CHAPTER 41

Amy had never seen Meemaw in person before and, to be honest, the pictures she'd seen, couldn't portray how beautiful she was; both inside and out.

Although Meemaw was an 80 year old woman, she certainly looked much younger, perhaps because of her charming smile, her sweet face and her soft, smooth skin, her contagious energy or her cheerful outlook on life. She was slightly robust, a bit taller than Amy, and evidently she had a lovely southern accent. Her name was... Rose.

Meemaw's hair was completely white, with a silvery shine in her short and wavy curls. Her blue eyes had that indefinable shade of blue, exactly the same shade of Sheldon's eyes. Meemaw looked so motherly and sweet that Amy wished she could hug her as hard as Sheldon was doing at the moment. Out of the blue, the image of Mrs. Claus baking cookies for the good children in Santa's workshop crossed Amy's mind.

"Meemaw! I knew my mom would come today to meet Nicholas, but I didn't know that you were coming too. I'm so glad you're here!" Sheldon helped his grandmother with the luggage. Meemaw and Mary had just two medium-sized suitcases; apparently they were planning a short visit.

"Moon Pie, I couldn't miss the opportunity to meet my first grandson. No, no, I wasn't going to wait for you to go to Texas to visit me. Right?" Meemaw pinched Sheldon's cheek lovingly.

"Yes, you're right! How rude of me! Let me introduce you to Nicholas. Mommy, Meemaw… he is Nicholas L. Cooper" Sheldon gently took Nicholas from Amy's arms, smiling happily when his eyes met his girlfriend's eyes, in that singular way they had to say I love you without words.

Nicholas was wide awake, with his blue grayish eyes fixed on his father's face. He wore a blue, Superman onesie, which was still too big for him. It was the outfit that Mattias and Martina gave them when Sheldon and Amy left Stockholm.

Sheldon stroked the baby's head, as if he was trying to comb his three or four, tiny strands of hair. Nicky had to look presentable for his grandmothers. Sheldon put the baby in Mary's arms. Mary Cooper's joy when she was holding her grandchild for the first time, was incomparable.

"Meemaw, I want you to meet my... Amy. Meemaw, this is Amy!" Sheldon's grandmother hugged Amy, strong and affectionately. "Amy, this is my Meemaw". Sheldon didn't need words introduce Amy to his grandmother; he didn't need to give her a label. Meemaw and Sheldon had talked about Amy more times than she could remember, so it was as if she knew her for years.

Meemaw clearly noticed by the way Sheldon looked at Amy, and how her green eyes responded to his eyes, that the bond between them was unique and unwavering.

"Thank you!" Meemaw whispered in Amy's ear, so that only she could hear it. Amy nodded. Everyone looked at Nicholas when he emitted an adorable sound, very similar to tender a laugh, while Mary Cooper cradled him in her arms.

"Amy dear, Nicholas is gorgeous and he is such a good boy. Look at him! He doesn't even cry; he's a little angel" Mary Cooper couldn't take his eyes off her grandson. Amy and Sheldon exchanged glances. Oh! If Mary Cooper knew how hard it was to put that little angel to sleep the night before!

Meemaw approached Mary; she wanted to hold Nicholas in her arms. "Hey Nicholas! What a beautiful name you have. Although it's still a big man's name and you're just a cute little thing. Aren't you Cutie Pie?" Meemaw already had a loving pet name for his great-grandson. "Cutie Pie!" Amy whispered almost inaudibly.

"Nicholas is a strong name, perfect for an important man, as my son will be. Nicholas L. Cooper. I chose the name." Sheldon took credit for the baby's name, always talking like a proud father.

"I knew that my grandson's name was Nicholas, but what's his middle name?. What does that L in his name stands for? His middle name's Lee? As in Sheldon Lee Cooper?" Mary looked at Nicky's parents as she questioned them.

"The L in his name stands for Leonard… that's his middle name." Sheldon sat in his spot of the couch, next to Meemaw; he gently rubbed Nicky's little hand.

The baby still had a slight bruise because of the intravenous line he had placed in it, two days ago. Strongly Nicholas took his father's finger and held it firmly.

