ADAM AND SAM – BRINGING UP BABIES
When we last saw Sam and Adam, they had just welcomed their first child, a son – nicknamed "Young" - into the household. Time had passed and had produced little Elizabeth, nicknamed "Libba." Our story begins now.
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Sam had enjoyed a wonderful day in town. She had lunch with Lori, Delores, and Mindy, went to visit with Doc Martin, and did a little shopping. She left Adam at home with Young and Libba – they were going to go with their father on a fishing expedition. Young, now almost four years old, just loved to fish, so he had been excited this morning when Sam left the house. Libba, now just passing the two-year old stage, was more interested in playing in the sand and exploring. Both children had an uncanny ability to talk in complete sentences (when they wanted to) – even Delores was impressed at the sentences that these children could put together. Delores was pregnant again, and Mindy and Lori were expecting their first children soon. Sam smiled as she rode back to The Pines.
As she handed Fancy's reins to Ted, he grinned. "I wouldn't go in there if I were you." Then he walked off towards the barn to unsaddle and curry Fancy.
The noise was deafening as Sam walked up on the porch and approached the front door. Adam was an intensely good and loving father, and Sam wondered what could possibly be going on behind the front door. Gingerly, she opened the door. There stood Adam, his eyes darting everywhere. His hair was a tangled mess and he looked absolutely frazzled. Young was galloping around the house, screaming "Giddy-up" at the top of his lungs. He wore only his small boots and nothing else. Libba was completely naked and was under the kitchen table, dried mud around her mouth and in her hair. She was shrieking with delight as she watched her brother. Rascal, the family dog, was chasing Young and barking incessantly. A chagrined Adam looked at Sam. "Am I ever glad to see you! And what is it about wearing clothes that these kids hate so much?"
"Cloves," repeated Libba between shrieks.
Young stopped galloping and stopped in front of Sam. "Hi, Mama! I'm riding like Papa does!"
"So I see," laughed Sam. "But I thought Papa was taking you and Libba fishing today."
Adam slumped in a chair. "I did! Young caught a fish. Libba made mud pies. She offered me one of her best creations, and I found half a worm in it. I'm afraid she might've eaten the other half…"
Sam reached under the table and helped Libba to her feet. "Did you eat a worm?" Sam asked, trying not to laugh.
"Dunno," Libba answered. It was obvious that she would give the shortest answer necessary if she thought she might have done something wrong.
"Will half a worm hurt her?" Adam asked with a sigh.
"I doubt it. A whole worm probably wouldn't hurt her." Sam giggled.
"Mama, I caught a fish!" Young said with excitement. "But Papa told me it was too young to leave its family so we let it go."
"Good for you and Papa," Sam giggled. "Right now, it's getting late, and supper needs to be cooked. You and Libba need a bath first."
Adam didn't move. He looked worn out. "Do you deal with this every day?"
"I usually have Susan to help me, but she and Rob are on vacation. I have to admit that these two are a handful. Now help me get them cleaned up."
Adam rose slowly and fetched the washtub while Sam heated the water. While she waited for the water to get hot, she wandered around the house and picked up the clothing the children had pulled off. She found a lizard in Young's pocket – the lizard was hurriedly put outside and then scurried away. Libba's pockets yielded pretty rocks and an arrowhead. Sam saved these to put in Libba's treasure box.
Young ran into the kitchen, remembering his lizard. When Sam told him that she had released the creature, Young looked sad.
"Young, that lizard has a family of his own. His parents would miss him and they would cry if he never came home. You wouldn't want that, would you?"
Young shook his head. "Will he find his way back home?"
"Of course he will! He knows exactly where his family is. Now, get Papa and let's get you and your sister cleaned up."
Young, with Rascal close behind, ran to his father who had corralled Libba. Fortunately, both children loved bath time. The shrieking and barking had stopped. Rascal had swum in the lake, so at least he was clean. Adam looked much calmer. Adam poured the warm water into the washtub while Sam removed Young's boots. Adam gave Young his hand to help his son into the water; Sam just plopped Libba into it. Both children splashed around happily, water going everywhere.
The children had taken baths together since they were tiny. But, at this particular moment, Libba's sharp eyes caught something she hadn't noticed before. She pointed at a certain spot of Young's anatomy, looked down at herself, and gave a puzzled look. Reaching out, she grabbed Young's most sensitive body-part and pulled. Young screamed and fairly leaped into Adam's arms.
