Chapter 58: Turkey and Stress

POV: Gabby

Word Count: 3048

November 26, 2009

Marisol’s first major holiday occurred before she was even two weeks old. She’d gone in for a well baby check with the pediatrician yesterday and everything was fine. Nearly everyone we knew would be coming over today for thanksgiving, some hadn’t seen her yet like Uncles and Aunts from the city while others had seen her often the last thirteen days. She was on a fairly regular schedule eating about every two hours, which made it easier for me to do things but it was around the clock so naptimes for me were quite often. Zac usually handled diapers in between and cuddled with her too, because I couldn’t always hold her.

He was handling a lot of the cooking this year, mostly because I couldn’t always be in there with him. Although I had done a lot of prep work yesterday for today. Neither of us got up until her 9 feeding and I remained here in the bedroom while he showered and got dressed for the day.

“Did you sleep at all last night?”

“It felt like she ate every hour but I’m sure she didn’t.”

He came over and kissed her forehead. “Princess needs to let mommy sleep.”

Her eyes looked at him but she didn’t bother to do anything else but suckle. He laid clothes out for me and then headed down. Marisol’s cord had come off a few days ago but I wasn’t quite ready to submerge her in water, the doctor said it was fine and I still needed to keep the area clean and dry. Once she was fed and back asleep I laid her down in the crib here in the room. Zac hadn’t liked how deep the portable crib was, so he moved her actual crib into our room. I covered her up and then I showered quickly and got dressed. I stuck to thicker pants, I was still feeling shaky and cold at times. I put on the right bra and a button up shirt, one that Zac had actually. It was also a little thicker. I tidied up the bathroom and washed and dried a load of her clothes, folding them and picking out a few suits to take downstairs and blankets. I then ran them down and came back for her, waiting until right before feeding.

Zac’s parents were already here and so was Taylor and Stella, they were assisting in the kitchen. I fed her up-stairs before taking her down at 11:40.

“I wondered if you got lost.” Zac said.

“No, I went ahead and washed her clothes and blankets. I brought down her suit for today.”

“Has her cord fallen off?” Diana asked.

“Yes. A few days ago.”

Since she was awake I went ahead and sponged bathed her and changed her into her thanksgiving outfit. She was fine being changed and the hair band looked so cute, Grandpa got to hold her for a bit as did Aunt Stella, but Taylor? No. She still didn’t like him for some reason. She started whining moments after he took her from Stella and Diana intervened. But she didn’t quite stop for her either, kept rubbing near her ears and eventually I took the headband off.

“That so cute. You should leave it on.” Stella said.

I did adjust it, maybe it was bothering her ears. Others had arrived before her next feeding and I felt bad telling Isaac I had to have her, but he was fine. When she finished I took her to Uncle Isaac.

“She’s full, you shouldn’t have an issue.”

He smiled. Dinner was scheduled for 5:30, because so many were driving in and in the thirty or so minutes I had been gone Bradley, Chase and their parents had arrived, Sarah was here with her family. Abby and Andrew had arrived, her parents were out of town and Andrew’s did theirs this morning. Heather and Sierra were not here because they were with Heather’s parents. Marisol was content with Isaac for about ten minutes, then I lost track of who had her, knowing that I saw Chase with her and then Sarah. I heard her a few times whine but she didn’t get loud. Her three pm feeding though was difficult, she was acting off and it took longer than normal for her to really latch. I was using the lavender room because it was close, but Chase came through clearly not knowing I was here and went to the bathroom. She slightly jumped and that disrupted her latch which took another several moments to get her latched again. Him leaving didn’t bother her.

She kept rubbing at her ears and she just wasn’t acting like she was normally. She finished eating and I sat here a few extra minutes before going back. Andrew was going to take her but she whined when he went to take her.

“She hates me.”

“She doesn’t hate you, least not anymore than she does Taylor.”

He smiled but did kiss her forehead and I swear she tried to hit him! It was Chase that actually got her from me. I went to finish the sweet potato soufflé, but I had barely had the marshmallow bag open and I heard her cry out. But Zac was closer, I put the marshmallows on top and slide the pan back, but then she started crying.

“Zac?” I asked.

“I’ve got her.” he said.

I leaned against the counter, saw that he had her down to change her but she was still rubbing her ears, people were all around the table, Chase was trying to talk to her and Bradley was trying to make Zac screw up with the diaper, thankfully he wasn’t listening.

“You look tired.” Abby said.

“Thirteen days of naps, every time I get really asleep she wakes me up. If she doesn’t the alarm does.”

“Alarm?”

“The doctor said she needed to nurse every three hours minimum, she’s doing every two. But, the alarm is three usually I am awake before her or feel her move.”

