Invisible String

20

Mira was thrashing.

Not in a bad way—she was happy, making these wild squeals that bounced off the kitchen walls—but the baby carrier across my chest was definitely not prepared for the level of energy she had this morning. Her tiny fists kept flailing, and her legs were in full donkey-kick mode. I swear, if she were any bigger, she’d knock me off balance.

“Okay, okay, you’re excited. I get it,” I mumbled, shifting her weight higher up my chest. She giggled like I just told the best joke in the world, then went right back to smacking her feet against my ribs.

Her warm little body was pressed close to mine, and her pacifier bounced against my arm with every dramatic kick. I could already tell she’d be just as fiery as her sister.

Speaking of…

“Daddy! You pulled my hair!” Lily screeched through a mouthful of toast.

“I did not,” Travis said calmly, wrestling the brush through one side of her hair as she squirmed. “You moved your head like a snake while I was trying to wrap the rubber band.”

“I don’t move like a snake!” she yelled again, twisting on the barstool. Mira shriek-laughed like it was all hilarious.

“Can you sit still for just ten more seconds, please?” Travis pleaded, holding the two pink elastics in his mouth. I watched him, slightly in awe of his patience. Lily was not an easy client.

I shifted my weight, reaching one hand out to grab the cup of fruit from the fridge while trying not to bonk Mira’s head on the door handle. The carrier made me feel like a contestant in some kind of mom obstacle course. She kicked me again.

I managed to toss the fruit onto the counter. “Lily, eat your blueberries.”

“Do they count as breakfast?” she asked skeptically.

“Yes. Eat.”

Travis finally got her pigtails in, each one slightly crooked but still adorable. “All done. Beautiful,” he said, standing back with a proud grin.

Lily beamed, chewing her toast and looking at herself in the toaster reflection. “I look like a big girl.”

“You are a big girl,” I said, coming up behind her and kissing the top of her head, careful not to bump Mira in the process. “First day of preschool. You ready?”

She got quiet. The kind of quiet that makes a mom stop in her tracks.

“I think…” she said slowly, “I’ll miss you.”

I bent down to meet her eyes, the top of Mira’s head brushing my chin. “You know what’s cool about school though?”

She shook her head.

“You’ll make friends, learn fun stuff, and come home to tell us everything. And I’ll be right here when you get back.”

She nodded, blinking fast.

Travis swooped in then, rescuing the moment. “And if you’re really brave, Mommy and I might have a surprise waiting for you after school.”

Lily’s eyes lit up. “Is it chocolate?”

“You’ll just have to be brave and find out.”

She gave a big nod, wiping her hands on her dress like she was gearing up for battle.

I exhaled through my nose, pressing a kiss to Mira’s fuzzy head. Her kicking slowed a little as she sucked on her pacifier. I was sweating, sleep-deprived, and had a teething ring in my pocket and formula powder on my shirt. But we were doing it.