let's light up the sky ☆

Chapter 16

Glendale, California

July, 2007

In the pitch black of the room, Anoush's sharp cries shattered the silence. Like it had become second nature to him, Giannis rolled out of bed and planted both feet on the floor.

"Shh, hey sweetheart," he whispered to the crying infant. "It's okay, daddy's here."

Anoush quieted to soft hiccups as soon as she felt her dad nearby. Sofia had already turned on the lamp to see what she could do to help. It seemed like all she wanted, as usual, was someone's love.

Giannis laughed softly and paced the room with her. "You just wanted me again? Anything else?"

"Koala pouch?" Sofia suggested. Giannis hummed in agreement. Sofia shuffled around their room, looking for the knit sling blanket that had become a valuable part of parenting Anoush. Giannis held the infant close to his bare chest while Sofia tied the blanket around the both of them. He continued to calm her down by petting her shaggy black hair. He stuck his free arm out of the blanket and used it to keep Anoush stable. "Comfortable?" Sofia asked after tying the final knot against his shoulder.

Giannis turned around and gave her a gentle kiss. "It's perfect. Get some rest, I've got it from here."

"Are you sure?" Sofia wanted to help, but she couldn't say no to his encouragement. It was almost 2:30 am, the third time that Anoush had woken them up tonight.

Giannis followed her back to bed to throw the comforter over her. After another kiss to her forehead, he turned off the lamp to leave her be. He couldn't sleep tonight, anyway. Staying up for an hour to cuddle Anoush and catch the second half of a late-night stoner comedy were more fun than just lying awake in bed. There was a prepared bottle in the fridge waiting for her if she needed it. For now she'd calmed down and fell asleep again in his arms.

Bringing Anoush home was a welcomed event. The weeks since then were some of the toughest of their lives and marriage.

It had been several years since Giannis and Sofia had a newborn at home. Armen was an easy-going baby, sleeping through the night after a few months. Anoush was different, sometimes staying awake for hours and waking multiple times a night just to be held. Her parents moved her bassinet into their room, only using her nursery for diaper changes and storage. If she wasn't asleep, she was crying at the top of her little lungs.

It wasn't her fault, the poor thing. She'd come into the world so dramatically that she didn't even have a chance to adjust first. All she'd known for the first two months of her life were the hustle and bustle of a busy and loud hospital. It was impossible for anyone to relax in a place like that, let alone a traumatized newborn.

During their visits, Giannis and Sofia tried to make up for the bonding they could have done with her at home. There was only so much they could do to make up for the lost time. Now that she was home, she only wanted to be held, and typically only by Giannis.

He, of course, was more than happy to oblige, even when it got a little overwhelming. Whenever he wasn't in the studio, he carried Anoush around the house in her "koala pouch." Sometimes he took her with him to the studio or interviews let Sofia have some down time at home.

Armen was a loving and helpful big brother, insisting on helping with diaper changes and feeding her. He'd sometimes set up his own toys beside her baby swing to hang out with her. But he'd toned down his high energy lately, so much so that she was worried about him. He must have struggled getting used to living with a colicky newborn who was awake at all hours of the night. He never complained, but sometimes Giannis and Sofia wished he would just so they could know what he needed.