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There was seldom a quiet moment in the Holland household. There were almost always shrieks of laughter or the sound of crying from the kids. Mornings were the busiest for the family, as they rushed around to get ready for the day. If Tom was home, and wasn't out the door at ungodly hours for filming, he did what he could to help his wife out and get the kids ready. James, their newborn, who was only four months old, was always up at the crack of dawn, crying for somebody to come get him. Ivy, their almost-four-year-old, was always full of energy (even early in the morning), and often had plans of her own. This morning was no different than any other.
Tom woke to the sound of James making noises in his crib, which was placed on the opposite side of his room. There was a nursery for him, but it was just easier to have him in their bedroom for when he cried in the middle of the night. With a groan, Tom rolled over in bed to see what time it was. His eyes squinted as he tried to make out the red numbers glaring at him on the digital clock. 4:30 a.m. It was early. Much too early. That didn't make a difference, though, when the baby was crying.
He glanced over at his wife, who was still fast asleep under a pile of blankets. There was still about an hour and a half until the time she normally got up, so Tom got out of bed as carefully as he could. She was often the one who was up in the night, trying to get James back to sleep, even though Tom always offered to do it. Making his way across the room, he leaned over the side of the crib, scooping his baby up into his arms. He cradled his little boy in his arms, rocking him from side to side gently, carrying him out of the room. "It's alright, J. I got you, bud," Tom whispered softly as he made his way to the nursery to change his diaper. Laying James down on the changing table, Tom sang a few short songs just to keep the baby preoccupied while he changed him. It was something Tom had always done - it started after Ivy was born, and she squirmed way too much all the time. The singing seemed to relax her a bit.
Once his diaper was changed, James seemed about ready to fall back asleep, but Tom didn't want to risk waking his wife by getting back in bed, so he sat down in the rocking chair in the nursery. With his little boy swaddled in his favorite blanket and held up against his chest, it wasn't long before Tom could feel his eyes getting heavy again. James had already fallen back asleep, so Tom figured there was no harm in letting his eyes close for a bit.
An hour later, Tom's wife found her boys in that same position. They looked so peaceful sleeping there, and she didn't want to wake them, but the family had to get started on their day, or they'd never get anything done. Hoping that she could pick her son up without disturbing her husband, she ever so slowly plucked James out of her husband's hands. This method, however, didn't work, and Tom started stirring as soon as his boy was out of his hands. Blinking sleepily, he looked up to his wife, who pressed a kiss to the top of his head.
Tom got up slowly, pressing a real kiss to his wife's lips as he stood, "Mm mornin' my love."
"Good morning, Tommy," she whispered back, rocking the baby gently. His hand came up to run through her hair, and another kiss was placed to her lips. She smiled to herself, unsure as to how she had gotten so lucky. "Would you mind making some coffee while I feed J and get ready?"
