Hey Everyone: I'm sorry, I took the summer off to be with my wife and girls. I'm back and working on some chapters. Thank you for your patience.
It was shocking to Alex how quickly Casey adjusted to having four children, three of whom still depended on them for pretty much everything. Of course Amelia needed them as well however, she could easily dress herself while Lennon still struggled to get her pants on the right way—that being said, Alex wasn't that shocked at all.
Casey raised a baby alone for two years without ever having anyone to call to for help; yes, she had Abbie, but that's completely different than picking up the phone and calling mommy or daddy because you're completely over your head with a crying baby that you can't seam to settle.
Not to mention the fact Casey seemed to always have a baby attached to her body while she did everything she possibly could to keep up with Lennon and Amelia. More so Lennon because Amelia loved to just be snuggled up and watch her mother be able to feed one of her sisters while she studied the baby more to notice any and all differences between them.
Alex on the other hand felt as if she was drowning while calling her parents non-stop after the month they spent helping the family 'get a routine down'. Even with the routine, Alex felt so out of sorts and called her mother and father more than she wanted to admit.
Motherhood came so naturally to Casey and she didn't know if that was because she was just such a compassionate, kind-hearted soul who had all the patience in the world, because she lost so much at such a young age and knew what it was like to go without—knowing she'd do everything in her power to make sure her child or children always had her there even though her parents accident never could have been predicted, or if it was because Casey carried them.
Of course she didn't carry Amelia, but by the time Amelia came into the picture Casey was already the perfect mother in Alex's eyes so she was just so unsure. Alex's parents had never judged her through all her ramblings, never pushed her to get off the phone to 'spend time with her children and give your wife a break' which they easily could, no should, have done—they just let her voice everything.
In the end, Alex knew came to the conclusion on her own: Casey was an amazing mother, a mommy anyone and everyone could ever want and hope for because she was an amazing person. A beautiful human being who had such an awful past, was dealt a shit hand and made the best of it to do right by not only her daughter but her community. And because of that, she's perfect and Alex is lucky enough to be married to her.
Peyton and Oaklyn were now two and a half months old and the girls officially had three more weeks before school started. Lennon was going into her final year at preschool and Amelia was starting fourth grade. That's not the craziest thing going on at the moment though—Casey and Alex, with the 'help' of Amelia and Lennon, found a house they loved and were moving in: today.
Luckily for the mothers, the moving company was absolutely amazing not to mention the help of Liz, Alexander and Abbie who always invites herself over to 'help pack' when in reality, she spends time with the twins and keeping the girls entertained. Abbie has spent many hours with her favorite girls, no longer referring to Casey and Lennon as those girls, but Amelia, Lennon, Peyton and Oaklyn.
Casey is no longer in the mix of Abbie's favorites because her goddaughters are top priority now that Abbie has four of them which in Abbie's book is 'plenty to keep track of when two are in diapers still'. Adding Casey would be too much for good old Abbie Carmichael. Leave it to Abbie—they loved her for it though because it's hard to pack up the penthouse with littles running around and two newborns.
Currently, the mothers were helping Amelia and Lennon pack up the last of their bedroom toys—everything else had been packed and most all of the furniture had already been taken to the new house. Alex gave her mother and father a rundown of what goes where to direct the movers and the boxes were labeled so well that it was very obvious where the rest of the things went.
The grandparents were going to help as much as they could knowing it wasn't easy to move especially with four children. Abbie was currently watching the twins, although they were sleeping so she was most likely studying them as she still didn't know who was who which frustrated her beyond belief.
Casey was watching from the doorway of Lennon's room as she was sitting on the floor with all her bedroom toys spread around her little body with the empty box that Casey knew was already packed now off to the side. "Lennon baby, I thought you were packing your toys, not unpacking them."
Lennon looked up at her mommy and gave a lopsided smile, "Me umm, me just hafta pway wif dem all fiwst mommy."
