Bedtime Story Edits

I realize I already used the name Anya in this story but the former Anya (from the baby care class) mentioned is only a one-time character!

Bella Wolfe had been getting lots of visitors while her parents were gone. Eric and Calleigh dropped by, as did Walter Simmons. The three stayed a while and all got to hold the baby, Horatio made sure both Eric and Calleigh changed a diaper and did a feeding.

"You two definitely need the practice," Horatio said, looking at Calleigh's seven-month pregnant belly.

Calleigh and Eric had got the news when she were three months along, most people had suspected it, but they had only confirmed to everyone that they were not having one, but two babies, better known as twins. Ryan and Emily had suspected this since Calleigh's first trimester, even if the two experiencing their first pregnancy. Her belly was much bigger than Emily's was at that point. It was a secret, because like Ryan and Emily they didn't want things with names printed on them but the two had picked out names for their unborn identical twin daughters, Anya Hope and Carly Joy.

At three and a half months old Bella Wolfe loved "tummy time" on the carpet, cooing away, "talking" to her mommy. She was almost twelve pounds now and beginning to hold her up for short periods as well. The little girl was looking more like her dad every day. Mom and daughter had just returned from Eric and Calleigh's. Five days ago the couple had been blessed with two beautiful daughters. Anya Hope and Carly Joy had been home with their parents for three days. The two were perfectly healthy to the delight and relief of everyone who knew them and their parents. Calleigh had made it to thirty-eight weeks pregnant before going in labor on her own, two days before her doctor planned to induce her. Though born in the O.R., a mandatory precaution, the girls weren't born by c-section. Both girls weighed over six pounds. Emily hadn't seen Calleigh and Eric more happy; the same the two said of her and Ryan three months and a half ago. Anya and Carly were the perfect mix of their parents. Tan complexions and brown hair with hint of golden blonde and chocolate brown eyes. Eric's parents and sisters were helping them out a lot since they had come home from the hospital and the new dad was off work for three weeks. The new parents were still running on pure elation. Calleigh was breast-feeding, supplementing with formula. Emily couldn't help but imagine how that was to add to their exhaustion. Breast feeding had to add to new mom exhaustion with one baby, let alone two.

Ryan joked hat once exhaustion took over the two would be wondering what they got themselves into. Nevertheless, the Wolfes already knew the happiness the babies would bring their parents. Even though Mami and Papi could already tell their children apart no one else seemed to be able to. Calleigh told Emily while she was expecting that she could imagine the fulfillment a baby could bring to her life, but now that she was a mother herself she couldn't put that happiness into words. Horatio was the twins' godfather to nobody's surprise. For a man who had never experienced fatherhood, Horatio was incredibly relaxed with babies, like he had all the experience in the world.

"Where's daddy's cutie-pie? Tried mom out, did ya?"

Ryan smiled down at Bella who smiled back at him from her bassinet. Her mom was sound asleep on the sofa. No doubt Emily had put their baby down for a few moments and laid down herself for a break

And fell asleep. Bella had had somewhat of a fussy night and because he had to work over-time, Emily were up with her most of the night alone. The baby was evidently fine where she was, if she had started to cry Emily would have heard her, she was less than five feet away.

"Oh, hey," Emily said, waking up. "What time is it?"

"6:15. Don't worry, she's fine."

"Geez, it was 5:30 when I said I'd lay here for fifteen minutes. I guess Bella didn't mind my extended rest."

Ryan walked over and kissed his wife.

"Why don't you go in and go back to sleep for a bit? I got her."

Emily nodded.

"That sounds good. She might be hungry again soon, I fed her and changed her diaper 'bout 4:30."

"'Kay."

Ryan was definitely looking forward to some daddy- daughter time after not seeing Bella all night and all day. She had been asleep that morning when he left. Since she'd been born, Bella's parents had been doing infant massage with her after her bath. It was a contest who enjoyed it more, parents or baby. Bella would always coo and smile during her bath and subsequent massage, no matter what mood she were in before.

"What did daddy ever do without you and mommy?" Ryan said to his daughter.

He had decided to wait to have his own dinner with his wife, he fed his daughter her bottle and bathed her, following with her standard massage. After that it was story time. A child was never too young for that. Emily laughed when she looked in the nursery, Bella in Ryan's arms in the rocker. He was reading The Three Little Pigs to her; except for there was no big bad wolf, there was a weasel. Ryan explained that this was because he didn't want their daughter to "get a complex" or "think it was okay to be a bully."

"Whatever you say, dear," she said, shaking her head. "But you better make it a huge weasel when you read her Little Red Riding Hood. That one has to eat grandma."

"She missed you a lot today, " Emily told Ryan when he entered the kitchen minutes later when he was sure Bella was sleeping, at least till 11:30pm or so. "And so did I."

Ryan smiled. "I missed you guys, too."

Call him sappy but he always did miss his girls. Ryan learned she was a little better but Bella had a fussy day. With not much sleep the night prior and that day, Bella seemed to have crashed after being relaxed by her bath and massage. Her parents would hoped she would sleep for a while tonight.