“Move?”

“She’s been sleeping between us, it’s just so much easier to have her that close than to get up, it’s also easier to fall back asleep.”

Zac was done but she was still moving around quite a bit laying there as he fixed the suit.

“It doesn’t affect your..” She leaned in. “Sex life?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Um..honey I kind of have no desire for that right now. Not because we can’t but just...well...I haven’t stopped, you know, from having her.”

She looked confused and I leaned in whispering in her ear that I hadn’t stopped bleeding yet, I didn’t want to have sex right now and neither did he. She blushed but nodded.

“Understandable. Do you feel closer to Zac now though it’s not having a negative effect?”

“Yeah. It’s helped and not hindered.”

I got the soufflé out of the oven, things were nearly done. Zac came in without her but it wasn’t 2 minutes later she started crying, I paused a moment because everyone had the ability to calm her down but her crying got worse instead of better. Zac got her from his Mom, he usually could but she was having none of him either.

“I think she may want you.” He said.

I took her and rocked, cuddled, held, but nothing. She just kept getting louder. I tried the front room, but she just kept screaming. Sarah came in and tried, Diana came in and even Zac. She just kept on. She wouldn’t latch, she had a dry and clean diaper, she didn’t feel cold. But she kept grabbing at her ears.

Maybe it was the noise, she wasn’t use to that so I took her up-stairs to see if that would help, but she just kept crying, nearly to the point of her not breathing.

“Marisol honey, come on give Mommy a break today. You’ve been doing just fine.”

I tried everything. I rocked, bounced, patted, talk to, sung to, and even laid down with her. But she just kept on, like I couldn’t get her to calm down and eventually I started crying too because I had nothing left that I could think of. My crying did nothing to help.

It was Shawn that knocked. “Hey, what’s up with baby girl? Why are you both crying?!”

“No idea. I’ve tried everything Shawn and she won’t stop.”

He came in and closed the door, walked over and took her from me. Not that that did anything either.

“She’s not hungry?”

“No. She just screams and I tried twice, nothing. She does keep rubbing at her ears but the doctor checked those yesterday and nothing.”

He peered at both ears before he took the headband off, there was no indication that it was too tight. But that did nothing to stop her from crying, she just kept crying. She did move her hands away from her ears though.

“It’s possible she doesn’t like that around her head, despite the fact it’s not too tight.”

“I knew it Shawn, I’m just not a…” He actually put his hand over my mouth.

“Don’t finish that sentence Gabriella. You are a great mother. Babies cry sometimes for no reason. She could be upset because of the amount of people here and there passing her around, she’s not use to all this. She’s use to you and Zac and maybe two others. It may help if you try skin to skin contact, let me get these off her you get comfortable.”

He was quick to get her out of the outfit, much faster than me. He then left the room so I could unrobe, he said he wanted to get a blanket of hers. I undid the shirts and picked her up, settling her against my chest and then putting the shirt around her. When he came back in he had a blanket which he laid over us both, making sure she had room to breathe. She kept crying but after a few minutes she started to calm down.

“When everything else fails, skin to skin. She needs that comfort sometimes and especially when she doesn’t feel as safe as she normally does. My guess is she is overwhelmed by everyone being here today. She’s been passed around and talked to and she hasn’t really slept either which isn’t helping. It looks like Mommy isn’t sleeping either.”

“I nap when she does usually, Zac watches her in between.”

“But are you sleeping?”

“Yes. But not like straight through. I’m tired today because I haven’t gotten to nap.”

“When is her next feeding?”

“Five.”

“Stay here with her then until after that feeding, we won’t eat without you. I think Zac said the hams were heating now and the other items were warm still.”

“Okay.”

“You can put that back on her after she’s full but it might be better if you kept her with you or Zac for a bit, let her feel you and feel safe. Because you are mommy and you will always be safe to her.”

He kissed my forehead and left the room, I just reclined back and it didn’t take long for me to fall asleep, but her moving around woke me up and I went ahead and got her situated. She’d just latched on well when Zac poked his head in.

“I was checking on you two.”

“She just latched on, guessing it’s about five?”

“It is a few minutes after.”

He came in and sat down beside my leg. “Why is she naked almost?”

“She wouldn’t stop, Shawn said skin to skin could be good. It helped.”

He smiled. “Mom wondered if she got a bit too nervous with everyone.”

“She did apparently.”

He sat here until she was done eating and then Zac took her to redress her and get her settled. When she got whiney I wrapped her up and held her tightly, we went back down but I held on to her. It was time to eat anyway and Zac fixed both my plate and his. When she was asleep I laid her down in the swing, covered her up good and chose to sit down right beside her.