"Why did you do that to your brother?" Sam asked. She was trying so hard to not laugh.
"Worm," said a cherubic-faced Libba.
Adam put Young back into the water. "No, sweetie, that's not a worm. That's part of Young just like his fingers and toes."
"Worm," repeated Libba. "Where's my worm?"
Adam covered his face with his hands. Sam was shaking with laughter that she tried to contain.
"Libba, you are a little girl. You have different parts than Young does. God made your body special so you can have babies when you grow up and get married. Young is a little boy, and he has different parts than you do. God made him special so he can help his wife have babies. You will grow up to be a woman, and Young will grow up to be a man. You must never grab Young like that because it's very painful."
"Why?"
Adam fielded this question, his lips twitching. "Because that's a part of his body that is especially sensitive to pain."
Libba thought about this as Sam soaped up a washcloth and began washing Libba's face and hair. Adam did the same with Young.
Libba looked at Young again. "It still looks like a worm. Does Papa have one?"
Adam smirked. Sam shot him a sly smile. "All men have one. All animals, too, are either boys or girls and have different parts to their bodies. That's God's way of making sure that new life is always created."
Both Adam and Sam tried their best to give a small anatomy lesson with correct medical terms. Neither child really cared and soon lost interest. But Libba, never wanting to deliberately hurt her brother, would never grab Young like that again – though in later years she would learn the use of a well-placed knee if she needed to protect herself.
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Supper was always a happy time. Young had a chance to talk about his fish and to explain to his father about the fate of the lizard he had brought home. Libba was fascinated with having found a real arrowhead. Sam filled Adam in on the news from town, being careful not to be too specific about the pregnancies of her three friends. After supper, Sam wiped Libba's face clean. Both Libba and Young had learned that this was the forerunner of going to bed and being read to or sung to by Adam. While Adam took the little ones upstairs, Sam smiled to herself as she washed dishes. She could hear her husband reading, so she hurried with the dishes and went upstairs and peeked in the door. Adam was in the middle of the bed, Libba was on one side and Young was on the other; both children were entranced at some childhood poetry books – with pictures – that they were familiar with and loved to hear over and over again. Libba's eyes were already beginning to close and Young looked like he was ready to fall asleep himself. But, as Adam closed the book, the little ones begged for a song. This was Sam's cue to come in and bring the guitars. She and Adam sang a lullaby for their babies until they fell asleep. This was a routine that was never broken even if Adam wasn't home – Sam would strum and sing alone. Sam lifted Libba from the bed while Adam tucked the covers around his son. He kissed him gently on his forehead. "We love you," whispered Adam and Sam. Young yawned. "I love you too."
Libba was tucked into her own bed, her brunette hair (which had finally grown in) fanned out on her pillow. Sam brushed a stray wisp of hair from Libba's forehead; Adam kissed her on her cheek. "We love you," both parents whispered. "Love," Libba answered. Before Sam blew out the lamp, she and Adam took one last look at their children. "They look like angels, don't they," Adam whispered.
"They are angels," Sam whispered back. "Just not all the time."
Adam grinned. Rascal had dashed into the room and had taken his place on the floor between the two beds. "I guess Rascal is their guardian angel," Adam grinned.
Sam and Adam went downstairs quietly. Sam was working on some needlepoint and Adam was doing some ranch paperwork.
"Are you sorry?" Sam asked out of the blue. Her tone made Adam look at her.
"Sorry about what?" Adam asked.
"That we don't have the twins," Sam said, stabbing herself accidentally with the needle.
"We don't even know for sure that there were twins. Or even one baby," Adam answered, giving his wife his full attention. "Doc Martin said that it was too early to tell if you were really pregnant or not. And Libba's birth didn't help your insides any. If there were twins, of course I'm sorry that we don't have them. But, the fact is, we don't have them. I can't mourn for what we don't have, but I can be happy for what we do have. Maybe we'll have more children, maybe not. I'm content with our blessings right now."
Sam smiled. Adam always knew the right things to say.
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The only day that Young and Libba enjoyed dressing up was on Sunday, and today was Sunday and time to go to church. After Adam got Young's string tie straightened out, he helped Sam get Libba into her new petticoat. Libba loved the petticoat so much that she didn't want the pink dress to cover it up.
"You can't go to church in just your petticoat," Sam said as she tried once again to pull the dress over Libba's swiveling head and flailing arms.
Adam knelt down in front of his daughter. "You know what I think? The dress and the petticoat look beautiful together. If you put the dress on, you'll see what I mean."
