Happy Beginning Captain Swan

New Normal

A few days later, Emma and Killian were adjusting to having a newborn and toddler in the house. She was adjusting time with Leia and with Hope. Killian would take Hope to preschool. Leia has been giving Emma a hard time breastfeeding her night and day. Late at night, Emma was crying, her daughter was not latching from her, no sleep, and her breast are in pain. "Hush Now, Don't be scared, Through this tide of darkness. Shadows may march, Thunders may roar, But peace will soon prevail. Through our land, This sacred land, Nightmares sprite confusion, But stand your ground, Until you've found, The strength to light your way." Singing was not calming down, Leia. She knew Leia was hungry. "Sweetie, I know you are hungry, my little duckling. You need to eat Mommy's milk." Her breasts were in pain and enlarged, with milk supply. She has not felt that pain since she was forced to wrap her breasts in pain and enlarged not able to feed Henry.
Killian hated seeing his two loves unhappy and goes downstairs. He brought up a bottle of Emma's breastmilk knowing his wife was struggling. "Emma, let me try bottle feeding her." Emma nods her head yes. Killian takes Leia from his swan. "Littlest love, you are with Dada.. shh...shh. I know you are hungry." He bottle feeds Leia, which makes him smile. Hope did not let him bottle feed him now Leia is. "Slow down, littlest love. There is more milk for you." He sits down on the bed. "Emma, she is eating your milk from the bottle."
Emma lies back on their bed and covered her face. "She is not letting me feed her."
"Emma, she knows that you are stressed. She can sense it, love. That is why she is eating from the bottle. I am going to take Leia to her room so you can rest." He hugs his upset swan. "You are a good mother, love. You just need to sleep." Emma continues to cry.
Hope hears what is going on and goes to her parent's room. "Mommy, don't cwy."
"I need your hugs, sweetie." Hope hugs her Mommy. "I am having a hard time feeding your sister. I feel like I am not being her Mommy that I cannot do that."
"Best Mommy." Hope was afraid to sleep in her bedroom. "Zel-ena, bad dweam."
"You can sleep with me, sweetie." Hope climbs into bed. She hugs her daughter. "She is not coming here, little duckling."
"She did."
"She is not going to hurt you, Mommy or Leia. You are safe here. You can sleep with us."
"Luv Leia. Want stay wif you."
"You can sleep with us, Hope." She kisses Hope on the head. "Only if you go night-night." Hope sits on her Mommy and fell back to sleep. Emma was still upset she cannot feed Leia but she loves her daughters.
Killian carried sleeping Leia who was full from her bottle."Littlest love, follow your big sister, it is night-night time." Leia fusses.
"Killian, I can hold her too." Killian laid Leia onto Emma's chest who stopped fussing. "You are with Mommy, Leia. You just wanted to snuggle with me." She kisses Leia on the head who fell asleep. Emma smiles. "Both of my baby ducklings want to sleep with me."
"Aye,they are comfy on their Mommy." He wrapped his arm around his three loves. "You are their Mommy, Emma."
"Now, we all can fall back to sleep." He joins his three loves on the bed.
In the morning, Leia woke up early to be fed. He takes Leia downstairs and heats up a bottle of milk. "Dada has your milk, Leia." He takes out the bottle and checks it. "Perfect." He sits down on the chair and bottle feeds Leia. "Good, little love. You are drinking your Mommy's milk." After she was fed, Leia makes poop. "You need a diaper change, littlest love." He brings Leia up to her nursery and changes her. "You are all clean, littlest love." Leia coos. "You like your new outfit? Your Mommy chooses the best outfits for her ducklings."
Emma was standing by the door watching Killian talking to Leia. "Leia, are you having Dada and Leia time?" Leia coos. "Yes, you are."
"Morning, love."
"Morning, honey." They kiss. "Thank you for being up all night..."
"Emma, I love spending one on one time with Leia. I knew you needed to sleep."
