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Post by Amber Jacobs on Nov 24, 2015 17:18:52 GMT
Having a baby was exhausting. During the week, while Brandon was at work, Amber busied herself by looking after the baby and sometimes frantically calling in Brandon or Cassidy for assistance when she was still uncertain of how the whole motherhood thing was going to go. But since bringing Brody back from the hospital, it seemed that her days were spent focused on the baby and napping whenever he fell asleep and she had the chance.
Still, she was thoroughly convinced that the little boy was the greatest thing she would ever accomplish in her entire life. Now, with a day to spare, Amber and Brandon had agreed to have a few friends over to introduce Brody to. She dressed him up in one of the little outfits that Cassidy's family had sent over during her baby shower and smiled down at him. She picked him up, pressed a kiss to the top of his head and walked with him out of the nursery.
Finding Brandon on the couch in the living room, she sat down beside him and leaned her head on his shoulder. "You're going to meet a lot of people today," she said to the baby in her arms. "Some of them, we actually like. Others are kind of insane. You might feel overwhelmed, if you do - just fuss around a bit and we'll all try to get out of it," she told the baby. Brody gurgled happily up at her and she smiled before yawning and looking up at Brandon, "I sleep when he sleeps - why is he so well-rested and I'm so tired?"
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Post by Brandon Finn on Nov 29, 2015 22:21:37 GMT
Sometimes it seemed like there weren't enough hours in the day, and sometimes it seemed like there were too many. After a long day at work, it had become a welcome sight to come home to Amber and the new baby. Brody had certainly begun to change their lives in dramatic ways, and while he wasn't sure that he and Amber had ever felt exhaustion like this before, there were times where it seemed completely worth it. Every time the baby did something new, they watched him in amused fascination, from the smallest smile to the softest near-giggle. Even just seeing his recognition of the two of them as someone he knew was endlessly heartwarming. In a small, selfish way, Brandon almost didn't want to share him with their friends just yet. These moments with Brody seemed to be the sort of moments they were going to look back on in years to come and remember fondly. Though, the reality of the situation was that he was sure that Amber needed social interaction with someone over a few weeks old that wasn't him.
Smiling at the two of them and turning, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "It's not too late to get out of it," he offered.
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Nov 30, 2015 20:08:01 GMT
Amber smiled at Brandon, shaking her head. “No, I think it’ll be nice to see our friends. And they’ll bring baby gifts, which – since he’s still working on his motor skills – are really gifts for me,” she laughed and looked up at him before shifting to kiss him quickly. “Besides, he’s so perfect, how could we avoid showing him off?” She grinned as Brody squirmed a bit in her arms and she rested her head on Brandon’s shoulder just as there was a knock on the door. She sighed, gently handing the baby to Brandon and pressing another quick kiss to her boyfriend’s lips. “It’s probably Cassidy,” she told him, looking down at their son. “Who is one of the crazy ones I mentioned.”
When Amber pulled the door open, sure enough Cassidy was on the other side with a rather large teddy bear with a ribbon tied in a bow around its neck. “I know that you told me not to buy the baby anything else, but I couldn’t help it,” she said from behind the large plush toy as she stepped inside.
Amber grinned at her assistant, who she’d already chided for spending far too much money on them to begin with. “It’s so excessively and unnecessarily big – I love it.”
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Post by Brandon Finn on Dec 1, 2015 2:17:19 GMT
Brandon nodded at his son, "Aunt Cassidy might be crazy, but your mom still can't seem to get rid of her. You'll grow to love her - or at least she'll give you good stories to tell when you're older." Amber had a point, he admitted, the tiny baby in his arms did seem to be impossibly perfect. And while he would never have expected any less, he had been surprised by how much he had been overwhelmed with affection toward Brody. Despite the fact that he couldn't remember the last night that he and Amber had gotten a solid night of sleep or the last time that the Penthouse hadn't been covered in baby toys. Though, for today, the toys had been consolidated and he was starting to feel like they were taking their first steps toward reemerging into their normal routines and their normal lives.
"Hi Cassidy," he greeted her, using baby Brody's hand to wave at her.
