Anakin woke up to the sound of his newborn twins, Luke and Leia, crying. He glanced over at Padmé, who was still fast asleep beside him. Their nanny droid was currently undergoing repairs, but Anakin had never been fond of relying on droids to care for his children. He understood the importance of being there for them himself.
With a tired but loving smile, Anakin pushed the covers aside and got out of bed. He tiptoed down the corridor to the babies' room, where the cries grew louder. As soon as they saw their father's tall figure in the doorway, both Luke and Leia fell silent, their tiny eyes fixed on him.
Anakin approached their separate cribs, his heart swelling with warmth. He greeted them with a soft, soothing voice, "Hello, my little ones. Did you miss me?"
Luke and Leia responded with coos and gurgles, their tiny hands waving in the air.
Grinning, the Jedi headed to the changing table, pulling out two fresh diapers.
With a gentle and practiced touch, Anakin checked both Luke and Leia's diapers to see which one needed changing first. Leia's diaper was noticeably heavier, indicating a fuller load. He smiled at her, murmuring softly, "Looks like it's your turn first, little princess."
He scooped Leia into his arms, cradling her with tenderness. Anakin then turned to Luke, who watched with curious eyes. "Don't worry, Luke," he said, addressing his son, "Daddy will get to you too. You just need to be a patient little man and wait your turn."
As he laid Leia down on the changing table and began to undo her diaper, Anakin's smile faded into a look of concern. Instead of the expected diaper contents, he was greeted with an unexpected surprise—diarrhea.
Anakin's initial surprise at the unexpected contents of Leia's diaper led to an involuntary gag and cough. He struggled for a moment, trying to compose himself as he looked down at his smiling daughter, who seemed to him to find the situation rather amusing.
Leia's innocent smile only made Anakin's heart melt, and he couldn't help but tease her playfully. "Oh, you find it funny what daddy has to deal with, do you?" he said with a grin. "You like making daddy suffer?"
Leia responded with more baby coos and what looked to Anakin a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. Anakin chuckled and continued to clean her, all the while talking to his little daughter.
"Clearly, the pureed peaches your mother gave you earlier don't mix well with you, little lady," he said, shaking his head. "I'll have to remember to tell your mother about that. We wouldn't want this happening again, now would we?"
As he worked diligently to clean Leia and change her diaper, Anakin's heart swelled with love for his children. Despite the messy surprises of parenthood, he wouldn't trade these moments for anything in the galaxy.
After thoroughly cleaning her, he reached for an anti-rash spray and applied it gently, ensuring that her delicate skin was protected.
Once the anti-rash spray had been applied, Anakin carefully secured a new, fresh diaper around Leia, making sure it was snug and comfortable. He smiled down at his daughter, who seemed content and relieved now that she was clean and dry.
"Much better now, huh, little one?" he cooed to Leia as he lifted her into his arms. He pressed a gentle kiss to her tiny forehead before setting her down gently in her crib.
Leia let out a contented sigh, her eyes drooping as she settled into her cozy crib.
Anakin's smile continued to radiate as he addressed Leia, saying, "Now it's your big brother's turn."
With Leia settled and content in her crib, he turned his attention to Luke, who awaited his turn with wide, curious blue eyes.
The Jedi approached his son's crib, reaching down to lift him up with gentle care.
"There's my tough guy," Anakin said with pride, his eyes sparkling with paternal affection. As if in agreement with his father's words, Luke slapped Anakin's face with his rattle, eliciting a hearty laugh from the proud father.
"Easy now, son," Anakin teased, cradling Luke in his arms. "The galaxy still needs me as a protector."
With Luke in his arms, Anakin made his way to the changing table.
As Anakin placed Luke on the changing table, he couldn't help but reflect on his past surprises that came with changing a baby boy's diaper. He knew from firsthand experience the potential for unexpected urination during diaper changes with Luke having got him on the face a few times.
With a wry smile, he reached for a cool baby wipe, a trick he had learned from Padme's mother. Anakin now knew that the cool sensation could sometimes trigger an involuntary reaction.
So, he placed the cool baby wipe gently on Luke's stomach. After a silent count of twenty, he cautiously removed the baby wipe. Thanks to this simple but effective trick, he was able to change Luke's diaper without any urination mishaps this time, making the process much smoother and less eventful for both father and son.
Anakin smiled with satisfaction as he finished changing Luke's diaper. He carefully placed his son back into his crib, and the twins, now with fresh diapers, started to emit small whimpers, indicating their anticipation of what usually followed their late diaper-changing routine.
"Alright," Anakin said, addressing both Luke and Leia, "I hear your orders. Two warm bottles of milk coming right up. Just let daddy go and wash his hands real quick first."
Just after he spoke those words, a soft, feminine voice floated into the room. "Mommy will do it instead," Padmé said gently, standing in the doorway.
Anakin turned around, a mixture of relief and surprise on his face. He wondered with concern if his laughter had woken Padmé up. However, as he met her gaze, he noticed the amused glint in her eyes.
Before he could inquire further, Padmé's attention shifted, and her hand flew to her mouth as she stifled a laugh. Anakin followed her gaze and glanced down at his robe, where he discovered a fresh, bright baby poop stain.
Realizing the source of Padmé's amusement, Anakin couldn't help but chuckle himself, a playful grin forming on his face.
Anakin chuckled and explained, "It was Leia this time. I think the peaches you fed her caused her to get sick."
Padmé nodded with a warm smile and said, "No more peaches for her then. Why don't you clean up and head back to bed?"
Anakin agreed, but then asked, "Did I wake you up?"
Padmé shook her head and placed a loving kiss on his cheek. "No, I woke up because I rolled over and you weren't there anymore. I wanted to see what you and the little ones were up to. Now go on, clean up and get some rest, Ani."
With a sigh of relief and a final, affectionate glance at his wife, Anakin left to clean up and return to their warm and peaceful bed, cherishing the moments of their lovely family life.