"Ohhh," Casey said, holding back her laughter. "Is that so?"
Lennon nodded with a huge smile on her face. "Well how about we put them back in the box mommy had already packed and finish up so they don't get left behind."
Lennon's eyes went wide and she shook her head back and forth, "No mommy dey hafta come wif me!"
"I know baby, and they will," Casey smiled, kissed Lennon's temple and then she started to help her daughter pack the box again. Lennon helped her mother but before putting each toy in the box, she gave the toy a kiss 'just in case'.
You're something else, bug Casey thought to herself. She knew once this box and Amelia's last box were packed the only things left were the girls and the twins play mat that they were on right now along with the two diaper bags.
One room over, Alex was helping Amelia figure out the best way to pack her box. Amelia didn't want to squish some of her toys and wanted to make sure her stuffed animals were okay in the box even though it wasn't a long drive to the new house. The mothers were initially worried about moving because of Amelia—they didn't know how she would handle it however, they took Amelia and Lennon on the house tours and quickly realized Amelia was all for it.
She loves the penthouse, but seeing things in the new house that would be 'so much fun for my sleepovers' really sold the deal for her. In their new house they not only had a huge playroom, but they had a movie theater room as well which would be super fun for her little friends.
They were also going to put a few gymnastics mats in the finished basement, some mirrors and a ballet bar because Amelia was getting better at her tricks but always wanted to practice at home which stressed the mothers out because they didn't want her to fall and hurt herself.
The girls rooms were bigger and each had their own bathroom so they'd no longer share a bathroom, not that they actually ever did considering bath time was always in the master bathroom anyways. Actually, all of the bedrooms had their own ensuite even the twins nursery would which would be great once they got older.
There were two additional bedrooms upstairs making a total of six bedrooms upstairs, the master, Amelia's, Lennon's, the twins, and two more—downstairs they had a huge kitchen, open concept to the living room and then the playroom had a door so it could shut if they wanted to which would be great if guests came over so they could hide what would most likely contain somewhat of a mess.
There was a bathroom off the kitchen, one next to the playroom, and then one in the bedroom on the first floor. Downstairs was a finished basement that held the movie theater room, a full bathroom and a bedroom, along with the room they'd use for the 'dance studio' is what they were calling it. They also had the backyard with a full playset with the rubber mat underneath for protection, a hot tub and the fenced in pool which was amazing. They may not be in the city anymore, but it was all worth it for their family—especially because Casey has decided to not return to SVU.
It was a hard decision but she and Alex spoke at length about it—they weren't hurting financially and never would be considering the business and restaurant along with Casey's trust funds. If you added in Alex's trust funds, they really didn't need to work ever again however, they wanted to.
That being said, Casey wanted to take the time to be with their girls for now. She talked about opening another restaurant, along with a center where Veterans, single mothers, and rape victims so they can get medical treatment for no cost. It had always been a dream of hers to do something to give back, especially because of what happened to her brother and herself.
Alex decided to take another month of maternity leave making sure the girls were settled in school for a full month before going back to work and even then she was only going to work three days a week unless she was due in court for a trial. Branch was very accepting of this; he loves Alex like a niece and that extended to Casey as well.
He was sad to hear she was not coming back but completely understood—so now he was looking for a replacement to work with Alex which would be hard because nobody would beat working with her wife. Abbie was a possible replacement because she is really great at SVU however, she prefers homicide.
Branch still has a while to hire someone new, so he is taking his time to pick the best candidate. He also knew he was most likely going to have to look for a replacement for Alex as well, even if Alex didn't know yet herself yet.
Abbie took the last two boxes down to the car while Casey, Alex and the girls said goodbye to the penthouse knowing they would need a bit of time—she drove her own car over so she'd be meeting them at the new house.
"Alright, let's say 'goodbye house, thank you for all the memories'," Casey said, willing her tears away. She had the most memories in the penthouse—especially of herself and Lennon. This is where she spent the first 22 months of Lennon's life, just the two of them.
