episode_0110
by fnovelpia“Dad! Stop!”
“Ugh….”
Dad… no, Brother’s beard was full.
For the past few months, he had been so engrossed in work that he hadn’t even trimmed his beard.
“…Don’t like the beard?”
“S…Scary beard.”
Finishing work, he rushed towards Jieun, but she pushed him away.
Jieun had turned 15 before anyone knew it.
She spoke well, stood up well.
And she changed her own diaper.
Honestly, I was surprised.
One night, sensing something, I naturally woke up, and Jieun, without crying, took off her diaper, wiped herself cleanly with a wet tissue, put on a fresh diaper from the bedside neatly, and went back to sleep. I was so shocked that I couldn’t even speak.
I should probably start teaching her how to use the bathroom soon.
I might need to buy a toddler toilet as well.
“Wanna go out to play tomorrow?”
“Uh….”
Brother, eating late lunch or pretending to eat, lazily replied and then went straight to bed.
“Don’t forget we’re going to the park tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Uh… yeah. Let’s go.”
Brother tried to wake himself up by slapping his face with both hands loudly.
“…Get some good rest today.”
“Yeah….”
“Take a shower and sleep!”
“…Will do.”
Whenever this brother takes a short break, a crisis seems to follow immediately.
It feels like doing all your homework the day before school starts.
It’s not exactly like that, but that’s how work is.
Finish one task, move on to the next.
“Jieun, say goodnight to Dad.”
“Goodnight, Dad!”
“Uh~”
Jieun waved to Brother as he headed to the bedroom.
“What should we do to have fun now?”
“Um… give me snacks.”
“Our baby isn’t old enough for snacks… Should we eat our meal?”
“Scary!”
Typically, we start feeding solid food at around 6 months.
Initially, it’s just about getting them used to it; they still get most of their nutrients from breastfeeding.
But that’s just the beginning.
At 18 months, it’s time to wean.
And now breast milk is only available three times a day.
“If you eat like this, Mommy’s chest will disappear, right?”
“Uh…uh….”
Jieun stammered, feeling flustered at the thought of her mother’s chest shrinking.
Maybe I said something a bit scary.
She’s at an age where she thinks everything Mom says is right, even though it’s only been a little over a year since she was born.
“Eating well will make you grow big and strong like Mommy. You can wear pretty clothes too.”
“Okay… I got it….”
The sulking Jieun extended her arms towards the dining chair.
This makes me feel guilty.
“Come here. I’ll give you snacks.”
“Mommy, bring snacks quickly.”
“It’s okay. Not today.”
We must feed her solid food tomorrow.
*
“Waaaah!”
Jieun, exploring the world, is truly adorable.
Everything is new to her, and every encounter is a first.
She tries to take in the whole world by opening the blinds and turning her head from side to side.
“Hehe. Do you like it that much?”
“I like it!”
“It’s nice to see the outside world with such innocent eyes. It’s quite amazing.”
The route may be the same each time, but the people are different.
And with the slight change in seasons, the colors of the tree leaves are different too.
“Wow!”
Passing dogs and the famous housebound cat casually passing by, she is amazed once again.
“That’s a dog. That’s a cat.”
“Meow… Kitty!”
“Well… that’s right too.”
Seems like the cat meowing and looking at Jieun made a better impression.
“There are also dogs. Try saying ‘Dog.’”
“…Meow!”
It seems like I’ve fallen for a cat.
“What about the bear?”
“Um… I like it!”
“And the cat too?”
“I like it!”
“So, what do you like more, the cat or the bear?”
The author hesitates for a moment while looking at her beloved stuffed animal. They’ve been together since she was born.
Unable to speak, it’s just a soft presence, but whether eating, playing in the living room, or even sleeping, it’s been a companion-like figure that she embraced.
“…I like the bear.”
The author shifts the cat’s attention to the bear.
Affection is not easily broken.
“Should we adopt a cat later on?”
“Hehe. Maybe. It seems like something you’d like.”
I agreed with my brother’s muttered words.
“But… we’ll have to deal with things like litter and fur.”
“Hmm…”
Fur can be managed; the issue is the litter.
As long as we train it properly, that should work out.
For food, just buy one with good reviews, reasonable price, and high nutritional value.
“No allergies, right?”
“No, none.”