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Post by Cassidy Miller on Dec 1, 2015 23:09:38 GMT
Cassidy grinned, handing the bear off to Amber before walking over to the couch. "Hi Brandon!" she greeted him warmly before smiling at the baby. "And here's my favorite little man. Aunt Cassidy brought you a present!" She grinned, sitting down on the couch and tickling Brody's belly. "I can't wait to babysit you and spoil you rotten," she nodded before turning her attention to Amber. "You know I can come by sometimes during lunch and just...play with him while you take a nap."
Amber looked at Cassidy, ticking an eyebrow up. "Are you insinuating I need sleep?"
"I'm saying you look exhausted," Cassidy replied evenly, but smiled at her. "As you should with a new baby." She turned back to the baby, making faces at him. "You know, you should come by one day with Brody to the office just so everyone can see him. They miss you - and it might remind them why they keep me around in your absence," she added.
Amber frowned for a moment before waving her hand dismissively. "They keep you around because you can essentially be me while I'm on maternity leave," she informed Cassidy. Not wanting to talk about going back to work any time in the near future. She walked into the kitchen to get her assistant a drink.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Dec 2, 2015 1:24:35 GMT
Brody giggled at Cassidy and squirmed in Brandon's arms, causing him to smile at the antics of his newborn son. Every time Brody did something new or even just seemed to show some kind of joy over anything, whether it was something he or Amber said or did or if it was just him expressing fascination over something mundane, Brandon couldn't help but echo his son's fascination. Everything the baby did seemed to have become the most entertaining thing in the world, it almost made up for the intense level of sleep deprivation he felt.
At the mention of Amber going back to work, even just for a minute, he looked up from his son to observe Amber's reaction. They hadn't really talked about what the future was going to look like now that Brody had arrived, but he could already tell that she loved being a mother. Despite the fact that she was just as exhausted as he was, if not much more, she still seemed to be unwaveringly happy about everything. "Maybe you should go," he suggested. "Just for a visit. It might be nice to get out of the Penthouse for a little bit, even have conversations with adults."
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Dec 2, 2015 2:45:48 GMT
Amber looked up at Brandon, shaking her head. "Well, Brody's still so young for that kind of outing. And I don't really want to go back even for a visit until I've made a decision about when or if I'm going back to work," she added quickly before clearing her throat. "Besides, Brody's a great listener when it comes to conversation, isn't that right?" she grinned at the baby just as there was another knock on the door. "More friends!" she told Brody before going to answer it.
Cassidy, however, blinked. "Did she just imply she's not coming back to work?"
Cooper Benson grinned at his fiance as his daughter bounced impatiently for the door to open. He'd had a long talk with Melanie about being careful with the baby - but she was so excited about a new friend, he wasn't sure how much registered. When Amber opened the door, he greeted her brightly even as Melanie scampered in immediately. "Hi Ambuh!" she shouted before running over to the couch, almost screeching to a halt in front of Brandon and Brody. She tilted her head at the baby, leaning in a bit to get a closer look. "He's so little!"
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Post by Brandon Finn on Dec 4, 2015 1:12:09 GMT
Brandon watched Amber for a second before turning back to Cassidy, "I'm not sure," he admitted. Though, if he thought about it just for a moment, he wasn't sure that he had a problem with the thought of Amber staying home. She was a natural at this whole motherhood thing and seeing her with Brody was one of his favorite things to come home to. And while they had briefly spoken about it during their planning, neither one of them really cared too much for the idea that their son would grow up with a nanny instead of spending most of his time with one of them. In fact, the more he started to think about the idea of her staying home with Brody, the more he had to admit that he kind of liked the idea. Getting caught up in his thoughts, he looked up from Brody to find Melanie stopping in front of him and leaning in to look at the new baby.
Smiling at her, Brandon nodded. "He is. But he's not going to stay little forever," he reminded her. "What do you think of him?"
