Okay so it's been one year since Emma's birth. Emma is now one and Derek and Meredith are going to visit their family. Happy McHolidays everyone!
Meredith Grey was standing in her, now finished, daughters nursery. She was peeking through the door at her baby daughter Emma Sleeping. Meredith stood in the door way until her daughter blinked open her eyes and yawned.
Meredith opened the door all the way and walked over to Emma's crib. She picked her up and held her tiny baby daughter. "Hi there Em. Are you ready to go to Grandma Carolyn's and Grandma Elis's?" Emma cooed in response.
Derek came and walked behind Meredith to give her a kiss on the head. "How are my girls doing?" Meredith looked at Derek and kissed his lips "We're good. Right honey?" She looked at Emma and Emma reached up towards Derek "Dada." Meredith laughed and touched her daughter's nose.
Emma giggled as she touched her mom's mouth "Mumma." Meredith nodded "Yeah Emma that's right! I'm mommy!" Meredith handed Emma to Derek. "I need to go take a shower. Do you mind playing with Emma?" Derek looked at his daughter and tickled her "Go ahead babe."
Meredith smiled and kissed Derek's cheek then Emma's. "I'll be back soon baby." Meredith walked out of the nursery and upstairs. Derek looked at Emma "We got mommy the best present for Christmas, didn't we?" Emma was to busy touching Derek's stubble to respond to him.
"I'm guessing you need to be fed and dress?" Emma looked at her stuffed elephant and pouted. "Dada." He looked over at her elephant and grabbed it out of her crib. "Here you go." Emma grabbed the elephant and hugged it "Ellie."
Emma wasn't the best at speaking but she knew how to say most of her family's names. She loved seeing her cousins, since she was the youngest they were all over her. "Why don't we get you dressed then practice your walking?"
Derek walked over to Emma's closet and picked her out a onesie with a tutu. It was a red tutu and the onesie said Merry Christmas on it. Derek grabbed it off the small hanger and changed his daughter into it. Derek picked her up and carried her back to the closet "Why don't you wear a green hair bow?"
Derek slipped the green hair bow with a flower on it over Emma's head. She never really was one to take off her socks, shoes, or hair bows. While he carried her down stairs, Emma dropped her stuffed animal and cried. Derek turned around and grabbed the elephant off the stairs and handed it back to Emma.
"No need to cry." He kissed Emma's head and sat on the couch with her. After playing with Ellie for a little while, Derek neeled on the ground and held Emma's hands for her to stand up. "Okay bug, you're going to walk for mine and mommy's present. Okay?" Emma looked at her father with her big, blue eyes and smiled.
"That's right. You're going to walk for us!" He let go of her hands as she placed one foot infront of her other foot but fell down. She instantly looked at her father and pouted her bottom lip. He lip quivered and she started to cry. "Don't cry princess. Daddy's here."
Derek picked up Emma and cradled her to his chest. "We'll try again later, sweetie." He placed her in her play pen then sat outside of it. He watched her chew on all of her toys before getting facinated with all the toys that light up and sing. She was chewing on a doll that sang before Meredith walked down the stairs.
"Hey there pretty lady!" Meredith walked over to the play pen and picked up Emma. "Did daddy dress you? You look very pretty honey!" Emma laughed and played with Meredith's hair. "I think she might be hungry, Mer." Meredith picked up Emma and brought her into the kitchen.
"Why don't you go get ready while I take care of Emma for a while?" Derek walked over to Meredith and kissed her softly "Okay. You're a very good mother, Mer." Meredith smiled and kissed her husband one more time "Thank you. I love you Der." He brushed hair out of her face "I love you too Mer. And you too Emma." He kissed Emma and she touched the sides of his face.
"You really need to shave sweetie." Derek nodded then walked out of the kitchen. "Daddy needs to shave doesn't he?" Emma laughed as her mom tickled her with kisses. "Okay, mommy needs to get you some food." Meredith opened the fridge and grabbed some mashed peas for Emma.
"Here you go baby." Meredith grabbed a baby spoon out of the drawer and spoon fed Emma until she threw a fit when she was done. "You need to take a nap on the way to grandma's house!" Derek walked into the kitchen, cleanly shaved and showered. "Are you almost ready to go? We need to be at Ellis's house by three then my mom's by five."
