Thanks caseyjr, ghostwhisperjimel, isabel camilla scott, arubagirl0926, wordsmeaneverything, stagediva23, cullentreehill, lostinwriting, melissa, sb1218, minervaann, caroline, lindy, h23brock, anna, whitney, onlyyoujarley, and simy for your wonderful reviews.
So the time has come everyone... fall semester begins this coming week and i am moving back into my dorm very very soon. (OH AND I just got word that move in day is pushed back a day now due to my friend Hurricane Irene) I should be excited to get back to school, I kind of am.. but I'm mostly just depressed that summer's over. Where the hell did it go? I had three months ahead of me! How'd it go by so damn fast? But oh well... time to get back to school, back to reality, away from the fantasy of an amazing fun-filled sumer. See you next year summer. You better be as good, if not greater than this year was!
And now school means classes, which means homework and tests and studying and crying... sooooo updating and writing will be harder. But I'll try my very best to update as often as possible! Lucky for you, writing is my best de-stresser and i just love it so so much when I'm in a groove.
Reviews are also a GREAT GREAT way to motivate me, so drop them early and often lol (PMs are totally fine too, kick me into gear if I'm slacking lol)
So since I had school on the brain, I give you this. Enjoy
AGE 5
December was winding down in Tree Hill and today is New Year's Eve. Brooke and Julian used to go out on this special night, to a club or dinner or a party or something, but once the twins came, it was 'put the kids to bed ASAP and have a romantic New Year's together at home' kind of night.
Yet this year was determined to be different.
"Please please please let us stay up!" Jude whined.
It was only eleven o'clock in the morning and he was cranky. There was no way he would make it thirteen more hours to ring in the new year.
"Nothing happens, buddy. It's just like any other night," Julian tried to tell Jude. "Just tomorrow starts a new calandar year."
"No! Ricky said it was the coolest! He even got to stay up last year!" Davis told them.
"Who's Ricky?" Julian asked. He wondered if his son was making it up.
"He's an annoying kid that was in their class at..." Brooke lowered her voice and raised her eyebrows to get Julian to know what she meant.
Julian knew instantly... school.
Oh yeah.. School.
It was a new thing this year. Brooke had been hesitant about sending them to kindergarten too early, but Julian insisted they were more than ready to go, even though they would be the youngest ones there. They needed to interact with different kids and form friendships with classmates other than each other. It would be good for them, Julian was adament. But still Brooke didn't really want to lose her babies to school just yet. At the time, they still weren't exactly five yet, not for another month.
Kindergarten wasn't to be taken lightly. Kindergarten turned into elementary school which became middle school and then high school and college all too quick. Then they would be gone, they'd have their own lives to lead, just like that, with the snap of a finger. Brooke wanted to keep them one more year at home. Their birthday was so early in the year that either way they would be the oldest or the youngest..
But Julian assured her ever and over it was the right decision. So Brooke gave in and said they could 'try it'.
Jude and Davis were enrolled at a public kindergarten nearby.
"Mommy we're gunna be late!" Davis shouted from the door.
He was all ready with his backpack on and his feet were jumpy. He was ready: he already loved school and he hadn't started yet. He was definately Julian's son.
Jude, on the other hand, was the reason Brooke wasn't ready. Jude refused to put on the matching twins outfit that she picked out for Davis and Jude to both wear. They were not identical twins, but Brooke wanted them to match. After some fighting and bribing and a promise of ice cream after school, he finally put on the outfit. Brooke then laughed at herself, thinking about how Haley told her that bribing Jamie with ice cream and candy was going to come back and bite her someday. Well today was the day.
"We're not going to be late, honey, relax. We have plenty of time and I want Daddy to take pictures," Brooke told Davis, walking into the foyer with Jude.
"I'm coming!" Julian raced in with the camera and a pajama clad Avery in hand as the boys headed outside.
"Stand by the front steps!" Brooke instructed, wanting to start a tradition of this in a good spot for every first day of school.
