help Nick fall asleep when he was a baby?"
"Unfortunately no, we didn't get any sleep for a month after he was born, so finally Nick's pediatrician told us to let him cry it out, and after three nights of that he slept fine from then on out."
Jackie made a face "I don't know if I can do that." She said.
"I know it sounds harsh but it really did help."
"You act all tough and like it was so easy but the first night I practically had to hog tie you so you wouldn't go into his room and if I remember correctly it was so hard for you to listen to him cry you had to stay over at your sister's house the following two nights because you couldn't take it anymore."
Jill shot her husband another dirty look.
"It is hard Jackie, but it did work in the end, you could always stay at your parent's house if it gets to be too much for you."
"Thanks for all the advice, you guys are god sends, I'll try the mobile, the bath, and the massage first, if that doesn't work we'll have to try letting her cry it out, and I'll admit right now that if it comes to that I very well might be at my parent's house for a night or two."
"There's no shame in that, it's natural to not want to hear your baby cry." Jill assured her.
"Thank you."
"And remember Jackie, if you try all of those ideas and she still won't sleep cough medicine works wonders."
"Oh Roger, hush, before she thinks your serious and she never lets us babysit again."
Jackie again just laughed.
The baby started to cry from upstairs.
Jackie started to get up off the couch.
"No wait." Roger told Jackie.
"Nicholas, the baby is crying." Roger said as he gave Nick a gentle slap on the shoulder.
Nick's eyes flew open "I'm up Russell. The blood on the shirt matches the vic, we got him." Nick said before promptly falling asleep again.
Jackie and her in-laws burst out laughing.
"Who's Russell?" Jill finally asked when she could breathe again.
"His new boss."
"Oh that's right, the weird guy that likes bugs isn't there anymore is he. I remember Nick telling me that now."
"Right." Jackie said with a chuckle as she again started to get up off the couch so she could go get the baby.
"I'll go take care of her, you should try to get some sleep too, you're exhausted."
"I got her, I'm ok." Jackie said.
"Just take a nap." Jill insisted with a smile.
"Thank you, I owe you one big time." Jackie said gratefully as she reclined the couch and laid back.
Within moments Jackie was out like a light.
The End!
PS Jasmine pronounces Karlie's name Car-ee, just like Karlie but without the L in it!