I'm sorry for the delay, two of my girls have been extremely sick and needing mommy there to take care of them; thankfully they are healthy again. Normally I write while my twins are napping and my three older girls are at school however, with two of their older sisters being sick, the other healthy and extremely active, my wife and I had all five of our girls home switching between taking care of them and their three younger sisters seeing as it was the weekend.
Cassie made the phone call to Katherine and Thomas letting them know tonight wouldn't be the best for a family dinner; she also didn't want to explain everything over the phone so she told them Amanda let she and Shelby know the final charges today and Shelby was still processing everything. Even though the parents wanted to come over and see their daughter and grandbaby, they respected her decision and loved the fact Cassie was, and has been there.
Cassie said she'd go over to their place tomorrow to speak with them before they came over to the Corcoran residence knowing it would be best if she told them without Shelby there—even if Shelby had the baby upstairs watching a movie or playing with some toys, she'd still know what was going on downstairs and wouldn't want that. They agreed, and Cassie said she'd come over during Rachel's naptime to discuss everything.
Cassie assured Katherine and Thomas everything was fine—of course they all knew Shelby was beating herself up over everything, but Cassie was staying over again and she would take care of both of them. Shelby wanted to be the one to let her parents know Cassie was moving in so the blonde didn't mention that, just that she was staying over again. The conversation ended with Katherine and Thomas thanking Cassie and asking her to give both Shelby and Rachel a kiss from them.
Cassie walked downstairs after making the phone call to find Rachel and Shelby having their daily tea party. Shelby looked up when she heard footsteps making their way into the living room and questioned her girlfriend, "Everything good for tomorrow?"
Shelby was completely on board for Cassie going to her parents place instead of them coming to hers while the blonde explained everything going on. There was only so much she could handle and this was something she knew she couldn't—I mean, technically she could if she had to but she didn't mind letting Cassie take off some of the stress she was feeling.
Especially because they'd have to wait until Rachel was in bed for the night before Shelby could actually speak with her parents anyways which was just make everyone nervous all day long; this was something she didn't want for any of them. Having Cassie go over during Rachel's first nap meant they wouldn't have to wait that long.
"Yup, all set," Cassie smiled and kissed Shelby's cheek then kissed the top of Rachel's head. "Kisses from nana and papa."
"Na-na pa-pa?" Rachel questioned, looking around to see if they were here. Her little voice was adorable, she didn't quite understand how to say their names without hesitation so they came out a bit broken which made it even cuter.
"Yeah princess, they asked me to give you a kiss and tell you how excited they are to see you tomorrow."
"Dey tome me?" Rachel looked at her mother and cocked her head.
"Of course they are coming to see you baby girl—just like they said when we spoke to them on the phone. Do you remember?"
Since her parents had gone home to pack and have a 'goodbye' dinner with Shelby's siblings, nieces and nephews, Rachel had learned what FaceTime was—she wasn't particularly fond of not being able to reach out to give them a hug even though she's only given each of them one hug each and really didn't like how they weren't here. She didn't understand why she could see them on mommy's phone but they weren't walking through the door like they had been before.
Mommy had taught her how to greet people and to say bye-bye when they were leaving however, while they were here in the city, they always came back. When she said bye-bye on the phone, they didn't come back and Rachel didn't understand why.
"Dey no tome doe…" Rachel's eyebrows furrowed and she made the cutest little thinking face.
Shelby knew her daughter was struggling with the fact when she spoke with her parents on the phone, they didn't come back through the door afterwards. Shelby tried to explain it to Rachel multiple times however, the baby just didn't get it.
She could see them, so why weren't they here or at least coming back? Shelby knew her plan of FaceTiming her siblings could end up being a bad thing right now considering Rachel was always so distressed after getting off the phone with her parents so held off on it.
Shelby didn't mention this to her parents in fear of them feeling upset as well, she would just comfort Rachel until she settled down and eventually she became her smiley self again. Shelby thought having Cassie here also really helped because the blonde was great at making up fun little games for them to play when Rachel was upset. Most including some type of music and dancing which Rachel loved.
"Baby," Shelby picked Rachel up out of her little seat at her little table and carried her over to the couch so they could get comfortable. "Nana and papa went back to where they live to get clothes so they wouldn't be stinky right?"
