New Directions, Baby!

"You can do it, baby! Push!" Finn said. "What does it look like I'm trying to do?!" Quinn exclaimed. "Ms. Fabray, you're almost there!" the nurse said. With one last push, Quinn and Finn's baby was finally born. "Congratulations. It's a girl." the nurse informed them. "Quinn, she looks so much like you." Finn said, amazed. "I think she looks more like you, pufferfish." Santana said, smirking. "Hey, do you want to be the godmother or not?" Finn replied. "Sorry." Santana said. "Thank you." Finn replied. "So what are we going to name her?" Quinn asked, turning her head to look at Finn. "I think Ava is pretty. Ava Rose Fabray." Finn said. "No. Ava Rose Hudson. I think that's much prettier." Quinn replied. "Ava Rose Hudson, welcome to the world." Finn said. "And good luck." Santana whispered. "Santana." Quinn said, shaking her head. "She's going to need it. Trust me." Santana said. "Are you ready for some visitors?" Kurt said, looking in the doorway. "Yeah. Come in, guys." Finn said. Kurt walked in, followed by Mercedes, then Puck, followed by Brittany, Tina, Artie, Mike and Matt. Finally, Rachel walked into the room. She had a large balloon, with one side reading Boy and the other reading Girl. In her other arm, she had a basket with some stuffed animals, onesies, bibs and pacifiers. "So, is the baby a boy or a girl?" she asked excitedly. "A girl." Quinn replied. "Yes! I secretly knew it was a girl!" Rachel cheered. "You told me two months ago it was a boy." Matt said. "No I didn't." Rachel said. "You told me you thought it was twins." Kurt said. "Yeah, I could have been right." Rachel huffed, crossing her arms. "Uh, Rachel, what's with all the stuff?" Finn asked. "It's customary for when someone close to you has a baby. Since you didn't have a baby shower, I thought this was practical." Rachel said. "It's really not-" Finn said. "Thank you, Rachel. This is really nice." Quinn replied, cutting Finn off. Finn looked over at Puck, who was just vacantly looking off. "Hey, Puck, what is it?" he asked. "What? Nothing. It's just...kind of weird. I mean, you're a father, I'm a godfather...A Jewish godfather of a catholic baby...Which is kind of weird." Puck replied. "Who's the godmother?" Kurt asked. "You know, I'm having trouble deciding." Quinn said. "I thought I was the godmother." Santana said. "I thought you weren't religious." Finn told her. "Shut up." Santana hissed. "I need to go use the bathroom. Finn, hold Ava. I don't know how long I'll take." Quinn said. "I'll take you." Santana said. "Thanks." Quinn replied. "So, about me being Ava's godmother-" Santana started, as she and Quinn walked out the door. "So, did the stork leave already?" Brittany asked. "What?" Kurt responded. "Did the stork leave? You can't have a baby if the stork doesn't bring your baby." Brittany said. "Uh, sure. The stork left a while ago." Finn answered. "Darn it. I was going to ask him about bringing me and Santana a baby." Brittany said. Everyone in the room looked at Brittany. "I'm sure he will, Brittany." Mercedes finally said. Finn looked down at Ava, and saw that she smiled in her sleep. "Guys, did you see that?" he asked. "No, what?" Mercedes wondered. "Ava smiled." Finn replied. "Aww, that's so precious!" Rachel gushed. "Sh. You're so loud. Quiet down." Matt said. "Y-yeah, R-rachel. Th-the baby is s-sl-sleeping." Tina stuttered. Rachel crossed her arms and looked down at her feet. "I'm not that loud." she said.
"Finn, we're leaving the hospital today. Did you get the carseat in the car?" Quinn asked. "Yeah. Ava's dressed, I'm- not." Finn replied. "It's ok if you're not. I don't really want to get dressed either. Where's Ava?" Quinn said. "Sleeping in the incubator." Rachel replied, popping her head in the doorway. "Sorry. I told her to go home, but she wouldn't listen." Kurt said, herding Rachel away. He closed the door, and Quinn laughed. "That's what I love about them. They're like brothers and sisters I never had." she said. Quinn got out of bed, stood and stretched. "Ready to go?" she asked. "Yeah. Just let me get Ava." Finn replied. He picked up Ava, who remained sleeping, luckily for her parents. "Alright, let's go home." Quinn said. "My mom said she would drive us. She was wondering if you wanted to go back to your house or mine." Finn said. "I know mom would want to meet Ava, but I think your mom would too. We can go back to my house and your mom can stay." Quinn said. "That sounds about right." Finn said.