"I do feel well-rested."
"Our littlest pirate, woke me up early, you can get more..." Leia began crying.
"Leia, you hear Mommy?" She took Leia from her changing table and held her in her arms. "Mommy is here." Leia looks up at her Mommy trying to smile. Emma smiles. "I love you, Leia. You are my littlest duckling." She kisses Leia on the head.
"Mommy?"
Yes, sweetie."
"Stay home wif you."
"You are going to go play with Melody today with Ashley."
"Zel-ena, Mommy."
Emma hugs her daughter. "Zelena is locked in prison. Mulan is going to watch your school just incase danger happens."
"You will come?"
"Yes, Hope, I will come." Hope hugs her Mommy. Leia began crying all over again. "Leia, what is the matter baby girl?"
"Emma, I am going to take Hope to preschool."
"Mommy." She hugged her Mommy's legs.
"Hope, I am going to pick you up from school today."
"You are?"
"Yes, I am.."
"Yay!"
Killian takes Hope to preschool. He texts Allison to check up on Emma before he drove Hope to school. Killian walked Hope in, and played for a few minutes until Melody showed up. "Dada."
"Hope, Mommy will pick you up."
"Piwate time?"
"Yes, we are going to have pirate time later, when you come home from school." Hope hugs her Daddy. "I love you so much. Be a good little lass for Ashley."
"I will, Dada." Hope plays with Melody.
"Killian, how is Emma?"
"She is not doing well. We have not been sleeping much. Emma placed a spell onto Hope's bedroom so she won't be waking up from Leia's crying. Having a toddler and a newborn is a challenge without Henry's help. She is having trouble breastfeeding Leia. I don't know if it is that, or Emma's exhaustion."
"It's possible that it can be Emma's exhaustion. Each baby is different, Leia might not want to breastfeed."
"Aye, I see. Either way, I am going to help my swan and little cygnet. I am enjoying bottle feeding Leia. Hope did not take the bottle at all."
Ashley smiles. "Leia seems to be happy to be getting her milk by the bottle. Every baby is different."
"Aye, I will tell Emma that. Thank you, Ashley." Killian leaves the preschool.
Back at home, Leia cries. "Let me try feeding you." Emma takes Leia into her bedroom and breastfeeds her daughter, who was not latching on. "Leia." Leia was crying. Emma heats up a bottle and bottle feeds her daughter in the living room. "You are still eating my milk. I love you so much, Leia."
Allison enters the Swan-Jones house, Killian texted her to check up on Emma. She finds Emma crying holding sleeping Leia on her chest. "Emma."
"Hi.."
"Why are you crying?"
"Leia is not letting me breastfeed her."
"Emma, she is still eating your milk just another way."
"I do not know why, she won't eat from me?"
"Maybe she wants the bottle? She is different from Hope who wanted to be fully breastfed. Every baby is different Emma."
"You do not get it, when I had to stop my breastmilk from coming, that pain was awful. I could not give Henry my milk because he was in foster care. Binding my breasts in prison was a nightmare and so painful. When I had Hope, she gave me the chance of breastfeeding when I couldn't do with Henry Now, Leia..." She cried more.
"Emma." She hugs her best friend. "You are not a failure. You are an amazing mother. Leia loves you. You can still have the special bond with her not being able to breastfeed her. You can try again breastfeeding her. I will keep an eye on my little goddaughter. I want to make sure she is gaining weight. If not, she will be bottle-fed."
"I was expecting to breastfeed Leia like I did with Hope."
"Every baby is different, Emma. You can pump your milk to feed Leia."
"I want to give Leia everything at the beginning with Hope. I could not give to Henry."
"Emma, I understand. You can still give Leia your milk just in a bottle, you are still giving her everything. Just in a different way you are nourishing your daughter. Killian can help you feed Leia at night."
"That is a perk, I can get more sleep at night."Leia coos.