Seeing Rachel nod, she continued, "And like mommy has told you, they are coming back to be with us. They are going to stay really close by to so we can see them in person all the time instead of just on the phone."
"Wite dae?"
"No baby, not 'right today' but we will see them tomorrow," Shelby informed Rachel and watched as her bottom lip quivered. She knew the tears weren't far behind and felt badly however, she knew this was the right thing to do because Shelby wasn't ready to see her parents until they knew everything.
"Hey princess," Cass piped up seeing the tears well in Rachel's eyes, "Do you want to play on your dancing mat with me? You can show me all those amazing dance moves you have that are way better than mine," she winked at Shelby.
Being just a little one, her eyes quickly dried and she nodded at Cassie's proposal squirming in her mothers lap so she could go dance. She loved how mommy and Cassie danced with her while they all listened to music or listened to the music coming from the dance mat itself.
It made her feel so special that she didn't just have the most amazing mommy in the whole world who always paid attention to her, she also had Tassie who paid attention to her too. They never left her alone, not even one time; they always played with her, did everything with her—especially her mommy.
They had such a special bond and it wasn't just because she had plenty of skin to skin with her, got 'mommy's milp', took baths and showers together it was because her mommy always made sure to keep her safe, comforted, and was nothing like her daddy. Her mommy actually cared—about everything and anything, she never yelled, never got upset with her, always gave her too much food for her little body, and made her laugh and smile all day.
The rest of the day went by smoothly—Rachel became her smiley happy self again after her Tassie suggested they listen to some music and have a dance party, they had a yummy dinner, bath time where Cassie still wasn't allowed in, but was allowed to sit in the bathroom with them; she was truly warming up to Cassie which made Shelby feel so much better about going back to work—even though she was beyond nervous, having Cassie there and with the fact Rachel will most likely stay asleep made things a bit easier.
Rachel fell asleep that night while nursing which wasn't uncommon—Shelby would never get tired of providing so much comfort to her daughter; it made her feel like superwoman. Of course a ton of mothers breastfeed their babies if they can/or want to, but to Shelby it made her feel so connected to her daughter. She knew she missed out on the first almost three years of her life however, she felt as if she was making up for what she wasn't there for.
After Rachel was asleep for the night, Cassie and Shelby went back downstairs to watch a movie and snuggle together—tomorrow was going to be a long day after an extremely long day today; Shelby needed the comfort Cassie was providing, and was beyond thankful for her and everything she was doing.
Eventually, the women retreated upstairs to the bedroom where Shelby moved Rachel on top of her chest per usual and Cassie wrapped a protective arm around both of them; of course, it was gentle because Rachel is so fragile however, she loved the feeling of being close to both her loves.
The next morning started off like the last three—Shelby trying to keep Rachel entertained while Cassie got some extra sleep until the baby couldn't help herself any longer and would wake her up. Cassie couldn't complain though—how could she? Having the cutest baby in the world wake her up, so gently as well, was not only beyond cute it just felt right.
Shelby asked Cassie a few days ago if the blonde would prefer she took the baby downstairs so she could get more sleep but Cassie said no. She could sleep through Shelby reading Rachel a few books, nursing her, singing to her, and keeping her occupied until it was 8:30am giving Cassie plenty of time to sleep in.
Cassie even said she didn't mind being woken up right away however, because Cassie was taking time off from work, Shelby figured she at least deserved a little time to sleep in. Plus, it's not as if they had been going to sleep very late so the blonde got plenty of sleep.
Today though, Cassie and Shelby woke up stressed—they continued to put on a brave face for Rachel, Shelby doing a much better job than Cassie so the baby wouldn't catch on however, they were both feeling it.
Naptime came around for Rachel which meant it was time for Cassie to head over to the elder Corcoran home to let them know what's going on. A quick walk, although in Cassie's mind she wished it was longer to delay the inevitable, and she was knocking on their door.
Katherine opened the door and immediately engulfed Cassie into a big hug—the blonde returned the hug however, not with as much 'oomph' as Katherine because she was very anxious about everything. Katherine has always been a hugger though, so Cassie wasn't sure why she was surprised with the forcefulness of the hug.
