"Lisa!" Jack called out to her, and sensing the urgency in his voice, Lisa abandoned the pies she was baking and walked toward the bedroom, wiping her hands along the way. She walked and found Jack standing at the cradle. He glanced her way when he heard her and gestured for her to walk over.
"What is it?" Lisa asked, still trying to wipe the dough off her hands. Jack nodded to the cradle, and Lisa shook her head, not understanding the problem. She didn't smell anything, which was always a good sign with a baby.
She walked up behind Jack and stuck her head around his shoulder. "What is it? What's wrong?" Lisa's expression changed as she started to panic.
"You didn't do that, did you?" Jack asked, gesturing to John. It took Lisa a second, but she snapped her head at Jack.
"Why is he on his stomach?"
"Exactly," Jack smirked. "You didn't; I didn't, and I'd kill Tim before he'd step foot into our bedroom, so," he gestured with his hand at John.
"He rolled over!" Lisa exclaimed. "Wait, babies usually go from stomach to back first. Everything I read said so. Back to stomach is harder and takes longer."
Jack made a face and gestured at John while looking at Lisa, "Obviously, he didn't get that memo. It's not like anything with the three of us has been exactly conventional."
She chuckled slightly, and John was there now on his side, working at flipping over. Lisa gestured at him, "Put him on his back again and see if he does it again. Are you serious we missed it?"
Jack did that, flipping John onto his back where he was smiling up at them, almost a grin of 'I'll show you.' They both stood, there, Lisa gripping Jack's arm where she was still standing almost behind him looking around his arm. They were quiet and waited, just watching John.
With a pretty quick movement for a baby, he flipped again onto his stomach, "Oh, he did it!" Lisa exclaimed, smacking Jack's arm. "He did flip."
"I see that," Jack chuckled. They watched as John tried to flip from his stomach to his back, and he was almost there, not quite throwing his leg the right way. Jack reached in to help him, and he did flip.
"We saw that," Jack told her. She smacked his arm again.
"You can't count that. You helped him."
"Well, he flipped the harder way first," Jack nodded to him. "I'd say by end of day, he'll have it going both ways. Great job, John," Jack said with a smile. Lisa smiled too, nodding at Jack.
"It's probably the lack of tummy time," she nodded. "He would have flipped that way first if we'd had him on his stomach first."
Jack groaned, "Oh Lisa," he sighed, "he's doing great. I'd say the hospital stay of almost a week is what delayed anything," he held up his hands, "not that he is delayed in doing this at all. I'm just pointing out that he had a rough ride for a couple of weeks with being sick, so he's doing just fine."
"I know," she rolled her eyes. "I just worry."
"Well, worry about something else. He's doing fine, great. To think about all of the problems we could have had with you, with him," he sighed. "Nothing to worry about."
"Okay, then, did you finish putting together his highchair? He can start on some food."
Jack pointed to the living room, where they'd had a really nice Christmas. It was now the 26th of December, and it had been a quiet morning at the house. Jack was getting things sorted at the Christmas tree, and Lisa was baking, getting ready for the rest of the family to arrive home.
"I was almost done with it when I thought I heard John in here, and I'm glad I came in," he gestured to John there, still working at rolling back and forth and back and forth.
"Okay, well, as soon as you get that put together, let's try him in it. It will be a day of firsts for him. I've got peas or squash for him to try first."
Jack made a face, "Oh, definitely the squash. I remember those peas smelling terrible with Katie."
Lisa's facial expression changed too, nodding, "You remember the time we were babysitting her, and she somehow got her hands on those peas and started shaking her hands, flinging it at us?"
"You smelled like peas for two days. I swear it was in your hair."
"I know!" Lisa exclaimed. "I'd even washed my hair, and I still smelled like those peas. He's going to have to eat them at some point."
Jack nodded to Lisa, "Maybe put your hair up when he does. I'll feed him the squash."
She narrowed her gaze, "You just don't want to put together that dollhouse for Katie. They will be back tonight."
"Which is why," he said, taking his arms and wrapping them around Lisa, "I can do it later. Boxing Day, and hockey is on all afternoon. I can do it then. I mean," he put his forehead against hers, "unless you were stuck on feeding him his first food. I know that's a big deal, and you love big events like that."
