There was nothing Jane cherished more than silence, but when you have an eight month old baby; silence was suspicious and unnerving. Jane walked slowly into the living room of the apartment she shared with her wife, her eyes scanning the room for any trace of her wife or their usually extremely vocal daughter.
Just as Jane was about to call out to her wife, she heard Mauras quiet voice echo from down the hallway followed by the quiet gargles of their eight month old. When Jane walked through the open doorway of the nursery, she immediately felt her heart skip a beat.
Her wife was sitting on the children's play mat they had recently bought, her legs crossed as she sat explaining the benefits of yoga. She was wearing a white tank top that was two sizes too small and her usual pair of yoga tights. They had planned on going for a run, but Maura clearly had other ideas.
"Studies show that regular yoga practice lowers blood pressure." Maura said quietly, and it was only then Jane noticed their baby girl sitting, cross legged beside her wife. "It's also very effective if you have sluggish digestion." Maura added, turning her head to look at the little girl who was mumbling quietly to herself as her mother spoke.
It took everything inside Jane not to walk over and join them, but she knew it was rare not only to have the child so calm and quiet, but for Maura to be so calm at the same time. She opted for standing by the door observing.
"And tactile stimulation has been shown to contribute to the development of babies brains and nervous systems." Maura continued as she stretched forward, Jane pursing her lips as their daughter followed suit, her body dropping forward. Maura giggled at the little girl, moving to lift her and place her in her lap.
Maura stretched the babies arms upwards and outwards, stretching all the muscles the little girl didn't know she had. The little girl began to fuss and pull away from her mothers arms, and Maura, in true Maura fashion, let her.
"I know you're frustrated you can't communicate with me, but you don't need to be rough with me." Maura whispered, placing her hands on the babies stomach before she continued on with what limited yoga she could do with an eight month old happily sitting in her lap. "Did you know that only infants your age can eat and breathe at the same time?" Maura said, kissing the top of the childs head as she leant forward. "Mommy and Ma can't do that."
"Hey." Jane whispered, making Maura jump at the new presence in the room. Jane walked over and picked the baby up, still amazed at how quiet she was being. Everyone knew their child was a vocal baby.
"How long were you standing there?" Maura asked with a shy smile as she rolled her shoulders to end her session for the day. Jane shrugged casually, pressing light kisses to the baby's head as she did so. "Are you going for a run?" Maura quizzed, her head dropping to the left slightly as she noted Janes attire. Jane was wearing her usual work out gear; a white Nike sports bra and her favourite, and most expensive, pair of work out Capri pants.
"We were going to go for a run together." Jane reminded her, rocking back and forth slowly as the eight month old in her arms yawned silently. "That was really sweet." She added, nodding to the place on the floor where Maura was just sitting.
"She gets quiet when I talk medical to her." Maura giggled, leaning across their baby to press her lips against her wife's. "Let's go for a run, I'll go get the pram."
Jane had always been anxious about becoming a parent; but if this is what Jane had spent the best part of her life fearing, she was pleasantly surprised.