Meredith nodded "Yeah, I just need to pack a bag for Emma then we can go." Derek picked up Emma and showered her with kisses. Meredith walked upstairs and opened Emma's closet. "What should Emma where after church?"
She decided to pack Emma footie pajamas with lady bugs all over them, and the onesie with the matching tutu that Izzie got her. Meredith brought a bow for her to wear the next day too. She put in some extra stuff like a bottle, a pink pacifier with a crown on the middle, diapers, extra hair clips, and bibs.
Meredith walked downstairs with her and Emma's bag. Derek grabbed Emma's hand and made her wave to Meredith. Emma laughed and Derek laughed with her. Meredith rolled her eyes and put all of their bags in the car. She walked back into the house "Give me my angel so I can put her coat on."
Derek walked over to Meredith "I can do it." Meredith took Emma out of Derek's hands "No, I want to spend time with her." Derek sighed "That means I'm driving?" Meredith nodded her head while putting on Emma's coat. She put Emma on the floor while she got her coat on. Emma pulled her self up on Derek's legs.
"Yep, I'm sitting in back with Emma." Derek kissed Meredith's forehead and picked Emma up off the floor. Emma played with Derek's face while they walked outside. Derek opened the car door and put Emma in her car seat. He buckled her in then held the door open for Mer.
Meredith got in the car and sat next to Emma's car seat. For half of the way there, Emma was saying a bunch of gibberish and the rest of the way there she slept. Meredith ended up falling asleep too with one of her arms around the car seat.
Derek pulled up into Ellis's driveway and came to a slow stop. He unbuckled and turned around to face his two favorite girls. "Ladies, we're here." Meredith opened her eyes and looked at a yawning Emma. "Lets go inside, shall we?" Meredith unbuckled Emma out of her car seat and lifted her up.
Derek got out of the car and opened the door for Mer and Emma. He took Emma from Meredith's arms and held her close to his chest. "You go inside and I'll get the presents for everyone." Derek nodded then walked up to the door and opened it.
Ellis waited by the door with Thatcher at her side. "Derek! You guys made it! Where's Mer?" Derek started taking off Emma's coat "She's grabbing stuff from the car." Ellis nodded and smiled at Emma. "Hi there sweetie pie! Come to Grandma!" Ellis grabbed Emma from Derek's arms and made faces at her.
Thatcher looked at Emma and let her grab his finger. "Hi there honey!" Emma giggled for a little before her face turned into an expression of fear "Mama." Ellis kissed Emma "Mama's outside. She'll be here in a couple minutes."
Ellis bounced Emma in her arms as Derek handed Emma her elephant. "Look Emmy, It's your favorite stuffed animal Ellie!" Emma grabbed it and hugged her favorite stuffed animal to her chest. Thatcher touched her cheek "You're adorable!"
Meredith walked into the house and hugged her mother. "Hi mom. Sorry we're a little late. Emma and I fell asleep in the car." Ellis kissed Meredith's cheek "It's fine! You're here now, that's all that matters! Your sister's in the kitchen."
Ellis took Emma into the living room and showed her to the rest of the family. Meredith went into the kitchen to see her sister finishing up dinner. "Hi there." Lexie turned around and smiled "Mer, hi!" Lexie took off the oven mits and hugged her sister. "Hey, did you bring Emmy?" Meredith nodded "Yeah, mom has her. Where's Mark and the kids?"
Lexie laughed "They're upstairs looking at the toys that mom bought last year." Meredith laughed "Of course they are." Meredith turned around to see Mark standing in the kitchen. "Hi Mark!" Mark walked over to Meredith and gave her a hug "Hey there Meredith. Jason and Lily have been asking about Emma."
Meredith laughed and pointed to the living room "She's in the living room with Ellis and the rest of the family. Derek's in there too if you want to see him." Mark gave her the thumbs up "Cool, thanks!" Mark left the kitchen and Meredith and Lexie followed.
