I'm so happy to be back and adding on to the "One of Our Own" universe! When we last left our dynamic duo, they were fresh out of the hospital and adjusting to life with baby Amelia. Well, as any parent knows, that adjustment period never seems to end! This will be a fun peek at Jamie and Eddie's journey through early stage of parenthood with its many, many highs and, hopefully, very few lows.

I'm not so sure how far this story will go; I have a handful of chapters completed and a few more ideas forming. If there is anything you want to see, send me a PM and let me know. Posting will not be daily, unfortunately as this is a work in progress. I'm hoping for weekly posts until completed chapters run out. After that, they'll be posted as often as I can write them.

Chapter 1 - Diaper Daze

Boy, how things had changed in the last several weeks.

Eddie knew life would be different after Amelia came along, but as she looked down at the red, unhappy face of her newborn daughter, she realized that she really had now clue how hard all of this would be. "How the heck does everybody else do this?" Eddie cried, using the sleeve of her rumpled t-shirt to wipe at the tears that were flowing down her cheeks. Just as she brought her arm back down, she thought she caught a whiff of herself...God, had she not showered today?! She smelled of old milk! What she would give to bathe and just lay down and close her eyes for a few minutes...and that led to another sob to burst from her lips, which blended in with Amelia's cries as the stress of caring for a newborn hit her all at once as she struggled to soothe her own child.

Two weeks...she'd been home with the baby on her own for only two freaking weeks and she was a complete failure! The first week at home with Amelia had been tiring, but she and Jamie had gotten through it together. Jamie had covered most of the night feedings while he was on leave from work and maybe that was why it hadn't been the hardest thing in the world. But now? Now she couldn't even manage to comfort her own daughter who'd been colicky all afternoon. The crying had been almost non-stop today despite being fed, burped and changed many, many times. Eddie had even called the pediatrician, afraid that something was wrong with the baby, and the nurse - who apparently was used to dealing with paranoid new mothers bordering on hysteria - had gone through a laundry list of questions to determine if a trip to their office was really necessary. But nothing seemed off, except for the incessant crying...well, at least to Eddie it was incessant. The sympathetic nurse had offered her an appointment anyway, but Eddie's gut told her that the baby wasn't sick, just unhappy with her mother. What good was she if she didn't even think to check the baby for fever before she'd even called the doctor's office in a panic over her possibly-sick child? And even if she did, she would have had to break out the thermometer to check; she was sure she didn't even have the ability to confirm if her own kid had a fever with the simple touch to the forehead like every other good mother in the world seemed to do so easily. She was a terrible mom! The baby was crying, the dishes and laundry were piled up and she was pretty sure she'd been wearing the same sweatpants for the last three days. "I just don't know what you want, please just tell me!" she begged the three-week old infant as she bounced Amelia in her arms.

Eddie was blubbering so hard that she didn't even notice Jamie was home until he was walking toward the living room with a look of panic on his face at seeing both his wife and daughter weeping uncontrollably.

"Hey...honey?! What's wrong?! I could hear Amelia crying down the hall!" he said while trying to assess what was happening - was Amelia sick? Did Eddie get some bad news?

Eddie only heard the last words out of his mouth and sprang to her feet with the screaming infant in her arms. "Great! So now our neighbors hate me too!" she sobbed miserably.

Jamie came to a stop and placed his hands on his arms, frowning at both his girls. "What are you talking about? Who hates you?" Jamie questioned her strange comment.

"Amelia! She won't stop crying! I suck at this, Reagan!" she cried with big gulping breaths as if confessing her guilt to her horrible crime - failing at motherhood in just two short weeks.

"What?" Jamie asked in confusion. His wife was not making sense right now and Amelia's screams were probably not helping. "Eddie, come on now. What's wrong? Here, let me take her," he said as he took the baby from her and cuddled the infant in the crook of his arm. "Come on, sweetpea. What's the matter, huh?" he asked as he swayed her left and right to which Amelia immediately began to quiet down. "Yeah," Jamie said, smiling at the fact that he was holding his sweet baby in his arms after missing her and Eddie all day. "That's my girl! Did you miss me?" Jamie cooed as Amelia's eyes finally slipped shut and Eddie's filled with tears.

