AN: I'm finally back in town and should be able to post nightly to the conclusion. After tonight's chapter, there are 6 more parts to this tale. This is another long chapter and thus is broken into two parts (14a and 14b)…please be sure to read both. As always, thank you for reading.
Part 14a of two parts
21:30
Saturday, May 20th, 2006
Bethesda Naval Hospital
Antepartum Unit
Mac looked up puzzled, "Harm, who's Samuel?"
Harm sighed in a state of semi-wakefulness, "Our son, Mac…go back to sleep."
Mac chuckled, "You're dreaming again, Flyboy…aren't you?"
"Mmmm," was his only reply.
She snuggled back into his embrace, "Sweet dreams, Sailor."
He grunted in response and succumbed to his dreams once again.
xxxxx
The following day, Harm brought Sophie to the hospital to meet her new baby brother. She examined him from head to toe, counting his fingers, touching his face. She even giggled when she discovered his 'tail.' As it was getting closer to her naptime, Sophie climbed into her mama's lap and snuggled in close. Harm volunteered to take her back to Harriet's, but Sophie pitched a fit at the idea of leaving her mama. Mac suggested they let her nap there, just as Sam woke up to be fed.
Harm picked up his son and walked to the bed to switch kids with his wife. As he handed off the baby and reached for Sophie, she protested her displacement from Mac's lap. "No…I wan Mama."
Harm lifted her into his arms, "Come on, princess…Mommy needs to feed the baby."
Sophie perked up at that statement, "I feed da baby."
Harm chuckled, "Sorry, sweetie…that's something only Mommy can do."
Sophie watched with big eyes as Sam began to nurse, "What he do'in?"
Mac smiled at her daughter, "He's eating."
Sophie pondered that idea with a scowl, "But where da bottle?"
Harm sat down on the bed with Sophie still in his arms, so she could see. "Well Princess…some babies eat from a bottle…and some babies eat from their Mommy."
Sophie leaned closer to watch, "Did I eat wike dat?"
Mac reached up and brushed the curls off Sophie's face, "Kind of but not really." When Sophie looked up in question, she continued, "Remember when Daddy and I told you about the hospital…we showed you the pictures from when you were sick. At first you could only eat from a tube in your tummy. When you got bigger and stronger, you didn't want to eat from Mommy…so I gave you my milk in a bottle."
Sophie touched the baby's foot, "How come he don'n eat from da bottle?"
"Because this is better," explained Mac.
Sophie pinched the baby's foot in response. When the baby pulled back and began to cry, Sophie pronounced, "He awe done…Daddee take da baby now!"
Harm pulled her back into his arms and stood up from the bed, "Sophie, no no…that wasn't nice."
Mac placed Sam up on her shoulder and rubbed his back to soothe him. "There, there, Bunny…Mama has you…it's OK." Once Sam had calmed down, she settled him back to nurse on the other side.
Sophie crossed her arms and pouted, "He not your Bunny…Sowie's your Bunny."
Mac looked up as understanding dawned, "You're right, sweetie…you're my only BooBoo Bunny…Mama made a mistake." She reached for Sophie's hand, "What do you think we should call the baby?"
Sophie wiggled out of her father's grasp and climbed back on the bed. She picked up the teddy bear, that she and daddy had brought from home, and placed it by the baby. "Dere," she smiled, "…the baby is Sammy Bear."
Mac pulled Sophie close to her side and kissed her hair, "I think that's a great name, Bunny. The baby will be Sammy Bear." At the comfort of her mama's side, Sophie placed her thumb in her mouth and nodded off to sleep.
Harm looked on with smile, "Good work, Marine…first bout of sibling rivalry averted."
xxxxx
Mac and Sammy stayed in the hospital for a couple of extra days, so he could sunbathe under bilirubin lights for jaundice. By the time of discharge, the preliminary genetics results were back and normal. The pediatrician pronounced Sam healthy and ready for discharge with the caveat that he be seen in the office in 2 weeks.
The Rabbs settled into a routine once everyone was home. Harm tried to entertain Sophie, as much as possible, to head off further jealous reactions. Despite her daddy's attention, Sophie was still not thrilled with the new little interloper. She insisted on her mama's attention during feeding times and reverted back to more infantile behaviors.