She watched Lennon grow up in this penthouse—her first words were said here, learning how to crawl, learning how to pull herself up onto things, she took her first steps here, there were so many memories that Casey held so near and dear to her heart here.
Of course Lennon doesn't remember all of those special moments, but Casey will never forget. What Lennon does remember is being with her mommy and momma in this house, because if you ask her, she doesn't remember a time where Alex wasn't in her life being only two when the blonde came into their lives.
This was the first place Casey, Alex and Lennon called home as a family—where Casey proposed to Alex, where they brought Amelia home to. Amelia spent about a full year at the penthouse, the first place she truly called home and more importantly, for the first time in her little life truly felt safe.
And then, this is where they brought Peyton and Oaklyn home to as well—they won't ever remember the penthouse but there's no doubt in either mothers minds that their sisters will share all the memories they made here with them too.
Alex was feeling bitter sweet about the move—yes, this is where she became a Novak officially, but anywhere where her family is will be home to her. She will definitely miss it, Charles will be getting updates on how they are as he has become very invested in the family—even before Alex became a member; but she can hold those memories close to her heart and never forget them and is excited to make new memories in their brand new house.
"Bye-bye house!" Lennon screamed, waving her hand back and forth as she ran around the empty living room.
Amelia looked around and smiled even with a single tear running down her cheek—she was very excited to move, but this is the first place she felt safe and where she found her forever home so she will miss it. "Bye house," she whispered then fell into Casey's waiting arms. Casey knew Amelia would have a harder time once it was actually happening.
Lennon was still running around like a silly monkey and Alex went to chase after her while Casey soothed Amelia, "I know baby, but just think—our new house will be just as safe because momma and I will still be there, and your sisters will be too."
Casey made sure to have the top of the line security system put in, every time a door opens you're notified with a noise and an alert to your phone. There are cameras everywhere and it's safer than the penthouse with all the security Casey had installed.
"I know, I just...this was the first place I wasn't scared anymore and where I became a part of the family," Amelia said with a shrug.
Casey lifted Amelia up and she instantly wrapped her little legs around Casey's waist and arms around her mommy's neck. "Oh little one, you're always part of the family no matter where we go. You know that right?" Amelia nodded against Casey's shoulder. "I know this was the first place that felt like home to you, but our new home will feel that was too—momma and I will be there, your sisters will be there. Just because we are in a different house doesn't mean anything changes besides the scenery baby, and all the boxes we need to unpack."
Casey and Amelia both laughed at that knowing they had a lot of boxes, and a lot to unpack. Luckily, the girls rooms were going to be pretty much set up by the time they got there because Alex had taken pictures of their rooms in the penthouse and told her parents to have the movers copy it.
Liz was making the beds and stringing up the fairy lights, hanging some pictures and getting their rooms to be pretty identical to what they had now to make it an easy transition for them. The nursery wasn't a main concern because the twins still slept in the master bedroom so as long as the girls rooms and the kitchen was done, they would make it for now.
Regarding the master bedroom, Alexander made sure to direct their bed, the two bassinettes, and anything else labeled 'master bedroom' there. However, as long as a bed was in the room and set up, the mothers would be fine for now. They were more concerned about the girls rooms the rest they'd figure out—hell, the mothers would be find sleeping on a mattress with two bassinettes for the babies as long as Lennon and Amelia's rooms were set up the way they should be.
Lucky for them, Alexander and Liz took care of a lot more than just the girls room and Liz made sure the master bedroom was set up for the most part. She didn't know how they wanted it exactly considering she didn't spend a lot of time in her daughters bedroom, but she knew enough to put it together which was amazing.
She also made sure the kitchen made sense—she had spent enough time in the Novak kitchen considering she and Alexander took off a month each to after Peyton and Oaklyn were born to memorize the kitchen setup and made sure it was the exact same.
