Preview: Andi's Dream - Joyeux Noël
by Duleigh

©Copyright 2024 by Duleigh

Chapter 1

Paul Jarecki was awakened by a strange squeaking. He was dreaming about spending a quiet weekend at the cabin, just him and Andi, but there came this noise, a tree branch scraping against the cabin, and no matter what he did, the branch kept rubbing against the cabin and continued to squeak. Slowly his eyes came open, and he was in their bedroom and the squeaking continued.

Little stars and planets slowly circled the ceiling, occasionally a shooting star would zoom across the ceiling, and the ISS, a rocket, or Santa Claus, would also drift across the sky. It was a gift from Grandpa Harold, Andi's step-father, a planetarium projector. He said it would keep the baby entertained at night. Paul wasn't sure about the baby, but he was fascinated. He might have to get another one for the nursery and keep this one. The thing was amazing, and Paul couldn't wait to explore the educational modes and teach the twins about the stars because star gazing was a big part of camping.

However, the squeaking continued and soon built up steam. Paul got out of bed, pulled on a robe and walked around the bed to Andi's side and carefully, so carefully, scooped tiny Danny out of the cradle as Andi woke up. "I have him," whispered Paul.

"Mmmfff" said Andi, and she went back to sleep.

Paul stepped into his slippers and stepped out of the bedroom. He headed down the back stairs and stepped into the kitchen, opened the fridge and took out a tiny bottle of breast milk Andi had expressed earlier, and set it on the counter. He put a pan of water on the stove and fired up the stove, then sat down at the table. Paul gave Danny a pacifier, which the little guy gnawed on thoughtfully for a while, then he pushed it out with his tongue. "You're so hungry," teased Paul. "Hungry, hungry boy," and he tried the pacifier again.

Eventually the water got to the temperature that he wanted and as he got up to warm the milk, John slowly walked into the kitchen with a bundled baby who was making little quacking sounds. John reached into the pantry for a powdered formula, but Paul stopped him. "Hold on, we have natural," and he took another bottle of expressed milk out of the fridge and put both bottles in warm water. "It's better for her."

"I can't have you doing that," said John. "That's for Danny."

"Andi is doing fine. She was feeding twins a few years ago, and her body still remembers how. There's more than enough for Danny and my little goofy girl," and he tickled Katarina under the chin. She didn't understand, but she was just barely a week old. There's a lot that she and her cousin Danny haven't figured out. Paul plucked the bottle out of the warm water and handed it to John, then grabbed the other one and sat next to his brother at the kitchen table and they fed their babies.

Paul reached over and adjusted the way John was holding the bottle. "I don't believe how you have taken to babies," said John. "You're like super dad."

"Me? No… I just have a little training. When I was seven mom made me help take care of you," said Paul. "I was complaining about changing your diaper and she said, 'you're going to have children some day and you'll thank me for this.'" Danny fell asleep while eating so as Katarina taught him Paul tugged on the bottle which woke Danny up. "Thank you, mom," he whispered sadly.

"You changed my diapers?" demanded John.

"Yeah, quite a few times… then I married a doctor who raised two preemies on her own. It's quite an education."

"Macy still isn't producing enough to keep Katarina full and she's feeling horrible. We don't want to keep asking."

"We're family, it's ok. We have it, and if you need it, it's yours. Andi has only been part of this lunatic asylum for 11 months, but she really and truly loves Macy. It's ok about the milk, we have plenty and Macy will come along. Andi went through the same thing six years ago. She had Lucy to help her, but Lucy never had kids, so she couldn't identify with her problem." Paul pulled the bottle out of hungry little Danny's mouth, then put him up to his shoulder and started patting his back. He gestured for John to do the same.

John pulled the nipple out of Katarina's hungry mouth and burped her like Paul was doing. "How do you know when they need to burp?"

"They always need to burp," said Paul as a little burp erupted from Daniel.

Katarina burped, then expelled gas from the other end with a tiny beep. "Really classy, little girl," said John as he continued patting her back.

"It's ok, we'll check diapers when we head off to bed."

"I forgot my diaper bag," groaned John.

"There's always a spare here in the kitchen," said Paul. "This is where the babies are fed so Andi insists that a bag remains here. She says that it goes in one end and out the other."

Just then, Heather stumbled down the stairs. Her eyes were bleary, her nose was red from being blown. "You don't look good, Mom," said Paul.

"I'm fine, I heard the babies and I'm here to help."

"Get back to bed, we have it under control," said Paul. "I'll bring tea up to you when its ready. You need sleep as much as anyone else around here."

Heather looked at the teakettle, which gave no hint of warming up soon, and said, "I'll get tea in the morning," and she headed back upstairs.

The brothers fed and burped their children for quite a while under the watchful eyes of Macy and Andi, who peeked at them from the parlor door. When the tiny newborns couldn't keep their eyes open anymore and were done feeding, the guys changed the diapers and headed back to bed to find their wives sound asleep, or at least they looked sound asleep. But both Andi and Macy realized they weren't alone with raising their children. This wouldn't be as hard as they first thought.

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