Page 72 of Dreams Do Come True

“I no call Tus,” he says, giving me a cheeky grin as if that made a difference.

I can imagine that as he gets older, that grin will get cheekier. “Well thank you for that. We have a baby and toddler group today you’ll make some new friends.”

“We go?” he asks, frowning.

I nod. “You, me, Kean, River, Uncle Jude, Uncle Sal and Connie.”

Lyric pulls a face and lets one off.

I glare at him. “Really, while you’re lying there?”

He giggles, just as Kean and River walk in.

I cradle Lyric as I sit up. “Morning, handsome.”

Kean leans down and gives me a kiss, then drops one on Lyric's head. He holds River down, so I can kiss the baby’s head.

“Morning, Baba,” I say happily.

“Why does it smell like Lyric did a stinky in here?” Kean asks, sitting on the side of the bed and laying River between us.

“I do,” Lyric admits.

“You did,” I correct, “and while he was lying on me, I might add.”

I stroke River’s head and then notice he’s wearing his little scratch mittens. “Why the mittens?” I ask, looking at Kean.

“His nails are getting long. They look like they need cutting, and he has a scratch on his arm. How do you cut baby nails?”

“Carefully,” I reply. “We can ask over breakfast later. But now, how about we get washed and dressed?”

“We can do that, can’t we, little man. And today is my turn to bath you.”

Lyric crawls off me and over to Kean, grinning.

“Let’s try not to drown me today, what do you think?”

Lyric giggles and shakes his head as Kean carries him into the bathroom.

I pick River up and kiss his head. “Morning, Baba. Did you have fun with Daddy this morning?” I bend my knees and rest River back against them, while holding his mitten covered hands. “We have new adventures today, are you excited?” I chat away to River, and as I do, I hear laughter from the bathroom and loud splashes. “I’ve bought you a proper bath, it should arrive today, then we won’t need to bathe you in the sink, when we can give you one. Shall we take your sleep onesie off, then I’ll lay you on the bed and you can have a little leg kick?” As I talk, I undo this onesie and take it off, underneath he has a little topon and a nappy. I lay him on the bed and play with his legs as he moves them around.

Just then, Kean walks out of the bathroom, carrying Lyric, who is wrapped up in a little frog blanket we found in one of his draws. “We have a clean Lyric,” Kean announces.

“And a clean you by the looks of things,” I comment, looking at all the water on his night clothes.

“It’s just water, we had fun, didn’t we, little man?”

Lyric nods.

“How about Kean dresses you, while I wash River, then I can watch you both while Kean has a shower?”

“Sounds like a plan, honey,” Kean says, walking out of our room and into Lyric’s.

“Shall we get you ready for your wash?” I ask River, pulling his top off. I make sure he’s safely on the bed and get the changing mat and everything I need to clean him up, and set about taking his nappy off.

Washing River is so much easier than Lyric, except Lyric likes water, River not so much. By the time I’m finished, like always, he’s letting out an angry, ‘how dare you wash me’cry. As I wash him, I check the umbilical stump. It looks to be healing nicely. Maybe it will drop off soon.

I wrap him in a fluffy towel, and as soon as that happens, like always, the crying stops. “There you go Baba,all done.” I carry him through to his bedroom and set about drying him, before putting his nappy on, as a now dressed Lyric comes running in, Kean following. Lyric is wearing a little pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a wolf on it. I wonder who brought him that, as I don’t remember seeing it before.