The Sound of Silence

Chapter 6

"Hello my vros!!! I have someone I want you to meet!"

Sarah came into the view of the screen holding the baby. She handed him to me and I held him up to the camera.

"I'd like you to meet Benjamin Brendon Urie. Benji for short. He was born June 20th at 3:50 in the morning. He weighed five pounds six ounces and was 19 inches long."

I kissed the baby's head.

"I love this little guy. He's such a good baby, so far. Doesn't cry too much. Except when he's hungry. And hey, he's cute."

The comments and congratulations came fast and furious. The vros were so excited and happy.

Benji fell asleep while I was holding him. Sarah was relaxing on the couch in the studio.

After a while, I logged off and Sarah and I went back into the house. My mom and dad were staying for a little while to help Sarah with the baby. But Benji was so good. He ate well already, and slept well for a newborn. Didn't fuss too much.

He was two weeks old already and just awesome. I would spend hours just staring at him.

Sarah was feeling a bit antsy, so we put Benji in his stroller and went for a walk with the dogs. Benji loves his stroller.

Sarah and I just walked up and down the streets of our neighborhood and chatted. Benji looked around at the trees and sky. Until he fell asleep. Newborns. Man. All they do is eat, sleep and poop.

We returned home and left Benji in his car seat to sleep in the living room with us. One thing we'd learned. Never wake a sleeping baby!

We watched some TV with my parents and then my mom started getting dinner ready for all of us. Sarah fell asleep on the couch.

Benji was hungry in time for dinner so Sarah fed him and I fed her. She kept laughing that I was treating her like the baby.

"You need to eat too. And you're busy feeding Benji, so I'll feed you," I smiled.

"I have two functioning hands," she said.

"Too bad. You take care of Benji, I take care of you," I smiled.

After dinner, Sarah changed Benji and put him to bed in his crib. I turned on his lullaby CD and we left him to sleep. We knew we had at least four hours. Kid sleeps like a rock!

Sarah was exhausted so the two of us went to bed to get a few hours of sleep.

"He's such a good baby," Sarah said,

"He is," I agreed, laying down beside her. "Just like his mama."

"I'm really thankful your parents are here, too. Your mom has been amazing help."

"She has," I agreed, curling up beside Sarah.

If she said anything else, I didn't hear it because I was asleep in an instant.

Benji woke us up on schedule, four hours later. Sarah went to get him and brought him into our room while she fed him. 

She changed him after he ate and put him back to bed. He'd be up in another four hours or so. 

Both of us settled back into bed and back to sleep.  

In the morning, or rather, four hours later, Benji woke us up, and I went to make coffee and breakfast, while Sarah took care of the baby. She brought him downstairs and had some breakfast. I cleaned up from breakfast while Sarah played with Benji.  Once I was done cleaning up, I sent her to go take a nap, and then took Benji out to the studio and lay him down on a blanket on the floor, while I played him some music. He kicked and smiled while I played the guitar and sang to him. I picked him up and took him over to my drum kit and put a drumstick in his hand and put my hand over his, keeping the stick in his chubby little baby fist.  I made him hit the drums and he seemed to like it. I mean, for a two week old. 

I'm not sure how much time passed, but I could tell Benji was in need of a diaper change, so I carried him in the house and gave him a change. My mom was downstairs getting herself some breakfast when I walked in. 

"Oh. You two are up already? Where's Sarah?"

"She's taking a nap.  Benji and I were just working on his first album, weren't we?" I asked my son, as I placed him down on the living room change table and undid his sleeper. 

"Ugh!" I said, undoing his diaper. "How does someone so little make such a mess?" I asked him as I cleaned his little tush and put on a clean diaper. 

"I'm going to take him upstairs and get him dressed," I said. 

In his room, I put Benji in his Fourth of July outfit that Sarah had bought. Blue shorts with stars on them and a red and white striped shirt. 

"Your clothes are so tiny, little guy!" I said, picking him up. I carried him back downstairs where my mom was washing up her dishes. 

"Oh! Look at that outfit! It's just adorable! Let me hold my grandson!" she said coming over. I handed her the baby and she cooed and googooed and gagaed at him. 

I poured myself another cup of coffee and sat down at the table and went through my phone, checking Instagram. 

Sarah came down a little while later dressed and ready for the day. 

"Good nap sweetheart?" I asked her. 

"Amazing nap. Thank you so much.  What did you two get up to?" she asked. 

"Oh, Benji's working on his first album.  We played some guitar, and we played some drums. And now he's playing Granny," 

"He has her wrapped around his little finger," Sarah said, pouring herself a coffee and pulling some yogurt and granola out. She cut up a couple of strawberries and blueberries and sat across from me while she ate, looking over at my mom who was wandering around with Benji.  My dad came down as well, dressed and ready to go out. 

It was the Fourth of July and Benji was going to his first Fourth of July parade. 

The five of us piled into our car and headed towards the parade. We were all chatting happily, enjoying the sunshine and the excitement of the day. 

I parked a little bit away from the parade route, so that we would be less likely to be caught in traffic when we left.  Sarah got Benji out of the car and I opened the stroller for her to clip his carseat in. 

Once we had Benji squared away, Sarah covered him with a light blanket to keep the sun off him, and we set off towards the parade.  

We found a spot on the parade route and watched the high school marching bands and some of the stores that sponsored the parade. I checked on Benji and saw he was fast asleep.  

We were watching when a fire truck came along the parade route and turned on its siren and blared its incredibly loud horn.  Sarah and I both dove to check on Benji, certain the noise had scared him. 

I pulled off the blanket and Benji was still fast asleep. Sarah and I looked at each other, and then at my parents.  We grabbed the stroller and left the parade, my parents in tow.