"Oh no you don't," Tom muttered as he grabbed for the back of CJ's shirt before the baby could take off towards the kitchen to follow Anima. Carrying the squealing seven month old under his arm, Tom placed him in the living room and reached for the baby gate. Locking the gate into place, he watched CJ grasp the hard plastic and push as if he were expecting it to break. He was a little Samson in the making. "Sorry, bud. I'll be back."

Anima laughed. "He's just too smart for us, Tom."

Moose was soon at the gate with CJ, pushing and barking at the smell of food cooking. Usually, Moose was allowed into the kitchen to eat anything Anima dropped while cooking, but since CJ was getting better at crawling, Tom and Anima had to invest in baby gates.

It was the middle of her last week of taking things slow and was working back into her normal routine. She could walk around, but she couldn't bend or lift much, including her son. Usually, she had Tom pick him up and deposit him in her lap. It was irritating, but in the end, it would be well worth it. They were content with just having CJ as their biological son. They could still adopt.

"Kinda feels like he's a mini Loki from those movies," Anima said giggling.

Shaking his head with a smile, Tom rinsed a washcloth and went back to cleaning the high chair. "Might as well be. He's wicked smart for his own good."

Anima started cooking macaroni casserole for her and Tom with a small turkey for lunch and dinner. "He'll be walking soon."

"I know," he sighed softly, drying off the tray of CJ's high chair with a hand towel. He placed it on the counter and began wiping down the seat.

Hearing a clank and a small giggle, they both turned to see that CJ and Moose succeeded in knocking over the baby gate and were working his way over to Anima's legs. Gripping her leg with both hands, he hoisted himself up and stood, wobbling as he tried to balance. With help from Tom, she pulled him onto her lap at the table and picked up a slice of orange for him to gnaw on. His two top teeth were finally in, and his bottom teeth were on the way.

Feeling a smile tug at his lips, Tom snapped the tray back into place and put it in the corner. He took a quick glance at the calendar and smirked. "Hey, Annie?"

"Yes?"

"You do know what's coming up at the end of the week, right?" he wriggled his eyebrows as his smirk grew.

Anima giggled.

"I knew you'd know."

Anima wrapped her arms around CJ as he continued to suck on the orange and smiled at Tom. "Well, if everything's alright for this weekend, we can have some fun," she reached for CJ's pacifier, popping it into his mouth. "I'm thinking we need to celebrate him finally learning to crawl. What do you think?"

Taking a seat in front of her, Tom watched the baby shake his car keys roughly. "How about giving him his favorite foods and a present or two? Some new toys? He does need a new door jumper since he's worn his other one out."

"Sounds good. We can get a few learning toys and activity stations."

Tom nodded and pulled out his phone, making a list. "I can make dinner for us. Whip up his favorite foods and then show him his new stuff? He's been doing well learning to take a fork and spoon. Want to get him a new spoon and fork set that's easier for him to grasp?"

"That'll work," Anima leaned over to look at what he was typing, and both froze when they heard her stomach grumble. Tom stifled a laugh by covering it with a weak cough. "Ha ha. Very funny. Going to take something for that cough?" she sassed. When her stomach grumbled again, they both knew it was time for lunch.

"Is the food done?"

"It should be close," Anima said, readjusting her hold on CJ as he settled against her, resting his head against her chest. "Looks like he's starting to drift off. Have you been keeping him up later than usual?"

Tom shook his head as he checked the food before sitting down again. "I've been sticking to his schedule like clockwork. He is using more energy now that he's crawling. Does he have a fever?"

"Not that I can feel."

Anima lightly patted his back has he shifted closer to her and fell asleep. For the next few minutes, they watched CJ sleep as they waited for the food to cook thoroughly. Even as he slept, the baby always looked like he was still running on leftover energy; the pacifier moved as he dreamed. A socked covered foot twitched every now and then, and his facial muscles spazzed.

When the food was done, Tom opted to feed Anima instead of her struggling to feed herself with one hand. "How about this," Tom started as he forked up a forkful of food. "We can celebrate CJ's accomplishment, and later you and I can indulge in our favorite exercise routine. I can't wait," he whispered against her ear, offering her a fork full of food. "Think we can lie down together and cuddle?"

"Of course we can," she smiled and patted CJ's back gently when he shifted against her. "With fabric between us or not?"

He grinned. "Do I really have to answer that?"

Anima giggled and watched Tom finish his own lunch quickly. Tom took CJ and put him down for his nap while Anima put the dishes in the dishwasher and the leftovers in the fridge. Then she headed into the living room to try and straighten up CJ's play area. Once he was down for his nap and the monitor was turned on, Tom helped Anima undress, and they crawled under the covers into each other's arms. Tom wrapped one arm around her and lowered the covers enough to glance down at her healed incisions. "They're looking good," he said, running his fingers over them. Feeling his fingers outlining her neck and collarbone, she closed her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder. She placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart thumping under her palm.