Mari & Ilna- you guys are the absolute best. Thanks for EVERYTHING! There are no two people I'd rather be on this ride with.
Sandy-what would I do without you?
REAL Worlders-I can never fully express what all your amazing support means to me. All I can say is that in our fourth calendar year your support and encouragement keeps me as enthusiastic as I was about this project day one.
Five-0 Headquarters
Friday 1:00 P.M.
Danny looked up from his position at the smart table when he heard someone enter the bullpen and his face immediately split into a huge grin. "Hello there, cutie!"
"Hi," Steve smirked.
"I wasn't talking to you and you know it," Danny grumbled. "I was talking to the most adorable baby on the island." He reached for Angie who smiled sleepily and held out her arms. "How are you doing this morning, Angel? How was your doctor's appointment?" He took note of the small circular band-aid in her arm. "Did you get a shot?"
"Yes, she did, and she was very brave." Catherine ran her hand softly over her daughter's head. "Dr. Hiroya even said so."
"She also said that Angie is meeting all of her milestones either on schedule or slightly ahead," Steve reported proudly.
"Of course she is, because she's brilliant." Danny grinned. "Good thing she takes after her mommy."
Steve dropped his arm across Catherine's shoulders. "See you think you're hurting my feelings by saying that but I agree with you completely."
Catherine smiled softly and kissed him on the cheek. "The big news from this morning though is that the doctor thinks Angie is ready to start on solid food."
"Is that so?" Danny made a funny face at Angie which made her giggle. "Well that is definitely big news. Mommy and Daddy are about to get introduced to a whole new world."
"I know what to expect," Steve replied confidently.
Danny chuckled. "No book can adequately describe what it feels like to be covered in smushed bananas when your kid isn't in the mood to eat."
"Well, if she really does take after Catherine she'll always be in the mood to eat," Steve teased.
"You need to talk." She elbowed him lightly in the ribs.
"Are you starting with cereal?" Danny asked.
"No. Dr. Hiroya said that some babies have trouble digesting cereals as a first food. She recommended either avocado or sweet potato for a few days then introduce a fruit like pears or bananas. So we decided to start with sweet potatoes."
Danny smiled knowingly. "That should be fun. Be prepared, diaper changes will never be the same."
"We're looking forward to it, aren't we, Angie?" Steve said then lit up as his daughter smiled at the sound of the excited tone in his voice.
"Yes, we are," Catherine agreed, "But right now we better tell Daddy and Uncle Danno goodbye. We have to get back to the office. Mommy has a meeting with the budget committee later today and she needs to prepare."
McGarrett Rollins Home
Saturday 8:00 A.M.
About half an hour after her morning bottle Steve and Catherine placed Angie into the high chair Joseph and Elizabeth bought for her and lightly tied a bib covered in puppies of various breeds around her neck. They placed two kitchen chairs directly in front of the high chair. Catherine retrieved a baby spoon Esther bought as a shower gift from the cupboard. It had a soft, silicone tip on one end and an engraving of a dog that looked a lot like Cammie on the other.
They kept their tones light and breezy as they talked to each other and to Angie. They knew it was important to establish good eating habits right from the start, so they wanted everything in the atmosphere surrounding her first taste of solid food to be positive and comforting.
Dr. Hiroya told them that some babies take to solid food right away and for others there's more of an adjustment period. The important thing was not to let Angie sense any doubt or hesitation on their part since she was at an age where she was beginning to pick up on their emotions very easily.
Catherine removed a small dish of mashed sweet potatoes from the microwave and tested the temperature with her finger. When she nodded that it was okay Steve turned to his daughter.
"You ready for some sweet potatoes?" he asked in a sing-song voice that made Angie grin widely.
"Do you want to do this, or should I?" Catherine asked as she slid into the seat beside Steve. Cammie took up a position beside the high chair, so she'd be close at hand if needed.
"You go ahead," he smiled. "I'll get the next one."
Catherine nodded. "This is gonna be yummy!" She placed a small bite of the soft orange mixture on the end of the spoon and moved it towards her daughter's mouth. Before it could reach its target, Angie reached for the spoon with both hands, cooing happily.
Steve and Catherine chuckled in unison.
"I don't think you're quite ready for feeding yourself yet." He smiled as he reached out and gently moved Angie's hands away from the spoon.
"Ok, here we go!" Catherine placed the tip of the sweet potato covered spoon between Angie's lips and waited a few seconds for a reaction.
She didn't seem overly excited, but she wasn't crying either.
Catherine slowly withdrew the spoon.
Angie closed her mouth, clearly still considering how she felt about this new experience.
As her lips and tongue began to move, she looked first at her mother, then at her father.
"How's it taste?" Steve lowered his face to her level, eyes sparkling.
Suddenly Angie began to flail her arms and her face lit up in a smile causing some of the sweet potatoes to fall out her mouth onto her chin.
"I think she likes it,' Catherine said cheerfully as she used the spoon to clean the potatoes off Angie's chin. When she approached with the next bite Angie opened her mouth eagerly.
