Forever In My LIFE (Book 4) 2nd Alternate

Part 42

A few days later, my birthday arrives, although it remains unspoken since I know Prince's philosophy on 'counting time'. As usual, Ramiel wakes us to feed, and when he's finished, Prince surprisingly encourages me to remain in bed, "I'll change him, Sugar. Get some rest, it's raining anyway." I eye him carefully, but after a quick trip to the bathroom, I return to the bed, letting the sound of the rain lull me back to sleep.

It's over two hours later when I feel Prince's hand on my shoulder, I stir, but when I hear the grumpy grunts of our hungry baby, my eyes pop open. I quickly move into a sitting position so I can nurse and ease him from Prince arms. With Ramiel latched, I notice Prince is now holding the manual pump, this is not unusual anymore, he has been adamant in relieving me of some of the 'burden' of feeding time. This pumping also allows him to bond with Ramiel as well as free me to take care of my basic needs, which in turn allows for more quality time between us. As Ramiel feeds, I put the pump to work on the other breast while Prince retreats down the hallway to gather a second bottle and nipple from the nursery.

The pump pulls milk quite efficiently, and added with the fact that Ramiel is feeding at the other, there is no waiting for my milk to let down. In just the matter of minutes it takes for Prince to return to our bedroom, the attached bottle is already half full. When it nears the top, I change out bottles, and continue until the new one is more than halfway. "This should be plenty," I say, removing the pump, then ask, "Are you ready?" Prince is already comfortably seated beside me with the first bottle ready to go. When he nods, I break Ramiel's latch and place him into Prince's arms. This part always makes him fussy, when Ramiel is intent on feeding, he doesn't even want to be burped in between breasts. Prince manages to get a burp from him pretty fast, and as soon as the bottle's nipple touches his lip, he resumes eating with gusto. I laugh, "He definitely has my appetite." I kiss Prince's cheek, then Ramiel's, "I'm going to get a shower." Prince smiles and nods, but stays focused on the level of the milk in the bottle.

As I turn on the shower and undress, I'm grateful we had finally found a bottle that Ramiel would accept. We were discouraged when we first started to try this back and forth feeding, Ramiel was not happy with the nipples we had bought and refused them vehemently. Then, with a little more research, I ordered two more sets that boasted "most like Mom." Of the two styles, the first one we tried failed Ramiel's approval, but the other , thank God, turned out to be the perfect set. It seems that everyday that goes by, Ramiel's surfacing personality proves that he is, without a doubt, his father's son. He can be very particular, especially when it comes to textures of things, like the bottle nipples, but otherwise he remains a mostly carefree, and laid-back baby. On one occasion, when we were running low on cloth diapers, we resorted to a disposable one left over from the hospital, that was a no-go. He kicked and squirmed, and fussed until the disposable diaper was removed and a cloth one was placed. After that little display, we doubled up on the quantity of cloth diapers on hand between deliveries.

As I'm shaving my legs in the shower, Prince enters the bathroom with Ramiel cradled against him. Our handsome little man is alert, but content with his hunger satisfied, he watches me through the shower enclosure as I grin and wave at them. "We'll be downstairs," Prince says before using Ramiel's hand to wave to me.

"I'll be down shortly," I say before I return to the task at hand.

When I arrive downstairs a little bit later, Prince is adding the finishing touches to a pair of fruit salads, as he watches over a steaming pan steel-cut oatmeal on the stove. "You're spoiling me," I say, kissing his cheek. I make my way over to check on Ramiel in his portable bassinet on the dining room table, he's fighting sleep and losing.

After we have finished eating and have moved into the family room, the doorbell rings. Prince and I look at each other, but I'm the only one wearing a questioning frown. "I'll get that," he says as he springs off the sofa and clears the distance to the front door in a matter of seconds. I hear a brief exchange of words and Prince returns with a large bouquet of flowers. "These must be for you," he grins mischievously as he sets the arrangement down on the table in front of me.

I lean forward to admire the arrangement and inhale the scent, "Are you sure they're for me? Was there a card?" I ask playfully. He shakes his head innocently, watching me as I appreciate each bloom in the arrangement. "Thank you," I kiss his lips softly, "So what's the special occasion?" I ask.

Prince pretends to think, "Does there have to be one?" he raises an eyebrow inquisitively and a sly half smile forms.

"No," I say softly, searching his face. Even with his avoidance of recognizing my birthday, I'm pretty sure it was the reason for the flower delivery.

As we cuddle on the couch on this rainy afternoon, with Ramiel snoozing close by, I contemplate the recent changes I'm seeing in Prince. I know that we are older, and more mature than the majority of couples who choose to start a family, but the swiftness in which he's domesticating fascinates me. It's as if his drive has shifted. He's still writing and creating music, I see this on the daily, but his focus now mainly revolves around his newest, living, breathing creation, being a doting father and loving husband. This latest development of the flower delivery shows he's open to changes, even in the more 'concrete' beliefs that he had been practicing.

We still study the word of God together, and with Prince's vast knowledge and understanding of scripture, he makes it easy for me to understand and yearn to learn more. Since we've been together, there have only been a handful of times where we have actually visited a Kingdom Hall. I believe that my willingness to study and learn with him privately has swayed his need for me to be baptized as a jehovah's witness. Lately, though, I often wonder if he is attempting to return to his Seventh-Day Adventist roots, or a maybe settle on a combination of the two. Since I consider my beliefs to be more of a spiritual nature than a specific religion, going along with any of his alterations will not be difficult for me.

I don't realize I've started to gaze at him while my mind wanders aimlessly, "What?" he asks, suppressing a laugh.

"Nothing," I shake my head with a thoughtful smile, "I just love you, and everything about you."

He eyes me, "I love you, too." Just as he moves in for a kiss, the first of Ramiel's hungry baby grunts begin. Prince playfully shoots a sour look towards our baby at his uncanny timing, then grins as he lifts him from the bassinet to soothe him while I prepare to nurse.