The Aislin Chronicles

Part XLVII

A/n: Here it is! I'm so excited. I've been waiting to write this for, wow, I can't even remember how long and I can't wait for you all to read it. Unfortunately, school starts tomorrow. I don't know how often I'll be able to update. I'll try my best, I promise. Anyway, enjoy!

12-31-03

5:56 AM

I am so mad at the dogs right now. I don't know what God forsaken squirrel or rabbit or early-morning jogger they were barking at, but when I find out I plan to kill it. Do you have any idea what time it is? It's before six! I don't even get up this early for school, and may I remind you that I am currently on my winter break, which means that I do not get out of bed under any circumstances before ten.

Well, except for today. Grrr. The dogs just went crazy over something outside a little while ago, and I cannot get back to sleep. I should be so tired too, because I stayed up way too late last night with Dad playing blackjack. By the way, I kicked his butt. I had to take my revenge on him whooping me the night before last in cribbage. Anyway, I'm on very few hours of sleep and I am not a happy camper right now. At least it's New Year's, and I have some good football games to look forward to, which includes some good half-time naps as well, hehe.

God. I can't believe it's six o'clock, and I'm not asleep. I don't have to be awake, but I'm, like, not sleepy. This sucks.

Oh well. I might have to take this time to talk about how I talked to Ian on the phone the other day. He called me (giggle). We just talked about our Christmases and stuff, nothing major. We talked about going to see a movie before we have to go back to school, which I will gladly take him up on his offer in a few days. Mmm. Ian.

Okay, I guess I'm going to go eat some cereal. And. Mumble about how mad I am at the dogs. Maybe try sleeping again. Grr.

12:02 PM

Well, I've had no such luck at trying to get back to sleep, but some good football games are probably starting now so hopefully I'll fall asleep during a half-time. I guess today's going to be pretty boring until I go to Jess's tonight, which I suspect will be before dinner time. Nobody's coming over here to party because Mom can't drink. Ha. I think I heard Dad say that Will and Francie are coming to hang out a little this afternoon, but I'm sure they'll party it up somewhere else tonight. Weiss will be at the Silko's (things are going smoothly with Aunt Melody, I hear; rumor is that they're serious now), so I'll probably see him later. Aw, I feel bad for Mom and Dad having a boring, uneventful evening at home. Oh well. I'm sure they'll manage. I'm going to go watch football now, wish me luck in falling asleep!

1-1-04

10:35 AM

Ahh! Oh my Gosh!Mom had the baby! My sister! I'M A SISTER! Audrey Charlotte Vaughn, born January 1, 2004 at 4:07 AM, seven pounds and two ounces, twenty inches long. She's just this cute little bald thing. Gosh. Ahh! I have a sister!

Happy New Year, journal! This just feels like a good way to start the year.

Did I say Mom and Dad would have a boring, uneventful evening at home? Um. I guess I was kind of wrong… I guess I should go about this chronologically, that would make the most sense. Okay, well, congratulations to me, I did manage to fall asleep sometime in the afternoon shortly after Will and Francie stopped by. Unfortunately, I missed when I was supposed to go over to Jess's. I think she called around five. When the phone rang I got really confused because I was sleeping really deeply, I guess, and I couldn't figure out what the noise was. Dad came into the living room with the phone and told me Jess was on, but I felt really groggy and tired and I just decided I wouldn't be much fun and to stay home.

By the way, really good call on my part.

Anyway, I was pretty much a boring lifeless lump of nothing the rest of the evening. I didn't really have much energy, though I did wake up a little around like, seven-ish, after we'd eaten dinner. Mom, Dad, and I pretty much opted to sit in the living room and watch whatever specials they were showing on TV. Mom looked pretty uncomfortable and fidgety all evening, and at the time I thought she was just achy and stuff from being pregnant. Nothing really out of the ordinary.

I was trying really hard to stay up to midnight, but Mom was trying even harder. I think my little sister kicked her a lot more often than she let on, keeping her up at night, but I don't know. Mom looked downright tired at like, nine thirty, and Dad told her just to go to sleep. Seeing the ball drop wasn't a big deal. New Year's would still happen regardless of whether she was asleep or awake. Finally, she trudged upstairs to go to bed. I really wanted to too, but I'm too stubborn and I didn't want to give in.