Eddie couldn't believe he managed to do in thirty seconds what she had been struggling to do all afternoon. "See! I knew it! It's me! How am I supposed to do this on my own for two more months if she doesn't even like me?!" she whispered harshly, mindful of the now-sleeping baby while the tears broke free.

"Eddie, your talking crazy. Amelia doesn't dislike you. She's a baby," Jamie pointed out.

"Yes she does! This is the first time she's quieted down all day and guess who's got her...NOT ME!" Eddie argued.

Jamie shook his head as he now had a pretty good idea about what was going on. It was actually something that he'd been meaning to bring up to his wife who'd been pretty cranky the last few days but he'd been a little scared to approach her, not only because he feared having to sleep on the couch but because he didn't want her to feel that he was criticizing her new role as a mother. "Alright, let's take a seat. Come on, babe," he ordered as he pulled Eddie to couch, glancing down at Amelia to make sure she was asleep before turning to his wife. "I know you're exhausted and as much as I wish I could be here to help you instead of being on duty, I need you to know that I can and will help you more while I'm home. I'll cover the night shift tonight."

Eddie wiped the tears from her puffy eyes and took several stuttering breaths as she shook her head. "No, that's my job."

"What do your mean it's your job?" Jamie asked.

"You're working and I'm on leave. I'm supposed to be here with the baby and taking care of stuff," Eddie reasoned. Wasn't that the whole point of maternity leave? It wasn't so she could sit around on her butt all day eating bon-bons...even though that idea sounded pretty heavenly right now.

"And that's the problem," Jamie proclaimed.

"What the hell does that mean?!" Eddie snapped, suddenly feeling defensive. She knew she sucked at this, she didn't expect her husband to start throwing it in her face.

That was the reaction Jamie was hoping to avoid, but couldn't back down now. He took a hold of her hand and kissed, keeping a firm grip on it to convey this was not an attack. "You don't have to do it all, Eddie. You're running yourself ragged and you refuse to let anyone help you!"

Doing too much? She couldn't get most of what she had to do done. Eddie's brows crinkled as she tried getting a response out of her mouth. "Because I -"

"Eddie, come on," he interrupted with a raised brow aimed back at her.

Eddie looked away, embarrassed that she even needed help to take care of her own child. "Everyone else can do it...my mom, Linda, Erin. Jesus, Jamie, your mom had four of you and I can't even handle one!" she criticized herself, her voice dripping with self-loathing as her eyes became watery once again. This was her biggest fear, that she wouldn't be a good mom in a family filled with them!

He might not have a lot of experience with babies yet, but Jamie was pretty sure none of the women she had just mentioned thought caring for babies was easy either, especially when they came without instructions. "I don't know about your mom, but Erin and Linda had my mom to help them when they had Nicky and the boys. I was in high school when Nicky was born; my mom was with Erin every chance she got. And I am certain they didn't hesitate to have Jack and Danny help out. And hello? Have you not met Danny and Erin? I know we drove my mother crazy growing up and that was when we could walk, talk and tell her what was wrong, can you imagine at least two of us in diapers at the same time?" Jamie asked, seeing that he was getting through to her despite her lack of response. "My mom also had Grandma Betty to help her out. Your mom still works but even when she comes by you still try to do everything when all anyone wants is to help so that you can get a break. And Amelia barely begins to fuss before you're scooping her out of my arms to change or feed her," Jamie said.

"You have to be rested and alert to work patrol," Eddie offered lamely as she caressed Amelia's teeny, tiny foot through her fluffy, pink sock. How could taking care of such a little human being be so hard? she wondered.

"And while I appreciate you trying to make my life easier, I'm your partner, especially when it comes to everything involving this little munchkin, and in a few months we'll both be working. We might as well both figure out how to deal with the our little night owl now in case she's still getting up when you go back to work."

"God, please don't even joke about that, Jamie," Eddie said as she dropped her head onto his shoulder. "I can't even imagine...how the hell does everybody make this look so easy?"