Julian snapped a bunch of pictures of the two boys smiling with their matching outfits and their backpacks. Then Brooke went in with Avery and the four of them were in a few more pictures before they headed out.
When the family of five got to the school, Brooke and Julian, with Avery in tow, walked their sons in to their classroom, met their teacher, found their cubbies and nametagged desks, and were forced to say their goodbyes.
Davis hugged Julian goodbye as Jude wrapped his arms around Brooke's legs.
"Do I have to stay Mumma?"
Brooke knew this would be hardest for Jude. He was more of a 'I'll play when I feel like it and you can't force me to do anything I don't want to do' kind of kid, while Davis was excited to try new things and meet new people.
"I'll be back to get you in no time," Brooke scruffed his hair. "I love you."
Then the parents switched and Davis hugged Brooke.
"Bye Mummy, don't worry, I'm gunna have fun."
Brooke chuckled. Davis always knew what she was feeling, he was 'sensitive Julian' in that way..
"Thanks handsome. I love you."
When the parents walked back out to the car with Avery, Julian put his arm around Brooke, knowing this was hard for her.
But the day turned out to be a good one actually. The boys seemed to like their class and their teacher and school in general. So this made things easier for Brooke in the long run. As the weeks went by, having the twins at school turned out to be good all around. The boys got rid of their excess energy and were rarely bored now, and Brooke got so much more work done with just one baby at home.
It was a win, win, for a while... ...
Then it happened.
A week or so before Christmas vacation started was the boys' Parent Teacher Conferences / Open House for half way through the year. And when Brooke and Julian met with the kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Migans, things didn't really go well.
"Mr. and Mrs. Baker, please, come in." The teacher shook their hands at the door and gestured to the seats open for the parents.
Mrs. Migans started by giving Brooke and Julian some of the art work the boys had made in class, and then went over their first and second quarter grades. But really, they were just things that called for Satisfactory, Excellent, or Needs Improvement, rather than letter or number grades.
"As you can tell, Davis is doing well. He's interacting with the other children nicely and he a good listener most of the time, as well as a big helper."
"That's my boy," Julian joked as Brooke nudged his arm and smiled.
"And now I'd really like to talk to you about Jude.. He has been improving a bit over time, but he's been strugging more than his brother and the other children."
"What does that mean?" Brooke furrowed her brow.
"It means.." The teacher took a breath. "I think it would be very beneficial to Jude to have another year in kindergarten before moving on to first grade."
"W..what?" Julian and Brooke were almost stunned to silence.
"And I also think he would possibly benefit from seeing a specialist, maybe an occcupational therepist who could test him for potential learning disabilities..." the teacher pushed. She should have maybe thought twice about that.
Julian couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Are you kidding me? Are you saying my son is too dumb for you to teach him?"
"Julian.." Brooke wanted him to lower his voice.
"No, of course not, I just think there might be a reason he's having trouble."
"What if we say no? We want him to move on with his brother," Julian put up his hands.
"I don't think that would be a wise decision," Mrs. Migans said honestly. "He needs a lot fo help with his focus and the skills we're trying to teach. This isn't something that's uncommon with twins who were perhaps born prematurely."
Brooke's jaw dropped. That cut her deep.
"Are you saying this is our fault!" Julian stood up, enraged.
"Julian stop," Brooke grabbed his arm.
"Sir, please calm down, I know this isn't what you want."
"Hell no this isn't what I want! I don't want you insulting my five year old like this. Of course he isn't up to your rediculuos standards. He's not just some object you can give up on when he doesn't fit into your specified criteria. Your job is to teach him, not blame your lack of competence on a learning problem!"
"JULIAN stop!" Brooke now stood up next to him, grabbing her purse. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Migans. We'll be leaving now."
The teacher nodded as Brooke practically dragged Julian out of the room.
In the car, Julian sat in the passenger's seat fuming while Brooke drove home.
