A/N This work not written for profit, no copyright infringement intended.

( several weeks later, in Baker Street)

Sherlock and John had settled in to the realities of life with a newborn. They had learned most of Sheri's cries and some tried and true methods of soothing her, and were actually getting a decent amount of sleep most nights. Sherlock was especially adept at soothing her when she was upset, something that John was still just a tad jealous over. She was generally a good sleeper, and had her longest sleep at night - a minor miracle in itself, according to Molly and everyone who had children.

Sheri still slept in their bedroom in her small cot. They thought that until she started to outgrow it, she would probably remain there, and then transfer her up to her nursery in John's old bedroom. They took turns getting up with her, Sherlock working around John's clinic schedule.

As for Sherlock, he only took cases he could solve by phone or computer, or ones where Greg brought over the crime scene photos and what evidence they had gathered. On occasion, Greg or Anderson had him view the crime scene via computer, which was more helpful than he might have supposed. He had vowed to be the primary caregiver for Sheri, and the cases were secondary to that. He was already spending some time each day teaching her about the world.

When he did need to leave the flat, the front pack was invaluable. He preferred the papoose for indoors, when he was preparing food or doing laundry - yes, he was doing the laundry, something to which no one would have ever thought he'd succumb. He had learnt that life with a newborn required a lot of changing clothing, so it was necessary, and he didn't want John doing it when he came home from the clinic in the evenings. Mrs. Hudson had taken pity on him and shown him how to work the washing machine. He quickly sussed out the most efficient way to hang the baby things in the airing cupboard, and actually enjoyed ironing - it helped him to think and was strangely satisfying to see the neatly pressed garments lined up on hangers.

He had also purchased another papoose wrap, since the first one got rather stained quite quickly, and he realised they'd need one more to have whilst the first was being laundered. Sheri loved being close to her Papa, and he found he missed her when she was not so near. He wore her around the flat nearly all the time, often reading to her from his book when he was sitting in his chair. The sound of his voice seemed to soothe her, and she happily snuggled with her Papa.

Sherlock also took Sheri on daily walks through Regent's Park with the car seat/ pushchair combination. He showed her the many varieties of plants and flowers, and of course, introduced her to the ducks. At present, she didn't react, but he knew she would love them when she was a little older. He actually enjoyed meeting the other parents out walking with their children, and comparing notes. There were a couple of young mothers he frequently spent time with, having a coffee and chatting about their babies. They thought he was just the most devoted father they had seen, and when they met John on one of his days off, told him just how good Sherlock was with Sheri – John beamed and kissed him right there in the middle of the park - and Sherlock blushed at the compliment - and the kiss in front of his new friends. The pushchair was perfect for these outings, and he was happy to have it - and the formerly derided cup-holder came in very handy!

Sherlock also took Sheri on trips to the museums that were in such abundance in London. He spoke to her about the exhibits as if she were older, reasoning that she would retain these things when she was older if introduced to them as a baby. The other patrons were amused at the young father teaching his daughter about paintings, ancient artefacts, and the like. The zoo, the aquarium, the poison garden at Alnwick (he had arranged a weekend trip for all three of them to Northumberland, and John was greatly amused at the serious way Sherlock explained all the plants to their daughter, telling her the symptoms they each produced and the antidotes for them – were all places to teach her, and Sherlock relished any chance to do that. They also visited the tree-house while they were there - although that was more for John, who said he'd love to build a small one for Sheri when she was older - probably up at his parents' place in Gloucestershire.

He had continued to hone his cooking skills, and most days that John worked, Sherlock was making dinner for the two of them (although he did call Angelo for a dinner occasionally). He also did breakfast on John's clinic days, and they both shared lunch duty when John was at home.

As for Sheri, she was growing by leaps and bounds. Sherlock spent time each day with her lying on her belly, and offering her different toys, that he thought were essential. She seemed to love the music that was nearly always playing in the flat, and focussed keenly when Papa played his violin for her. John loved watching this, as her expression was so much like Sherlock when she did this, her tiny brows furrowing in exactly the same way, her hands constantly working like his, unable to be completely still. He only saw Sherlock when he looked at her, and he was more than happy with that.

Sherlock, on the other hand, acknowledged that she did look a lot like him, but also saw the hints of John that his husband didn't notice most times. The shade of her eyes was darkening and Sherlock thought they would probably settle more into John's deep cornflower blue than his unearthly verdigris, and he was delighted. So many of her expressions were like John, as well - when she was happy, her smile - for she had started smiling, once or twice - was all John, as was her exasperated face, something that amused Sherlock no end, even when he was causing the exasperation by bathing her or changing the toy she was trying to reach - only with her eyes at this point, but her intent was often clear. Her nose still had John's snubbed tip, and her hair had darkened considerably since she was born, although it was still a deep blonde, and curly like his own. All in all, she was the prefect blend of the two of them, and Sherlock was completely enchanted by their tiny daughter.

Molly, Greg, and their other friends at the Met and elsewhere surprised them with a small party to celebrate the new baby. Everyone brought gifts - for Sheri and/or her parents. Some gifts were practical, others funny, like Philip's books on dinosaurs and the solar system - but Sherlock was well used to the teasing by now, and weathered it much better than in years past.

Greg and Molly's gift was a standing offer to watch Sheri so that their dads could have a date night once a month, as Sherlock and John did for them. They knew how important it was to get away from the constant baby talk and minutiae once in a while, to reconnect. The boys appreciated this more as time went by, and happily reciprocated with Emily, as they had since she was born.

Sherlock's parents had surprised them with a battery-operated swing, and Sheri loved it, often falling asleep in it after some music. That was also terribly helpful when they needed to fold laundry, and get other things done, like shower... They also learnt why new parents were so happy to get some time alone, without an infant interrupting their every chance at intimacy. Some of those 'date nights' were spent in their bedroom in 221B...

Sally brought a set of videos especially made for young babies, that had bright colours and a theme such as animals, flowers, birds - things that would attract her interest. The were each accompanied by classical music, which Sherlock appreciated. It also gave him a few minutes to do household tasks whilst she watched them, something he sorely needed some days.

Molly's friend from Barts, Meena, sent along some first books on the human body, with a soft stuffed skeleton - which Sherlock may or may not have nearly confiscated for his own... as well as a set of stuffed "germs" like the 'flu virus, the Epstein-Barr virus, Strep and Staph microbes, as well as the "hero", a white blood cell. These were a big hit with both of the boys - and one could only hope Sheri would enjoy them half as much! These were accompanied by a mesh bag which could be hung in a corner of the room, and keep many stuffed toys contained. She had a veritable zoo started there, since many of their friends just had to get her a new animal when they were out shopping.

All in all, they were off to a fine start with their daughter - John was constantly surprised at how well his sweetheart took to parenting, and complimented him on it frequently.

Well, we're nearly there- only one more chapter after this. Enjoy!

~joan