Never Not You

little dinosaur + reassurance

Mateo loved cupcakes. He really loved cupcakes.

His tiny hands were sticky with frosting, his cheeks covered in crumbs as he happily nibbled on his treat. It was soft and sweet, and every bite made him giggle with delight. Sitting in his high chair, he swung his little legs back and forth, his curls bouncing as he enjoyed every bite like it was the best thing in the whole wide world.

And then—Mama.

His eyes turned to Leah, who was sitting across from him. She had a cupcake too, just like him! He watched, completely fascinated, as she took a big bite—no, the biggest bite—and finished the rest of her cupcake all at once.

Mateo blinked. His tiny mind worked fast.

Mama eats big bites. I eat big bites too!

With absolute determination, he grabbed the rest of his cupcake—more than half of it still left—and smushed it straight into his mouth.

Too much. Way too much.

His chubby cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk, his little hands pressing against his mouth as he tried to chew. His eyes went wide. Oh-oh. This was very different from the little nibbles he had been taking.

Aurora, sitting beside him, gasped. "¡Cariño, por favor! Smaller bites!" she said, her voice somewhere between laughing and panicking.

Mateo tried to say something, but his words came out as a muffled, crumb-filled "Mmmph!"

Leah snorted, barely holding back laughter. "Oh, buddy," she said, reaching over to gently wipe frosting from his nose.

Mateo blinked again. He slowly, carefully started chewing. After a long moment, he managed to swallow.

And then—proud. So proud.

He clapped his sticky hands together, grinning up at his mamas. "Big boy!" he declared, giggling.

Aurora sighed, shaking her head as she kissed his chubby cheek. "Sí, mi amor. But next time... smaller bites."

Mateo nodded, but really, he had already moved on. Because—oh! Look! More frosting on his fingers!

And, of course, that meant only one thing.

Time to eat it.

Mateo's tiny hands went straight to his frosting-covered fingers, his eyes lighting up with pure joy. He giggled and brought his hands to his mouth, licking them clean with exaggerated delight. "Mmm, cu'cae," he mumbled, his little voice full of satisfaction, clearly not caring that his face and hands were now even more of a mess.

Leah and Aurora exchanged a glance, both of them trying to suppress their laughter at the sight of their son, his face a complete disaster but so incredibly happy. Leah shook her head, unable to hide her smile. "You're a mess, buddy," she said affectionately, reaching over to wipe some of the frosting from his cheek. "But you sure know how to enjoy your cupcake."

Mateo looked up at her, grinning from ear to ear with frosting smeared across his face like a badge of honour. He held his hands up to her, his fingers sticky and covered in frosting. "Mama! Mami!" he said proudly, his giggles filling the air. "I make big bite like mama!" He held his hands out to her, showing off his frosting-covered fingers as though they were the best thing he'd ever discovered.

Leah chuckled, rubbing his little nose with the back of her hand. "You sure did, buddy," she said, giving him another kiss on his cheek. "But next time, we'll try to take it a little slower."