You Outshine the Morning Sun

Lin

The next couple days were hard.  There were the demands of having one newborn baby at home.  The multiple nighttime feedings.  Pippa stayed at the hospital every night, so it was all on me, plus taking care of Cam and Molly.  The girls were being really good and tried to help out with their little brother.  Pippa came home during the day for 5 or 6 hours to sleep mostly and spend some time with the girls and with Felix.

Finally, Raina had been taken out of the oxygen chamber.  She was able to breathe by herself.  I wasn't there when Pippa was able to hold our daughter for the first time, but I can picture her face.  She was totally in love with her child.  I'm sure she didn't put her down for hours.

The doctors said Raina could go home that evening.  My parents came over and cooked dinner for the girls, and I took a cab to the hospital with our second car seat, ready for the baby that belonged in it.  I walked into the hospital with the empty carrier and found Pippa's room.  She was sitting in the rocking chair, looking down at Raina, talking quietly to her.  Little Raina had her eyes open, looking up at her mother.  I set the carrier down and sat down on the bed, peeking at my daughter.

"Hi," she smiled at me, glowing.

"Hey," I smiled at her.  I don't think I'd ever seen her so beautiful.  No make up, hair up in a topknot.  Gorgeous.

"Would you like to meet your daughter?" she asked, sitting up more.

"Of course," I said as she leaned forward.  I stood up and gently took Raina from her mother.  She was so tiny and light in my arms.  "Hi, sweetheart."

I instinctively started rocking her a little bit, unable to take my eyes off her.  She was beautiful.  Perfect.  She had Pippa's eyes and nose.  When she was older, she'd be a knockout just like her mother.  I'd have to fight the boys off.

I talked to her softly, in English and in Spanish, telling her about her family and her home.  She seemed to like my voice.  I couldn't wait to sing her to sleep.  I felt protective over Felix, but my feelings towards Raina were magnified.  I was her daddy, her protector.  There was a special bond between a father and daughter.  I'd felt it when I first held Camila, and I felt it again now with Raina.  I was so blessed.

Pippa had been gathering her things quietly as I had my moment with our daughter.  Soon, she was ready to go.

"You ready to go home?" I asked Raina, and she yawned.  I took that as a yes.  I carefully strapped her into her carseat.  I'd already gotten better at working the straps.  I kissed Pippa on the lips sweetly and we left the hospital for the last time.  Our whole family would be together.

I yelled at the cab driver several times on the way home, telling him to slow down.  We reached home, and I knew the girls would be all over Raina.  I set her down on the floor as we walked in and the girls instantly knelt down to look at their baby sister.  She was asleep in the seat, of course.  They talked to her in their little baby voices.

"If you wanna hold her, go to the couch," I told them.  They practically raced over.  Since Cam was older, she was first.  I gently handed her over as Pippa found a comfortable seat, sighing in contentment.  Cam held her sister for ten minutes or so before Molly insisted it was her turn.  I took Raina from my oldest daughter and passed her to Molly.

My mother brought Felix out after getting a diaper change.  She passed him over and I planted kisses all over his little face.  I decided we needed our first family photo together.  I passed Felix to Cam, and called Pippa over.  We stood behind the couch, kneeling down, and we all smiled for the camera.  We were now a happy family of six.

My parents served us all some dessert to celebrate, and then said their goodbyes.  They'd be over a lot in the coming days to help out, but wanted to give us some time alone as a family.

"Should we give the twins a bath?" Pippa suggested, and the girls of course wanted to help out.  We'd bought two little bath seats for the babies.  I started the bath, making sure the temperature was just right.  Pippa and I both carefully undressed the babies and set them down in their seats. I showed the girls how to use the washcloth to squeeze a bit of water over their bodies, and reminded them not to get it on their faces.

We stood back and let the girls do the work.  They both seemed to love the water, kicking their legs.  Molly and Cam delighted at their reactions.  They smiled when they got water squeezed onto their tummies.

The babies were a bit young to get changed by their siblings.  I promised them that would come later, when they were a bit older and less fragile.  We didn't want to take any chances.  We had one changing table, so Pippa took Raina first, putting on a nighttime diaper and her brand new pajamas.  I then changed Felix and we took them to our bed for some cuddles.  Each of the girls read a picture book aloud to them.  We wanted to establish a calm bedtime routine, and loved that Cam and Molly wanted to be part of it.

Cam and Molly were a little sad when it was time to put the babies to bed.  They wanted to play with them all the time.  Pippa put Raina into her little crib for the first time, tucking her in, and I did the same with Felix.  They both fussed a little bit, but soon settled down.  We'd purchased a video monitor, which switched back and forth every 10 seconds between the two cribs.  Soon, they were both out.

We wanted to make sure Molly and Cam felt they were getting enough attention, so we decided to have a family movie night.  I made popcorn and we all cuddled up on the couch.  Pippa didn't make it to the end, not surprisingly.  Both girls were laying on me by the end.  As the credits rolled, I knew I had to get everyone moving.

"Alright, girls.  Time for bed.  Go brush your teeth," I said, carefully extracted myself from underneath them.  They moaned in protest.  I gave Cam's leg a couple pats to get her moving.  I realized Molly was a lost cause.  One night skipping teeth brushing wouldn't hurt.  I picked her up and she rested her head on my shoulder.  I rubbed her back as I carried her to bed and tucked her in.  I checked on the babies while I was there.  They'd need to get up for a feeding soon.

Cam was just going into her bedroom as I came out.  I followed her inside to tuck her in.

"How do you like being a big sister?" I asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"I love it," she said, smiling.  "They're so cute."

"They are.  Even cuter than you were," I joked.  Cam laughed at that.  I leaned down and kissed her forehead, then gave her a big hug.  "I love you.  And you're a great big sister."

She beamed at the compliment.  I hoped it would stay this way.  The babies were new and hadn't been that fussy yet.  Hopefully Cam would continue to want to help and have a good attitude.  I turned off her light and then went back to the living room to get Pippa to bed.  She was laying on her back, looking like an angel.  I decided to play Prince Charming.

I knelt beside her on the couch and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.  Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled up at me.

"Is the curse broken?" I whispered.  She grinned and stretched.

"Are the girls in bed?"

"Yep," I said.  "Let's get you tucked in."

I took her hand and helped her sit up, then led her down the hall, hand in hand.  We knew we'd be up again soon, and multiple times during the night, so we wasted no time in cuddling up and falling asleep.  The satisfying sleep of new exhausted parents.