"No," she smiled warmly at him, "you are more than welcome to start his food. Let me get back to the pies, and before he eats," she smacked at his side, "you can change him too." Jack groaned, knowing that with the new odor in the room, he'd drawn the short end of that stick.
A half hour later, with the new highchair assembled and John strapped in it, Jack sat down to start food with John. Lisa moved around the kitchen snapping pictures like she was on a photo shoot, and finally, Jack frowned at her and gestured to John.
"Can the boy eat in peace?"
Lisa started to laugh and patted Jack's shoulder as she turned her attention to the dishes now in the sink from her pie baking. Their domestic scene unfolded, and as they were both doing what needed to be done, Tim came walking in. He'd miraculously stayed absent on Christmas, Lisa laughing at the string of threatening text messages Jack had sent him from her phone.
"Hey, a belated Merry Christmas," he said, closing the door and shaking the snow off of himself as he took off his coat and boots. "Oh good," he smirked, "you're both here. I thought you might be nestled by the fire," he said with a huge grin. Lisa dropped her head at the sink, and Jack bellowed at him.
"Stop now, Tim."
"Fine," he continued to grin. "Just don't get the chance to poke at you two like that. Oh, what's this-JT, are you feeding your dad that soft, mushy food or the other way around?"
Both men looked over at Lisa when they heard some noises coming from her, and she was again, bent over the sink, hands braced there, laughing at Tim's comment. She turned and gave Jack a sympathetic smile. She nodded to Jack, and he picked up on her thought.
"At least I'm not being spoon fed mashed potatoes," he added, a small smirk on his face, and Lisa laughed again.
Tim swiped his finger in the bowl of John's food while both Jack and Lisa looked to him, horrified. He started to gag. "What is that?"
"Squash," Jack pointed to the baby food jar. "It's not supposed to taste good to some middle-aged-man."
"Tastes terrible," he said, gagging again. "Does he like it?"
Jack shrugged, "Seems to love it, but it's the first food he's had."
"That's why," Tim pointed. "Give it time, JT. Many other wonderful foods out there. That isn't one of them. Lisa," he said, still gagging, but pointing to the coffee, "is that fresh?"
"Made it about a half hour ago," she told him. She sighed when he looked pleadingly at her, "Help yourself. I don't know why you are even looking at me like that. You know you're going to have a cup."
"To wash down the squash," he said, gagging again. "Ohh," he rubbed his hands together and flashed a bright smile at Lisa, "I smell pie. What kind?"
"Apple, pumpkin, and mixed berry. Lou and Amy are both coming home tonight, and three pies should last us through tomorrow at least with that crew."
"Fantastic," Tim grinned again. "I'll take care of that pumpkin myself."
"Keep your hands off the mixed berry," Jack pointed to him with the baby spoon he had in his hand. "Lisa and I have dibs on that one. You can consider the pumpkin your Christmas gift," Jack smirked.
"Oh, so cute Jack," he said, in a mocking tone, "you and Lisa even want the same pie flavor."
"What can we do for you today, Tim?" Jack asked.
"Here to watch hockey," he shrugged. "Boxing Day, you, me, even JT now, tv," he pointed to the living room. "I don't have cable channels."
"Here's an idea," Jack said glancing at him, "why don't you put together a dollhouse for YOUR granddaughter. That still needs to be done."
"I didn't get her a dollhouse!" Tim exclaimed, but when he saw Lisa with her hand on her hip and Jack looking at him, he raised his hands in defense, "Fine, I'll put it together while watching hockey. What are you putting together, old man?"
"Some saucer toy for John," Jack said very quickly. "It's mostly just getting it out of the box, but then I have to supervise John in it. He's never used it."
"Ahh," Tim wiggled his eyebrows, "moving up to the big leagues, JT, new toys and all. Yeah, well sounds like a perfect afternoon, Jack. You get to spend it with your son and son-in-law. What could be better?"
"My wife," Jack said, frowning at Tim, and gave him a snarky smile. Lisa chuckled as she cleaned dishes.