“Me neither.”
“What about the author… any?”
“Well… we’ll find out later.”
“Wow!”
The water ripples.
The Han River cutting through the land looked more like a sea than a river.
After getting the author out of the stroller, she immediately walked towards the river and grabbed the railing at the end.
“Be careful!”
“Okay!”
The author’s steps seemed energetic and lively.
“Even if I tell you to be careful…”
I quickly caught the author who was about to fall. She can walk, but she’s still a bit unsteady.
“Hehe.”
If she had hit her head falling down, she would have cried a lot.
But the author just giggles happily.
“Mom!”
Then she runs off again and points at something, expecting me to ask what it is so she can mumble and memorize it without forgetting.
“That’s… a boat.”
“A boat?”
“Yeah. It sails far away after crossing the water.”
The author touches her own belly.
“A boat!”
“That’s also a boat. Our author’s squishy belly.”
Tickling her belly makes her burst into laughter.
“Well… shall we go eat our ‘boat’?”
“Boat!?”
At the mention of eating a boat, she points to a boat sailing far away on the river.
“No, something else. There are boats for eating too.”
“Boat…!”
“Shall we go?”
“Yes, let’s go.”
Walking through the park, the author held my hand excitedly as we explored the world.
When I let go, she tries hard to hold my hand again.
It’s so cute that I took a picture of us playing together.
“Hehe. So cute. Really adorable. How can someone look this cute?”
“It’s because she’s pretty. Looks just like you.”
“No? She looks like you in the eyes. So beautiful.”
I heard that the eldest resembles Dad a lot.
If she grows a bit more, she might be as smart as him. She’s already sharp.
And if she grows up here, she might become an amazing person, pretty like me and handsome like her brother.
“Ah~!!”
Whether she says it or not, the author was smiling brightly at us.
Her bright demeanor is just like her brother.
“Drink… on the boat!”
We returned home with the boat.
Enthralled by the crisp and sweet taste, the author was eating the boat.
“Hehe. This is also a boat.”
We stopped by a store and looked at toy boats and groceries.
I plan to treat my brother to tonkatsu and our author to some meat.
“Even if you fall… let’s just have this for now and have meat for dinner later.”
“M…meat?”
“Sure. Meat. Dad eats it every day.”
“Meat!”
Although Ji-eun was curious about the smell of meat, she ended up sucking on my breast every time.
She’s still young, so I can’t feed her tonkatsu yet, but I’m thinking of making nutritious and delicious porridge instead.
“So… does Ji-eun have to watch me from here? I’ll give you another bear doll and a toy boat.”
“Yes!”
I pulled the baby crib over to a spot where the kitchen was clearly visible.
Inside the crib were soft blankets, a bear doll, a toy boat, a mobile hanging and spinning above, and a piece of boat left for Ji-eun.
Eating makes you full, and when you’re full, you want to sit down.
And when you sit down, you feel like sleeping.
“I’m looking forward to it~”
Then I can focus solely on cooking after a long time.
Introducing solid food to a child is a gradual process.
Finely chop good meat and vegetables, prepare very little rice since Ji-eun will be the only one eating.
Old rice loses its taste after just two days.
To make Ji-eun appreciate rice, it has to taste bad.
“Hehehe….”
As expected, at first, Ji-eun didn’t like the solid food either.
Disgusting.
I don’t like it either, but what can you do.
Since she’s not fully developed yet, making it as tasty as possible was the best option.
Even if I make the food taste good, it will still be solid food in the end.
But this time is different.
I will make it incredibly delicious.
I put effort and sweat into feeding her somehow, even shedding tears, so her digestive system must be well developed.
That’s why she can eat more.
Eating a raw boat like that is evidence of that.
Ji-eun bites into the sweet-smelling boat and sucks on it like juice, smiling.
Oh, how cute.
It’s almost ready.
Not only Ji-eun’s solid food but also her brother’s tonkatsu is being prepared.
Normally, I would have only prepared dinner for my brother, but now I’m making food for two.
It’s not difficult at all.
I’ve actually become happier.
“Brother, eat your food~”
I think I like this kind of thing.
“Ji-eun~”
This is what I wanted.
“Hehe. So cute.”
Ji-eun, who was laughing brightly, was already asleep hugging a teddy bear.
Seems like this is happiness.
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