The Adventures of Harry and Grace (H.S.)

A Series of Firsts: Food

Bottle

It's 3 AM in the middle of May when Harry hears his sweet baby girl begin to cry. She is lying in her bassinet in the corner of your bedroom. Her cries bring you and Harry back to consciousness for the third time tonight. Grace is only three weeks old and is still learning that sleep is important. You let out a sigh, not of frustration but more of exhaustion. You stretch, turning to your side and start to push yourself up preparing yourself to help your baby go back to sleep.

Harry puts his hand on your arm putting pressure on your body so you will bring your tired head back to your pillow.

"I've got it love." Harry kisses your temple, brushing your hair in the process.

Turning away from you, Harry sits up, putting his feet on the floor. Pinching the top of his nose, he takes a deep breath to wake up his body. Padding across the floor to his crying child, he picks up Grace setting her on his bare chest. Patting her back and saying sweet 'shh' sounds in her ears he attempts to calm her sad cries.

Walking with a slight bounce, Harry takes his daughter into her room. Lying her down on the changing table, he prepares to put a fresh nappy on her bum. Her tiny body puts up a slight fight as he opens the bottom of her nightgown. Her small feet kick as Harry removes her nappy lifting up her bum and cleaning it with a wet wipe. He puts on a fresh clean nappy. He pulls down the rolled up nightgown so her bare feet are safe in a warm little bubble. Grace continues to cry with hunger.

"I know bug, gonna feed ya. Let's go get ya a bottle. Alright?" Harry says sweetly to his crying daughter as he brings her to his naked chest once again.

Leaving the room Harry takes Grace to the kitchen, pulling the breast milk from the fridge and placing it in the sink under the stream of hot water. You tried pumping for the first time yesterday. Harry encouraged you to pump so he could help with Grace at night, and for moments when you need a moment to yourself.

Grace cries in Harry's ear as the bottle gets warmer. Harry sings to his baby to an effort to calm her. Harry's voice releases the sweet lyrics of Fleetwood Mac's Songbird.

"And the songbirds are singing, like they know the score.

And I love you, I love you, I love you, like never before."

Harry's voice echoes through the kitchen. Grace has calmed a little bit her cries still waver in Harry's ear. Walking over to the sink, he removes the milk from the steady stream of hot wiater. Pulling the lid off the bottle and sitting it on the counter, Harry tilts the bottle to test it on his wrist. The milk doesn't seem too hot and Harry feels like the temperature is perfect.

Taking his daughter, who is still crying in his ear, up the stairs, Harry enters Grace's room. Sitting down in the rocking chair beside her crib he reaches for the blanket that is resting on the back of the chair, Harry wraps it around Grace.

Lying her in the crook of his arm, he pulls Grace close to his body. Bringing the bottle towards her mouth Harry tries to get her to latch on the nipple. She moves her head back in forth unable to figure out how to attach herself to the bottle. Breast feeding has been a bit of a challenge. Grace struggles to latch, but once she is on, she seems to be a champion eater.

Harry figures this will be a similar situation as she struggles to get a hold of the nipple. Harry adjusts his crying baby again in his arms, lowering the nipple to her mouth and letting the milk drip into her mouth. Grace soon relaxes, taking the nipple into her mouth and begins to drink the liquid gold.

Quietly Harry sings different lullabies as he rocks her back and forth. Grace is calm as she eats her nighttime snack in her father's arms. Harry can feel her tiny feet rubbing back and forth against each other just the way her Mum does as she falls asleep. He takes a mental note at the amount of joy and love he is feeling, for his sweet little family and the first time he has been able to feed his daughter.