Rob's P.O.V.
I picked up the blonde baby from the floor and carried him in my arms, laughing as he giggled and clung to my t-shirt with his chubby little hands. I plastered his forehead with light kisses, running my fingers through the thin layer of light hair on the top of his head.
He giggled again and blew a raspberry as little kids do as I made my way down the stairs and into the living room where the others were. Preston was standing in the kitchen doorway, smiling and nodding at me as he watched the microwave.
"Hey Preston."
"Hey Robby, hey Lachy." He leaned forward and pecked little Lachy on the cheek. He giggled, reaching out from Preston. Preston took him from my arms and bounced him up and down gently, spinning in a circle. "There's a bottle in the microwave for this one if you want to get it."
I stepped into the kitchen and opened the microwave, pulling out a warm bottle of milk. I tested the temperature on my wrist and as it was the right temperature I followed Preston down into the living room where I could hear the voice of Jerome and Mitch along with the high-pitched laughter of little Vikk.
"Hey guys!" I called, taking Lachlan from Preston's arms. Mitch looked up from where he was bouncing Vikk on his knee and grinned, waving me over to sit next to him.
Little Vikk was squealing and laughing happily, his thick mop of black hair bouncing around. Although he was only a month older than Lachlan his hair was much thicker and he was more developed as he could sit up on his own at 5 months and now at 8 months he was crawling around steadily.
Lachlan, at just past 7 months old, was only just able to roll from his front to his back. That was easier than going from his back to his front because it required stronger neck and arms muscles. He was still fairly weak but that wasn't surprising considering he had only come to us two months earlier.
Both were foster children, coming to us from unstable homes where they were mistreated. Both were abandoned and starved until social services picked them up, Vikk at 4 months and Lachlan at 5 months, and they were placed in our home.
I leaned over and kissed Vikk's forehead, smiling as he reached out for me but because I was holding Lachlan I couldn't take him as well. Both babies normally clung to me for some reason and refused to let go of me, so it was often me that put them to sleep or fed them because they would grizzle otherwise.
Lachlan settled down in my arms once I pressed the nib of the bottle to his mouth and Preston rested his head on my shoulder, cross legged with a hot cup of coffee clutched in his hands. Mitch held Vikk on his lap and kept him entertained, Jerome sat beside him with coffee and his hands too.
It was a familiar and comforting atmosphere and it wasn't long before Preston actually fell asleep on me, the mug of coffee slipping from his fingers. I caught it before it fell and moved him with my spare arm, Lachlan held with the other, so he was lying down, fast asleep.
Lachlan was asleep too, his thumb pressed firmly into his mouth, and had been for a little while. Both boys were groggy after feeding, it was normal, so they normally fell asleep after feeding every time.
Vikk had settled down too but he was still awake, even after feeding, and was simply resting against Mitch with a thumb in his mouth. His eyes were fixed on the television and he seemed lethargic and tired, so I kept an eye on him for a little longer.
Mitch's arms had gone slack around the young boy and his eyes were barely open, his head slipping so his chin was resting on his chest. Jerome was still sipping on his coffee, another cup now, but he was wide awake and supporting Mitch with one of his arms.
Gingerly I lowered Lachlan onto my lap and sneaked my hand into my pocket to pull out my phone. I checked the time and blinked, surprised to see that it was past 9 o'clock at night and that both young boys should have been in bed hours ago.
"Jerome!" I whispered across the room, not wanting to move the boys. "It's past 9, we should get this lot to bed." He nodded and carefully moved Mitch so he could sneak off the couch, lying him down and taking Vikk from his arms.
I did the same with Preston, lying him down on the couch and picking Lachlan up gently so he stayed asleep and the two of us, both with babies in our arms, headed up the stairs. Vikk was still awake and watched me over Jerome's shoulder.
The two youngest boys shared a room, there was 3 bedrooms in the house and because Mitch and Jerome shared one and Preston and I shared one there was no room for them to have separate rooms.
I gently laid Lachlan down in his cot and covered him in a thin layer of blankets, making sure that he was on his back and that the blankets only came up to his chest so he couldn't be smothered.
Jerome, on the other hand, was having much more difficulty. Vikk was absolutely refusing to go to sleep and wailing loudly, fighting against the blankets and Jerome to sit up.
"Here, I'll take him." I picked him up from the cot and cuddled him to my chest, bouncing him and allowing him to settle down. I knew that he was unlikely to sleep alone in his cot so I took him back downstairs with me, slipping into my room to grab his sleep suit. It was like a onesie but it prevented him from moving his arms and legs too much.
I swaddled the young boy in the onesie and then wrapped a blanket around him, holding him gently in my arms. Jerome and I woke up Mitch and Preston in the living room and pulled the two tired boys up the stairs and into our bedroom, bidding each other goodnight.
Normally we swapped nights looking after the boys and Preston and I had been on duty the night before, but because I had Vikk with me I told Jerome that I would take care of it that night.
Preston fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow and I smiled to myself, knowing that he wouldn't be up until lunch time the next day. Vikk cooed quietly, now settled in my arms and quite happy to sleep because when I crawled under the covers and placed him in between Preston and I, he just closed his eyes and was asleep within a minute.
I rolled onto my stomach and sighed, closing my eyes and hoping for sleep to come quickly because I knew I would be up again in a few hours, feeding Lachlan and Vikk. I closed my eyes, smiling.
I loved my crazy family.
