have a holly jolly Christmas
Kelly woke slowly, the early morning light filtering in through the windows. The bedroom was peacefully quiet, apart from the sounds emanating from the white noise machine in the corner. The rest of the loft seemed quiet, which meant none of their guests had woken up either. He checked the time on his phone and realized he had about an hour before he needed to get up and start on breakfast for everyone.
Whatever noise had woken him had stopped, so Kelly settled back into bed, ready to take full advantage of that last remaining hour. Just as his head hit the pillow, he heard it again and this time, he instantly recognized it. A short cry, a squawk almost, sounded from the bassinet in the corner. Judging by the movement next to him, Stella had heard it too.
Stella groaned softly, her eyes still closed. "What time is it?"
"About 6:30am," Kelly answered. He placed a kiss on her shoulder. "Go back to sleep. I'll get her."
"She's probably hungry," Stella countered, rolling onto her back to look at Kelly.
Kelly had gotten out of bed at this point and had already made his way to the bassinet. He lifted Maya up and cradled her against his bare chest before looking back at Stella. "I can give her a bottle."
Stella shook her head as she sat up in bed. "No, save those for later. I'll take her."
She held her arms out and Kelly walked over, placing the now wide-awake two month old in her mother's arms. Stella got herself comfortable and got Maya situated and eating while Kelly quietly crept into the kitchen to get them both some coffee.
Cups made, and doctored just how they each liked, Kelly made his way back into the bedroom. He put Stella's cup on her nightstand, returning the smile she gave him. He leaned forward and gave her a sweet, but quick, kiss. "Merry Christmas."
Stella's smile grew. "Merry Christmas Kelly. And merry Christmas to you, baby girl." Stella cooed, turning her attention from her husband to the baby at her chest.
Maya, who was less than two weeks away from turning three months old, had absolutely no concept of Christmas or holidays. She had, however, started recognizing her parent's voices over the past few days so any time she heard Stella or Kelly speak, they'd always grab her attention. She'd also started smiling at them, which is what she did when she made eye contact with Stella.
Stella smiled back at her, and stroked her cheek softly, bringing Maya's attention back to the task at hand. It worked and Maya was back to nursing happily as Stella grabbed her coffee.
Kelly climbed back into bed himself, his own coffee in hand, and the family of three relaxed in the quiet of the early morning.
… … …
Twenty minutes later, Maya had finished nursing, been changed, and was lying safely on the bed in between her parents. She played with her hands and the clip to the pacifier she was using, in her own little world, while Kelly and Stella went over the plans for the day.
"Do you know what time Katie and Lucas are supposed to get here?"
"Katie said they did presents with her mom last night so they're free today," Kelly stated. He leaned forward on the bed and put the pacifier back in Maya's mouth after she'd pulled it out. "They'll be here for breakfast, presents, and lunch with us then they'll be going back to her mom's for dinner with that side of the family."
"And you're sure April doesn't want to come over? I don't want her to think we're stealing Katie from her."
Kelly could hear the guilt in Stella's voice, and he loved her for it. "Stella, it's fine," he said with a smile. "I talked to her yesterday, and I asked Katie about it, just to be safe. She's going to be at her sister's house, helping with the cooking for their dinner tonight, but she appreciates the invite and wished us a merry Christmas."
Stella nodded and Kelly smiled again before leaning over and giving her another kiss.
"I'm going to go get started on breakfast. Think she'll go back to sleep?" Kelly asked, nodding his head towards the baby on the bed. He knew the answer already, since Maya's blue eyes were still wide open, and she was babbling happily to herself.
"Mm, definitely not." Stella grinned, chuckling at the coos and squawks coming from her daughter.
Kelly laughed too. He'd never get tired of hearing the adorable sounds coming from Maya. He turned his attention back to Stella. "Do you want to try and get a little more sleep? I can take her to the kitchen with me?"
Despite all the challenges and exhaustion that came with being a new mom, Stella had been killing it since day one. She took everything in stride, but some days and nights were harder than others. Kelly knew that Maya had started sleeping for longer stretches during the night; it was something he and Stella were both thankful for. However, that also meant she wasn't waking up to nurse as often, leading Stella to have to start pumping during the night. It was something she'd gotten familiar with over the past several weeks, but it was a more time-consuming process that required her to be awake for longer stretches during the night.
"I'll be OK," Stella replied. "I won't say no to a shower though. Think I'll wake your mom up?"
Kelly shrugged. "Casey never complained when it was his room."
"Yeah, but Casey also spends 2-3 days a week sharing showers and living quarters with over a dozen other people."
"True," Kelly conceded with a chuckle. "I think you'll be fine though."
Stella chugged the last bit of her coffee while Kelly climbed out of bed and slipped a shirt on. He put his phone in his pocket and picked Maya up off the bed. He situated her securely in one arm, leaving his other hand free to grab his and Stella's empty coffee cups.
Making his way into the kitchen, Kelly left the cups on the counter while he got Maya settled in her bouncy seat on the island counter. Stella wasn't overly fond of it, but it was safe and secure, and every time Maya was in the kitchen with Kelly she sat there. She was involved in the action like a little sous chef.
Kelly poured himself another cup of coffee then opened the fridge and started pulling out everything he'd need to make their Christmas breakfast feast.
