Oceans Between Us (Jimmy/Jacoby)

Oh my goodness. *sniffles* Skype, nifty idea, so great that everyone they wanted got to be part of this huge event.

Welcome to the world squirt!

I loved that chapter. For a time, it seems, all is well in camp Jimmy/Jacoby!

Last chapter!

***

49

“Eliza Eleanor, daddy would like some sleep,” I protested, as I got up yet again during the night. Jimmy had gotten up the last time, so now it was my turn. Michelle had pumped right before bed, but she usually took the ‘ass crack of dawn’ shift, so she could breast feed. The papers had been signed in the hospital making Eliza officially ours, but she was going to be involved in the baby’s life. “Can we arrange that?”

Her little face scrunched up and she started to wail even louder. I picked her up, gently rocking her, as we made our way downstairs. Breast milk needs to be warmed, and I do that in the sink. Michelle freezes the milk she pumps, then we put the bags of milk (which are sealed tight) into a dish with hot water running over them. Finally, we pour them into a bottle and Eliza has food. She loves the stuff, though I don’t think it looks very appealing.

You might also be wondering about her name. Well, we had Bethany picked out back in February, but since it was so early, we realized we might have been premature. So we sat down and thought about other names, and Jimmy wanted Eleanor to be part of the name. We tried Bethany Eleanor Shaddix and for a while, it sounded great. But when she was born and we saw her little face and those blue eyes and that bald little head, she wasn’t a Bethany to either of us. Eliza was the only name we could agree on, and that’s who she became.

“Do you know how much daddy loves you?” I asked, as I warmed the milk. Her cries had subsided once I opened the freezer, and I think she knows that’s where the food comes from. “I love you very much.”

You’ll have to forgive me; I ramble when I’m sleep deprived. Eliza is now four days old and has been home for two days. She was born on April 10th, 2011. She weighed 8 pounds 14 ½ ounces and she was 24 inches long. Yes, she’s taking after Jimmy. Currently, the proud grandmothers are on their way out and will be here this afternoon. She goes to bed around 10, but she’s up every two hours on the dot.

“There,” I said, once the bottle was in her mouth. I made my way into the living room, and sat down in the rocking chair Hank had given us. It was handmade and I knew he’d made it himself. I gently rocked her as she sucked on the bottle, the moon the only light in the room. “You know, you have so much potential. Right now, you’re just a helpless little newborn, but as you grow up, you can be anything you want. Your daddy and I will be the best support team ever, but there are going to have to be some rules, okay?”

She just looked up at me, her little eyes looking heavy as the milk drained into her. She doesn’t eat much right now, so feedings are short, but more frequent. I smiled at her and continued my lecture.

“Well, for instance, no boys until you’re at least 30. I don’t trust them not to break your heart. If they do break your heart, your daddy and I will deal with them for you. What else? Don’t do anything bad, okay? As you get older, we’ll start to define ‘bad’.”

By now she was asleep and I smiled, as I gently patted her back and waited for her to burp. She’s not been burping very well, but the doctor assured us before we brought her home that not all babies are good at it. Give her time, he said, and she’ll find a way to make her tummy settle. As usual, there was no burping, so I carried her back upstairs. We stopped in the nursery and I changed her diaper, then returned her to her bassinet.

I love this bassinet. It sits by our bed so we can get to her quickly and easily during the night. It was mine as a child, and my mother insisted on shipping it out to us. It’s solid oak, which one of us polishes daily, and it rocks if needed. She yawned, her little mouth making a little ‘o’ shape. I smiled, feeling kind of silly at being so in love with her.

“Come to bed,” Jimmy mumbled and I smiled, crawling back under the covers. It was just after two in the morning. “I love you. I’ll get up with her next time.”

I nodded, snuggling in to him, as I drifted off to sleep.

***

Jimmy and I don’t set alarms right now. We just sleep when we can. It’s currently about 10 in the morning and I’ve managed sleep for eight straight hours. It feels good to get a full night of sleep, though I know this won’t happen often. This is Eliza’s fourth day at home now, and already, we’re getting into a routine with her. I decided to shower, knowing that she was safe with Jimmy and Michelle.

Do you know that showering is sometimes impossible with a newborn? I didn’t quite understand that until we had Eliza home. With Jimmy and I both here, you’d think a simple shower would be easy to get. No. In fact, we are sometimes both caught up in childcare and forget to shower. We’re either feeding her, changing her, or interacting with her. Jimmy started reading her books and I usually fall asleep during the book. Michelle is always a good one to shoo us upstairs for a shower, but sometimes, we just plain forget.

“Coby?” Jimmy called and I poked my head around the shower door. I frowned at the deep, dark circles under his eyes. I need to make sure he gets a shot at eight hours sleep tomorrow. “I thought you were up. Michelle feels up to going into Omaha early. Did you want to come?”