I tried playing cards with Dad again, but I was just too tired. He tried giving me the same speech he gave to Mom, but no, I wanted to stay up. I could stay up. I mean, I wasn't carrying around a baby or anything, I could go a little sleep deprived and be okay. As long as the stupid dogs didn't try to wake me up again before six in the morning…

I'm still bitter about that. Anyway, we ended up just sitting in the living room staring mindlessly at the television. Well, that's what I ended up doing. Dad would try to keep me awake by talking to me. I didn't usually respond, just listened. I don't even know what we were talking about.

It was almost eleven when we heard Mom's footsteps coming down the stairs. What was Dad doing again? Oh, he was showing me this card trick Weiss had taught him a long time ago, like in college. I'm pretty sure Weiss had shown me the trick too, explained it to me even, but being as tired as I was, I was completely amazed when Dad flipped over my jack of spades.

"Hey, guys," Mom started when she got closer to the bottom of the stairs, "I think we need to go to the hospital."

I had a stupid moment here. I thought, why? Did you hurt yourself? Are you sick? Then I looked at Dad, and he had his forehead wrinkled immediately. I can't really describe the look on his face, though. I guess he looked a little worried, but he was also, like, excited and nervous and happy all at the same time. Like he really wanted to smile but had to make sure Mom was okay first. He said, "Are you having contractions?"

Here was my oh-duh-she's-pregnant! moment. Then I kind of woke up a little. Excited? Definitely. Mom just nodded kind of lazily. "Yup. 'Bout five minutes apart."

Dad looked like he wanted to say something, opened his mouth, looked at me, and closed it. Mom just stood rather patiently at the bottom of the stairs. I kept looking between the two of them, not sure what to do or say, since Mom didn't seem to be acting like we were in a rush. I thought this would be like, a crazy screaming my-water-just-broke moment happening, but it was kind of mellow. I looked at Dad finally. "Aislin, go get her overnight bag. I'll take Syd to the car."

I nodded and raced up the stairs for Mom's bag, and when I got down to the car I was surprised to find Mom and Dad bickering a little. The first part of their conversation I caught was Mom saying, "Well, I didn't want to worry you."

"Worry me? Syd, I could have helped you!"

"I'm okay," she emphasized. "I just wanted to make sure it was the real thing. It wasn't anything I couldn't handle by myself."

Dad wanted to say something, but instead watched me buckle my seatbelt in the rearview mirror. Then we departed for the hospital in awkward silence. I was really unhappy that they were unhappy. I mean, Mom was having a baby! They were about to have their little girl, and they were too busy arguing with each other to realize that all of a sudden.

The silence was making me really uncomfortable. "Does it hurt?" I asked timidly.

She turned her head sideways as if just noticing I was in the car with them. "Oh, not too awful. Yet." She gave Dad a look, but he was still angry, staring ahead at the road.

Thus the silence continued for a few more miles, until Dad exclaimed, "Since dinner? Why didn't you say anything?"

"For the last time, I wanted to make sure it wasn't false labor!"

"You still could have said something," he muttered.

"Yeah? Well, I—ah." She grunted. Her left hand clutched the armrest.

"Syd?"

"I'm… fine…" she gritted through her teeth. Holding the steering wheel with his left hand, he reached over to Mom with his right for her to hold, and she grabbed onto it and squeezed through the contraction. That's when I knew they'd be okay.

By the time we got to the hospital, and got a room, and got Mom into a gown, it was about eleven forty-five. I sat next to Mom while Dad was calling Jack, and Grand-Mere. She still looked really uncomfortable. A nurse came in to check on her, and said she was, I don't know, something about being dilated really fast. Which was good. Whatever it meant.

When Dad came back in, he sat on the other side of Mom's bed and snuggled up into her neck. Their hands met; Mom closed her eyes and sighed. "Jack's on his way, and my mother's trying to get a flight over here as soon as she can." Mom nodded against him and rubbed her fingers over the back of his hand. "Look, I'm sorry I was mad earlier. I just… It's my baby too. I want to know what's going on."

"I know, and I'm sorry. But I really did want to make sure I was really in labor. I didn't think it would be worth telling you and then realizing it was false. Besides, the pain was something I could deal with myself. I wanted to save you for when I really needed you." She squeezed his hand. "Like now…" She squeezed it harder, apparently starting a contraction.

There was a TV on in the corner, so we got to see the big ball drop and stuff. Luckily Mom wasn't contracting so she could enjoy the moment of entering 2004, trying to ignore the fact that we were in the hospital. We didn't have any fake champagne, so I was a little disappointed. Mom did offer me an ice chip. Somehow it just wasn't the same.