Thomas appeared next and gave her a hug as well although it was a typical hug, not all mama bear like Katherine's which Cassie appreciated. They sat down in the living room after everyone had something to drink and Cassie started relaying the information to her girlfriends parents.
She's known them for over two years and in that time, they've both become more like parents to Cassie than her own. The blonde doesn't and hasn't had a relationship with her own parents for over eight years now—when she was 18 and told them she wanted to become a dancer and came out as a lesbian as well, they disowned her.
Cassie was of course devastated at first however, she followed her dreams, succeeded, then found the most amazing woman to be with—but that's besides the point.
Katherine and Thomas have always had a soft spot for all of Shelby's friends however, they had an even softer spot for Cassie long before Shelby admitted to them they were somewhat together-ish. It was very obvious to the parents but they never meddled the way Shelby's siblings did in her love life, if you could call it that. The elder Corcoran's knew one day the women would finally come to their senses and figure it out for themselves.
Over the next hour, Cassie explained/relayed everything Amanda told them yesterday and answered any and all questions they had that Cassie knew the answers to. There were some questions asked that Cassie had no idea how to answer so together they made a short list to pass along to Shelby; that being said, Cassie wasn't sure if Shelby would prefer the parents speak with Amanda directly regarding their questions if she gave the detective her go ahead so for now, they made a list.
This conversation was anything but easy to have—all three of them shed tears at one point or another; Thomas became even more livid than Cassie knew him ever to be, Katherine's tears seemed to be never ending, and Cassie tried to contain her sadness and anger the best she could throughout it all. Easier said than done when you're relaying information like this—especially to the parents and grandparents the information pertained to.
Even though Cassie knew Shelby was the one which made telling Katherine and Thomas even harder for her, she and Shelby technically just started dating and have a long road ahead of them before things settle down.
Maybe one day Cassie would become Rachel's other parent but for now, Shelby had plenty of other things to deal with. Cassie would continue to keep that little piece of information stored in her brain until a much, much later date—hell, maybe she'd keep it stored away until she proposed to Shelby which wouldn't be happening for a long time.
Cassie left about an hour and a half after arriving giving the parents time to compose themselves before coming over to the penthouse. Tonight, they were going to have an early dinner with Shelby, Rachel and Cassie considering the blonde wasn't leaving. They didn't know that though, at least not yet.
Before going back to Shelby's, Cassie went home and packed up plenty of clothes to bring over although, she knew it wasn't necessary considering she and Shelby shared clothes more often than not. Even though they no longer lived together it seemed as if half of Cassie's wardrobe was at Shelby's and vice versa. Whether it be because they left the clothes at each others places, wore them home and never returned them, or just because…it happened.
After gathering her favorites, or at least her work attire along with pieces of her wardrobe Cassie would really miss until she officially moved in, she headed back to see her two loves—but not before stopping at a local bakery where she bought a dozen different flavored cookies. Cassie knew they would not only be an easy dessert for after dinner, but also a treat for her favorite little princess who thought any treat was the greatest joy in the world.
Cassie expected to walk in the front door to find Shelby and Rachel playing knowing the baby would be up from her nap however, what she found was completely different. Shelby was swaying back and forth while nursing Rachel who was still hiccupping occasionally as Shelby continued to dry her cheeks of the tears she was shedding.
The blonde had absolutely no idea why the baby was so upset so she quickly discarded her bag and the cookies then walked over to both of them. Shelby looked almost relieved to see the blonde which didn't make sense to her until the mother said, "Baby, guess who is back?"
Rachel immediately stopped nursing and pushed herself up off of her mommy's chest turning to spot her Tassie who she had been extremely distraught about for the last half hour. When Rachel woke up from her nap and realized Cassie wasn't there, she became hysterical; of course Shelby reassured her multiple times Cassie would be back soon however, Rachel didn't understand why she left in the first place.
This only made Shelby realize her decision to ask Cassie to move in with them was the right call considering her little angel was so upset the blonde wasn't there. Cassie had promised Rachel before her nap that they'd play when she woke up—remembering that promise, Rachel felt extremely emotional when she woke up not being able to play with her Tassie.