“Sure. Have you showered yet?” I asked, and he shook his head, cradling Eliza in his arms. She looked to be asleep, something I notice that she does a lot. Lucky duck. “Well, I’m done, so hop in.”

He carefully placed Eliza in the very center of our bed, our red-covered pillows arranged on both sides of her tiny body. She doesn’t really move much yet, mostly kicking her feet, but I appreciated the caution. I smiled at her as I got dressed, listening to Jimmy singing to himself in the shower. Eliza kicked her feet and then I heard a little burp come out of her.

“Good job, baby girl,” I praised, picking her up. Naturally, I had to get the kid who could puke with a smile on her face. “You also vomit like a champ.”

I grabbed a rag and cleaned the bed, then took her to get changed. She had some very cute outfits courtesy of her many female family members and I chose one now. A little white onesie, a black t-shirt that said ‘daddy’s little angle’ on it, and some little jeans seemed perfect for the day. It wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t hot, either. I slipped socks on her little feet and a hat on her head. I completed the ensemble with a little black sweater and we were ready.

“Ready to go?” Jimmy asked appearing with the diaper bag. We’d also gotten quite good at packing that in a hurry. “I’ve got diapers, wipes, bottles, a cooler with breast milk, since she’ll need to eat, and a few toys, as well as an outfit.”

I nodded, as I carried our daughter downstairs. It’s also amazing to me how our lives have changed with her around. We talk more, we seem more in love, it’s just astounding to me what a child can do.

“She looks adorable!” Michelle gushed, snapping pictures. Have I mentioned that while on leave from her job, she’s taken literally hundreds of pictures of the baby? And us? She had us bring her camera to the hospital and I wouldn’t be surprised if the shutter sounds still echoes in the hallways there. “I’m feeling good, not sore at all, so I suggested a short day out. I know it’s a little early, but I figure we’re picking up your mothers and my sister at one, so we’ll have a couple of hours to get out.”

“I’m okay with that,” I said, and Jimmy nodded, buckling Eliza into her carrier. The fresh air will, I think, do everyone good. Once she was secure, he picked it up and we headed out. “Is there going to be room for everyone?”

“I think mom is getting a rental,” he said, and I frowned. “I know. I told her we had two vehicles, but she insisted. She still wants us to pick them up, though, because she doesn’t know the way. They’re going to be here for a month, Coby.”

I knew that and I was kind of glad. I know that some people wouldn’t appreciate that, but I do. I have no idea what I’m doing and having those experienced people around will help. We’ve done well in the two days she’s been home, not calling mom for help, but we’re bound to get into a tight spot once in a while.

“Where should we go first?” I asked, as Jimmy started down the gravel. I noticed that Michelle was sitting comfortably, and I hoped she’d continue to be comfortable. The ride home the other day wasn’t bad for her, but you could tell she was uncomfortable.

“Well, there’s very little food in the house,” she remarked and we looked guilty. “I thought you two could handle things for a couple nights on your own.”

“We did,” Jimmy defended us, checking for traffic before heading onto the highway. We’re still a little jumpy driving with Eliza in the car. “You’ll actually be surprised at us, I think. We stocked the freezer with casseroles.”

Michelle blinked, looking at us both with surprise. We’re not known for being great cooks, remember? I can throw together an edible meal and Jimmy has turned into a good baker, but when it comes to casseroles and stuff, we’re hopeless. Thankfully, Eleanor wrote her casserole cookbook with people like us in mind, so it’s easy to follow the recipes.

“I’m impressed,” she said, laughing. She smiled as I turned to look at her, knowing that she was tired. “I didn’t know you were capable.”

“Well, Eleanor’s book is easy to follow,” I told her and that got a big laugh out of her. Jimmy merged onto the interstate and laughed as well. “I honestly think she wrote that with us in mind.”

Michelle just shook her head, as some of the tall buildings of downtown Omaha came into view. It’s kind of amazing, really, how far you can see from the interstate. This particular stretch of interstate has some bridge work going on, which is a pain, but sadly, it’s the only way to really get to Omaha from Mondamin. Eliza stirred a bit in her seat, and I hoped her hunger could wait until we got to a store. I can’t give the kid frozen breast milk after all.

“It’s okay baby girl,” Michelle cooed, and I looked back to see her rubbing Eliza’a stomach. “When we get to a good place to do so, you can feast at the milk bar, okay? Aunt Michelle forgot to pump before we left, so there will be plenty.”

I was glad that Michelle had agreed to stay for a while after the birth. I know that formula won’t hurt Eliza, but we still wanted her to get some breast milk while she still could. Considering Michelle’s boss in California is her sister that means she can get whatever time off she needs. The studio here is happy to have her until August, even though she’s on eight weeks of leave right now. She’s still taking pictures, and she’ll do the monthly photos for us as well until she leaves.

