Forever man

Round 14: Summer 2021


Janie Greene is 27, Danny Cooper is 25, Bridget Greene-Cooper is 3, Lucas is 2 and Molly is 2 months.
(Bobbie is 70 and Dixie is 27.)

narrated by Janie Greene

We moved into our own house just before Molly was born. It was furnished with the basics so all we needed to do was buy cribs for the kids. I'm on maternity leave until next year so I'm home with two toddlers and a baby all day.

We had to take up a huge mortgage but I'm still happy that we did it. The house is awesome. It was designed by Danny's big brother Ben who designs most of the residential houses in Wellington nowadays since mom is concentrating more on public buildings. Ben designs nature-friendly houses so part of the electricity that we use is actually produced by our own solar panels.

Luckily Molly is a very happy baby who cries very little. She sleeps most of the day anyway and even when she's awake she seems happy to just lie in her crib. Bridget and Lucas on the other hand are quite a handful. They're both walking - or better yet running - so I have to keep an eye on them all the time.

I definitely want to get back to work eventually but right now I really enjoy being at home with the kids even though it means I don't get a moment for myself. Some people think that we were crazy to have our kids so close together but it's what we wanted. I remember how great it was to grow up with Patsy, Dixie and Charlie and I want that for my kids as well.

Danny always helps when he comes home from work so that I can call my friends or watch tv for a while. It's so nice to see the kids' faces light up when they see their dad. He's such a good father and a wonderful partner. He's so much fun to be with but he's not good at just the fun stuff. I know I can trust him to be there by my side. He's my forever man.

He hasn't been able to get a job in any graphic design company but he keeps working on some designs in hopes of getting a chance soon. He's now working in a print shop as a photographer but it's not a very creative job. He mostly takes photos for driving licenses and passports but occasionally he gets to do a portrait or photograph a wedding. I just hope he gets a chance to show how talented he is because I think he has a lot to give.

Everyone in our families has been really happy about us moving into our own house. Everyone except dad. I think he's a bit disappointed that we moved to Exmoor so he's constantly trying to point out everything that he thinks is wrong about the house.

"You'll get tired really soon carrying the kids up and down those stairs" he said to Danny the other night. Like our kids would never learn how to climb the stairs. Danny just laughed it off.

Mom on the other hand is thrilled about the house. She said that even though it would've been nice to have us living closer to them, she thinks we couldn't have found a better house for us. I agree. There's room for everything we want to do. I just hope we can afford to decorate it properly one day. Right now neither of us wants to loan more money just to buy some furniture.

I have to admit that it takes some organizing to get everyone downstairs in the morning, especially if the kids wake up after Danny has gone to work. He keeps telling me that I'm becoming an over-protective mother and I should just let Bridget and Lucas crawl downstairs but I'm afraid they'd fall. I rather carry them until they're bigger.

We have a small backyard and we've been spending a lot of time outside because it's been so warm but not too hot. Molly usually sleeps in the carriage while Bridget and Lucas play with their toys. I just sit on the lawn and enjoy the sunlight.

Dixie came over the other day. I was just putting the kids down for their afternoon nap so she came upstairs to help me. She's great with kids but she says she's not ready for motherhood yet.

We had lunch after Danny came home from work and Dixie told us that she and Tom have finally decided their wedding date. It took them long enough since they got engaged about a year ago. And now she says they're getting married next winter! I told her that it's gonna be a close call but she said that they've already booked the church and they don't want a huge fancy party anyway so there's plenty of time to organize everything. She said that they had even talked about eloping because the idea of being the center of attention is already stressing her out.

"Your mom would've never forgiven you if you eloped" Danny said and I agreed. I understand Dixie's point of view though. She's always been so shy that she'd rather get married with as few guests as possible.

I don't know if Danny and I will ever get married. I know we're committed to each other in every way without marriage vows.

I was elected to the city council a few months ago even though I'm not able to attend most of the meetings at the moment. Danny wanted to take me out to dinner to celebrate but I was heavily pregnant and the time just never seemed right. And ever since Molly was born it's been even harder to get out of the house long enough to eat somewhere. Everyone adores our kids but nobody ever volunteers to babysit two toddlers and a 2-month-old baby. We can't afford to hire a nanny at the moment either even though we know we have to do so next year when I go back to work.

Luckily mom is more than happy to help us. She called me one day and said that it was about time I get out of the house. She said she had already called Danny and told him that she would babysit the kids tonight so that we could go out.

It was just a quick meal at Tom's Diner but it was still very nice to get out and spend some time together. We felt really refreshed after our little date.

We were pleasantly surprised to come home to a silent house. Bridget and Lucas were already asleep upstairs and mom was giving Molly her night bottle.

"She's ready for bed" mom said and handed Molly to Danny. She assured us that Bridget and Lucas had been on their best behaviour the whole time we were away and that Molly had been a little angel as well.

We offered to call mom a taxi but she insisted taking the bus. "You just save that money of yours on mortgage payments, I'm gonna be fine on the bus" she said and gave me a hug before she left. I told her to give us a call when she gets home and she agreed - but I could see her rolling her eyes. Maybe I really am becoming an over-protective mother, even towards my own mother!

Extras:

This picture didn't fit into the update but I wanted to post it anyway because I like it so much. I would probably use it for a new banner if I hadn't changed the banner just recently.


Notes:

• Title from "Forever man" by Eric Clapton.
• In case you're wondering, Janie and Danny's new house is Carla's brownstone. And may I just say that I love this house! I have three of these in Exmoor (the shopping district) although two of them are currently vacant.
• I might have said it before but Janie and Danny are definitely done with kids now. She will be on BC for the rest of her life so let's keep our fingers crossed that there will be no BC failures for this couple!