You've got a Way

31.

"No Da! My Ba...my...boo!" Emma demanded, pointing to her pacifier which was sitting on the counter as she sat impatiently during dinner in her high chair. Derek's mother had made pasta. "No Da!"

"Emma...quiet please." Derek sighed, as he put a little bit of pasta onto her tray.

"The Macaroni shaped pasta should be easy enough to eat. I used to make it for Derek all the time." His mother announced, grinning at Emma.

"She's going to like it." Meredith giggled.

"If she actually eats it." Derek groaned as she threw a piece onto the floor.

"No Da!"

"It's yummy...See..." He said, eating some of it.

"My ba." Emma whimpered, struggling to reach for it.

"Emma, it's dinner time." Derek said, sitting down at the table as his Mom placed the bigger bowl of pasta on the table.

"Emma...eat." Meredith smiled.

"You too." Derek said, taking Meredith's hand as she sat next to him. "Thank you for making dinner Mom."

"Not a problem Dear. It's my pleasure." The older woman smiled, sitting across from them as Emma took a handful of pasta and dropped it on the floor. "Oh Emma....you'll love the pasta if you try it."

"We should just get her a bucket to put below the high chair." Derek shook his head.

"Ba!"

"After you eat Em."

"Ba!" Emma protested, hitting her head against the back of the chair.

"Did I do this?" Derek asked his mom, rolling his eyes.

"Do you want the truth or the answer that will make you feel better?" His mother leaned over to kiss Emma's cheek.

"I don't know." He shook his head, putting some pasta on Meredith's plate.

"Ba?" Emma smiled, looking at her grandmother.

"The truth is you were never this stubborn unless it came to your pacifier."

"Great."

"Something tells me that getting her to want to give up her pacifier is going to be tougher then the bottle situation."

"Ba." Emma smiled at her mother.

"Oh..." Meredith groaned.

"Not my fault." Derek held his hands up.

"Derek didn't give it up until he was three."

"Mom..." He groaned.

'Three." Meredith frowned, her shoulders dropping as she took her fork from her mouth.

"My ba!" Emma screamed, tossing her milk cup onto the floor.

"I'm just going to give to her." Derek sighed standing up and walking into the kitchen.

"Derek is such a pushover when it comes to that little girl." Mrs. Shepherd laughed.

"He is but he still won't let me get her ears pierced." Meredith breathed, taking another bite.

"What?"

"I wanted to get her ears pierced and Derek flipped." Meredith sighed.

"I did not flip!" Derek called before coming back into the small dining room and giving Emma her pacifier