The Greatest Gift

𝘍𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘹 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘦

~Four years ago~

It was three in the morning.

My last feeding had been at eleven, and it had gone fairly quick and quietly, so I had been hoping the next would be the same. Hopefully the boys would get a full night of sleep tonight.

Unfortunately, I was wrong.

Austin and I had just been woken up at the crack of dawn by two wailing babies.

I sighed and sat up. "Stay here," I said to Austin. "Go back to sleep."

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too." I kissed him, then put on a robe and ran to the twins' nursery.

"Aww, poor little hunny," I whispered, lifting Conor out of his crib. I sat down with him in my arms, unhooked my nursing bra, and lifted him to my chest. Conor happily started eating. I smiled.

However, Sadie was still crying. I didn't want any of the boys to get woken up– again.

I got up; still nursing Conor, and went over to Sadie's crib.

"Shh," I murmured, stroking her hair. "It's okay. I'll get to you next."

A few minutes later, Austin came in. He picked up Sadie, put her on the changing table, and started changing her diaper while I was nursing Conor.

"Thank you," I sighed.

"No problem," he said. He turned and smiled at me.

But Sadie kept crying. She refused to be soothed until she got fed– but her brother was still eating.

Eventually Sadie's crying did just as I expected: woke up her big brothers.

Bennet poked his head in and softly knocked on the door. He was wearing pajamas with his favorite superhero on them: the Incredible Hulk.

"Mom?" he said. "Can I help?"

Austin helped me put a blanket over my chest as a nursing cover, and I waved him inside.

"Conor's almost finished, and then you can burp him," I said.

"Okay."

Ben went over to the changing table, where Austin was trying to get Sadie to take a pacifier.

"Conor's almost done, princess," he said to his baby sister. "It'll be okay. It's almost your turn." He bent down and kissed her forehead.

My sensitive mother's heart swelled with pride. Ben had come so far since I had first told him and his brothers about the pregnancy. I was so proud of him. He was the perfect big brother and I could never be more thankful for him.

Just then Conor finished eating. I waved Bennet over, and he took Conor from under the blanket, put a burp rag on his shoulder, and started to burb Conor. He kissed his little brother's head multiple times.

"I'm so proud of you, Benny," I said.

Bennet looked at me and grinned. "I love you."

"I love you, too, hunny."

Austin brought Sadie over to me, and I held her close. Once she started eating, she stopped crying.

The nursery door opened a little wider, and Shayne hesitantly came in. He looked at Bennet. "Oh, you're burping Conor?"

"Yeah," Bennet said quietly. He gently rested his head against Conor's "I think he's getting tired," he said.

"Yep," I said. "He'll go into a milk coma and fall right back asleep."