"Sheldon chose the baby's middle name as a small gesture of gratitude for his best friend… Leonard. I'm in complete agreement with him." Amy continued her explanation about the baby's name. Both Meemaw and Mary thought it was an excellent idea. "It's certainly a well-deserved tribute." Amy added.

"Well, anyway you're my cutie pie, my cute little apple pie because you're so sweet, and I could eat you up! Although you came out of the oven too early!" Meemaw's happiness was immense when she finally held Nicky in her arms. "But he's fine, despite being born a little earlier. Isn't he? Oh yes! He's perfect!" Meemaw's southern accent was just adorable.

"Yes, he's very healthy; his breathing problem subsided. Nevertheless, we are very alert when it comes to his health. I think he has grown in these days, and he has a voracious appetite. You'll see!" Sheldon told Mary and Meemaw. "No kidding!" Amy added.

"And that's another reason to thank God for all he has done for us, especially for little Nicholas. I knew the Lord would hear my prayers" Mary Cooper took Sheldon and Amy's hand as if she was trying to start a silent prayer.

"Thank God or… thanks to Medical Science! That's a debate I don't want to initiate. Anyway I still have a lot of hospital bills to pay, which clearly tilt the balance towards one side". For a minute, an awkward silence came over the room.

"But... in a more pleasant subject, Nicky is not the only one who has a voracious appetite. Who is going to make me fried chicken? Mommy? ... Meemaw? Hmm ... and now that you mentioned apple pie... I'd like some dessert too" Sheldon rubbed his stomach, just thinking of the mouth-watering apple pie that Meemaw used to bake. "I haven't had a decent meal in several days".

"Sheldon your mom and your grandmother must be tired, I think you shouldn't ask them to cook for you" Amy tried to be fair, even when a homemade meal sounded great.

"It's okay Amy, we came here to help you, and take good care of you; it's a pleasure for us. We know you deserve it!" said Mary Cooper.

"If you want fried chicken and apple pie, your Meemaw is here for you, Moon Pie. But… now I just want to hug my Nicky a bit more" Meemaw grinned. "Oh, by the way I think he needs a diaper change. Yes, he does!

"Leave it all to me! I'll change him right away" Amy quickly got up from her seat, ready to take care of Nicholas.

"Shelly, go and help Amy with Nicky's diaper. Or… why don't you change him?" Mary Cooper practically ordered Sheldon to do it. She wanted to see if Sheldon was really helping Amy. She didn't want Amy to take care of all the heavy work by herself.

"Mommy... Amy always does it, I still feel uncomfortable with the idea of changing diapers. I help Amy with everything else: I always read stories to Nicholas, I sing lullabies, I help her to bathe him, but… diapers? NO! We have a non-verbal agreement between us. Amy takes care of those things ... those biological things!" Sheldon replied, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the mental image of dirty diapers.

"It's okay, I'll do it! No problem" Amy already had Nicholas in her arms and was about to take him to his nursery when Meemaw interrupted her.

"No! Sheldon will do it… and he will do it with a smile! He'll do it, this time and every time you need his help! Isn't that right Moon Pie?" Sheldon's grandmother could make him obey in a second, with just a glance.

"Yes Meemaw, I'll do it! I won't let anybody say that Dr. Sheldon Cooper is a coward who isn't able to change a diaper" Sheldon got up from his spot resolutely.

"Let's go Nicholas! That diaper isn't going to change itself!" Sheldon held Nicholas in his arms, and looked at Amy with the eyes of a lamb asking her to save his life.

"Aww! Don't worry my Sweet Baboo! This isn't as hard as you think, you'll do it very well" Amy followed him to Nicky's room.

With many doubts and certainly, in fear of a rather unpleasant experience, Sheldon proceeded to change a diaper for the first time in his life. Sheldon washed his hands and then he slowly took off the dirty diaper. He cleaned Nicholas' bottom with wet wipes and put some baby powder on him, carefully following Amy's instructions. "Okay Nicholas, I think we're done. I didn't do a bad job. Did I?" Sheldon asked Amy. His facial muscles were still twitching.

"No, you did a great job and… you were about to throw up, just twice. Not bad!" Amy laughed as she took Sheldon by his arm.

"I admit I overreacted, this wasn't as disgusting as I imagined. I think I could do it again!" Sheldon acknowledged. "Now I need to wash my hands and… Purell."

