Best of Women

Lin

The love you have for a child is like no other. As soon as I'd heard Pippa was pregnant I was in love, but it was a bit of an abstract at that point. As I held a sleeping Amalia on my chest mid-afternoon, my heart swelled. My fifth child. Every time a new one came along, I wasn't sure if I had enough love in me to go around, but it seemed to grow exponentially. They all had a special place in my heart.

Amalia cooed and her little tongue made an appearance between her lips. She smelled like milk, fresh off a feeding. My favorite thing to do with Amalia was just cuddle. I loved watching her sleep and it made me realize that she was totally dependent on Pippa and me. She was completely helpless and I felt my protectiveness increase. Even with the older kids.

"Dad?" Eva walked out to the living room, where I was reclined on the couch.

"Yeah, sweet pea?" I asked, looking over. I rubbed Amalia's tiny back.

"Can I go down to Times Square? They're having a concert."

I crinkled up my face a little. "Are you going with someone else?"

"I'm meeting some friends from school there," she told me.

"I'd rather you didn't ride the subway alone," I told her.

"Then can I have money for a cab?"

Since I was insisting she not ride the subway alone, I forked over $20. "Text me when you get there and when you're leaving."

Now that the excitement of a new baby had wound down a little bit, we were slipping into a new routine. We coordinated a bit with Sebastian and Carmen so the babies were on similar schedules. It helped keep everything a little more sane.

With six kids in the house, the schedules were starting to get a bit overwhelming. The twins' schedules were the hardest, as they trained about 20 hours a week. Sebastian was self-sufficient but had the added complication of an infant. Rio just had karate, and Amalia needed 24/7 care. To say I was exhausted was an understatement. I wasn't surprised when I was awoken an hour later by Pippa.

I passed the baby to her and I stood up to stretch and use the restroom. We were getting good at tag-teaming and Pippa's recovery was going better. For a good couple weeks after the birth she struggled with pain. She'd been given the clear to start lifting things again and she was all too happy to walk around with Amalia and shower her with affection.

Pippa was a natural mother. I'd seen her with the older kids of course, but there was something a little different about her with her own daughter. She had amazing instincts and was so incredibly patient. She also liked to sing to Amalia, so she was very frequently serenaded by broadway singers.

Apparently, Eva was having a good time because by 8:00 she still wasn't home. I didn't like the idea of her being out without an adult when it was dark. I called her cell phone but it went straight to voicemail. I texted her but she hadn't responded back yet.

Amalia and Paco were going back and forth that evening with screaming sessions, and my patience was wearing thin. I was exhausted, I was worried about Eva, and I didn't think I could take anymore noise. Finally, around 8:30, Eva strolled in.

"Why the hell didn't you answer my messages?" I accused her immediately. Her face dropped. She looked like she'd had an awesome time and now she was walking in to a pissed parent.

"Sorry, I accidentally left my phone here," she told me.

"You've been out in New York City all day without a phone?" I asked, exasperated. "What if something had happened to you? How would you have contacted me, huh?"