Maddy grinned at Amber and pulled her into a hug. "You look amazing, as always." Releasing her, she thought that it was almost unfair how little it looked like the blonde woman in front of her had just given birth to a new baby. Even more so, Maddy was impressed that she was glowing instead of the showing the state of sheer exhaustion that she had expected. Cursing the good genes of Amber, her boyfriend, and their new baby, she looked over at Melanie for a moment to make sure that she was being careful with Brody. "How are you feeling?" As much as she was happy to see her friend, she had to admit that she was suddenly feeling a mixture of excitement and anxiety over being around the baby. She had never spent much time around babies and she wasn't sure how to act, but she had reached an age now where the entire process, the idea of raising another person, seemed to be so fascinating that she couldn't say that she hadn't thought about what it would have been like when it was her turn.
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Dec 4, 2015 3:36:02 GMT
Amber smiled at Madison, hugging her back with a laugh at her compliment. "Don't be fooled, I take the baby on stroller runs and do pilates while he's asleep in the morning," she admitted. She'd been working long and hard to get her post-baby body back to normal. She grinned at Madison, letting both her and Cooper come inside and closing the door behind them. "I'm doing well - exhausted but really wonderful, you know?" She nodded, glancing fondly at Brandon and their son before smiling. "Would you like something to drink?"
Melanie tilted her head at the baby for a moment before scooting slightly closer and then looking up at Brandon. "Can he play with me?" she asked curiously. "Does he like playing games? Can I hold him?"
Cooper grinned at Maddy, letting the her and Amber greet each other. He knew the two of them would likely be talking about babies and weddings for a bit, so he went to make sure his daughter was being good with the new baby. He patted his daughter's head, "He's a little too young for games, sweetheart, but when he gets bigger, sure." Glancing at his friend, he smirked. "Brody looks like you, Finn. Poor kid."
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Post by Brandon Finn on Dec 4, 2015 17:45:57 GMT
"I'm fine, thank you. But really, whatever you're doing is working. I've been trying to do pilates lately too, just to make sure that I still fit into my wedding dress in the fall," Madison admitted. It seemed that the closer the date came the more she realized that she still had to do, and with the stress of everything, she had been trying to channel everything into exercise instead of burying her face in a bucket of ice cream like she really wanted to do. For someone who loved organization and planning, she had thought that wedding planning was going to be easy, but the thing she didn't account for was working with so many different vendors was going to mean that she was going to be dealing with a lot of personality types - including those who were a lot less organized than she was. She understood now why so many people she knew had hired wedding planners.
Brandon grinned at the mention that Brody looked like him. He had to admit that he was particularly fond of that particular compliment, and each time he looked down at his son's big blue eyes, he found himself grinning all over again. A lot of the books that Cassidy had supplied them with had said that there wasn't anything like the feeling that you had when the baby had been born and you started to get to know their personality and their looks started to take shape, and he had to admit, it was all completely true. It wasn't even that Brody had done anything yet, but Brandon was so proud of him already and so proud to just be his father.
"The kid was bound to be genetically blessed regardless of who he looked like," he remarked. "I already feel a little badly for the girls in his class."
Maddy had crossed the room to allow Amber and herself to join the rest of the people who had gathered, and laughed at Brandon's comment. She couldn't say that the thought hadn't crossed her mind either. Even before she could consciously stop it, the question arose of whether or not it would be her daughter who would be one of those girls in his class. Obviously, the reality was that any children she and Cooper had would be younger than the newborn baby curled up in his father's arms, but the fact was that the thought had risen already.
She hadn't given much thought to the idea of having children with Cooper once they were married, in part because she hadn't given herself enough time to stop and think about it, but also because they did also have Melanie. The thought of being a step-mother still didn't cease to make her feel strange, especially when she thought of all of the fairy tales she used to love to read. But, another thought rose, Cooper was a wonderful father and if he wanted her to, she would have loved to give him more children.
Abruptly stopping that train of thought, she focused instead on the baby in front of her, grinning at him. "He's adorable," she complimented.
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Dec 7, 2015 20:10:40 GMT
Amber smiled fondly at Brandon and Brody, sitting on the arm of the couch, right beside them. She grinned when Brody seemed to look up at her, his facial expression instantly changing to one close to delight when he realized his mother was nearby. She grinned and looked at Brandon. He’d been so wonderful with Brody since the birth that part of her was tempted to kick everyone out and get some alone time with him after putting the baby down for a nap.
