"Hi baby! My goodness, what in the world did your Grandmother make you wear?!" Rory asked, when she finally met up with Emily who was sitting in the kitchen holding her daughter. Ayribella was dressed in a red dress covered in embroidered flowers, and a white headband wrapped around her head that had a giant red flower attached to it.
"Don't even blame me, this was all your mother!" Emily said as Rory leaned down to kiss her baby's forehead.
"Hey, she looks adorable!" Lorelai spoke up.
"Mom, that flower on her head, is as big as her whole head!"
"Not quite."
"Close enough!"
"Hey, don't go using the 'G-word' on me! I am NOT a 'G-word'! I'm Nana Lorelai! The 'G word' is only to be used for my mother!"
"Really Lorelai? Because it's so awful to be a Grandmother?" Emily asked. "I was younger than you are now, when Rory was born."
"Really? Because I am MUCH too young to be a 'G-word'!"
"Yes Lorelai. I was 25 when you were born. You had Rory 16 years later. That made me 41. You are now 47. That is 6 years older than I was when you made me a Grandparent."
"Yeah, well, things were different back then. I am much too young and cool to be a 'G-word'." Lorelai told them.
"Rory, your Mother is being ridiculous."
"What else is new? Have you seen my house? I feel like I've walked into some crazy Mexican bar in Tiajuana." Rory commented as she looked around.
"Hey, you're welcome!" Lorelai told her.
"Rory, Honey, why don't you get yourself some dinner while your Grandmother and I take care of Ayribella." Richard spoke up. "You need to get some food in your stomach or you will be no good to your baby."
"Thanks for all your help, you guys. Logan was telling me how easy parenthood is so far. We have so much help, it's almost like living in the Twilight Zone."
"Well learn to enjoy it while it lasts, because one day a few months down the road, it'll be just the two of you, falling flat on your faces, calling me in tears, begging me to come help you." Lorelai told her.
"And I'm sure that you will jump in the car, and be here as soon as possible." April commented.
"You are damn right, I will!"
"And your Grandmother and I will be here all the time as well." Richard added.
"Your Grandfather is loving working in your office Rory. He's having a great time getting into the swing of things." Emily told her Granddaughter.
"I am! Doyle is a great help! He's been showing me around, and teaching me the ins and outs of the newspaper business. I got to edit a few articles before lunch today. I am having a great time!"
"Grandpa, I am so glad you are enjoying it. I didn't mean to overwhelm you though. You don't need to be there full-time."
"Don't even worry, I am having a grand time!"
"Well if you like it that much, we can probably find you a permanent spot doing editing or copywriting or something." Logan spoke up.
"That is not necessary at all. I don't need an official position. I am just happy to help out wherever I am needed. I'm learning a lot!"
"No, Logan is right. Grandpa, you would make a great editor. Better than I am!"
"We can talk about it at another time. None of that is important right now. What IS important, is that you get some sustenance into that tiny body of yours. Now go get yourselves some dinner." Richard told them.
"Rory, I've got a plate for you right here." Luke said, holding a paper plate out toward his daughter. "Logan, April, plates?"
"Thanks Dad. And thanks for trying to reel my Mom in today." Rory said as she took the plate from Luke, and began to load it up with food.
"Are you kidding? I didn't do anything except pick up the food. Lorelai did EVERYTHING else! I know better than to get in your Mother's way, when she's on a mission." Luke chuckled.
"At least you didn't let her hire a Mariachi band."
"I'm not sure if I could have even stopped her."
"Remind her of Bozo and the Cajun Stompers."
"Oh lord! That was definitely one of your Mother's crazier ideas!"
"Hey, children, come get some dinner!" Lorelai said after crossing through the kitchen and poking her head out the backdoor to where Honor and Josh were lounging on the patio with Lane.
"Rory, we really need to convince Lane to move closer. She's so fun to have around!" Honor said as she walked through the door with Lane a minute later.
"Trust me, I know! I miss her!"
"I wish! I could never leave the Hollow. It's my home. I've lived there my entire life, and it's the only home that my boys know. Plus, I could never leave my Mom. She would lose her mind without having the boys around." Lane told them.
"Well then you definitely need to come up to visit more often." Honor suggested.
"I will do my best. The boys have soccer, school, and band now, so getting away can be kind of tricky. But I will definitely try to come up maybe once a month or so. Maybe we can start planning a girls weekend or something. Do a Mommy get away or something."
"That would be so fun!"
"Rory, you and Honor can come to the Dragonfly for a spa day, and you can bring April if she's not working. You can all have a girls day there." Lorelai suggested.
