Go Baby Grow
Chapter 23 – Girls' Day
Saturday, May 23rd
Lissa surveyed the supplies on the kitchen counter and counted them again. Fretting, she confirmed, "Nole, there's breastmilk in both the fridge and freezer. Don't heat it in the microwave."
"Your instructions are incredibly consistent, Blondie," Nolan chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Lissa from behind. "I know how to feed the girls. The diapers are stacked where they're stacked every single day, extra pacis are in the drawer over there, their clothes are in the closet, and Molly's Nam is with her in her bed."
"Are you teasing me?" Lissa asked playfully.
"I want you to go have a fun time. Help Julie girl-up and get Mom out of the house," Nolan urged, still wrapped around his wife. "The girls and I will be fine, Shorty. Go play."
Turning around and wrapping her arms around her husband, Lissa smiled, "Thank you."
"I'm doing my job. I'm the Dad," he grinned. "Now, go!"
Grabbing her gigantic purse and throwing it over her shoulder, Lissa called out one more reminder, "Molly should be up any minute and the twins will wake up in about 45 minutes."
"I know," Nolan chuckled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
Lissa picked up Amelia, who was about to go stir crazy after a week at home, and then Julie. The plan was to search for a dress first, then consider hair and makeup plans for the prom.
"Are you excited?" Lissa bubbled over as she looked at Julie using the rear view mirror.
Julie smirked, "I'm looking forward to spending the day with the two of you. Beyond that, I'm not sure what to expect."
"We'll have a blast," Amelia declared as she turned back and looked at Julie. "Lissa has this process down."
"You're not too bad yourself, Amma," Lissa chuckled.
Raising one shoulder, Amelia agreed, "True."
"Let's start here," Lissa announced as she pulled into the parking lot of an off-the-beaten-path boutique. "What's your style, Julie? Traditional? Eclectic? Playful?"
"Umm… jeans and t-shirt," Julie hunched.
"Yeah… we're going to change that. At least for one night," Lissa smiled widely as they entered the store. After greeting the saleswoman, Lissa explained that they had no idea about style, color, or length at this point. The saleswoman encouraged them to browse and to seek her out if they had questions.
As they considered the options, a few details became clear: no high slits in the leg or strapless bodices.
"I want something I can wear again," Julie shared.
Lissa and Amelia met glances and Lissa reasoned, "You'll wear it twice – once to each prom."
"That's a ton of money for something I'll only wear something twice," Julie sighed as she glanced at a price tag.
"That is Captain-ing. We're girling today," Amelia insisted with a giggle.
The more Julie searched, the clearer she became about what was not her style: nothing feathery, no unique cut outs in the bodice, no train to worry about, and nothing too form fitting. She spotted one that she liked and held it up, "If this one had a solid back, a neckline that didn't plunge nearly to the belly, and a solid skirt instead of lace, it'd be perfect."
Internally, Amelia and Lissa paused. Basically, if the dress wasn't the dress that it was, Julie would like it. Trying to figure out what Julie liked about it, Lissa ventured, "The floral beaded bodice, you like that."
"It's beautiful," Julie smiled.
"That's a start," Lissa nodded with encouragement.
As Julie browsed, she turned to Amelia at one point and questioned, "Doesn't anybody wear a bra with a formal? None of these have backs."
"You can find special bras. Sometimes the bra is built in," Amelia pointed out.
"I know about strapless bras and stuff like that. I'm just surprised by how many are backless," Julie shook her head. Amelia thought to herself, Yep…she was raised by a protective father.
Julie strolled over to another area of the store and Lissa approached Amelia, whispering, "This is going to take a while, isn't it?"
"Let's keep focused on what she doesn't want. That'll narrow down the choices," Amelia smiled with weak hope.
"Lissa! Dr. Shepherd! I think I found it," Julie beamed as she beckoned them over. She found a navy-colored sleeveless dress with a chiffon A-line skirt, a plunging but not too plunging back, and a bodice with sequins and beads in a celestial-like pattern. The beads and sequins were various shades of blue, silver, and white. The front neckline was rounded and wide straps set atop each shoulder.