“I imagine you guys won’t go for your usual vacation this year,” she said, and I looked over at Jimmy; I hadn’t thought about that.

“I don’t know, actually. I guess we hadn’t thought that far ahead. We were planning on little Miss Eliza coming in June instead of April, so I don’t know. Things we should discuss,” Jimmy said, smiling, as he took my hand.

I nodded, agreeing with him. We’d just been so caught up in baby preparations that we hadn’t talked about it. At least this year if we don’t go it will be because of the baby and not because my husband decided to move out there without me. I honestly hope we’ve put that nonsense behind us.

“Well, where should we go first?” Jimmy asked, as he merged onto 480, heading toward downtown.

“I’d like hit go to a bookstore,” Michelle said, and I agreed. “I know there’s a Barnes and Nobel on 72nd and Dodge.”

“Works for me,” Jimmy said, taking the Dodge Street exit. “Do they have a breast feeding area?”

“I don’t know, but I have my cover-up. As long as I’m covered, it’s not a big deal.”

Jimmy navigated the busy streets of Omaha and finally we arrived at the bookstore. As I carried Eliza inside a thought occurred to me and I turned to my husband and Michelle.

“We should, if we feel up to it, take Eliza into work. They haven’t met her yet, outside of the ones that came up to visit,” I said, and Michelle nodded, yawning a bit. “But only if you feel up to it.”

She looked thoughtful, and then she shook her head. “Not today. I’m sorry to be a pooper, but I think the bookstore, some dinner and the airport is going to do me in today.”

“It’s not a problem,” Jimmy said, hugging her slightly as we ascended the stairs into the store. “I was honestly surprised when you suggested this little outing. You just gave birth; you call the shots here, okay?”

“Okay. I just didn’t want you to be disappointed.”

“We’re not. Jimmy and I can always take her another time, when she’s more active and you’re feeling better, okay? There’s no hurry.”

Michelle thanked us, then went to find a secluded place to nurse. I smiled as she arranged Eliza under the cover up and fed her with few customers knowing what was going on. The few that noticed smiled and said nothing. I wondered what it would be like when Jimmy and I had another baby: would they say something negative about Jimmy breast-feeding, if he’s able? I shook the thought from my mind and sat down near Michelle, who then shooed us off to go look at books. She and Eliza would sit for a bit and rest and then she’d join us.

“You sure?”

“I’m sure. Go have some fun.”

We took off, then, at her request and I took Jimmy's hand. We were both exhausted, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I had my family and nothing was going to take that away from me.

*happy sigh*

This has been a rollercoaster ride, but I have enjoyed every second. Thank you so much for keeping me going

Bit sad she didn't turn out to be a Bethany, my BFFs name , but Eliza Eleanor is so cute I can live with it. These two so deserve this happiness!

I was very pleased with how this ended! They deserve the happiness and I think they're going to make amazing parents.

Now, it's not over! There's a third story, if you want it. Eventually there will be a fourth part, but I haven't written it yet, lol! I've got so many other stories going on and things to do, these guys are kind of quiet, but there will be more in the future. Just say the word and I'll start the third installment for you.

Maybe tomorrow, I'm heading to bed now cos I'm pretty tired. On second thoughts, maybe we should have a break, or I'm gonna get into it and then I go away next Tuesday for a week with no net access and I'll go mad!

That works! I hate it when I go somewhere without internet. I mean, I have Blackberry, but not all websites are mobile. And, it's harder to read and stuff on that small screen. Just let me know when you want to start and we'll start; the beginning is a tear jerker, not even kidding. I cried writing it!

Oh bloody hell, don't taunt me woman!

I'm going away a week today, and I'll be gone till that weekend, so about the 7th of May unless something changes dramatically.

Sounds good! That seems such a long way off and yet it's really just a week from Saturday, isn't it?

I will not taunt you with any further parts of the plot. Our boys simply have a big, big challenge in their lives. *shuts up now* Have a good vacation! Where are you going?

I wish it was a vacation, I'm going to cover another branch of the company I work for, they are short on management. It's a week in a hotel paid for by the company, but I will be working my ass off.

Oy...it's a toss up...free hotel, but you have to work. Just remember that when you get back, we'll be able to start more JJ storie!

And yay for that!

Thinking about seeing if I can get my laptop to work (it's about 10 years old) so I cna take that with me and at least be able to write my own stuff while I'm there. I do, however, have the first 5 books of The Song of Ice and Fire on the way cos I'm a teensy bit obsessed with Game of Thrones, so I might just read!

Reading is always good, too! I love bringing both the laptop and books on trips, since I can always do both. Even with not working, it seems I'm always busy and I forget to read so sometimes a trip is my only chance to read. I need to get back to going to bed earlier so I can read before I fall asleep.

*whispers* I'm HOME!!!!!

YAY!! I'll get the third part out, dust it off, and start that up today .