Sunday December 13th 2022
Eddie was busy browning beef to make a lasagna for family dinner later today.
"Momma, bup!" Alaina was at Eddies legs with her arms up, whining to be held.
"Lainey...mommy can't hold you right now. Go play, this is hot." She told her.
"Bup!" She said again this time standing on her tip toes grabbing the bottom of Eddies shirt and pulling.
"Honey no. Where's daddy? Go get daddy." She told her chopping the meat up in the pan as it sizzled. Alaina started crying and pulling harder at Eddie.
"Jamie...?!" Eddie yelled over the crying for his help so she didn't burn the meat.
"Yeah?" He emerged from the laundry room.
"Can you take her please, she wants me to hold her but I'm kinda busy." Eddie said irritated.
"Yeah sorry I was folding that laundry. C'mon Lain...let's go play." He said using a come here hand motion. She freaked out and tried to get in between Eddies legs to get away from him.
"Your gonna just have to pick her up." Eddie said frustrated at the lack of space and free time she had right now.
"Alaina Grace c'mon. Done." Jamie scooped her up and carried the kicking and screaming toddler to the living room.
"Hey, stop...mommy's busy...and you need to be quiet, Ryan's sleeping..." he told her and held his finger up to his lips "shh" he told her. She stopped, observed and did it back.
"Good job!" Jamie told her. He handed her the baby doll on the couch and then went to the kitchen to get a glass of water.
"Smells good babe." He told Eddie slaving away over the stove.
"Thanksss." She said.
"Need help with anything?" He asked.
"Honestly just keep her out of my area, that's it." She told him.
"Good deal." Jamie said and went back to keep Alaina occupied.
An hour later Ryan was crying in his crib, Eddie was getting ready for Sunday dinner and Jamie was getting Alaina dressed.
"Hi Ry...! Did you sleep good?" Eddie said soft and sweetly when she entered the nursery. She brushed her hand over his hair and smiled at him.
"Are you hungryyy?" She asked, he stared at her mouth when she talked. He knew his moms voice it was so magical. She picked him up and laid him down to get changed first.
"Eddie the timers going off what do you want me to do?" Jamie shouted from the kitchen.
"Umm take it out and turn it off if it looks done." She yelled back undoing Ryan's diaper.
"How do I know if it's done?" He asked back. Eddie laughed to herself, Alaina came in the nursery and went right to over to the rocking chair, trying to get in it.
"If the cheese is all melted?" She told him.
"Hey you, monkey. Ah uh, get down...you are going to fall!" Eddie said panicked that she hoisted herself up there and smiled.
"Ah!" Eddie screamed, getting peed on by her 5 month old. She quickly covered him with the new diaper and started laughing because he was smiling.
"What happened?!" Jamie rushed in wondering.
"He peed on me!" Eddie said laughing and showing him her wet shirt.
"Oh haha...Ryan why'd you do that? Huh?" He asked getting closer to his face, rubbing his thumb over his cheek.
"Well it was my fault. I got distracted by missy over there." Eddie said. Jamie looked to see Alaina standing on the rocking chair playing with the lamp above it. Jamie scooped her up before she fell and set her down.
"No Lain." He said blocking her from doing it again. She tried to go around him a couple times, got mad and hit him. Eddie had just finished up with Ryan's diaper to witness it. Jamie raised his eyebrows surprised and Eddies mouth dropped she was speechless.
"Hey, we do not hit...!" Jamie said getting down on her level and looking at her little face. She stared at Jamie and then all of a sudden made a break for the chair again. Jamie, still kneeling, grabbed her and put her back in front of him.
"And we are not playing on the chair okay?" He asked calmly. Eddie stood behind her still observing this interaction.
"No!" Alaina yelled at him, hit again, and ran the other way!
"Eddie I don't know what-" Jamie started to say.
"Here. She needs a timeout or something." Eddie gave Jamie the baby and walked out after Alaina.
"Excuse me! Come here." Eddie grabbed her hand and pulled her into the entry way. She sat her in the corner, facing the wall. Of course she started crying. She didn't know what was going on.
"You do not hit. Now you sit here for one minute. That was naughty." Eddie said and walked away. She got up and cried to Eddie, it was so sad but Eddie stayed strong and put her back, and walked away. Jamie came out with Ryan.
"First timeout. What a milestone." Jamie said sarcastically.
"Oh yeah. First of many." Eddie said. They both stood back and watched her cry into the wall corner. They couldn't help but laugh at how dramatic she was being.
—
1 hour later they got to Frank's for dinner. Frank and pop were making the homemade garlic bread, Erin was mixing up a salad. Danny wasn't here yet, and Joe was helping Sean set the table.
"Hey!" Frank said when he saw the kids.
"Say hi grandpa" Eddie told Alaina. She waved and smiled at him. He put down what he was doing and came over to love on her.
"How are you?" He asked her.
"Say gooood..." Eddie said. Jamie set Ryan's car seat down on the floor, he was sleeping again.
"Where you want this?" Jamie asked pop holding out the lasagna.