Allison gives Emma the burp rag. She burps her daughter. "I will hold my niece, later. She loves her Mommy snuggles. " Emma kisses Leia on the head.
Killian returns home to seeing Allison with Leia. Emma was passed out on the couch. "Hi, Allison."
"Hi, Killian." She carried Leia to Killian. "Emma just fell back to sleep. Leia is snoozing on me."
"She is enjoying her snuggle with her god mommy. How is my swan?"
"I told her every baby is different. Some babies do not want to breastfeed and some do. I told her she is not a failure. She is hormonal as she should be and feeling awful."
"Leia ate from the bottle last night and this morning. Emma was balling her eyes most of the night, not able to feed her."
"I told Emma she can try again but she did after you left. Leia wouldn't latch on. I told her some babies would latch on and decided not too. It is normal."
"Aye, this time around, I can bottlefeed my little lass. I told Emma she is not a failure. Hope told her too, last night when Emma was crying. I will carry Emma up to our room. She does not look comfortable on the couch." Killian carried Emma in bridal style up to their bedroom and laid her on the bed. Emma wakes up. "Hello, love."
"Killian."
He hugs his wife. "Love, Allison is with Leia." Emma lies onto Killian. "You can stay with me, love. I do miss our snuggles." Emma hugs him tight. "I love you, Emma, so much." She began crying. "I am such a failure, Kilian a mother to Leia. I cannot feed her..it reminds me of when I could not feed Henry..." She just cried more remembering the pain.
"Emma, Leia is still here with you. You can still give all the hugs, snuggles, skin to skin, bottle feeding her, changing her, baths, and everything else, Emma. You did not lose our daughter. Our daughter is here with us, who loves you so much. You will have the same mother-daughter relationship with Leia the same as Hope." He hugs his wife letting her cry, he knows she's exhausted, hormonal, and feeling like a failure. "You are an amazing mother, Emma. Leia is very lucky to have you as her Mommy." He kisses her on the head.
"I stink, Killian. I need a shower."
"Do you want me to join you?"
"No, captain. I will feel refreshed after my shower." They kiss. Emma takes a very long needed shower. She changes into leggings and a tee-shirt.
Killian and Leia entered the room. He was holding their daughter. "Swan, get back more rest. I got our littlest pirate."
Emma kisses Killian on the cheek and kisses Leia on the cheek. "Mommy, love you, baby girl." Leia reaches out for her Mommy. Emma holds her daughter. "We can have a nap together." She puts Leia on the bed and lied down next to her daughter. "We are having Mommy and Leia time." She kisses her daughter on the head. Killian takes a picture of his two loves and goes downstairs to run a load of laundry. Emma wakes up when Leia needs a diaper change. "Sweetie." She changes Leia in her nursery room, on her changing table. "You little duckling made a stinky." She changes her poopy diaper and changed Leia into a duckling diaper. Leia grabbed her Mommy's face. Emma kissed Leia everywhere. "Leia...Leia..."
Killian sees Emma playing with Leia and takes a picture of the mother-daughter playing. She gave Leia kisses on her cheeks. She holds Leia in her arms. "I love you, Leia."
"She loves her amazing Mommy." He hugs his two loves. "I love my three loves."
"I love our family." They kiss. "I am going to take Leia with me to pick up Hope. I know Leia needs a break from the house just as I do." She faces her daughter. "Leia, you want to take a ride in your stroller?" She kisses Leia on the cheek.
"Emma, you need a break for the house. I got our littlest pirate." He scoops Leia out of his swan's arms. "Leia, we are going to have Daddy and Leia time."
"Leia can come with me."
"I will get the diaper bag ready." They kiss.
Emma gets Leia into a floral onesie with a floral head bandana. "You are so cute." She tickles Leia. "We are going to pick up your big sister from school." She gets the carrier on herself, Killian helped her. She puts Leia in the carrier.
