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It was the start of a new week, in which Melanie found herself at the verge of a nervous breakdown on a very early Monday morning. It was half past one and little Charlotte was tucked into her crib, after days of sleepless nights. Colic, which came quickly after reaching the second month of life, kept both Melanie and Chris up and running. Broken to no sleep between the two, left them crabby and their apartment a mess; laundry had been pushed aside and their bed hadn’t been changed in a little over three weeks. Life, as perfect as it was before, had started to crumble.
Melanie groaned as she lay in bed, thinking of all the things she needed to do around the house and outside, while her head pounded. The exhaustion and lack of eating, had taken its toll on her, leaving her with crippling migraines and crying fits. When Chris found her early one morning, rocking their screaming daughter to sleep while crying hysterically, he quickly took the baby and ordered her back into bed.
“You need to sleep,” he said to her, as he laid Charlotte’s head against his shoulder. “Take some Advil and get into bed, Mel. I’ll sit up with her tonight.”
That had been nearly three weeks ago and there were many more nights like that one, as the colic seemed to take it’s hold on the child; as if there were no end to it at all. And it didn’t help when Melanie did extensive research to find some way to solve their sleepless nights and Charlotte’s pain. Learning that colic could last to a year, if not three to four months, sent her into a panic.
“I cannot do this for a year! A YEAR!” Melanie cried, as Chris tried feeding her a bottle of formula. “I’ll die from exhaustion and starvation if this lasts a year!”
Too far gone in her thoughts and the pain that trobbed behind her eyes, Melanie didn’t hear the front door open and close or the padding of feet coming down the hall towards the bedrooms. But she did hear the bedroom door open, followed by the sound of Chris moving into the room.
“Mel?” he whispered, trying to get a good look at her through the darkness. “Honey?”
She groaned, pushing her face deep into the pillow, as he leaned over his side of the bed to look at her. “Shhhh,” she hissed, as he reached out to rub her back. “Too loud.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked, speaking quieter than before.
“M’head,” she groaned, reaching up to press her hands against her forehead. “Hurts so bad.”
She felt his hand on the back of her head, rubbing it softly. “Okay,” he whispered, before removing his hand.
The bed shifted and she heard him walking away, the bathroom door opening and closing behind him. With a groaned, Melanie rolled all the way over onto her belly and shoved her face into the pillow, willing herself to just die right then and there. Her clothes were three days old and her hair was greasier than the frying pan that sat on the stove, the remains of Saturday’s breakfast still sitting inside. On top of all that, she was still twenty pounds overweight from her pregnancy and felt completely unattractive to herself and to her husband.
The bathroom door opened again, the lights on low, as Chris made his way back over to the bed.
“Here,” he said, sitting down on the mattress. “Come on, Mel. Sit up.”
Whimpering, Melanie did what she was told, keeping her eyes closed tightly as the light from the bathroom shined into their room. “Wha?” she asked, as he set a glass of water into her hand.
“Open your mouth,” he said, pressing the pill capsule against her lips. “It’s Vicodin from when I hurt my back, but this should help you sleep.”
“What about Ch-“ she started, after swallowing the pill.
“I will get up to watch her if she wakes,” he said, as she took a sip of water. “Rich gave me the next few days off after taking one look at me this afternoon. So you’re going to get some rest, eat a real meal and Alice is taking you on Thursday to get your hair cut and whatever else girls do.”
He took the glass back and placed it on her nightstand, before moving back to help her under the blankets.
“What about you?” she mumbled, as he quickly went to turn the lights off in the bathroom. “You can’t spend the rest of your week, up all day with her.”
Chris climbed under the blankets, “Well, I don’t need my toes painted,” he said, as she curled up onto her side. “I’ll manage with the baby. You can’t be the only one that’s suffering with the baby, and running on zero energy.”
“Hmmm,” Melanie groaned, as he rubbed her back. “This is the longest she’s been asleep since it started.”
“Maybe it’s almost over?” he asked, stretching out under the sheet. “She’s only getting her presents if she lets us sleep for more than an hour.”
Melanie wanted to laugh, but the pain in her head and the effect of the pill, kept her from doing so. “I haven’t had migraine’s this bad since I was in grad school,” she slurred. “And these have been worse than those.”
