Hope for All- chapter 76
The rest of the week went by relatively smoothly, with some bumps thrown in here and there. Both babies were extra clingy that first night and the entire next day. It was another morning of crying for Matthew once Angela went back to work again on Thursday but it wasn't nearly as bad as the first day. By Friday afternoon, Angela and Tony were exhausted, crashing by 8:00pm after the babies went to sleep.
Saturday was a flurry of activity in the household. The next day was Super Bowl Sunday and Tony was having some of the guys over from Brooklyn. He spent the morning shopping for the food. He decided to give Angela a break and took both babies to the supermarket.
"Alright you two! How about we try the carrier in the store! Otherwise I have to figure out the stroller and the cart!" he chuckled as he parked the van. He was able to maneuver the twins in the carrier as he put blankets over them. He grabbed the diaper bag and headed inside the store.
"Okay let's do this! Hopefully we can be in and out!" he said as he grabbed a shopping cart. He was halfway through his list when a familiar voice called his name.
"Tony! How are you doing? Oh I see you've got the babies out! Giving Angela a break I see!" said Jenny, Nick right behind her with their shopping cart full of food.
"Hi Jenny and Nick! Yes! Giving Angela some time to rest! She went back to work part time earlier in the week and these two have been extra clingy since then! Besides, they need to learn early how to shop for the Super Bowl!" chuckled Tony.
"Yes they do need to learn early! I heard Angela isn't the only one back at work! Congratulations on the new job! We heard you are already doing a fantastic job!" she said as she reached out and grabbed a hold of Anna's little hand, causing her to smile.
"Yes! It's been wonderful! I can't thank you enough Nick for the recommendation from your friend! It's working out great with Angela's work and my classes!" he said as he shook Nick's hand.
"No problem! Once the weather gets a bit warmer, maybe we can hit the golf course again! I've been itching to play! If only I could convince this one to move to Florida, I could play all year round!" laughed Nick.
"You've got it! Count me in!" said Tony. Just then, Matthew started to fuss. Tony checked him and sure enough he needed to be changed.
"You need some help Tony?" asked Jenny as he tried to maneuver Matthew out of the carrier.
"Angela makes this look so easy but now that they are bigger it's much harder! Would you mind taking Anna while I change him?" he asked as he took out Anna instead. Jenny happily took Anna from him as she rocked her in her arms as Tony headed into the restroom.
"Alright little guy! This looks to be contained in the diaper shockingly! Let's get this done quickly before your sister realizes we are both gone!" he chuckled as he quickly changed Matthew. He put him back in the carrier and headed out. He had to smile as he watched both Jenny and Nick making silly faces at Anna, getting her to giggle.
"He all good to go?" she asked as she helped Tony put Anna back in the carrier.
"Yes! Thank you so much! I know it's last minute but are you two free tomorrow for the Super Bowl? I'm having some of my friends from Brooklyn over for the game and I'm sure Angela would be happy to have someone else to talk to!" said Tony.
"Sure! We'd love to! I'm making some appetizers and desserts so I'll bring those! Thank you Tony!" said Jenny as he gave them their address. They said their goodbyes and headed back to shopping. Tony was able to get everything on his list as he headed to the checkout line. Soon, the groceries and babies were all packed in the car as he headed home.
"Angela! We're home!" he shouted as he walked through the door.
"Wonderful! How was shopping? They give you any trouble?" she asked as she came down the stairs taking both babies from Tony and bringing them to the sofa to undress.
"Matthew of course needed a changing but it wasn't a blowout so it was fine! That kid has my number I tell you! Anyway, I ran into Nick and Jenny at the store! I hope you don't mind but I invited them to the party tomorrow. I figured you might need some female companionship! Nick should fit right in with the Brooklyn crowd… or at least it will make him happy he left!" laughed Tony.
"That's a great idea Tony! I do get along well with your friends but having someone else to talk to besides Philly will be… refreshing…" she said as she set up the babies for a feeding.
"Exactly! Okay I need to unpack the car and start prepping some of the food!" he said as he gave her a quick kiss as he headed back out to the car.
The rest of the day was spent preparing the house for the party. Tony recruited Jonathan to help him make his famous chili. By the end of the night, all the food was prepped and the house was ready for the big game.
