Harrison Avenue // H.S.

Now and Then

[Ellison] 

"Baby, can you say Christmas?" Harry asks Dylanne. He's holding her above his head while his back is on the wood floor, laying in front the tree at my parent's house. His arms are stretched up high and Dylanne squirms a little in this position, but still with a smile. "Say Christmas, Dilly."

She's wearing Christmas footie pajamas, with red stripes that just accentuate her chunky baby thighs. Her dark and curly hair, which she's always had a surprising amount of, is pulled into a tiny ponytail at the top of her head, looking like a little fountain of curls. And she's been extra giggly this evening, the kind of infectious baby giggle that makes everything seem right in the world. Harry just keeps getting it out of her, which earns an equally adorable giggle from him too.

So, obviously I can't stop smiling at the two of them.

Between the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree and the warm glow from the fireplace, my parent's living room has a feeling that was never present in this house while I was growing up. Back then it was cold, almost entirely untouched. Now, it's something new.

We spent most of yesterday putting up decorations throughout the house. Harry dragged in a tree that was far too big even with the tall ceilings of my parent's living room. He had it to drag it back outside so he and my dad could struggle with a chainsaw for an hour. Honestly, not sure why it took them so long. Now though, this room is warm and cozy and it feels like family in a way that it never has. When it comes down to it, it's all Harry's doing, because it's our family that's changed this room, Harry and Ellison, and baby Dylanne.

My parents are sat on the couch on one side of the room, sharing a fleece blanket, cuddling together as my mom sips at the red wine in the glass her hand while my dad moves his fingers through her hair. Ethan is sat near Harry's spot on the floor, leaning his back on the coffee table and smiling every time Dylanne attempts to say a word. I'm sat in a cushioned chair that's close to Harry and Dylanne's sprawl near the tree, and I'm stuck in a non-stop stare of fondness in their direction.

If someone were to have told me that this is how my family would be spending an evening together just a few years earlier to now, I would have thought they lost their mind... especially with any of mention of my mom being a part of it. Just the fact that she's here right now is something that I'm still getting used to.

Because back then my mom would have never been here, would have never been cuddling with my dad on a couch either. But now, she makes an effort to spend time with her family and it's not a constant battle between us anymore. We actually kind of get along... weirdly enough.

"C'mon, baby," Harry continues, changing his voice to sound like it always does when he talks to Dylanne. "Say... Christmas."

"Dada," Dylanne giggles, clapping her hands together as she stays high in the air above Harry's head.

Dylanne can say ten words, or I suppose they are more like baby version of words. Her vocabulary includes, dada, purr (which means cat), buh-bye, mumma, hello, more, uh oh, bub (which means bubbles), Mah (which is Matt's name), and no. She loves no. It's hard to tell exactly what her voice will sound like within the time she truly starts talking, but with this small vocabulary, I can hear the slightest indication of an accent similar to Harry's. It's faint, but even Harry's accent has become more neutral throughout my years with him.

"Harry," I say his name and his head tilts back to look up at me. Dylanne follow his lead and her head lifts up at the same time to make eye contact with me as well. They move in unison and my heart feels like it melts a little because of that. "I think Christmas might be a little advanced for her."