Liz was pretty proud of herself and with the help of Alexander, they got a lot done in a short amount of time. The mothers still had a ton of unpacking to do, but the grandparents did a lot and for that, Casey and Alex would be extremely grateful.
Twenty minutes later, the Novaks pulled up to their new house after saying goodbye to Abbie who said she'd see them tomorrow to 'help unpack' when in reality she'd really just help with the kids again which was just as helpful.
It wasn't late, but it was around the time for Lennon's nap as they stopped for lunch before getting to the house, making sure to get extra for Liz and Alexander. Lennon was cranky even though she wanted to see the house and Amelia was feeling overwhelmed by everything. The twins were sound asleep which was amazing.
Liz and Alexander opened the door to greet the family and weren't expecting what they saw—they knew their daughters would be overwhelmed by everything but not in the way they were so Liz and Alexander quickly took Peyton and Oaklyn to let Casey and Alex deal with a fussy Lennon and crying Amelia. Once the babies were inside, the mothers were able to solely focus on the girls.
Amelia still clung to Casey in situations like these and Alex didn't take it personally. Alex loved that even though Lennon was extremely cranky, fussy and not in a good mood at all she still 'wanted' momma and wasn't begging for mommy, something she used to do when she was younger.
Alex took Lennon into her arms and slowly rocked her back and forth trying to soothe her, even though the toddler wanted to go inside and explore the new house, it was her nap time and that was more important right now.
"Me wanna see da house mo-mma," Lennon hiccupped.
"I know you do, baby. But right now it's nap time and you can see the house when you wake up. Everyone is going to take a nap and we're all going to see it after. We are all so sleepy," Alex pretended to yawn to show Lennon she was tired too. "Your sisters are already asleep. Even grandma and grandpa are sleepy."
"Dey are?" Lennon asked.
"Of course, they've been helping unpack all morning," Alex assured while rocking Lennon back and forth. The soothing motion combined with how exhausted Lennon truly was and the bottle that Liz made helped Lennon go down easily.
Due to the fact they were in the new house and neither mother wanted the girls to wake up scared, Alex laid Lennon down on the couch and covered her with a blanket to let her nap. Peyton and Oaklyn were asleep in their mamaroos that were already set up in their semi furnished living room while Casey was trying to settle Amelia.
Alexander had already given Casey a sippy cup with anxiety drops but right now Amelia's sobs were to distraught to even get her to drink anything so Casey was rocking her back and forth to simmer her down while keeping her away from the living room to not wake her sisters. She knew Amelia would get overwhelmed by everything and even with the anxiety drops they had given her at lunch it seemed as if nothing was working.
Casey decided to do the one thing she knew best, something she hasn't done since Amelia first came to live with them and had her night terrors—when they were so bad in the middle of the night and the thrashing around didn't stop, Casey would do this because she had spoken to multiple doctors regarding the best way to handle Amelia's stress levels and night terrors—to avoid additional stress to her poor little body, this was the only thing that actually worked.
Alex watched as Casey walked up the stairs with Amelia and knew where she was going—she knew what was going to happen and took a calming deep breath before waiting a few minutes and followed them. This was always so hard to her to watch—something that in Alex's eyes, made Casey a much better mother than Alex could ever dream of being.
Alex has never been the one to calm Amelia down: ever. And she has a feeling it will always be Casey. But that's not something to thing about right now. Right now, Alex needs to focus.
She walked up the stairs and heard the water running and already smelt the lavender, how the hell she found the bath salts in all the damn boxes I'll never know, but she's Casey freakin' Novak so I'll never question it, Alex thought to herself.
Alex walked into the bathroom and saw Amelia was now completely undressed while practically screaming in Casey's ear, unaware of anything going on with all the tears she's shedding, as Casey was already halfway undressed herself.
Casey finished undressing, shut off the water and got into the tub with Amelia cradling her little body that still looked to be around 6-7 years old against her own chest to chest while rocking back and forth. The sippy cup right next to them just in case because sometimes she was able to calm down enough to take it in small sips, other times she wasn't.