"She looks so comfy on her Mommy."
Emma smiles. "Yes, she does." Emma slowly walks with Leia into town to the preschool in town.
"Emma!"
Emma sees her Mom. "Mom?"
"How are you?"
"Very tired. Having a toddler and newborn is exhausting."
"How is my newest grandbaby?"
"She is good, not giving us sleep." Leia coos.
"How is Hope? Is she jealous?"
"Not at all she loves her baby sister. She loves being my little helper with Leia whenever she can. I love all my three children equally." Leia began crying. "Leia, we are going to pick up your big sister now."
Snow White goes to look at her granddaughter. "Leia..." Leia just wailed more.
Emma pulled herself and her daughter away from her mother. "Leia...you are safe..you are with Mommy, little rainbow duckling..shh.shhh.." Leia gripped her Mommy's shirt. "We are going to Hope's school." She looks at her Mom. "Mary-Margaret, I have to go. I know you want to be in my life and my children they do not trust you." She pushes the stroller, "You are my sunshine My only sunshine,You make me happy, When sky's are grey, You'll never know, dear, How much I love you, Please don't take my sunshine away." Leia stops crying. Emma smiles, her daughter loves her singing voice. "Mommy can sing to you anytime, Leia."
"Emma, I am sorry!" SnowWhite catches up to her daughter.
"You need to know when to stop. You are scaring my children! This is what Zelena did in yoru body." She pushes the stroller to the preschool, continue singing to Leia. "You are my sunshine My only sunshine,You make me happy, When sky's are grey, You'll never know, dear, How much I love you, Please don't take my sunshine away." Leia fell asleep. She arrives at the preschool and puts Leia in her stroller and wraps her up in her blankie. Ariel arrives,"Hi, Ariel."
"Hi, Emma. Aww, Leia. Hi, sweetie."
"She has been keeping Killian and I up all night but we love her."
Ariel faces Leia. "Hi, little ocean princess. You are so cute. I love the bow in her hair."
"I love putting her in bows."
"How is having two daughters?"
"Killian and I have barely got any sleep. I can tell Leia's personality is different from Hope's. We love Leia so much."
Hope was let out of preschool and sees her Mommy."Mommy!"
Emma kneels down and hugs her daughter. "Hi, Hope. How was school?"
"Fun. Leia!!"
She picks up her daughter and Hope kisses Leia on the head. "She wanted to pick you up from school."
"Baby."
"My baby sis, Mel-Mel. She your fwiend too." Ariel holds Melody so she can see Leia.
Emma puts Hope back on the ground. "What do you have in your backpack?"
Hope takes an art project out of her Little Mermaid backpack. "I made art in pweschool."
"You made art in preschool?"
"Yes." She gives her Mommy a drawing. "For you!"
"For me?!"
"Yes!"
Emma smiles big, she sees a drawing. "Is that you and me in the drawing?"
"Yes! Me and you, yellow bug."
Emma smiles and hugs her daughter. "Are we on patrol?"
"Yes! Patwol."
"I love the drawing, Hope. You just made my day so happy." She hugs Hope and kisses her on the head. "Thank you, Hope."
"Your welcome, Mommy." She kisses her Mommy on the cheek.
Emma smiles, Hope was cheering her up. "I am going to put it in my office at the sheriff's station."
Hope points at her sister. "Baby sis,sleeping."
"Yes, she is sleeping."
"Pway, Hope, Em-em."
"Mel-Mel pway our house."
"I do not know, Melody. Emma is tired."
Emma wants Hope to play with Melody, showing Hope at Leia home is part of their new normal routine."Melody can come over to play at our house."
"Yay!!" Hope and Melody screamed.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Hope needs to play with her best friend."
"Does that mean I get to hold Leia?"
"Yes!" She faces the girls. "We are walking home, girls." Melody and Hope walk ahead of their Mommys.
"Emma, are you sure?"
