April 8th 2024

Chapter 99
The Night For Stories

Dear Huck,

You won't remember what it was like when you were finally born and we brought you home with us, so I thought I would write it all down for you now, while I remember it well. I know you won't read any of this for years, and we'll both be older by then, but right now you have to remember that your big sister Annie is twelve years old right now, almost twelve and a half, actually. You're just a baby, not even a whole day old. You're so cute. Everyone says that you remind them of me when I was a baby. I don't know if they're right, but I like to think that they are.

The biggest thing I noticed while we were driving home, aside from the fact that you really don't mind when it's noisy, is how Mom and Dad were the whole time. It's like every time it happens, I forget, until it happens again. They get so nervous when they take us in the car for the first time, and they're always so careful on the road to begin with. It's sweet though, I guess. They just care so much about us and want to make sure we're all safe all the time.

Once we got home, none of us seemed to know what to do or where to start. Mom was still tired, which is normal, and you were asleep a lot of the time, too. But we took you upstairs, and Dad put you down in your crib, and we all looked at you. It was like we'd all been waiting for that one thing, and then it would be the beginning. We couldn't really do anything else after that, not with you, or with Mom.

So Dad took the rest of us downstairs and we all figured out what we should do for dinner, and for a dessert, and we worked on that while you and Mom slept. It was hard for us, harder for some, definitely, to not make too much noise. It was even harder not to make a mess. When we were done, it took almost just as long to clean everything up. But then when Mom came down with you, she was so happy, and we got to have our first dinner together, all of us and you. I got Mom to let me hold you while she ate, and you didn't cry once.

If you're wondering about the others, I can tell you lots about them, too. The triplets really felt in synch whenever they got to pitch in looking after you. They were really good to have there especially when there were diapers to change. Dad would call them the tag team. Mom kept laughing and she told me that all she could think about was how Kacey, Remy, and Lucy were really living up to their old nickname from when they'd been babies. When they heard that, they looked a little insulted, but it made them laugh after a while. I promised them I wouldn't tell anyone about the nickname, but if you want to know, just come and ask me. You might already know what it is, so maybe you're laughing right now.

They all got to hold you by now, we all have. Mom and Dad were definitely curious to see what it would be like, and I can see why. When Kacey held you, you would make these cute little noises, like you were curious about her. When Lucy held you, you were so calm, you fell asleep so fast. And when Remy held you, I think you guys became best friends. It's so funny to think about how much we all love each other, how even though we fight sometimes we always come back to how things were, but at the same time we all have the ones we are closest to. We don't do it on purpose or anything, it just happens. And the way it was when Remy held you, that was really something. She always looked like Dad a lot, but I don't think she ever looked like him as much as she did in that moment.

As fun as it is to see the three of them with you though, I think it's even sweeter to see the way the others have been since you came along. The last time we were waiting on a baby to be born, that was Aubrey, so she definitely didn't remember, and Ezra wasn't born at all yet, and Mackenzie was barely a year old. Ever since we found out that Mom was going to have you, it's been so interesting to watch the way the girls got excited at all the little things, like the pictures, and the heartbeat, getting everything ready for you… It's even better now that you're here and they get to look at you, talk to you, hold you…

Mackenzie was scared at first. She was so worried that she was going to drop you if they let her hold you, so Mom and Dad let the rest of us get our turns. In the end, the first time she held you, it was like they tricked her. She was right there, talking and talking, and then Dad just sort of put you in her arms, and she didn't notice at first. When she did, she froze and her eyes went all wide. Dad had to remind her to breathe. But she was okay after that. She still won't pick you up unless she knows she's sitting properly, but once she has you, she doesn't want to let you go. I'm pretty sure she'll be the first to get a real laugh out of you. Aubrey didn't have any trouble holding you. She couldn't get you in her arms fast enough, and then she just held you like you were a little doll, and you might not have gotten to see her with dolls by the time you read this, but trust me, that meant you were very, very safe.

