Angela & Marty's Apartment, NYC, Thursday Morning

[chasingangela]

There was a lot of screaming in the Chase-Blank household today.

Most of it came from the nine-pound being who found the entire prospect of having her diaper changed, eating and then going down for a nice nap objectionable in the extreme. The tears, though -- those were mostly Angela's.

Finally she got Abby to sleep in her swing, then sat on the

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[oatmanspatient]

Marty gave Angela a symapthetic look and got up from where he was sitting. "I got her. Just worry about paper."

[chasingangela]

"I'm gonna write it on sleep deprivation," Angela informed him, eyes still closed.

Which made no sense, as it was a literature class.

[oatmanspatient]

"We certainly should be experts on that subject," Marty said picking up Abby and rubbing her back. "Though your Lit professor might be a tad confused."

[chasingangela]

"My thesis will be that Dostoyevsky had a new baby, an' all his books're so long 'cause writing was the only way he'd stay awake," Angela claimed.

Abby quieted. "I think she doesn't want us to put her down."

[oatmanspatient]

"I'm pretty sure I can send the next week carrying nine pounds on my shoulder if that helps," Marty offered. "And that would explain a lot of things regarding Dostoyevsky."

[chasingangela]

Angela gave a tiny smile. "No. She's not heavy. Just ... fussy. Poor baby, she's still getting used to the big world."

... and Angela was lapsing into baby talk.

[oatmanspatient]

"What do you say Abby?" Marty said also lapsing. "Are you still trying to figure out this big world?"

And with the little patting and rubbing on her back, Abby decided that it would be an appropriate time to let out a belch.

Marty smirked. "Apparently so."

[chasingangela]

Angela cracked up. "She learned that from you."

[oatmanspatient]

"I'll be the one to teach to say 'excuse me' then," Marty said as he started easing back over to crib and slowly started to put the drowsy baby down without upsetting her.

[chasingangela]

Angela just watched them, fingers crossed and breath held. She had a theory that if she didn't move, Abby would fall asleep.

[oatmanspatient]

And Marty had a theory that if he didn't moved his upper body as little as possible, Abby wouldn't notice that she would be back in her crib.

Successfully getting her on the mattress, Marty pulled a blanket over her and slowly and stealthy crept away from the crib.

[chasingangela]

Angela watched him apprehensively, waiting for him to emerge from the nursery.

"Is she ...?" The words were barely a breath.

[oatmanspatient]

Marty held up his hands for silence and let a good thirty seconds go before putting them down. "If we don't make a sound for the next five years we should be good," he whispered.

[chasingangela]

"If that means we get to take a nap for five years, I'm all for it," Angela claimed. "Did you know babies were this exhausting?"

[oatmanspatient]

Marty quietly flopped down on the couch and closed his eyes."This isn't exhaustion. This is beyond exhaustion. It's uber-exhaustion. With diapers."

[chasingangela]

"Which reminds me we need to empty the Diaper Genie again."

Angela was not moving.