"Set it right on on the table, we're almost ready." Pop told him.
"Hey Joe! Good to see ya." Jamie said when he saw him in the dining room.
"Same to you." He replied.
"How ya been?" Jamie asked.
"Busy. But good." He said.
"Hey Joe, how are ya?" Eddie asked and gave him a hug.
"Good you? You look great by the way." He told her.
"Aw thanks! We're doing good!" She told him.
"Alright let's eat. Danny just pulled up." Pop said carrying the bread to the table. Eddie put Alaina in her high chair and Jamie brought Ryan over in the car seat. He was still asleep.
Danny came in and everyone was ready to pray.
After everyone had filled there plates and started eating the conversations started.
"So Joe who's the girl?" Danny asked. The whole family looked at Joe wanting to know what Danny was talking about.
"Hm? What girl?" He asked.
"The one I saw you with earlier this week? Parked outside the pizza place?" Danny said.
"Oh. Yeah, Cass. We're just friends." Joe told him and shoved more food in his mouth. Danny cocked his head at him and everyone still was curious. He looked back up from his plate, seeing all the eyes on him.
"Okay so we're dating." He admitted.
"Ohhh!" Danny said playing stupid.
"Oooo!" Erin said as everyone else "ood and awed" too. Joe blushed and laughed at everyone.
"Soo how longs it been?" Eddie said playfully.
"Only 2 months." He said holding his hands up infront of him.
"Very cool!" Eddie said.
"Good for you." Jamie added and the whole family agreed.
"She's a lucky girl." Frank said and smiled.
When they were done and cleaning up, Eddie had to sit and nurse Ryan. Alaina was up her butt wanting to sit with Eddie too.
"Hey, why don't you feed your baby, she's hungry, I hear her crying." Eddie told her.
"Babyyy..." Alaina walked off to the kitchen where she left her doll in Ryan's car seat. Eddie listened to everyone in the kitchen cleaning up talk to her.
"There she is! Is that your baby?" Danny asked her.
"Yeah?" He said back, after she shook her head yes. She then ran off to Jamie, he was drying dishes. She grabbed his fingers and pulled him out of the kitchen.
"Where we going Lain?" He asked and let her lead him to Eddie in the living room. She let go and then sat on the floor with the rest of her toys.
"She wants you to play with her." Eddie told him laughing.
"I'm drying dishes and then I will!" He told her and went back to the kitchen. She followed him, plopped down in the middle of the floor and started whining.
"Awww what did daddy do?" Erin asked with sympathy in a babyish voice.
"I told her I can't play right now, when I'm done this I can. Alaina all done." Jamie said getting back to drying dishes. Eddie came out to put away the blanket she covers up with, grabbed the baby wipes and a diaper. Alaina went over to her. Pulling on the bottom of her shirt.
"Seems to me like someone is jealous, wants attention." Pop pointed out.
"Yeah...she gets in these moods throughout the day where I swear if we threw Ryan to the wind she could care less." Eddie said trying to maneuver out of the toddlers grip.
"Honey I have to change your brothers diaper..." Eddie told her. She started throwing a small tantrum.
"Do we need to go take a minute?" Eddie said giving her the look.
"Here. Come on Alaina I'll play with you." Joe said and held his hand out to her. She looked at him a second, thought about it and then took his hand. They walked off to the living room.
"I know she needs attention and one on one time with both, Jamie and I but we can't just drop what we're doing to make it happen." Eddie explained to everyone in the kitchen who was cleaning up.
"Otherwise we think she'll become spoiled. When something doesn't go her way. Whether it's in a couple days or in a couple years. You saw it...she throws a temper tantrum already." Jamie pointed out.
"Well you have to remember...she was an only child up until just a couple months ago. And Eddie, you were home with her the last couple weeks of your pregnancy spending basically all day with her. Giving her all that attention." Frank pointed out.
"I wouldn't look at it as it's already an issue. She's not a spoiled brat, she's just little, doesn't know how to say what she's feeling. That's what a tantrum is. She's frustrated you two aren't playing with her. She doesn't understand that Ryan needs things too." Pop said.
"Erin acted the same when you came along Jamie." Frank said.
"And how'd you fix it?" Eddie asked. Frank looked at Erin to see if she remembered.
"Once a week I remember we'd get up really early before school and go out for breakfast. Then you'd drop me off right before the bell, I was never late but, being the last one to show up was always "cool". She said remembering. Jamie and Eddie exchanged looks taking mental notes.
On the way home both kids had fell asleep in the car.
"So what do you think we should do with Alaina that shows her how much we love her and gives her the attention she needs?" Jamie asked.
"Huh I don't know. What your dad did for Erin is such a good idea but Alaina's so little, she's not even 2 yet. We need to think of something of the sorts on a smaller scale." Eddie said. Jamie agreed, they spent the rest of the quiet drive home thinking about possibilities.
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How did Jamie and Eddie handle Alaina's actions throughout the day? Girl wants more and more. What do you think they can do to help solve it, make it less exhausting. Leave your reviews, thoughts, comments!