“I see that works well.” Taylor said.

“She loves it really. She’s not fond of it moving just yet, but a slow rock she’s fine with.” Zac said.

“She loves my gift, but not me!”

“She doesn’t like me either!” Andrew said.

I just smiled. I glanced around at my brother and his girlfriend eating, at my new sisters and brothers. Family. A family I longed for, one that loved me and cared what happened. Chloe had settled beside me and I was still getting use to this whole big sister role, her brother was here today too. It was weird to have a younger brother also, but he was more drawn to Shawn.

Family. I had my own family now a husband and a beautiful little girl. I couldn’t ask for anything better really.

-Zac-

I could tell Gabby was pretty stressed out and tired, when she vanished earlier I assumed she went to lay down with her, clearly Marisol wasn’t use to this environment just yet. She would eventually get use to having everyone around her. Gabby wasn’t letting anyone pick her up right now, leaving her in the swing to sleep peacefully. My mother only smiled, clearly she knew it was needed.

Marisol slept for close to a full two hours before waking up for a clean diaper and to eat.

“How is she doing with this Marcus deal?” Bradley asked.

“Quiet actually, she’s not really reacting to much when it comes to him. They did find proof she knew him but she doesn’t remember him.”

“She doesn’t?” he asked.

“No. Heavy drug use then she’s always been adamant about not remembering things from those years. She doesn’t remember him and she doesn’t seem really bothered much, I think she’s glad he’s in jail.”

“I am. What about Lucas?”

“He came to the hospital before we come home but she really doesn’t believe Marcus did this alone. She believes he was involved somehow.”

“It is possible.”

“Yeah, I can’t totally excuse some of his actions.”

“So, where is her finger wrapping shirt? She should be wearing that.”

I smiled. “She wore that Saturday actually, Gabby said it was true and you are an ass for that shirt.”

“It is true, she’ll have you wrapped around her little fingers.”

Speaking of, I could hear her crying again and this time it was my turn. I really only needed to lay my hand on her, let her know I was here. This time I just took her from Gabby though. She cuddled a moment or two and then got quiet.

“Where is her headband?” Stella asked.

“Gabby must have taken it off.”

“Shawn did, she didn’t like it really. She stopped reaching for her ears when he took it off.”

“It was cute but not every baby likes them.”

“She clearly didn’t.”

Stella went to get her but she whined and didn’t seem happy to have been moved so I took her back. I think she was just over having everyone here. It looked like Gabby was too but I knew some of hers was just being tired. Everyone mingled for a bit after eating, even after desserts. Then they began to head home. By nine we were down our brothers, my parents, Abby and Andrew. Gabby had chosen her normal chair for the nine feeding, just covered up. She looked really tired though.

We cleaned up while she had her and got leftovers put away or plated up to go with others. I briefly saw when Gabby moved her up onto her chest, she was done eating then. I was loading the dishwasher when Andrew nudged me, I looked at him and then he nodded toward her.

I turned and Gabby was turned sideways in the chair, Marisol laying between her breast propped up nicely and both were sound asleep. Abby had snuck the picture with her camera.

“You want to move either of them?”

“I’ll let them stay there until I go to bed. She doesn’t sleep well, so if she’s asleep let her stay.”

They moved around and helped me but she was woken up by Marisol who was hungry again. I did kind of wish she’d go to bottles because she wasn’t sleeping much but she was alert when she was awake and she was sleeping anytime she could. After that feeding everyone headed home and with the house clean we headed to bed.

I changed Marisol out of the outfit and into a one piece suit and changed the diaper while she was awake. Gabby changed and then they both laid down while I changed. I then joined them.

I had a lot on my list of things to be thankful for. I had my parents and brothers to be thankful for, they were always supportive and understanding of choices. My parents had sacrificed a lot to help our career and each of my brothers had also. I was thankful for my family for supporting us and giving us feedback. I was thankful for the thousands of fans who stayed with us through the years, who follow us around and see every show they can. I was thankful for the career we had because we got to explore the world and see places we may not have seen otherwise.

But above everything from family, friends, experiences or even material possession. I was most thankful for the two ladies laying with me right now. Gabriella keeps me grounded, reminds me that love is possible, that relationships are never perfect, and that I was worthy of being a husband and father.

Despite Gabby’s fears, she gave me something no other woman could. A baby that’s part her and part me. I’d be forever thankful for that, despite the fact any woman could I couldn’t imagine Marisol’s mother being anyone but Gabriella. I looked forward to watching her grow and get bigger.

Both of them had fallen asleep quickly so I gave them both gentle kisses and let sleep over.

Marisol's Thanksgiving outfit :)

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