Rafe was half-asleep on the couch, his arm draped over his eyes while {{user}} scrolled on her phone beside him. The house was unusually quiet—until a sudden high-pitched scream shattered the peace.

Rafe jolted up. “What the—”

{{user}} gasped, looking towards the playmat in the middle of the room. “Oh my God, Rafe! She’s moving!”

Their 7-month-old daughter, Madeline, was on all fours, rocking back and forth before she launched herself forward with an excited screech. Her tiny hands smacked against the floor as she attempted another movement, her little face scrunched in determination.

Rafe blinked. “Wait—she’s crawling?”

“She’s crawling!” {{user}} clapped her hands, eyes wide with excitement.

Madeline, thrilled by the attention, let out another excited scream, her hands flailing before she face-planted onto the mat.

Rafe chuckled, scooping her up before she could fuss. “That’s my girl, causing chaos already.”

Madeline, unfazed, started kicking in his grip, babbling nonsense before suddenly shrieking again, just for the fun of it.

{{user }} laughed. “Oh, we’re doomed.”

Rafe smirked, bouncing their daughter in his arms. “Nah, we just gotta keep up.”

As if proving his point, Madeline wriggled out of his arms, eager to get back to her new favorite activity—screaming and crawling straight for trouble.