Baby on Board

Daddy's Girl

Seraphina is utterly perfect; a gift from the Heavens that I'm sure I don't deserve, my daughter has ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes and she has a face that will break hearts in years to come. Her cheeks are plump and pink, her eyelashes long and luscious, her hair soft and smooth. She is everything that I always dreamed of and more. I cannot stop looking at her. 

"You're going to freak her out when she wakes up," Martha whispers at me as we both lean on the side of the cot and watch the baby sleep. Despite her harsh words, Martha is as besotted with her little sister as I am and is forever hovering around, wanting to spend as much time as possible with our latest addition. "No wonder she keeps screaming when she opens her eyes. Your face terrifies her."

I elbow my eldest daughter but I smile as I wrap my arm around her and pull her to my side. "She's cute, though, isn't she?" Martha rolls her eyes at my words. She must think that I'm only saying this because I'm gaga over Seraphina but in all honesty, this is pretty tame in comparison to how I was when Martha was a baby.  "When you were a baby, I would have your Moses basket in my bedroom and stay up all night to make sure you were breathing. You hated sleeping at night but you never cried. You would just lie there, staring at the ceiling and then when you were old enough, you'd just lie there and smile while staring at the ceiling. I always wondered what was going through your tiny little head."

"I was probably wondering when the weirdo would stop staring at me so I could finally get some shut eye," Martha laughs quietly, careful to ensure that she didn't wake Seraphina. Her arms tighten around my waist and she sighs contentedly, her eyes glued on the baby. "She looks more like you than Charlotte. A bit squidgy, though."

We stay in the nursery for a few more minutes before finally retreating. I ran a finger gently down Seraphina's cheek and double checked that the baby monitor was on, closing the door as I followed Martha down the stairs to the kitchen. As requested, our family and friends were giving us space to get used to being a family of four. Lottie's family visited briefly just after we arrived in the recovery room but when Camille noticed how tired her daughter was, she ushered everyone out and demanded that I text her as soon as Lottie was feeling up for visitors. 

I hadn't sent the text yet. Lottie had stayed in the hospital for a few days as she was being monitored post c-section and we'd only been home for a few hours as it is. Lottie went straight to be bed after we came home but not before telling me to wake her when Seraphina needed feeding which wouldn't be for a few hours. Not that it mattered, seeing as Lottie had managed to express a few bottles of breast milk this morning before our drive home.

She was ridiculously excited about coming home and insisted on carrying Seraphina into the house, taking her up to the nursery that we'd decorated and then laying her down in the cot. After a great big yawn, Lottie declared that she was pooped and was going to bed. I couldn't blame her for being exhausted; Seraphina is a bit of a restless baby and could be demanding at night time, crying for no good reason. We tried to feed her but she'd still cry. Changing her nappy didn't stop her from screaming. Not even cuddles worked! I swear, the baby just cried because she felt like it. It was almost like she was smirking at me when she stopped, not that a four day old could smirk. It was probably wind and she needed burping.