It had been a difficult few weeks. I was still tired and sore from the birth and the girls were not adjusting to having a newborn around too well. During the day Shem would play with the girls and take care of them, while mother would help me care for Elijah, mostly watching him while I slept and waking me when he needed feeding. The day was not too bad compared to nighttime. Nighttime was horrible. Elijah never slept and his constant wails woke the girls who would then holler for Shem to come to them or they would try to climb in our bed. It got so bad, that mother and father ended up taking the girls into their hut at night so they could sleep peacefully and Shem and I could take care of Elijah with no distractions.
"Be careful! Shem watch them!" I yelled to my husband.
"I know Ila." He replied, rolling his eyes.
Shem and father were currently trying to teach the girls how to swim in a nearby lake. Mother and I were sitting on the shore with Elijah, watching them. Japheth was also in the water, trying to help.
"He's ready to eat daughter." Mother told me, handing Elijah, who was starting to fuss, over to me.
"It seems that he is always hungry." I replied, taking him.
I untied the front of my dress and let him attach to my left breast.
"Your brothers were the same way." Mother said, laughing a bit, "Especially Shem, no matter how much he ate, he was always hungry moments later."
"Yes, he does enjoying eating," I remarked, staring at my husband in the water.
"Mama, Naama, look!" Evi screamed at us.
I looked over to see her swimming a few strokes, from Japheth to Shem, on her own. While she did this, Adah clung on to her grandfather, terrified.
"Oh Evi!" I cried, "You did it! You swam."
Shem carried her over to the shore and she ran over to me and mother.
"Did you see me Eli?" she asked her brother who was busy eating, "did you see me Naama?"
"Yes I did Evi and you were wonderful." Mother replied to Evi, wrapping a blanket around her and bringing her into her lap.
"Maybe Adah will try now." I stated, switching Elijah to my right breast.
"Hungry!" Evi declared.
"Here have some bread and berries." Mother told her, handing her a bowl full of luscious blue berries and a piece of bread.
As she began to eat, I turned my attention to the water to see Adah leave her grandfather's arms and paddle into Shem's strong, open ones.
"Adah you did it!" I yelled to her tears in my eyes.
Adah had never been adventurous like Evi. She preferred to stay in the comfort of either Shem's or my arms and almost never did anything that could hurt her. She was very quiet, unlike Evi who tended to scream everything she said. Evi loved to be the center of attention and Adah did not.
"Mama I'm done." Evi said, breaking me from my thoughts.
Shem came out of the water with Adah and sat down, handing Adah some food.
"Here I will take him, you eat." Shem told me, taking Elijah, who had just been burped, from my arms.
"He will sleep soon." I instructed him.
"Yes Ila I know." Shem replied, kissing me.
He got up to go and grabbed Evi, who had fallen asleep, in his free arm.
"Japheth will you come help me?" Shem asked our brother.
"Of course." He relied, getting up and leaving with Shem.
The rest of us sat, enjoying our mean in silence, until Adah broke it.
"Mama milk?" she asked
"Not right now Adah, mama's tired." I told her.
I had tried to stop feeding them so much, but mother said the milk was good for them, so every once in a while I let them. I caved in and let her have whatever milk had come back.
"Slowly Adah." I told her, wincing.
She slowed down her pace and mother, father, and I, with Adah in my arms, got up and began to walk back to our huts. Father put his arm around me and helped me stay upward, since Adah was bigger than Elijah.
When we got back, Adah had fallen asleep so I put her in her hut with Evi and Elijah, who were also sleeping, and went back to my own. When I got in, I noticed Shem was lying in bed, so I crawled in and snuggled up close to him.
"Ila?" I heard him mumble.
"Who else." I replied.
Without opening his eyes, he pulled me in closer to him and began to kiss my neck. He moved his hands down, past my neck, shoulders, sensitive breasts and my bellybutton, and let them rest at my hips. I let out a moan and he moved his lips to nibble on my ear a bit. I let my hands wander, touching his hair, arms, and toned stomach. When they finally reached his thighs, we were interrupted by a loud shriek.
"Mama, papa, Eli up!" I heard come from the children's hut.
Shem was about to get up, when I put my hand on his arm to stop him.
"I'll get him, you fix yourself." I told him, pointing at his lower half.
"Yes, I will do that." He said, kissing me.