“If that Vicodin doesn’t work, then we’ll try something else,” Chris said, yawning. “But try to sleep for now, Mellie.”
Pulling her closer, Melanie tried to protest. “I haven’t showered in days,” she whined. “I smell like formula, my own sweat and god knows what.”
Chris tucked his face into the mess of a ponytail and breathed in deeply, “Nope, you smell like a very overtired mommy and baby powder.”
Melanie snored in response.
………..
It was noon when she woke up, later that day, the bed empty next to her. Groaning, Melanie kicked off the blankets and sat up, taking note of the light ache in her head, and stretched. Getting up, she quickly pulled the sheets and comforter off the bed and tossed them against the dresser before pulling her sweaty clothes off.
The hot water felt wonderful against her skin, after days of absence, washing off the day’s worth of stress. By the time she stepped out, wrapped in a fluffy towel, she smelled like a fruit salad; the combination of orange scented body wash and green apple shampoo, wafting throughout the bathroom. Despite being halfway through December, the apartment was hotter than usual; despite having colic, the last thing they wanted, was for Charlotte to catch the flu or a cold from a drafty window.
Dressing in a clean shirt and shorts, Melanie pulled the rest of the sheets off the bed and the pillowcases off the pillows, tossing them all onto the pile of dirty laundry. The smell of coffee and bacon stopped her as she pulled a clean set of sheets down from the closet, making her stomach rumble with hunger. Tossing everything onto the bare mattress, Melanie quickly moved out of the bedroom and down the hall to find Chris in in the kitchen with the baby.
“Look at that,” Chris gasped, as Charlotte cooed against his shoulder. “A nice bottle of this icky smelling formula and some banana oatmeal for you.”
Charlotte gurgled as Chris spoke, her sock clad feet kicking against him. “Coffee for Mommy and me and some eggs and bacon,” he yawned, moving back and forth from the stove and counter. “You’ve kept Mommy up too much, that she’s skipped meals.”
Smiling, Melanie leaned against the wall and watched as Chris prepared breakfast for three, all while Charlotte drooled on the front of his shirt; her blue eyes wide and taking in as much as she could, coughing here and there.
“Okay,” Chris cooed, as she coughed, patting her back lightly. “Let’s get Mommy up and out of bed, that way we can all eat and relax for the day.”
“Mommy’s already up,” she said, announcing herself to them. “And she’s ready to eat and do nothing but relax.”
Chris grinned at her, before pressing a kiss against Charlotte’s forehead. “Look at Mommy,” he whispered, turning her in his arms to see her. “She’s squeaky clean and wearing new clothes!”
Melanie scoffed, moving across the kitchen. “Mommy also ripped the sheets off the bed,” she nodded, as she smiled at Charlotte. “You, little miss, have kept me from doing proper chores in this house.”
Grunting, the infant held up a chubby arm and drooled at her. “I’ll take her,” Melanie said, holding her arms out. “You finish up with this and we’ll eat.”
“Are you going to be good for, Mommy?” he asked, handing Charlotte over to her. “I woke up around ten and she was awake and quite. She’s been coughing on and off since then, but she hasn’t’ screamed or cried since I picked her up.”
“Thank god,” Melanie sighed, as she nestled the infant to her chest. “Maybe it’s near the end? As long as she can sleep six or seven hours at night, I’ll be a very happy mama.”
Settling at the table, Melanie cuddled with Charlotte, while Chris put the final touches on their “brunch”, bringing over the cups of coffee and the bottle of formula, before moving back to collect the plates and bowls.
“How’s your head?” he asked, setting the dish down in front of her. “You were dead to the world when I woke up this morning. I thought a chainsaw was going off.”
She scowled as he snickered at her, “It’s not as bad as earlier,” she said, feeding Charlotte her oatmeal. “A very light ache, but nothing a little nap won’t cure.”
Turning away from the invading spoon, Charlotte smacked her lips and kicked her feet, cooing as Melanie wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Right?” she asked, shifting the infant around on her lap. “You’re going to let Mommy take another nap later, while you take yours?”
“Uhh ahhhhh!” Charlotte coughed, shoving her fingers into her mouth.
“I think that’s a maybe,” Chris chuckled, as he picked up his cup. “You want more coffee?”
