We'll Get Through This

Part 17

The following day, Maya was back at work and Carina was home alone with the twins for the first time in weeks, something she was incredibly excited about. She was grateful that there had been daycare and their friends that had come over to let her spend time with them, but just getting to be with them was something she had missed so much. She knew she had to go to radiation today, but she would probably just take them to daycare or see if someone at the hospital could watch them during her short appointment.

For the morning, however, she was baking with her girls.

"Ok," Carina said as she finished putting braids in Nora's hair, "Are you two ready to help me make some biscotti?"

"Si," both little girls cheered, jumping up and down, Rowan reaching out and grabbing Nora's hand and before Carina knew what was going on, they were spinning around holding each other's hands and laughing hysterically.

Carina just stood back, laughing as she watched the twins play. She made sure to steer their little spinning circle away from the counter so they didn't hit their heads, but she just let them go until they both fell down on the floor, still laughing.

"Was that fun?" Carina asked, looking at the little girls who were laying on the floor.

"Si," Rowan nodded as she tried to stand up only to fall back down, "Woah."

"Are you dizzy?" Carina asked, joining the twins on the floor.

"Si," Nora said, making a silly face, "Zizzy."

"That's what happens when you spin around like that," Carina said as Nora crawled over to her, thinking that if she spun like that, she would be so sick to her stomach.

"Yike spinnin," Rowan said, still laying on the floor as Nora climbed into Carina's lap.

"It looks like you had fun," Carina said, rubbing Nora's back.

"Mamma spin?" Rowan asked, apparently feeling less dizzy as she sat up.

"No grazie," Carina said, shaking her head, "But thank you for asking me to play with you. Maybe we can play something else later though."

"Mate bistotti?" Nora asked, looking up at Carina.

"Are you guys ready to make biscotti now?" Carina asked as Rowan came over to her as well.

"Si," Rowan nodded, "Tome on Mamma. Det up."

"Ok," Carina laughed, pushing herself up from the ground, feeling a small twinge in her abdomen that often happened when she moved quickly, "Are you both going to help me?"

Both twins nodded as Carina picked them up one at a time, setting them on either side of the KitchenAid mixer.

"Ok," Carina said, "Sit right here carefully while I go get the ingredients, ok?"

"Otay," Rowan said, looking at her sister, "I do da sudar."

"I do a edds," Nora said, nodding.

Carina smiled as she listened to them chat with each other, remembering the days she would spend in the kitchen with her mom and brother baking. She had been five when he was born so she was the only one actively participating in the baking for a good part of her early childhood, but even when Andrea was very small, her mamma would put him in a baby carrier and bake with both her kids. Carina had memories of taking baby Andrea's hand and making him hold the teaspoons to add vanilla or cinnamon or other ingredients. Getting to bake and cook with her own daughters was so special that made her feel closer to her own mom. She walked over to the counter with her containers of flour and sugar and almonds.