"I hope you're happy." Brooke shook her head.
"I was defending out son! She can't talk about Jude like that."
"She was trying to say it nicely, she wasn't attacking us but you surely attacked her."
"She said it was our fault.. well how does that make sense when Davis is doing so well?"
"You made it our fault, she never said it," Brooke corrected.
Julian put his head in his hands.
"What are we going to do, Brooke? I refuse to send them back to that school..."
Brooke took a minute to think.
"I think maybe we should listen to her... maybe waiting until the fall and doing another year of kindergarten for the both of them would be best," Brooke said honestly. "We can transfer them to a private school where they can get more one on one time with teachers, too."
"So you agree with her?"
"She's had way more experience than us with where five year olds should be developmentally." Brooke sighed. "I don't want Jude to struggle his whole life because we pushed him to first grade too fast. And I know you don't want that either."
Julian nodded and looked down.
"The only thing I wanted them to get from me was my abilities in school. Things came easily to me and I just wanted them to have that so they wouldn't have to work so hard or struggle to get good grades. That's all I wanted them to get from me..."
Brooke glanced at him sadly while she drove. She reached out her right hand towards his knee.
"Well they got a lot more from you than that, and who says that won't be what happens.. Maybe Jude just needs some catching up time and then they'll both be smartie pants just like you."
Julian smiled, hoping that was the case. "So we'll keep them together, right? I don't want them in different grades."
Brooke nodded. "I don't either. That would just make things harder on Jude when he realized it."
The converation paused as the couple rounded the corner onto their street.
"You were right," Julian admitted. "It was too soon."
AKA, Brooke was right, they needed another year at home. But at least the experience was good for the boys.
"Thank you for saying that, but it's not your fault. You thought that was what was best for them at the time and now that things have changes, we're going to do what's best for them now."
;
So that incident was three weeks ago, and the boys knew they were going to go to a new school, really a pre-school/daycare, starting in a few days, then after summer vacation, they would start at the private kindergarten Haley has sent Jamie to, called St. James Elementary. And now Lydia Scott would be attending the same school, but in the grade above the twins. Jude and Davis would be two of the oldest kids in the class this time around, turning six a month into school this fall, but in the future they wouldn't mind. They would be one of the first in their class to get their licenses or turned certain important ages, like 10, 13, 16, 18, and 21.
And the boys didn't quite care about school at the moment.. they cared more about staying up late.
"I don't care what Ricky's family lets him do, he's not my child, you are." (P.S. MY mom said this to me ALL the time growing up! ugh)
"Please Mooooommm! We'll be extra good!"
Brooke's eyes began to pound as a headache approached. Julian gave a sympathetic smile to his wife.
"Fine! But if you fall asleep early or feel tired or sick tomorrow, it's not my fault." Brooke gave in. "And you won't be cranky all day, either."
"YES!" The twins cheered and ran to their room before she could change her mind.
Brooke abandoned her post in the kitchen and walked over to the couch, flopping down with a thud. She covered her eyes with the crook of her arm, hoping the headache would subside.
"Ma ma?"
Brooke uncovered her eyes to see her thirteen month old crawling over to her and pulling herself to a standing position by using Brooke's legs. Avery had taken her first steps this month, but she wasn't really fascinated by the whole walking thing yet since she didn't do it very often. Brooke made a mental note to encourage her to walk next time.
Brooke scooped Avery up and gave her a big bear hug.
"Ugh, you're brothers are going to kill Mommy! But you'll go to sleep tonight okay, right?" Brooke asked.
"No!" Avery piped up proudly, making Brooke feel betrayed.
"Avery! You're supposed to be on Mummy's side. It's boys versus girls!"
"Boys verses girls? What are you twelve?" Julian joined his two girls in the living room.
"No, but Avery's my only other girl power in this house and she's turned against me."
Julian watched Avery lay her head on Brooke's shoulder.
"Well I don't think that's true at all."