"Yes. I want to show Hope that our routine has not changed too much, since Leia arrived. She has been having a hard time not having Henry at home now with Leia, it is all new to her and for me and Killian."
"I understand. Melody has been asking me to play with Hope."
"Hope has been asking me the same, they miss playing together after their swim lessons." They walked home. She takes Leia from her stroller. Ariel carried the stroller up the steps. Emma opens the door with her key, the girls enter the house.
Killian was fast asleep in his bed when Hope and Melody entered the room. "Killy!!"
"Dada!!!" Killian was still snoring. Hope went to her Daddy's eyeliner bag. She climbs up onto the bed and draws on her Daddy's face with his eyeliner.
Emma enters the house, "Where are the girls?" She hears them giggling upstairs.
"I can hold, Leia. While you see what our two girls are up too." She takes Leia from Emma. "Hi, Leia."
Emma goes upstairs finding Hope and Melody drawing on Killian with his eyeliner. She takes a quick picture. "Hope, what are you doing?"
"Dwawing, eye-liner."
"Hope, stop, drawing on daddy. He is sleeping. Melody, stop drawing on Killian." Melody gives Emma the eyeliner. "Thank you, Melody."
"Hope?" She gives her Mommy the eyeliner.
"Daddy is going to be very mad when he wakes up. Why did you draw on him?"
"Want put eyeliner on Dada."
She gave Hope a serious look."You have to ask him if he wants eyeliner on him, sweetie. You cannot draw eyeliner on someone's face without asking the person. Okay?"
"Yes, Mommy. Sowwy."
"I have to join the fun." She smiles. Emma draws a heart on her husband because she wanted to join the fun. The two ocean princesses giggle. She holds Hope. "Let's go have a snack downstairs. We have to let Daddy sleep."
"Snack." Emma carried Hope down and lead Melody to the kitchen. Ariel was holding Leia by the kitchen table. "Where were you two?"
"Dwawing on Killy."
"What?"
"They were drawing on Killian's face with his eyeliner stash."
"Melody, why?"
"Looked like fun."
"I gave Hope a lecture but also took a picture."
"Melody, you have to say sorry to Killian later."
"Yes, Momma." Melody climbed onto the chair and looks at Leia. "Leia!"
"Hope, Melody, do you want milk and cookies?"
"Yes, pwease."
Emma sets them up with glasses of milk and cookies. Leia wakes up from her slumber and began crying. "Leia, do you want your milk too? I am going to heat up your bottle, sweetie." She heats up a bottle of milk for her daughter and scooped her daughter in her arms. "Your milk will be ready in a few minutes sweetie." The microwave goes off and checks the temperature. She bottle feeds Leia sitting down next to Ariel. Hope and Melody were eating their snack.
"She is not latching on?"
"No, she is not." She sighs. "I was so upset last night. I felt like a failure last night."
"It is okay, Emma. I tried feeding Melody the same way and it did not work out. You can still bond with Leia bottle feeding her."
Emma looks down at Leia and smiles. "Hi, rainbow duckling."
Killian wakes up from a facetime call from Henry. "Hi, Henry."
"Hi....Dad...what happened to your face?"
"Nothing."
Henry chuckles. "Okay. How is Leia?"
"She is not letting your Mom breastfeed her. She only wants the bootle."
"That must have upset Mom."
"Aye, it did, lad."
"I hope Mom knows it is not her fault." He giggles.
"What is it?"
"Look at your picture in the facetime call."
Killian sees the bottom of himself, covered in his eyeliner all over his face. "Aahh!!!" Henry was laughing. "Hope!!"
"Dad,I will call you back later."
Emma hears Killian screaming. "Leia, it looks like your Daddy found out what Hope and Melody has written all over his face." She looks at the two girls who were playing.
Killian goes downstairs to the living room to the girls. "Emma! Look at my face!"
Emma chuckles. "Leia, dada found eyeliner on his face."
