You and Only You

The next day Kennedy and I were sitting on the couch, watching Noah play with some of his toys and talking a little more about wedding plans, when there was a knock on the door.

Kennedy got up to get the door while I sat there and smiled at Noah. He had started saying mama a lot more than dada and I couldn’t help but be happy about it. I mean, I was the one who had carried him in my stomach for nine months, not Kennedy. It was only fair that he acknowledged me.

Kennedy walked back into the living room followed by Garrett. As soon as Noah saw him he started throwing his arms up in the air and squirming around everywhere, trying to get to Garrett. But he hadn’t quite mastered crawling yet.

“What’s up Squirt?” Garrett picked him up and tossed him in the air, catching him and then swinging him around. It scared me half to death but Noah absolutely loved it. He was giggling like crazy and it was probably the happiest he had been all morning or afternoon.

Garrett sat down next to Kennedy on the couch with Noah in his lap. “So I got a present for Noah.”

“What is it?” I asked excitedly. I loved presents, even if they weren’t for me.

Garrett stood up, still holding Noah and walked to get his bag out of the front hallway. He threw something at Kennedy as he was walking back into the living room.

Kennedy opened the bag and took out a Halloween costume.

“Oh my god that is so adorable!” I squealed. It was a baby turtle costume, or more specifically, Squirt from Finding Nemo.

“I saw it at the mall yesterday and I couldn’t not buy it. I mean Squirt being Squirt for Halloween is just perfect.”

Kennedy and I laughed and agreed. It definitely was perfect.

Halloween was just a couple days later and Kennedy and I took Noah out trick-or-treating. Even though he didn’t really understand it he still had a good time. He loved going on walks in his stroller so he was just enjoying that, and he was watching all the kids go by in their costumes with fascinated eyes.

He also enjoyed flirting with AJ’s niece. She was four, and AJ had decided to take her out trick-or-treating with John. She was dressed as a princess and Noah could hardly take his eyes off of her.

Luckily AJ had been ok with the news she found out when I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. She talked to John and they worked everything out. I was just glad that I didn’t ruin things with them and that she wasn’t mad at me. She really was becoming one of my best friends and I wanted it to stay that way.

So they decided to walk around with us so that we would have company. And at least somebody could get the candy. Noah couldn’t really have much of it since he was only 8 months old.

AJ’s niece, Lydia, was just walking back towards us after hitting up another house for some candy and Noah’s eyes lit up as he saw her walking towards him. He started bouncing up and down in his stroller and reaching out towards her.

“Aunt AJ, look what I got!” she exclaimed as she showed AJ her bag full of candy. “Look Noah!” she showed him next and he reached out to try and grab it from her. “Hey that’s mine!” she yelled and pulled it away from him. His bottom lip stuck out and he started pouting.

“It’s ok honey, he just likes to grab anything that’s in front of him. He’s not trying to take it from you. He’s too little to have candy,” I said as I bent down to give Noah one of his toys, trying to keep him from full out crying. He started babbling and was seemingly content for the moment.

“Say you’re sorry Lydia, you almost made him cry,” AJ said and her niece looked up at her with a sorrowful expression.

“I’m sorry Noah,” she said, going over and giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek. Noah started cheesing and grabbed Lydia and tried to kiss her again. He still hadn’t quite got the hang of kissing so he was basically just attacking her with an open mouth. But she seemed to think it was funny. “He kissed me!” she squealed and giggled. All was forgiven and we continued to walk on to visit more houses and collect more candy.

“Kids are so adorable,” AJ said softly as she was watching Lydia go up the sidewalk to ring the next doorbell. I saw John give her a look as if to say ‘don’t get any ideas’ and I giggled quietly.

“Yeah, sometimes,” Kennedy said.

“Hey, our son is always adorable,” I joked, elbowing him softly in the side.

“Oh yeah, especially when he’s screaming his head off when he’s hungry or when he fills up his diapers and you make me change them. So adorable,” he finished sarcastically.

“Ok, yeah, there are some things that aren’t quite as adorable as others. But those extra adorable moments make up for it. Like when he says mama.”

As if on cue Noah started babbling again and mama was the only understandable word. I broke out in a huge grin.

“Do you have him trained or something?” John asked with a smirk.

“If only it were that easy,” I sighed with a smile. I leaned into Kennedy’s side and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

“No but I think she really did something because now it’s all mama this, mama that, and I haven’t heard him say dada in I don’t even know how long. It’s like the kid completely forgot about me.”

“Oh hush.” I walked around to the front of the stroller and grabbed Noah out. “Who’s that?” I asked, pointing at Kennedy. Noah just smiled and gurgled but said nothing. “Is that dada?” I asked him, trying to coax it out of him.

“Mama,” he said and pulled my hair before trying to put it in his mouth and eat it.

John and AJ laughed and Kennedy playfully glared at Noah.

“Mama, huh? Say dada,” he said, reaching out to tickle Noah’s belly and he squirmed in my arms, trying to escape Kenny’s tickle torture. “Say dada.”

Noah just started clapping his hands, and then caught sight of Lydia again and almost jumped out of my arms trying to reach for her.

“Sorry man, looks like he’s more interesting in the girls than his dada,” John said jokingly and clapped Kennedy on the back.

“Oh sounds like someone else I know,” I joked, sending Kennedy a playful wink.

“I know what you mean,” AJ agreed, nudging John who just laughed.

“Whatever,” Kennedy fake pouted and I closed the gap between us to kiss him softly on the lips. Noah apparently didn’t want to be left out because he reached out to grab Kenny’s nose.

“Oh you want a kiss too?” I asked him and puckered up my lips. He leaned forward and kissed me with his open slobbery mouth and I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.