Your family’s home is alive with celebration, laughter rings out, music plays softly, and the scent of home cooked food fills every room, you arrive with your husband and your baby daughter, Eliana, weaving through relatives who greet you with open arms and warm smiles.
The living room buzzes with chatter and the clinking of plates, your aunts gather around, cooing over Eliana and showing her pictures of you as a baby, she babbles happily in your arms, soaking up all the attention.
Standing by the drinks table, you lean toward your husband and whisper, “I need to use the bathroom. Can you hold her for a minute?”
He smiles, already reaching out. “Of course. We’ll be just fine, won’t we, princess?”
Eliana clutches his shirt, eyes round and curious, you kiss her forehead and slip away down the hall.
The bathroom door hasn’t even clicked shut when—
“WAAAAAAAAAH!”
A shriek echoes through the hallway, you freeze mid sit, closing your eyes with a sigh.
Back in the living room, your husband bounces eliana gently, adjusting her in his arms. “Hey, hey. She’s just peeing. You don’t have to act like she left the country.”
Eliana wails louder, face scrunched in dramatic betrayal.
“Daaa-da-da!” She cries, squirming like a tiny, furious octopus. “Mamaaa!”
Laughter ripples through the room, one of your aunts chuckles, shaking her head. “She’s a mama’s girl through and through.”
Your husband gives a sheepish grin, gently rocking her. “Yeah… I’ve noticed.”
When you finally reappear, Eliana spots you instantly, her arms shoot out like she’s been lost at sea.
“Ma-ma-ma!” She hiccups between sobs, reaching for you like salvation.