It has been three days since Karen had Elijah. The doctor was giving them both one last check-up before she discharged them both. "Everything looks good for Elijah. You guys are all set to take him home" The doctor said and smiled at them. "Thank you" Karen said. "Do you have everything you need?" The doctor asked. "Yep, we have everything we need at home and Jimi just went out to the car to get the car seat" Karen said. "Alright sounds good. I just need you to sign the discharge papers for you and Elijah" The doctor said. "Ok" Karen said and she signed all the papers she needed to. Jimi came back in the hospital with the car seat. Karen stood up and the doctor handed her Elijah and she strapped him in his car seat. "Congratulations you guys" The doctor said. "Thank you" Jimi and Karen both said. Then the doctor left the room to get Karen a wheel chair. "Are you ready to go home?" Jimi asked Karen. "Yes, I can't wait to sleep in my own bed" Karen said and giggled. "I don't know how much sleep you are gonna be getting in that bed, but it will be nice having you next to me again" Jimi said and smiled and kissed her cheek. The doctor came back in with a wheel chair. "Here you go Karen" The doctor said. "Do I really have to do this, I am perfectly capable of walking" Karen said. "It's hospital policy" The doctor said and smiled. "Ok, fine" Karen said and sat down. Jimi started pushing her out to the car and the doctor stayed back with Elijah until Jimi came back. "Jimi I can get myself into the car" Karen said. "Alright, alright" Jimi said. "Go get our baby" Karen said as she climbed up in the car. "Alright, I'll be right back" Jimi said and wheeled the chair back into the hospital. Then he came back out with Elijah. Jimi strapped the car seat in the car and closed the door. Then he got in the driver's seat and started the car. "He's finally coming home" Jimi said and reached for Karen's hand. Karen smiled at him and squeezed his hand.
Jimi passed the road to turn to Kimberly's. "Babe, aren't we picking up Emma?" Karen said. "Kimberly is dropping her off at the house" Jimi replied. "Oh, ok" Karen said. About 15 minutes later Jimi pulled into the driveway and drove into the garage. Kimberly's car was parked in the driveway. He walked over to Karen's side and helped her down, then he went and unbuckled Elijah's car seat and carried it inside. Karen walked in first and Emma came running up to her. "Mama" Emma said and ran up to her and gave her a hug. "Hi baby" Karen said hugging her back. "Were you good for Kim?" Karen asked. "Yeah she was great. She was a big help too. She helped cook dinner and took Daisy to the park a few times" Kimberly said. "Well that's good to hear" Karen said. "Where's Daddy and Elijah?" Emma asked. "Daddy is bringing him in" Karen replied. Jimi walked in. "And this is your home little man" Jimi said as he walked in with Elijah. Jimi brought him into the living room and set him down on the floor and covered him in a blanket. "Come here princess" Jimi said and Emma ran up to him and gave him a hug and Jimi picked her up. "You have no idea how much we missed you" Jimi said and kissed her forehead. "I missed you guys too" Emma said and Jimi put her down. "I'm gonna get going before Daisy thinks I forgot about her" Kimberly said and everyone laughed. "Thank you again Kim for taking him for the last few days" Karen said. "It's not a problem we love having her over." Kimberly said.
Elijah started to wake up in his seat. Karen went over to him and unbuckled him from his car seat. She picked him up and cradled him in her arms. She bounced him around a little and gave him a kiss on his forehead. She went and sat down on the couch and Emma walked over to her and sat down next to her and rested her head on her shoulder. "I'm really glad you guys are home now. I missed you" Emma said. "I missed you too much being in that hospital" Karen said and kissed the top of her head that was still resting on her shoulder. "What do you ladies want for lunch?" Jimi asked. "It doesn't matter to me" Karen said. "Can we order pizza?" Emma asked. "Sure" Jimi said and he pulled out his phone and ordered a large pizza.
