Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
“What is she cooking?” I hear Levi’s voice, so I look over at him. “Whatever it is, it sure does smell good.” He looks down at Cici. “Are you hungry?”
Cici just babbles back at him. “I know, me, too, girl, me, too.” I can’t help but laugh as I toss the sausage into the pan and stir everything together before placing the cover half on it.
I move over to the freezer, opening it. “Should we do chicken and carrots with peas?” I ask over my shoulder. “Or broccoli, carrots, and tofu?”
“Eww,” Levi says. “Pick A, girl,” he whispers in her ear, “pick A.”
“If she doesn’t eat tofu today, she is going to eat it tomorrow.” I laugh at him as I walk over, grabbing another pot to cook her food.
It takes me a good thirty minutes before all the food is done. “Can you put her in her chair?” I ask Levi, who nods at me. He grabs her around her chest with one arm as he pushes himself up.
He walks over to her chair beside the table, the one I unpacked this afternoon. “Um,” he ponders, “how do I?” I walk over to him, taking Cici from him.
“You just need to…” I place her in the chair as she slides down on her bum, before I buckle her in. I look over at him and he grimaces.
“I’m never doing that; you can hurt her legs.”
“I promise you, I’m not hurting her,” I assure him as I put a bib on her.
“I’ll do the plates,” he states to me, “you feed her.” He points at her as he walks over and prepares us two plates. The two of us sit with Cici between us in her chair. He watches my every single move as I feed her.
When she starts to get cranky, I look over and see that it’s almost six thirty, Cici is a creature of habit. So I know I have thirty minutes to get her washed and in bed. “I’m going to go and give her a bath,” I announce, taking the bib off and placing it on the high chair.
I walk up the steps toward the bathroom and I’m shocked when I feel him right behind me. “What are you doing?” I ask as I turn on the lights.
“I think I should know this, too,” he says, putting his hands in his pockets as he leans against the doorjamb. “What if they ask me about this?” I point at the bathtub.
“Well,” I start to tell him as I grab the white towel, placing it on the rug before laying her down on it. “The first thing is to put her down.” I point at Cici. “And then start the water.” I reach for the yellow duck in the corner that tells you the temperature. “Toss this in there to make sure that it’s not too hot. Then you add a couple of the other toys.” I point at the net that is in the corner drying out the toys from the night before.
He stands up. “Wait,” he says, grabbing his phone from his pocket. “What temp should it be?”
I laugh at him. “Between ninety-five and a hundred.” I shrug my shoulder. “You can feel it with your hand, it shouldn’t be too hot, then you undress her.” I move back over to Cici, who is now kicking her feet and turning over. “Which is easier said than done,” I joke, turning her over. Levi comes in and squats down beside her.
“Look at the phone,” he tells Cici, handing her the phone, shocking me as she takes it from him and babbles, but it gives me enough time to get her undressed. “Once she’s undressed, you just place her in the tub.” I grab the phone from her and hand it back to Levi before placing her in the tub.
“Okay, I think I can handle that. I’m going to go clean up the kitchen and I’ll be back for after-bath talk.” I nod at him, sitting beside the tub washing Cici.
“Wash, wash, wash,” I singsong as I wash her. “Scrub, scrub, scrub.” Her hands slap the water, making it go everywhere. “Splash, splash, splash.”
I take her out of the bath and wrap her in the white towel before entering her bedroom. It was a spare bedroom, but as of this morning, it’s now hers.
“Holy crap.” I hear from beside me. “Is this all hers?” Levi asks as he walks into the room.
“Yeah.” I walk to the changing table. “They picked it up this morning and I spent all day making sure it was just like home,” I inform him as I grab the lavender cream. He stands beside me as I get her ready for bed.
Cici starts to get cranky by the time I’m buttoning up her pj’s. “Here, rock her while I go get her bottle.” I hand her to him and he walks to the corner where the rocking chair sits.