"Perfect"
One Year Old
Reid smiled as Ella slapped her hands on the water beside her float, splashing both of them, and giggling in the process. He watched as her feet kicked around in the pool below her. He cupped his hands and made a small wave to make her float shift and she laughed in delight. "Dada!"
"Yes Birthday Girl?" He leaned in, pulling back her sunhat and dipping it into the water. He ran a hand over her hair before kissing her forehead. Ella smiled up at him when he pulled back. Wringing out some of the water, he put the hat back on her, chuckling when she squealed at the feeling of water on her head. He knew this would keep her cool for a bit. She reached for a toy nearby and pushed it down, only to have it pop back up. The laws of buoyancy and floatation were intriguing her. Reid smiled as he took her in.
He couldn't believe she was a year old. 365 days. 8,760 hours…give or take. He knew technically she had two more hours do go before she was biologically one, but that didn't really matter right now. She had changed so much in that short time. He remembered being fascinated with Henry's development, but watching her grow had been a whole new level captivation. Every single day seemed like there was a subtle change to notice, to catalog. When she learned something new, so did he. It mesmerized him, watching her learn, whether it be something like objects disappearing and reappearing with peekaboo or a motor skill like learning to crawl, or more recently, walk. Admittedly, he took the most pride in her cognitive growth, excited by her ability to retain and properly use close to two dozen sign language words at this point. Her oral vocabulary was also growing, which he loved watching expand as well.
"Dada!" She splashed a little harder, getting his attention since he had drifted into his thoughts some. He smiled and spun her around in the pool, getting giggles in thanks. Every time she said his 'name' – this new title that he cherished having now – it made his heart grow. Now he understood how his mom felt about him when she'd make comments about 'why mess with perfection.' Not that he'd mind if they had more kids, but Ella was perfect in his mind. So was Henry, each were in their own way. He was sure that each of them had flaws, no human being can actually be perfect, but in his eyes there were none. She was perfect, and would continue to be so as she continued to grow and develop.
He ran a hand over her cheek and then down her neck, shoulder and arm until he was holding her small hand in his. She smiled and waved it up and down with hers. Leaning forward again, he kissed her other cheek. "I love you so much, Elizabeth Rose. Happy Birthday my sweet girl," he murmured. Ella patted her free, wet hand on his cheek.
"Wove dada."
Reid grinned widely. "Love you too, Ella."
"Mama!"
Reid turned to see JJ making her way across Rossi's pool to them as Ella splashed. "Hi Birthday girl!" He needed to remember to thank her for this amazing gift later.
A/N: Short, I know. Felt the urge to post something in this story and was editing the chapter this is connected to in "Partners" and so this was created.