"Finn, Quinn, she's beautiful. Congratulations." Carole said, on the drive back to the Fabray house. "Thank you, Mrs. Hudson." Quinn said. "Quinn, you're the mother of my grandbaby. Please, call me Carole." Carole said. "Ok. Thank you, Carole." Quinn replied. "So Finn, how are you feeling about being a dad?" Carole asked. "It's definitely different. Now I have someone to be responsible for." Finn answered. "Anytime you two need a babysitter, I would be happy to help." Carole said. "Thanks mom." Finn said. Carole pulled into the driveway of the Fabray's house and parked. "Let's go in." Quinn said. "I'll get Ava." Finn told her. He took the carseat out of the Jeep and put the handle over his arm. Quinn was already through the door, Carole a few steps behind and Finn followed. "Mom, are you ready to meet your granddaughter?" Quinn asked. "Yes, this is so exciting!" Judy said happily. "Well, here she is. Her name is Ava Rose Hudson." Quinn replied. She took Ava out of her carseat, and walked back over to her mother. "Quinny, she looks just like you did as a baby." Judy said, smiling. "Do you want to hold her?" Quinn asked. "What kind of a silly question is that? Of course I want to hold her!" Judy replied. Quinn handed Ava to Judy, who smiled fondly. "She's just like you. This brings me back so many memories." Judy said. "Oh, did you see the nursery yet?" she wondered. "No, I didn't." Quinn responded. "Come with me. I think you would like it." Judy said. Quinn followed her mother upstairs, Finn and Carole following behind. "I turned my scrapbooking room into a nursery. I finished it on Wednesday, so everything is dry now. Do you like it?" Judy said. "Wow. Mom, this is so pretty. I love the pink with gold." Quinn replied. "I'm glad. It took a while to find things that match this nicely." Judy said. "This is really girly. But it's tasteful, for a baby." Finn said. "Judy, it's so nice in here. I was planning to do the nursery like this if Finn had been a girl. Shimmery gold and pink things everywhere-" Carole said. "Good thing I didn't turn out to be a girl." Finn said. "Hey." Judy, Carole and Quinn said. "Sorry, wrong crowd to say that to." Finn replied. Judy handed Ava back to Quinn. "I have to see if dinner is done." she said. "It's not even four o'clock." Quinn said, surprised. "Let me go help you, Judy." Carole offered. "That would be lovely. Thank you, Carole." Judy replied. The two women exited the room, leaving Quinn and Finn with Ava. Ava started crying, and Quinn held her up close. "I think Ava's hungry." Finn said. "Definitely not. She needs to be changed. You can't smell that?" Quinn replied. "No." Finn answered. "Maybe I still have pregnancy senses." Quinn said, laughing. She turned to Finn. "And since you made that remark about how you're glad you're not a girl, here." Quinn handed Ava to Finn, who looked confused. "Wait, what? Why am I being punished?" he asked. "Don't think of this as punishment. Think of it as practice for something you'll be doing a lot of." Quinn said, walking out of the room. Finn sighed, and set Ava down on the changing table. "I don't think I'll be doing this a lot. We'll just let mommy think that." Finn whispered. He started gagging. "Definitely not going to be doing this a lot. How could- what the- oh, this is terrifying." Finn said.
"That took you some time." Quinn said, smirking. "Yeah, well, I didn't want to puke on Ava, so it took some extra time to plug my nose." Finn replied. "Changing diapers is nothing. For women, anyway. Men struggle quite a bit. Christopher was like that. He tried once, but from there on out I was changing all of Finn's diapers." Carole said. "Mom." Finn snapped. "Don't disrespect your mother, Finn." Judy said. "Yeah, Finn. Just think of how much Carole did for you when you were a baby. I'm sure you never thanked her." Quinn said, smirking. "Well, thanks mom. Even though I don't think it should be necessary to thank you for every single detail...Wow, that does not sound nice." Finn said. Judy, Quinn and Carole shook their heads. "But it's ok, Finn. I forgive you." Carole said. Quinn took Ava back from Finn, and he went to sit in the living room. Quinn went with him, holding Ava to her chest. "Are you ok?" Quinn asked, sitting next to Finn. "I guess. I'm just kind of nervous. What if I mess something up? What if I'm not a good dad?" Finn replied. "I know you. You are going to be an amazing dad. Ava is so lucky to have you as her dad." Quinn said. She kissed Finn, and he smiled. "You really think so?" he asked. Quinn nodded. "Of course I do. I know she is." Quinn said. "Thanks." Finn replied. "Alright Ava, are you hungry?" Quinn asked, looking down at her daughter. "I'm going to go upstairs and feed Ava. I'll be back soon." Quinn kissed Finn, and walked upstairs with Ava. Finn went back into the kitchen to help Judy and Carole with anything else.