Shelby tried to play with her, read her stories, sing, and they eventually settled on nursing because the baby wouldn't calm down. Shelby felt completely helpless and heartbroken that she wasn't who Rachel wanted at first however, she quickly dismissed that idea knowing the bond they had was completely different that the bond the baby and Cassie shared.
Rachel went to Shelby for practically everything so there was no reason for the brunette to feel that she wasn't enough. Shelby being Shelby did entertain the thought for a few minutes though as Rachel screamed her little head off hiccupping for 'Tassie tome ap', in other words, 'Cassie come back'. She knew they'd have to try and explain to Rachel how when Cassie eventually went back to work after the two weeks she took off, it would be Rachel and mommy all day.
That being said, nana and papa were back in town and Shelby knew they'd be over constantly along with her siblings who would be flying out for the trial. She was also hoping to try again with April and Holly seeing as Rachel was no longer sick. Having more familiar faces in the penthouse along with some new ones, at least Addie to start with regarding her siblings, would hopefully be enough for Rachel to be preoccupied until Cassie got home from work.
Also, seeing that Cassie would always come back from work would be good for Rachel—she was getting better with her bye-bye's and after a few days of seeing Tassie always come back home would hopefully calm her. And, seeing nana and papa consistently coming over would also help, at least, that's what Shelby was telling herself.
After their 'mini reunion', Cassie, Rachel and of course mommy all danced around together and played with the baby's toys before they attempted to eat lunch which Rachel didn't really want any part of. Shelby knew she was trying her best, and knew the baby was also trying the best she could to eat even with meal portions were smaller than ever—it still broke her heart though.
Instead of telling herself she was failing as a mother, Shelby kept reminding herself of Arizona's words. They had spoken again a few days ago while Rachel was napping and Arizona seemed pleased not only at the amount of real food Rachel was eating, but the amount of times she was breastfeeding.
Although breastfeeding didn't completely equate to the same amount of food Rachel would consume if she was actually eating being the size of a 'typical' or 'average' three year old, it was plenty for the size of Rachel's little body.
Arizona told Shelby to compare Rachel to a one year old rather than a three year old—at a year old, Rachel wouldn't be eating much food, she'd most likely be breastfeeding to get most of her nutrients. Shelby knew if she was able to keep Rachel from birth and they had a positive breastfeeding journey, she wouldn't have stopped until Rachel was at least two and a half knowing the benefits of extended nursing.
Knowing this and combining it with what Arizona told her, Shelby tried her best to not beat herself up about the fact Rachel didn't eat very much because she did nurse at least five times a day if not more along with one time during the night. Arizona was extremely pleased with that information and told the young mother she was doing everything right.
When Rachel went down for her second nap of the day, Cassie told Shelby how her parents took the information even though she really didn't need to; she knew her mother would be a mess, while her father would try and fail to conceal his anger. She sent her parents a text letting them know they could tell her siblings, giving them some extra time to calm themselves again before coming over for the early dinner they had planned.
Shelby didn't necessarily like putting what felt like everything on her parents shoulders however, she knew she'd breakdown telling her siblings and this information wasn't something you relayed over a text message.
To at least put a smile on their faces before calling her siblings, Shelby sent over a bunch of pictures that she had yet to share with her parents. They had been received multiple pictures a day however, with the amount Shelby and Cassie took, there were so many more that had yet to be seen.
She also called Amanda giving her consent to answer any questions her parents may have then let them know they could call the detective as well—she did mention to try and not bombard her with a million questions though. Cassie answered pretty much everything, so if they had more questions, it shouldn't be that many.
Not being one to typically ask for help, Shelby did feel extremely guilty and was already trying to find ways to thank Cassie for being the one to relay the information to her parents, while also finding numerous different ways to thank the detectives and ADA for everything they have done already and are continuing to do for she and her baby.
Katherine and Thomas arrived at 4:30pm to find a much better sight than Cassie walked in on hours prior—they each received a hug from the baby, Thomas's shorter than Katherine's however, he wasn't going to complain; he was beyond thrilled to even receive a hug at all especially after being gone for a few days. They all settled in the living room with some drinks while Rachel decided what they were going to do until dinner.
