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It was a sunny September morning. Deirdre poured batter onto the griddle, forming a lumpy purple circle. A few feet away, Seliph sat in his high chair, playing with a set of wooden figurines. Sigurd would be leaving for work in just a few minutes, so breakfast this morning had to be quick.
The back door opened. Tyr, the family’s golden lab, came bounding in, Sigurd behind him. Sigurd gave Deirdre a quick kiss on the forehead as he passed her by. He hung up Tyr’s harness and leash, then went back to his wife.
“Baby pancakes,” Sigurd said, eying the griddle. “What did you put in them this time?”
“Cottage cheese, blueberries, and raspberries,” Deirdre said. She flipped one over. “I would have added spinach, but I knew you would want some.”
Sigurd grinned.
Deirdre set three of the pancakes on a plate; the baby kind with the silicone suction cup on the bottom. She sliced up a banana and placed half in one of the empty sections and spooned some yogurt into the other. No vegetables for Seliph this morning. But lunch and dinner were still to come. Perhaps she could give him some sweet pepper sticks as a snack. She placed the plate onto Seliph’s high chair.
Seliph picked up a pancake with his little chubby hands and teethed on it. Tyr sat beneath him, waiting for it to fall to the floor. Deirdre wasn’t sure what Seliph’s little “mmrgghh” meant, but she assumed it was a good thing.
“Where are Julia and Julius?” Sigurd asked. “Usually at this time of day they’re up and about.”
As if on cue, two cats rushed into the kitchen. One was sleek and black, with a strange red mark on its forehead. It relentlessly chased the other; a white, fluffy cat that also had a strange birthmark; this one purple.
“There they are,” said Deirdre, handing Sigurd the other half of the banana. “Here’s a snack for you.”
“Thanks.” He took a bite. Deirdre saw him scrunch up his nose. Bananas were far from his favorite, but he had to set a good example for his son. Deirdre popped a few banana slices in her mouth in solidarity.
Sigurd grabbed a few of the baby pancakes. “I don’t want to leave you two. Can I call in sick?”
“No,” said Deirdre. She also grabbed a pancake. “You need to save those for when you need it.”
Sigurd’s face fell, his eyes akin to Tyr’s when he wanted a snack. “Bummer. I should go, then. The earlier I get there, the sooner I can come back.”
Deirdre gave him a kiss on the cheek. “We’ll be here when you get back. No need to rush. Though I do like having help.”
Sigurd took his coat off the rack and slipped it on. His backpack sat by the front door. “I’ll see you tonight. Stay safe, alright?”
“Only if you promise to stay safe as well,” Deirdre said. “No running into burning buildings or speeding in traffic.”
“I guess I’ll have to turn off the turbo boosters, then.” Sigurd grabbed his car keys. “Love you.”
Deirdre waved as he left. “Love you.”
Just then, Julius jumped onto Seliph’s tray. He snatched up a pancake and ran off.
“Oh, darn it, Julius!” Of course he would do that. Oh well. Too late now. She placed her hands on her knees and lowered herself to baby eye-level. “Alright, Seliph. What should we do today?”
Seliph’s first activity of choice was to empty out his toy bins onto the floor. First came the alphabet blocks, then the cars, then the hammer toy. He chewed on the stacking rings before throwing those down. Julius wandered in just in time to see Seliph wheeling around his pull-along turtle toy. He proceeded to chase Seliph around the room, leaving the toddler a giggling mess.
Next came finger painting. At the tender age of eighteen months, Seliph had already mastered the art of abstraction. He smeared all the colors he had onto a roll of cheap paper, mixing them into a color that could only be described as “bleh”. But to his little mind, it was a masterpiece. Deirdre cut the paper and placed it on the fridge. She secured it with a magnet shaped like the letter “s”.
After that, Seliph handed Deirdre a board book on animals. The two snuggled up on a bean bag. Julia and Tyr decided to join in, though Tyr was too big to fit in there with them, so he curled up at Deirdre’s feet. Deirdre read the book aloud to Seliph, letting him flip the pages. This resulted in her getting cut off a few times. Seliph pointed to the pictures and named the animals he recognized. So far that consisted of “dag”, “kitty”, “elefnt”, “dack”, and “bnnuy.”
Soon it came to be lunch time. Deirdre set Seliph within her range of sight and started to grate some zucchini. He wasn’t going to evade those vegetables now! Into a pot it went with some tomato sauce, dried pasta shells, and some water. She placed it in the oven and set the timer. Tyr sat faithfully at her side as she grated some cheese. With all the food Seliph dropped, he wasn’t supposed to have any extra table scraps. But Deirdre couldn’t resist those big, beautiful brown eyes. She swept a tiny bit off the counter for him. The rest she covered up with a beeswax wrap. Julius eyed her from the other side of the room. His plans had been foiled.
The timer went off. Deirdre removed the pot from the oven. She sprinkled on the cheese, and back into the oven it went. Once the cheese was all melted, she mixed everything together and gave it a taste. No hint of zucchini whatsoever. She scooped some into a Seliph-sized bowl and called for him. He toddled over, and she placed him in his high chair, ready to eat again.
Finally, it was nap time. One quick diaper change and Seliph was in his crib. It took some time for him to settle down. Deirdre had to stay in the room with him until she was sure he was asleep. Then came the cleaning. She cut up some pepper sticks for later, put away the leftovers, and scrubbed all the dishes. Thank goodness for one pot recipes. She let Tyr outside to go to the bathroom, then began to wipe down any paint-stained surfaces. Julius attempted to run away with one of Seliph’s plush toys, but Deirdre caught him and saved the poor bunny.
