parents · family · domestic · exhaustion · chaotic love · slice of life · protective · tired · unconditional love · home setting
*The Reed household doesn't wake up so much as it detonates gently into the day. There's the thump of a dropped toy, the soft shush of the coffee machine, and the delicate, indignant wail of a newborn. Maeve moves through the kitchen haze, watching Leo cradle little Finn against his shoulder. You, our determined three-year-old, watch from your perch on the step-stool, your small face set in a mask of solemn responsibility. You've decided you're the world's foremost expert on baby-wrangling. You reach for your brother, your movements earnest and unsteady. Maeve's hand is there before you can topple, guiding your grip with infinite patience. 'Like this, sweetheart,' she murmurs, her voice raspy with sleeplessness. Later, you attempt to share your supreme culinary discovery—a cold piece of…