Under-going maintenance & extreme re-writing
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Helaina and Andrew were the power couple of high school. Not many high school relationships were destined to become more than that, but everyone expected Helaina and Andrew to get married and last for...
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When the professionals say the baby blues go away in roughly two weeks, it's no spurious fact. Andrew still passed through my mind from time to time, that's a given though since I'm raising his daughter and I was in love with him for five years. However, it's different now.
When he does pass my mind, all I can think about is how he broke my heart and Hope's before her's was even fully developed.
Hope is my main priority in life now. I love her with everything in me. Any minute I'm not near her is a minute I'm probably not enjoying myself. She is my everything.
At first, I feared that Hope didn't love me like a baby should love her mother, because of situations where she wouldn't stop crying when I held her, but I don't think like that anymore. I know she loves me, just as much as I love her.
In fact, she almost sleeps through the night. At only six weeks old, she is only waking up every three hours in a night on average. It's a blessing, really. I feel like we are both getting an adequate amount of sleep at this point.
I sat down on the couch in Mrs. Isabella's house with Hope laying on the couch next to me, pillows surrounding her so she wouldn't roll off. She was looking around curiously and being very well behaved.
"I'm so glad you two came over," Mrs. Isabella grinned widely as she joined us on the couch. The TV was playing Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Disney Junior on Hope's behalf. I'm aware she hardly understands her surroundings at six weeks, but I don't want her to pick up anything that might cause nightmares or bad language.
"Yeah, I thought I'd give Brennan a break from babysitting his sister and niece."
Mrs. Isabella frowned at me. "Helaina, you and I both know that's not what he's doing and that's not what he views it as. He is there to help you."
"I know," I sighed. "I just feel like he'd be doing better without me around."
"He's a little tired, but it's nothing he can't handle," she assured me. "Besides, he's obviously feeling energized enough to take my daughter out on a date."
"No way!" I exclaimed, rather loudly. Hope stared at me as if she were annoyed I wasn't using my inside voice. "Sorry, bibs," I chuckled, running my thumb through her hair. "Why didn't either of them tell me?"
"They probably just never found the time to bring it up." That seemed like a rather reasonable explanation because I was taking care of a small child. My fair excuse still didn't level out the guilt I felt for not being available for my brother and best friend to tell me important things like a date.
"That's so exciting though," I smiled, masking the guilt I felt.
Or I tried to anyway, but Mrs. Isabella saw right through me.
"Neither of them have any idea what it's like to be a mother, so they could not even begin to blame you for your unavailability. Not that they even would."