I'm happy that so many of you are okay with Zoe breastfeeding. It's something that I wasn't use to growing up as we didn't see it and it was really talked about, not like it is now and it's such a natural thing and I don't think anyone should get hated on for doing such a natural and beautiful thing. And for the story Wade will come around to it, even if I don't show it.
I'm trying to get things back to where they were at in the first chapter so if there is anything you'd like to see before we get there please let me know so I can get it all worked in.
Enjoy this little fluffy chapter and have a good weekend.
Within a few days they were allowed to bring their daughter home from the hospital. Braxton and Ariel had yet to hold their baby sister. They had been asked but each time they declined. When asked why they didn't want to hold her, they would shrug and go back to what they were doing. No one pushed them on it.
"You won't hurt her," Wade commented, walking into the living room, carrying his baby daughter. She was sleeping but he refused to lay her down. "If that's what you both are worried about," he added.
"But what if we do happen to drop her?" Braxton asked, looking up at his dad.
Wade smiled, knowing just how scary it was to hold a baby, he had felt the same way when Braxton was born, scared to hold him, afraid he would drop him and hurt him. More than that he was afraid that the second his son was placed in his arms that he would cry and hate him. "You won't drop her; you're her big brother, Braxton all you will want to do is keep her safe, protecting her from everything. You would never hurt her," Wade explained, glancing down at his little girl.
"How do you know that?" Braxton questioned.
"Because I do, Brax," he stated. "You have met your Uncle Jesse, right?" Wade laughed, he wouldn't call Jesse an overprotective big brother, Jesse had been the one more so on the lines of getting Wade into trouble but on more than one occasion through the years Jesse had been there to keep him from getting seriously hurt or in trouble.
"Have you met Uncle Jesse?" Ariel questioned, placing her book in her lap. "I'm not scared to hold her thinking I'm going to drop her," she told him. "It's more about her crying her little lungs out deciding that she's not comfortable enough to be near me."
"Babies can be scary," Wade told her. "But not quite that scary. She's going to love you, Ariel. You're her big sister, she's going to look up to you and idolize you and she will drive you nuts at times but you have to remember that she does it because she loves you," Wade said giving her a smile. "You're going to be her best friend and the one person she's going to trust most with every secret she has."
"Mom told you that didn't she?" Ariel asked with a smile.
"Maybe," Wade replied. "Want to hold her now?" He questioned looking between the two of them to see if either one of them was going to volunteer first. He wasn't going to push Eliza on either one of them, they'd come around in their own time when they were ready to do so. "There's nothing to it," he commented, lightly kissing his little girl's head, gently rocking her.
"Hand her over," Ariel said with a sigh, placing her book to the side.
Wade smiled moving to place Eliza in her sister's arm. He helped her move her arms to support the baby. Ariel smiled looking down at her sleeping sister; she was a precious little thing. Ariel was amazed at just how little and light she was in her arms. Watching as her little sister slept she vowed that she would be there for her little sister no matter what. "I love you Miss Eliza, you sweet little girl," Ariel whispered, gently kissing her sister's head.
Wade took his baby daughter back when Ariel was done holding her. "You ready to hold her?" Wade asked looking at his son.
"She's not going to vomit all over me is she?" He asked. He knew it was possible, he watched her just earlier that day spit up all over their dad's shoulder.
Wade laughed shaking his head. "She's not sick, and she's been burped, she won't spit up on you and if she does it just means she loves her big brother Braxton," Wade smiled his voice taking on a hint of baby talk.
Braxton rolled his eyes, holding his arms just the way Wade told him to do as he placed Eliza in her big brother's arms. Braxton smiled at his little sister. She was light in his arms but as looked at her he knew then that he was holding more than just his baby sister. He already kept an eye on Ariel and he would do the same with Eliza, he was going to protect her like any big brother would, he wasn't going to let her down. "I may annoy you when you get older, but it's because I love you, Eliza," he told her softly, kissing her soft little cheek. "Think you can remember that?" He questioned softly.
Wade smiled, sitting down in between his kids. He loved his family and he was happy that everything was finally going in their favor. Looking back the rough times had only made them stronger as a family and he was grateful for those moments so he could sit here now and know just how lucky they all were.
"You can take her if you want," Braxton told him, glancing up at his dad. She may be a light little thing but after a while she did start to get heavy. He loved his little sister that he was certain of, hard not to love her, but right now she didn't do much of anything.
Wade smiled, taking his little girl back, snuggling her against his chest. Moments like this were soon going to be rare and he wanted to enjoy each second of them he could for as long as he could.
Zoe woke up from her little nap; Wade had assured her that he had everything under control and if at any point he needed her he'd wake her up. Being up with Eliza throughout the night had left her tired and she had already fallen asleep before Wade had finished talking to her.
Walking into the living she smiled at the scene that greeted her. She quietly but quickly found a camera to snap a picture. Sitting on the couch holding Eliza was Wade, his head tipped back sleeping. Ariel was leaning on Wade's right shoulder, her hand resting gently on top of her baby sister's back as she slept. Braxton was on Wade's left side, Eliza's little fingers wrapped tightly around one of his pointer fingers, he too was out for the count.
Zoe stood there watching the four loves of her life for a few moments. It wasn't until Eliza woke up with a soft cry that Zoe was swooping in to scoop the newborn up, rocking her gently. Getting Eliza to settle down, Zoe was able to grab a throw blanket and toss it over the three still sleeping on the couch.
"You tire you're daddy, brother and sister out?" Zoe asked softly, walking to the nursery to change her diaper. Zoe smiled looking around the room that was painted in a pastel purple color, the cherry wood of the crib, dresser and changing table fitting in perfectly. On one of the walls taking up a good chunk of the wall was a mural of Bluebell by the river's edge at sunset, sitting on one of the few clouds in the colorful sky sat a little boy with little white angel wings, a smile on his face as he looked down at the family of four watching the sun set. Elizabeth was written in big block letter's sitting above the mural the kids had painted over the summer at camp and after they had gotten home. The first time Zoe had seen the mural and the little boy sitting on a cloud she wept like a little baby, happy that they incorporated their little brother they had lost.
Zoe smiled, sitting in the rocking chair that sat next to the window. Zoe slowly rocked her little girl. She was so caught up in watching her little girl as her little eyes slowly darted around taking in what little she could see always coming back to look at mother's face.
"You could've woken me up," Wade commented, leaning against the door jamb a smile on his face. He couldn't get enough of just standing back and watching his wife and baby girl. It was one of his most favorite sights.
"Ever think that I wanted to spend a few minutes alone with my little girl here?" She questioned with a smile, glancing at her husband.
"Can't fault ya there," he chuckled softly, entering the room. "Had a little talk with the kids while you were sleeping and they finally dared the chance of holding her. They were only scared," he commented, running his knuckles over Eliza's little face.
"Do you blame them?" Zoe questioned, placing her hand on her little girl's tummy. "She's so little, it can be a bit terrifying for two kids who have never had to deal with a baby before," she said.
"It'll only be a matter of time before they want to ship her off elsewhere," Wade chuckled. He didn't remember the memories as he was a baby but he was told a few different times by his parents when they would talk about the two of them growing up. It's when he learned that big brothers weren't all they were cracked up to be. "Soon enough she'll disown them," he smirked, remembering the days that he would get so mad at Jesse for embarrassing him, he'd yell at Jesse saying that he hate him and he was no longer his brother. It only lasted for a few days and they were back to being the best of friends until Jesse did something to make him mad and the process started all over again.
"We have a while before any of that, let's not jump ahead of ourselves but rather enjoy these tender little moments," Zoe told him. He couldn't argue with that at all.
