Chapter 23
Just as Amanda had suspected, as soon as she and Francine entered the house, the twins' cries were heard crackling through the baby monitor on the kitchen counter. "Oh good, you're back," Dotty sighed. "I was just going to head up there. Not that I can carry them both down, mind you, but I could at least let them know they are okay."
"We'll get them, Mother," Amanda smiled. "Lee said anytime for those steaks is fine."
"I'll bring them right out. Do you want me to get their bottles ready while you change them?" Dotty offered.
With a smile, Jeannie lifted the plate of steaks and stated, "I'll take these. It sounds like you have your hands full." She was out the door before anyone even had a chance to reply.
"That would be great, Mother." On the monitor, the cries began to get louder. "We're coming, we're coming," Amanda called out softly. She left the kitchen, Francine only a few steps behind. "They need to be changed completely, Francine. Are you up for that?" she teased.
"Amanda, when you say completely, what exactly do you mean?" Francine asked.
At the top of the stairs, their cries could be heard through the partially opened door. "Everything. Their diapers and their clothes. I got them new outfits just for today," Amanda clarified as she pushed the door open and stepped into the dimly lit room. "What's all the noise for?" she asked softly. She reached into one bassinet and lifted one crying little bundle. Turning, she handed the baby over to Francine and stated, "You can put her right on that towel on the bed. It's easier than bringing them downstairs right now."
Francine, uncharacteristically quiet, did as she was instructed while Amanda collected the second crying infant. Amanda placed the baby on the bed beside Francine and stated, "Now, this is the fun part. They're either going to completely love this or absolutely hate it." She laughed at the look on Francine's face. "We're just going to take everything off."
"Everything? Like their diapers, too?" Francine's eyes widened in fear.
"Don't worry. I'll walk you through it," Amanda smiled.
Francine exhaled loudly, "I'm trusting you." She looked down at the infant, now whimpering and blinking back at her. "She's bigger than the last time I was here," she commented.
"Babies have a tendency to grow fast at this age." Amanda began unsnapping the infant's pajamas as she talked to her daughter, "DJ, DJ, DJ, it's not that bad. We're going to get changed and head outside to see everyone."
Francine watched and slowly began to unsnap Lily's clothes. She continued to glance over at Amanda to see what she was doing next. "Hello, Lily. It's been a while since I've seen you," she spoke tentatively. She paused for a moment and questioned, "This one is Lily? Right?"
Amanda nodded, "Yes, I made sure Lily was in yellow, and DJ was in green when I put them down. If you're not sure, check to see if she has nail polish on her toes. If she does, that's DJ."
Francine exhaled loudly as she stated, "Okay, I can do this." She carefully tugged Lily's arm out of the sleeves, just as Amanda had done with DJ, and proceeded to slide the material under and off her legs. Amanda handed her a clean diaper and smiled. Francine held her breath and asked, "How do I do this?"
"Well, first, you want to make sure you have a wipe or two in your hand. Then, you need to take the sides off the dirty one, wipe her down, swap it for a clean one, and fasten the sides," Amanda explained.
Francine furrowed her brow and repeated, "Take the sides off? What is this, a convertible jeep?"
Amanda laughed as she tugged the plastic tab on the waistband of DJ's diaper. "The sides… these tabs here."
Francine's mouth formed an 'O' before she gently peeled the sticky side off the diaper. She did a cursory check to be sure there were no surprises before she followed Amanda's example. She quickly wiped the baby down but panicked when she noticed a dark, scabby spot on her belly button. "Amanda? Is she hurt? Did I hurt her?" she gasped.
Amanda glanced over and assured her, "Nope, she's healing just fine. Another week and you won't even notice that." Amanda reached over and rubbed her daughter's belly as she crooned, "She going to have the cutest little belly button, aren't you, Lily?" She turned back to DJ and rubbed her belly and quickly added, "Just like her sister's, huh, DJ?"
Francine shook her finger from one twin to the other and asked tentatively, "Do you do that a lot?"
"Do what?" Amanda replied as she carefully slipped DJ's new Fourth of July outfit over her head. The baby squawked in discomfort. "You're all right," Amanda scolded her lightly while she maneuvered her hands into the armholes before she snapped the red, white, and blue outfit together at the crotch and legs.
"Talk to them like that?" Francine observed. She still hadn't made any progress on removing the wet diaper, and Lily was beginning to squirm.
Amanda carefully lifted DJ off the bed and held her to her shoulder as she commented, "She's not going to stay quiet for much longer, Francine, so you better get moving. I'm surprised they've been good for as long as they have. Usually, we have about three minutes to get them changed, and the bottles in their mouths before they start crying again."
"Sorry. I'm just not very good at this kind of thing. Give me an automatic weapon and ask me to disassemble it, no problem…" Francine pointed out.
"But changing a diaper and Lily's clothes is another thing. I know," Amanda interjected.
Francine glanced up at Amanda and carefully finished changing Lily's diaper. With a little more guidance from Amanda, she was able to get the small jumper onto the baby with minimal tears before she scooped her up and declared they were ready to go. Together, they returned to the kitchen where Dotty immediately gushed, "Look at how sweet my beautiful granddaughters look in their first Fourth of July outfits. I'm so glad you decided to get these in the opposite colors. It's going to make it easier to tell them apart."
Amanda smiled, "Exactly what I was thinking when I saw them. DJ is in red, Lily in blue. I even wrote it on that chart in their room, so we can use it again in the future if we need to."
"Well, this needs a picture!" Dotty declared. She began to look around the kitchen to figure out where she'd left her camera last.
"Hold that thought, Mother, because I don't think they are going to wait much longer for those bottles. Maybe Francine and I could bring them outside first, so everyone can finally see them," Amanda smiled.
Dotty reached out and touched their bare legs and decided, "You might be right. Should I get their little blankets in case they get cold out there?"
Amanda lifted one of the bottles off the counter and shook her head, "No, I think they'll be fine. It's not too hot today, which is nice." She looked over her shoulder at Francine and added, "Are you ready for this?"
"As ready as I'm ever going to be," Francine exhaled. She collected the remaining bottle and followed Amanda.
Almost immediately, everyone crowded around to see the babies in their arms. Amanda gently stated, "They need a few more minutes to wake up and have their lunch, so I hope everyone else enjoys theirs in the meantime."
She led Francine to the table with the umbrella and sat down. Immediately, Lee was beside them. Without asking, he lifted DJ from Amanda's arms and kissed her on the cheek, "Hello, Miss DJ. Daddy missed you." He gave her back to Amanda and moved to Francine, where he quickly scooped Lily up, kissed her cheek, and added, "And you, too, Lily-girl. Daddy missed you too." He laughed before he returned the baby to Francine as he stated, "Be nice to Francine. It looks like she has a new shirt on today. You don't want to ruin it. I'm sure it's a designer original."
"Very funny," Francine groaned, but silently she pondered what he meant.
"Sweetheart, I forgot to grab a couple of cloths… would you mind running back inside?" Amanda looked up as she situated DJ into her arms and propped the bottle into her mouth. Francine copied as best as she could, although it took an extra minute to get them both comfortable.
Lee glanced over at the smoking grill and called Jamie. He explained what Amanda needed, and with a nod, Jamie ran off into the house without a word. Lee leaned down, brushed his lips against Amanda's head before he moved back to the grill.
As Lily sucked away, contently on the bottle, Francine lifted her chin in Lee's direction and asked, "Is he like that all the time now?"
"Well, you know how Lee can be… attentive to all the women in his life," Amanda teased. She couldn't help smile at her husband across the yard and at how much their lives had changed in just a year.