"Dinner was great, mom." Quinn said, after she finished eating. "I'm glad you liked it." Judy said. "It was really good, Judy." Carole said. "Thank you, Carole." Judy replied. Ava started crying, and Finn got up to get her. "What's wrong baby girl?" he cooed. Finn paced around the living room, rubbing Ava's back. Ava gradually stopped crying, and Finn smiled at her. "That's my girl." he said. "Finn, you're so good with her." Judy said. "My boy is a sweetheart." Carole said, putting her hand to her heart. "It looks like somebody's ready for bed." Quinn said. "Come on, let's get her upstairs. You can change her this time." Finn said. "Like every time from now on." Quinn replied, laughing. Ava fell asleep with her head on Quinn's chest, and she gently set the baby down in her basinet. "Alright, let's let her sleep." Finn whispered. Quinn nodded in agreement, and the couple left the room.
"Morning." Finn said, yawning. "Good morning." Quinn said, picking Ava up from her basinet. She set her down on the changing table, changed and dressed her. "Alright, let's get you fed." Quinn cooed to Ava, holding her up close. She sat in the rocking chair in the corner of the room, and nursed her daughter. Finn walked in, dressed, just as she finished, looking somewhat awake. "How long have you been up?" he asked. "A while." Quinn said, yawning. "I'll take Ava. You go rest." Finn said. "Thank you." Quinn replied. She went back to sleep, and Finn sat with Ava. "How's my baby girl this morning?" he asked softly. Ava looked up at Finn, cooing. Finn stood up and carried Ava downstairs, holding her up to his shoulder. Judy and Carole were sitting in the kitchen, talking and drinking coffee. "Good morning, Finn. How did you sleep?" Judy asked. "Very well, thank you." Finn replied. He sat next to Carole, patting Ava's back. "Did Ava keep you up all night?" Carole wondered. "Not really. Quinn fed her a couple times and I changed her. But she was pretty good about sleeping." Finn replied. "So you've gotten used to missing sleep after these few days?" Judy wondered. "Not exactly, but Ava's my baby, and I love taking care of her." Finn said. Ava started whimpering, and Finn held her to face him. "Hey, Ava, it's ok. Daddy's here." he said. Finn rocked Ava gently to calm her down. When she did, Finn put her back up to his shoulder. "Let me make you some coffee, Finn." Judy offered. She stood up and went to get coffee for Finn. "Thanks, Mrs. Fabray." Finn said. "Oh, please just call me Judy." Judy replied. Finn nodded and sipped his coffee. By the time Finn was done with his coffee, Quinn came downstairs, looking well rested. "There you are, Quinny." Judy said, smiling. "Morning mom, Carole." Quinn said, getting some coffee. Finn stood up, adjusting Ava in his arms. "I'm going to put Ava back to sleep." he said. Finn walked upstairs, and into Quinn's room, where the basinet was. He put Ava in the basinet so she could sleep comfortably. Finn kissed Ava's forehead and quietly left the room.
Quinn was in her room with Ava when she woke up. "There's my girl." Quinn said, smiling. She picked up Ava and kissed her cheek. "Yeah, someone's happy." Quinn said, tickling Ava. She tried giggling, having a hard time with it. Finn entered the room, shirtless and sweating. "Did you have a good run?" Quinn asked. "Always do." Finn replied simply. "I'm glad you got home when you did. You can help me with Ava's first bath." Quinn said. "Ok. I think I should just get a shirt on first. I'm sweaty and gross, and I don't want Ava to have to deal with that." Finn said. "Alright." Quinn replied. She went to fill Ava's baby bathtub with warm water. Finn came back, wearing a blue and white t-shirt. "So what do we do first?" he asked. "Well, I've already set up the bathtub, so there's water in it. Next we undress Ava." Quinn said. She took off Ava's onesie and diaper. "It looks like she peed through the onesie." Finn said, tossing the thing in the hamper. He threw away the used diaper and turned back to Quinn for further instruction. "Test the water." she said. Finn put his elbow in the water and took it back out. "It feels right to me." he said. "It doesn't feel too warm, does it?" Quinn wondered. "No." Finn answered. "Alright, I guess it's time then." Quinn said. She eased Ava into the water. Finn rubbed her back to settle her when she started to whimper. "First we'll use soap, and we'll wash her body. We can use a little shampoo on her head." Quinn said. Finn grabbed some baby soap and applied it to Ava. When he washed her off, she smiled in her sleep. "I think Ava is a daddy's girl." Quinn said, smiling as she carefully rinsed out the shampoo from Ava's fine hair. "Alright baby, I think you're done." Quinn said. Finn held out a towel and Quinn carefully lifted Ava. She placed her in the towel in Finn's arms and wrapped the sides around her. Finn carried Ava back to Quinn's room and set her on the changing table. He dabbed her off with the towel and put a clean diaper on her. Finn dressed Ava in a cute green onesie, and picked her up. Finn carried Ava downstairs, where the women were deep in conversation. "There they are." Carole said. Finn sat between Carole and Quinn, Ava in his arms. "So Finn, the three of us are going to do some shopping today. Do you want to come or not?" Judy asked. "No, I'll stay home with Ava." Finn replied. "Sounds like a plan." Carole said.
