Page 8 of Baby Blue
“What is it?”
Polly smiled. “It’s milk cut with warm water. And I’ve got an eyedropper.”
“That’s genius,” Blue smiled. He popped his finger out of the baby’s mouth and she started to whimper, but when Polly replaced it with the dropper full of milk, she sucked greedily.
“She’s hungry. I hope Mom finds some stuff pretty soon.” As soon as the dropper was empty, Polly refilled it and started the process again. “It’s not formula, but no more than she’ll get, it’ll be fine.”
The door popped open again and Anne stuck her head in. “Come help me,” she told Blue, then turned before he could respond. Didn’t matter. He couldn’t wait to get whatever it was they needed and get started doing some things that would keep the baby quiet. When he got to the car, Anne handed him an enormous package of diapers along with a couple of bags of items, and grabbed the rest herself. They deposited everything on the kitchen counter and started going through it all. “First things first.” Ripping open the package of diapers, she grabbed one and headed into the living room with it and a bottle of baby powder. “Get in here and watch Polly diaper this baby,” she ordered.
“It’s easy,” the young girl told him, then proceeded to change the diaper. Blue was pretty sure he’d never get it right, although he was glad to see it didn’t have pins. He was certain he would’ve been dangerous with those. Once the towel was unfolded, she wiped the baby down with a baby wipe. “This is a girl baby?”
“I can see that,” Blue scoffed.
She frowned. “I was about to say, it’s important that you clean in every fold and crease to make sure she doesn’t have pee on her skin. That’s very bad. Especially poop. It can make her bottom sore.”
Blue shuddered. “I’m a guy. That’s… awkward.”
Polly shook her head as she pulled the diaper up between the baby’s legs and taped the sides shut. “Yeah, it might be at first, but it’s part of taking care of her. It’s important.”
His voice was almost a wheeze when he said, “Well, okay, but I’m not crazy about that.”
Polly chuckled. “You’ll get used to it.”
“Dinnertime!” Anne sang out as she waltzed into the living room. She bent down over the baby as the little thing lay on the sofa, her arms waving and her legs kicking. “Who wants something to eat?”
“I do. I’m starving,” Blue answered.
Anne just shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Not you. The baby.” She held up a bottle. “Polly, show him how to feed her. When that’s done,” she said, pointing at Blue, “I’ll teach you how to do the bottles so you’ll have some.”
The diapering finished and neat, Polly handed her back to Blue. “Just hold her in one arm and feed her with the other hand. It’s not that hard.”
Blue cradled the baby in a long arm, then pressed the bottle’s nipple to her mouth. To his amazement, she latched onto it immediately and began to drink greedily. Pure joy rushed into his heart. “Look! I’m doing it!” he cried out.
Anne smiled. “Yes! You are. And you’re doing a good job too. Once she eats, I’ll show you how to burp her and she should go to sleep.” He got another shock when Anne said, “Good job, Blue. You’re doing great.”
Blue watched Indigo’s face as she drank. The contents of the bottle got smaller and smaller, and he wondered what would happen when it ran out. But before it could, her eyelids started to quiver, then gently began to close. “No. Wake her up,” Anne warned. “If she doesn’t finish it, she’ll wake up in an hour screaming again from hunger.”
“How do I do that?”
“Just jiggle her. Pull the nipple out and put it back in. Anything to keep her awake,” Anne told him.
He did as she said and, sure enough, the baby’s eyes snapped open. “Eat it all, baby. You need your strength so you can…” What was she supposed to do? “Um, cry, I guess,” he finished.
Polly chuckled. “Yeah, that’s exactly what she’ll be doing!”
“Blue,” Anne admonished, “when you talk to her, call her by name. She needs to start recognizing her name when people call it.”
“Okay.” He looked down into her face. “Eat your dinner, Indigo.” At the sound of her name, the baby’s eyes went wide and she fastened her gaze on Blue’s. “That’s a good girl, Indigo,” he said, repeating her name. Then it happened.
For just a few seconds, she stopped sucking, looked up at Blue, and grinned around the nipple. He almost fainted, then blurted out, “She smiled!”
“Sure she did! Babies smile by her age. That usually starts at six months, so it’s not surprising that she can. She’s finished,” Anne pointed out. “Pick her up under her arms and put her on your shoulder.”
“Like a bag of beans?”
Anne shook her head and laughed. “No. Just so her arms hang over.” Blue tried it. “Don’t let her fall.” He shifted himself around until it felt okay. “Now take your free hand and pat her back. Rub it too. Gently.” Afraid he’d hurt her, Blue patted her back tenderly. “You can do it a little harder than that. She won’t break. And jiggle her up and down a little while you do it.”
Blue tried it, and in just a few seconds the baby let out a rip-roaring burp right in his ear. “God, that’s pretty fucking rude!” he almost shouted.
