A simpler time- Baby 51, 52

Sorry it's so short!

"Promise me you'll come back soon?" I said to Eloise, as I leant on the front door-frame. She was carrying a suitcase full of her clothes, and a bag of snacks and drinks down the driveway towards her car. "Yes sweetness. I'll be back within a month." she said. My darling girlfriend (I'm still getting used to saying that) was leaving me. She was going to visit her parents in France, and spend some time over there seeing the sights. I asked her to visit Rouen for me, and take lots of pictures. I hadn't been to France since I had been 19 years old; it was the most beautiful of places.

I walked back inside as the final slam of Eloise's car door echoed across the flat expanse of our garden. Demi's cries came filtering down the staircase as if she knew someone important to her was leaving. I wandered upstairs to look after her, plastering a fake smile on my face for her sake. Today was her birthday, even if she was too young to remember.

I carried her down to a birthday cake and set her down on the ground as sparkles engulfed her tiny body. It seemed like so long I actually did this with a cake, I'd almost forgotten about the sparkles. She grew up into a toddler and I managed to get my first proper look at her features. Demi was beautiful no matter what she looked like to me.

Watson came downstairs at this moment after a phone call with Apple, they were still very close as brother and sister, so they talked lots. "Hey Wat." I said. "Would you mind playing with your sister a second while I go and tidy up?" Watson nodded and picked up Demi. He took her over to the lounge where he began playing Peek-A-Boo with her. Watson was a good brother to all his siblings, and one I would be sad to see leave. Ellie walked out of her room as she heard me coming upstairs, she has excellent hearing, and smiled at me. "Hey Mom. What'cha doing?" she asks. This is a frequent routine for us. "Cleaning. Why?" I reply. "CAN I HELP?" she shouts. I nod and turn around. "First order of business, laundry. Go and check where there's stuff to get from the baskets for me." I say. I walk into the nursery to start picking up toys that have been there since the beginning of time (not literally) and take out the potty trash.

I stop cleaning about half an hour later and run to the toilet to vomit. I had been impregnated shortly before Eloise left by this man. He was rather attractive, in a purple sort of way. It was like being back as an early challenge mother again, vomiting lots, and cleaning. Except now I had kids to help. Speaking of early challenge mothers, I was supposed to be meeting Chloe Moreau later today. She was one of the few blue challenge mothers, and I was really excited to be meeting her. I picked all the laundry out of the baskets thanks to Ellie, and began putting them in the washing machine. "MMMMMMMMMMMMMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM! DEMI POOPED!" comes the cry from Watson. I hang my head and giggle. He's good with kids, but he doesn't like getting his hands dirty when it comes to actual care. I walk into the room and pick up Demi, taking her upstairs to change her. She's.... certainly a... powerful young pooper.

I remove her nappy and plop it into the bin. "Come on then, human half-ling. You need to learn how to use the bathroom!" Demi says nothing, since she doesn't know how to talk yet. But sits on the potty merrily and does a wee. PROGRESS! she gets off and I put her clothes back on, since she now knows that we use the potty to do out business. I'm in a teaching mood, so I teach Demi how to walk, and halfway to talk as well before I hear the front door close.

I go downstairs (Paisley calls it floating when I walk like this) singing a song from Phantom. Paisley and Chloe are stood in the doorway, and Chloe is looking around in awe. "SKYE!" says Paisley, running into my arms. "You're singing." she continues. Paisley twirls in a circle. "You haven't sung since you left Erik." I think back.... apparently this is true. I only sing when I'm really REALLY happy. Apparently I am now. Eloise really must be good for me.

"And you must be Chloe." I say to the strange, blue girl standing in my hallway. She nods. "I don't bite." I whisper in her ear. Chloe laughs, and that settles us as friends. "So, friends. What are we going to do?" I ask them. Paisley shrugs her shoulders. Chloe doesn't say anything, until Paisley holds up her hand. "We're going out to dinner. Skye... dress us." So... I end up clothing my two friends in clothes borrowed from various sources, some of them my closet, other ones from the Teen's clothes, Chloe is so... TINY!