They played with her dolls, her blocks, her dance mat (although she only let mommy and Tassie press the buttons), and were having a tea party when Cassie and Thomas excused themselves to start dinner. The blonde loved to cook and Thomas, well, he made a great sous chef—he was able to chop veggies, peal potatoes and make conversation while Cassie did everything else.
Shelby took this time with her mother as Rachel babbled away to her stuffed animals, who were also at the tea party seeing as she was sitting in her mommy's lap, to inform her that Cassie was moving in. Katherine was extremely happy to learn this information knowing they (Shelby) had finalized the purchase of her new home in Akron the day before. Katherine also thought sharing Shelby's space in the city until the move would be best for Rachel seeing how connected they were already.
She was also happy to hear how Shelby thought it would be a good idea to introduce Rachel to Addie when her sister came to the city seeing as Shelby knew how impatient she was getting. That being said, Addie respected her sisters wishes.
Addie was aware how effected Rachel was after hanging up from FaceTime with their parents and didn't want to add any additional stress to her niece. Shelby and Addie had been texting more, mostly during naptimes and even if it was brief, Addie still enjoyed every minute of it.
Dinner seemed to pass by extremely quickly for everyone—they all enjoyed splitting different cookies afterwards, although it was safe to say Rachel loved it the most seeing as she was able to have a few bites of four different flavors. Bites because Shelby didn't want her baby hyped up on sugar before bed and didn't want her to get sick by indulging too much on the sugary treat.
There were plenty of full cookies left along with halves of some so Shelby knew Rachel could enjoy more tomorrow, and even the day after—preferably during the day so she wouldn't react to the sugar so close to bedtime. That being said, Rachel has missed out on all things fun and all treats her entire life so Shelby didn't object that much—she just didn't want the baby making herself sick from ingesting too much at one time.
Because they had an early dinner, the grandparents were able to spend some extra time with Rachel before Shelby started their nighttime routine—they took this time to put in a movie seeing as the baby didn't really have much interest in playing with her toys.
She was getting used to having a nana and papa however, she wasn't ready for them to do all the things she, mommy, and Tassie did together like reading books, singing was reserved for her only (besides Tassie who Rachel 'allowed' to listen), along with their nightly routine.
So far, only Cassie has witnessed Shelby nurse Rachel—at least, that's what Rachel believes to be true so when Shelby realized the time and knew her little peanut would soon be ready to go night-night, they started their nightly routine.
The grandparents smiled when Rachel refused to take a tubby without Tassie too and when they were upstairs, Katherine told her husband how the blonde was moving in. Thomas was also very excited about that fact—he knew Cassie and his daughter belonged together and thought just like his wife it would only make the moving process easier on all three of them.
One clean, pajama clad baby was carried downstairs to say night-night to her grandparents while Cassie stayed upstairs pulling down the covers and getting out some books to read. The blonde has had the privilege to be able to read one book to Rachel for the past three nights and felt extremely honored to be a part of her bedtime routine.
A much shorter hug, if you could call it that seeing as Rachel stayed in Shelby's arms as she leaned into both her grandparents as they hugged her, followed by 'goodnight sweet pea' and 'goodnight pumpkin', Rachel was carried back upstairs while pulling on Shelby's shirt. She was now getting fussy and knew exactly what she wanted.
By the time the bedroom door was closed, Shelby had already lifted her shirt and unclipped her bra as Rachel latched on—Cassie stifled a laugh, the baby was obsessed with the boob, not that Cassie could comment on though considering she also loved her girlfriends boobs too, just not in the same way the baby did.
Shelby sat in the rocking chair and Cassie began reading—she made the silliest voices, at least attempted to anyways while reading to Rachel. Her voices were much more appreciated when Rachel wasn't so exhausted though seeing as normally the baby would laugh while Cassie read to her during the day. At night, Rachel was too focused on nursing while waiting to hear her mommy sing. Shelby didn't even read a book tonight seeing as her little angels eyes were already fluttering.
Cassie leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Rachel's temple telling her, 'I love you, goodnight princess' then Shelby started to sing. At the end of the song, Shelby also kissed her daughter's head and said, 'I love you baby girl, sweet dreams'.
Seeing Rachel fighting sleep while continuing to nurse, Shelby gave her daughter a little extra encouragement, "Close your eyes love bug, mommy's right here."
