Gonzales

23

It was a bright, sunny morning, the kind of day where the smell of coffee lured you out of bed, and the promise of pancakes lingered in the air. In the Rossini household, however, things were a little more chaotic than your average family breakfast.

Alessandro sat at the kitchen table, already halfway through his coffee, his brow furrowed in concentration as he stared at his laptop. He was trying, with all his might, to get through a few emails before the kids came tumbling into the room. His attempts at getting some work done, however, were hopeless. It was always hopeless.

The sounds of the older boys — Romeo, Matteo, Marco, Luca, and Leo — filled the house as they got ready for the day. Their voices were a chorus of shouts, laughter, and occasional grumbling. Each of them had their own routine, but none of them could resist a little bit of noise when it came to getting ready for breakfast.

And then, of course, there was Aurelio.

At six months old, Aurelio was already the most adorable — and most mischievous — of the bunch. He was at that stage where he was beginning to crawl, and while it was more of a wobbling, uncoordinated scoot than an actual crawl, that didn't stop him from getting into trouble.

"Evelyn!" Alessandro called from the kitchen, his voice a mix of amusement and exasperation.

Evelyn walked in, holding a bottle of baby formula in one hand and a spoon in the other, both her eyes a little bleary from the long night of being woken up by Aurelio's cries. Despite the exhaustion, there was a soft smile on her face when she saw her husband. "What's going on?" she asked, her voice full of affection but laced with the kind of tiredness that only parents of multiple children could understand.

Alessandro nodded toward the living room, where Aurelio was currently attempting to climb onto the couch. At six months, the little boy was already showing signs of determination and curiosity. He wobbled on his hands and knees, grunting in frustration as he pushed himself up, only to collapse in a heap of giggles.

"He's doing it again," Alessandro said, shaking his head with a smile. "He's going to knock something over if we're not careful."

Evelyn laughed softly and set the bottle down on the counter. "I swear, this child is already planning his escape."

At that moment, Aurelio managed to propel himself onto the couch, his tiny hands gripping the fabric like he was about to take on the world. His little giggle echoed through the room as he looked around, clearly pleased with his new vantage point.

"Well, well," Evelyn said, walking over to Aurelio and gently scooping him off the couch. "You think you're ready to be a grown-up, huh?"

Aurelio squealed in protest, kicking his little legs in an attempt to wriggle free, his face turning bright red. But Evelyn just chuckled, holding him tight. "Not yet, my little adventurer. You've still got a lot of growing to do."

Aurelio's attention quickly shifted to the table, where a pile of napkins lay, just within his reach. With the suddenness of a whirlwind, he reached out and grabbed one, his tiny hands crinkling it with the enthusiasm only a baby could muster.

"No!" Evelyn laughed, trying to grab the napkin back. "Not the napkins, sweetie."

But Aurelio was quicker than she anticipated, and with one triumphant yank, he pulled the napkin free from the table. He looked up at her with a cheeky smile, his green eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Oh no," Evelyn said, shaking her head as she gave up the fight and let him have his fun. "You're going to be trouble, aren't you?"

Alessandro watched this exchange with a grin, his earlier frustration with the laptop completely forgotten. "I think the real question is: What trouble will he get into next?"