Half an hour later, Carole, Judy and Quinn left. Finn was resting on the couch with Ava laying on him. She woke up suddenly, crying, and Finn stood up. "It's ok, Ava. Daddy's got you. Are you hungry?" he said. Finn felt Ava's stomach clench and relax a few times. "Alright. I guess not. Let's get you cleaned up." Finn said. He walked upstairs to the nursery and carefully put Ava down. He unbuttoned her onesie and took it off. Finn carefully rubbed Ava's head to calm her down some. When he took off her diaper, Ava stopped crying and opened her eyes. She looked up at Finn and smiled. "Yeah, Ava. Daddy's here for you." Finn said. Ava gurgled. Finn finished wiping Ava and put baby powder on her, and put a clean diaper on her. He fastened the onesie back up and took Ava back into his arms. Finn carried Ava back downstairs and sat on the couch, turning on the tv.
"Hey, how was Ava?" Quinn asked. "Perfect, as usual." Finn said. "Is she sleeping?" Quinn asked. "Yeah, I put her down for a nap about an hour ago." Finn said. "She's probably hungry." Quinn said. Ava started crying, and Quinn went upstairs to get her. "Hey baby girl. Mommy's here." Quinn said. She picked up Ava and walked across the room to the rocking chair. She sat down and fed her.
~
"Hey Quinn, Finn. How's parenthood going?" Kurt asked on Monday, when Quinn and Finn arrived. They decided to stop by during Glee Club to see their friends, and they could see Ava. "Very rewarding, but kind of tiring." Finn said. "If you guys ever need a babysitter, I will be more than happy to oblige!" Rachel said. "Actually, Rachel, we already asked Kurt to be our babysitter. Sorry." Quinn said. "Oh, I see." Rachel said, looking down. "But if we ever need a sitter and Kurt's not available, maybe you could." Finn said. Rachel smiled in a somewhat crazy fashion. "Alright, maybe not such a good idea. Puck, you're our backup babysitter." Finn said. Rachel crossed her arms and pouted again.
"Well, we should get home now. Glee is almost over." Quinn said. Finn said goodbye to everyone, and picked up Ava's carseat. Quinn went around, saying goodbye to her friends. She and Finn left. With Finn driving, Quinn sat in the backseat with Ava, watching to make sure she was ok. "Finn, pull over." Quinn said. Finn nodded, slowed down, pulled to the side of the road and stopped the car. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Ava needs a change. It's hard to do that in a moving vehicle." Quinn replied. She took Ava out of her carseat and lay her down next to her. Quinn changed Ava and put her back in the carseat. "Ready to go?" Finn asked. "Ready." Quinn said, sanitizing her hands. Finn started the car again and continued driving back to the Fabray house.
Upon arriving back at the house, Quinn took Ava out of the car and into the house. Quinn put Ava in her basinet, and then went back downstairs to sit with Finn. "Is she sleeping?" Finn asked. "Yeah." Quinn replied, laying her head on Finn's shoulder. "I love you two so much." Finn said. "I love you too." Quinn said. Finn kissed her forehead.
Two hours later, Ava woke up crying again, Quinn running upstairs to comfort her. "Don't worry, baby. Mommy's here." Quinn said, picking Ava up. She paced around the room, bouncing her baby gently. Quinn carried Ava downstairs and handed her to Finn. "I need to go to the bathroom." she said. "Ok." Finn replied, laying Ava down on himself. She stopped crying and snuggled up to Finn. "That's my girl." Finn said, running his hand gently up and down Ava's back. She fell asleep, comforted. Finn fixed Ava's socks and continued to rub her back, up and down gently. Ava made small sounds in her sleep, and Finn smiled down at her. Quinn walked back into the room and sat next to Finn again. "Ava is such sweet baby." she said. "She is. I think we're lucky there." Finn replied. "We're definitely lucky." Quinn said. She looked at Ava, who was napping peacefully. "I hope she sleeps tonight." she said. "She will. Not the whole night, of course, but she'll sleep. She's good about it." Finn said. "I know she is. She's usually so quiet at night that it worries me." Quinn replied. "I'm going to put Ava in her basinet before I go for a jog." Finn said. "I'll take her." Quinn said. "No, you need to sleep. The doctor said you should be sleeping when Ava sleeps, remember?" Finn said. "I think I would rather sleep in bed than on the couch. Then I can be closer to Ava if she wakes up." Quinn said. "Alright. Here she is." Finn said, handing the baby to Quinn. Quinn took Ava upstairs, and Finn went outside to run.