She smiled happily at Madison and Cooper. “Thank you,” she nodded. “So how has everything been going with you two? Wedding planning going well?” Amber would have been lying if she said that the fact that their two friends had gotten engaged before she and Brandon hadn’t hurt her a little bit. But now that Brody had arrived, it was easier to push those feelings aside.
“Well, I told Maddy to go wild with the plans. I’m happy to help with the decision making, but I want her to have whatever she wants,” Cooper said. “But it’s been going really well. And Melanie is excited to be our flower girl,” he said. Melanie bobbed her head excitedly even as she tried to show Brody one of her toys – a Barbie doll in a pretty dress.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Dec 7, 2015 21:18:42 GMT
Brandon smiled at his girlfriend as she came to sit beside him. Brody's reaction to having her near caused a grin to break out across his lips and he shifted the baby a little, both relieving some of the weight off of arm as well as allowing Brody to see the toy that Melanie was showing off. Sure, the newborn baby had no idea what the Barbie was or why the enthusiastic little girl was so happy to share her toys with him, but he still seemed to want to watch her all the same.
At the mention of Madison and Cooper's upcoming wedding, he made a mental note to try and arrange some time with Cassidy to go over everything that he had been thinking about since before his son had arrived. It was with the realization that he wanted to have a real family with Amber, and that he couldn't remember a time that he had loved her as much as he did now, that he knew what he wanted to do next. In fact, not long before Brody's birth, he had bought a ring to prove to her that he could only ever see himself with her. He had promised her that he would wait until after the baby was born, but once he had the ring in his hand he had found that promise difficult to keep. He had wanted to give it to her that day, but once the adrenaline died down, he started considering his options.
The thought of doing it in the hospital had crossed his mind, but he had dismissed that almost as quickly as the thought had occurred to him. He had thought of doing it today, making a spectacle in front of all of their friends, but it still didn't seem like the right time. The more he thought about it the more he realized he already knew the perfect time to propose - he just wasn't sure he could wait that long.
Madison had been watching the exchange between her future step-daughter and the new baby, smiling softly at how great Melanie was with him. She couldn't stop the question from arising of how Melanie would be if she had a little brother or sister around. Drawing her attention to Amber, she nodded. "Planning has been going well. It's a little hectic," she admitted with a soft sigh, "But I guess that's to be expected? I keep trying to remember how this part went with Riley but I must have blocked it from my memory and focused on the happy things instead."
It was true, by this time in Riley's wedding, all of Maddy's thoughts were of the good, happy things. Helping to make honeymoon arrangements, planning the bachelorette party, trying on the dress... The freak outs about the guest list, seating charts, and other small, imperfect things hadn't really played a factor in her recall. "But," she added. "Your advice about the dresses and the centerpieces worked out really well. Thank you again for that, it helped me to check another thing off of my list."
Adam had to admit, the idea of going over to Brandon Finn's apartment never appealed to him, even if he had been getting along with Amber much better than he had over the last decade or so. The fact that they had a new baby made the visit seem particularly more unbearable than normal, he had to admit. In lieu of some not so great news from Riley's doctor, they had made the decision to try IVF to help them start their own family. It was just that the initial disappointment of not being able to have a baby as naturally as they liked hadn't quite faded away. What made the entire situation even worse was that Amber and Brandon hadn't even been trying to get pregnant and here they were, one little happy family already.
Squeezing his wife's hand, Adam leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before knocking on the door.
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Dec 7, 2015 23:20:04 GMT
Cooper eyed Melanie for a while before turning to Brandon, "Mind if I hold him?" he asked. While they hadn't talked about it much, Cooper knew that he wanted more than just to make Madison part of the family he already had with Melanie. He wanted their family to grow and thought that the idea of having a kid with her eyes and smarts sounded like one of the best things he'd done since the first time he held Melanie in his arms. He would have been lying if he said that the fact they were in the same room with a newborn didn't increase those feelings tenfold.
Amber smiled brightly at Maddy, nodding her head. "Of course, I'm more than happy to help with anything you need. But I know that planning anything like a wedding can be stressful," she admitted. At the knock on the door, she stood up off the couch, smiling at Brandon, "I'll get it."