Rachel succumbed to sleep and Shelby continued to rock for another ten minutes until she and Cassie heard the cutest little snores. The blonde handed Shelby a pacifier and Rachel's raffy then positioned the pillow on her side of the bed as Shelby laid Rachel down after one more kiss. She then moved her own pillow into place and turned on the baby monitor.
Shelby was hoping her parents wouldn't bring up the case tonight seeing as she was already so emotionally drained without talking about it seeing as it's her daughter and her life—not to say it didn't effect Shelby's entire family, it was just much more taxing on her than anyone else.
Shelby was the one who day in and day out had fleeting thoughts of everything happening around her, thoughts about the case, about not being there to protect her daughter, not being enough, feeling like a burden to her parents and siblings who she knew were only trying to be there for her even though she neglected to respond most of the time because she was too overwhelmed—the list went on and on; her daughters health being the most prominent thought of all though.
Even though Shelby knew she was doing everything she could for her baby, she couldn't help but feel as though she should have, could have, or should be doing more. She has already spoken with three different child psychologists regarding Rachel and they all said the same things, 'you're doing the best for your daughter', 'right now, you're the best thing for Rachel', 'keep up what you're doing because clearly she's connecting with you in a way nobody else will ever be able to'.
They each agreed if things took a drastic turn, someone should see Rachel however, because Shelby was moving within two months it wouldn't be beneficial to the baby for them to meet her; she'd be better off working with a psychologist in Akron if need be so they could properly get to know her.
Additionally, because of Rachel's speech, it wouldn't be the easiest for them—all three listened as Shelby described Rachel, how she was getting better with sign language, shapes, colors, and forming longer sentences but heard the hesitancy in the mothers voice.
Speech therapy wouldn't be recommended right now seeing as Shelby was doing such a great job teaching Rachel and the baby was already responding positively; they encouraged the young mother to keep working with Rachel and things would vastly improve given more time. Another thing all three suggested were FDA approved, baby safe, anxiety drops which have worked for numerous of their own patients.
Shelby wasted no time in ordering them after asking each psychologist along with Dr. Robbins if there would be any chance of Rachel becoming dependent, addicted, or if she'd expereince any side effects. Once she was informed there were no chances of anything other than decreased anxiety, Shelby found herself ordering multiple bottles and flavors due to the fact they could be added to water with a flavor, or juice with no flavor.
She had yet to try them yet as they've continued to stay inside however, on their next outing Shelby was happy she had them to see how they worked. Arizona along with the psychologists let her know Rachel didn't need to work her way up by using them daily, the first dose would work within 15-20 minutes. Shelby found a few activities she wanted to do after much research and waited for her parents to be back in the city before trying them.
Of course, Shelby wanted nothing more than to be able to take her baby outside for a walk however, combining the cold weather with the fact she knew the paparazzi would still be hounding them she knew it wasn't a good idea. That being said, there were plenty of inside activities Shelby was hoping to take Rachel to during the day—especially with Cassie being off for another week.
After putting Rachel down the night before, Shelby was happily surprised when neither of her parents mentioned anything regarding the case. They spent a while talking about the different activities Shelby has found in the city for them to do and were excited that tomorrow would be the first of many.
The next morning they enjoyed a nice breakfast together, played for a while until Rachel's first nap of the day, then Shelby gave her daughter the first dose of anxiety drops in a sippy cup of juice while waiting for nana and papa to arrive. The diaper bag was packed and triple checked, they all got bundled up for the cold weather, and off they went for hopefully an exciting day.
Rachel did start to shake a bit when she heard the paparazzi screaming Shelby's name and asking a variety of questions however, she calmed down much faster than the first time they left the house. Shelby could also tell her daughter wasn't Mike or Joe's biggest fan however, she did make eye contact with them multiple times on the drive which Shelby took as progress. Maybe those drops do work.
Shelby's driver Matt took not only the long way to their location, but also took a few laps before arriving at their first destination. Shelby unbuckled Rachel and held her close to her chest—even though there weren't any signs of paparazzi, they were going into a new place and Shelby wasn't sure how Rachel was going to react. Shelby figured most people here would be women however, she knew there would also be some men here with their children as well which is why she already called ahead and got them a private room.
