Eight weeks later
Kate had just been to the midwife for her and Ava's two month check up. From all accounts, her daughter was thriving and Kate was ecstatic. Steve kept telling her that she was a good mum but she continually batted his comments away as he was very biased. To hear it from a stranger meant more and had done wonders for her confidence.
To continue her good work, Kate set the play mat up and sat on the floor with Ava. She placed her eight week old child on the mat to enjoy some 'tummy time', the aim of which was to help in the development of the muscles Ava would eventually need for sitting and crawling.
Kate dangled a toy in front of her daughter to make her raise her head and look at where the squeaky sound was coming from. "Ava!" Kate cooed to her child.
Bonnie entered the room from the kitchen and headed over to mother and daughter before she flopped on the floor close to the baby mat. She had continued her protective streak over the baby when she had entered the world and looked out for her like Ava was her own pup.
Ava seemed to like the animal as well. Steve and Kate had introduced her to Bonnie as soon as they had returned home from the hospital. Kate had got Ava out of her car seat and sat on the sofa with Ava on her lap whilst Steve had gone to the dog. Under careful supervision they had allowed Bonnie to approach Kate and Ava. The baby had been briefly startled when a wet nose had touched her face as Bonnie sniffed her for the first time, but had quickly settled back to sleep.
"Ava!" Kate persisted in calling her daughter. The little girl's head raised off the mat and turned to look at her mother who was still shaking the squeaky toy around.
"After her dramatic entrance in to the world, Ava had in fact turned out to be a rather chilled baby. She had quickly settled in to a sleeping pattern and only cried when she was hungry. As long as her mother or father was around she was very happy. Kate didn't know if it was simply Ava's nature or whether it was because she was less stressed at motherhood this time that was the reason. Much of her reduced stress was down to Steve and his support which she had never received from Mark.
Mother and daughter had a very active social life during the week. They attended baby massage, baby yoga, and baby sensory sessions. Kate had also joined a new mum fitness session where there was power walking around the local park. She had pretty much regained her pre- pregnancy figure but felt she needed to tone up a little after giving birth.
"Ava!" Kate said again and this time when her daughter looked at her she gave her mother a smile. "Oh my goodness!" Kate exclaimed. "Did you just smile for Mummy?" She asked. It was the first time Ava had smiled. Ava smiled again. "We're going to have to FaceTime Daddy and you can show him," Kate decided, excitedly.
She picked her daughter up and gave her a big congratulatory kiss on her cheek before settling her against her chest and tucking her head under her chin before reaching for the phone and dialling Steve's number.
As per usual, Steve answered quickly and smiled when he saw Kate and Ava together. "I was just going to call you," Steve said before saying hello to his daughter. "Mum has been on the phone about Christmas this year. Seeing as we will have Josh and Ava she's wondering if it would be easier for her and dad to spend it at ours instead of us all going to theirs?".
"That might be a good idea," Kate replied. Travelling with a newborn certainly increased the luggage ten fold.
"Ok I'll phone her back and tell her we agree," Steve said. "How's your day?".
"Good. Totally aced our two month check up didn't we Ava?" Kate said.
"Who's a clever girl?," Steve cooed to his daughter before she smiled at her father. "Did she just smile?".
"Yep. She just did it for me and I wanted to show you. That's why I called," Kate explained.
The next couple of moments were spent with both parents trying to get their daughter to repeat her new skill. Kate tensed when she saw Hastings appear on the phone screen behind Steve's shoulder. He was too engrossed in entertaining Ava to notice.
Kate worried her partner was about to get a dressing down for not doing any police work but was very relieved when seeing who Steve was talking to, Hastings face softened and he waved at Ava. Ava smiled back at the gaffer.
"That's a lovely smile, sweetheart," Ted said and Steve froze, now aware his boss was behind him.
"We better let you get back to work," Kate said. "Wave good bye to Daddy and the gaffer," Kate said as she took her daughter's arm and waved it at the screen. "Bye bye gaffer. Bye bye Daddy. See you later," Kate said before she hung up, hoping that Steve wasn't about to get an ear bashing.
"Should I pack the buggy?" Steve asked as he popped his head in to the nursery. They were getting ready to head in to the city to start their Christmas shopping and Kate was finishing getting Ava dressed for her first shopping expedition.
"Maybe," Kate said. "More to carry presents than anything,". They didn't know how successful this trip was going to be but Ava much preferred being in a papoose than her buggy and Steve was going to wear it for this trip. "How did I look, Daddy?" Kate asked as she lifted her daughter up for Steve to see. For her first Christmas shopping trip, Kate had decided to bundle Ava up against the cold in a thick woolly coat and pair of denim dungarees. On her tiny feet were a pair of suede and woolly booties and on her head a woolly hat with teddy bear ears.
"Gorgeous as always," Steve said as he approached Kate and took Ava from her, giving her a kiss on the cheek as he did so. He was absolutely besotted with his daughter- a mini version of Kate but with his chocolate brown eyes. "Let's get this trip underway shall we?".
