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“Why not? Gracie is here, and she can entertain Jack and keep her brother happy. I can handle the rest.”
He looked conflicted.
“Sid, I’m fine. Go.”
“I’ll stay,” he said, taking a seat at the table. “I’ll help.”
I laughed, and he scowled, which made me laugh harder.
Two hours later, Sid and I had a system down. He played with the older kids, and I fed and diapered the young ones. It was working so far, but the kids were all awake at the same time, and I felt a little frazzled.
Sid was on the floor, letting Lily and Jack climb all over him. Next to me, Gracie was feeding Ava a bottle while the baby rested on a pillow in her lap. I was feeding Adaline while bouncing Isaac in a bouncy seat with my foot. It was quiet, and I hoped it stayed that way.
“She’s done,” Gracie said.
“Thanks. Sid, could you help Gracie?”
“Sure.”
He hopped up and redid his hair. He had it tied back so the kids wouldn’t yank on it. It was half up in the smallest ponytail since it was too short to all go back, but I liked that look on him. A lot. Gracie handed Ava to him, and he put her over his shoulder and bounced her while he burped her. It looked so natural, and my stomach and lady bits all fluttered.
That must have been what those girls on that reality show were talking about when they said they had “fanny flutters.” Every part of me was buzzing for him. He caught me looking at him and winked. Was it possible to die from swooning?
Sid bounced Ava until she fell asleep, then he laid her down in the guest room. Isaac was next to go, falling asleep in the bouncy seat. Addy was still awake, but with two down, we could handle the rest.
“It’s lunchtime, everyone,” I announced. Gracie hopped up and followed Sid into the kitchen.
“Can I help, Uncle Sid?” she asked.
It still surprised me when Jack, Gracie, and Lily called him Uncle. But they called all of our friends Aunt and Uncle, including me, which I didn’t always respond to because I still wasn’t used to it.
Sid and Gracie put together peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with chips and fruit. After lunch, I put Adaline and Lily to bed. The other two little ones were still sleeping, which left us with Gracie and Jack. I plopped down on the couch and put my feet up on the coffee table. Sid sat beside me with Jack on his lap.
Kate had said Jack was hit or miss with the naps, but he looked tired. Sid rested his head back against the couch, and I knew both he and Jack would be asleep within a few minutes. I had three baby monitors—all three women brought theirs—and the volume on all of them was all the way up. I tipped my head back and closed my eyes.
“AUNT KAT, WAKE UP.” I felt tiny hands on my arms, but I couldn’t seem to pry my eyes open. Sleep felt so good. “Wake up, Aunt Kat.”
I opened one eye, and Gracie giggled. I opened my other eye and saw everyone was awake.
“How did I sleep through all the noise?” I asked.
Sid shrugged. He was changing Isaac’s diaper while bouncing a crying Ava in the seat on the floor with his foot. Addie was in the playpen screaming, and Jack was coloring on the floor instead of the piece of paper right beside him.
“Oh my God. What the hell happened?” I screeched.
I jumped up and grabbed Addie first, then snatched the crayons out of Jack’s hand while promising Sid that I would clean the marks up with a Magic Eraser. I handed Addie and a bottle to Gracie, who had a pillow waiting, then unstrapped Ava from her seat and picked her up. She stopped crying and grabbed a chunk of my ponytail.
Sid finished changing Isaac and grabbed a bottle. He handed Jack a snack cup and settled in beside me on the couch.
“We were doing okay,” he said.
A laugh bubbled out of me. “No, you weren’t. Chaos was ensuing.”
“Yeah, but I tried to wake you, and you didn’t budge.”
“How did I sleep through all the crying?”
He chuckled. “No clue. They were pretty loud.”