Jamie kissed the top of her head, smirking at the messy bun sitting just off-center. "I think they fake it. I've never heard anyone say being a parent was a piece of cake. So I'll take her tonight and on the nights when I don't work the next day. And if you need me to get up more, just tell me. Deal?"

Eddie sniffled and answered begrudgingly. "Yeah, I guess." She knew she needed help, she just felt guilty asking for it. And if she didn't take him up on his offer, she might end up wandering the streets babbling to herself.

"Good," Jamie smiled before daring to point something out to his already sensitive wife. "You know I love you, right?"

"Yeah, I do," Eddie smiled with a sniffle. "I love you too."

"Then you won't get mad if I tell you that you need a shower?" he said cautiously, but hey, if the tables were turned, he'd want her to tell him that he was growing ripe.

Eddie couldn't really get mad - he was right after all - but she still hated to have that pointed out. "If I wasn't so tired, I'd punch you right now."

Jamie chuckled before planting another kiss on her head. "Then a nice, hot bath sounds like a better idea, huh? I'll put one of those casseroles pop sent us in the oven," he said with a gentle smile.

Eddie lifted her head from his shoulder and got up from the couch, too tempted by the thought of a long, hot soak to argue. "Okay," she said as she tiredly shuffled toward the bedroom.

Jamie smiled as he watched her go before turning to his daughter. "Alright, Amelia Grace. Sounds like you were giving your mom a hard time. Already sassing her and you're not even a month old, huh?" he tsked with mock disapproval. The only response he got was a gentle sucking reflex of her mouth as she probably dreamt of her next meal.

Xxxx

Eddie opened the door and smiled at her sisters-in-law. They had called earlier in the day to see if they could come over for a visit and planned to bring dinner with them to make it a girls night in since Jamie was on swing.

"Hey!" the two women greeted in unison.

"I managed to shower and everything for you guys," Eddie quipped. She'd taken a few minutes to get cleaned up and changed before the ladies came over as Amelia slept. She didn't want to look like a complete slob even if it was just Erin and Linda coming over.

"And we appreciate that," Linda replied as she passed through the door, offering Eddie a quick kiss hello before she headed to the kitchen with their dinner. It was nothing fancy, just some stir-fry noodle bowls they could eat casually as they chatted while the aunts fawned all over the tiniest member of the Reagan family.

While Linda and Eddie unpacked the food and got some drinks ready in the kitchen, Erin made a beeline for the living room where Amelia lay quietly in her bouncy chair. Erin remembered what a miracle those things were; Nicky could have sat happily in hers for hours at a time once she'd gotten one. "Hello my princess! How's my Amelia doing?!" she sing-songed as she swept the baby up and practically melted at the feel of the infant in her arms.

Eddie carried three glasses of water while Linda balanced the takeout containers in her hands as they took their dinner to the living room. "She's just dandy today," Eddie reported. Amelia had several long naps today and Eddie had even napped with her in the early afternoon when she admitted to herself that her gas tank was critically low.

Linda placed the food on the coffee table and stepped over to take a peek at her little niece. "Wow. There is still no doubt about who her father is," she laughed while caressing the baby's head.

"Except for her eyes, she is all Jamie," Erin agreed as she nuzzled the soft wisps of honey blonde hair.

"Who knew he'd make such a good looking girl?" Eddie joked while poking at the contents of one bowl. The smell had her stomach rumbling and she realized she'd only picked at her lunch today before having to tend to the baby.

"Ha! I'm sure he'd appreciate hearing that," Linda snickered as she took a seat next to the new mother.

Erin claimed the glider, ignoring her dinner as she preferred to cuddle with the baby instead. Thank God for nieces and nephews; as much as she loved the feel of a baby in her arms, she definitely wasn't willing to start all over again. This was a much better option, she thought to herself as she took in the clear lines of exhaustion on Eddie's face. Newborns were not easy, that she remembered clearly. "So, how's everything going?" Erin asked as she repositioned the Amelia against her shoulder and inhaled her sweet baby scent.

