Chap 8: Paige

At first Craig and Ruby were completely bewildered by this tiny, new person.  Ruby in particular suffered anxieties about harming the baby accidentally.  Then there were the usual three am feedings, the endless diaper changes and crying, crying, crying.

The crying became a concern in Paige's fourth week, causing Ruby to feel certain something was wrong with their baby.  Paige had a piercing cry and often she wouldn't stop.  For hours in the evenings and late into the night, the new parents took turns comforting her.  Ruby took Paige to three different pediatricians, who insisted it was simply a case of colic and would pass.
With no family or close friends to turn to, it was a long, grueling three months before the doctors were proven right.

After months of sleep deprivation, Ruby was finally able to begin bonding with her new daughter.  Craig returned to painting in earnest again, having been too preoccupied with his new responsibilities as a father.  With the load lessened, it was time to start earning if they wanted to stay afloat.

Where Paige's first four months felt like a year to her parents; the next eighteen felt like only four months.  Paige grew rapidly, as babies tend to do.  She was lavished with love and not a few toys.  Each new experience, like her first solids, was a new source of joy and amusement for Ruby and Craig both.  Craig had bought a camera for their trip to France, but it was now that it really came into use, capturing as many precious moments as possible.

Paige reached her milestones at the expected times for a firstborn.  She walked just after her first birthday, followed a few weeks later by her first word (Dada).  She began exhibiting an independent streak, in the mornings, instead of calling for attention she could be heard on the baby monitor making soft noises until either Ruby or Craig were ready to get up.

Ruby returned to work at the police station during Paige's twenty second month.  More than anything, the savings were completely depleated and the family needed the income.  Ruby enjoyed being a working parent however and as Craig worked from home there was no need for daycare or hired help.  This did mean that Craig got a lot less time to work on his craft, but it was a sacrifice he made willingly.  Sometimes he would take the baby monitor out to the studio while Paige napped, or work late into the evenings when Ruby returned.