Soren is like a blessing.
He is the reason for my complete transformation from the giddy, just-married woman to the full-time mother mode. In his presence it’s as if nothing else in the world matters except for knowing that he is still breathing and he is absolutely mine. And James’s. It’s still weird for me to share my baby with another person, but I definitely like it more. It takes all of the pressure to be the perfect mom off of my thin shoulders, and puts some of the weight on my dutiful husband’s.
“Who is the most perfect baby boy in the world? Oh, Soren is! Soren is the most beautiful baby boy in the entire world!”
As I’m losing my mind over my son’s natural adorableness I feel James come up behind me. “Aren’t you making him a bit too egotistic already? Before we know it we’ll have another me walking around.” I turn around slightly, but only to be sure it’s James standing there and not some imposer. He’s smiling lightly, which in turn brightens the entire room.
“I’ll be sure to keep him grounded, don’t you worry your little head about it.” He throws me a sarcastic smile, so I turn back to Soren to coo some more.
“Oh…wow!” James suddenly seems to remember something. “Amber, do you have any clue what time it is!?”
“Um, I don’t know? Get a watch, dork,” I giggle.
“No, I know what time it is, but do you? It’s nearing five! We have guests coming over for Soren’s birthday party in less than an hour!”
“Wha…WHAT?!” I seethe. “How did it get so late? I’m not nearly ready! I look awful! My hairs a knotted mess, and I don’t even want to look at my face. God damnit, James! How did I spend all day cooped up in here?!”
“Clearly the love you have for our son is more than your love for your looks. Why don’t you go hop in the shower, and I’ll take over baby duties?” James gingerly places his hand on my shoulder, easing Soren out of my arms. “You look tired. Take your time getting ready, I can handle everything in here.”
“Are you sure you can handle him?” I sigh, releasing my son into James’s arms. I have had kids for such a long time that it seems impossible for me to hand one over, even to his father.
“Are you kidding me? I got trained by the best…you.” He shoots me a wink, but when I try to smile I realize how tired I really am. If I can’t even smile without feeling like falling over, who knows what a drag I’ll be at the gathering tonight?
“Fine, fine, I trust you,” I giggle, letting my gaze fall off of the one perfect piece of black hair on Soren’s tiny head. “I’ll be in the shower, don’t be afraid to come get me if anything goes wrong. And I do mean anything. Let me know if he is having trouble burping, breathing, eating, or relxing-”
“-Trust me, I’ve got it hun. Alright?” James pulls Soren into an embrace, while leaning over to sneak me a peck on the cheek. “Just go take your shower. You deserve it.”
One hour and lots of scrubbing later I do start to feel like myself. I guess I hadn’t realized how much these late nights with the baby have been adding up, but boy, they really do add up. Even after getting clean and gussied up the grogginess is still seeping over me, which results in not much effort put into my outfit. I throw on a flowery blouse that I bought in France, along with some causal khakis and even a pair of studs to dress it up a bit.
As I am finishing up applying my last layer of concealer to cover up the bags under my eyes, I hear a short knock on the door, followed by lots of barks from Bambi and meows from Mr. Muffins. I guess the craziness in this household won’t be dying down anytime soon.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!” I shout as I sprint down the steps, nearly losing my balance a few times. “James!” I call as I reach the bottom. “Put Soren down for a nap and then get down here!”
The grin that spreads across my face is a mile wide as I inspect my brother-in-law and best friend from the doorway. Both are clearly trying hard to keep their excitement in, but even I, in all my glorified tiredness, can’t resist the urge to whip open the door and embrace my close family.
“VANESSA!” I screech, giving into my urge and ripping open the door. “My best friend! My partner in crime! My maid of honor!” I shout all of her titles as we give into a long-awaited hug, that has resulted from living several states away from one another.
“Amber! Gosh, hey girl!” we crash into each others’ arms. I can’t help but smell all of the wonderful smells of the beach from our hometowns, and the rush of memories that it brings back almost makes me falter.
“You alright?” she giggles, rocking back and forth in the rhythm of the hug.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” I gush. “Just a little homesick, that’s all.”
“Trust me, Sunset Valley hasn’t been the same without you. I can’t wait until my challenge is over and we can do something about this distance!”
“Agreed,” I sniffle, “agreed.”
I give Oliver a small hug but considering how un-close we are, it doesn’t last very long. I lead Nessa and Oliver off of the porch and into our warm home just as James is walking down the steps with Soren.
“Honey, I thought I told you to put him down for a nap?” I whisper under my breath. Thankfully Vanessa and Oliver are flirting too much to notice.
“I know you told me to, but he cried when I put him down. He’s fine now though. I’ll just change him in the family room for a bit, you hang with Nessa, alright?”
I slowly nod, only in an effort to not get into a fight. I grab Nessa’s hand and pull her into the kitchen as James puts him arm around Oliver. Both men look thrilled to see one another which puts a smile on my face.
“So, Vanessa.”
“So, Amber.” As we step into the kitchen and farther away from the hectic men that are for some reason our significant others, I can feel myself start to ease up. Vanessa and Oliver are the only people who are joining us since Penny and Chase are expecting their second child any day now.