"That sounds fun. We will definitely have to start doing that."
"You can leave the babies with Daddy, and come have a girls day in the Hollow."
"Yes! I love it!" Honor agreed.
"I am all over that!" Lane chimed in.
"Hey Mom, speaking of the Hollow, is Sookie coming up for Honor's shower tomorrow?" Rory asked.
"She is. I am meeting her at the Country Club at 9am. Is it ok with you if she comes by after the party? She wants to meet Ayribella."Lorelai answered.
"Only if she brings food."
"Of course she'll bring food! She's Sookie! Donna hired her to cater Honor's party, so you know that there will be a ton of amazing food. I'll make sure that you have a large tray stashed away, before the party even starts."
"Deal!" Rory agreed.
"At least the party is being kept out of our neighborhood." Logan commented. "It means less paparazzi around."
"That's the entire plan. And having you, Lorelai and Emily at my party gives the impression that everything is completely normal for you guys. Because why in the world would you leave your wife and newborn daughter to go to a party?" Honor spoke up.
"Please Honor, give me another reason NOT to go!"
"Logan, Rory and Ayribella will be just fine with Lane and I." April told him. "We're going to have a great time hanging out."
"Yes! We've never done that, just the three of us. It's always been me and April, or me and Rory." Lane agreed. "I am so excited!"
"And now I'm jealous that I have to go to my party, instead of hanging out here with you guys." Honor told them.
"Luke and I will be here as well." Richard spoke up.
"Luke will." Emily corrected him. "You are helping with Mitchum."
"Well then. I guess I will be with Mitchum, but the girls will have Luke here to help out if they need anything. They will be in great hands."
"That's right." Luke agreed. "I'll make sure they eat and have everything they could possibly need."
"So Dad, you will be doing take out runs for us?" April asked.
"No, but I'll cook you a decent meal."
"Will you make us smores and cherry pie?" Rory asked.
"Don't I always?"
"You are the greatest Dad ever!" April said excitedly. "Hey Dad? Do you think that maybe you can make us some egg salad sandwiches tomorrow? I miss your egg salad."
"And lasagna!" Lorelai piped up.
"Yes! And lasagna!"
"Sure April. I'll make you whatever you would like." Luke told her.
"I have the best Dad in the world!" April chirped as she sat down at the kitchen table next to Emily, and dug into her food.
"Mom, this food is AMAZING!" Rory spoke up as she shoveled food into her mouth. "Where did you order from?"
"It is all from La Contenta on Norfolk Street. I stopped in there this morning while I was out shopping, and everything looked and smelled delicious." Lorelai answered.
"I was asking Rory earlier, if it's even legal to have a party tonight, without Sookie." Logan commented.
"Sookie specializes in fancy food, not tacos."
"That is exactly what your daughter told me."
"Sookie is actually jealous of our little party tonight. She would be here, but she's got a lot of prep to do for tomorrow. I promised to save her some leftovers."
"Hey Grandma, you need to eat. How about I take the baby, and you get yourself some food." April spoke up as she finished off a second taco.
"That's ok April, I don't mind waiting." Emily told her.
"Really Grandma, I insist. I just scarfed a couple tacos. Rory is stil leating, and you need to eat before the food gets cold. Cough up the baby."
"I'll be ok. You finish eating. I'll eat when you are all finished."
"Mom, don't be ridiculous. April hasn't even held the baby yet." Lorelai commented. "Pass the baby off, and come eat some food. You will have plenty of baby snuggles later on. April is only here until Sunday."
"Lorelai has a point, Emily. We do technically live here now. We can snuggle that precious angel whenever we want to." Richard told her.
"I haven't even gotten to hold her today." Honor told them.
"You can have her when I'm finished." April said as she reached for her newborn niece.
"You hear that Logan? We'll never see our baby ever again!" Rory chuckled.
"He probably won't, but only you can feed her, so you are at least guaranteed feeding time with your daughter." Lorelai commented.
"At least until everyone realizes that there is this miracle invention called a breast pump." Josh spoke up.
"Which shouldn't be used for the first few weeks, unless absolutely necessary." Logan interjected. "Unless the baby is having a hard time latching, or refusing to nurse, there is no reason to use abreast pump unless you have a low milk supply, that needs a boost."
"Don't argue with the doctor." Honor commented.
"Logan is actually completely right." Lane told them. "I did a lot of reading about that stuff when I was pregnant with the boys."
