Changing Us

Chapter 5: Duckling: Vignettes

It's been almost two hours since Kelsi left to run some errands and Jasper is not too happy being left by his mommy, even if it means bonding time with Dad. Ryan has been unsuccessful in making him stop crying. He tried singing to him, feeding him, sitting him in front of the television to watch Daffy Duck, even tried dancing to hopefully bring him to sleep. But Jazz, as his parents fondly called him, wouldn't stop.

"Sshh baby, Mommy's gonna be home soon. And daddy's here, you're safe." Ryan tried talking his son out of the fit but as luck would have it his son is a true-blooded Evans in throwing fits.

You better come home soon Kel.

An incessant crying can be heard from the penthouse unit as Kelsi stepped out of the elevator. Worried as she is, she knows Ryan is with the baby, and he's been quite decent in taking care of their five-month old son, unless he fell asleep, of course. He can be quite a deep sleeper especially when he's tired. Opening the door, she walked up to the nursery to find Ryan standing beside the crib, helplessly trying to calm Jazz.

He turned around noticing her presence, "Great, you're here. Your son won't stop crying."

"So he's my son when he's being difficult? Excuse me, but I was a quiet child. This right here has Evans written all over it." She doesn't really mind that her son looked like Ryan. She was thrilled in fact, and she loves being able to gaze at a mini Ryan whose personality seemed to be much like his. She walked closer to the crib, to take the baby out of Ryan's arms. "Come here, duckling. Why won't you be good for daddy?" Jazz's cries stopped when he was finally in his mother's arms and buried his face on Kelsi's shoulder.

Ryan winced at the nickname. Kelsi found it cute to call Jazz "duckling" seeing as Derby called Ryan, Ducky. "Please, Kelsi, don't call him that. You're gonna scar him for life."

"No I won't. It's adorable, don't you think? Besides, he looks so much like you, it's only fitting!" she said with her eyes twinkling with adoration at her child.

"You sound like Sharpay, and like her, you seem to be enjoying making fun of me."

"Seriously Ry, you have to admit it's cute!" giving him a big grin, holding the baby up in front of her face. "Don't you think so, duckling?" The baby laughed at Kelsi, seeming to agree with her.

"Fine! Have it your way. Just don't call him that when he's 17 and in front of the girl he's trying to impress." Ryan resigned knowing he'll never win

"Don't worry, baby," Kelsi stood on tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek, "it will only make the girl like him more. I know, because that's how I felt then. There's a sense of security that comes from knowing that your date has a good relationship with his mother."

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A couple of months later, Kelsi was in their kitchen making breakfast. It was a beautiful morning in New York. Her 8-month old son seems to be a morning person as well, probably one of the only few things he got from his mother. Jazz has started babbling weeks ago, now able to say a few syllables. He is such an outgoing child, like Ryan, very bubbly, always smiling and laughing, a spitting image of his father.

Stirring the soup she's cooking, she heard the door of their room open. He heard her name faintly, and grumpily, called. Ryan can be quite grumpy in the morning.

"Kelsi?" his voice becoming louder. She pretended not to hear, opting for him to go find her. It can be quite fun annoying him in the morning. Even with their many years together they still are quite a playful couple.

"Kelsi!" Ryan said louder coming into the kitchen.

"Esssi…" both parents sharply turned their heads to their babbling baby perched on his bouncer on the counter, then looked at each other and back again at the baby.

"Kelsi, did he just—"

"Esssi…" Jazz said once again, dragging the letter "S", as if it's his favorite letter, drool bubbling up in his lips.

"Quick, grab the camera!" she instructed Ryan who made a mad dash out of the kitchen to retrieve the equipment.

"I'm rolling…" he said as he came back.

"What did you just say, duckling?" Kelsi asked her son softly, excited to hear what he has to say.

"Essssi…" Jazz answered gurgling after, shaking his toy in front of him.

"Right. That's mommy's name." she said her eyes filling with tears. How can this little person manage to make her feel so much love? "What's mommy's name, Jazz?

"Esssi!"

"Oh Ryan, he said my name! I can't believe it." Kelsi's tears, happy tears, are now falling freely on her face. She kissed her son on the forehead, with Ryan still holding the camera capturing the moment, his usual talkative self left speechless.

"Daddy!" two-year old Jasper Evans shouted as he ran up to the door to greet his father.

Ryan scooped him up and walked towards the living room. "Hey Jazz, what did you and mommy do today?"

"Mommy and me has a suwr… suwrp…" he answered still struggling with a few words.

"Surprise, duckling." Kelsi helped him when they reached her. She was sitting on the floor of their living room in the middle of the huge train set Vance gave his grandson on his birthday.

"A suwrpwise for you Daddy! Can I tell daddy, mommy?" Ryan laughed at the excitement he saw in his son's face. His big blue eyes sparkled with joy.

"Sure, go ahead." She prodded her son.

"I'm gonna be a big bwother daddy! I'll play with her and let her rwide my twain!" Jazz said clapping and bouncing on his lap.

Ryan's eyes traveled from Jazz to Kelsi, asking for her confirmation.

"I found out this morning after you left for work. I was supposed to surprise Jazz and you but he found me in the bathroom and was about to cry sensing that I was sick so I had to reassure him." She explained with a smile, getting up from her spot on the floor to sit beside her boys.

Ryan's face broke out into a smile. "That's great baby!" he kissed Kelsi.

Jazz, seeing the whole thing piped, "Eww! Daddy kissy! Eww!" while covering his eyes with his little hands, making his parents crack up.

Well, I hope I got the infant milestones right. I just researched that in the internet because I wanted to get this out soon and actually finish this whole story come March. The second vignette was inspired by my co-worker's son who calls her by her first name instead of mommy. I found it absolutely adorable.

To erfan18, I was supposed to ask you about all of the above but when I checked your message to me, the email address wouldn't show (I think ff(dot)net is blocking it). Well, if I got anything wrong I can still edit. Thanks in advance!