Brooke looked down and rubbed her daughter's back. She then grasped Avery's pin straight strands of bob-like length brunette hair in her fingertips and smiled, thinking of Sam for just a moment. Avery had a lot more hair than the boys ever did at this age.
"No, I guess not. Sorry I doubted you, baby."
"Ma ma ma ma ma," Avery babbled.
"Yes baby, I'm right here."
Avery started figiting around and picked her head up. Then she started to get fussy all of a sudden.
"Oh no! What's wrong? We were doing so well!" (Remember that line from season 5 Angie anyone?)
"She looks kind of pale, Brooke," Julian noticed.
"Are you feeling okay, baby? Do you have a temperature?" Brooke pressed her palm to Avery's forehead, moving the wispy bangs out of the way.
"Is she warm?"
"No, not really. What's going on with you Avey-cakes?"
Avery shook her head while rubbing her eyes with her tiny fists.
"I think she just wants some daddy time!" Julian approached his girls with his arms out and Brooke handed Avery over to him.
Julian held Avery over his head and threw her up slightly. The little girl laughed as daddy caught her.
"See, that's better. That's all you wanted was to play with Daddy!"
Julian then sat down on the floor and placed Avery down. His daughter grabbed her nearby baby doll and handed it to Julian. Julian figured he should play dolls with her now, since she wouldn't let him in the future probably.
"Tell Daddy what the baby's name is Avery," Brooke encouraged.
"Ju ju!"
"You named your doll after your brother!" Julian asked. "But it's a girl, silly."
"It was her idea," Brooke told him.
"Ju ju ju ju ju!" Avery took the baby doll back and held its arm while she waved it up and down.
Brulian could then hear the little pitter patter of one of their son's feet from upstairs.
"What?" Jude stood in the middle of the staircase and peared down at them. He thought someone was calling him.
Brooke and Julian found each other's eyes and couldn't contain their laughs.
"Nothing buddy."
;
At dinnertime, Brulian planned to eat later than usual since the boys were going to try to stay up to see the midnight hour.
"I want to see you eat some of everthing on that plate, you understand?" Brooke pointed.
"But I don't like that, Mommy."
"It's just rice. You like rice."
"No, it has green in it."
"That's just parsley. You won't even taste it," Brooke fibbed. It was really spinach...
"Can I have another roll?" Davis reached out but couldn't reach the basket in the center of the table.
"Eat more steak first. Men like steak," Julian tried.
Davis sighed but took another bite of his finely cut meat.
"I think I'm allergic to this..." Jude turned up his nose at his rice and veggies.
"No, that's not funny, Jude. You don't have an allergy to anything at this table. So eat please."
"Fine..."
"At least you don't have to eat this guys," Julian gritted his teeth as he turned to the high chair next to him and fed Avery another bite of pureed squash baby food.
"Well she's not complaining so neither should you two," Brooke told the twins. "She really does love that stuff."
As Julian turned back to take another bite of his meal, Avery started to cough.
"Julian...!" Brooke went to stand up because Avery looked like she was choking or trying to spit something back up. But Julian turned back quickly and patted Avery's back as the cough went away.
"There we go. Drink some water," Julian pushed her sippy cup forward and Avery took a big drink. Brooke sat back down, picking up her fallen napkin.
"Geez, she didn't even eat anything thick, like steak or anything, right?"
"Nope. I didn't give her steak or anything. Just a little rice and veggies that she played with on her tray," Julian confirmed.
Brooke furrowed her brow, wondering what brought that on.
And just a few minutes later it happened again... The coughing, this time, led to poor Avery spitting up all over the tray and herself.
"Uh crap!"
"Ew!" The boys screamed as Julian and Brooke both stood to grab Avery as she began to cry.
"I guess she didn't feel well after all. I'll clean up this," Julian offered as Brooke picked up their daughter under the arms and held her arms length as she made her way to the bathroom.
Brooke sat down on the toilet seat, setting Avery on her feet, as she began stripping her daughter's clothes off.
