Madrid Squad

Slow Down

This is inspired by the song Slow Down by Nichole Nordeman. I would suggest playing it as you read this one shot to be able to get the few references.

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It was one of those days where you could just lie in bed the whole day. Nothing was in their schedules and the kids had no school. It was the perfect setting for Kylie just to bask in the joys that her life brought her. Peaceful and tranquil, she was crunched up on the swing found on the foyer of their newly bought beach house in Hawaii with her widely awake 5-month-old on her lap. His almond eyes staring up at her like she was the human embodiment of comfort and shelter. She looked at him like he was the human embodiment of starlight and lunar eclipses. Her attention was fully his at the moment which was rare since he was born third in the order of three. The baby smiled as his mother massaged his bare chest with her warm hands and a little piece of her heart.

Kylie smiled back, "Good morning, sunshine."

Here's to you
You were pink or blue
And everything I wanted

Kylie looked intently at her son and couldn't help but look back at the day he was born. Silas Emilio was 8 pounds and 5 ounces heavy and a deep shade of red. He looked like a blob of scarlet fat and joy and sunshine mixed into one small baby.

You see, before her kids came, Kylie felt like she had way too much love to give. All that love was too much to comprehend even when Ruru was already there to love so she tried to pour it all onto pets and family. Still, there was so much left.
Then, Amir happened and suddenly the love she could not comprehend was too little. She grew another heart— one out of her body, one with her eyes and his daddy's smile.

Silas gurgled. His toes curled and relaxed as the sound bounced off the corners of his mouth.

Here's to you
Never sleeping through
From midnight till the morning

She remembered how none of her three offsprings ever really were good sleepers. Maybe Silas was for the first few weeks but it ceased and they never got a night's rest since but it was worth it when they wake in the morning to see the heavy-eyed smiles and to receive the morning cuddles.

Had to crawl before you walked
Before you ran
Before I knew it
You were trying to free your fingers from my hand
'Cause you could it on your own now
SomehowSlow down
Won't you stay here a minute more
I know you want to walk through the door
But it's all too fast
Let's make it last a little while

She felt her insides churn and flutter as the memories of her two older children's firsts came to mind. Amir's first steps in the living room of the old townhouse they used to rent. Noelle's first word in the small white cot that was later on passed on to her by her older brother and now passed on to Silas. The day they walked from Point A to Point B without assistance of any kind and without stumbling or falling. Those were the first times she felt like she was doing something right as a mother.

I pointed to the sky and now you wanna fly
I am your biggest fan
I hope you know I am
But do you think you can somehow
Slow down

Kylie stood him up on her lap, chest to chest and pointed to the little silhouette of a seagull flying across the caged horizon their beach backyard had to offer. The bird looked tiny against the softly lit blue canvass of a sky with few blotches of white cottony clouds.

Silas bounced, locking and unlocking his knees, and let out an excited squeal as he pointed at the sky. His bouncing became more vigorous to the point where Kylie held him up in the air and his feet still wriggled. It seemed as though he wanted to defy gravity and reach for the feathers of the bird. It was as if he was ready to take on such a task.