Libba had learned a new facial expression and used it to her advantage when possible. She poked out her lower lip slightly. She also looked doubtful, but she knew her father wouldn't lie to her. Sam popped the dress over Libba's head quickly and smoothed out the skirt. Adam spoke again, a serious look on his face. "See what I mean? The petticoat makes the skirt look so full. It would be a shame not to wear the dress and show it off."
Libba's bottom lip resumed its normal position as she looked at herself in the mirror and twirled. Her face broke into a smile. She didn't even argue about putting on her shoes, so excited was she. Sam plopped a bonnet on her daughter's head; Adam tied the ribbon around her neck. Young watched. He was never jealous of the attention that Libba got, but he needed some positive reinforcement every now and then. "How do I look?"
Sam looked at her son. "Young, you look just like your father. Quite handsome. Your hair has such wonderful waves, and that tie makes you look so grown-up."
Young took Libba's hand and led her downstairs. Sam looked at Adam and chuckled. "You certainly know how to handle your daughter."
Adam gave a deep chuckle back. "Females are females. They come out of the womb wanting to look pretty."
"Then how do you explain the fact that neither of the kids likes to wear clothes so much of the time? And how do you explain Libba's love of wearing jeans?" Sam tied her own bonnet and looked in the mirror.
"It's hot outside. Hell, I'd go naked if I could! And Libba wants to mimic everything Young does. And wears. She'll grow out of it."
Adam and Sam joined the children downstairs. It was time to go to church and this family would be joining Adam's family in town.
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The doors to the church had not yet opened when Adam's buggy pulled up. He saw his father in deep discussion with Delmas and Drucilla. Hoss and Little Joe were talking to a gaggle of pretty, single young women. Adam helped Sam and the children out of the buggy and, in an instant, Libba and Young had run to their uncles. Libba, screeching loud enough to break the stained-glass windows of the church, launched herself into Hoss's big arms and gave him a tight hug. Young had more decorum. He attached himself to Little Joe's leg and wouldn't let go. Little Joe spoke first. "Well, Young, you look so much like your Papa that I almost didn't recognize you! How handsome you look."
Young's face lit up. Of his two uncles, "Uncle Joe" was his favorite. Young and Joe shared something that didn't come from Adam – and that was a bit of a wild streak.
"Uncle Hoss, you're smushing my dress," Libba chided, poking out her bottom lip. "And you haven't seen my new petticoat." Hoss put his niece down. "Let me look at you! My, how beautiful you look in that dress!"
"Look at my petticoat, too," Libba prompted. Inadvertently, she pulled up her dress and her petticoat, revealing her round little tummy above the tights that she wore. Hoss didn't quite know what to do but he was saved by the arrival of his father. Ben poked gently at Libba's navel. "I can't see your new petticoat. All I can see is your belly button." Gently, he pulled the beloved petticoat down. "Why, it's a beautiful petticoat. And when your skirt is over it, the skirt stands out just like it ought to." He pulled the dress into place and readjusted the sash.
The church bell began to ring, and the extended Cartwright clan walked into the church and took up an entire pew. They made quite an impressive group.
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As the church members began to sing, Sam noticed for the first time that Young had his father's voice – just higher pitched. He sang with gusto, pretending to read from the song book. Libba, having heard the familiar words, held her song book upside down and tried hard to sing. She would never have a wonderful singing voice but she could carry a tune fairly well.
By looks and by words from both parents, both Young and Libba had learned good manners. Though they were bored with the short sermon, they didn't fidget like other children did. They didn't have to be taken out of the church like some other little children who screamed and cried. Sam and Adam always made sure that they reinforced good behavior by complimenting their children. Ben was always very proud of his grandchildren and how they were being raised.
The last song was sung, and the church service came to an end. The parishioners filed out and all the children gathered together to play while the adults talked. Ben laughed as he told Adam and Sam about Libba's "petticoat" experience.
Sam thought the whole thing was hilarious, but Adam's thoughts were that Libba didn't need to be pulling up her dress in public.
"Oh, let it go, Adam," Sam scolded. "She's just a little girl. She means no harm."
Adam sighed. Sam was right. He just didn't want Libba to continue this kind of behavior. Maybe he would have a talk with her when they went to the Ponderosa for the usual large Sunday meal that Hop Sing always prepared. Of course, he never had a chance to bring up the "dress/petticoat" incident. Libba had other things to discuss.