"How is she?" Carole asked. "Quinn or Ava?" Finn wondered. "Both." Carole replied. "Ava's still sleeping, but Quinn woke up." Finn replied. "Well, Ava needs a lot of sleep, it's good that she's getting it." Carole said. "Yeah." Finn said, sitting next to his mother. "Any time you and Quinn need someone to watch Ava, I would love to." Carole said. "Thanks, mom. That really helps us." Finn replied.
"I'm surprised Ava slept so long. It's almost dinner time." Judy remarked. "I think we should get her, Finn." Quinn said. Finn nodded and the couple walked upstairs. Quinn picked up Ava and set her on the changing table to change her. "I was starting to get worried." Finn said. "So was I." Quinn agreed, picking up Ava. She and Finn walked back downstairs. "Pizza will be here soon." Carole said. "Pizza you say?" Finn said. Carole nodded. "I just thought it would be good to take a day or two off from cooking. It takes quite a bit of time." Judy said. "You deserve a break, mom." Quinn said, sitting at the table. Finn sat next to her. Quinn handed Ava to Judy and went to the bathroom. "Hi Ava." Judy cooed. Ava opened her eyes and looked up at her grandma.
"So did she sleep through the night?" Finn asked. "Not yet." Quinn replied. She picked up Ava and laid her on the changing table. Ava cried, breathing shallowly. "Hey, it's ok. It's mommy, Ava." Quinn said. Finn walked over and rubbed Ava's head gently to calm her down. "Mommy and daddy are here." Finn said. Ava stopped crying and Quinn picked her up. "Alright, I think someone's ready for breakfast. Right Ava?" she said. Quinn sat in the rocking chair and rocked back and forth, feeding Ava. "I'm going to make breakfast. Do you want anything?" Finn asked. "Yeah, I'll have some french toast." Quinn said. "Ok. That sounds great." Finn said, walking downstairs. Once Ava was done, Quinn burped Ava and stood up. She wiped off her mouth and went downstairs. Quinn set Ava in her swing and sat at the counter. "Wow, you cook fast." Quinn said. "Not really. You were upstairs for about ten minutes." Finn said. Quinn shrugged. "Not as long as it's been." she said. Quinn took some french toast and put it on her plate. Finn did the same. The two added syrup and started eating. "So do you think Carole will be ok with babysitting Ava while we're out today?" Quinn asked. "Of course. She raised me. I know she loves babies." Finn said. "Well then, I guess we're good to go out today." Quinn said. She walked into the living room and picked up Ava from her swing. "Grandma Carole's going to babysit you today, Ava. Are you excited?" Quinn cooed. Ava smiled, then yawned. "I think you're ready for a nap." Quinn said. She walked to the kitchen and held Ava in front of Finn. "I'll see you when you wake up, princess." Finn said quietly. Quinn carried Ava upstairs and lay her in her basinet. Quinn turned on the baby monitor and quietly left the room.
When Ava woke up from her nap, Carole picked her up. "Hey sweetie. Mommy and daddy went out to spend some time together, so I get to watch you for the whole afternoon." Carole said. Ava smiled and Carole set her down to change her. "Ok, now that you're all clean, what do you want to do?" Carole said. Ava stared blankly as Carole carried her downstairs. "Alright Ava, what do you want for lunch?" Carole cooed. She thought the best thing to feed Ava right now was a bottle, since Quinn wasn't currently home.