"Yes," agreed Kate as she followed Steve out the room.
Two hours later and the little family had had quite a successful trip. Presents had been brought for most of the extended family whilst Ava had been entertained by all the twinkling lights in the shops.
They were walking through a department store when something caught Kate's eyes.
"Oh my god! Look at these. Aren't they adorable?" Kate asked her Steve as she held up a tiny headband with reindeer antlers on.
"Lovely mate," was Steve's reply.
Kate admired the reindeer antler headband some more before she removed Ava's woolly hat revealing her dark wispy hair she had inherited from her parents. She placed the headband on her daughter.
Ava was going to be the star attraction at Christmas time with the family all descending on their house. Kate was wanting to dress her up in line with her star role. Her new favourite outfit was the one that had just caught her eye, a reindeer onesie with antlers.
"Err not sure she likes them very much," Steve said to Kate, noting the weird expression on his daughter's face as she looked up at her parents wondering what on earth had just been placed on her head.
"She's fine, aren't you Ava?" Kate cooed as she rubbed her daughter's chubby cheek and elicited a smile from her. "See?" She said to Steve.
"Fine. Reindeer antlers it is," Steve begrudgingly conceded and Kate grinned smugly in triumph. "How about a coffee whilst we have a bit of a break? She's starting to get a bit cranky," Steve suggested. It was a clear sign that Ava was getting hungry.
"Ok. I'll have decaf though," Kate reminded Steve as she was still breast feeding. They found a coffee shop that wasn't heaving with people. Steve joined the queue whilst Kate found a table out of the way. It had a high backed sofa and she arranged herself so she could discreetly feed Ava without being noticed.
Their daughter had inherited her father's love of Kate's breasts and she quickly latched on and started guzzling really quickly so it was a little painful. "Excuse me, Ava!" Kate said lovingly to her little girl. "Not quite so fast, please," she asked, although she knew Ava wouldn't understand a word.
"Here you go," Steve said as he placed their drinks on the table and sat down opposite Kate on a high backed armchair. "She ok?" He asked Kate.
"She's fine. Just quite hungry by the feel of it,".
As they drank their drinks, the couple talked about their unexpected successful shopping trip and other things to do in preparation for the family Christmas. Kate swapped Ava to her other breast at some point.
"So I think it's only your present left for me to get," Kate announced.
"Me too," Steve agreed. "How about we separate after we finish here. I'll take Ava and go buy your present before meeting back at the car?".
"Sounds like a good plan," Kate agreed. She could tell that Ava had finished feeding and as per usual her daughter had been so enthusiastic in her feeding that she had given herself hiccups. "You got the hiccups again, Ava?" She asked her daughter and got another hiccup in reply.
"I'll wind her," Steve offered as he placed a muslin cloth over his shoulder and took Ava from Kate. He placed her against his shoulder and started tapping her back whilst Kate readjusted her clothing and made herself look more respectable.
"Ava's making more friends," Kate told Steve when she looked up. Two middle aged women sat behind Steve were playing peek-a-boo with the little girl who was watching totally entranced over her fathers shoulder. They had been stopped several times during their shopping trip already with compliments on their daughter and this looked to be another such time. Steve's chest was close to bursting with pride.
The new parents watched as the game continued with Ava occasionally giving the ladies a shrieking laugh of delight. During one such laugh, the much longed for burp occurred with a bit of milk thrown up for good measure. But it had also cured her hiccups.
"Well done, mate," Steve praised his daughter and she smiled at him in reply.
"She's absolutely delightful," one of the women commented.
"She has her moments," Kate informed them, pleased they weren't witness to one of her grumpy moods.
"What's her name?" Enquired the other.
"Ava," replied Steve.
"Well Ava it was very nice to meet you and have a nice Christmas," the women said before rising from their seats and returning to their shopping.
"We should do the same," Kate informed Steve, glancing at the time. She started getting her things together before putting Ava back in the papoose that Steve had reattached to his chest. "Be a good girl for Daddy," she told her before giving Steve a peck on the cheek. "See you in a bit," she said before departing for the Apple store. Steve had indicated he wanted a new watch for Christmas.
Steve meanwhile headed in another direction towards a jewellers and stopped outside the window looking at the rings on display. He was planning on proposing to Kate at some point over the holiday period and needed the correct accessory.
Steve glanced down and saw his daughter looking at all the sparkly things in the shop. "I brought you here for your advice Ava," he chatted to her. "What ring will Mummy find very difficult to say no to, when Daddy asks her a very important question?".
They had never discussed marriage and after Kate's failed one to Mark, she was happy cohabiting with Steve, as he was with her. Since Ava had arrived though, Steve had been thinking about proposing, wanting the three of them to be a nice little family unit with the same surname.
Ava looked up from her position at Steve's chest and just gave her father a big grin.
"I was hoping for something a little more helpful Ava, but I still love you lots," he said as he leant forward and kissed the top of her head. Ava giggled in response. "Come on. I think I've seen the one," he said as he headed into the shop.
