My Baby Girl

The Monkey and The Stinker Bugs

One week later
*Ashley's POV*

I watch from my seat on the bench as Tyler alternates pushing Adley and Everleigh on the swing. Since the sun has finally come out after a week of rain and clouds, Tyler and I decided to take the girls to the park a few blocks from our house. As much as I would love to join them in the fun, I am perfectly content just sitting here and loving on Ainsley, while she sucks my milk hungrily. Since I can't exactly feed both girls at the same time, Tyler and I have organized a schedule for the babies' feeding time. Thankfully, both girls adapted pretty quickly, and it's rare that they are both hungry at same time. As a mother, I like to feed my babies strictly off of breastmilk for the first six months of their life, and then transition to formula. It's better for their development and it gives me an excuse to cuddle.

"Mommy, watch me do a dunderdog!" Everleigh calls, immediately seizing my attention. I can't help but chuckle at her pronunciation of "underdog". I hope she never out grows her cute little accent.

"Let me see!" I reply. Tyler pulls the swing back as far as it can go, and then pushes it forward; giving him just enough room to slip underneath.

"Weeee!" Everleigh calls; giggling delightedly as she soars into the air.

"Wow Ev, you're high!" I call over her squeals. I'm so interested in watching Everleigh, that I don't even realize when Tyler takes a seat next to me, and slides his hand across my back, while balancing Adley in the other.

"Hello, beautiful." He says to me; kissing my hair.

"And hello beautiful." He repeats in a higher pitched voice, while stroking Ainsley's hair. She looks up at him and smiles, but doesn't unlatch, still eating contently. The twins have the brightest, cutest smiles ever. Every time they smile it just melts my heart. I used to think Everleigh was the smiliest baby alive, but now that these two came along, they hold the Guinness World Record! Nothing makes me happier than watching Tyler make my little girls laugh.

"She's feeding well today!" I exclaim, both happy and relieved. Tyler and I were getting a little worried because lately Ainsley hasn't been eating much and occasionally refuses to latch. We took her into the doctor, but he said it was normal for her age and that it was probably a result of premature teething.

"That's great!" Tyler replies, sounding just as relieved. It has been utter hell trying to get Ainsley to eat and sleep through the night. It hurts me to see my baby girl in so much pain. Just then Adley's face scrunches up, and she lets out a high pitched wail.

"Well Ains, it looks like your feeding time is up my dear." I say, reluctant to pull her away because she's finally eating. Thankfully though, she stays quiet; practically asleep in my arms.

"Switcheroo." I say, handing a very milk drunk baby over to Tyler in return for the squirmy, screaming one. Time for round two.

***

Once both twins are sleeping soundly in the double stroller and Everleigh is too tired to walk, we decide to call it a day and walk back home for a nice family evening. One would assume that the block and a half walk back to our house wouldn't take very long, but the problem with Tyler and I being on TV, is that everywhere we go people recognize us and want to take pictures with us. There's nothing wrong with that, and I enjoy meeting each and every one of my fans so much, it just takes a lot longer to reach our destinations.

Finally, when we are safely inside the four walls of our air conditioned house, I am able to breathe and slowly unwind, as well as chug a nice big glass of iced water.

"Mommy, can you play barbies wif me?" Everleigh asks, her pleading eyes making it almost impossible for me to say no...but then I look at her face... and her hands... and her clothes... and her legs, so smeared with dirt that I almost have to laugh. Almost, if she wasn't standing in the middle of my white sitting room.