I think it was maybe twelve thirty when Jack got there. He told Dad and I to go take a walk because he wanted to talk to Mom, so we did. Naturally we ended up standing at that big window where everyone who takes a walk in a hospital generally ends up, you know, where they have all the newborn babies. Seeing them made me get really excited. "Daddy," I smiled, turning to face him, "little girl."

He was beaming. "Little girl. Little Audrey." I couldn't wait to see him holding this little baby girl—by the way, it's the sweetest thing you ever saw, but we'll get to that later—and to see my little baby sister, and just, oh, I just couldn't wait.

Phone's ringing. Hang on.

11:12 AM

That was Dad, he's on his way back from the airport. He went to pick up Grand-Mere. Anyway, we wandered around the halls a little bit more. Dad finally found a coffee machine, he needed a caffeine boost to pull an all-nighter, and then we got back to the room. It was obvious that Mom was in more pain, but she didn't want any drugs. I thought she was nuts. Anyway, my lack of sleep suddenly hit me then, and the next few minutes are a total daze for me, I don't really recall much. I do remember falling asleep on Jack's shoulder in some chairs somewhere outside the room.

The next thing I knew, someone was shaking my leg. My neck was really sore and stuck to the side, but I noticed Dad squatting in front of me with this huge grin on his face. "You want to come meet your new sister?"

Did I ever! My response came out as a smile and a grunt, I hadn't really woken up yet. I checked my watch as I followed Dad back to the room. Four forty-seven. He gave me all her stats as we got to the doorway, her weight and height and such. Then I rounded the corner, and there she was in Mom's arms. Mom looked really tired, but also really happy.

She smiled when she saw me come in. "Aislin, come here," she told me. When I was next to her she said, "It's a girl."

I had to laugh. I've only known since September, but Mom just found out and just looked so cute. "Audrey Charlotte," I whispered, bending over to look at her. She was sleeping, and had this little pink cap on her head. One of her fists was balled up and between her neck and Mom's chest. She was just… I don't know. I can't even explain it. I got this urge like I just wanted to touch her, which Mom seemed to notice because that's when she handed her towards me. She's so light; I kept thinking I would drop her because she didn't feel like you were holding anything. Gosh, she was so cute. I was trying to figure out whether she looked more like Mom or Dad, but I couldn't take my eyes off her to compare.

Then she started whimpering and I freaked out, so I passed her off to Jack, who I didn't even notice had followed us into the room. Jack, oh, the old softy. He rocked her a little and walked around the room and got her quiet again. He was smiling at her. And I'm not going to let him get away with it, either. I'll have to let him know I saw him when the opportunity strikes. "She looks just like you did when you were born," he told Mom.

It was really strange seeing Jack holding a baby. Well, different strange, not in a bad way. It made me want to go, "Awwww, Grandpa!" but I restrained myself. Then I got to watch Dad hold her. Have you ever seen that man hold a little baby? Well, of course you haven't. Journal. But it's so adorable! He just looks so happy, and ahhh he just loves her and it's the cutest thing in the world.

A few minutes after we passed her back to Mom a nurse came in to kick us out. Mom needed her rest. I gave Audrey a little kiss on her head and gave Mom and hug and a kiss good-bye. "I love you, sweetie."

"I love you, too, Mom."

Then I stood in the door waiting for Dad, because I knew I'd have to watch the nurse pry him away with a crowbar. He leaned his head in, and nuzzled with Mom, while two of his fingers picked up Audrey's dangling arm which had fallen out of the blanket. "Go home, get some sleep," Mom ordered.

He nodded. "I love you." Kiss. "So much." Kiss.

"I love you, too." Kiss.

Okay, I think you get the point with the kisses. Anyway, when he got to the baby, "Daddy loves you." And then he bent down and kissed her little fist. Insert girlish squeal here. So cute!

Then Mom must have wanted to sleep really badly, because the nurse didn't have to do any work. "Okay, go home. Sleep. Sleep is good."

He smiled. "Fine. I'll see you in a while." Another kiss. "Bye."

Then Dad and I were walking out to the car. I stopped him when we got to the parking ramp. "Wait, I forgot something."

"What?"

And then I hugged him. "I'm so excited," I told him.

"I know. You haven't stopped smiling since you saw her."

I'm pretty sure that's true. "Neither have you."