The next morning, Tony was up, putting the final touches on the food, while Angela did some work in her office. Both babies were content to play in the portable crib in her office until they were due to eat. They had started interacting with each other earlier in the week, something they all enjoyed watching.
A half an hour before kickoff, Angela was able to get the babies changed. She had found football outfits for the babies. Tony wasn't a fan of either the 49ers or the Broncos, so she decided to get generic matching outfits with footballs on the overalls and dress. She had just gotten them fed and changed when the first guests arrived.
"Hi everyone! Come in!" said Tony as he opened the door for Philly, Tiny, Eddie, Pee-Wee and Joey. They all made their way into the living room, finding seats as they unloaded the keg of beer and bags of chips they brought. Angela came down with the babies a few minutes later, followed by Jonathan and Samantha.
"Hi everyone!" said Angela as she handed Matthew to Tony. All the guys except Joey came over to the babies and were making silly faces at the twins. Joey had three kids at home and was expecting another in a few months so he wasn't fazed by the cuteness.
"Can I hold one?" asked Tiny, shocking both Angela and Tony.
"Are your hands clean?" asked Tony as he eyed his hands.
"Give me a second…" he said as he made a mad dash to the bathroom. He was back in a few minutes as Angela laughed, handing Anna to Tiny on the sofa. He surprised them all by being very gentle and making Anna belly laugh.
"Alright pass the big guy to me!" said Philly as Tony handed him Matthew. Both Tony and Angela were waiting for Matthew to start crying but he settled into Philly's chest as he bounced him around the room. Seeing an opportunity to get things from the kitchen as well as some alone time, they headed through the swinging doors.
"We may have found ourselves some new babysitters! I think they'd prefer to get paid in beer rather than money!" laughed Angela.
"Who knew the guys would be good with babies? I mean they had to be good with someone!" he chuckled.
"Anytime we can get some alone time, even if it's for a few brief minutes, I'll take it…" she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a passionate kiss. It was short lived as Jonathan came into the kitchen, making gagging noises as they broke up their kiss.
"I'd like to have an appetite for the game please!" he moaned as he grabbed a soda and headed back into the living room.
"Do fourteen year olds still require babysitters and if so, who can we pay?" asked Tony as he gave her one last kiss.
They were able to gather all the drinks and appetizers as they headed back into the living room. Both babies were content so Tony and Angela decided to sit together on one of the side chairs. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang again. Angela was able to answer it this time as she welcomed in Jenny and Nick.
"Hi Angela! Thank you for inviting us! You look fantastic!" said Jenny as she gave her a hug, followed by Tony. Nick had both arms full of food as he handed some off to Angela. Jenny followed Angela into the kitchen to put away the desserts and put out the appetizers. Tony introduced Nick to the Brooklyn gang as kickoff began.
By the end of the first quarter, both babies needed to be changed. Jenny offered to help Angela as they headed upstairs. Tony took the break to get his famous chili ready.
"Thank you for helping me with them! They should be due to eat in about an hour and then hopefully go down for the night!" she said as she finished changing Anna. Jenny handed Matthew to her as she handed her Anna.
"How has it been going now that you are back to work?" asked Jenny as she sat in the rocker with Anna.
"It's tough! I miss them so much when I'm gone but at the same time I've really missed my job. Right now I'm only in the office two days a week but probably in the next few weeks I will end up doing three days once they go into daycare" she said as she finished changing Matthew.
"It's so hard leaving them when they are small. I remember I cried for a week straight when I had to leave our first when I went back to work. They adjust easier and faster than we do!" she laughed as she made Anna giggle.
"It's already gotten a bit easier. It helps that we've got such great help! Matthew has taken a bit longer to get used to the new routine, haven't you little guy?" she cooed as she picked him up.
"Boys are always so attached to their moms! My son never left my side for more than five minutes the first few years!" laughed Jenny.
"Jonathan was the same way! It wasn't until he was about four or five that he became attached to his father… which was about the same time our marriage started to really fall apart. I'm looking forward to this little guy becoming Tony's little shadow one day but until then, I won't deny I love all the attention he wants from me…" she said as she gave him kisses.
"So have you thought about having any more kids? You and Tony do make some cute babies if I do say so…" she said as she stood up with Anna.