"Shh, shh, shh, you're safe, mommy's right here little one. You're okay. Breathe for me baby—breathe like mommy. Copy mommy's breathing."
That's all Alex could hear over the wailing Amelia was projecting in the master bathroom. The door was slightly ajar and the blonde was now on a mission to find some towels which was easier than she thought it would be as either Casey already got them out or her mother had hung them up already.
"Amelia, breathe like mommy—you're safe baby. Come on little one, you're okay. Breathe for mommy, you're okay. In and out, in and out just like that there we go. There we go baby good job—copy mommy's breathing. That's such a good girl you're doing so well. Mommy's got you little one, you're safe."
"M-mom-my," Amelia hiccupped.
"Yeah baby, mommy's right here. I've got you little one."
It seemed like that worked and Amelia collapsed onto Casey's chest and finally breathed a sigh of relief—her tears subsided and she may or may not have took note of the fact that they were in the bath tub however, didn't mention it. She closed her eyes and listed to her mommy's breathing and eventually, her little body succumbed to her sleepy state from all the crying.
Casey continued rubbing her back even when her breathing evened out wanting to make sure she was actually asleep and when she knew that she was, asked Alex for some help. Alex lifted a sound asleep Amelia carefully out of Casey's arms, wrapped her in a towel and laid her gently on their bed while Casey got herself out of the bath and dried off.
Luckily they had boxes labeled with clothes and Casey quickly found some yoga pants and a tank top to throw on while Alex went to get Amelia some pjs as the girls had been in them all day seeing as it was a pj type of day. The girls loved when they got to where pjs during the day and today was one of them.
When Alex came back into the master bedroom she saw Casey drying Amelia off gently to try not to wake her up and they carefully got her dressed together and then Casey carried her downstairs to lay her down on the huge sectional and laid a blanket over her like Alex did with Lennon. All four girls were out for the count.
As Alex and Casey walked into the kitchen, they were greeted with the lovely aroma of coffee which made them both smile however Casey's smile didn't reach it's full potential. She was emotionally drained from what happened and Alex knew the feeling. She hated watching what happened and couldn't imagine being in the position her wife was in—she knew she'd never be able to either, she wasn't strong enough mentally, emotionally, she just wasn't…Casey.
Alex wrapped her arms around her wife and Casey didn't hesitate to lean into the touch—Alexander and Liz knew what happened, the heard the wails, they knew what the couple and their granddaughter went through in the beginning when they first brought Amelia home—but they never saw it. And even though they didn't physically see it today, meaning upstairs in the bathroom, they saw enough of it while Casey was attempting to calm Amelia at the start of it. They were emotionally drained and they didn't even do anything.
Today was a long day, and it wasn't even 2pm.
To say Casey was happy she pumped would be an understatement. When Oaklyn made the slightest noise, both Alexander and Liz went tiptoeing into the living room scooping both twins out of the mamaroos as to not disturb their two other granddaughters—even if the twins weren't going to wake up yet, they wanted to have them in their arms just in case.
About ten minutes later, both twins were hungry and Casey was relieved she pumped and the twins were being cared for because she was absolutely exhausted. Both she and Alex made their way into the living room and sat by the girls.
Alex took it upon herself to sit by Lennon while Casey watched for any type of movement from Amelia—any worry line, discomfort, sigh of a night terror, Casey wanted to make it disappear before it happened and Alex respected that. She also knew Lennon was more than happy to have her be there instead of always going to mommy for everything like when she was little.
Lennon's naps were very routine—even at her age, they kept everyone on a schedule and the Novak's liked it that way. It helped be able to plan their days out accordingly, it also helped know when something was wrong i.e.: if one of the girls wasn't feeling okay, if something was out of whack, if someone was cranky, if someone needed an early bedtime.
