Silvia’s point of view:

I'm curious if all mothers worry about their parenting as often as I do.

The other wives and grannies in the village warned me that no two children were alike, but I didn't think the difference between my first and second would be like night and day.

I already had experience helping raise my younger brothers and sister when I had Richard, and each one of them was different than the last. So, I was under the impression I could handle anything.

I was partially correct; raising Richard with Darrius had been a cakewalk, at least when I compared raising him to Aaliyah.

Looking outside, I saw the sun setting over the horizon. My wonderful woodsman husband should be home soon.

He was always hungry when he got home, and dinner wasn't completed yet. I still needed to set the table, but I couldn't stop stirring the pot; I hadn't burnt a meal in six years and wasn't going to now.

“Richard, is Aaliyah asleep yet?” I ask over my shoulder.

Turning around, I glance at the crib we moved next to our kitchen table, where I see Richard staring at his little sister while she sleeps. It's so sweet how much he helps me keep an eye on her. It helps free up my time to make supper and keep our house in shape, even if he makes her cry sometimes.

"Come here and help me set the table; she's not going anywhere," I direct him.

"Ok," he scurries over to where we keep the bowls, all while trying to keep an eye on his sister stealthfully. Raising a hand to my mouth, I hold back a chuckle. I really had the most precious little boy.

"Make sure to clean your

hands first," I remind him as he reaches for the utensils to set the table. Richard freezes and gives me a sheepish grin; he then moves over to where the wet rag hangs over our countertops.

Just as Richard starts wiping his hands clean, we both hear the familiar creaking of our front door swinging open. I turn to check if the noise is loud enough to wake little Aaliyah, but she doesn't even twitch at the noise.

Richard used to wake up and whine every time Darrius would come home, and I’d have to settle him down again before we could eat. But not Aaliyah; it still worries me how soundly she sleeps. I'd think she were dead if her little chest weren't slowly moving up and down.

I stride over to my husband as he sets down another large stack of wet wood next to the entrance of the front door. He's been cutting all day for the rest of the village, but he always remembers to bring extra home for us. I lean into his sweaty shirt and kiss him deeply, letting him know how much I've missed him.

"Glad to see you too, Honey. Let me remove my boots quickly, and I'll help you grab the stew." He's so kind; it's no wonder Richard takes after him. Even after working all day for the village's sake, he starts thinking of ways to help around the house as soon as he walks through that door.

Of course, I shoot down his offer with a glare that reminds him that there's only one thing I want him to do. With the look of a kicked puppy, he grabs the bucket of water I keep ready for him and shuffles off to our room to wipe himself down. Seeing my giant of a man act so cute when I scold him always brings a smile to my face. But no matter how cute he looks, I can't let him be around the baby smelling like he needs a change instead of her.

Plus, I was still worried he might accidentally get her sick. She was still less than a year old, after all.

Richard was old enough that it didn't matter, so up until I had Aaliyah, I was letting Darrius eat before cleaning himself off. I sort of miss the smell of my man mixed with the forest; to me, it always smelled of the perfect mix of man and beast. Oh well, I’ll wait until Aaliyah's two; then, maybe I might slack on the restrictions a little.

I lay a flat stone on top of our table and carry the pot of horned hare stew and place it on top of the stone. Then, filling Darrius' bowl first, I dish out dinner. It doesn't take him long to clean himself, and soon he's taking his seat with us, where the three of us then hold hands as he leads us in the daily prayer.

“We give our thanks to the gods and spirits of the forest. We thank you for the food we received and the continued health of our family. May your blessings hold true."

At the end of the short prayer, I can’t help but glance at quiet Aaliyah. It's only been three days since she burst into an uncontrollable fit. She cried so hard she passed out. I've had nightmares of how pale she looked that day, every night since. Since that scary day, she's randomly burst into tears multiple times throughout the last few days and only stops when I hold her tight and rock her to sleep.

