Love Lasts Forever

find that phone!

I stand in the living room amidst a symphony of chaos. Taylor and Nico are crawling in wild circles, their giggles echoing off the walls, while Demi, with her curly hair bouncing like springs, attempts to wrangle her toys. Meanwhile, Charlie is on the floor, rummaging through every nook and cranny, searching for his phone.

"Charlie, did you check under the couch?" I call out, bouncing slightly on my toes. It feels like a small workout just to stay upright.

"Not yet!" he shouts back, his voice muffled as he leans deeper into the dark abyss of our furniture. "But I can't find it anywhere! You'd think I'd have left it somewhere obvious."

"Obvious isn't the word I'd use to describe our kids," I respond, glancing at the twins who are now engaged in a tug-of-war over a colorful rattle.

"Taylor! No!" I stretch out my arms just as she manages to swipe it from Nico, and he lets out a disappointed wail. The sound pierces through the din of toddler laughter and chaos.

"Babe, you got this!" Charlie encourages, peeking out from under the couch, his blond hair tousled as if he's been fighting a windstorm.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence!" I stir a finger through the pile of toys strewn all over our playmat. "I'm also about to give birth, and I'm not even sure how I'm still upright."

"Hey, we're a team! Let's just tackle this one crisis at a time," he says, his head bobbing up, looking for my reassurance.

As if on cue, Demi suddenly drops her toy bin and marches over. "Mommy, I wanna show Taylor my purple dinosaur!"

"Oh, honey, but maybe show her the toy after lunchtime?" I suggest, trying to redirect her interest to avoid further chaos.

"But she can take care of it!" she insists, pointing toward her sister, who is now trying to gnaw on Nico's toy truck.

"Yeah, and Nico planned a pizza party too, right?" Charlie interjects, delighting in playing along with Demi's hypothetical scenario. "Maybe we can save the dinosaur for dessert?"

Demi eyes him thoughtfully. "Can dinosaurs eat pizza?"

"In my world, they can," he grins, giving her a wink.

"Charlie!" I say, trying to suppress my laughter. "I thought you were serious. Can you just focus on your phone for a second? I can't even remember the last thing I said to someone over the phone."

"Right, right," he groans, refocusing. "I'll look for it after I rescue Nico from Taylor's grip. My phone's probably lost in the Bermuda Triangle of the couch cushions anyway." He crawls toward them.

"Teamwork!" I say, clapping my hands, and it works—Demi hops onto the playmat, eager to join us in the rescue mission.

Just as Charlie reaches Nico, who's now torn between his discontent and spilling over the colorful blocks, there's a sudden quiet in the room.

"Nico?" I call. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

Then I see it—the blue streak of yogurt smeared across his cheek, remnants of yesterday's snack still clinging to his tiny fingers. "Yogurt!" he declares, and suddenly, chaos is restored as both twins erupt into giggles.

"Yogurt is always the answer!" Charlie laughs, "Someone needs their face cleaned. I think that's my job!"

"But look, Charlie, you can't clean them with your phone," I tease, my hands on my belly reminding me of this third little one brewing inside.

"Yeah, because I wouldn't want to call for backup like I did when you first realized you were pregnant!" he jokes back.

The laughter fades into a comfortable moment, and for just a few seconds, our home smells of pure chaos mixed with love.

Then it hits me as I watch my family, messy and giggling: even without knowing where his phone is, Charlie is still my rock.

I knee down, "All right, everybody! Time for lunch! Who wants pizza?"

"Me!" shouts Demi, and the others follow suit, their little arms raised high.

With Charlie by my side, chaos feels like less of a challenge and more like an adventure.