Lizzie finally got to come home today, leaving the hospital was tearful knowing our little girl was there alone for a few hours a day but it was comforting to know Lizzie was out of the woods with her infection and she wasn't at any risk of further complications. Knowing she was well enough to come home and not have to have 24 hour observations was nice.
Her mum and dad were bringing her home and my mum was helping me cook a meal for our family and get the house ready for her, I had her favourite sweats and one of my hoodies on our bed candles ready to be burnt for her bath tonight along with fresh sheets fluffed pillows and Lizzie approved snacks. Tonight we were both staying home having spent a week straight in the hospital we both needed the rest in our own home, but after that, we're taking it in turns to stay at the hospital we'd spend 3 hours at home together and then we'd switch until Kailani was ready to come home.
"You've gotten a lot better at cooking," Mum observed as I moved around the kitchen I now felt at home in. "Liz has taught me a lot," I say with a shrug as I add more seasoning to the sauce I was making. "I've hardly had to help." She says and I smile. "I'm growing up, Mum." She smiled at me as I looked over my shoulder at her. "I see that now." I smiled wider at her before turning back to the stove.
"Eleanor, we're home." David's voice had bass as it carried through the house a complete contrast to what I'm used to. I wipe my hands on the apron skirt and go help them at the door. Lizzie was still in a little discomfort from the birth but able to walk around on her own. "Hi, welcome," I say inviting them in Liz gravitated to my side instantly. "I missed you." She kissed me. "I've been gone two hours my love," I noted and she gave me a look. "I missed you too," I say kissing her quickly. "Dinner smells amazing." She says. I take her and her parents into the kitchen she wants to be by me so I help her onto the counter she begins to micromanage me and when I ignored her doing it my way she was getting stressy with me. "Elizabeth, Eleanor is cooking let her cook." Her mum says. "But." "Elizabeth." She said in a singing tone and I tried to not laugh because I would get a hit in the chest from her.
"I made your blueberry muffins," I say trying to sweeten her up. "Can I have one?" She asked innocently giving me her puppy eyes. "Of course princess" She eyed her dad up as I moved to the cooling stand and got her one. "Eat it, you deserve it," I whispered to her pecking her cheek, she slowly took it from me. "He's changed, don't worry." "What if he says something?" "Then he'll be finding somewhere else to eat dinner." She chuckled and took a big bite of the muffin. "That's my girl," I say turning back to the pans.
The twins arrive before I dish up the food and we sit around together enjoying the atmosphere but my thoughts are constantly on K, I hated the fact she was alone, I know the nurses were sitting with her and monitoring her and talking to her but one of us should be there. "You're thinking too hard," Lizzie whispers to me resting her hand on my thigh. "Thinking about Kailani." She smiled a tight smile before nodding understanding. "We could go, after dinner." "You pair are going right to bed after dinner," Jarnie warned us ruining our plotting completely. "But she's all alone in the big scary hospital." I pouted, trying to get them to give in to us. "Then her grandpa will be there with her," David said and we all were shocked. Lizzie even choked on her drink. "What?" "I'll stay with her tonight, you both can get some rest and Eleanor will come in the morning to take over." "You'd do that?" "She is my grandchild." He says before putting food in his mouth. "Right." I was unsure about it and looked at my mum. "Well, we could both go. Keep her company." I nodded, liking that idea. "I'll join too. All her grandparents watching over her." "Yeah, that would be nice. But you have to call us before bedtime so we can say goodnight." "She's a week old every second of the day is bedtime." MK points out. "7 O'clock actually it's her big feed before she goes down," Lizzie said with narrowed eyes, Kailani had a routine already. MK raised her hands in surrender. "Okay, we'll call you at 7 if you're still awake." Her mum teased us, clearly, we were both exhausted but we'd stay awake.
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Lizzie and I were lounging on the sofa on the second floor trying to keep our eyes open waiting for 7 so we could say goodnight to our baby girl. We had both bathed and gotten ready for bed and it was only 5:30. She had her head laid on my tummy and my hand was combing through her hair. "You're making me sleepy stop." She says but when I removed my hand she whined. "What do you want from me?" I chuckled. "I don't know." She whined again. I picked her up so she was sitting on my lap facing me. "You pick me up like I'm a little rag doll." She says with an amused glint in her eyes. "I'm gentle with you." I defended. "You are." She agreed easily leaning to peck my lips. "I want to be with her." "Me too," I say. "Can I come with you in the morning? Just for a few hours?" "It's up to you, I would love it if you rested though baby." "But I miss her." "Me too, she'll be home before we know it." She nodded.
