“I’m going to sit in the back with him,” Katelyn says when we reach the car. “Just in case.” I don’t need to ask what the just in case is for. I’ve been there. Quinn hated his car seat. Each time I’d buckle him in, he’d scream, and I would think I had pinched his leg, or the straps were too tight and hurting him. Trial and error. It’s how new parents learn, and I quickly figured out it wasn’t the car seat making him cry. It was because he liked to be held. Between my mom, sister, and me, we held Quinn every chance we could.
After I snap the car seat into the holder—which is the best invention ever—I stand there for a moment and remember how cramped Quinn was in our first car and how this little guy takes up hardly any space. Katelyn situates herself next to him and starts talking to him right off.
“He needs a name,” I remind her. We’ve narrowed the list down to two names, and I like both of them.
“I want the kids to meet him first,” she tells me. A family affair, I get it. When I first saw Quinn, who didn’t have a name when his mother left him with me, his name came right to me. This little man in my backseat, I can see him with both of the names we’ve picked. Sadly, until he’s ours, he’ll be Baby John Doe and whatever number the state issued him.
After a long and exhaustive trip to the mall, the car is fully loaded with every baby item Katelyn and I could find. We decided while shopping, if the birth mother is to come back, we’ll give her everything to help her get started. I asked Katelyn if she were sure about that, and she said yes.
While Katelyn and the little man continue to bond, I put together the cradle we bought and set it up in our room. When we get back from vacation, we’ll have one of the spare rooms turned into his nursery, with a fresh coat of paint and all the wall decals we can find. By the time I’ve finished, my stomach is growling.
“Hey, babe,” I say as I come into the living room. She holds her finger up over her lips, telling me to be quiet. Having a newborn in the house is going to be an adjustment for sure. Katelyn sets the new man in her life down into the portable crib and meets me in the kitchen.
“Are you hungry?” she asks.
I nod and lean down for a kiss. “Let’s order take-out. We still have to pack, and I want to call the kids.”
“I don’t want to tell them just yet. Elle will rush over here, and then Peyton will be upset that she’s not here to help.”
“I was thinking more like having them meet us someplace tomorrow so we can arrive at the lodge as a family.”
Katelyn smiles. “I like that idea. You go call, and I’ll order dinner.”
We kiss again, but this time it’s longer. I had big plans for us tonight, but it looks like those moments with my wife might have a schedule. It won’t be the first time we had to get creative.
I head outside, the winter air is crisp and chilly, and close the sliding glass door behind me. I don’t want the baby to cry and alert the kids. After pulling up our group chat, I press the video button and hold the phone up, slightly away from my face. While I wait for them to pick up, I make funny faces to entertain myself.
“Will you stop?” I can hear Quinn before I can see his face. The twins appear next, both with odd looks on their faces.
“I get bored waiting for the three of you to answer.”
“Dad, it’s literally seconds from when you hit the button. You can’t be that bored,” Elle adds.
“Hi, Dad,” Peyton says. Noah is waving in the background but disappears from the frame.
“Peyton, you are officially my favorite,” I tell the group. Quinn and Elle roll their eyes. “Okay, your mom says you’re all flying to Vermont tomorrow, right?”
The collective sound of three yesses is music to my ears.
“Perfect. Here is what I want to do. I’d like for Peyton and Noah to fly down here tonight and rent a room at the Hilton by the airport. I’ll organize the jet if need be. The rest of you, I want you to meet your mom and me at the hotel in the morning. We’ll fly as a family to Vermont.”
“It’ll just be me,” Elle says. “Ben is going to his mom’s for Christmas.”
“Bummer,” Quinn says. “Nola isn’t thrilled with the idea of snow and has vowed to stay in the lodge drinking wine.”