“I have missed you so much…I haven’t seen you since I got married!” We both reminisce for a bit upon my surprise wedding.
“I know, I know! Let me see the ring one more time…” I lift up my hand to give her a peak. She smiles, still thrilled that I finally got married. “I’ve said it a hundred times and I’ll say it again; I told you you’d get married some day. You never thought you would, but I knew you would. You little dork! And look at you now, with your first ‘official’ child. How has he been?”
“Hm, Soren? He’s been great, he’s not a crier. I’ve had late nights with him, but that’s only because he takes a while to fall asleep. Once he’s down he doesn’t wake up though, so it’s like a dream.”
Vanessa lets out a small chuckle. “Well lucky, lucky you. I’m still dealing with seven children in the house at once! And you wouldn’t even believe how hard it was for me to leave them for you, but I’m glad I did. Oliver’s been my little break from family back home, but it hasn’t been the same without you three house’s down.”
“Ah, so Oliver is your little savior, huh? I think you two are so cute together. Has his shyness been affecting your relationship?”
“Are you kidding? When we’re together it’s as if nothing else exists. There’s no shyness between us, not since we finally started dating. It feels so nice to have a solid boyfriend for once. I think I’m finally starting to feel how you feel about James.”
“That’s adorable…I hope you two have kids sometime soon! We would finally be sisters then!”
“Whoa, don’t get ahead of yourself there! I still have a challenge to complete, you know.” She lets out a small smile, so I put the subject to rest. When you’ve been doing something as long as she and I had done the baby challenge, planning your future is never a valid thing to do.
“And oh my goodness, you should see James being a father. He’s such a cute little parent!” I whisper to Ness. “I think Soren is more attached to him than he is to me!”
“Well I guess you should have expected that,” muses Nessa, “I mean, Soren’s a man, James is a man-”
“Soren is NOT a man yet! I don’t even want to think of him being a man! I just want him to be a little baby with tiny hairs upon his head and not knowing how to say anything other than ‘hi’, or ‘mommy’.”
“Well you and I BOTH know how teenage boys are, so I hope you have a good time with that.”
“Lalalalalala!” I try to block out what she’s saying, but it’s of no use. Boys. They run amok as teenagers, leaving messes everywhere they go, sweating all over the place, and usually not even being polite. It only reminds me of how hard it is to raise a child when they have all of these terrible influences all over the place.
“Oh, whatever. Just give me a call when he starts acting like a man,” laughs Ness.
I let out a sigh, still being tired regardless of who I am with. Suddenly, I get an idea. “Ness?” I whisper. “I think it’s time to break out the wine.”
“Oye, you just read my mind. Thank god we’re in the same state once again!”
Thank. God.” I conclude.
We spend a bit of time selecting a fine wine from the wine rack James and I acquired while in France. We stocked up on many aged wines that we are now free to choose from.
“What should we have, Ness? Chermola Blan Grapes wine? Pinot wine? Red wine? White whine?”
“How about anything that’ll give me a buzz?” she offers up.
“Sounds good,” I laugh, picking up a random bottle from the rack. “Everything it is.”
We end up choosing the Chermola Blan Grapes wine, and as I pour it in to four glasses, Vanessa raids our fridge for some cheese to go along with it. A sour expression fills her face as she lifts a pack of month old cheese from the drawer.
“Really? This block of cheese is all-mold. How can you live with yourself?”
“Sorry!” I reply, laughing out loud. “I have been pregnant, married, and on vacation leading up until about a week ago, so don’t judge us!”
Oliver walks into the kitchen to enjoy a glass of wine with Nessa and I. When we ask where James is, he is happy to answer.
“Oh, my brother? He’s playing with Soren in the family room. He’s a cute kid.”
“Well it’s nice to know someone other than James and me like him!” Oliver bursts out laughing, and in my mind I’m silently thinking Yes! The first step to becoming close! He thinks I’m funny!
It doesn’t take long for the three of us to finish our wine and have a nice buzz going. By the time Ness and I are done cleaning up the dishes, I can tell we’re both getting anxious for Soren to grow up. I want to see who he looks like!
Once James finally joins us from being with Soren, he finally hands over our son to me so we can proceed with the celebrations.
“This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for,” I say out loud in an announcer’s voice. “Soren Harvey Masons is finally growing up, and the family is here to ring in the new age! Let’s do this!” Everyone lets out a laugh as I lean Soren down the cake to help him blow out the candles.
“Come on baby!” I shout. “Give a big puff like the big, bad wolf and blow out your candle!” I reference to his favorite bed time story to help him along, but he’s still too young to fully understand it. “Okay, okay, mommy with blow it out for you.”
With a big huff and puff from myself, the candle gets blown out, and Soren lets out a little croak. “Squee!” he verbalizes. “Squee?” I nod my head, approving the word. “Squee, honey, squee.”
“Wooo, go Soren! You got it baby boy!” we all cheer in a synchronized form as I set Soren on the floor to be able to age up. The smiles that spread across each of our faces are enough to light up the world.