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The pizza came and Jimi paid for it. "Pizza is here" Jimi said and set it on the coffee table. Karen put Elijah in the swing that Jimi had assembled a few days before Elijah was born. She strapped him in and turned it on. Karen sat back down and grabbed a slice of pizza. They all sat together on the couch and watched Elijah in the swing. "Who knew a baby could be so entertaining" Emma said and Jimi and Karen laughed. After a while, Elijah started to fuss a little, so Karen got him out of his seat. "I think he's hungry" Karen said. "Did you put the breast milk in the freezer that you pumped at the hospital?" Jimi asked. "Yeah, it shouldn't be frozen yet" Karen replied. "I'll warm him up a bottle" Jimi said. "Thanks" Karen said, rocking the infant. "Mama, could I try feeding him?" Emma asked. "Sure sweetie" Karen said. Emma sat up straighter on the couch and Karen carefully laid Elijah in her arms. He started to calm down a bit when Emma started rocking him. "He loves his big sister" Karen said with a smile. Jimi brought over the bottle and handed it to Emma. Karen told Emma what to do. Elijah started drinking the bottle and was making little noises as he drank it. "You're a pro Em" Jimi said and Emma smiled at him. Karen got out her phone and took a picture of her two kids. When she put her phone away she looked at her little family. She thought about how lucky she was. She thought about how all of this started because of a kiss on a couch in a small appartment seven years ago.
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It was about 7:00 that night and Elijah had fallen asleep in Karen's arms. Karen decided to put him in his crib in the nursery. They had decorated the nursery with light blue paint and with stenciled creamy yellow and brown animals. The crib was a dark wood with a matching changing table, dresser and rocking chair. There was a dark blue reclining chair next to the dark wooden book shelf. They had a wooden chest filled with baby toy and a small shelf filled with stuffed animals.
Karen carried him carefully up the stairs and walked all the way down the hall to the nursery. She walked in and turned on the lamp so it wasn't too bright. She walked over to the crib and slowly laid him down. He was in footy pajamas so she figured he wouldn't need to be covered up. She turned on the mobile that had little animals that matched the ones on the walls and played soft music. After Karen laid him down she looked at him and smiled. He was still asleep and he looked so peaceful. She stood there for a little while just watching him sleep.
Jimi was downstairs with Emma. She was curled up next to him and Jimi had his arm around her and they were watching TV. "How long has Mama been upstairs?" Jimi asked her. Emma shrugged her shoulders. "I wonder what's taking her so long." Jimi said. "Maybe Elijah woke up" Emma said and looked up at him. "I'm gonna see what's going on" Jimi said and got up off the couch.
Jimi walked quietly up the stairs and he saw the lamp on in the nursery. He walked down the hall and peeked in the doorway. He smiled at the sight in front of him. Karen was standing over Elijah's crib and was quietly singing to him. He quietly walked in the room and wrapped his arms around Karen's waist. Karen didn't hear him come in the room and she jumped when Jimi did that. "Sorry" Jimi whispered. "I didn't hear you come in" Karen whispered back. Jimi kissed her cheek. "Whatcha doing" Jimi asked. "Watching him sleep" Karen replied. "He's so peaceful and doesn't have a worry in the world" Karen continued. "I just want it to stay like that" Karen added. "I want that for Emma too" Karen said. "I know, and I do too, but you can't protect them from everything" Jimi said. "I know, and then with everything Emma has been through, I just want to take away all that hurt that's inside of her. I just wish we could have found her sooner so she wouldn't have had to go through all of that and then she would be happy all the time without a worry in the world, just like Elijah" Karen said starting to tear up. "I know, but even though she had to deal with all of that, we still found her, and she is with us, and she is our little girl, and she is happy" Jimi said. "I know she is, but I can see that it still bothers her and that she still worries about us giving her up" Karen added. "She knows we love her and the foster system is something that happened to her and she will always remember it, but she will also remember that we got her out of it and gave her two loving parents and a little brother" Jimi said. Karen looked up at him and smiled. "We did, didn't we" Karen said and Jimi leaned down and gave her a kiss. "I just want both of our babies to be happy and safe" Karen said. "Me too" Jimi said.