I know that's typical baby behavior, but considering how quiet of a baby she's always been, I can't help but worry.

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"Don't worry, Honey; Aaliyah will be fine. Remember how Richard would cry exactly like that? So you don't need to worry so much," Darrius reaches over and places one of his calloused hands on my own.

It amazes me how much he can read my mind. "It is normal baby behavior, but she's never been like this before. She would only cry for food or when she needed a change. These random fits are starting to worry me."

Darrius gave me the sweetest smile he could and reminded me what I already knew. "Anastasia already came and checked her out that day, Sweety. However, if you're still concerned, I can try and convince her to come to check her out again tomorrow."

"No, we can't do that. I used my skills to negotiate the price down the last time she came, and sadly they need to be higher for me to use them successfully again so soon. She charges too much, especially for her low leveled skills, just because she's the only person in the village who can use magic.”

I never thought when I ran away with my husband to this village in the middle of nowhere, I would have a chance to use the merchant training my parents forced on me so much. I almost wished I had taken it more seriously. Almost.

“I’ll make sure I keep an extra eye on her over the next few days; if anything looks a little wrong, I'll take her over to Anastasia's immediately," I tell him.

I wonder if my parents are still mad their oldest daughter ran away with a lumberjack. You would think they would have more sympathy. Both of them were childhood friends who happened to be business partners, and they got to marry for love rather than money. You would think they would be more supportive. But it doesn't matter now; I chose love and never looked back.

"I can help too, Mom. I won't let her out of my sight!" Richards's bold claims distract me from the negative thoughts of my old family and remind me to focus on the ones I have in front of me.

"I know you will, Sweety; mommy can always count on her little man," I ruffle his dirty blond hair. Leave it to my five-year-old son to know what to say to soothe my troubled heart.

"Heh-Heh," herring my husband chuckling across the table, has me break the smile towards my son and raise a questioning eyebrow at him instead.

"What? Just marveling at my beautiful family," he tries to deflect, but I just continue giving him the look. "You know you look much more beautiful when you smile," he tries again as a bead of sweat forms on his forehead. "Seeing you relax makes me happy," he forces out through a strained smile.

"Your right, Dear; I should relax more," I pretend to let him off the hook. But watching him relax makes what I’m about to do much more fun. Does he think I will let him off that easy with only a few compliments? Time to land the killing blow to remind him who really runs this family; "I think I should take the rest of the night off; you can handle the dishes, right?"

Seeing his scrunched-up face helps, but it isn't the expression I was after; better hit him lower. "I think I'll go to bed early tonight; that way, I'm feeling fresh tomorrow making Aaliyah’s first outfit.”

"What about our… thing tonight?" Darrius avoids the confused look of our son.

He remembers to stay vague in front of Richard but can’t hide his panicked look now. That's the look I was after. Knowing I could bring a man of his level and stature to his knees with a few words was enough to send shivers up my spine.

"I'm sorry for laughing, and don't worry; I'll do the dishes tonight!" He informs me in a panicked voice, pleading I forgive him with his eyes. I grin at the display; Women always hold the true power in a relationship.

For the next few minutes, Darrius kept his eyes on his bowl and continued eating with a sad face that was so cute. I wasn't actually angry with him, and he would be a fool if he thought we weren't going to fool around later.

Poor Richard doesn't know why his father looks so beaten down, so when he smiles and offers his father help, it hits Darrius that much harder. "Don't worry, Dad. I always help Mom with the dishes; I'll help you figure it out."

The look of defeat Darrius has is priceless, and I can't help but start laughing. My smiling makes Darrius smile, and I'm reminded of how lucky I am for my family.

“Wwwaaaaa”

Just as we're laughing and about to finish dinner, Aaliyah wakes up and informs me that she is hungry. She hadn't eaten in a few hours, so I knew when she woke up, she would be starving. As I pick her up from her crib, I pat her bottom to make sure she isn't wet. She isn't, so I slide my chair away from the table and move over to my sewing corner to feed her.

