Ned had tossed Virginia's dirty diaper in the trash bin and sent the little girl on her way. Ned wiped his hands clean with a baby wipe.
Ed gagged from the other side of the room. Ned looked and saw that his dad had finally managed to change JoJo's diaper. The toddler made a game of kicking and giggling every time his grandpa gagged.
It was comical to see. In order to try to keep the one year old still, Ed had given his grey grandson the bottle of baby powder to play with while he unfolded the clean diaper.
Unfortunately for Ed, JoJo was a curious little boy and wanted to know how things worked.
More specifically, what would happen if you squeezed the bottle of powder at your dear old "Papa"?
Ed coughed and sneezed as the powder settled into his fur. He looked at his grandson with a cranky look, which caused JoJo to giggle.
"Oh, you think that's funny, huh?" Ed teased and he ran his finger on the bottom of the baby's foot. JoJo cackled with laughter.
After JoJo was all diapered up, Ed got up and shook himself until the powder dissappeared.
The kids were getting cranky and that meant one thing.
Naptime.
Ed had pulled out a playmat from somewhere that Ned didn't see and had set up the blankets and pillows for the babies to take a nap.
Ned pulled out the bottles and left the room to get warm water for his children's formula based snack.
When he came back, Ed was holding JoJo in the air and was blowing raspberries on his tummy to make him laugh. Ned shook his head. Ed had always spoiled his only grandson since the day he was born.
"You better give your other grandkids some love too, dad." Ned said.
Ed jumped in surprise, not expecting his son to be standing there.
"Of course I will." Ed said reluctantly as he picked up Faye to give her raspberries.
"Wanna go night night?" Ned asked his son once his dad was done giving the girls raspberries.
"No." JoJo demanded.
"Are you sure, buddy? You're rubbing your eyes." Ned said, mimicking his son's actions by rubbing his own eyes.
JoJo yawned and then pouted.
"You want your bottle?" Ned said, holding up the comforting container of powdered milk.
JoJo reached up for the bottle. Ned walked backwards towards the playmat. JoJo followed like a puppy wanting a treat, saying "Baba!"
"Go lay down and you can have your bottle." Ned said.
JoJo obeyed and laid down between Zaneeta and Faye. Them and Virginia and Rhiannon were already cuddled up under the pink "blankeys", drinking their bottles, looking ready to sleep. JoJo reached up. Realizing that JoJo did as he was told, Ned gave his son the bottle and pulled the blue blankey over his tiny son.
"Have a good nap, little ones."
The only soundtrack for the next 10 minutes were soft suckles and tired sighs until each baby let go of their bottle and fell asleep.
Ned got back to work. He and his dad found a stack of papers meant for the budget of the new daycare. He would occasionally look up to see how his children were sleeping.
Zaneeta and Rhiannon were cuddling with teddy bears, Faye and Virginia were gripping their blankets, and JoJo was snoozing away, suckling his pacifier.
Ned smiled and went back to budgeting.
Time to play. An hour after they were laid down, the babies woke up from their nap. Their dad saw them and sat on the floor. All parents can agree that once a baby wakes up, all they want to do is cuddle, then they'll cry for whatever they want, be it food, a dry diaper, or time to play.
Ned had 5 babies on his lap and all of them cuddled with their dad and each other as they yawned from their nap.
"Good afternoon, little ones. Did you have a nice nap? What did you kids dream about?"
Ned knew he wasn't going to get an answer. He assumed his kids dreamt about rivers of apple juice, mud puddles made of chocolate milk, a castle made of cookies, where guards were giant gummy barbaloot bears, next to a lollipop forest, and in the baked goods castle, Sugar King Ned and Cake Queen Sally took good care of their baby Prince and Princesses.
"Pway?" Virginia asked. Ned finally noticed that his kids were tugging on his vest and whining.
"You're getting fussy. Let's play." Ned said.
"...eighteen, ninteen, twenty! Ready or not, here I come!" Ned uncovered his eyes and looked around. His children were gone. He knew they were hiding.
Playing along with this game of hide and seek, Ned searched around for the diaper clad kids. Finding the girls was easy.
Virginia was hiding behind the curtains. Zaneeta was hiding in a desk drawer. Faye, being the germaphobe, chose a cleaner hiding place. Ned found her under the antique washtub, polished until it shined. Ned found Rhiannon on the bookshelf. Now to find JoJo. He looked under the record player, behind the copy machine, even inside the cuckoo clock.
Ned unzipped the diaper bag and took out the contents. A mountain of diapers, a can of formula, bibs, the babies' extra clothes, baby toys, etc. He couldn't find his son. He started to panic. Trying to keep up the playful act, Ned started to call out for JoJo. But his voice made it so that Ned was really panicky.
"JoJo? Son? Buddy? Where are you? Come out, come out, wherever you are." Ned searched all over the office, while the girls stood huddled in the middle of the office, watching their daddy search everywhere for their brother.
"I bet you a lollipop that daddy won't find JoJo in that funny costume." Rhiannon said to Faye.
"You're on!" The green baby said.
Ned was sure he would have to call the police to report his 1 year old missing, until he heard it. A giggle, muffled slightly behind something. Ned turned to listen. He heard it again and darted his eyes to the knight's armor, that his great great great great great great great great great great great grandfather wore to fight the Snozzle Bog Dragon back in the 18th century.
Ned flipped open the visor part of the helmet and was met with the adorable face of his only son. JoJo squealed in surprise, but giggled.
"Well, hello there!" Ned said as he carefully maneuvered his son out of the armor's helmet.
"Daddy found you. How did you even get in there?" Ned asked, but the only answer he got was JoJo sticking his fist in his mouth.