"I've read the same things. The pump is for back up and emergency use. And technically, after I deliver, if something were to happen to Rory, and Ayribella needed to be fed, I could do it. It would be completely up to Rory and Logan of course, but at least coming from me, you would know that the milk is safe."
"It seems kind of weird, but Honor does have a point about that." Logan commented. "It's a better alternative than formula. But it's still a little weird. I understand it from a medical stand point, but from a personal stand point, it's too strange."
"No, I completely agree with that." Honor told him. "But in case of an emergency, we've got each other."
"It's a good emergency plan." Rory agreed. "I'll eventually start pumping, just to have a supply in the freezer. That way if I need to run to the office or something, Honor, Rosalinda, Grandma, or whoever is watching Ayribella, can feed her without having to wait for me. But definitely, if something were to happen to me, and Ayribella was starving, without a doubt, I would want Honor to step in. And I'm sure that she feels the same way about me."
"Most definitely! You are the only person that I would ever trust. I know several people who have used donor milk for their babies, but it seems so strange to me. I know that fed is best, but I just have a problem trusting a complete stranger. By all means, if I end up with a huge milk supply, I will definitely donate to a baby in need, but for me personally, I'm not sure that I could be on the receiving end."
"Me too. I have major trust issues. I've read a lot about that stuff lately, and unless I knew the person as well as I do you, there is no way that I could fully trust them to not be poisoning my baby. I have no idea what they are putting into their bodies."
"Exactly! I mean, you and I don't always eat the best, but at least I know exactly what it is that we are eating, and I've known you long enough, and I am constantly around you. I trust you with my life. You would never do anything to hurt my baby, just like I would never do anything to hurt yours."
"Yep! Exactly!"
"We're family. I was actually going to ask you guys, you and Logan . . . Josh and I have been talking about it, and we would really love it if you two would be the Godparents to our baby."
"Yeah, absolutely!" Logan answered.
"For sure! I'm already Godmother to Lane's boys, one of Sookie's kids, and both of Paris and Doyle's kids. But definitely, without a doubt!" Rory told her.
"Have you guys decided about Godparents at all?" Emily asked.
"No." Logan chuckled. "We can't make a decision. We have six names, and there is no way to possibly choose between any of them."
"Well it's not like your baby has to have Godparents." Lorelai commented. "Rory doesn't have Godparents, and she turned out just fine."
"No, I know." Rory commented. "It's not like it's something that we have to do. And we have so many people in our lives who love us, and would do anything for us. If something were to happen to Logan and I, we know that everyone in this room would fight tooth and nail for Ayribella, and give her the best life possible. And then add in there, Collin and Stephanie too. It's just so hard to choose. We don't want to offend anyone, or for anyone to be hurt or feel left out. I just don't know how we are supposed to choose just two people."
"You guys like too many people." Honor chuckled. "Josh and I have friends, but no one that we are super close to the way that we are with you guys. Rory has her sisters and Lane who is practically her sister. I may be her sister by marriage, but I could never take the place of any of them."
"See ,that's the exact problem!" Rory agreed. "I am super close with all of you, and we are close with Stephanie and Collin. You would all be amazing Godparents. Can't we just name all of you and say that if something happened to Logan and I, you would all have to move into a commune, and raise Ayribella altogether?"
"Hey, I'm down with that. Zach may not like it, but I'm totally down." Lane chimed in.
"I say do it. We can all be second parents to each other's kids." Honor agreed.
"I like that idea." April spoke up. "You know that I already love Ayribella as my own. I'm holding her for the first time, but I love her. She's gorgeous, and snuggly, and she smells so good!"
"Hey, don't go getting any ideas over there!" Luke spoke up.
"Oh come on Luke, April is 22 now, and about to graduate from college. She's an adult. It wouldn't be a bad thing if she had the next baby." Lorelai smiled, elbowing her husband.
"I'm just not ready for my little girl to have a baby of her own."
"Oh trust me, I get that. But at least she's an adult and college educated. Our kids have done better than I did."
"You did very well with your daughter, Lorelai." Richard spoke up. "Rory turned out wonderfully! She is an amazing daughter, she is intelligent, motivated, dedicated, she achieves everything she sets her mind to, she is college educated, well rounded, a brilliant business woman, and a great mother."
"I've only been a mother for two days." Rory piped in.
"You've taken amazing care of both yourself and Ayribella all through your pregnancy. And you are a great dog Mom to Rocky."
"Well thank you. But I credit Logan for most of that. He takes much better care of all of us than I do."
"You are both amazing parents. Just like Honor and Joshua are. Your Grandmother and I are looking forward to all the time we get to spend here with all of you, enjoying the two newest members of our family."