"Hey baby. Mommy and daddy missed you so much, yes we did!" Quinn said, picking up Ava when she and Finn returned. Ava smiled up at Quinn. "Alright baby, go to daddy. Mommy has to go shower." Quinn said. She handed Ava to Finn. "Ava, hi baby." Finn said gently. Ava reached her arms out for Finn's head. Finn kissed Ava's forehead. "How was your day with grandma?" he asked. Ava gurgled, reaching for Finn's face again. Finn walked across the room and laid Ava down on the changing table. He opened her onesie, moved it up and opened her diaper. Ava started crying, but softly. "Don't worry, Ava. I'm here. Daddy has to take care of you." Finn said. He finished and picked up Ava, after dressing her in a pair of footies. "Alright baby, let's go downstairs and have some time together." Finn said. He carried Ava downstairs and sat on the couch. "Finn, what do you want for dinner?" Carole asked. "Pizza sounds good." Finn said mindlessly, staring down at Ava. "Sweetheart, I think it's great how much you love Ava." Carole said. "Of course I do, mom. Ava's my little princess." Finn told her, now looking up. Carole smiled. "I'm so glad to see that my baby is happy." she said. Finn smiled back. Quinn came in, wearing a towel on her head. "Hey, how is everything going in here?" she asked. "Everything's good. I think Ava's going to be sleeping soon." Finn replied. "It looks like she's already asleep." Quinn pointed out. Finn held Ava so that she was facing him. He saw her eyes closed, and she was snoring softly. "I think someone's ready for bed." Finn said. "I'll take her up." Quinn said. Finn kissed Ava on her forehead and handed her to Quinn. She boosted Ava to her shoulder and carried her upstairs. Quinn swaddled Ava in a pink blanket and settled her into her basinet. Quinn grabbed the baby monitor and walked out of the room.
"Hey, dinner's here guys. Come get it while it's hot." Carole said. Finn and Quinn walked into the kitchen, holding hands. "Thanks for ordering pizza, mom." Finn said. "No problem. Judy and I both thought we could use a break from cooking so often." Carole replied. "It was a good call." Judy agreed. Carole, Judy, Finn and Quinn sat in the living room, eating pizza.
"It's Saturday, Ava. Do you know what that means?" Quinn cooed. Ava grabbed her toes and gurgled. "Bath time, yay." Quinn said, picking up Ava. She walked into the bathroom and undressed her, then put her in the pre-filled baby tub. "Where's daddy, Ava? Where's daddy?" Quinn cooed. Finn walked into the room carrying Ava's outfit for the day and her towel. "Looks like someone got up early." Finn said, laying out the clothes on the counter. "Tell me about it. She woke up at six and neither of us could get back to sleep." Quinn said, gently rubbing Ava's arms, legs and belly with the wash cloth. "Finn, can you hold Ava up so I can wash her back?" Quinn asked. "Sure." Finn replied. He picked up Ava under her arms and stood her to face him. "Hey, there's my baby girl." he said. Ava smiled at him, trying to get her thumb in her mouth. Quinn went from Ava's neck, down her back to her legs, carefully cleaning her bottom. "Alright, all clean back here." Quinn said. Finn picked up Ava from the water and laid her on the towel. He dabbed her off gently and swaddled her in the towel. Finn carried Ava and her outfit back to the nursery while Quinn dumped the water into the shower to drain. Finn diapered Ava and dressed her. "Ok, Ava, let's go downstairs and wait for mommy. Then we'll go outside for a while." Finn said, picking up Ava. He walked downstairs, fixing her hat. Finn sat on the couch with Ava in his lap. "Who's my smiley little girl? Do you like to smile, Ava?" Finn cooed. He tickled Ava gently and she giggled. "Yeah, you're a smiley girl Ava." Finn said. He sat back in the couch and rocked Ava. "Hey Finn, I'm going to the store. Is there anything you need?" Carole asked. "We need more diapers and wipes." Finn replied. "Alright, I'll pick those up. I'll be back in about an hour." Carole said. She walked out the door and left. Finn waited for Quinn to come downstairs, rocking Ava to keep her content. "There's my love." Quinn said, when she finally walked into the room. She had a blanket to wrap Ava in. "Are you ready to go outside little princess?" Finn cooed to Ava. She giggled. "I'll take that as a yes." Finn said. He stood up and Quinn put the blanket on the couch. Finn laid Ava on it and wrapped her. He picked her up and he and Quinn went outside. "Look at the leaves." Quinn said. "That's so cool. Ava, look at all the leaves." Finn said. "I think she's more interested in her hand than the leaves." Quinn said, laughing. Finn held Ava up to his shoulder so she was facing Quinn. "I think we need to decide what we're going to dress Ava as for Halloween." Quinn said. "We should go with something different. Not like most people would dress their baby as for Halloween." Finn said. "How about a baby deer?" Quinn asked. "I think that's a cute idea." Finn said. "Should we go with footies or a shirt and pants?" Quinn wondered. "Well, at the moment, I think we should go with getting Ava in a new diaper." Finn said. "Oh yeah, I can smell it from here." Quinn said. Finn and Quinn went inside, with Finn carrying Ava. Quinn went into the kitchen to make some coffee and Finn carried Ava upstairs. He unwrapped her and tossed the blanket onto the dresser. He laid Ava down on the changing table and unsnapped her onesie. "Ava, it's ok. Daddy's here." Finn said, hoping to calm Ava's crying. He cleaned her and gently worked some baby lotion into her skin. Finn applied some powder to her and put a new diaper on her. "There we go, baby. All clean." Finn said, picking up Ava again. He carried her back downstairs, where Quinn set down two coffee mugs on the table.