Even though Amelia was now 10, she did occasionally take naps and her pediatrician said that was perfectly okay considering everything she's been through, her size, her busy schedule, any more importantly, her anxiety—that weighs heavily on their little girl and even though she takes her anxiety drops and is now a happy little girl she has bouts of anxiety that do get to her and a nap can help.
Her doctors said, 'if she falls asleep, let her sleep. If it's messing with bedtime too much, wake her up after an hour or so'. So far, they haven't had any issues, so they've let it be. Most times, Amelia will only sleep for about 45 minutes.
Right now, they are going on an hour—Lennon sleeps for about two hours so they aren't worried about them overlapping, Casey is worried about a night terror so she is paying extra close attention to the facial expressions her daughter is making. Slowly stroking her hair, her cheek when her eye brows furrowed, rubbing her back until she releases the extra tight hold she has on Rocky all while Alex watches what she's doing.
Casey can tell something is about to happen before it even does and made eye contact with her wife; "I'm going to bring her upstairs I don't want her waking Lennon or the babies," she whispers knowing the babies have now calmed down again.
Casey lifted Amelia into her arms cradling her, Amelia's legs instantly wrapping around Casey's waist as if they know what to do even in sleep and they went upstairs. Halfway up the stairs the tears start and Alex is once again amazed with her wife's ability to sense the unknown—she always knows with Lennon, but she thought it was because she carried her for 9 months—she knows with Peyton and Oaklyn, once again because she carried them for 9 months, but she didn't carry Amelia…she just knows. Maybe one day…Alex thinks to herself.
"Shh, shh, shh, mommy's got you. Mommy's got you little one," Casey whispers into her ear as she walked into the master bedroom again. Casey scoops up the sippy cup of water and then headed into Amelia's bedroom which is set up like it was in the penthouse. Casey is hoping that when Amelia comes to and sees that everything is the same, she will settle down.
Once Casey lays against the headboard with Amelia on her chest, they rock back and forth while Casey rubs her back. "I know you're scared baby but please open you're beautiful eyes for mommy. Come on little one I know you can do it. Mommy's got you, you're safe here with me, mommy's got you."
Slowly, Amelia opens her eyes and through the misty eyes of her tears she meets her mothers sparkly green eyes. Casey smiles at her immediately; "There's my beautiful little one," Casey says and wipes Amelia's tears away with her thumbs. "Look baby, look around, mommy's got you—you're safe here with me and I won't let go I promise."
Amelia turns her little head to the side and sees they are in her bed, she sees her fairy lights surrounding them even though it's light outside they are turned on—turning a little further she sees her desk in the same spot it's always been in, the same way it's always been set up.
She snuggles into her mommy further with Rocky tucked between them then turns her head the other direction to find her bookcase filled with her books and her favorite stuffed animals the same was they've always been set up. There's a closet that has the same knobs she had at the penthouse that she picked out, and the same peach color on the walls the she picked out when they redid her room.
Her mommy was right. Even though they are in a different house, her mommy, momma, and sisters are here. She is safe here too. It isn't as scary as she thought. Then she sees another door that wasn't in her old room and she tightens her grip on her mommy.
Casey knows what she sees and closes her eyes for a minute knowing this is the biggest change, however, she was able to keep the bathroom exactly the same for Amelia. Nothing changed—Amelia and Lennon's bathrooms are identical besides the color (at least until they want to change them that is) they got two of everything in pink and peach.
"That's your bathroom honey, it's the same as the penthouse—it looks exactly the same. Lennon's looks the same too, I promise. And what does mommy say about promises?"
"You don't make them if you can't keep them," Amelia whispers, while keeping Casey in a vice grip.
"Exactly. That being said, you can still use the big bathroom like you and Lennon did at the penthouse every night if you want to. You can do the same thing, use this bathroom if you have to go potty in the middle of the night and for you bath at night, use our bathroom. It's completely up to you okay?"
