"Pig feet?" The curious little girl asked while scrunching her nose up in disgust. "Yes, pig feet." You say before grabbing her feet and tickling them gently. Before you knew it, her laugh filled the room and you find yourself smiling. Somehow her laugh always had this effect on you. From the first time, she giggled at you.
She had been a baby back then, and was Penelope and your first night with her at the house. Your home had been filled with so many people, each one of them excited to finally meet the new bundle of joy. Everyone from the BAU had been there, even Hotch. It wasn't until evening when your last guest finally left. Exhausted from the day and glad to finally be able to take the load off, Penelope and you plopped down on the couch. Penelope curls into your chest, and grabs the remote, surfing the channels until landing on something semi-decent show.
You let out a hearty laugh at something a character said inadvertently startling Penelope. "What! I'm up, I'm up." She all but screams as she startles out of your arms. You let out another laugh, but out the last one which was short and sweet this one his long, and it's not until she punches you in the shoulder that you actually stop laughing. Picking up the remote and turning the TV off you turn to her. "Come on let's get some sleep." "I'm not tired." She says with her lids half closed. You raise your eyebrows at her as if to say "Oh really?". "Okay maybe I'm a little tired, but to be fair I did just give birth, like forty-eight hours ago." She stated matter-of-factly. You throw your hands up in surrender before grabbing her hand and gently rubbing your hand over her thumb. "So, what do you want to do then, Mama?" You ask with a grin. "Ooh, mama, I like the sound of that." She says with a seductive smirk. "Don't tease me." You say half joking. Her smirks falters to a playful pout before she replies. "I want to talk. Who knows when we'll have alone time like this again. So, let's just talk. "And talk you did. You talked about the Naerdy, you talked about your mother, you talked about the wedding date, you talked, and talked for hours.
It wasn't until halfway through a story about your childhood, when you heard soft snoring. Chuckling softly to yourself, you place a kiss on her forehead before picking her up and bringing her to the bedroom. You lay her gently on the bed under the covers before, quickly discarding your clothes and lying next to her. It doesn't take long until you've succumb to a peaceful slumber, but it doesn't last long either. A blaring whale comes from the monitor next you, and for a moment you have half a mind to chuck it at the wall. But you don't, instead peeling yourself from the depths of you bed and heading down the hall where your daughter a wait you.
It's been almost an hour since you first stepped into your daughter's room. Almost an hour since she had started crying, and you were slowly going crazy. You had done everything right. You changed her diaper, fed her, and burped her. Now you were doing the only thing you could think of. Talking to her. "Hi there, I'm your daddy." You say hoping to get some respond from her, but your only met with screaming. Determined you try again. "You've had a very exciting day, huh? You met all your uncles and aunts, and you met your abuela. What me to let you in on a little secret? Every single last one of us would do anything to protect you. We'll protect your little nose, your little fingers, and let's not forget your little toes." Whisper softly to her while pointing to each body part. Slowly her wails begin to fade into soft whimpers. Then her whimpers are replaced by a soft gurgling noise. It took you a while to figure out she was giggling, but when you did your heart swelled with so much joy that you vowed to hear that sound every day for the rest of your life.