The Meaning of Family

Hard Days

Wednesday morning started really early, it was raining and Ava had a nightmare, so her cries woke Hailey and Jay at roughly 4 am, and the little one didn't go back to sleep. So, Hailey found herself downstairs at 6:30, holding Ava while she made some breakfast for everyone. Doing so with one hand/arm available wasn't easy, but it was doable until Jay came downstairs and was able to convince Ava to let him hold her.

"Are you hungry, Aves?" He asked, getting a small nod. Her thumb was in her mouth and her bunny and elephant were clutched into her hand that was in her wrist brace. She was leaning against Jay's chest, eyes puffy.

"You wanna sit with me while you eat?" She nodded again, nuzzling Jay's chest.

"Okay, kiddo, sit with me to eat," Jay shifted her on his lap so she could eat and Ava put her bunny and elephant on the counter since they were sitting at the bar.

Ava slowly ate, half asleep and flinching every time the rain picked up. Jay kept rubbing her back and looked at Hailey, worried.

"Do you think y'all should still do this today?" He asked quietly as Hailey stood at the counter in front of him and ate.

"I'm going to try, if she's struggling then we'll wait until tomorrow to start," Hailey watched as her baby sister ate her breakfast, not even aware of the conversation happening about her.

Hailey and Jay kept talking quietly, Ava eating her fruit and sausage. She didn't eat everything on her plate but made it known when she was done as she turned herself around and snuggled into Jay's chest. She was tired.

Eventually, Jay had to leave for work, so he gave Ava a kiss on the head, then kissed Hailey, then passed the toddler to his wife. Ava relaxed into Hailey's chest, content with her big sister holding her.

"Let's walk around, baby," Hailey said, moving around the house with Ava in her arms. It took awhile, but Ava fell asleep as Hailey walked the length of the house, rubbing Ava's back.

Once the little girl was asleep, Hailey went upstairs and got back in bed with Ava on her chest. It was only 7:30, so Hailey set an alarm for 9:30, turned the tv on low, and closed her eyes.

When her alarm went off, she and Ava both jolted awake. "Noooo," Ava whined, tears welling in her eyes.

"Shhhh, baby, it's okay. You can sleep," Hailey soothed, rubbing Ava's back.

Ava settled down and fell back asleep. Hailey waited a few minutes before she transferred Ava to the bed and went downstairs to work out. Ava eventually woke up, crying for Hailey.

"What's going on today, sweet girl?" Hailey asked as she lifted Ava off the bed. Ava shrugged and clung to her sister.

"Do you feel sick?" Ava shook her head. "Just wan you," she sniffled. "My head is busy."

"Okay, baby. How about we go on a walk outside, hm?" Walks and being outside often did a lot to help Ava when she was feeling overwhelmed. This had happened a few times; she sometimes just had bad days.

Ava nodded. "Apposa stop puw ups today though," she murmured around her thumb.

"We were going to stop your pull ups today, but do you feel like you can do that?" Hailey asked, wanting her sister to make the decision for herself. Ava was very smart when it came to understanding her mental abilities when she was having a bad day.

"Twy tomowwow?" Ava asked quietly, looking down.

"Hey, look at me, baby. It's okay if we need to wait until tomorrow, and I am proud of you for telling me you need to do that. How about today you try and stay dry, and tomorrow we'll take away the pull ups?" Hailey suggested, and Ava nodded.

"I twy," she said quietly around her thumb. Hailey gave her a kiss on the head and took her to go get changed then she went and got ready herself before getting Ava's stroller from the Jeep and they left for a walk around the neighborhood.

Ava relaxed in her stroller, holding her bunny and elephant, sucking her thumb. She watched the trees and flowers as they went, calming down a lot. She ended up falling asleep halfway through, and Hailey snapped a picture and sent it to Jay, saying that their girl was having a hard day still, even with an early morning nap.

Hailey eventually got back to the house and got Ava inside without waking her up. She placed the girl on the couch then put the stroller away and went inside. It really wasn't a productive day. When Ava was awake, she just wanted to be held and to cuddle, and she napped off and on most of the day, albeit the naps were pretty short.

Jay came home with pizza that evening and they ate in the living room then went on another walk, which Ava was talkative during and pointed out anything she saw, but they could tell she just wasn't herself. Once they got home, Ava was bathed and put in bed, but she only lasted half an hour before she started crying for Jay to come get her.

"What's going on, Ava?" He asked as he lifted her out of her bed. She clung to him desperately.

"Stay wif you and Haiwey!" She sobbed, growing hysterical. Jay started swaying and shushed her quietly before he went towards he and Hailey's room, where his wife was changing and washing her face.

"How about we call it an early night?" Jay suggested and Hailey frowned when she saw how upset her mini me was.

"I think that's a great idea. How about we read some books?" Ava nodded and Jay got her settled in bed and went to get her two favorite books from her room.

Jay got ready for bed while Hailey read the first book, then as soon as he got into bed, Ava cuddled into him and he read the second book. The little girl was sound asleep on his chest within the first 5 pages, and that was that. He and Hailey whispered for a while then decided to try to go to bed early with their girl.