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Pepa adored her new sobrina, just as she adored Isabela and Luisa, but unfortunately, she didn’t get to spend as much time with Mirabel as she had with them when they were babies.
Three months before Mirabel’s birth, Pepa had also given birth; her Camilo, along with Dolores, was the light of her life, and she would do anything for him.
But he was the clingiest baby she had ever met; he rarely allowed her to put him down, and even at seven months old, became very jealous when Pepa tried to hold another baby.
This, unfortunately, included his prima.
The boy would sob and reach for her, and it would break her heart so much that she would give in, handing Mirabel over to Julieta or Agustín.
It was frustrating, but she couldn’t listen to Camilo’s cries for more than a couple of minutes before she began to rain.
Perhaps if she had a gift that didn’t affect the rest of the village, she would hold out for longer, but she didn’t want to rain on the babies and get them sick.
She was ashamed to admit it, but it was easier to give into her son’s cries for attention, which she knew would only make the problem worse.
Since Camilo refused to be separated from her, it was hard to spend time alone with Mirabel, but today she had been hit with a stroke of luck.
It was her turn to watch the younger children whilst everyone else worked.
This now included Isabela and Dolores, who had gifts of their own.
She was supposed to be watching Luisa too, but she was also a clingy child. In her case, she clung to Agustín.
She had become much worse lately, and due to anxiety following a bad dream the night before, Agustín concluded that it would be easier for everyone if she went with him on his errands.
This left her with the two babies.
Which was proving to be an easy task thus far, since they were both napping.
It had been hard, as usual, to get Camilo to nap, and she couldn’t leave his side until he was fully asleep.
She had a glorious hour to herself, before she heard Casita’s tiles alert her.
One or both of the babies were awake.
She suspected Camilo would be awake and calling out for her first, but she was surprised to find him on her bed, snuggled into her pillow, still snoring.
He had kept her up all night, so he obviously needed more sleep.
She closed her door quietly behind her and headed to Julieta’s room.
Of course, with both being so young, the babies still slept in their parents rooms.
Unlike Camilo, who would only sleep on his parents bed for his nap (the smell of his mami brought him comfort, she guessed) Mirabel was happy to sleep in her crib.
At four months, she had learned to sit up on her own, and she was sitting up in her crib, wide awake and her curls tangled from sleep.
She saw her tía and her face lit up with the most adorable, toothless smile.
Mirabel loved everyone and was a lot less fussy than Camilo.
With him still sleeping, Pepa would finally get to have Mirabel to herself, as she’d longed for.
“Hola, mi sobrina. It looks like it’s just you and me.” The redhead cooed as she lifted a happy looking Mirabel from her crib.
She looked so like Julieta, but mimicked Agustín’s facial expressions almost perfectly.
She had his sweet smile.
She placed a slobber covered hand affectionately on her tía’s cheek, making Pepa giggle.
She’d forgive the drool from someone so cute.
She changed Mirabel’s diaper (which stunk, by the way) and carried her downstairs, happily.
She loved her son, of course she did, but it was nice to bond with the other baby of the family.
She loved Mirabel, but only got to hold her uninterrupted two or three times.
She was going to enjoy every moment of snuggling her and playing with her.
“I’m your tía Pepa.” The woman crooned as she rocked Mirabel in her arms. “I’m your favourite tía, and you might be my favourite sobrina. Don’t tell your hermanas.” She giggled, inhaling Mirabel’s sweet baby smell.
She did love her sobrinas equally, of course.
Mirabel enjoyed the cuddle, but she soon became restless.
“Do you want to play?”
Of course Mirabel was only just starting to become interested in toys, but her favourite was the little wind up rat toy.
A gift from her tío Bruno.
So the two of them sat together as Pepa wound up the toy over and over, watching it zoom across the tiles.
Mirabel seemed to have a little trouble focussing, but she was enjoying it all the same.
She smiled and gurgled, truly showing her happiness.
Casita would use their tiles to bounce the toy back over, until the rat became stuck under the living room table.
Even Casita couldn’t seem to get it out.
Or Casita wouldn’t, simply to annoy Pepa and make her move.
With a sigh of impatience, Pepa kissed Mirabel’s curls and set her on the floor.
“Stay here, mi amor. I’ll get it.”
The woman crawled under the table to retrieve the toy, and then felt a blinding pain as she hit her head.
She had misjudged where the table was and had tried to rise too early, causing blinding pain as her head hit the table.
The pain spread rapidly and she cursed under her breath, a cloud growing above her head as tears stung her eyes.
Yes, it hurt that much.
However, the pain vanished quickly when she heard it.
The cutest little baby giggles she’d ever heard.
She looked back to see Mirabel squealing and giggling, like she’d just witnessed the most hilarious thing on earth.
But what made it even more special, was that this was Mirabel’s first laugh ever.
And Pepa had seen it first!
“Mira!” She gasped, scooping the infant up into her arms, her cloud being replaced by a rainbow. “You laughed! You’ve never done that before! Do it again!”
Upon being asked to repeat her cool new trick, Mirabel frowned.
Well now I’m not going to do it, tía.
Pepa tried everything to get her to laugh again, funny faces, animal sounds, silly songs.
Mirabel kept a serious look on her face.
Not unlike the face Agustín made when he was annoyed with her, actually.
Then it hit her.
Pepa sighed, woefully.
“You want me to hit my head again, don’t you?”
That was just mean. She must have gotten it from her father.
It would hurt, but it would be worth it to hear that adorable little cackle again.
Regretting all of her life choices, Pepa crawled back under the table and banged her head once more.
It hurt twice as much as the first time, but it worked.
Those giggles were so cute, that she did it again for a third time.
The little baby squealed and clapped her hands in delight.
“What’s going on in here?” She heard Agustín ask, having returned from his shopping.
“I’m killing off my brain cells because it’s the only thing that makes your daughter laugh.”
She heard the groceries fall to the ground.
“Mirabel laughed!? And I missed it!?”
Yes, yes he had.
Tía wins.
Even if she would have one lonely little brain cell left by the end of the day.