Shelby knew deep down one day her daughter would be the one begging for them to come to places like this and she would run in as Shelby and Cass tried to keep up not even bothered in the slightest by the others inside however, right now wasn't that time hence the private room. Rachel was used to her Tassie, nana and papa and being in her mommy's arms always made her feel safe so having privacy would be best.
Color Me Mine was just one of the places Shelby thought of to bring Rachel knowing how much her daughter loved to finger paint and attempt to color. Even though she was almost three, her fine motor skills were severely lacking making anything Rachel colored or painted out to be a bunch of scribbles and random lines however, everything went up on the fridge no matter what it looked like.
With a little help from Shelby, Rachel was also able to grasp the action of holding a paint brush at home which is why she figured her daughter would have a blast being able to paint anything she picked out. Shelby along with Cassie, Katherine and Thomas were not surprised when Rachel squealed in excitement seeing an Elsa figurine she could paint.
Knowing Shelby would be 'helping' Rachel, the other three adults picked out their own pieces to paint while having their phones ready to snap a bunch of pictures/videos of Rachel's first Color Me Mine experience. Cassie decided on a piggy bank to go in Rachel's room as decoration for now, Thomas picked out a mug for his wife to drink her morning coffee out of and Katherine chose a plate seeing as she's always enjoyed painting and was the most creative one there.
Rachel was having the time of her life—she never knew it was possible to have so much fun when you left the house because her daddy rarely allowed her to; if Hiram ever took Rachel anywhere it was to his office after hours knowing nobody would be there to question the baby's health or lack there of.
She never got to do anything like this before and was loving every minute of it—even if her Elsa figurine was an assortment of colors overlapping each other, some with a paint brush while the other parts were painted with her fingers.
It was a beautiful mess that Rachel was extremely proud of, not that she actually knew what that meant however, she was very excited about it and kept making the same face Shelby makes to this day when she's concentrating extremely hard on something.
Katherine and Thomas saw so much of their daughter in their granddaughter, while Cassie saw so much of girlfriend in Rachel—it was uncanny really. Even being so itty bitty, their mannerisms were so spot on there was no denying Rachel was Shelby's mini.
After finishing their pieces the three adults brought them up to the front to be glazed and sprayed with either a matte finish, a shimmery finish, or sparkles, while Shelby took Rachel into the family bathroom for a diaper change and to swap out her paint covered top for a clean one.
She knew the paint would come out and even if it didn't, Shelby wasn't worried considering her baby had plenty of clothes. She also knew even the smallest smocks would be way too large on Rachel so Shelby didn't care that the baby got paint all over herself as well as her Elsa figurine. It was part of the experience.
"Did you have so much fun baby girl?" Shelby asked as she changed her daughter.
"Me mommy," Rachel squealed in agreement. "Aimp Eswa dowee petti."
"You did paint Elsa so pretty, mommy is so proud of you."
Once the fresh shirt was over Rachel's head, Shelby talked with Rachel about going out to lunch again. Even though they were heading back to Shelby's favorite little hole in the wall, they would still be out of the house and doing 'normal' family things.
Not to mention her mother and Marie had been in contact with each other multiple times since they ate their the first time. Shelby was cautiously curious to see how Rachel would react to Anthony, Marie's husband seeing as last time they only met Marie.
With Rachel's knew anxiety drops though, Shelby wondered if they would be enough to help calm the baby's nerves. If not, she knew Marie would be there and Rachel seemed to be okay with her, especially after Marie gave Rachel her first cookie. Maybe this time they'd try another dessert on the menu?
Shelby was extremely thankful Color Me Mine didn't take 3-5 days for their pieces to be glazed like other pottery places—they were all able to leave with their pieces which made Rachel the most excited. Knowing sparkles would make an absolute mess, everyone went with the shimmery finish which Rachel could happily touch and not make a mess. She held onto her Elsa 'dowee' while sitting in her car seat on the way to the restaurant, Shelby making sure to keep her hands up just in case it fell knowing it was very fragile.
