Alexis checked the baby bag one more time, double checked the battery power on her phone. Yep, both were full stocked, which meant it was time to hit the road.

'Petra, are you excited? We are going to the cafe today while Papa talks to his boss. Yes we are, we sure are, and we might just see some friends there.'

Petra gurgled happily, poking her tongue against her lower lip while she sat in her pram, kicking her toes merrily. She was such a happy little girl, Alexis thought with a smile, her precious little gem. Most mothers probably thought their firstborn baby was the best but in this case, it was true – no matter how much Alexis loved RJ and Jojo, there was nothing like loving her own little one.

Stuffing her arms into her coat, she slung the baby bag over her shoulder, then pushed the pram out of the door. A short elevator ride later and they were on their way for a walk down the wonderful streets of Grammercy Park. Alexis loved her neighbourhood this time of year, there was so much colour. It made her think of Fantasia, when the Waltz of the Flowers was depicted by falling leaves in a forest.

She turned south when she reached Park Avenue, heading for Union Square and the Cake Crumbs Cafe she knew she'd find there with Sloan and her boys waiting for them. Sloan was always an early bird, a habit she'd never broken from their private school days, and according to Jeremy both Devon and Nate had followed in their mother's footsteps.

Sure enough when Alexis reached the much beloved Gennaro's, she wasn't surprised to see her friend with her children waiting at one of the booths opposite the inviting counter of displayed daily offerings.

'Mama, look! Deb-in look!' Nate, ever a cheerful soul, was all but bouncing up and down in his booster seat and bapping his palms together in excitement at their arrival. 'See Lessis! See Pet-wa!'

'I see them Nate!' Devon, always ready to encourage his brother's joy, clapped in delight along with him. 'But we have to let Alexis sit down first so she can hold Petra in her arms. Then we can give hugs an' kisses-'

'Mooshie! Mooshie-mooshie-moosh!'

'Fine, hugs and mooshes, be-cause Pet-ah-ra is so tiny.'

'Pet-wa lid-ill,' Nate said seriously, looking at his mother with big dark eyes. 'Pet-wa way lid-ill Mama.'

'She is, and you and Devon both started out that way,' Sloan told them, rising to help Alexis. She looked down at the snoozing Petra, made a sweet face. 'Aw, what a cutie-pie! How is she doing, how are you both doing so far?'

'So far it's been pretty good but...' Alexis trailed off a little gave a laugh. 'I still feel so overwhelmed some days.'

'Hey that's totally natural, Lex,' she replied, 'and remember if you need to talk to your doctor, that's why they are there. I talked to mine a lot after Devon was born and Garrett took off.'

'Because my bio-daddy was a big fat bonehead who didn't love me or Mama,' Devon said with a stern expression, catching the name he'd hear Sloan bring up once or twice when he'd asked why he didn't have hair like Jeremy or her, 'but my real daddy loves us both a whole bunches.'

If that wasn't a slogan for the nature versus nuture debate, Alexis didn't know what was. Rather than making it a family issues moment, she sat down, pressed her fingers to Petra's little belly to feel the rhythmic rise and fall before smiling at Devon and Nate. 'Well boys, our guests are here so that means-'

'Shoco-late time!' Nate's already sunny smile increased a hundred fold. 'Lessis, Pet-wah like shoco-late?'

'She's too little yet,' Devon reminded his brother, and Nate nodded sagely.

'Oh yeah! Lessis, Pet-wah haffa bob-ill soon?'

'When she wakes up,' Alexis laughed, then looked at Sloan. 'They are too cute for words, I hope Petra is that adorable when she is two years old.'

'She's adorable already at two months,' Sloan pointed out. 'Just like my munchkins. What are you in the mood for?'

'Well, your since put me in the mood for chocolate now,' she smiled, 'so perhaps a specialty croissant or butter cookie and a nice cup of seriously awesome hot chocolate sounds fantastic right now.'

Sloan nodded; she'd already put an order in for that very thing. 'Awesome. Be right back.'

'Ooo, do you want a cookie with sprinkles?' Devon pulled his chair closer to Alexis, sniffed lightly. He loved Petra's new-baby smell, leaned closer to watch her cute little nose wrinkle up as she slept. 'Alexis, she is a good baby.'

'She is the best.'

'I say hi-hi Pet-wah soon?' Nate implored Alexis, his little lip threatening to poke out in a pout. 'She 'till noozin'?'

'Soon. For now, we are all going to have some cookies and hot chocolate.' she told him.

'Ooo yummy.'

'Uh oh, I guess Petra doesn't wanna be left out either! Hi pretty girl!'

Devon softened his voice as he saw Petra wake, blinking her dark blue eyes as she began to splutter. 'Alexis, is she sad?'

'No sad Pet-wah!' Nate looked horrified, eyes darting to his mother who had returned from the counter with a plate of cookies and a bowl of steaming water. 'Fiss it, Mama!'

'I think Alexis can fix it better. Look.'

Sloan pointed to where Alexis was taking one of Petra's bottles from the cooler-compartment of the baby bag and popped it into the boiling water, before lifting Petra from her seat and settling her against her shoulder to soothe her fretful whimpers. She knew Alexis was struggling a little with the idea of being a perfect mom who knew it all, but that was just plain foolish - anyone watching them in that moment would have seen just how great a new mom Alexis was becoming.