Toby couldn’t help the soft quirk of his lips, a smile so gentle, so natural, he could hardly tell it was there. His hand fell to rest on their daughter’s back, shielded by the smooth cotton blanket the midwife had wrapped her in. “It does,” Toby agreed, gazing down at their daughter’s face, and smiling wider. “Seven years ago, now. God, I can’t believe Lucas is so old now. I still remember sitting like this, with him.”
He could recall every single detail of their eldest son’s birth; the pure panic that had threatened to overwhelm him the second Ally’s contractions had started, the pain of her fingernails digging into the palm of his hand – not that he would ever blame her for that – and the loud, desperate cry their son had emitted the second he was born. He couldn’t believe it had been a little over six years since he’d first held their son.
“So..” He broke the silence that had fallen over them as gently as he could. “Names?”
The sound of Toby’s voice soothed her tired mind, allowing her to drift into her memories of her oldest’s first days in the world. Those days were still a blur to her, though, except for all the worrying and nervousness that had set in once her water had broke. “Mmhm, so can I. I called him my little miracle and... his cries were like music to my ears for the first few weeks, no matter how loud they were or how tired I was.” It was still hard to believe that her first-born was already seven and transforming into a little man before her eyes.
Shrugging her shoulders lightly, she opened her eyes and flashed a grin at her husband, as she caught him starting at his newest little princess. “I really like the name Kaley,” Ally began, her hand reaching over to run her fingers through Toby’s hair lovingly as she spoke. “It’s not super common and it’s a little spunky. How about you? Any thoughts?”