slipping through my fingers (h.s)

little pink dress

"She's going to be so chuffed with these," Harry smirked, smoothing out the two tiny matching smocked pink dresses on his lap. You had tried to be open with Tilly about everything that happened when you were pregnant- Harry explaining that sometimes growing a baby made you very tired and so you needed extra sleep and cuddles, and all about what would happen whilst you went away to finally have the baby. But being barely two, she didn't really understand, although she did get very excited getting to pick out all the special new outfits for her brand-new little sister. Change was always something that she found very difficult- but dressing up was something she loved.

Putting the dresses back into the pink gift bag whilst smirking to himself, Harry began to help you out of the car, and despite a few groans and aches, you managed to make it out in one piece. He then hoisted out the car seat which he had effed and blinded at whilst trying to assemble.

"Y'okay, my love?" He whispered, kissing you on the forehead. "Look what you did,"

He smiled back down at the sleeping tiny person in the seat, snuggled up in a purple knitted blanket which Gemma had sewn for her.

"Look what we did," You glared at him sleepily. "I couldn't have done that without you,"

Harry's eyes began to turn glossy with tears. "Baby, don't make me cry, I'm already emotional enough,"

Tilly practically jumped out of Anne's arms when she heard the front door unlock.

"Tilly! Come and sit down with Nanny for a minute," Anne laughed at her toddler excitement, ushering her back to the sitting room.

"I want to see! I want to see!" She shouted, practically pinned down to one of the armchairs at this point. "Let me see sister!"

Harry had snuck round the door frame and made her jump as he entered the room.

"My Tilly Gem!" He gasped, taking her up in his arms and throwing her around like a rag doll. "I hope you've been good for Nanny Anne,"

"So much energy, this one," She laughed. "Like you when you were little,"

Harry blushed slightly, as he took the car seat from your arms and rested it on the carpet. Tilly stared at the tiny figure for a good minute, before looking back at Harry.

"Baby sister?" She asked, as she reached out to hold her tiny hand. "She sleep,"

"She is asleep, yeah," Harry replied, although she began to stir slightly at that moment. "She's very tired, but you can give her a kiss if you'd like,"

"Kissy," Tilly smiled, pecking her tiny little sister on the forehead. You and Harry both smiled at each-other, as Lottie's eyes began to open slowly, glaring back up at the toddler who was directly in front of her face.

"And baby sister has brought you a present, Tilly baby," Harry reached down to grab the pink bag. "You wanna see?"

Before he had even finished the sentence, Tilly had taken the bag from his hands, and was now throwing pink tissue paper around the room.

"Pink!" She gasped, holding up one of the dresses in front of her with her tiny fists.

"You like them?" Harry smiled. "There's two, so tomorrow you can wear them and match little sister,"

"I love them," She giggled, her words lisping slightly. "I love sister,"

"You do?" You smiled, sitting Tilly down and placing baby Lottie in her arms. "You're the best big sister, aren't you?"

"Mmmhmm," Tilly agreed, as Harry was still helping her to support Lottie's tiny head. "Best,"

—-

"Come back here, you rascal," Harry laughed, as Tilly giggled loudly, frantically running around the kitchen, almost tripping over the pink dress which was slightly too long for her. "Daddy still needs to take the picture!"

You had put Lottie in the new bouncer that you had bought specifically, which was different to Tilly's old one in that it had even more different settings, which you and Harry were both struggling to figure out how to use. Although Lottie didn't seem to mind your struggles- she was still fast asleep, even when you had accidentally set the thing to its maximum speed, which Tilly seemed to find incredibly amusing.

"Let Daddy take your picture and you can have one of the biscuits that you made with Nanny Anne,"

Tilly immediately slowed down and rushed towards you, holding her hands out.

"Mmm-mmm, picture first please Miss Styles," Harry scoffed, herding her gently towards the bouncer where Lottie was still sleeping, her tiny chest rising and falling slowly. "Say cheese!"

Tilly giggled again, fiddling with the buttons on her dress, before looking up at him again and laughing.

"That's good, baby," He smiled, scrolling through the photos on his phone. He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek before kissing her on the forehead. "You look so pretty, but you always look pretty, don't you?"