Ever since Brigette was born, Amelia was hungry! It was like she just couldn’t fill up! She ate and ate. George and Amelia were so busy with the pollywog that neither of them had bothered to cook, so George volunteered to go fetch them some takeout.
George brought home a bag just bulging with cheeseburgers.
“I’m not supposed to be this hungry, am I?” Amelia asked George, a little bit worried.
“If you’re still hungry, you need to eat,” George said. “You just had a pollywog. Your body needs good nourishment.”
“I’m not sure cheeseburgers count as good nourishment,” she said.
“Red meat,” George said, sounding very sure of himself. “It will help with any iron deficiency, and it will give you some proper protein. Your mother told me this is exactly what you need.”
The sounded good to Amelia. Her stomach rumbled. She took a big bite of the first burger, and it was just perfect! Ketchup and mustard, mayo and pickles, a slice of tomato, a ring of onion, and a crisp leaf of lettuce. She rolled her eyes heavenward.
“Thank you, George,” she said past a mouthful of cheeseburger. “This is wonderful.”
George shot his wife a smile. When Amelia had that blissful look on her face as she ate a burger, he felt like he was doing a good job. And he took his job of new father very seriously. He had both grandmothers to report to, after all!
He took a picture of Amelia chewing.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Sending photo evidence to both our mothers,” George said. “I have strict instructions on how to care for a new mother.”
Amelia smiled. She was in good hands, wasn’t she?
The first night, Brigette slept in her little cradle without any problems at all. When she cried, they woke up and fed her and put her back to bed. But the next night, Brigette had changed her mind about sleeping in her own bed, and every time Amelia or George tried to put her back into her cradle, she cried all the louder.
There seemed to be no solution at all!
The next day, George and Amelia were both exhausted, and because they were so tired, they started to argue about silly things.
“I’m sorry, Amelia,” George said, at last. “I don’t know why we’re arguing about a TV show! This is very silly. I think we need a nap.”
“I think we do…” Amelia said, and she wiped a tear off her cheek. “I’m so tired, George.”
So Amelia tiredly trudged to the bedroom, Brigette in her arms, and George went to a drink of water before he joined her.
When George got to the bedroom, he found Amelia and Brigette filling up the entire bed, and both were fast asleep.
George loved his side of the bed. He liked being the big spoon and Amelia being the little spoon. But it looked like there was no room for him. So he crept back out of the room and he lay down on the couch instead.
George felt a little bit sad. Not only was he arguing with Amelia over silly things, but he couldn’t even nap next to her.
He knew their daughter would change things. He knew that Amelia would probably be quite emotional. Everyone had prepared him that. But no one had prepared him for feeling rather emotional, too!
Most of the time, Brigette liked to be with Amelia. When Amelia put her down, the baby would scrunch her face up and cry. Amelia was getting very, very tired. So George tried to take Brigette again, but Brigette was having none of it.
“I’m your father, Brigette,” George pleaded. “You’ve got to let me hold you, too.”
Brigette started to cry again and then Amelia started to cry, too.
“I just want a bath!” Amelia wept. “That’s all I want! I feel so grimy! I’m so tired. I love my pollywog, but I think I smell!”
Amelia did smell… just a little bit. Not that George minded. He understood.
“Then you shall have a bath,” George said confidently. “Off you go. Have a nice good soak in the tub. I’ll be fine, Amelia.”
But Brigette cried harder, and Amelia looked ready to abandon her bath plans, when George said, “Amelia! Let me learn!”
“You’re right, George,” Amelia said, and she trudged off toward the bathroom.
At first George paced with Brigette, and then he jiggled her on his shoulder. Then he patted her diapered rump, and she seemed to like that most of all. And then when he’d done all of those things, he laid her down on the couch and he sat down next to her.
“I’m your daddy,” George said quietly. “I’m going to be the one who makes sure you don’t tire out your mommy too much.”
Brigette blinked up at him.
“Also, I’m going to be the man with the bottle,” he said, and he picked up a bottle of milk and popped it into Brigette’s mouth. Brigette started to suck on her bottle and she waggled her tail in contentment.
From the bathroom, he could hear the sound of bathwater. And for just a few minutes, George did have it under control. It felt wonderful.
I hope you’re enjoying my Knitted Newlyweds. If you love stories about family, falling in love, and all the ups and downs that come with it, you’ll love my books. Have you checked them out recently?
Happy reading!
❤
Patricia Johns 
Your comments make me feel warm and fuzzy. Seriously!