One week after Sammy's delivery, Harriet had arranged a small baby shower to celebrate the newest addition. Mac left both kids in Harm's care, while she escaped for a brief respite to the Roberts' home. The shower was interrupted an hour later, when Harm arrived with two screaming misfits in tow, announcing that the baby needed to be fed. At Mac's incensed expression, he explained that Sophie had discovered the bottle of breast milk that Mac had left, and drank it before he could stop her. While Mac nursed the baby, Sophie thrived on all the attention bestowed upon her by the party attendees.
xxxxx
Two days later, Sophie insisted that she needed to be fed like the baby. At Mac's insistence that she was a 'big girl', Sophie ran to her father in tears.
While Harm changed the baby in the nursery, Sophie came in to watch. She wrinkled her nose and announced, "I don'n wike him…he smells bad."
Harm chuckled, "Yeah he does, but that's why Daddy's changing him."
Sophie glared back, "I don'n wan him…take him back to da hostibital."
Harm picked up the baby and kissed his cheek, "Sophie that's not nice. He's your baby brother and you need to take care him, like a big sister." He extended his hand, "Now let's take Sammy to Mommy so she can feed him…then you and Daddy can run to the store."
Ten minutes later, Sophie slunk into the family room, where Mac was feeding the baby. "Mama, I need ta go potty."
Mac looked up from the baby, "Sophie, you know how to go all by yourself…go on into bathroom."
"No!" Sophie exclaimed, "…I wan you to take me."
Mac exhaled, "Sophie, Mama's feeding the baby…now, go into the bathroom."
Sophie glared back, "No!"
"Harm?" Mac hollered. "Sophie, get Daddy to help you."
Sophie placed her hands on her hips, "He went to da stwore.
Mac shook her head and muttered, "I thought he was going to take you with him."
Sophie yelled back, "I dinit wanna go…I need to go potty!"
Mac tried to rise from the couch without interrupting Sammy's feeding. She grabbed Sophie's hand and walked her into the bathroom. Pushing the little girl though the door, she commanded, "Alright Mama's here with you…now go potty." Sophie crossed her arms over her chest and glared back at her mother. "Sophie, Mama's losing patience…now, go." With one final glare and a mischievous grin, Sophie did as her mother requested and went potty…in her pants. Mac looked at her daughter in shock, "Sophia Elizabeth Rabb! What's gotten into you?"
Harm walked in from the garage to hear the tirade coming from the bathroom. He walked with trepidation in the direction of the loud voices. "What's going on in here?"
Mac turned with a screaming baby in one arm and a yelling toddler in the other. "Harm, I thought you were going to take Sophie with you."
He shrugged, "She didn't want to go."
Mac fumed, "Well now, you can clean up the mess…I need to finish feeding Sammy."
Harm looked down at Sophie, "Princess, what did you do?"
Sophie flashed him an innocent smile, and batting her eyes, responded, "Nofing Daddee." Mac motioned her eyes toward the floor.
Harm's eyes grew wide when he took in the puddle on the floor and his daughter wet shorts. He sighed, "Sophie did you have an accident?"
Sophie shook her head, "No Daddee."
Harm pointed to the puddle, "Then what do you call that?"
Sophie shrugged, "It was'in an akident…I do'ed it on purwpose."
Mac lifted her free hand in exasperation, "She's all yours, Flyboy…I'm going back to the family room with Sam."
Harm looked back at his daughter, "Sophie, why did you do that?"
"Betuz, I wanna wear diapers wike the baby."
"Sophie, you're a 'big girl', not a baby…you can go on the potty."
"No!"
Harm got her cleaned up and into dry clothes; but after several more 'on-purpose' accidents, they relented to putting her back in diapers. Having won the first battle, Sophie moved on to bigger and better conquests. She demanded a bottle; they refused but acquiesced to a sippy cup. She refused to drink milk unless it was mama's; they gave her juice.
By the time the Rabb family appeared in Dr. Matthewson's office, the couple was at wit's end. The pediatrician regarded the exhausted parents with a knowing look. "How's everything going folks? Is the baby doing OK?"
Mac smiled, "Sammy's great…he's not the problem."
Dr. Matthewson nodded, "I see…perhaps, Daddy would like to take Sophie for a walk, while I examine the baby."
Harm nodded with an exhausted smile and picked up Sophie, "Hey Princess, why don't you and Daddy go play in the waiting room." With that, he and Sophie headed out the door.