Thomas had his mug wrapped in a bag along with his wife's plate knowing he'd give it to her later—Thomas knew his wife well enough to know there would be happy tears shed so he kept it to himself for now. He had chosen what would typically be considered a silly or cheesy mug, however, because of Rachel (and their 8 other grandchildren) it would be an amazing gift for his wife.
That being said, Rachel was definitely who he had in mind while painting it—not to say he didn't love his other grandchildren more than anything, this was just a very different circumstance seeing as they knew their 8 other grandchildren since birth unlike Rachel.
He painted a 'number one nana' mug for Katherine to enjoy her coffee out of each morning in the city knowing she'd love it when they went home as well. Katherine decorated her plate with butterflies and flowers knowing full well she was going to give it to Shelby seeing as she's loved butterflies since she was a Rachel's age. Cassie also had the piggy bank she painted for Rachel wrapped up knowing they could have their own special moment later.
They arrived at the restaurant where Rachel instantly buried her face in the crook of Shelby's neck as she carried her in, Cassie taking the diaper bag as the adults followed the brunette into the backroom where they'd be eating again.
Shelby didn't think Rachel was ready for the normal dining room yet, not to mention the fact Shelby wasn't either—she knew wherever she went people came up to her whether for an autograph, to say hi, or to ask for a picture and she solely wanted to focus on Rachel, not everything and everyone else.
Once seated, Rachel still in Shelby's lap as they were chest to chest, the baby's little hand finding comfort in sneaking it's way into her mothers shirt they got themselves settled. Cassie pulled out one of Rachel's sippy cups with water and some more anxiety drops and eventually, Shelby was able to coax Rachel into drinking a little bit and coming out of her shell.
The baby realized she recognized this place and started squirming around in excitement again when a packet of crayons and a kids menu was put in front of her. Marie came in to take their orders while Anthony made his presence known shortly after. Rachel instantly curled into her mother however, the shaking never came which made Shelby feel extremely relieved.
Anthony smiled at Rachel but didn't come any closer—he stayed on the side of the table where Katherine and Thomas were, interacting with them as Rachel watched. She realized this man wasn't exactly like her papa, but wasn't necessarily afraid of him either. He was more like Mike and Joe to her—someone she didn't want to come too close to her, yet tolerated once she knew they weren't going to yell.
Once Anthony excused himself back into the kitchen, Rachel turned herself around to color again until her mac n cheese appeared which caused one of her famous squeals. Maybe it was a combination between the anxiety drops and being in her mommy's arms that made everything seem easier, honestly, Shelby really didn't care what it was though because her daughter was having a great time and that's all that truly mattered.
For dessert, Rachel was given some strawberry ice cream which caused more happiness. It was evident to everyone how easily multitasking came to Shelby—she was able to feed Rachel her ice cream while also taking bites of her own lunch in between.
Cassie knew she could never do that seeing as even though she was a brilliant dancer, she often tripped over her own two feet—Thomas knew from much experience with his five children and eight grandchildren he actually got to feed he couldn't do both to save his life, while Katherine knew it took a lot of skill and practice. Shelby however, always jumped into things so easily—motherhood seeming to be the easiest to her which only made the grandmother feel more proud.
Being a mother is one of the hardest, yet most rewarding jobs in the entire world. There was no doubt in Katherine's mind that Shelby would excel, she was just unaware how quickly and naturally it would happen.
Then again, she knew the hole her daughter had in her heart—the pain she saw in her eyes when Shelby interacted with her nieces and nephews after they found out about Shelby being a surrogate and essentially losing her own child, so it wasn't very shocking to any of them how much of a natural Shelby already was.
The adults all watched as Shelby sang Rachel to sleep while at the restaurant after becoming a bit fussy and took multiple pictures as the baby looked up into her mommy's eyes as she sang as if it were the best thing in the entire world. And honestly, it really was not only to Rachel but to everyone else at the table.
The baby may have been through much more in the first almost three years of her life however, there was no doubt she'd never ever have to worry about feeling unloved or unwanted ever again. She had her mommy along with countless family members and Cassie who would love her forever—a feeling even though Rachel couldn't really convey outwards yet but already felt in her little heart.
Rachel Corcoran was not only safe and protected, but extremely loved by so many.
Also, going to time jump a bit for the next chapter; Shelby going back to work while introducing more family.