They all sat in the living room and watched the kids interact. Emma didn't know how she felt about Jason and Lily. They were kind of loud and rough, while Emma liked to be by an adult and gentle. "So, Mer. I was thinking about New Years. I think you, me, Mark, and Derek should go out somewhere."
"Yeah, that sounds fun! Or maybe we can throw a party at my house? You know, get all of our friends together, the kids can play." Lexie laughed then looked at her kids "Hey! Jason, don't pull Lily's hair!" Lexie walked over to her kids to stop their fighting.
"We're wrestling mom!" Lily sat on the floor and sniffled "I was just pwaying with Bawbie." Lexie picked up Lily and kissed her forehead. Meredith walked over to Derek. He wrapped his arms around her waist "Hey." He leaned down and kissed her lips lightly. "Hi. Where's Emma?" Derek looked at Mark and Meredith smiled.
Mark was sitting on the floor and playing peek-a-boo with Emma who was laughing harder than ever. "He's so good with her!" Derek laughed and nodded. Lexie stood up and talked to the whole family "Okay guys, dinner is done if we're ready to eat."
Everyone went towards the kitchen to get food. When everyone got their food, the family sat at the dinner table. Meredith put Emma in the highchair that Ellis kept there in case Emma, Mer, and Derek decided to sleep over there ever. Meredith got Emma some mashed carrots and sat down.
After Thatcher said grace, Meredith started spoon feeding Emma, since she can't feed herself. Ellis looked at Meredith "Oh Mer, let me do that sweetie. You eat." Meredith shook her and "It's okay mom. I got it." Ellis smiled at her eldest daughter "Are you sure?" Meredith laughed "Yeah mom."
After dinner, Meredith gave everyone their presents and watched them open them. When everyone opened their presents, Thatcher stood up from sitting on the couch. "I have one more present for little miss Emma." Thatcher gave Emma a medium sized box wrapped in pink wraping paper.
Meredith held Emma in her lap "What is it Em?" Emma just sat on her mom's lap and shook the box. Meredith ripped the paper off the box and opened the box completely. Emma pulled out a stuffed lamb. "Oh wow Em! You don't have a lamb!" Emma started playing with the lamb.
Meredith looked up at her father "Thanks dad." He smiled at Meredith and gave her a kiss on the head "Of course." Emma looked at her parents "Lamb lamb." Derek kissed Emma's head "Yeah, that's a lamb sweet heart."
Meredith and Derek handed Emma to Lexie then they started packing up their stuff. Derek grabbed all of their stuff and put it in a pile. "I think we are ready to go whenever you want to. There's no rush, it wouldn't be the end of the world if we missed church." Meredith wrapped her arms around Derek's neck.
"It's okay, I know your mom likes it when we go to church with her." Derek laughed and kissed Meredith's forehead. "I love you." Meredith pressed her forehead on Derek's "I love you too." They pulled apart when they heard Emma start to cry.
Meredith and Derek rushed over to Lexie and grabbed Emma from her. Derek held Emma close to his chest and looked at Lexie "Sorry, I think she missed you guys. She just started crying." Meredith rubbed Emma's back and Derek held her.
Meredith walked into the living room to say her goodbyes while Derek rocked side to side to calm Emma down. Emma eventually fell asleep on Derek's chest. Derek walked carefully into the living room and waved to everyone.
Meredith looked at the clock "I'm so sorry guys but we need to get going." Ellis stood up and hugged Meredith once more. "We'll miss you sweetie. You guys need to visit more often." Meredith kissed Thatcher goodbye "We will, I promise." Ellis cautiously hugged Derek, not wanting to wake up Emma.
"You two drive safely okay?" Derek nodded "We will." Thatcher placed his hand on Emma's back and kissed her forehead. Ellis brushed her finger on Emma's cheek. "I'm going to go start the car." Derek handed Emma to Meredith, without waking her. Emma adjusted herself on Meredith's chest and continued sleeping.
Derek brought everything to the car and turned it on so it wouldn't be cold. He walked back to Meredith and Emma and placed his hand on Meredith's back. "Alright, the car is warmed up and we're ready to go." Meredith said goodbye to everyone once more then walked out the door with Derek.