Chloe, Paisley and I head out to dinner at about six, and we get to the bistro by half past. The waiters sit us down at a private table round the back (well we ARE challenge mothers) and we eat. Unfortunately, the young one chooses this moment to make it's arrival known, so I have to go change.

I return home after dropping Chloe off, and Paisley says she will walk since it's only over the road. I slip into bed that night at about nine, Watson had already gotten the younglings to sleep and gone to bed himself. I slipped underneath the covers and fell into a restless and fitful sleep.


It's a beautiful day, Eloise and I are sat on a blanket eating food from a picnic basket in the middle of a large field. Suddenly, Eloise gets up and starts running away. I try to follow but it is like however fast I run I can't catch up. A hand grabs me from behind and holds me back, and when I try to fight it, the vice-like grip only gets tighter. The voice I assume is connected to the hand says, "Eloise is gone. Come back to me now." I wake up covered in sweat, with tears streaming down my face from my sleep. I check the clock, Six AM, Demi will wake up for her morning feed in about 5 minutes now. That leaves me enough time to get dressed. I slip into the first clothes I find, a black jumper and a pair of jeans I hope will still fit me throughout my pregnancy. Luke, the little baby in my stomach (if it is in fact a boy) is kicking up a storm. He must like my outfit.

I walk upstairs just as Demi wakes up, and scoop her into my arms, humming gently so she doesn't cry. I carry her downstairs where together we hated up a bottle and half a bowl of baby food. I give her the bottle on the floor while her oatmeal finishes cooking. She swallows the last mouthful just as the microwave beeps its finishing noise. I pick up Demi and put her into her chair before placing her food in front of her. She gets tucked in right away, or at least it looks that way. In a matter of minutes there is food tumbling down the side of the chair and onto the floor. “DEMI MITA EVERARD! Did you do that?” I ask. She shakes her head and I frown. “I think you did. Say sorry to mummy for making such a big mess.” She hangs her head and apologises. I carry her upstairs to play and Watson and Ellie exchange glances. They know all about my challenge, but they’re not quite used to all the hormones yet. It has it’s advantages, and more disadvantages.

Today is the day of my ultrasound scan. After the baby last time aged prematurely, they wanted to keep an eye on me, so they had booked me in for this scan. I didn’t feel like I needed it, but the doctors did, and apparently doctors know best. As I walk in, Chloe is following me; apparently she’s here for her yearly checkup and she’s dreading it. Wow. A challenge mother who dislikes doctors, that really is a first. The last time I was here, the Dr Fox took a blood test to try and determine he cause of the accelerated growth. Apparently, it was a side effect of the drug they gave me after my breakdown. Not only did it cause the acceleration, but because of it’s effect on me (making me feel like a teenager again) it was actually preventing me from aging. I was going to get older, but it was going to take much, much longer. That was what the doctors told me, only with more medical mumbo-jumbo shoved in there. Luke and Leia (that’s right TWINS) are just fine, and apparently I should be having them some time tonight. That’s comforting. NOT

When I get home I decide to age up Watson. He’s been wanting to leave for a few days, so who am I to deny him that. Especially when he’s got straight A’s. Prom is next week, but apparently that doesn’t matter to him. So he grows up into a fine young man. He and his girlfriend decide to move into an apartment together on the outskirts of town and raise their first child there.

Ellie also asks to grow up, which I see as fair too, especially since her brother is leaving her. She ages into a teenager completely different from her childhood self. She’s bright and confident and not afraid to speak her mind about everything which is a complete turnabout from her childhood self who was quiet and introverted. She’s checking the school website right away and asking me to sign her up for clubs, which is brilliant; though I’m worried there may be something in it.

While Ellie gushes over the many extra-curricular choices available, I decide to finish teaching Demi how to talk. It takes about half an hour to teach her a final few words, and then she’s too sleepy to concentrate. I put her into bed after a warm bottle and sit on the couch in the nursery reading with Ellie for a while. About 9 PM I go into labour and it hurts. Ellie starts freaking out, but I just tell her to go to bed while I give birth. Two or three hours later I welcome into the world, Luke Everard and Leia Everard.