How Green Becomes Wood

Dark did not agree there was only so long you can play board games, but he wasn't going to force the twins, especially since soon Ivy would be awake. When she did, and she had been changed and fed a snack, Dark spent some time reading her stories while Daizi gave Enkidu much needed attention. When Ivy grew bored with that, they let her engage in independent play while Dark read a book and Daizi took an unintentional nap. Originally, she had just been laying with her head in his lap, listening Ivy babble and play, and next thing she knew, she was waking up to a blanket carefully strewn over her and a fourteen-month old prying her eyelids open before said fourteen-month old's father could prevent her from doing so.

Independent playtime clearly at an end, Dark and Daizi sat on the floor with her to keep her occupied and soon were back to trying to help her walk.
 
The twins soon returned upstairs, and Xander went to make soup for lunch. He did not make red lentil soup - though he was tempted to make a small batch as a joke - instead choosing a simplified version of chicken soup using leftover cooked chicken from another meal and making something closer to a chowder than a chicken noodle soup. Alec played with Ivy, offering to help her walk and save Daizi and Dark's backs a little.
 
When Alec offered to help Ivy walk, Daizi hummed slightly, having Ivy pinched by the back of the onesie, thinking carefully, "Actually, Alec, do you think you could bring me a clothespin? Or an alligator clip?"
 
"I just want to test..." Daizi murmured, taking the clothespin while still pinching the back of Ivy's clothes, "She feels safe enough to walk when I'm holding her clothes like this, but she can't see what is holding her clothes."
 
"That is the plan," Daizi confirmed, clipping the clothespin on. If it didn't work, she'd try the alligator clip, but she thought the clothespin would hurt less if she fell backwards.

Shaking his head, Dark said, "First the fishing pole, now this."
 
"I think it'll work," Xander said from the doorway. "I don't see why not. Makes sense."

"More sense than a fishing pole," Alec agreed.

"I think the fishing pole might have worked," Xander retorted.
 
"I think it will," Daizi agreed, confidently, "Goose, call your baby."

As silly as he thought this whole system was, Dark held out his arms and said, "Ivy-Qadira, come here my darling!" He couldn't deny it was clever and also suspected it would probably work as expected.

"Let's go see Baba," Daizi said, but before actually letting go of Ivy to let her do it on her own, she said, "Since this might work, one of you should record it."
 
Alec couldn't remember where he'd put his phone, so Xander pulled out his and handed it over. Alec eagerly got a little lower and started recording. "Ready! Go for it!"
 
"Okay," Daizi said, cautiously letting go of Ivy while keeping the clothespin still on, "Go say hi to Baba!"

Sure enough, Ivy started walking towards her father while Daizi walked behind her for a few paces, completely unaware she was totally unsupported. Seeing this success, Dark called more emphatically for Ivy, who in turn was more excited to get to him, not noticing how her mother had stopped following.
 
"Good girl, Ivy," Dark said proudly while Daizi tried not to cheer and ruin it. Since her father wasn't too far away, she soon enough made it to him and fell into his arms, grinning as he held her as tightly as he safely could. She had done it! His little baby, who a year ago had been so little, had walked all on her own! "You did it, Hummingbird," he murmured to her, shutting his eyes for a moment, "Oh my darling, I once held you in just one of my hands, look at what you can do now." He took a moment and then turned her around, "And look, there is Mama!" He pointed at Daizi, who was still standing away from them, "You did it all on your own!"

"Good girl, Ivy!" Daizi cheered, absolutely beaming, "Mama knew you could do it!"
 
Xander doubted Ivy would make the connection that she'd walked without her mother immediately, but what she had done was impressive! He knew it wouldn't take her long before she was cruising around on her own. He clapped for her heartily and then went to stir the soup, which only had a few minutes left.

"Well done, Ivy! You did it all on your own!" Alec praised, clapping for her. "I'm so happy for you!"
 
Ivy babbled up at them, not knowing why everyone was so excited. It had been a bit confusing to see her Mama so far away, but now her Baba was holding her so tenderly, she was really happy to just babble and be hugged by him. Baba gave the best hugs! In that moment, Dark felt so proud he didn't quite know what to do next. Of course he knew they weren't quite there yet, but they were close.

"We're going to have an actual, proper toddler soon!" Daizi chirped, a little bit frightened at that thought, "It's not felt real when she's just shuffled along holding onto the furniture."
 
"She's growing so big so fast!" Alec said happily. "Soon, she'll be running around with her friends and maybe even having sleepovers!"

"Sounds terrifying," Xander drawled as he stepped back in. "Lunch is ready!"
 
"It is terrifying," Dark agreed, kissing the top of Ivy's head. "Are you ready for your lunch, darling? Do you want to walk there?" He set her down on her feet and looked a very, very long way down at her. He was going to end up with such a broken back.

"It smells delicious Xander, thank you for cooking," Daizi said.
 
Dark bent nearly in half to help walk Ivy towards the dining room, doing his best to only barely help her along. Since he was still so, so proud of her, he wanted to carry her and parade her, but she had done so well, she deserved to get more practice in.

"I can't wait to share that video with everyone," Daizi beamed, "She took her first unassisted steps and doesn't even know it!"
 
"Just wait until she learns how to run away," Xander snickered. He started scooping soup for everyone and putting the bowls on the table.

"She would never!" Alec gasped. He fetched the bread and started buttering it. "She loves us all too much to run away."

"Yeah, until she decides she doest want to leave the park yet," Xander pointed out.
 
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