Baths and Lullabies | Precious Star
Bath time, Hanbyul had found, was an experience with her little ones. They seemed to just love the water. The little stars didn’t have much control over their limbs but what they did have they put to good use the insintant the water touched their skin. Their eyes went so wide and so many excited and surprised squeals would come from the two of them no matter how many baths they had by this time in their short lives. It was always a shocking experience.
And Taekwoon was not prepared for his first time assisting with their baths.
He was completely overwhelmed with their excited squeals and flails but he couldn’t help the small smile he got. His mother had warned him about their enthusiasm and watching her navigate the splashes just to wash them was like watching someone perform surgery. When he tried he ended up with water and bubbles all over his arms and face, not that Hanbyul didn’t splashed her fair share. It just no longer seemed to affect her. But this was fun. He got to help give his sisters a bath and in the water it was hard to tell them apart they acted so much like each other. They only way to tell them apart was the fact Hyejung had a slight bit more weight on her than Mijung did, and only their mother and brother could tell the difference.
“Time to get out! Don’t we feel better being all clean?” Hanbyul singsonged, kissing and nuzzling Hyejung’s cheeks to distract her long enough to put a towel around her and place her in Taekwoon’s arms before doing the same with Mijung and holding her in the crook of her arm as she let the water out of the tub.
“All clean now, right?” Taekwoon whispered to Hyejung as she started to suck on her fist, blinking up at him with wide eyes. Mijung on the other hand had started to nom on her mother’s bare arm, gumming it with all her might.
“I’m sure mommy taste’s sweet but I swear I’m not food, Mimi....,” she laughed softly, pointing to a diaper and baby lotion on a counter near by. “Want to take Hye out to the living room and get her ready for bed? It’s too hot for pajamas I think.... What do you think, Mimi?”
She paused as if she were going to get an answer but only got a gurgle which Taekwoon translated as, “She said it’s too hot. Diaper sleeping.”
Hanbyul nodded with a smile up at her son. “I’ll clean up in here and get Mimi ready for bed then be out with their blankets.”
Taekwoon looked from his mother to the tiny baby in his arms then back to Hanbyul. “You...think that.... it’s okay?”
Hanbyul nodded, as yejung got distracted by stray bubbles on Taekwoon’s shirt. “You’ll be just fine. Just lotion her up really good and put her diaper on. Consider it practice for my grandkids,” she teased, getting a blush and a grumbled, “Umma....’ before Taekwoon left the bathroom with his sister, her diaper, and the baby lotion in hand.
She only laughed, nuzzling Mijung’s cheek. “What do you think? Looking forward to being an awesome aunt? Or just your next meal?”
In the living room, Taekwoon managed to get Hyejung lotioned and diapered and had lied back with her on his chest. She was cooing and leaving slobbering on his shirt as she inspected the fabric with her mouth and he was scrolling through the music on his phone.
“Wanna hear a song, Hye?” he whispered, not really getting much of a reaction from her but a glance in the direction of his voice. “I wrote it,” he nodded, starting the song as he held the phone in his hand, arms wrapped around and under the girl propped against his chest. Hyejung got distracted by the soft sounds of the piano coming from the speaker, first raising to inspect where the nosie was coming from, then actually trying to hear it when she couldn’t find the source, returning to her nomming of her brother’s shirt.
“Do you like it,” he kept to a whisper as he spoke. He smiled, taking her soft gurgles as a ‘yes’, and watched her play with his shirt. But eventually, the nomming turned to yawns and stretches, Taekwoon’s arms got protectively tighter around her and his eyes closed and soon the both of them had fallen asleep, evidence that bath time was exhausting for the both of them.
When Hanbyul came into the living room, she couldn’t help but smile. Hyejung had her cheek pressed to his chest and both his arms were tight around her, the quiet lullaby on repeat.
“Look at your brother and sister, Mijung.....” She walked over, fixing the couch pillows and Hyejung’s position on her brother so Mijung could join the two of them, who was yawning and fussing before they came into the room, calming down as the song playing distracted her.
She thought about leaving the three of them like that on the couch, together and a sleep and took a picture of it to remember but she eventually got the girls in their own bassinets in the living close to Taekwoon and a proper pillow and blanket for her son, not wanting to really wake him up. She put his phone on the table but let the song continue to play, curling up herself in a chair close by.