"You're gonna be a good eater like your mommy, aren't you?" Steve cooed as Angie eagerly gummed her second bite.
Catherine handed Steve the spoon and reached for her phone which was laying on the island. "Here, you give her the next bite while I take a picture."
"Happy to." Steve dipped the spoon into the bowl and offered it to Angie. Just as she was about to take a bite her face screwed up and before Steve could move the spoon away she sneezed, spraying the potatoes all over her father.
Cammie's ears perked up at the unexpected sound. When she saw that her older humans not only weren't concerned but seemed to be amused, she relaxed.
Steve wiped Angie's face with her bib. "Danny was right," he chuckled. "Nothing quite prepares you for that."
"He's not gonna believe I got a picture of the exact moment," Catherine snorted. "I almost can't believe it myself."
Steve leaned over and kissed her. "Here, let me share the feeling with you," he said as he rubbed his splattered cheek against hers.
Angie slapped her hands against the tray of her high chair and giggled.
"Oh, you think that's funny, do you?" Steve grinned as he reloaded the spoon and offered her another bite.
They took turns feeding Angie bites of the three teaspoons of food Dr. Hiroya recommended they start out with and when they were through Steve used a warm, wet washcloth to clean her hands and face.
"You like this a lot better than your cousin Joanie did,' Steve said as Angie smiled while he cleaned her face. "She didn't like having her hands and face wiped off at all."
"What do you say we head to the farmer's market before the sun gets too hot for Angie?" Catherine suggested.
Steve lifted the giggling infant from her high chair. "Sounds like a plan."
McGarrett Rollins Home
Saturday Noon
When they returned from their outing they were carrying one bag full of fresh produce and another containing the protein bars Steve loved. They all three enjoyed tummy time and Angie went down for a nap just as Kaitlyn called to give them an update on the new kitty which, after much deliberation, she had named Midnight. Spooky was in contention right up until the end but ultimately lost out because Kaitlyn said the small bundle of fur was too happy for a scary sounding name.
Apparently, Midnight was taking very well to life with his new family. Kaitlyn had purchased a collar and ID tags as well as an assortment of toys when Jenna stopped at Petco after trick or treating. True to her word, the young girl had been performing extra chores around the house to cover the cost of food, litter and a litter box. Jacob, Dylan, Casey and Cody all went together and purchased a bed and a small cat tree for their newest family member.
Midnight had his first veterinarian's appointment that morning and since he was pronounced healthy and received all his shots he would now be allowed to sleep on Kaitlyn's bed if he wanted, much to her delight.
"That cat follows her around almost like a dog," Jenna reported once Kaitlyn had finished talking and left the room. "I've never seen a cat act like that. It's almost like he was sitting in that ditch waiting just for her."
"Maybe he was," Catherine replied. "Stranger things have happened."
A few hours later Angie was awake and ready to try another taste of sweet potatoes. This time there was far less hesitation. She knew exactly what was on the spoon and was eager for a bite.
"She's a very quick study," Steve said as she opened her mouth wide as the spoon approached.
She still ended up with as much soft orange mixture on her chin and hands as in her mouth, but Steve and Catherine felt comfortable saying that Angie's first foray into solid food was a rousing success.
McGarrett Rollins Home
Saturday 5:00 P.M.
Catherine exited the shower and after drying off slipped into a comfortable pair of shorts and a tank top. Her parents and Grandma Ang were coming over for dinner and they were planning to do a casual barbecue on the deck. As she ran through her mental to-do list she heard Steve call her name from the nursery.
There was a tenseness to his voice that made her head in that direction in a run.
As she entered the room she saw Steve standing over the changing table with a slightly alarmed look. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong exactly," he assured her. "It's just that … I know the book said that once we started her on solid food there would be significant changes to her bowel movements but … "
Catherine took a few steps closer. "Wow. They weren't kidding, were they?"
Steve looked from the diaper to his wife. "Not only is the consistency different but … it's orange."
"That's from the sweet potatoes," Catherine smiled. "And you should see the look on your face."
"It just surprised me a little," he grinned. "I'm not sure what I was expecting but this is … not it."
Steve finished diapering Angie and lifted the happy infant into his arms.
Catherine chuckled. "Just wait until she starts eating blueberries and green beans."
"We'll handle it." Steve wrapped an arm around his wife and pulled her to his side. "Like we handle everything. Together."
THE END
Find all our REAL World stories in 'chronological order on our website: marirealmcroll dot wixsite dot com backslash real-mcroll
If you are not on the REALMcRoll email list and would like to be, drop us an email at realmcroll at yahoo dot com with "Add me, please!" in the subject line. You'll get updates, contests, and fun McRoller games.
Looking for links to all the REAL World McRoll stories in one place? Check out our Tumblr page mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com.
In addition, one of our AWESOME REAL Worlders, katydid13, has created a community on here on fanfiction dot net that brings all of the REAL World stories, and all of Mari, Sammy & Ilna's pre-universe stories in one place. You can find it at
community/McRoll-in-the-Real-World