As soon as laying eyes on Soren as a toddler, I can feel the same thought pop into everyone’s heads. He’s a James look-a-like.
Everything from his curly, black hair to his tanned skin, to his bright blue eyes is all James’s, but I can’t say I can complain about it. I’ve always loved James’s appearance that is similar to Prince Eric’s, so I am actually thrilled to have Soren look like him.
As I’m cooing and loving Soren to bits, James comes up to me. Assuming that he wants to hold his son I start to hand Sor over, but he shakes his head. “No, you can hold him. I just want to let you know that I got him a birthday gift…it’s kind of big, but I think he’ll love it.”
“What is it?!” I ask, secretly hoping it’s nothing too extravagant. “He’s only one years old, he doesn’t need much…”
“Trust me, it’s amazing,” he grins, walking out of the kitchen. “Just give me a minute!” he hollers as I hear the front door open. A few minutes later I hear him whistle out the front door. I suddenly hear nails scraping along the wood floor in the foyer, and as the present rolls in to the room, I don’t even have to look. I know what it is.
He got a dog.
“So, how much do you love it??” asks a happy James from behind our new family member. “Her name is Charlotte and I think Soren will love her!”
Bowing my head is about the only thing I can do to keep from ripping my hair out. Only one thought runs through my head as everyone coo’s over Soren and now our new dog.
“And the craziness continues.”
Woot! Lol 😛 First comment 😛 Unless someone comments RIGHT now as I am writing this comment – Well whatever 😛
I loved this post!
Soren is so-oo cute ❤
And Charlotte is too 😛
And James is really obsessed with animals huh XD
BTW, what about Karmen? (It was karmen right, the horse? I hope it was XD ) What is she doing now that Amber's busy with Soren? 😛
Haha thanks for reading!!
His name is Kamen and he was in the last post. Amber will find time for him, the posts just won’t all be about the animals.
Thanks for reading again!
Another pet! Eek! That’ll be fun! Lol Soren is so adorable! Can’t wait to see where you go from here.
Yay Soren is adorable! How many kids do you think Amber and James will have? I can’t believe James got another pet lol!
I think maybe they’ll have two or three…or maybe a billion?
Thanks for reading!!
Awe, Nessa finally joins you! You seem happy to have your best friend back and i mean why wouldn’t you! 😀
Soren is adorable, totally a mini James! And your debate with Vanessa “I don’t want him to become a man!” Haha, he’s your little baby boy and he is lovely!
He got Soren a dog, I bet that was a ‘I don’t know how to react’ moment, but anyways Charlotte is lovely dog by the looks of things but I guess we’ll find out her nature as we read on!
Great work and can’t wait to continue reading all your posts! 🙂
Oh lord XD James sure does love his pets.
I really enjoyed this update ^^
Soren is definitely a little James clone, and hey–there’s nothing wrong with that! Because they’re both so freaking cute!
Wineeeeeeee! Fabulous!
I sure do love friend reunion posts, hehe. I like Amber all settled down >.< It's so fun to see her married and with the boys 🙂
I'm looking forward to seeing Soren interact with Charlotte 🙂 Cuuuuute name, by the way.
Great job! ❤
Charlotte!!!!!!! CUTE!!!!! And Soren is even cuter! I can’t wait to see those teenage years. 😉
~Calista Smith
Can’t I just live in AP? ;___; I miss these posts so much, and SOREN is just adorable, and of course Charlotte too :3 CANT wait till next Sunday 😀
Love, Vanessa
Oh, Soren! You’re too cute! I can’t believe how much he looks like James! ❤ He'll be a good looking boy just like his Daddy!
Ahaha, I love the dog! I can't wait to see what Soren thinks 😉
Wonderful Job! I really enjoyed this update! My night is now made!
Fabulous as always!
~Natalie~
Hi Amber! My name’s Star. I read your challenge and I’ve been reading the chapters on this website too. I just never commented, but awwwwwwwwwwwww Soren is soooo cute 🙂 And so is Charlotte! I can’t wait to read the next chapter! You’re a great writer! 😀
I stand and applaud you. The realistic way in Amber and James relationship is something I only WISH I could write. I loved little Soren’s party and he’s exactly what James said her would be, a spitting image of himself. And the new dog Awwww. Awesome job. Can’t wait to read up on what comes next.
Aww Soren is like James in mini pocket size. lol That would be awesome to move Vanessa to AP to be close to Amber. I like the posts with her friends (btw loving Vanessa hair which one is that?) Poor Amber yet another animal to look after. Does James have a secret animal obsession?
SOREN IS SO DAMN CUTE! He’s a real clone of James. I must have him in my game. He and Kaylin would have such precious (and cute) times together. ❤
>.> Why is he so cute?! Omg! It’s just- Awekewtwkgwyw! Seriously though! He’s adorable! I love him to bits already! I can’t wait until he becomes a teenager! 😀 Heh-heh! Hi there, Charlotte! ♥
LOL CUTESAUCE!!!! Amber hold onto that hair and DON’T rip it out you’re going to need to be free of bald spots 😛