Third In Line

Chapter Twenty One - The Cool Aunt

The living room was pitch black as she entered, like the rest of the house at this time of night. She switched on the lights and quickly turned the dimmer switch down low before hers or Charlie's eyes could be affected by the sudden light change. It was three in the morning when she'd been woken up by little Charlie crying in his crib, but after a diaper change and what felt like hours of consoling him, she had no idea how much time had passed.

Once her eyes had adjusted, she could see that the sofa was still a mess, crushed and askew after the evening's activities only a few hours before. The kid's toys were all over the place, her niece's games and DVDs mixed with her own children's building blocks and doll's houses. They had been so tired after all their playing that none of them had been bothered to clean up after themselves, children and adults alike.

Pippa carefully maneuvered around each toy as she made her way to the sofa, being especially cautious around the piles of Lego, knowing full well how much it hurt to step on them. Charlie slept blissfully in her arms, completely unaware of the obstacle course his mother was somehow completing with an hours sleep and a baby in her arms.

Slowly, she lowered her rear end down onto the sofa, only to immediately raise it again as she felt a rock hard Lego structure press through her thin pajamas and against her skin. One look down at the sleeping baby in her arms was enough to stop her from screaming all sorts of rude words to relieve the pain, so she could only have the satisfaction of sweeping the small Lego watchtower off the sofa and onto the ground, relishing at the sight of it crumbling into all its little pieces.

"Please don't be a fan of Lego when you're older Charlie" she whispered down at her son. He stretched his little hands, his fingers no bigger than a block of lego, and moaned in his sleep. She could only hope he meant to say yes, but he was yet to say his first word, let alone agree with her.

The sofa cushions were still uncomfortable, even without the toys poking her bum. They had been practically flattened by the girls jumping up and down on them, and then when the films started playing on the television the sofa was almost overflowing with her family members. Pippa desperately wanted to clean up a bit, puff up the cushions again and make everything neat and tidy, but her legs and arms longed for comfort, while her back ached from holding Charlie for hours. Her desire to sit down and relax was for once more powerful than her almost obsessive compulsion to keep everything in its proper place.

Charlie seemed to have finally fallen back into a deep sleep, so she knew she should get him back into his crib. You sleep when the baby sleeps, she reminded herself, but as hard as she tried to get up from the sofa, she still stayed right where she was.

"It's comfortable enough to fall asleep on" she whispered, convincing herself to stay. Just the idea of going back up the stairs with Charlie was already making her legs ache.

"Aunt Pippa?" a familiar voice called to her.

"Ellie" she looked up at her niece, who slowly stepped into the dim light of the living room. "What are you doing up?" she asked in a soft whisper.

"I couldn't sleep" Ellie replied, "You?"

"Charlie was crying and it was my turn" she said, smiling tiredly down at the baby in her arms.

"Your turn?" her niece asked curiously as she took a seat beside her on the sofa. Luckily there wasn't any more Lego waiting for her as she sat down.

"My turn to get out of bed and calm the baby down. Taking turns is the only way either of us gets any sleep" she explained, yawning as she mentioned sleep.

"Doesn't look like you're getting any sleep" Ellie teased.

"Well, raising children and being tired are in the same package. It's all about finding ways to be less tired. Your Mum and Dad will say the same kiddo."