Meemaw and Mary stayed with Sheldon, Amy and Nicholas for a pleasant week. Nicky's grandmothers had so much to teach the new parents, their wisdom in these matters was invaluable; Mary and Meemaw's knowledge couldn't be learned from books.

Sadly they had to go back to Texas. When they said goodbye, they promised they'll visit them as soon as they can.


Nicholas grew faster and faster each day; the time passed so quickly that in a blink of an eye the little baby was 14 months old. Nicholas was like a whirlwind, he was restless, and he loved exploring and walking, though he still needed to grasp the objects around him or take his parent's hands to get some stability.

Nicky knew many words, though he understood more than he could actually speak; apparently he was shy. His growth and mental development were within expectations for a baby of his age, or maybe a little higher than his peers. The fact of being born premature didn't cause serious consequences on him, except for a slight tendency to respiratory and middle ear infections, but they're always transient and mild.

Nicky's resemblance to his father was breathtaking; he had his eyes, the same facial features and gestures. Every person who knew Nicky always commented on his resemblance to Sheldon. His favorite food: spaghetti with little pieces of hotdogs cut up in it, obviously.

Nicholas shared many personality traits with his mother. For example, Nicky loved animals, every time he saw pictures of animals on television; he laughed happily; his favorite animals were: monkeys and koalas of course. Nicholas could identify many species of animals and call them by their names.

"Amy, please help me with this bow tie! I don't know why I can't tie it. I'm starting to get frustrated. This bow tie might be broken." Sheldon shouted from his bedroom so Amy could listen to him. Sheldon looked pretty angry while trying to tie that bow tie for the seventh time.

Amy placed Nicky in his feeding chair. "I know you're hungry but I need to help daddy. I'll be back in a minute, and I'll give you your applesauce sweetie." Nicky obediently, sat on the chair as he leafed through a coloring book.

Although Sheldon had seen her earlier that day; Amy looked so stunning in the dress she was wearing that, the minute he saw her before him, Sheldon gasped.

When he recovered his speech, Sheldon gulped and finally smiled. "Certainly, you look beautiful today, but that dress is pretty short. Don't you think?" That was the typical way that Sheldon had to compliment Amy and display jealousy at the same time.

Amy was wearing a one shoulder, knee-length coral dress. Her hair looked gorgeous in a simple but elegant bun, embellished with little white orchids.

"I think this dress is very appropriate for a maid of honor. Besides they're having wedding in the countryside, at noon. I was going to wear my tiara, but I thought that might divert attention from the bride. Don't you think?" Amy had a seductive smile while she tied Sheldon's bow tie.

"Yeah, you're right! Who plans a wedding in the countryside at noon, regardless of the fact that the exposure to sunlight increases the risk of melanoma? Are you wearing sunscreen?" Sheldon asked Amy.

"I think it's a very romantic idea for a wedding, and of course I'm wearing sunscreen, I'm going to wear a shawl to cover from the sun and the breeze. There you go, your tie is ready! You look so handsome in your tuxedo. You always look handsome" Amy and Sheldon pressed their lips in a sweet kiss.

"Well, hurry up! I hate being late! We need to feed Nicholas before we go. We'll have to drive almost an hour to get to the ceremony and an hour more to get to the wedding reception. Please, remind me to thank your mother for helping us with Nicholas after the ceremony. Penny and her brilliant idea of a wedding in a farm!" Sheldon hissed, feigning anger.

Although Sheldon disliked being away from Nicky, this was definitely a special occasion. Leonard and Penny's wedding was an important event, his best friends had decided to give one of the most significant steps in their lives.

"Yes, I recognize they chose a place that's somewhat distant, but they aren't getting married in a farm, it's some kind of cottage in the countryside. I think the place is lovely and romantic." Amy stated.

"You can call it whatever you like but it IS a farm!" Sheldon replied.

"Come on! Don't be angry! You know that my mother's going to babysit Nicky after the ceremony so… we could spend the rest of the day, just the two of us. Isn't it exciting?" Amy leaned her head on Sheldon's chest as she hugged him. When he hugged her with equal passion, Amy could listen to his racing heart.

"Yes, I find it very exciting!" Sheldon replied with a smirk.

A.N: Oh, the end is near! ;)