Riley stood on the other side of the door with Adam, waiting for someone to answer it. The truth was that maybe only a few days ago, the idea of going to visit a newborn baby - especially the newborn baby of a woman Adam had once been involved with, stung Riley pretty badly. But after sitting down with Adam and talking their options over and reminding herself there were still so many options the could try, she felt better. And at the end of the day, Brandon had oddly enough become one of her closest friends, so she wanted to be there to celebrate with him. When Amber opened the door, Riley smiled brightly at her. "Hi!" she greeted. "Look at you, you're glowing," she nodded, stepping inside with her husband.
Amber smiled at Riley and at Adam, glad that they had both been able to make it. "Thank you, but really, I'm a wreck," she argued, gesturing for them to come inside. "Would you guys like a drink or something?"
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Post by Brandon Finn on Dec 7, 2015 23:58:32 GMT
Brandon nodded, "Sure." He slowly, carefully, handed the baby over to him, hoping that the small movement wouldn't be enough to upset the newborn. One thing they had quickly found out was that Brody was a lot less likely to cry when he was held, and while Brandon knew that it perhaps wasn't the best move, according to the baby books, he hadn't been able to stomach the baby's cries just yet. He assumed that after a few more weeks of the crying he would grow a thicker skin, but for now, he knew that he was wrapped around Brody's little fingers. And truth be told, when it came to the baby and everything that had gone along with it, Cooper's advice had been just as helpful as the baby books had been. Prior to now, Melanie had been the only kid Brandon had ever been around, and having someone nearby who was able to provide insight on the particulars of the entire situation was incredibly useful. "Like riding a bike?" He teased, briefly wondering if having more kids was something that his friend had given any thought to.
He looked up when the Tylers walked in the door, still not sure how he felt about extending his friendship with Riley into some sort of friendly relationship with Adam. But he had promised that he would try, and so he gave them both a smile in greeting, at least pleased to see his friend.
Adam shook his head at Amber's offer, "No thank you, I'm okay." He spotted the baby in Cooper's arms and looked over to Riley quickly, making sure that she was still okay. He wanted to tell her that it was going to be okay and that they'd be in Brandon and Amber's position very soon, but he wasn't sure how much of a fuss she wanted to make about everything that was happening in their own lives. "How's life with the baby?" he asked Amber. He wasn't sure what sort of questions you were supposed to ask someone who just had a baby, let alone what you were supposed to say when you yourself were trying to have a baby too.
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Post by Cooper Benson on Dec 9, 2015 0:58:49 GMT
Cooper laughed at Brandon, sitting down on the couch with Brody and allowing his daughter to climb beside him and pay more attention to the baby. "Just like a bike," he laughed. "Just, you know, smaller and squirmier." He had to admit though, it was nice. He remembered Melanie being just a baby and he had to admit, the idea of having another kid seemed like a better plan with every passing second. He glanced up at Maddy with a smile, "Want to hold him?"
Amber grinned at Adam as Riley walked closer to the others to go greet Maddy and Brandon. "Oh, you know - exhausting," she admitted sheepishly. "But worth it. I'm sure you and Riley will figure that part out on your own soon," she grinned, waving her hand dismissively. "Are you two going to try soon or does she want to become President of the United States first?" she asked teasingly. She had to admit that now that she and Adam were on better speaking terms, it made things easier. Amber would never have said she was jealous of Riley's seemingly easy friendship with Brandon, but at first she had to admit she wasn't a huge fan of it. She'd come around to it and it hadn't even been the sort of jealousy that meant she didn't trust Brandon to be faithful to her - she did. It was more that she didn't like that there were somethings Riley was simply better suited for him to talk to than her - like opinions for things going on at the office or the sort of things that men confided in their friends and not their significant others. Amber knew it was petty, but it probably would have been a lot easier to stomach if Brandon's friends were not pretty and female. While she knew that her own friendship with Adam was a difficult pill for Brandon to swallow, she assumed that the two of them were both making strides.
Riley walked over to the others, hugging Maddy and kissing Melanie on the top of the head before sitting next to Brandon. "Well, look at that," she said gently. "Who would've thought fatherhood would suit you so much?" she teased her friend, nodding at him. "Congratulations, Brandon. He is adorable. Must get it all from Amber," she laughed.
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