Eddie smirked at the women. God bless them for checking up on her, but it was obvious how they'd ended up here today, just a few days after her meltdown with Jamie. "I'm guessing you've been speaking to my husband and already know the answer to that question," she accused with a smirk.

"Well...," Linda dodged, but Eddie was a smart woman and there was no point in trying to fool her.

"Uh huh," Eddie snorted before taking the first bite of her noodles.

"He was just concerned," Erin said while her attention remained on Amelia.

"Trust me, I know," Eddie said as she poked at her dinner. "I can only imagine what he was thinking when he came home and found both of us in a fit of hysterics. If I'd come home and found him like that I would've called for a bus to take him down to Bellevue."

"Been there, done that. Sean didn't sleep through the night until he was seven months old -" Linda began to say.

"Oh, please don't tell me that," Eddie muttered under her breath. Hearing that made her afraid that could be in the cards for her too.

"And on the nights when he would refuse to go back to sleep after a bottle and I was at my wit's end, I'd cry and beg him to tell me what he wanted," Linda admitted.

Eddie snorted. "That's what I asked Amelia the other day when I couldn't get her to settle down. I think I actually expected her to answer me back."

"You're no different than the rest of us, Eddie," Erin assured her.

"Really? 'Cause from where I'm sitting, you two are the most put-together working moms I've ever seen. You guys make it all look easy," she said, still embarrassed by her own self-proclaimed failures.

"You didn't know us when we were dealing with newborns," Linda reminded her as she ate her dinner.

"First of all, you can't go comparing yourself to other moms and your baby to other kids. It's not realistic and it's only going to make you miserable. What works for other people might not work for you and that's okay. Second, our kids still drive us nuts - for different reasons - but at least they let us sleep most nights," Erin advised. "And she's only three weeks old, Eddie! It's always the hardest in the beginning and with your first to boot. We could have told you everything to expect and still it wouldn't have been enough to make the first few months smooth sailing."

"So this gets easier?" Eddie asked hopefully.

"Sure, once you get the sleep thing resolved, it gets better. Human beings weren't meant to function on little to no sleep," Linda said. "The single smartest thing you can do is take advantage of some free time for yourself when you've got people around willing and ready to watch her for you. Even Jamie."

"I guess I thought that since I'd be at home, I'd have time to do it all. I just didn't realize how hard taking care of a tiny little baby would be. And I didn't want him going to work sleep deprived."

"I agree, that wouldn't be a good thing. But they get time off too and they can pitch in," Linda said.

"Oh yeah?" Eddie smirked, having trouble picturing her brother-in-law pitching in with the boys. "Did Danny help with night feedings?"

Erin laughed and shook her head, recalling a few conversations with her sister-in-law about her brother's contributions at home around the time the boys were still very little.

"Of course he did. Although, sometimes he'd need a swift kick to the shin to drag himself out of bed, but only because that man can sleep like the dead," Linda claimed.

"You must have kicked him a lot," Erin snickered.

Linda grinned; that said it all.

"So what can we help with?" Erin asked.

"Oh, you guys don't need to do anything," Eddie replied automatically. She still felt bad asking them for help.

"You got two doting aunts here, Eddie. What can we do?" Erin said more forcefully.

Eddie knew a losing battle when she saw one, although it really was a win-win for her. "Well, Amelia needs a bath and a bottle," she admitted.

"Perfect! Nothing I loved more than bath time!" Erin declared as she took Amelia into the bedroom.

"I'll feed her after!" Linda called out before going back to her food. "You sit and relax, we got this," she winked at the younger woman. "Just remember one thing, sweetie, as tiresome as it is to have a newborn, relish every second she's this little. Before you know it, she'll be wiggling out of your arms trying to run free. You'll see that they grow up way too fast."

Eddie nodded, sitting back against the cushions with a smile. Despite the stress and exhaustion, she loved being a mother; there was nothing like holding her beautiful baby girl in her arms. But she'd have to find it in her to let go a little and let others help her. As she enjoyed her first full meal of the day and some adult conversation, she relaxed feeling like she might be able to do this after all.