Mari & Ilna: What can I say? I'm enjoying this adventure every bit as much as I was on day one. Maybe more.

REAL Worlders-thanks for all the enthusiastic support. You guys are the best.

Room to Grow (1/1)

"I can't believe she's already growing out of clothes," Catherine said wistfully as she carefully folded a onesie and placed it in the cardboard box sitting in the floor in front of the dresser in Angie's nursery.

Elizabeth smiled sympathetically. "It happens fast." She lifted a tiny t-shirt from the pile in her lap and smiled at the happy yellow duckling on the front. "It doesn't seem like that long ago I was dressing you in things this size."

"Mom." Catherine's voice was barely above a whisper as both women's eyes grew unexpectedly damp. She cleared her throat. "Moments like this are exactly the kind of thing I would have missed if you and Dad were still in New York."

"Funny," Elizabeth chuckled softly, "I was just thinking the same thing."

"Still no regrets about the move?" Catherine asked. She knew her parents and her grandmother were happy in Hawaii, especially now that they were fully settled in, but she never lost sight of the fact that they gave up a lot to make the move. Their home, their friends, her mother's teaching job which Catherine knew she loved.

"Not for a single second," Elizabeth replied sincerely. "It's the best decision we ever made. And I know your father and grandmother would agree with me."

As if on cue they heard Joseph's voice drift up the stairs, "Peek-a-boo", followed by Angie's delighted squeal.

"I know Angie loves having you all three around." Catherine squeezed her mother's forearm gently. "And so do Steve and I."

"I heard the phone ring. Do you have to go in?" Joseph asked as he re-entered the den with Angie in his arms after a quick diaper change in the living room.

"No." Steve shook his head. "That was Danny. He needs to borrow an air mattress."

"He's not going camping on his own, is he?"

"No chance of that." Steve snorted. "It's for Gracie's sleepover."

"Speaking of camping though … " Joseph reached for one of Angie's toys off the table as she grabbed a fistful of his collar and attempted to put it in her mouth, "Dylan's been wondering when we're all going to go together. He said he wants to try building shelters this time instead of sleeping in tents."

"He showed me a few sketches last week." Steve smiled proudly.

Joseph redirected Angie's attention to her plastic keys. "Elizabeth and I saw a great spot when we were hiking Ahupuaa O Kahana State Park. Easy access to the beach for swimming and fishing, lots of good hiking."

Steve's eyes lit up at the thought of his daughter's first camping trip. "I think Angie is ready, but I'll have to talk to Catherine. If she's okay with the idea let's plan something for as soon as the kids get out of school."

"They will be thrilled."

Steve grinned. "And I can't wait to tell Danny."

"The women's shelter will be grateful to get these things," Elizabeth said as she closed the lid of the box she and Catherine had just filled. "A lot of people don't donate newborn sizes. They save them in case they decide to have more children." She looked at Catherine guilelessly.

Catherine chuckled. "You sound like Ameera."

"Who's Ameera?".

"She's a little girl in Jacob's class." Catherine took a small pile of onesies that she didn't plan to donate because of sentimental value, like the one Angie wore home from the hospital, and placed them on top of the dresser. "She questioned Steve the day we were class helpers about whether we plan on having more kids."

Elizabeth winced slightly at the thought of her son-in-law facing personal questions from a third grader. "How did that go over?"

"Actually, he handled it like a pro." Catherine lifted the box and started towards the door. "I think he's getting used to the kinds of questions kids that age ask. He told her we're very happy right now and we have no immediate plans for further expansion."

Elizabeth seized on one word in her daughter's reply. "No immediate plans," she grinned.

Catherine rolled her eyes. "You're incorrigible."

The front door opened just as Catherine and Elizabeth were coming down the stairs and Danny stepped into the living room. He immediately grabbed the cardboard box from Catherine's arms and placed it on the coffee table. "I came to borrow an air mattress," he explained. "Steve said they were in the den, so I should just let myself in."

"He and Dad are doing some measuring for the remodel," Catherine nodded. "We were just headed there to check and make sure things aren't getting too out of hand."

As they entered the den they saw Steve standing on a small step ladder, tape measure in hand, calling numbers over his shoulder to Joseph, who was carefully writing the relayed measurements in the notebook he held in his hands.

Angie sat by her grandfather's feet, playing with his shoelaces, while Cammie observed the goings on from the corner of the room, ready to spring into action if needed.

"We can reinforce a couple of these studs if we need to," Steve said, so deep into planning mode he hadn't yet noticed the room's new occupants. "We can also add a couple of cross beams … " Suddenly the ringing of his Catherine radar got loud enough to cut through the excitement of designing the ultimate playroom for his daughter, "Oh, hi!" He grinned crookedly.

"What was that you were saying about things getting out of hand?" Danny smirked. He squatted down and held out his arms. Angie crawled across the floor excitedly to greet him.

Steve stepped down off the ladder and turned towards Catherine. "You know how we talked about buying one of those activity walls for the new playroom?"

"Yes." She smiled. They'd spent several hours over the last week doing research and looking at a variety of different options online. The experts all seemed to agree it was important to stimulate a child intellectually, emotionally, and physically. To encourage their curiosity. To expose them to all kinds of things and then nurture those interests they were most drawn to. That in addition to learning letters, numbers, and animals they should be encouraged to draw and sing. They should be exposed to both the stars and the ocean. The grounded and the fanciful.

"Well, your dad and I were thinking …" Steve looked at Joseph, whose own excitement was palpable, then back at Catherine. "We can build our own and make it much better. We can tailor it to Angie's needs and interests. And as she grows we can add or remove things as needed."

Catherine couldn't help but get caught up in his enthusiasm but still, she had questions. "Why would we need to reinforce the studs and add cross beams?"

"That's strictly for safety," Joseph said.

Steve's head bobbed in agreement. "You know how kids like to climb on things or hang on them. We just want to make extra sure this room is 100% safe."

Catherine smiled softly. She wanted that too. And if meant she had to let the men in her life go a bit overboard for the sake of her daughter, she was more than happy to agree. "Sounds good."

"So, that wall is floor to ceiling bookshelves just like we talked about," Steve said, pointing to the far wall. "And we thought we could make this one a big activity center."

"Where's the rock climbing wall going?" Danny teased. When Steve cleared his throat and looked at the floor Danny bark laughed out loud. "You actually considered a rock wall, didn't you?"

"Catherine and I agreed that's more of an outside toy," Steve said sheepishly, then his face brightened. "Which is actually better because it can be much bigger if it's outside."

Catherine smiled indulgently.

Elizabeth crossed the room to stand beside her husband. She knew him well enough to know that in addition to measurements there would be sketches on the paper in front of him. "So, tell me what you had in mind of this activity wall."

"The sky's the limit," Joseph beamed. "We're thinking large blocks of colors, pictures of animals, different textures, things that spin and slide, basic locks, shapes, sounds."

"One of Grace's favorite toys when she was little was this this magnetic maze that had all kinds of animal sounds. She'd play with that thing for hours." He smiled at the memory. "It was about the size of a large puzzle but …" He sized up the wall. "If we built out a three-dimensional track we could actually make it run the length of the room and add a lot more animals."

"I like that idea." Steve looked at Joseph. "Write that down, please."

Catherine looked at Danny. "Thank heavens you're here to keep things from getting out of hand," she snorted.

"What can I say?" Danny beamed at the happy baby in his arms. "It's kinda hard not to get caught up when you look at this adorable face." He kissed her cheek. "And if you think we're outta hand, wait until you hear Grace's ideas."

THE END

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