I really wonder what it's like with you and the boys by the time you're reading this. I don't know if Finn and Uncle Wyatt are still living with us by then, but my guess is they're not. I'm not sure how long it'll be before they leave here, and you're still just a newborn right now, but it's easy to tell that you three boys have to be very close. All of us have been looking forward to meeting you, but those guys? They never want to go anywhere that they can't see you, and if they have to go, they won't be away for long. It's funny now, but Mom and Dad and Uncle Wyatt are looking at the two of them with that face that says 'this is going to be bad later.' They're so going to throw fits about it. It'll probably be funny by the time you're able to look back on it, but right now it's just loud, and messy. I guess we just have to remember that it's because they love you, right?

Ezra is so proud to be a big brother right now. He tells anyone he sees that you're his baby brother, and he's your big brother. Mom jokes that they're going to need to get him out of the house soon or he'll burst for not getting to tell anyone else for a while. Whenever you do something new, or Mom and Dad do something new with you, he keeps asking about it, so we explain it to him. Sometimes he asks about the same things again when he doesn't remember, and we tell him again and he acts like it's all new again.

You slept a lot through the day, but when the rest of us started to get ready for bed, we all just sort of decided it was your first bedtime, too, and everyone wanted to make sure they got to be there for that. They wanted to see that you were comfortable in your crib, that you had everything you needed, and the lights were right, and there was music… They wanted you to have a bedtime story, and they asked me to tell you one, so I did. I pulled out the storybook I started to put together when the triplets were babies, too, and then when the others came, too. I think I need to start to think about new stories for you now. I'm kind of curious to see what it all looks like by the time you're older. We're not going to have any other new siblings, I guess. Mom and Dad haven't said for sure, but it kind of feels that way right now. I hope you know by now how happy we are to have you there, our littlest brother. I'm looking at you right now, sleeping in your crib, and I'm sure you're having the best dream…

"Marianne? Is that you down there?"

She gasped, lifting her head to find her father had sat up just a bit, enough to spy her there, sitting on the floor with the journal in her lap, pen in one hand and flashlight in the other so she could see what she was writing. She gave her father a sheepish smile, setting the pen in the journal to keep her page before closing it and rising to walk over to him, shutting the light in her hand.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping right now?" he asked her, sounding more concerned at her being awake than upset that she'd be there at all.

"I wanted to check on him, that's all," she whispered. He gave a pointed look to the things she had in her hands. "Inspiration?" she explained.

"He'll still be there in the morning. Go back to bed, okay?"

"Okay," she sighed. "Night, Dad."

"Night, Pumpkin."

She went back to her room, feeling that it was very much one of those nights where she missed her old room, with her sisters. She loved her new room, she really did, but she was so full of emotions right now, with her mother being home, and baby Colby, both of them doing well… She didn't know how to sit still, much less lie still. She forced herself to put the journal and the light on her nightstand and get back under the covers. The benefit of her having this room to herself was that, if she wanted to leave a light on, or put some music or other bit of sound - low enough that she'd be the only one to hear it - she was well within her rights. That was what she did and, in due time, she fell asleep.

When she woke up again, finding the sunshine of an early morning, she was quick on quiet feet to leave her room and head downstairs to check on the baby. She was not the only one to think about it, not even close. She came down from the second floor to find all of her younger siblings standing there like they'd just come from their own rooms, and they were about to converge on their parents' room.

"Maybe we shouldn't go in," Kacey signed.

"But the door is open," Mackenzie replied in kind.

Marianne volunteered herself to take a peek and was soon spotted by her parents, sitting on the bed with Colby. When she was waved in, she let the others know they were clear to enter, and so they did, splitting off so half of them could approach from one side of the bed and the other half from the other side, climbing on where they could so they might get a good look at their brother.

"Did he sleep all night?" Lucy asked, amazed.

"He did not," their mother chuckled. "But we had things under control, didn't we, Huck?" she asked, smiling down to the baby as he stared up at her. She stole a look over to Marianne, so she had to guess she'd been informed of her 'inspiration' visit. Marianne smiled back at her. If anyone was going to understand that drive, it would be her. "Well, he's had his breakfast, so that just leaves the rest of us, huh?"

"Daddy said we could have pancakes!" Aubrey perked up.

"I did say that, didn't I?" Lucas nodded innocently. Marianne smiled, seeing her siblings all growing excited. "I'm going to need some help…" They were already halfway to the stairs. They couldn't wait to start a new day with their new brother.

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners