Reflecting their own light: Rory and Logan

Chapter 34.5

I opted to take a couple of weeks off from work after our daughter arrived.  I'd be available in case of emergencies, but tried to keep work to the bare minimum.  The first week at home with Emma was much more difficult than I'd ever imagined.  I tried to let Rory get some sleep when I could, but the baby had an appetite to match that of her mother.  With Ace being the primary source of food, it made getting rest nearly impossible for her.  I felt terribly about her sleep deprivation, but helped whenever I could.

I suggested that we take some time for ourselves and get used to all things baby before the majority of our friends and family came to visit.  I encouraged them to wait a while before coming to visit.  It's not that we didn't want to see them.  It's just that things were already crazy adjusting to Emma, but we were learning.  Rory insisted on making an exception for her mom and grandma.  She'd been relying heavily on her mother for advice, and Emily insisted on seeing her great granddaughter.  So, it only made sense to comply.

Lorelai had been back and forth several times since Emma's birth, but Emily hadn't been able to get to Hartford until the baby was four days old.  When she arrived, I was in the study with the baby in the bassinet while I checked in at work.  I could hear them chatting in the living room.  About five minutes later, she woke up and started fussing.  I finished up what I was doing and picked her up.  I tried soothing her by bouncing a little, swaying and every other trick I could think of that we'd used over the last few days to no avail.  As she continued to fuss, she started nuzzling me, and that's when I remembered the same incident at the hospital.

"Are you hungry, baby girl  Should we go get Mommy?" I asked her softly and sweetly.  I walked over to the door.

"Hey, Ace, I think Emma is hungry," I called to the next room.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll be back in a bit," I heard Rory say to Emily.

"Nonsense, Rory," she started.  "Logan, bring that precious baby in here.  There's no shame in feeding your own child."

That definitely didn't sound like the Emily Gilmore I knew, but I wasn't one to fight her orders.  I brought Emma into the living room for Rory to feed.  I watched her try to find a modest position and begin feeding.

"I swear all this baby does is eat," Rory said, trying to make small talk to distract from her current situation.

"Your mother was the same way.  It felt as if she needed to eat every two hours, like clockwork.  it took forever before I finally got a decent night's sleep," she replied.

"You didn't have a nanny right away?"

"No, we waited until she was about two years old."

"How long before Mom finally let you sleep?"

"I think it had to be at least six months.  During that time I did seriously consider getting a nanny, just to get some sleep.  I made it through though, and you will, too," Emily replied.

Emma finished eating and Rory moved her up to her shoulder to burp.  She burped and started to fall asleep on her shoulder.

"Come and see your Great-Grandma, Emma," she said, reaching for the baby.  "Rory, you go upstairs and get yourself some sleep.  Logan and I can handle things down here for a bit, right?"

"Ace, Emily is right.  You go get some rest.  I can see your exhaustion," I agreed.  I watched as she reluctantly went upstairs.  I listened for her moving around and after about ten minutes, all was silent.

Emily began gently rocking Emma until she was completely asleep.  She said on the couch contently with the baby in her arms.  It seemed so natural for her, and that confused me.  She never struck me as the type to be overly involved with babies.  It just wasn't the norm in society families, and until recently, Emily had been the paradigm of societal perfection.