"Oh I don't know… the thought has crossed my mind. I'm not saying yes but not saying no either… maybe once they hit a year I will have a better idea. How about we head back down? If you don't mind losing your sense of taste and second degree burns on your tongue, Tony's chili should be ready!" she laughed as they headed back downstairs.
"Just in time for the chili!" said Tony when they came down the stairs.
"I think I'll pass this year… I'm not sure but baby heartburn doesn't sound like something I'd like to experience!" she chuckled as she handed Matthew to Tony.
They were all able to grab some more food as the second quarter began. Jonathan and Tiny decided to see how many bowls of chili they could eat, much to Tony and Angela's dismay. Jonathan got to bowl number three before Tony called it off, knowing he didn't want to be responsible for cleaning the bathroom later on.
By halftime, the rest of the food was served. The 49ers were ahead, although nobody was really rooting for either team. The guys had bets going and so far Tony and Nick were tied. Angela thought it was adorable when Tony started explaining the game to the babies. Matthew started to fuss but Anna looked like she was paying attention to Tony's words.
"We might have another tomboy on our hands!" chuckled Angela as she took Matthew from Tony and walked him around, trying to settle him.
"Alright Anna! Maybe you'll be the jock in the family! If so, you need to listen up!" said Tony as he continued to explain the game to her, Anna looking up at Tony as he spoke. Soon all the guys were huddled around them, taking turns explaining different parts of the game.
"Well these two need to get changed, fed and to sleep! Say goodnight you two!" said Angela as she passed around the babies one last time before heading upstairs. Samantha offered to help Angela as they headed upstairs.
"Third quarter is about to start! Maybe the Broncos remembered they were playing football and will show up now…" said Philly as he grabbed another beer.
"I don't know… it's already 27-3… what are the odds they can come back?" asked Nick. The guys kept debating the odds of a comeback, making new bets for the last half of the game. It was a moot point as the 49ers scored two more touchdowns. The Broncos showed some life when they scored a touchdown but it was short lived. Angela came back down in the middle of the last quarter.
"Did the 59ers score again?" she asked as she sat down next to Tony.
"It's the 49ers Angela and no… it's 55-10 with five minutes left to play. No way can they come back from this one…" said Tony.
"So who won the big prize for the night?" asked Jenny as she refilled her cup of coffee.
"If no one else scores, the big winner is… Anna… Anna? You put the baby into the pool?" asked Philly as he looked over at the numbers again.
"Eh oh, oh eh! I didn't add them!" shouted Tony as he looked over at Angela.
"Don't look at me! I wouldn't have any idea how to have added my name to it let alone theirs!" laughed Angela.
"So then who did it?" asked Jonathan as he wondered if the pot would really be given to a baby.
"Alright I did it! They deserved to be included!" shouted Tiny as the group all laughed.
"Well I hope the one hundred and fifty bucks she's gonna win will buy a lot of diapers!" said Philly as he tossed the paper on the coffee table.
Fifteen minutes later and the game was over. No one else scored so Anna was the winner of the jackpot. Everyone helped clean up and soon headed home. They made plans with Nick and Jenny to get together in the next few weeks. Once everything was put away, Tony and Angela locked up and headed upstairs, stopping in the nursery. Both babies were sound asleep.
"They are so beautiful…" whispered Tony as he stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist as they both looked from one baby to the other.
"Yes they are… how did we get so lucky to have four healthy, smart, beautiful children?" she asked as she leaned back into his embrace.
"I don't know but we definitely hit the jackpot with all of them…" he said as he gently pulled her towards the door and into their room. They quickly got changed and double checked the baby monitors. Both babies were still getting up once or twice during the night but had adjusted well to sleeping in the nursery.
"I hope they give us a good stretch of sleep tonight…" he said with a yawn as they curled into one another under the covers.
"Let's hope so! I'm exhausted…" she said as her hand started gently rubbing circles over his chest.
"You say you're exhausted but if your hand goes any lower, I'm keeping you up for the next half an hour…" he said as he looked over at her, his hand finding her lower back.
"I think I could be persuaded to stay awake for another half an hour…" she said seductively. No words were said as he captured her lips with his own, his hands now roaming all over her body as they enjoyed the rest of the night together.