… … …
An hour later, breakfast was hot and nearly ready to eat. A buffet of eggs, sausage, bacon, hashbrowns, toast, and homemade waffles was spread across the island while pitchers of juice and a fresh pot of coffee sat nearby. Stella and Jennifer spoke in the kitchen while Stella finished cutting up and plating the fruit that would be joining the breakfast spread.
Kelly had stepped away to get dressed for the day, taking Maya with him to put her down for a nap. He was still gone when a knock came on the front door.
Stella walked over and whipped the door open, a huge smile on her face as she took in the smiling faces of Katie Nolan and her boyfriend Lucas. "Hey! Merry Christmas!"
She wrapped Katie in a strong hug, one the younger woman eagerly returned, despite the bags of presents she held in her hands. "Merry Christmas Stella!"
After a few more seconds, and one more squeeze, Stella let Katie go and turned her attention to Lucas. "Lucas, nice to meet you in person finally!" she said before bringing him into a hug.
Katie and Lucas had been dating for just over 2 years now. They'd gotten together right before Kelly and Stella's wedding, so Lucas didn't make the trip from Colorado to Chicago with her. He appeared in a lot of FaceTime calls though, which only increased in frequency after Stella announced she was pregnant. Katie was the only one of the two able to get a few days off to fly in for the baby shower, but work had gotten even busier for them both and this was the first time they could both be in Chicago. It was a special time; Katie would get to meet her niece for the first time and Kelly and Stella would get to meet Lucas.
"It's really good to meet you too!" Lucas said, hugging Stella back.
Stella broke off the hug and moved out of the way, letting Katie and Lucas into the loft. They said hi to Jennifer and placed their gifts with the others around the tree. The three of them were walking to the kitchen, where Jennifer had poured fresh cups of coffee for them, when Kelly came out of his and Stella's bedroom.
Katie was the first to see him and she hurried over to him, practically tackling him with a hug. When she broke off the hug, she looked at her brother. "Where's Maya?"
"Oh, I see how it is," Kelly chuckled. "No 'hi Kelly! Merry Christmas! I've missed you'. It's just 'where's Maya? Where's the baby'."
With a smile, he looked over at Stella. "It's like we don't even exist anymore."
When he looked back at Katie, he was met with a large eye roll and another hug. "Merry Christmas Kelly."
Kelly laughed and hugged her back, returning her Christmas greeting. "Merry Christmas. I've missed you."
"I missed you too," Katie confessed before breaking off the hug again, a playful but serious look on her face. "Now where's Maya?"
Kelly chuckled. "She just went down for her first morning nap." Seeing the disappointed look on Katie's face, he continued. "Her first nap is usually the shortest, so she'll be up soon. In the meantime, we should have plenty of time to eat breakfast and catch up."
… … …
They had finished breakfast and were sitting around the table talking when soft coos came from the baby monitor, indicating Maya had started waking up from her nap. Katie's face immediately lit up—she'd been waiting months for this.
Stella checked the baby monitor. "Looks like someone's awake. I'll go get her and make sure she's in a good mood to meet her Aunt Katie." She stood up, a smile on her face. "Be back in a little bit."
When Stella disappeared into the bedroom Maya was in, no doubt to feed and change her once again, Kelly and the others cleaned up from breakfast. They put whatever leftovers they could save in the fridge, tossing anything that wouldn't last in the trash, and loaded the dishwasher with their dirty dishes.
It was nearly thirty minutes later when Stella came out of the bedroom with a smiley Maya, and everyone had moved into the living room. As they got closer, Katie practically squealed.
Stella smiled and turned Maya around in her arms so she could see everyone. She walked right over to Katie. "Say hi to Aunt Katie baby girl!"
Katie held her arms out eagerly and Stella passed Maya to her easily.
To say Katie (and Lucas) were obsessed with Maya would be putting it lightly. Kelly, Stella and Jennifer all watched with smiles and laughter as Katie and Lucas spoke to the infant in baby talk that only rose in pitch when Maya smiled at them.
"She's so much cuter in person!" Katie exclaimed, smiling at her niece. Tears were welling up in her eyes, but she really didn't care.
Kelly laughed. "Yeah, she is pretty cute."
Maya was passed around from Katie to Lucas to Jennifer then back to Katie, all fawning over her. She was a pretty chill baby and usually loved the attention she got from her parents and family, but even the most social of babies had their breaking point. After nearly an hour, Maya reached hers. She started getting fussy but returning to the comfort and safety of her daddy's arms made everything better, just like it always did.
With Maya in a much better mood, the Christmas festivities continued. The fireplace crackled, presents were passed around and opened, pictures were taken, and whatever classic Christmas movie was playing on the TV was soon replaced by the football game. As lunchtime approached, Kelly headed into the kitchen to start cooking, recruiting Lucas to come and help while Stella, Katie, and Jennifer stayed in the living room with Maya.
Whether he was cooking at the stove or prepping food on the island, Kelly could easily see and hear his family. He wasn't an overly emotional or sentimental man, but he'd be lying if he said the sight didn't choke him up.
For a long time, this was all he wanted. After everything he'd been through and done, there were times he still didn't know what he did to deserve it but he'd never been more thankful. And as Stella came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, he knew she felt the same.
A/N:MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Thank you SO much for all the love and support you've shown Maya!
You guys are the best!