We probably looked pretty ridiculous, I mean, with the combination of the massive bags under ours eyes and our giant ear to ear smiles. Regardless of how happy I was, though, I needed a bed. I fell asleep on the way home, and then when I got into my bed was out like a light. Sleep is amazing.

I woke up around ten, took a shower, and came down for a lil something to eat, and Dad was just about to leave to go pick up Grand-Mere. And since they're on their way home now, I probably should go do something with my hair. And then, we get to go see my baby sister again! Ahh, it's so exciting, I can hardly handle it. Okay, later!

7:54 PM

Well, we spent most of the day at the hospital, but finally the nurses had enough of us and made us leave. Oh wait, first Dad brought Grand-Mere home to drop off her luggage and stuff and to pick me up. It's good to see her, and she's soooo excited to be here. She's staying for like two weeks I think and she can't stop talking about all this stuff she wants to do with me because I don't see her that often. Then she yells at Dad for not taking me to France every chance we get, and then she scolds herself for not coming to visit more often either. Basically, it was a pretty one-ended conversation in the car ride there.

Anyway, when we got to the hospital Mom was still sleeping so we went to see the baby behind the big window. She was adorable, of course. But sleeping. I wanted to see her eyes. Dad said they were blue, but I still wanted to see them. So I was staring at her and smiling because, I don't know, I can't help but smile when I see her, and Dad was staring at her and beaming all proud and parent-like, and Grand-Mere was gushing about how precious and perfect she is.

Mom had apparently woken up, a nurse told us, so we went in to go see her then. "Hey, honey," Dad greeted her in a soft voice, kissing her temple and squeezing in next to her on the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," she replied, leaning against his chest. "Hi, Amelie. How was your flight?" She outstretched her arms for a hug, and Grand-Mere moved forward to give her one. I settled myself into a plastic chair next to Mom's bed, next to Dad.

"How was my flight!" Grand-Mere asked. "You just had a baby! How did you sleep? Oh, she's just beautiful, Sydney."

Mom shrugged. "I slept on and off since you left. Dad came by again around seven before he went to work."

"He works on New Year's?" I asked. Why did that surprise me? He's crazy. He's Jack.

Mom chuckled. "He works every day."

Then the door opened, and a nurse carrying a little pink bundle came into the room. "Somebody's hungry."

I thought I was supposed to leave the room or something, but nobody else moved or said anything so I stayed while Mom fed her. I thought it would be really awkward, and well, I thought it was awkward. They all tried to carry on normal conversation, but I was still weirded out and trying not to look. Let's see, what were they talking about? Oh, people coming to see the baby. I think Mom said that Will and Francie were going to come by around noon, and Dixon and Marshall would come some time in the afternoon.

Mom asked if I had called Jess or anyone yet, and I hadn't since I'd been sleeping. Oh my gosh, I haven't called Jess yet! I just realized. Shoot. I'll be right back.

8:16 PM

Whew! Okay, now that that's taken care of… Um, well I think Jess and maybe Krissy and Adam are going to come visit tomorrow after Mom and the baby come home and get settled in. I probably should call Ian tonight too, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow when I'm more rested and can process what will slip out of my mouth. Sometimes things just slip out when I'm talking to him when I'm tired. It can be embarrassing. But that's not my point. Ahem. I think then they discussed who all they needed to call, and then Audrey was all done eating.

"Aislin, her eyes are open," Dad told me. He knew I wanted to see them. So I got up from my chair and leaned over to look. Yup. Blue. Darker than mine. But they'll change eventually. Still, for now she kind of looks like me. Except for having no hair, and kind of a wrinkly little face, we could pass for real sisters. That won't stay for long, but oh well.

Well, by the end of the day, she wasn't too happy about getting passed around to a bunch of strangers. I don't blame her. And that kid can cry loud, let me tell you. I just hope she doesn't turn out to be a late night screamer. I could be in trouble.

Jack brought us some dinner, which I thought was uncharacteristically (wow that was a long word) nice of him. It wasn't long after that when the nurses kicked us out again. All the way home Grand-Mere couldn't stop talking about how proud of Dad she was, and it made him blush and it was cute. I had to laugh. For once it wasn't me! Haha. And apparently Grand-Mere is taking me shopping on Saturday. Not sure why, but hey, I'm not complaining. Oh man. I'm definitely ready for a full night's sleep now. Sigh. It may be my last, depending on this kid being a crier. Good night, dear journal, good night.

A/n: So, how was it? Please review!