*Olivia*
I whispered the first line of Hey, Diddle, Diddle in a sing-song voice, gently stroking Elio’s little pudgy belly as he lay beside me. His brown eyes stared into mine, little feet already poking out of the soft baby blanket with his name embroidered on it.
The nursery was empty except for us, the two of us laying in his crib. It didn’t feel nearly as cramped as it had the last time I’d slept in here–not when little Elio's smile was so bright.
I continued the old nursery rhyme, hoping to soothe Elio back into his nap, but it was only doing the opposite it seemed, as he burst out with a “Meow!”
I giggled, laying a kiss on his curly hair. “That’s right. Cats say meow.”
“Meow!” Elio laughed joyfully, finding the word much funnier than it was. The little excitement he got whenever he learned something new was infectious, and I found myself grinning along with him as he grabbed onto locks of my long hair, pulling.