When I again take my seat and throw a small towel over her, Aaliyah stops whining as she waits for me to lift my shirt. She's so smart for her age; Richard would cry until the moment he latched on.

While I enjoy the bonding time with our daughter, Darrius starts cleaning the kitchen with the help of Richard.

For a brief moment, everything feels right with the world. I don't want to ruin the moment, but my thoughts can't help but turn to Aaliyah in my arms.

She was slowly getting better after her mysterious tantrum, but I couldn't help but worry about her. She was doing so well before it, too. For the longest time, she seemed like she didn't want to be held, so when she started whining until I picked her up, I was relieved.

"Not like that, Dad," I hear Richard tell Darrius. My husband was playing the fool, allowing Richard the chance to show off how much he knew.

Out the nearby window, I could see the sun had almost entirely set. It was almost time for Darrius to close the house up and for us to head to bed. Unfortunately, the sun was falling faster the closer we got to winter. It would snow soon, and I needed to make Aaliyah proper garments before then. She'll be crawling soon with how much she moves, and I can't let her on the cold floor as she is.

Instead of helping me around the house this winter, I’ll need to ask Richard to watch Aaliyah once she can move independently.

The boys finish the kitchen, and Darrius moves to prep the fireplace so it will burn for a few hours longer before dying out for the night.

"In our room again?" Darrius jestures to Aaliyah's crib. I nod, so he easily picks it up and moves to place it in our room.

I feel Aaliyah stop suckling, so I adjust my clothing and stand up. Her eyes are closed again. She always does that after a feeding, so I'm unsure if she's still tired or if she'll be up the next couple of hours.

After moving the crib, Darrius returns to the living room and starts shuttering all the windows, ensuring each is properly sealed tight.

While he's doing that, I lead Richard down the short hall to his room. When we get to the door, he turns around and hugs me. "Is she not sleeping with me again?" He asks with big round eyes.

"Not tonight," I tell him. "Maybe in a few days, when we're sure nothing is wrong with her,

"Ok," Richard buries his head into my clothing.

Bending down, I return his hug. "You'll see her tomorrow," I tell him. "Now go to sleep," I gently nudge him toward his open door. I blow him a kiss and wish him goodnight as I shut his door to give him the privacy to change into his night clothes.

"Ready for bed?" Darrius asks behind me. Turning around, I see him waiting in our doorway for me.

Moving next to him, I lean in and snag a quick kiss from Darrius before entering our room and placing Aaliyah in her crib.

I then slip into my nightwear and climb into bed next to my husband, facing toward the wall. He snuggles behind me and starts to comb my hair with his hand. I wonder if he knows how much I love it when he does that.

I flip around to look him in the eyes, knowing even if I can’t see his face in this light, Darrius would know I'm looking at him.

"Am I a good mother?" I softly ask.

"The best," he leans in and answers right next to my ear.

We kiss deeply, and I feel his strong hands move to shift up my nightgown. We're about to have fun when Aaliyah lets out an annoyed cry.

Darrius ignores our daughter's growing wails, so I reach down and pinch his hands with all my strength. He gives a quick yelp and retracts his bear paw from my butt. His physical stats are higher than mine, so I know it didn't hurt that much.

"Aww, come on?" I hear him groan as I move from underneath our covers and pick Aaliyah up. She immediately stops making noise once she's in my arms, so I move her to our bed, where she lies between Darrius and me.

"We'll try again tomorrow," I whisper in the dark.

"Alright," Darrius lets out a long sigh.

I think I hear Aaliyah giggling at her father for a brief second, but I chalk it up to coincidence.

Leaning over Aaliyah, I give Darrius one last condolence kiss. Then I kiss my daughter on the forehead. Darrius kisses her after I do before the three of us huddle together.

All my fears and worries fade away as I fall asleep with two of the most important people in my life.