Dr. Matthewson turned back to Mac, "Trouble in paradise?"
Mac sighed, "You could say that…is it possible for a 3 year old to go through the terrible two's…late?"
Dr. Matthewson smiled, "Absolutely…why don't we start with Samuel here and then we'll discuss Sophie." The pediatrician examined the infant and pronounced him in good health. "He's almost a pound above birth weight…that great. He must be feeding well."
Mac stroked the baby's head, "He's perfect…he wakes up to eat, feeds like a champ, and goes back to sleep. He rarely cries; Sophie was never this easy."
The physician smiled, "Every baby's a little different…Sophie went through a lot to get to this point."
Mac looked up worried, "Oh, I'm not complaining…I wouldn't have changed anything about my daughter."
Dr. Matthewson place a hand on her arm, "Relax, I wasn't suggesting anything. I'm pleased with Samuel's progress, by the way the genetic results were normal…he's not a carrier."
Mac sighed in relief, "Thank goodness."
The doctor stepped away from the exam table, "Why don't you get Samuel dressed…then have a seat and tell me what's going on with Sophie."
Mac proceeded to fill the pediatrician in on Sophie's antics, from the accidents to the feedings.
Dr Matthewson patiently listened then offered some gentle advice. "First, everything that Miss Sophie is doing is normal. She's been displaced as the baby and doesn't quite know how to deal with the situation. Starting with the accidents, was she completely potty trained before?"
Mac nodded, "During the day, yes…at night we still had her in a diaper."
"Ok, here's what I recommend. The diapers go…all the time. Put her in training pants with rubber pants over them. She needs to feel uncomfortable when she has an accident. The diapers today are so absorbent that the kids don't care that they're wet. At night, put her in a pull-up…tell her they're 'big girl' underwear. You need to encourage and reward age appropriate behavior, while ignoring the baby behavior."
"What about the feeding issues," Mac asked, "…she keeps asking to breastfeed."
The doctor chuckled, "Believe it or not, that's a common request by an older sibling. They're fascinated by what you're doing. If she's persistent…let her try." At Mac's wary expression, he continued, "Right now it's a challenge…something she can't do. If you let her try, she'll most likely lose interest."
Mac nodded, "That's what my friend Harriet recommended; she went through the same thing with her son."
Dr. Matthewson concluded, "You need to find special activities for Sophie to do, independent of the baby. Encourage older responsibilities and privileges, so she sees an advantage to being the big sister not the baby. Hang in there Mac, you're doing fine." The doctor walked to the door, "I want to see Samuel back in 6 weeks. He'll be due for his first set of shots then."
xxxxx
Over the next few days, Harm and Mac instituted the pediatrician's advice. Sophie was placed in training pants as directed. With the first accident, Sophie waddled into her father, "Daddee, dese are wet."
Harm hide a smile, "OK, let's go get you changed."
By the second accident, Sophie again wanted dry clothes immediately. "Daddee, dese are wet…change dem, pweezze."
Harm looked up from his activities in the kitchen, "Princess, Daddy's making lunch…you'll have to wait."
Sophie scowled, "But Daddee…I don wike dem."
Harm continued to work on the sandwiches, "Sorry Princess, but Daddy's busy."
Sophie rocked from foot-to-foot with a wide stance, "But Daddee…dere yucky. Pweeze change dem."
"In a minute," Harm responded. "You know Sophie…if you went on the potty, you wouldn't have to wear wet pants." With the first appearance of a teardrop, Harm relented, "Come on sweetie…let's get you cleaned up."
After lunch, phase two was entered. Harm lifted Sophie from her booster seat, "Hey Sophie, Daddy's going to make a cake for Mommy…do you want to help."
She bounced up and down, "Yeez, pweeze."
"OK, but only big girls can help in the kitchen. Do you think you can help like a big girl?" Sophie's curls flew at her vigorous nod. He lifted her up onto a chair next to the counter. "OK, first we need to measure the ingredients." Harm helped her scoop and pour flour, sugar, milk and the remainder of the ingredients into the mixing bowl. He leaned in with a smile as she helped him move that mixer around the bowl. "OK, sweetie…now we need to pour the batter into a pan then you can lick the beaters."