Amelia walked over and put a hand over her heart, "Julie… it's stunning." Lissa found the salesperson and Julie tried it on. The dress appeared to be made specifically for Julie. The color was beautiful and the dress hung perfectly.
"I feel like I haven't looked enough, though," Julie pondered aloud.
Simultaneously, Lissa and Amelia replied, "No. This is it."
"Did you two rehearse that?" Julie quipped.
"Here's the question: do you love it?" Amelia quizzed.
"I do," Julie smiled.
"And you can sit down, stand up, dance, and move comfortably?" Lissa wondered.
Julie threw her hands in the air and shared a little dance move. "Looks like I can."
"It's modest, so your dad will love it, but also elegant," Amelia observed.
Lissa stood next to Julie on the platform and began gathering Julie's long hair. "What do you think, Amma? Up or down? I'm thinking curls."
While Julie didn't mind the fuss, it was unfamiliar to her. She stood and did not weigh in as the others planned out the rest of the details. Posing for a picture, so Adam could add his stamp of approval, Julie smiled softly. Little did she know his first thought would be of Claire. All grown up and dressed up, Adam saw what he'd never noticed before. His daughter was the spitting image of his deceased wife. In an instant, he sent a text celebrating the choice.
The purchase was made and the starry-eyed teenager, normally so even-tempered and mature, was giddy. As Lissa drove to the next store, where they planned to buy accessories, Julie couldn't stop describing the dress. Even though Amelia and Lissa had already seen the dress, they pretended to be awed as Julie shared every detail.
"Should I send the picture to Ryder, too?" Julie wondered aloud.
"No!" Lissa declared promptly.
"It's not a wedding dress, Liss. I mean, we're going to a prom, not getting married," Julie chuckled as she sent it.
Ryder, playing basketball with Nolan, Owen, and Lucas, called a time out. Each of the older girls was keeping an eye on one of Nolan's daughters, and everyone was enjoying the warm spring day.
Even without the full effect of makeup and styled hair, Ryder was blown away when he pulled up the picture. He held the phone up for all to see and bragged, "Yep, that's my prom date. She's smokin' hot. My date… right there. That's her."
"Time in," Nolan called as he bumped his brother and drove toward the basket. Owen and Lucas overruled the point.
Lucas, with wide eyes, commented, "Can I go to my prom with Julie?"
"She'll be 28," Ryder smiled.
"I thought you wanted to go with Lissa," Nolan whined, remembering the days when Lucas wouldn't leave her alone.
"If Julie's gonna be 28, Lissa's gonna be really old. Maybe I should find a girl my age," Lucas determined.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
Sunday, May 24th
Sunday mid-morning, Owen called out to Olivia and encouraged her to meet him downstairs. Assuming he wanted her to help carry in groceries or perform some other task, she grudgingly tromped down the stairs.
"What's up?" she inquired. Owen encouraged her to follow him, and he walked to the garage and sat in the SUV.
"Get in. You're driving," he smiled.
"Really?!" she jumped for joy. Owen reviewed the gears and checked the positioning of her feet. Once he was satisfied, he encouraged her to back up and then drive up to the gate.
She swerved along the driveway as she became accustomed to the steering and slammed on the brakes far too rapidly when he told her to try to stop. Owen could sense that she was frustrated, and he offered, "That's great for a first time, Livs. No problem. Try moving forward again and then stop again."
Putting the SUV into drive, she over-accelerated but quickly corrected. After driving about 20 feet, she stopped abruptly again. "I can't do it right," she sighed.
"Yes, you can," Owen encouraged her gently. "That was better than the first time. Try again. When we get to the gate, I'll turn us around and you'll drive back to the house." Even though Owen was amazingly patient and kind, Olivia tied herself into knots with each imperfect attempt. They drove back and forth along the driveway over and over. Although she was improving, Olivia was certain that she'd never learn to drive.
On their last try, Owen mentioned that Ryder was playing basketball by the garage. He suggested she stop and park before the driveway and they could resume after a brief break. Olivia stopped the car, turned off the ignition and jumped out. Near tears, she moaned, "You're too hard on me. I can't do this."
Owen, completely befuddled because he knew his temperament had been in line, scratched his head. Ryder opened the drivers' door and hopped in.
