“Ewww.” The kids put their hands over their ears. I didn’t point out how often I’d wiped poop from their baby butts.
A crackling and crunching from the back seat alerted me that one of the kids had brought snacks.
“Can I have one of your chips, Fraser?” Ledger put his hand between the seats.
“Is the baby hungry, Dad?” He took a handful of the snack and gave it to my mate.
Ledger rubbed his belly. “The baby gets everything they need from me, but I love salt and vinegar chips.”
We’d piled out of the car and into the department store. I checked our children were wearing their bracelets. This shopping expedition could be overwhelming for them, and Ledger was struggling with swollen angles and a sore back. Ididn’t want to add setting the store alight as a highlight of our day.
“Where do you want to start?”I asked.
“Let’s get the car seat because that’s the most important.”
“Right.” I herded the children in the right direction.
“Do babies like car seats?” Rory skipped toward the elevator.
“You didn’t. You yelled whenever we put you in one.”
“Whaa, whaa.” Our eldest made fists and held them up to his eyes and pretended to cry.
Fraser made a face and put his hands over his ears.
“My baby can sit in the seats.” Skye held up her doll.
We spent an hour in the car seat section, and the sales assistant brought a chair for Ledger. Fraser didn’t like the black ones, and that eliminated most of them. Skye insisted her doll had to give her a sign before she approved one, and Rory read the labels about the car seat safety ratings.
When we finally settled on a red one, neither Ledger nor I checked the price. We wanted this done. But as I was paying, my mate looked around and asked where Fraser was.
“Sit and I’ll find him.” I placed the car seat beside him. “But don’t let this out of your sight.” I couldn’t go through choosing another one again.
Taking my oldest and youngest with me, we searched for my middle child. We found him in the toy department holding a stuffed pink dragon half as big as him.
“Don’t run off again, buddy. Dad and I were worried.”
“The baby needs this." He clutched it to his chest. “From me ‘cause I love the baby.”
I knew what was coming if I agreed, but I said yes. He whooped and dragged it along the aisle to the cashier. But Rory and Skye had to choose a present too, and I sent Ledger a message, telling him to stay put.
The baby ended up with a monster truck from Rory and a pumpkin wind-up toy from Skye.
“Let’s get the bassinet and some size zero clothes. I’ll order the diapers online.” My mate yawned as I helped him out of the chair where he’d been dozing.
We chose the bassinet easily while the kids were distracted by the toys they’d bought for their new sibling.
The sales assistant kept pulling fleece onesies off the rack, saying how soft and warm they were, and I kept putting them back.
“We need cotton,” I explained. “The baby has a skin sensitivity.”
She eyed Ledger’s belly, but on glancing at my don't-ask-follow-up-questions face, she said nothing. It was the face I'd used when the previous au pair agency candidates had asked about the scorch marks.
“The cotton section is over here.”
The woman got my mate a rolling chair, and he trundled between the aisles of clothes. But he planted his feet on the floor and placed a hand on his belly.
“The baby’s awake.”