"That's right." Emily agreed. "Just being here for the last two days, getting to spend time with Ayribella, there is nowhere in the world that we would rather be."
"Did Emily tell you what she found at the house last week?" Richard asked.
"What did you find?" Rory asked.
"Emily found Lorelai's baby cradle down in the basement. I had it picked up by a friend who is a woodworker, and started making cradles for his Grandkids several years ago, and he is refinishing the cradle for us. When he's finished, I will pick it up, and bring it here for Ayribella."
"You still have that?" Lorelai asked.
"We do. I had no idea until I found it in the basement." Emily spoke up. "I was down there last week looking for a box of candlesticks, and I saw it sitting in a corner. I didn't think that you would want it, but I thought that maybe it would be nice for Ayribella."
"Luke made Ayribella a cradle."
"Yes, and it's absolutely beautiful. We'll keep yours in our apartment for when Ayribella is with us. That way she has a bed there too. It'll make it easier than having to transport stuff back and forth. Just like when Rory came to stay with us. She had a bed and everything at our house."
"You lived in a different city Mom. Half an hour from us. When you are here, you live on the other side of the wall."
"Yes, but still. Ayribella can come spend some time with Richard and I, and give Rory and Logan some time away. They can take a nap, or go out on a date. We will have everything we need for her, right in our apartment, that way we won't have to go back and forth."
"That sounds really nice, Grandma." Rory spoke up. "And maybe one day, when Ayribella is older and has a family of her own, she can hand both cradles down to them."
"Or if you have another child someday, when they are older and have their own families, they can each have a cradle." Emily told her.
"See, it works out." Richard agreed.
"So Mom, did you hear that April was offered the job at the hospital lab?" Rory asked, changing the subject.
"You were?! April, that is incredible! Congratulations!"
"Thank you! I just got the call this morning." April spoke up.
"So it's official then? You'll be living here with Rory and Logan."
"That's the plan. I'm really excited about it."
"And you graduate in a few weeks, right?" Emily asked.
"I do. I am so ready to be done. I just have to get through my final exams, and present my thesis in two weeks."
"Have you finished it yet?" Richard asked.
"I have. I just finished it the other day, actually. I still need to proof read it, but I am so sick of working on that darn thing, that I decided to take a break from it for the weekend."
"Well I would love to read it, if you would like me to. I would be happy to edit it for you."
"Really? Thank you Grandpa! That would be awesome! I'll e-mail it to you tonight, if that is alright?"
"Absolutely! I would be honored to help you out."
"Send it to me too." Logan told her.
"I already sent it to you last week." April commented.
"I know that, but I haven't read it since you finished. I want to read the whole thing."
"Ok, Doctor Nerd."
"He's a Work Dork." Rory spoke up.
"A what?"
"He's a Work Dork. It's a name I gave him back at Yale."
"Yeah, and you're a Work Dork Lover. So there!" Logan chuckled, reaching his arm around his wife, and placing a kiss on the side of her head.
"You two are cute. Anyway, thank you Grandpa and Logan. I will get my thesis to you tonight. And I'll have graduation tickets for you all next week."
"Are you sure that you can get enough?" Lorelai asked. "Because when Rory graduated, she only got 4 tickets.
"I should be able to. I haven't heard about any ticket limits. I know that there are a bunch of different graduation ceremonies going on over the whole weekend. I will definitely go ask my dean on Monday though. We have like 20 people coming right?"
"More like 8, including your Mom." Luke spoke up.
"And you know that Josh and I would love to be there, but I can't betraveling that close to my due date." Honor commented.
"I believe there will be a live feed for anyone who can't make it." April told her. "I'll ask for at least 10 tickets, just to be safe. How is that?"
"That sounds like a good plan. Your Dad hasn't told the gossip mill in Stars Hollow, so you should be safe from all of them." Lorelai told her.
"If you have an extra ticket, I would love to come too." Lane commented.
"Yes, definitely! You are more than welcome to be there." April spoke up.
"I feel like I've watched you grow up."
"You have. You were there so much when I first met my Dad. You babysat me and everything."
"You had a babysitter when you were of babysitting age yourself?" Honor asked.
"Dad didn't want to leave me alone in the apartment while he went out, so he asked Lane to stay with me. I was 11, and we ate pizza and played board games."
"And it was really fun!" Lane commented.
"Yeah it was! We should do that tomorrow."
"Most definitely! We are going to have the best time, just the three of us. I am really looking forward to it."