"Shoot." She says suddenly. "What?" I asked concerned about the sudden outburst. "We need to get the nursery finished." I smiled. "Come with me." "You haven't?" "Of course, I have, the paint fumes needed to be gone before we brought her home I couldn't just leave it." "When did you have time?" She asked as we walked to the top floor. "When I came home in the two weeks before she was born." "You should have been sleeping." "Yeah, mum already scolded me I don't need the lecture again," I say dismissing her and she rolled her eyes so dramatically.
I take her hand before pushing it open and she gasps as she looked around, everything was just how she wants it, she let her hand skim across the feeding chair as she walked around. "All her books." She says looking at the little shelves filled with all the books we got at her baby shower. We asked everyone to buy her a book and sign it, books last forever and they all wrote little messages in them too so it's super special.
Her nursery was neutral colours, nudes and a few splashes of pastel pink here and there, all her furniture a light wood matching the minimalistic vibe of the room making a super chill and calm environment. "It's perfect." Lizzie stood at her crib looking into it, I stood behind her snaking my arms around her waist and resting my head on her shoulder. "I can't wait to bring her home." Her voice cracked. "Promise me she'll be coming home." "She will be coming home, Princess. She's getting stronger every day and the constant medication is helping her." "What if something goes wrong." "The doctors will be there." "What if we lose her?" "We won't," I say firmly squeezing her gently. "But what if?" "We stick together and support each other through it, well remember her every day just like her older sibling." She rested her hand on top of mine on her waist and squeezed it. "You're not going to leave?" "No princess. I'm here. You got me for life." "Promise me." "I have multiple times hence the rings." I chuckled. "Nell." She whined. "I promise you princess I am yours until the end of time." "I'm scared we're going to mess her up." She whispered. "I have no clue what I'm doing." She turned to face me her eyes scanning my face. "Neither." "That's comforting." She chuckled but I could tell she was getting overwhelmed. "No parent knows what they're doing." I cupped her cheeks. "Our parents did." "Um no, they did not. My mum left my brothers in a supermarket like 6 times and your mum left you on set more than once." "We're not leaving our child anywhere." She warned me seriously. "Not even once? It's like an initiation into parenthood." She raised an eyebrow. "Scar Left Rose in the Lego store just last week that's 4 years into being a parent." "Eleanor." "Got it, remember the kid... My point is no one knows what they're doing at first but you figure it out and eventually, you get good at it. For you, it's going to be natural and you're going to be amazing at it, just like you are at everything." "Not true." "To me it is." She smiled softly.
"How much trouble would we be in if you drove us to the hospital?" "Um, well they can't ground us anymore." I point out. "And we have our own home so we have to do chores." She pointed out. Just as we were about to decide to get in the car my phone rang and I answered immediately it was mum. "Is she okay?" I asked quickly the camera turned to her, David was feeding her and we both cooed and gushed at her. "Mummy and Muma wanted to say goodnight, Bug," Mum says everyone spoke so softly around her little ears.
"I got pictures don't worry." David had a huge smile as he looked down at Kailani, I wanted to hold her and wish her goodnight the temptation not to get in our car and go was so high but my mum's warning look turned me against it, she may not be able to ground me or make me do chores but that look still sends chills down my spine.
They settled Kailani down and we read her a book she was already long gone before the end of the first page but we persisted with it and wished her goodnight a million times not wanting the phone call to end. Eventually, they cut us off. "How rude!" I exclaimed.
Lizzie yawned. "Come on let's get you to bed," I say smiling at her, I stand up from the feeding chair forcing her to stand up too as she was sat on my lap. "Carry me." I rolled my eyes but picked her up to walk across the hall to our bedroom. She settled down quickly, I closed the curtains making the room flood into darkness, and she switched the lamp on so I could find my way to the bed witch out kicking something. I plugged my phone in to charge and rolled onto my side, Lizzie was laid already facing me, I smiled and traced the side of her face missing having her home with me. "Hi." She says. "Hi." I chuckle back. "I've missed our bed." "I've missed you being home." She pushed my shoulder lightly so I laid on my back and she half laid on my half on the bed her head resting on my shoulders her limbs laid over the rest of my body. "Comfy?" "Extremely." She sighed her hands ran up and down my arm before reaching further over me to touch the bassinet that was on my side of the bed ready for when Kailani comes home.
"She'll be home soon Princess." I pecked the top of her head and she retracted her hand. "How did you get away with putting her on your side?" "Because I set it up." "Well, move it." "No." "Please." I ignored her and ran my fingers through her hair. I wasn't going to move it.
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The next four weeks were mostly spent at the hospital, I was glad I owned my own business and worked for Lizzie's sisters because I wasn't up for working I just wanted to be with Kailani and so did Lizzie so as much as we tried to do one day at home one day at the hospital we both tended to be at the hospital for a majority of the day and took it in turns to stay home at night.
