Los Angeles weather had certainly been kinder to us in the past. The whole two days Harry and I were in the hospital, it stormed like it hadn't in months. At one point, the power flickered off but was replaced by a generator to keep all outlets working. Thankfully, I had already given birth by then and Gemma was as healthy as we could have hoped for.
I really wanted Nora to meet her in the hospital, but because of all the rain, Harry made the ultimate decision that he didn't want Maria driving our daughter on flooded streets. It was still storming now as we pulled up to the house after the most anxiety-inducing drive I think either of us had ever been on. Umbrellaless, Harry parked my car in the garage so we wouldn't get soaked trying to bring Gemma inside to her new home.
She was sleeping so peacefully that I was scared to move her, but of course, Harry managed to get her car seat unattached from the car so carefully that she had no idea what was going on. Either way, I knew she was about to be stimulated as soon as Nora saw her.
The door to the house creaked as I opened and held it for Harry to come in behind me. He extended his arm out to hold the car seat in front of him as we removed our wet and dirty shoes in the entrance there. In preparation for our homecoming, Nora was sitting patiently on the couch with Maria, curiously craning her neck to see what was hidden inside the car seat. She was smiling, so that was a good sign.
"Hi baby," I whispered as I sat beside her. "I missed you so much."
"Missed you too, Mommy," she hugged my neck and accepted Harry's kiss on her forehead while she scooted toward the edge of the couch.
"Nora, this is your baby sister," Harry said, pulling back the blanket that covered the opening in the car seat. "Her name is Gemma."
Nora's smile only grew by the second, whipping her head between me and Harry before he sat beside me. "She's a peanut alien."
I laughed as I smoothed her hair back. "Do you wanna hold her?"
When she nodded, I had her sit with her back against the couch, and Harry showed her how to position her arms while I unbuckled Gemma from the seat. She stirred at the movement and wore a little pout, but kept her eyes closed still.
"Just have to make sure you're holding her head, okay?" I whispered as I placed Gemma in her arms, then sat on the other side of her to help her feel it out.
Nora's smile couldn't be any bigger as she felt Gemma wiggling in her arms, moving her head from side to side as she squeaked out a yawn. Finally, she blinked her blue eyes open and tried looking around. Her face was scrunched in a prominent pout, and Maria acted on the instinct to dim the overhead lights way down for her.
"She's so cute," Nora cooed with her head tilted to the side. "Why is she so small?"
I rested my cheek on Nora's head with my hand still under Gemma's for support. "Because she just came out of my tummy two days ago. Just like you did when you were born."
"And she'll grow up to be big? Like me?"
"Mhm," I smiled, but the thought was terribly depressing. I would appreciate it if both of them stopped growing.
After a moment of Nora staring intently at her, Gemma gave her the softest smile until the outline of her dimples showed through. It was a fleeting moment, but Nora caught it and gasped with her lips in an O shape. "She's smiling!"
"She loves you," I chuckled. "You're her big sister."
Nora nodded a little more seriously like she understood what that meant. "Can she come play with my toys?"
Harry said, "She's a little too small to play yet, but maybe later we can show her your playroom."
"Okay," Nora leaned in closer to put her forehead to Gemma's, giggling to herself when she wiggled and tried to move her head away. "I love her, Mommy."