Her eyes lit up as she licked her lips. Just as they got ready to pour the batter, Sophie stiffened, "Jus a minue Daddee…wait." She looked down toward the floor, "Daddee hewp me down, now." Harm placed her on the floor and watched her run down the hall. A few seconds later, he heard, "Daddee! Hewp pweeze…hurwee."
Harm raced down the hall to the bathroom to find his daughter struggling with her rubber pants, legs crossed and dancing a jig. "Daddee, hewp…I can'n get dem down." He helped her with the training pants and chuckled when she sat down on the potty chair with a relieved sigh. As she stood back up, she pushed at the rubber pants, "Daddee, I wan des off…I no wike dem."
Harm stooped down to her levels, "Princess, you have to wear them, if you're going to have accidents."
Sophie shook her head and whined, "I use da potty…I pwomise…I wan my big girwl pannies."
Harm stared her in the eyes, "Are you sure…no more accidents…and no more diapers."
Sophie looked back with a serious expression, "I pwomise Daddee…Sowie go on da potty, wike a big girwl."
Harm leaned forward and gave her kiss. "Alright Princess, let's get you changed. What panties do you want to wear?"
She bounced in his arms, "Diznee!"
Once the clothes were taken care of, the pair finished the cake. Over dinner Mac made a big production out of Sophie's delicious cake. The little girl beamed at the praise, "I bakded it for you, Mama…wike a big girwl."
"Yes you did, Bunny. Mama's very proud of you." Harm and Mac exchanged a pleased look, mission #1 accomplished.
Later that evening, Mac finished feeding Sammy and handed him off to Harm for a bath. Sophie climbed into her mama's lap and snuggled in close. She looked into her mother's eyes and touched her face, "Mama do you wuv me wike Sammy."
Mac kissed her palm, "Of course I love you, Sophie…you're Mama's special Bunny."
Sophie pondered that for a moment, "Mama can I nurwse wike Sammy does?"
Mac stroked her face, "Bunny, you're a big girl…Sammy's just a baby. Why do you want to eat like Sammy?"
"Betuz, I din'in get to when I wuz a babee. I wanna trwy wike Sammy."
Mac sighed; she hoped Dr. Matthewson and Harriet knew what they were talking about. Sophie could be tenacious as proven by the bed fiasco; she didn't want this to become a long-term problem. Mac shifted the little girl down and unbuttoned her blouse, "OK, you can try, Bunny." Sophie latched on and began to nurse, her little hand still stroking her mother's cheek. Mac smiled as a warm sense of contentment flowed through her body. This was an experience that she and Sophie had missed out on. Mac ran her fingers through the little girl's hair and kissed her hand. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. She was so caught up in the moment that she failed to notice Harm's entrance into the room.
He looked down with eyes wide and mouth agape, "Ah Mac, what's going on?"
Mac shrugged and whispered, "Dr. Matthewson suggested I let her try…he thought she'd quickly lose interest."
Harm nodded toward Sophie, "How long has she been at it?"
Mac blushed sheepishly, "About 30 minutes."
Harm ran a hand over his face, "Mac, we don't want to encourage another problem."
With tear glazed eyes, she whispered, "I know…it's just that…Sophie and I never got to enjoy this experience." She ran a finger over Sophie's soft cheek.
Harm sat down next to her and placed an arm around her shoulders. He leaned in to place a kiss on her temple and whispered, "Mac, she not a baby anymore."
"I know," Mac wiped away a tear, "…she's growing up so fast. I promise I won't let this get out of hand, but I don't want her to think I'm rejecting her either."
He kissed her again, "OK…I'll trust your judgment."
After an hour of nursing, Sophie fell asleep at her mother's breast. Mac removed her and shifted the little girl up onto her shoulder. She rubbed her back, kissed her cheek and whispered into her hair, "Thank you, Bunny…I think Mama needed that as much as you did…I love you." Mac sat rocking her daughter in the dim evening light enjoying the peace and closeness.
Harm came into the family room, an hour later, and lifted his daughter into his arms. He stroked Mac's cheek, "Are you OK, Mama?"
She nodded, "Yeah, very OK."
He smiled back, "I'll get her ready for bed. We made some progress today; at least she's out of diapers, again. Are you coming up?"
Mac nodded, "I'll be up in a little bit."
xxxxx
Continued in Part 14b