"I know baby, I know. That's yucky..." Brooke tried to soothe her distraught child. "We'll get you in a bath and Mummy will rub your upset tummy, okay?"
Avery continued to sob for awhile as Brooke ran the bathtub water. Brooke used a face cloth to wash Avery's face and then swayed her naked baby back and forth while waiting for the water to fill. After feeling the water, Brooke placed Avery in slowly and kneeled down to lean over the tub.
"Mamaaaa..." Avery moaned.
"I know baby, it's alright."
Julian knocked half way through the bath. "Is everything okay in here?"
"We're all set daddy, thank you."
Julian smiled sadly when he saw how miserable his little girl looked, all covered in suds.
"Okay, let me know," Julian said as he closed the door again.
As Brooke rinsed Avery's hair and body with warm water, Avery looked up at her with bloodshot eyes.
"Sunna Mama..."
Brooke nodded, knowing what her baby wanted to hear.
"Okay baby girl. Let's get you out first."
Brooke stood up and grabbed Avery's bath towel, wrapping it around her naked and cleaned daughter, lifting her out gently. Brooke set Avery on the bath mat and rubbed her little body dry as best she could before scooping her up and walking to the bedroom.
Lying her daughter on the changing table, Brooke frowned.
"And on top of everything, you've got a red bum bum, you poor thing."
Brooke carefully applied soothing ointment baby cream to her daughter's privates before putting on a fresh diaper.
Avery started to get fussy again. "Maaaa sun!"
Brooke scooped up Avery and headed to her big comfy glider. "I know, I know."
The mother wasn't a talented singer to say the least, but Avery didn't mind. As Brooke began to hum the tune, she settled down into her mother's arms.
"You Are My Sunshine
My only sunshine.
You make me happy
When skies are grey.
You'll never know, dear,
How much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away"
Brooke only knew that one verse and sang it to Avery, for the first time, just a few days after the adoption was finalized. It calmed her almost immediately, so Brooke continued to sing it whenever Avery was sad or upset. It worked, and now that Avery had a couple words under her belt, she asked for her mother to sing it.
Looking down at her daughter, Brooke noticed she wasn't falling asleep, but her lips were moving a little, like she was singing too.
Brooke looked at the clock. Eight thirty-three. "Close your eyes, baby. You can sleep now."
But Avery didn't want to sleep. She just wanted to be with and snuggle with her mommy. So after another few minutes, Brooke dressed Avery in her warm pajamas and carried her out to the living room to see what the boys were up to. They were sitting watching the beginning coverage from Times Square. Some band was performing.
"Mommy! Daddy said it's already a new year in other places." Davis informed her.
"Yeah, isn't that wierd."
"Can we play outside, Daddy? That would be so cool!" Jude wanted to play in the dark.
"Ugh.." Julian looked to Brooke.
"Fine, but you have to wear jackets."
The boys scurried to get their coats on while Brooke grabbed the big blanket from the couch.
"Help."
Julian figured it out and helped wrap the blanket around his two girls. It was a clear night in Tree Hill with no snow on the ground but the December/January months brought the chilly temperature.
The boys ran outside quickly as the light went on on the back deck. Brooke and Julian sat down on the deck stairs to watch the boys play.
"Are you feeling better Avery," Julian asked.
Avery didn't acknowledge her dad, but Brooke answered for her.
"I think so, her tummy was just upset, right? But she refuses to go to sleep. Her brothers must have convinced her to try to stay up with them."
"Hmmm, well they are little conspiring monsters."
Brooke smiled and turned her head back to the boys. They were on their backs lying down on the grass.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
"Looking at the stars!" Davis yelled back.
Julian stood up and walked over to them, sliding down to the ground beside them with a grunt.
"Anything cool looking up there?"
"The stars make a shape like a big letter D for Davis!" Davis pointed.
"I see a J!" Jude had to even the score.
"There are real shapes up there like lions and bulls and all different animals that were named by the Ancient Egyptians."