"Besides pie," Tim asked, choosing to ignore Jack's comment, "what's for dinner?"
"Ahh, just some sandwiches. Neither Lou nor Amy should be back for dinner, and we have some ham leftover and talked about sandwiches."
"Well, what did you have yesterday?"
"Cheese, crackers, wine," Jack told him. "None left for you. There is soup Lisa made the day before. Another idea would be for you to eat at your place."
"No can do," Tim shook his head. "Remember, no food, and things haven't been open with Christmas and now today either. A sandwich will be fine, I guess. The wine, cheese, and crackers sounds like another fireplace evening," he grinned. They both ignored him.
"Well, then," Lisa finally glanced to Tim enunciating the rest, "I GUESS you can stay." When Tim looked away, grinning, she rolled her eyes at Jack. He returned the same gesture to her.
"I almost forgot," Tim snapped his finger and walked back to his coat. "Merry Christmas you two." He handed a paper to Jack, and Jack eyed it as he opened it.
"An IOU for babysitting," he raised his eyebrows at Lisa. She held back a laugh and turned away.
"JT and I do great together, so I thought if you two wanted to go out to dinner sometime, heck, even for New Year's Eve or something, I'd babysit. Just ask."
Lisa, schooling herself, turned back around and gave Tim a nod, "Thank you, Tim. I'm sure we'll find a time."
"Just don't ask me to feed him squash," he said, making a face.
"No problem," Jack looked at him. "Peas are up next. We'll leave those to you."
"Okay, you two," Lisa said finishing and turning to them. "Looks like John is done and successfully ate his squash. Jack, just watch over the next day or two that he doesn't have a rash or anything from the new food, and we can move onto something else."
"Fine," he waved.
"I'll get John cleaned up, and I'll leave you two to your hockey game. Pies are in the oven. I'm going to put John's load of laundry in, and then, I'll keep him with me while I get some work done for Fairfield."
"Oh yeah," Tim said, taking a big gulp of coffee, "Jack when are we framing in that office space you want upstairs for Lisa?"
Both Jack and Lisa frowned at each other, but Jack answered, "Well, that's a good question. The plan was when Lou and Peter find a place."
"Oh," Tim shook his head and chuckled, now eating a Christmas cookie, "you know that's never going to happen. Sorry, Jack, but I think she's here to stay. I mean, I'd offer my place, but it's just not her home. Lou can't find anything she likes enough to buy and doesn't seem to want to leave here."
"Hmm, sounds like someone we know," she looked at Jack, and the two of them looked at a clueless Tim. He continued to eat Christmas cookies, and when he finally looked up, he found both looking at him.
"Me? I have my own place."
"Do you, though, really?" Lisa asked, tilting her head.
"I don't know what to say then," Jack jumped in.
"I say we just do it," Tim shrugged. "It's winter, too cold to do much outside. You and I could knock it out in a few days, at least the framing. I wouldn't let your old self carry any sheetrock upstairs, but Ty and Caleb could carry it. Get the mudding done, the electrical done, and it's basically done before we even start."
Lisa held her fist to her mouth to keep from laughing at Tim's oversimplification of the project. Jack looked at Lisa with a shrug, and she shrugged back.
"You know I really do need a place to work, especially so I don't disturb your fly-fishing table. You were going to divide that large room into two. Right now, it would just decrease the very large space Georgie has, which," she pursed her lips, "is the largest bedroom in the house right now, and Georgie uses it as one very large laundry area. You can barely see the floor."
"Fine," Jack knocked his knuckle on the table and nodded at Tim. "We can start later this week, but," he held up his hand, and Tim, grinning at the idea of a project, waved his hands.
"Whatever you want."
"What I say goes, and if Lisa needs to be at work, I'm on John duty, no trying to juggle both things at the same time."
"Works for me," Tim said, snagging another cookie. "I'll start on the dollhouse so we can get this office done in a day or two." He walked out of the kitchen, and Lisa bent her head laughing. She met Jack's gaze and gestured.
"A day or two?"
Jack smirked, "What he means is that he'll work for a day or two. I'll have to do the rest."