"Swan."
Emam looks down at her daughter. "Hope, do you have something to say to your Daddy?"
"I dwaw on your face. I am sowwy Dada." Hope hugs her Daddy's legs.
"Me too, Killy. I am sowwy."
"I accept your apology, Melody."
Killian kneels down to his daughter. "I accept your apology, Hope. I am not mad at you. You were decorating my face?"
"Twy put eyeliner on you."
"Your Mommy is going to teach you, makeup when you are a big lass. I only use eyeliner under my eyes. You can help me with my eyeliner when I am awake only. Okay?"
"Okay, Dada."
"You were just being a sneaky little pirate." He tickles Hope on her belly, making her laugh.
Emma smiles, Killian never can be mad at Hope for too long. "Killian, Hope, say cheese."
"Cheese." She takes a picture of her two pirates on her iPhone.
"Mel-Mel,pway more." Killian sets Hope down. The two girls went into the backyard. Leia began crying. "Little love." He scooped his daughter into his arms. "Hi, Leia. Did you have fun walk with your mommy?" Leia coos and poops. "Swan, I will change her diaper." Killian takes Leia upstairs. He changes her diaper on the changing table."Leia, your big sister Hope was being a little sneaky pirate today." Leia kicked her legs. "Yes, Hope and Melody put eye-liner on my face while I was sleeping." Leia coos. "Are you going to put eyeliner on my face?" Leia kicks her legs. You are?" He tickles Leia's belly. "My little pirate princess." He kisses her little lass on her cheeks.
Later in the evening, Emma finds Hope sitting in Leia's crib talking to her sister. "There are my two girls."
"Mommy, Leia is awake."
"Yes, she is. Are you playing with her?"
"Yes, show her my Pluto doll." Leia kicks her legs and began crying.
Emma holds Leia. "Leia, why are you crying?" She sniffed her. "You need a change." She changes her diaper on the changing table, with her daughter crying. "You are being clean, sweetie." She looks at Hope. "Hope, can you be my helper?"
"Yes." She climbed out of the crib and went to her Mommy. "Can you throw this out in the garbage?" She gives Hope the diaper.
"Diaper can?"
Emma smiles. "Yes, Hope."
"Eww!" She throws out the diaper. Emma chuckles, she holds Leia on her chest and kisses her on the head. "Mommy." Hope hugs her Mommy's legs.
"Yes? Little duckling?"
"Wead duckling stowy?"
"The Ugly Duckling?"
"Yes, in my woom."
"Storytime in your room." She carried Leia and followed Hope to her room next door. "We are going to read a story, baby duckling. My favorite story is not from Henry's storybook.''
Emma sat on the bed, Hope carried the book. "Here Mommy!"
"Thank you, Hope." She puts Leia in her arms.
"Leia, stowytime baby sis." She kisses her sister on the head.
"Once upon a time, there was a Mommy duckling and a Daddy duckling..."
Killian cleaning the dishes and finding his three loves in Hope'sroom, Emma was passed out reading. "Hope."
"Dada, Mommy stopped weading stowy."
"That is because Mommy is very tired and needs her nap."
"Leia is still awake."
"You are right, little love." He scooped Leia into his arms. "Hi, Leia. Dada is going to finish reading you and Hope the story." He sits on the bed and snuggles with his two daughters while his wife sleeps on Hope's other side.
"Leia, it is my turn to read the book. "Hope shows them the page.
"The ugly duckling ran away because she was being teased from the other ducklings because she was different...."
"Leia, duckling, you, me, and Henwy are mommy's ducklings."
"Your big sister is right, littlest pirate princess, you are Mommy's ducklings. I love my two little ducklings." He kisses them on the head. Killian continues reading the story to his two little pirate princesses letting his swan rest that she needs. He is happy to be reading to his two daughters, his one on one time with them. He still cannot believe that he has two daughters now with his true love.