For Halloween, Quinn and Finn have decided on dressing Ava as a fawn. Quinn dressed as a doe and Finn was a buck. Ava's costume was a brown onesie with white polka dots, a brown tutu and a brown felt headband with ears. Quinn was wearing a brown romper, doe ears and had cute makeup. Finn was wearing all brown with antlers. That night, they were throwing a Halloween party. Since it had happened to be a Saturday, Quinn and Finn had most of the day to set up and prepare.
By six o'clock, everyone started showing up. First was Brittany and Santana, dressed as Britney Spears and Madonna. Next to arrive was Artie, dressed as Dr. Y. Soon after, Mike and Tina came, dressed as the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. Mercedes and Kurt came next, dressed as Peanut Butter and Jelly. Literally. Matt came dressed as Michael Jackson from his Thriller video. Puck came as a zombie. Finally, Rachel strutted in, dressed as none other than Barbara Streisand. "Seriously, Rachel?" Kurt asked. "Yes! Who else would you expect me to dress as?" Rachel asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "I don't know, maybe something original?" Kurt said. "Peanut butter and jelly isn't original." Rachel said. "Ah, but it is. You see, I am being smooth peanut butter, and she's being sassy jelly. Therefore, we are the perfect combination for a performer's peanut butter and jelly sandwich." Kurt said. "Oh, I wish I had thought of something cool like that." Rachel said. "Hey guys, we're really glad you made it." Finn said, as everyone grouped together in the living room. "I'm so glad you guys decided to throw this great party." Artie said. "Thanks Artie." Finn said. "Aw, Ava looks so cute!" Rachel gushed. "Thank you, Rachel." Quinn said. "I l-like your c-c-costumes, g-guys." Tina stuttered. "Thanks. I like yours and Mike's too." Finn said. "Hey, I don't see any Halloween decorations." Matt said. "That's because your MJ wig keeps falling in front of your eyes." Kurt told him, fixing his wig. "Oh, thanks Kurt. It looks cool in here, you guys." Matt said.
"Ava, please go to sleep. I know you're tired." Finn said, trying to get Ava to sleep. No matter what, he couldn't get her to stop crying. "Quinn, I can't get Ava to stop crying." Finn said. "Do you know why she's crying?" Quinn asked. "No. I tried changing her, feeding her, I sang to her, I rocked her and nothing is working." Finn replied. "I think she might be sick." Quinn said. Finn handed Ava to her and Quinn set her on the changing table. With one hand on Ava, Quinn got out the thermometer. "Well?" Finn asked, worried. "She has a little fever." Quinn said sadly. She put Ava in a short sleeve onesie, hoping it would keep her cooler. Quinn picked up Ava and rubbed her back trying to console her. "It's ok, pretty girl. Mama's here." Quinn said quietly. She laid Ava in her basinet and hoped she could settle down. Finn sat on the bedside in front of Ava and gently rubbed her head. "Alright baby girl, mommy and daddy are here." he cooed. Ava was now quieter, but still upset. "I know what can help." Quinn said. "What?" Finn asked. "Experience." Quinn replied. "What's up, Quinn?" Carole asked. "Ava's sick, and we can't get her to sleep." Quinn answered. "Ok, well, what I would say is just hold her and rock her gently. Sing to her. I used to sing to Finn when he got sick, I have to say it really helps." Carole said. "Thanks Carole." Quinn said. Finn picked up Ava and cradled her close to his chest. He and Quinn started singing. Ava stopped crying and fell asleep.
Quinn was sitting on the couch, folding laundry while Ava slept in her basinet next to the couch. She finished folding everything and looked over to Ava. She was still sleeping, but starting to stir. Quinn picked her daughter up and rubbed her back. Ava quieted down again and fell asleep again. Quinn laid her back in the basinet and sat on the couch. Finn walked in, yawning. "Morning Quinn. Why are you up so early?" he asked. "Ava woke up at four to eat, but then I couldn't get her back to sleep. So I decided to do some laundry, and the sound of the washer and dryer put her to sleep." Quinn explained. "Aren't you tired?" Finn asked her. "A little." Quinn answered. "Ok, I'll stay with Ava, you go upstairs and sleep." Finn said. "You are the best." Quinn said, hugging Finn. Quinn yawned and walked upstairs. Finn sat on the couch in front of Ava. Ava started fussing. Finn picked her up and held her to his chest. Ava stopped crying, tears still rolling down her cheeks. "It's ok, Ava, daddy's got you." Finn said. He gently wiped away Ava's tears and kissed her forehead. "There you go." Finn said, standing. He paced around the room, gently bouncing Ava in his arms. Ava huffed and smiled up at Finn. "Now there's my happy girl." Finn said. He laid Ava back in her basinet and sat down on the couch. Ava fell asleep again.
