Who: Audrey and Izzy When: September - before the baby was born Where: Audrey’s home What: Nursery Rating/Warnings: Low/None Status: Complete
Izzy was excited to visit Audrey, she knew it was only just over a week until the baby was due and she was pretty sure she was almost as ready as Audrey and Merlin were. It was almost like waiting to become an Aunt or something. She was fairly sure she’d be waiting a while for Alec and Magnus or Jace and Clary to have a baby so this was the closest she’d get for a while.
Knocking on the door with sparkling lattes in hand and a specially made bag of baby themed cookies she waited for Audrey.
Audrey was in the middle of a diaper change with a rowdy, eighteen month old boy when the knock came at the door. “Just a second!” She called out as she finally got the diaper on the boy, then used some hand sanitizer on her hands as she moved to the door.
“Hey!” Audrey said, pulling the door open. A crash came from the living room as Ben knocked over a big pile of blocks, but Audrey wasn’t fussed. She simply smiled at her friend and stepped aside so Izzy could come into the house. “Come on in!”
“Hi, sorry is this a bad time?” Izzy asked, looking in concern at the noise coming from the living room which Audrey seemed nonplussed by. It had been a long time since Max was that small and their house had never been particularly rowdy.
“No, not at all!” Audrey closed the door behind Izzy and shook her head a little. “I’m sure Ben’s just banging blocks around.” She turned to lead the way further into the house. “I think we’re all going a bit stir crazy. My doctor wants me to take it easy. I’m not on bed rest, but that might be coming. We’ll see.”
“I’m so glad you can tell because I’d think someone was destroying my house” Izzy said, her little bag of goodies including the milk and paste Audrey had asked for in her hand. “Oh dear, I imagine that isn’t easy with Ben running around. I hope you’re okay”
“Oh, I’m totally fine. I’ve got Merlin and Nina and Gabe around. They help when I’m too tired to take him to the park. It helps that we’ve got a small one just down the block, though.” Whoever thought to put small parks in residential neighborhoods was absolutely brilliant. Audrey brightened at the sight of the bag. “Is this for me?”
“I’m glad, I keep forgetting that Nina lives next door” Izzy admitted, she didn’t know the nurse very well personally but knew she was Audrey’s best friend. “It is indeed. Milk, paste, a few cookies and two sparkling lattes”
Audrey dragged Nina around a bunch, so everyone at the bakery probably knew how close they were. She brightened considerably at the bag, and came over close. “You’re absolutely amazing. Completely amazing! Thanks, Izz.” And she gave her friend and business partner a one-armed hug. Tight squeeze, release. “This is gonna keep me and the baby up all night.” She winked.
“I hope not” Izzy said, “I don’t want that baby blaming me for being kept awake” she grinned returning the hug carefully. “So how are things going? Any twinges or anything yet?”
“Braxton Hicks contractions,” Audrey replied. “My uterus is getting ready for things, but nothing leading to the big event yet. I have a feeling it’s coming soon, though. This baby seems a little more restless than Ben did.” She accepted one of the lattes and lifted it to smell at the little sip hole. “God, this is good. Thank you so much.”
“Does it honestly feel that different?” Izzy asked curiously after nodding in response to the thanks, she knew the need for a latte was sometimes just too much to resist. “Like do you think their personalities start from before they’re born?” It was an interesting idea to her, after all look at her and her brothers, they were all very different yet they’d come from the same parents.
“I have no idea,” Audrey said, shrugging her shoulders. “I like to think so? But I don’t think her personality will start forming until she’s out in the world experiencing it on her own. I mean, Ben was just sort of… generic baby. And then once he started to grow and learn, he started to do things on his own, started to develop interests and desires. I don’t think I could tell in the womb.”
Izzy nodded, “That makes sense. Like I think Alec, Max and I were all pretty similar as babies but now we’re all like miles apart. But that’s what makes it fun right? Discovering who they are and all that”
“Oh, absolutely. I think everyone’s a little different… though, of course, similar, too. Because there’s the same DNA, right? But I love seeing what kind of personality Ben has, and looking forward to seeing Bea’s too.” Audrey ran a running hand over her tummy. “It’s coming so soon! I’m excited. Not looking forward to the nights without sleep, though.”
“I am too. Ben reminds me a little more of Merlin but you can definitely see you in him too.” Izzy said, “Merlin will help you too won’t he? I mean when she can’t sleep and everything?” she asked.
“He is a lot like Merlin, isn’t he? He’s so calm. He’s the perfect baby, I’m sure. We’ll see about Miss Bea. I have a feeling she’s going to be a firecracker.” Audrey was a little worried that since Ben was so perfect, they were completely unprepared for what was coming in the future.
Izzy nodded, that was exactly it. Merlin always seemed so calm and collected and Ben was similar, he never seemed to have tantrums. Not from what Izzy had seen or heard anyway. “Well I’ll hope she isn’t like me, my mom said I slept during the day and wanted to be entertained all night. I didn’t change much as I got older only more vocal about everything” she grinned.
“Oh no!” Audrey laughed. “I’m having a hard enough time sleeping as it is.” She grinned a little, though. “I’m sure we’ll survive, either way. I mean, you did. Your parents did. So that gives me hope.” She grinned over at her friend. “Let’s go into the kitchen. I’m excited about this almond paste.”
“True, they don’t seem to have held it against me either so that’s a good thing” Izzy grinned back, before following Audrey into the kitchen, “See if I say that to Simon or Alec they think I’m crazy, they don’t get the joy of ingredients”
“Nah, I don’t think Merlin or Nina understand it either.” Audrey said. She started to pull ingredients out, too. Flour, sugar, butter, all sorts of things. They could bake together and spend the afternoon chatting before Audrey’s ankles swelled so big they disappeared into her calves.