Jimi and Karen heard a noise by the door. They both turned around and saw a little foot in the door way. "Come in Em" Karen said quietly. Emma peeked her head in the doorway and smiled. She walked in and Jimi moved from behind Karen to the side of her. Emma walked in and stood between them. "How long were you standing there?" Karen asked. "Ummm, since Daddy walked in" Emma replied. "I heard what you guys were talking about" Emma said. "And I don't worry about you giving me back anymore. I used to because it had happened so much to me in the past. I would stay at a foster home for a few months and then I would do something that made them mad and they would send me away. I did worry about it when I came to live with you, but then you adopted me and it started to go away, but it still worried me. I have heard stories of parents that signed away their rights to the kids they adopted so I knew that it could happen. But then, when I went to that college party and you guys picked me up, I thought for sure you were going to do the same thing to me because I messed up big time, but then you didn't. Since then, it hasn't really crossed my mind that you would ever give me up" Emma said. "And I know that you love me" Emma added and looked up at her parents. They both smiled at her. Karen leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "We do love you" Karen said. There was a comfortable silence for a few minutes while the three of them watched Elijah sleep. "Why don't we give this little guy some space to sleep" Jimi said. "You're probably right" Karen said. Karen looked back down at her sleeping baby. "Goodnight my sweet angel" Karen whispered, then she followed Jimi and Emma out of the room.
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It was 1:00 in the morning and Karen heard Elijah in the baby monitor. She carefully climbed out of bed so she wouldn't wake Jimi. She walked down the hall and opened the door to the nursery. Elijah was letting out tiny cries. She walked over to his crib and picked him up and started bouncing him around. "Hi sweet baby" Karen said calmly. "Mama's here" she whispered. She walked him over to the changing table and carefully laid him down. She grabbed a new diaper. She unzipped his pajamas and changed his diaper. Then she carried him downstairs and warmed him up a bottle. While she was waiting she was rocking him and singing to him quietly.
Jimi rolled over in the bed and noticed that Karen wasn't there. He got up and walked down to Elijah's room. He peeked his head in and saw they were both not in there. He figured they were downstairs. On his way over to the stairs he opened Emma's door slightly and saw that she was still sound asleep. He made his way over to the stairs and walked down to the living room. He walked through the living room and into the kitchen and saw Karen feeding Elijah and talking to him. "Why didn't you wake me?" He asked. "I figured I would let you sleep" Karen replied. "You're the one who needs sleep" Jimi said and walked up to her and kissed Elijah's forehead. "I'll be fine" Karen said and smiled at Jimi.
Elijah finished his bottle and Karen set it on the counter. The she put a towel on her shoulder and burped Elijah. When she was done, she and Jimi walked up to the nursery. Karen sat down on the rocking chair and started rocking. "You can go back to bed, I got this" Karen said. "If you're not sleeping I'm not sleeping" Jimi said and smiled at her. Elijah finally fell back asleep and Karen laid him back in his crib. Then Karen and Jimi went back to bed.
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About two and a half hours later they heard Elijah in the baby monitor. It was 4:30 in the morning. Karen groaned and went to get out of bed. "I had just fallen back asleep too" She said as she sat up. "Let me get him. You should really get some sleep. It's your first night back home from the hospital and I know you haven't slept much in the last few days. Let me get him" Jimi insisted. "Are you sure?" Karen asked. "Yes, I'm sure" Jimi said smiling at her. Karen nodded and Jimi leaned over and kissed her. "Now go back to sleep" he said and Karen laid back down.