When Quinn woke up again, it was evening. Finn walked upstairs with Ava. "How did you sleep?" he asked. "Very well." Quinn replied. "I'm glad to hear that." Finn said. He laid Ava down and she stretched herself. "Oh, hi baby. I missed you." Quinn said, tickling Ava. "Your mom and my mom are going to a movie later if you wanted to join them." Finn said. "What movie?" Quinn asked. "Something called Bride Wars, I think." Finn said. "What time?" Quinn wondered. "Not sure." Finn answered. "I think I'll go." Quinn decided. "If you want to, you should." Finn said. He picked up Ava and handed her to Quinn. "Ready to eat, baby girl?" she asked. Quinn sat down with Ava. Finn sat on the bedside. "She's so happy." Quinn said, smiling. "She's just full of love." Finn said. Quinn finished feeding Ava and put a towel over her shoulder to burp her on. Quinn lifted Ava up to her shoulder and started patting her back. "Alright baby girl, all set." she said. Quinn sat Ava back in her lap. "Gonna sneeze...Take Ava." Quinn said. Finn took Ava from Quinn and she ran off to the bathroom. Ava's bottom lip started to quiver and she looked uncomfortable. Finn patted Ava's bottom and started humming. "Alright pretty girl, let's get you changed. Daddy's here." Finn said. He laid Ava down and hummed. Quinn came back into the room and stood next to Finn. "Ava, mama and dada are here. Don't worry." Quinn cooed. "Ok princess, I'm done." Finn said, picking Ava back up. She rested her head on his shoulder and he rubbed her back.
"Quinn, Finn, the doctor will see you now." the receptionist said. "Thank you." Quinn said. Finn carried Ava's carseat back to the small exam room. "Hey guys. How are you today?" the doctor asked. She was Ava's pediatrician, in her mid twenties and very nice. "We're good, Dr. Baker." Quinn replied. "That's great. How's Ava doing? Hard to believe she's almost four months old." Dr. Baker said. "She's been pretty good, sleeping well. Not too fussy." Quinn responded. "I'm glad to hear that. I'll just check a few things today, like her heartbeat and ask you two a few questions." Dr. Baker informed. "That sounds fine." Quinn said. "Alright. You can have a seat." Dr. Baker said. Quinn and Finn sat next to each other. Finn unbuckled Ava from her carseat and handed her to Dr. Baker. "Hi Ava." she said. Ava smiled and started giggling. "Alright, so has she shown any signs of illness? Any temperature, coughing?" Dr. Baker wondered. "No, not that I'm aware of." Finn said. "Ok. And has she been regular?" the doctor asked. "What?" Finn asked. "Has she been clearing her system regularly? You know, have the trains been running on time?" Dr. Baker clarified. "Oh, yeah. A lot." Finn said. Quinn sighed and put her hand on Ava's forehead. She stroked her hair back. "Hopefully you're not embarrassed by this honey." she said. Ava grabbed her toes and smiled. "I don't think she'll even remember this." Finn said. "Well, get back to me on that in a few years, see where that takes us." Quinn said. "Ok, the next part may be a little uncomfortable, so Finn why don't you hold Ava's hand or rub her head? Something to soothe her." Dr. Baker said. Finn nodded and put his hand on Ava's head. "Alright honey, I just have to take your temperature." the doctor said softly. "You're ok honey. Good girl Ava." Quinn said. "Ok, her temperature is perfectly normal. I'll just need to weigh her, check her reflexes and that should be it." Dr. Baker said. Quinn nodded. "So I just have to make a couple notes. You can bring Ava over to the scale." Dr. Baker said. "Ok." Finn said. He picked up Ava and carried her over to where the scale was set up. He kissed her forehead and laid her on the scale. "Honey I think you need to take off her clothes." Quinn said. "What if she gets cold?" Finn asked. "Weighing won't take long. It should be fifteen seconds tops." Dr. Baker said. "Sorry Ava." Finn said. Ava was unfazed, for the most part. She did start to cry, and Finn picked her up as soon as her weight was written down. "It's ok. Daddy has you, baby. Daddy's here." Finn said. When Ava quieted down, Finn set her back down and dressed her again.