Melanie nodded as she kissed her daughter on the cheek. “Mommy’s gonna put you in your bouncy chair, that way she can use both hands to eat,” she said, moving to get the chair from the other room. “Oh look at the sky! It looks like it’s gonna snow or something!”
“I hope not,” Chris grumbled, as he set the cups back onto the table, moving the stack of mail onto the chair.
Setting the chair down, Melanie carefully laid Charlotte in and sat back down. “Maybe we should bring her into our room,” she said, picking up her fork. “I don’t like her being alone in that room when it’s so cold outside.”
“I can put that bassinette thing in our room,” Chris shrugged. “I have to get it out of the closet in the guest room, but it’s big enough for her to sleep in for the day.”
“She might weigh too much for it,” Melanie shrugged. “Our bed is big enough that we can leave a big space between us both.”
Chris shrugged, reaching over to tickle Charlotte’s feet. “Or you can take a nap and I’ll start on the laundry?”
She pouted, “Mel, I can stay up with her a little longer,” he pointed out. “I can always bring her into the living room and let her lay in her bouncer chair.”
“Okay,” Melanie sighed, rubbing her hands across her face. “I’m going to put the sheets on the bed after I finish eating and then I’ll lay down for bit.”
Finishing up, Melanie stood from the table and set her plate and cup into the sink, washing her hands quickly.
“Wake me when you’re ready to go to sleep,” she said, coming over to kiss him. “Or if she falls asleep, come to bed.”
“I will,” he nodded, as she peered down at the infant. “I’ll change her into some warmer pajamas and I’ll put something over the windows in her room, just to be safe.”
Melanie nodded and bent down to kiss Charlotte on the cheek, “You be good for Daddy now,” she said, as Charlotte gave her a gummy smile. “I love you, baby girl.”
Cooing, Charlotte waved her hands at her, watching as she moved out of sight. “Kay, I’m going,” she yawned, as Chris rubbed her back. “Try not to get into too much trouble.”
“Please,” Chris snorted, as he stood up from his chair. “Trouble is Charlie’s middle name.”
Shaking her head, Melanie made her way back down the hall to their bedroom, closing the door halfway behind her. Dressing the bed in flannel sheets and a clean comforter from the top shelf, she quickly pulled her damp hair into a high bun and slipped under the new and clean sheets. Groaning with pleasure, she stretched out underneath the heavy blanket and laid her head down on the pillow. It was only seconds before her eyes fell shut and her breathing evened out, as her body focused on resting and gaining it’s strength back. But she could still hear, through the crack in the door, the sound of Charlotte cooing and Chris talking quietly to her as they moved around the apartment.
“Are you going to be a good girl today?” he asked, as they moved. “Let Mommy sleep for a little longer and take your own nap? I hope this colic thing is on it’s way out, because you’re killing us kid. As much as I love jumping out of bed to tend to you, you gotta let your old man sleep for more than an hour.”
Charlotte squirmed in his arms, grunting as he carried her and the bouncy chair over to he coffee table.
“Yeah, yeah,” Chris chuckled. “You don’t want to hear your old man complain. I know you’re having a tough time, being sick. Are you going to be okay if I leave you here for a bit to get all the laundry together?”
The infant blinked at him, “Of course you are,” Chris shook his head, picking up the remote to turn on the Disney channel. “Okay, no violent movies and no raiding of the pathetic cabinet that we call a liquor cabinet. And no talking to boys on the phone.”
Making his way down the hall, he quickly collected the clothes from Charlotte’s hamper, setting them down into the laundry basket. Tossing a clean pair of pajamas over his shoulder, Chris moved out into the hallway and set the basket down on the floor. Quietly, he pushed the door to the master bedroom open and smiled.
Sprawled out across the mattress, Melanie was out cold to the world again, with the cats curled up next to her. Callie, laying right against Melanie’s legs, lifted her head up and blinked at him.
“Shhh,” he held his finger up to his lips. “Go back to sleep, Cal.”
Grabbing the dirty clothes and sheets, Chris dragged them out into the hallway and dropped them in and next to the laundry basket. Taking one last peep into the bedroom, his wife snoring and the cats cuddling against her, Chris shut the door and picked up the basket.