Jimi walked into the nursery and carefully picked Elijah up and rocked him. His diaper was still dry so he figured he was hungry again. He quietly walked down the hall and downstairs to the kitchen. He warmed up a bottle. "Alright little man, it's just me and you" Jimi said. "How about today we let your Mama sleep in and we'll make her a nice big breakfast for when she wakes up. How does that sound?" Jimi said to Elijah, obviously not expecting a response. The bottle was warmed up and Jimi started feeding him. Once the bottle was gone, Jimi burped him. Then he walked him back upstairs and laid him down in his crib. He closed the door so it was just barely open, then he walked back into his and Karen's room. Karen was sound asleep. Jimi wanted Karen to sleep longer so he grabbed the baby monitor and shut it off. He grabbed a pillow and a blanket out of the hall closet and walked back into the nursery. He closed the door behind him, to quiet any noises that might come from Elijah when he wakes up. He walked over to the reclining chair and sat down and put his pillow behind his head and covered himself up with the blanket and fell asleep.
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About two hours later it was 7:00 and Elijah started to fuss again. Jimi got up and picked him up and walked him over to the changing table. He changed his diaper and put on a different pair of clothes for the day. He quietly opened the door and walked downstairs. He warmed up another bottle for Elijah. When it was ready, he fed him then burped him when he was finished. Then he laid out a blanket and laid Elijah down on his back and grabbed some baby toys and started playing with him.
About a half hour later he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He turned around and saw Emma walking down. "Morning princess" Jimi said. "Morning Daddy" Emma responded. "Whatcha doing" Emma asked. "Playing with Elijah" He replied. "Mind if I join?" she asked. "Of course not" Jimi said and Emma joined them on the floor.
Jimi looked up at the clock and saw that it was 8:30. He decided to start making breakfast. "Do you mind hanging out with him while I make breakfast" Jimi asked Emma. "No, not at all" Emma said and scooted closer to Elijah. "Let me know if you need anything" Jimi said as he was walking to the kitchen. "Ok" Emma said.
Jimi decided to make pancakes, bacon and hash browns. He mixed up the batter then started cooking the bacon in a frying pan. He warmed up the griddle then started the pancakes as well. Once the bacon was done he put it in the warming oven then started the hash browns. He finished up the pancakes and put them with the bacon.
It was 9:30 and Karen was just waking up. She rolled over and looked at the time on her phone. She had wondered if Elijah had slept that long. She rolled over and saw that the other side of the bed was empty. She got out of bed and walked out of her room and saw that Emma's bedroom door was open as well as the door to the nursery. She decided to go downstairs and see what everyone was up to.
The hash browns were almost done. Karen walked down the stairs and saw Emma playing on the floor with Elijah. She smiled and continued to walk down the stairs. She walked over to Emma and she turned around "Morning Mama" Emma said. "Morning sweetie" Karen replied. "What smells so good?" Karen asked. "Daddy's making breakfast" Emma said. Karen walked into the kitchen. "Morning babe" Jimi said as he was setting the table. "Morning" Karen said. "What are you making?" She asked. "Pancakes, hash browns and bacon" he replied. "It smells amazing" she said. "Why didn't you wake me up when Elijah woke up?" She asked. "You needed to sleep longer than two hours at a time" Jimi replied. "I must have been out cold since I didn't hear Elijah wake up this morning" Karen said. "Well that, and I turned off the baby monitor" Jimi said and let out a chuckle. "I also slept on the recliner in the nursery after I got him to go back to bed" Jimi said. "Jimi, you didn't have to do that" Karen said. "It wasn't that bad actually. The chair is pretty comfortable" he said and they both laughed. "Breakfast is ready" Jimi said. "I'll go put Elijah in his swing and we can eat" Karen said. She walked in the living room. "Breakfast is ready" Karen told Emma as she picked Elijah up. "Ok" Emma said and headed towards the kitchen. Karen buckled him in and turned on the swing. Then she went and joined Emma and Jimi in the kitchen for breakfast. Elijah's first night at home was pretty successful, Karen thought to herself.