Once it was all done, Deirdre plopped down onto the couch face first. Caring for a tiny human was much more work that it seemed. You had to watch every moment or else something could go wrong. Seliph could choke, get into a fight with Julius, fall down and hit his head. Deirdre knew he was tougher than she thought, but she still couldn’t help worrying about him. It was like an alarm in the back of her brain that never turned off. Sigurd had it as well, though she didn’t think it was to the same extent she did. He’d always been better at detaching than she was. That’s why he was the one to go into work. Well, that and his job paid better. Much better.
But even with all her worries, she would never, ever regret her decision. She loved Sigurd and Seliph more than anything in the world. Sigurd was kind, loyal, and brave; A great role model for Seliph to grow up with. It was too early to know how he’d turn out, but she hoped he’d be just as wonderful as Sigurd… preferably without his father’s hot-headed tendencies.
Four soft little paws jumped onto her back and began to knead. She turned her head just enough to see a familiar white cat.
She sighed. “Thank you, Julia.”
After Seliph woke up, Deirdre changed his diaper again. She gave him the pepper sticks from earlier to munch on while she prepared for a walk. Stroller, check. Compostable poop bags, check. Water, check. She fit Tyr into his harness and attached his leash. This time of year was still warm, so they didn’t need jackets yet. She slipped on her sandals and a wide-brimmed hat. Seliph got a tiny bucket hat with a strap that went around his chin.
The nearby park was Deirdre’s home away from home. The thick tree cover reminded her of the forest she grew up in. Wildflowers and tall grasses lined the winding path. Light danced on the asphalt. There were dirt trails, too, but they were much too rough on Seliph’s stroller.
Deirdre stopped by a patch of wildflowers. She turned Seliph towards them and pointed. “Look, Seliph! That’s Queen Anne’s Lace. And that’s Chicory, also known as Cornflower.”
Growing up, Deirdre worked alongside her grandmother at their herbal medicine and cosmetics shop. As a child she’d read through every single book they had on botany. When she ran out, she went to the library and read all of those. She knew plants like the back of her hand. It was her first year of undergrad when she met Sigurd. The two fell in love, and that was that.
Seliph reached out for the flowers, but was held back by his restraints. He started to whine. Tyr went over and sniffed his face. Lick, lick, lick. Seliph’s cries turned into giggles. Deirdre knew she shouldn’t let Tyr do that, but it was just so darn cute. Not to mention, she liked when he did it to her as well. Little doggie kisses… d’aww.
They continued on, Deirdre pointing out any flowers she saw. Black-Eyed Susans, Lobelia, Aster, Rose Pink. Tyr gave in to his impulses and ate a bug off the ground. Seliph cooed as they passed some children blowing bubbles. Their mothers waved at him. Deirdre waved back.
Soon they reached the children’s play area. On one side were two playgrounds; one for toddlers and one for big kids. Seliph loved the baby swings. Deirdre strapped him in and pushed him, fueling his laughter. Tyr licked his feet whenever he swung close.
On the other side was the sensory garden. Various toys and play stations sat dispersed among flowers and plants. Every plant represented one of the senses: lamb’s ear and oat grass for touch, lavender and lemon balm for scent, zinnias and marigolds for sight. A fountain and wind chimes provided sound. There were also child sized instruments scattered around the garden, such as the tiny drums or the xylophone. Seliph took the mallets and played to his heart’s content.
The tiny tot toddled from one place to another. He played with the water table, sat in the sandbox, slid down the slide. He tumbled over stepping stones, swirled on the merry-go-round, ate some goldfish and drank some juice. By the time he was back in his stroller he was fading fast. It wasn’t long before he was out like a light. He slept the entire way home.
Deirdre took this opportunity to sneak herself some goldfish.
The clock read 5:50. Seliph sat on the floor, playing with alphabet blocks. Deirdre laid on the couch, reading a novel about a dragon/human romance. Her eyes flitted from her book to the wall. Sigurd should have been home by now. The man always made it his mission to get back as soon as possible. Where was he?
Julia laid on Deirdre’s chest, purring away. She nuzzled her head up against Deirdre’s chin. It was hard to stay anxious with a warm fluffball on top of you.
The doorknob clicked. Tyr went bounding over to the door, barking in excitement. Julia squeezed underneath Deirdre’s arms before jumping off the couch. Deirdre sat up and turned her head toward the noise.
Sigurd stood in the doorway, a wide grin on his face. He held up a paper bag. “I brought tacos.”
Deirdre leapt up from the couch and ran to him. She tripped on Seliph’s blocks and landed right in his arms. The bag of tacos teetered in Sigurd’s hand.
“You okay there?” He asked.
“I’m fine. I was a little nervous about you, though,” Deirdre said. “What type of tacos did you get?”
“Carne asada,” he said. “And a kids quesadilla for Seliph.”
Deirdre looked down. Seliph latched on to Sigurd’s leg.
“Papa! Papa!”
“Seliph!” Sigurd let go of Deirdre and scooped his son up with one arm. “I’ve got some salsa for you!”
Seliph squealed. “Salsa!”
Deirdre put a hand to her mouth and chuckled. “Do you think he’ll get it in his hair again?”
“Maybe,” said Sigurd. “I wouldn’t put it against him.”
“Alright then.” Deirdre gestured to the kitchen table. “Shall we eat?”