The girls have somehow adopted the name of 'big bed' and 'big bathroom' or in Lennon's case 'bid bed' and 'bid bafroom' for Casey and Alex's master suite and it's stuck—it's adorable and it doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon.
Amelia nodded and was silent for a while before finally speaking. "Can we go see it?"
"The big bathroom?" Casey wasn't going to mention how they already had a 'bath' in the big bathroom because she knew Amelia didn't remember any of it.
"No," Amelia shook her head then pointed towards the one in her room.
"Of course we can, it's yours baby; let's go." They got off the bed and Amelia took Casey's hand immediately. They walked in and Amelia gasped. It truly looked like hers and Lennon's bathroom…it was identical besides the fact there wasn't two sinks anymore there was just one, and it was now peach instead of pink to match her room just like she asked for.
"It's the same just like you promised," Amelia whispered more to herself than to Casey.
The mother smiled and kept her tears at bay. She knew her daughter still struggled to believe that both Casey and Alex actually kept their promises because Amelia was promised a lot of things growing up that never happened—now she was promised a lot of things, even 'silly' little things like bedtime stories every night. And even though it sounded silly to Alex to have to promise that to Amelia, it made sense to Casey why it meant so much to Amelia to have to promise it.
When they walked back out into Amelia's room, she noticed more and more things that were exactly the same—pictures hung up on the wall, little knick knacks, Piglet on her bed, the bedding itself, everything was the exact same.
She wondered if Lennon's room was the same too. And her mommies room, although maybe her mommies didn't want to have the same room anymore because they were in a new house. She secretly hoped it was the same though.
"Can we look at Lennon's room too?" Amelia asked with hopeful eyes.
Even though Lennon was still napping and had yet to see her room, Casey knew how nervous Amelia was and knew it would solidify another thing hadn't changed so she agreed. Once again, nothing had changed besides the fact they had their own bathrooms that were different colors. A bathroom that was the exact same as Amelia's so she was okay with that.
They then walked into the master bedroom where Amelia was met with her mommies bed that was the exact same, the same bassinettes, the same bedside tables and lamps, the bathroom looked a little different but similar enough, the closet was bigger something she didn't think was possible, and the room was the same color as it was before meaning nothing was going to change which made her really happy.
Casey told her they were keeping everything they had before. Alex was in love with Casey's bedroom set which she had purchased right before Lennon was born meaning, they were able to order the same exact one (so technically it was brand new, while looking the same in Amelia's eyes).
By the time they walked back downstairs, Amelia had finished her water, her anxiety drops were kicking in and she was full of smiles knowing at least upstairs was going to be the same. Downstairs would be different but to her, it was a good different with the playroom because there was more room for all their toys. And now, Lennon was waking up which made her super excited so she could share the happiness with her sister.
In the time Casey and Amelia spent upstairs, Liz, Alexander and Alex had attempted to set up the toy room to the best of their ability which meant the girls would be able to play once Lennon fully woke up.
Takeout would be their best friend tonight seeing as nobody would want to cook; they had two sleeping babies, two exhausted mommies, and pretty soon two playful girls. Luckily they also had two full of energy aunties who came back over (Abbie and Serena) to keep the girls entertained while the two tired grandparents called for takeout and kept an eye on their two sleeping granddaughters.
My oh my how life changes. It seems like just yesterday Alexander and Liz were sitting Alex down for a family dinner explaining to her once again how she needed to 'settle down and find a nice young woman to have a family with because life is too short and working all day and night isn't doing you any good young lady'.
Now here they are, watching two of their grandbabies rock back and forth in their mamaroos after being fed, the other two laugh at something that was said by their aunt, while their daughter and her wife snuggle on the couch watch the scene unfold.
Life changes.
I realize this focus of this is again on Amelia again, however this is how our move went seeing as she is the oldest and she suffers with anxiety. Next chapter will focus on both girls. Possible vacation? Thoughts on that?