Brooke smiled as she listened to the conversation her three boys were having, loving that Julian somehow made it into a teachable moment. She wondered why he never became a teacher. He would make a good one.
"Is it midnight yet?" Jude asked.
"You've got about three more hours, bud," Brooke looked at her watch.
"Really?" Jude sat up.
"Yes sir."
"Wow. That's long."
"We told you staying up wasn't exciting or anything."
"But I still want to."
"Me too!" Davis agreed.
"Well lets get inside and we can watch a movie before midnight comes, okay?" Julian suggested, standing up slowly.
When the family got inside, Brooke passed Avery to Julian and helped the boys change into their pajamas and pick out a movie. While watching Rio, Avery finally succumbed to sleep, probably from the gentle rubbing of the belly her mom was doing. And right towards the last ten minutes of the film, Davis pretty much gave up and fell asleep against Brooke as well. When the movie was over, Jude looked around.
"Is it almost time?"
"Almost," Brooke smiled. It was actually fun for her to see the boys at the age where they understood and loved holidays and special occasions.
"You're the only one who made it, Jude," Julian said as he turned the TV back to the New Years Rockin' Eve Special.
As the minutes counted down, Julian got out two champagne glasses for when the new year arrived.
"What's that for?"
"Mommy and Daddy always kiss and toast at midnight."
"Can I have a drink, too?"
Julian nodded, getting apple juice out for Jude.
When Julian came back to the living room, he started up his trusty video camera for the last minutes of the year. He wanted to capture how excited Jude was about this for decades to come.
Julian spoke to the camera.
"So we only have one survivor who's going to see the ball drop, ladies and gentlemen. And it's none other than Mr. Jude Nathaniel Baker."
"Hi," Jude waved at the camera while he watched the TV. It was getting close.
Julian moved the camera.
"And there's Mommy with sleepy Avery and Davis at her side."
"Hi," Brooke smiled, used to Julian's filming after all these years.
The camera setting went wide so the whole room was visable and Julian sat the camera steady on the table so he could be in the scene.
"Tell the video how old you are, Davis, so we always remember."
Jude went close to the lense. "I'm five." He held up his open palm. "A whole hand!"
"Say goodbye 2016 and hello twenty-seventeen."
Jude laughed and ran back over to sit with his Dad.
"When the countdown starts, that big huge shiny ball will start to fall and then there will be fireworks to ring in the new year," Julian explained to Jude.
As the last thirty seconds of the year ticked down, Jude stood up in excitement.
FIVE...
Four...
Three...
TWO...
ONE!...
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Times Square went nuts and confetti shot all over New York City. Brooke and Julian leaned towards one another on the couch and gave each other one passionate, yet appropriate for their child to see, new years kiss.
"Yay!" Brooke cheered lightly as Julian handed her champagne. Davis and Avery were still down for the count.
Jude looked around and grabbed his juice, mimicking his parents. When he swallowed, he sat down, looking confused.
"That's it?," Jude complained.
"I told you," Julian smiled, going in for one more midnight kiss from his wife.
"But... I don't get it. It's the same as every night," Jude noticed.
"But it's a new year. It's 2017 now," Brooke tried to explain. She knew this wouldn't be too thrilling for him.
"Oh.."
"I tried to tell you it would be boring."
"Yeah, I know." Jude plopped down on the couch, still watching people kiss on TV and everyone singing some wierd song.
Brooke laughed.
And the video camera caught it all. Even the part where Jude was asleep at exactly 12:07 A.M on January first. And so Julian and Brooke carried the three kids to bed one by one.
Brooke took a deep breath as she approached the camera.
"My new year's resolution is to make sure my three children are happy and healthy."
"Hey! What about me?" Julian asked, offended, from off camera.
Brooke rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, you too."
"Yeah, that's right!"
Brooke chuckled as she reached forward to shut off the video.
"Happy New Year everybody!"
~Haley :)