The Timeline

35.

March 12th, 2016:

Theodore's sleep regression had finished after 10 days of agony - except for the night Harry had held him to his chest and had had to put him in his crib so carefully otherwise he wouldn't have been able to leave for Manchester the following day. The baby had learned a new skill, just like Anna had told Claire it would've happened.

It wasn't screeching like it had been for the twins, but a sound that filled Claire's heart with such joy it threatened to burst whenever she heard it.

Theodore had learned how to laugh and giggle and everything made him laugh and giggle.

Claire was addicted to the sound and her phone camera roll was full of little videos taken of him as he laughed and giggled at whatever it was he found amusing. It was also a perfect sight: his blue eyes would scrunch in happiness and his mouth would open in a little perfect smile and his whole body would shake with laughter.

She sent the videos to everyone and anyone who was willing to get them - people she trusted, obviously. She had also sent a couple of pictures and videos to her parents, who hadn't seen Theodore since the previous Christmas. She guessed they were talking a bit more, since Theodore had been born, because her parents seemed to really care about the baby's upbringing: they asked more about him than they did about her. But Claire didn't find herself minding that much, in all honesty. She was so proud of Theodore, of the solemn and serious baby he was, that she wanted to flaunt him with everyone she knew, her parents included. Deep down she knew that her parents would've requested to see him in person, sooner or later, but she wasn't thinking about it. She could always arrange for her sister to come with her and bring the twins as well, so Claire wouldn't have been on her own with Jane and Philip. Or she could've made up an excuse or something to not go at all. Which wasn't really fair, since her parents were Theodore's grandparents. She tried not to think of it too much.

Anyways, back to the topic at hand: Theodore's laughing and giggling videos. She showed them to everyone. She thought her friends from uni must've grown tired of constantly seeing the damn things. Especially when Claire purposefully caused Theodore's laugh by standing over him and either tickling his belly or making funny faces at him: in those videos you could hear her embarrassing baby-voice as she talked to Theodore in between his laughing fits.

She didn't really care, she kept showing the videos, and her friends were too polite to tell her that they didn't really want to see the 154th video of Theodore laughing. Jack was the one who suffered most, because he got a full showing of the videos both at uni and when he visited David at their house. But seeing Theodore laugh in person compensated the video-torture because the sight could make anyone merry with happiness. London gay men included.

There wasn't much Theodore didn't laugh at, especially because his three uncles and his mother made sure that everything would be funny for him. The thing probably wasn't so smart, considering that they should've also tried to teach him something as he grew up, but they all were too drunk on the sound of his giggles, so they just needed more.

That morning was one of those cases: Claire was sitting inside of one of the ballrooms inside of David's gym, legs criss crossed under her and Theodore plopped down between them, his back leaning against Claire's stomach as he gazed upon David who was moving weirdly around the room, coming up with dance moves as he went while music played over the speakers and Theodore laughed at him and Claire smiled at the two of them, occasionally taking a video of the whole thing.

Both her and Theodore were wearing gym attire, but they wouldn't have partaken in any of the activities that David had planned for that morning. It was just to get in the spirit of the gym, and also because Claire figured that sitting criss crossed in jeans for her wasn't the best idea. And Theodore looked so good with his little baby gym clothes.