Week two of her life she had a bad turn and had to be put back on oxygen and had 24-hour observation meaning there was a nurse with her every minute of the day it was scary but a week late she was a lot stronger and back on track. Today is the first day they're taking her off the vents and she has to be off them for 24 hours with no problems for us to be able to take her home. Lizzie and I were both scared something would go wrong and she'd take a bad turn again. It was an anxious wait. Lizzie was pacing around the room and I had to wrap my arms around her waist and pull her to sit with me.
"You're stressing her out with your pacing." "Shut up." "Lizzie it's been what? 16 hours now, she's got this." "I just want her home." She began to cry and hid in the crook of my neck. "We'll have her home soon, she's doing good. She's a fighter like her mummy." She gripped my shirt. "I'm here," I tell her in response. I pecked the top of her head as I held her. "You should sleep, we'll have her home tonight and it'll be the first time we're doing her feeds alone." I remind her. "What about you?" "I'll sleep when you wake up." She adjusted herself in my lap. "Hold me." "I will, just get some rest." We have been up for over 24 hours as we prepared for Kailani to come home, talking with doctors getting the house stocked and ready, and being here with her.
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"And that's 24 hours!" Our family was here to celebrate, she's a month old and we can finally bring her home, her entire life to date has been documented of course I wouldn't be me if I didn't. I couldn't help the silent tears that slid down my cheek as I picked my little girl up out of the crib for the first time without her being hooked up to several different machines. I rest her against my chest holding her securely, I pecked the top of her head. "Muma's little fighter," I whispered to her, Lizzie was happy crying her wide smile on full display, her dad carrying Kailani's bags and our mums watching me with our daughter. With one hand I wrapped her in the blanket and Lizzie and I left with her after singing all the paper work and legal stuff of course.
I opened the door for Lizzie and she walked through holding Kailani in her car seat. "Welcome home, baby girl." She cheered our family piling in. My mum had been here for over a month now, helping us, supporting us, feeding us, taking care of things when it was too much for us and it had been really nice.
Lizzie takes Kailani on a tour of the house whilst I make everyone a drink. I was so happy I didn't really know what to do with myself my brain was all over the place she was finally home! She was healthy and home. The doctors said they should be no further complications, she'll be a little behind in terms of her growth but she'd catch up soon enough. She'd still hit all her milestones and she shouldn't have health problems, her heart and lungs both being up to standard now after the medications and lots of rest.
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It was surreal having her in my arms in her nursery as I feed her and Lizzie read a storybook. "And this one's from Uncle Mackie." She says looking down at Kailani who was too busy drinking her formula to care. "He say's to my special little bug." Little bug is what everyone started referring to her as when she was growing I called it her first and Lizzie picked it up, Bug being a term of endearment in my family mum and my brothers started and then a string of people followed after that. "I will always be your favourite uncle. Go little rockstar, love Uncle Mack." I chuckled to myself hearing his message. She continued to read the book and when she was feed and winded we took her to our room and settled her in the bassinet that was still on my side of the bed. Lizzie needed to rest, I'd do the night feeds.
We laid around the bedroom both of us reading separate books as we enjoyed the content feeling filling the air. I felt Lizzie's eyes on me. "We can take it in turns she's staying on my side tonight." I tell her dismissing her. "No, it's not that." "Good because I had no intentions of moving her." She slapped me with the book on my thigh. "Ow." I complained. She continued to watch me so I looked over at her. "How can I help you, Princess?" I asked her with curious eyes wanting to know what she wanted or was thinking. "I'm really happy." She states. "Me too." "You kept your promise" "Which one?" "You promised I'd have, we'd have a baby before I was 35." "I remember it being at least two?" I smirked. She smiled, probably at the fact I remember the conversation. "You remember everything." "I listen that's why." She took my book from my hands and set it on her bedside before snuggling into my side. "Thank you." She whispered. "Thank you." I say back. "You're the only person who has ever kept their word." "You deserve it." "We finally have our little family." She whispered both of us rolling our heads to look at where our baby was peacefully sleeping. "We do." "Do I still make you happy?" "The happiest, you and K are all I need." I tell her. "I love you." She says looking up at me, I look down at her and peck her lips. "I haven't told you enough recently." "It's been a difficult time... I love you too, though princess." She smiled and pecked my lips.
"Promise me you'll be as good of a muma to her as your parents were." "I promise to give her the very best of me every single day for the rest of my life." We spoke about Kailani and what we were planning on doing in the near future. None of our friends had met her not even Scar. We didn't want anyone at the hospital it would have been too much so the first mission was introducing her to her extended family. And to meet my brothers and her cousins who would be coming in for my birthday soon enough. Eventually, we both got tired and ended up falling asleep.