Owen sighed. "Did you see Olivia stomp inside?"
"Dad, she's being a chick. Was she all emotional and teary?" Ryder inquired.
"Exactly. And I was gentle and patient the entire time," Owen explained.
Ryder added, "Olivia really likes people to think she's all flowy and creative and spontaneous, but she's only that way once she's mastered something."
"Did Mom tell you that?" Owen questioned, shocked by the accurate insight.
"No," Ryder scoffed. "I've known that about her since she was a baby."
"Oh," Owen sounded flatly. "I don't know what to do now."
"Want me to try?" Ryder offered.
Shrugging, Owen agreed, "Sure, if you want."
Ryder went to Olivia's door, which she only recently had earned back, and knocked.
"What?!" she sneered from the other side.
"It's Ryder. Can I come in?" he asked politely.
"Why?" she grumbled.
"Because I want to talk to you, Stupid," Ryder quipped.
"Fine," she growled.
"You were driving really well out there. Why'd you stop?" Ryder inquired as he turned her desk chair around and sat in it backwards.
"Dad said he needed a break. I'm probably giving him a heart attack," she spouted angrily.
"No," Ryder shook his head. "He's all cool."
"Hmph," she grunted.
"Do you want to practice with me? I'm not doing anything right now. We could even go to an empty parking lot if you want," Ryder offered.
"Is this a trick?" Olivia questioned skeptically.
Ryder chuckled, "No. I'm trying to be nice to my little sister."
"Why?" she asked with squinted, suspicious eyes. "Are you going to film me and put it on YouTube or something?"
"I wasn't going to, but now that you shared the brilliant idea…" he joked.
"Ha ha," Olivia sounded off. "Let's go."
Ryder drove to a church parking lot not far from the house. There were trees and planters throughout the lot, providing some beginner-level challenges for Olivia. "See you can practice turning here. And make sure you don't hit God's trees."
"Very funny," Olivia commented. "God is a forgiving God."
"Still… Dad may not be as forgiving if the SUV comes home banged up. He's no God," Ryder laughed.
"Stop making me nervous," Olivia giggled as she and her brother switched seats. Before starting, she grabbed her cell phone and leaned back against Ryder for a selfie. "There, now we have a 'before' picture. Once I've scared the hell out of you by trying to drive, we'll take an 'after' one." Ryder laughed and encouraged her to begin.
Only commenting if he absolutely felt the need, Ryder barely spoke. He let Olivia work out her timing, when to accelerate, slow down, or brake. She chose the course through the parking lot. Within no time, she had a solid grasp on the basics. Ryder pointed out that they'd been practicing for over 90 minutes. Since they were a mile from home, Ryder suggested she drive home.
"Really?! On a real road and everything?!" Olivia exclaimed.
"If you think you're ready," he shrugged. If anything, she was overly cautious as she drove. Ryder figured she'd be safe on the three roads they needed to travel to return home. Besides hugging the right edge of the road, Olivia did a fine job. She even parked the SUV in the garage.
When the siblings came inside, Owen and Amelia were sitting at the kitchen island.
"How'd it go?" Owen asked, almost wanting to know that Ryder had made Olivia cry also.
"Dad!" Olivia burst out with excitement. "We went where I could practice turns and avoid trees and stuff. I drove and drove and then, Ryder let me drive home! On a real road."
Amelia held out her arms and hugged Olivia, "That's so great, Livs. Congratulations."
"On a real road?" Owen sulked as he glanced toward Ryder.
"She did great, Dad. She's a natural," Ryder shrugged before approaching his mom for a bear hug. "Hey, Mama Bear."
"That was really kind of you, Ry," Amelia praised. "Seems like Livs had a fantastic experience."
"Of course she did," Ryder laughed. "She was with me."
~~~~~~~~~~~'
Nolan and Lissa, 22;
Molly 14+ months
Emily and Elizabeth (born 3/15) 9 weeks
Ryder 18, Julie 18 (Seniors in high school)
Olivia 15 (Freshman in high school)
Ria and Anna 10
Lucas 8 ½
Baby Hunt – due October 25. 18 weeks gestation.