Eddie steadily rocked in the glider as Grace laid on her chest. The little one kept trying to fight sleep and Eddie couldn't help but laugh as she watched her blue eyes flutter shut then immediately open again.
"Oh, you're going to be a night owl just like your daddy," Eddie commented as she ran a hand over the baby's dark wispy locks. "At least you can keep him company," she joked.
The last four weeks had been a complete blur since Grace's birth. Sleep was a rare commodity now and would be for the next eighteen years of her life according to her sister-in-law. The days and nights had meshed together for her, especially since she was having to wake up a few times a night to feed Grace because she was a small baby. The doctor had recommended to them to feed Grace every three to four hours to help her gain weight. Even though Eddie was completely exhausted, there was nothing else she'd rather do.
Motherhood was the most wonderful but terrifying roller coaster that she'd ever been on. There was a lot of highs and lows. There was times where she felt like she knew what she was doing and others where she felt like she was clueless. But nevertheless, becoming a mother was the best thing that had ever happened to her.
She had found out that she was pregnant on Jamie's birthday after a few days of feeling just "off." A barrage of emotions sifted through her as she looked down at the positive pregnancy test: complete elation, excitement, and the uttermost amount of fear. It was something that she had wanted for quite some time but was terrified of the unknowns that came along with it. What if she didn't know how to care for a baby? What if the baby needed something that she couldn't provide? What if something happened to the baby? The list of unknowns went on and on.
When Grace was finally born, those fears completely melted away and were replaced by an insurmountable amount of love for their little one. Their little girl was perfect. Their lives were instantly made better with her in it and they couldn't imagine life without her.
"Hey," Eddie suddenly heard. She turned and saw Jamie standing in the doorway, still in his uniform from work.
"Hey," she smiled tiredly. "How was your first day back?"
"Good. Same old, same old." He walked into the room, kneeled down next to the chair and immediately pressed a kiss to Eddie's cheek and Grace's head. "I missed you two like crazy though. Did everything go okay here?"
"All good," she assured him. Then, they both smiled as Grace lifted her head from Eddie's chest and turned to face in Jamie's direction. "She was great. She barely fussed. I think it was also because of all the visitors she had throughout the day," she said, giving him a knowing look.
Jamie flashed a sheepish grin as he ran a finger over Grace's tiny hand. "I just wanted to make sure that you had the help if you needed it. It was just Erin, Dad, and Pop anyways. It didn't take that much convincing. Dad and Pop were immediately on board. I swear Erin would've taken the day off of work to stay with you and Grace if I would've asked her to."
"I don't doubt it," she replied jokingly. "But I'm really glad that they did come. It was a great help. Thank you."
There was a few quiet moments between them as they stared at Grace. "Do you want to take her?" she asked gently. "I know you've been itching to hold her all day."
"You read my mind," he responded. Jamie stood and carefully lifted the baby off of her chest and into his arms.
"Hey there bird," he said softly as he stared down at Grace. "I missed you a lot today. Did you miss me?"
The little girl let out a long yawn and burrowed herself into Jamie's chest. Eddie couldn't help but flash a fond smile as she watched her two greatest loves. For all the tough moments that motherhood had thrown at her so far, it was times like these that made it all worth it.
