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Carina I walk around the living room, Maya and I’s twins resting on my hips. Both had come down with a cold and they were teething. They cry at me, reaching for my face, and I bounce them on my hip. “Parker, Auggie, Mama is right here. We have teething rings and we’re going to put your fevers down but I need to set you down” I say to each of them, I attempt to lie August down in the playpen which only makes her scream, and she immediately back in my arm. I kiss the top of her head a few times and sigh frustrated. Nothing I was doing was calming them down. Eventually, I set them in the playpen long enough to grab them teething rings. I sent Maya a text explaining the situation and hoping that she would come home soon. I can’t calm them down while they're sick like this. “Ma” I hear Parker cry and I walk in and pick them both up again, sitting on the couch. “Mama’s right here. Ma’s at work, she’ll be home soon” Parker flops her head dramatically against my shoulder. She gets that from Maya, the two of them are such drama queens sometimes. August takes the teething ring from me, immediately putting it in her mouth, then beginning to cry again. “August, Auggie, no please don't start crying again it’s okay. You’re okay” I whisper and hold them in my arms, swaying them from side to side. Not working, in fact, it only made Parker cry more. Universe, help me, please. I think to myself before grabbing my phone and putting a picture of Maya on the phone which makes Parker calm, now only for Auggie. Two hours later, I had Parker lying on Mayas' side of the bed, teething ring in her mouth, still holding my phone which had Maya on it. It was bound to die soon and I can only imagine how well that's going to go. Auggie was babbling away to me, still sobbing her head off, I wish I could understand what she was saying. I myself was getting ready to cry. At the hospital, I was easily able to calm a baby, but I couldn’t calm my own. “Auggie can you point to what hurts?” I ask her rubbing circles on her back. She puts her hand on her mouth and I nod, “Teeth okay. Do you want the teething ring? Like your Sorella or no?” I ask and she shakes her head and whines loudly at me. I finally let my own tears fall as I start to ramble in Italian, brainstorming ideas. “Pupazzi d'ombra! (shadow puppets)” I shout, scaring both twins and making them cry again. “Shhhh, it's okay, Mama’s gonna make it better” I turn off the lights, picking up Parker and a blanket I get us situated on the floor, both of them in my lap. I brush both of their short messy hair to the side and turn the flashlight on from my phone. Parker was not happy until I began to move my hands. Auggie watches the wall and squeals in excitement at seeing her favorite animal, a bunny, show up on the wall. Parker stares at the wall confused. “Baba!” Auggie squeals, her crying finally coming to an end, I smile and nod my head. “Bunny, good job Bella” I smile and change my hands so that a butterfly appeared on the wall. “Fafafa” Parker screams, “Farfalla” I whisper to her and she claps her hands, then grabs my hands pulling them apart. “How about a ducky?” I ask them and they look at the wall, awaiting the appearance of a duck which I quickly make happen. Making the room filled with giggles. I tickle their stomachs and I hear a gorgeous sound of not only my children but my wife's laughter filling the room. Maya I grab all my stuff, quickly shoving it in my bag. “Maya please do not speed home-” “My kids are sick and home alone with my wife and she says they won’t stop crying and she doesn't know how to calm Auggie down and all Parker wants is me so yes I will be speeding home,” I say to Jack who groans, “And if you get pulled over you're going to be away from them all longer,” “Bye Jack!” I yell and run out of the station and jump in my car. While driving home, trying my best not to go way over the speed limit. As soon as I get to our apartment I unlock the door, quickly running into the house. “Rina? Auggie? Parker Ann?” I call looking around for them but do not see them. That’s when I heard the squeals and giggles of our kids. I slip my shoes off quickly, grabbing two clean bottles and making them both one, assuming Carina hadn’t gotten the chance to feed them. I tiptoe my way to our room, peeking in to watch Carina move her hands into different positions which made the twins babble and clap their hands, something I had taught them to do not too long ago while Carina was working. “And this is a puppy, it goes woof woof woof,” Carina said pulling them both close to her and tickling their sides making them smile brightly and giggle. “And then that’s a coniglietto. Auggie what does a bunny do?” She asks and Auggie smiles, attempting to scrunch up her nose. Carina chuckles and scrunches her nose up. They all fall into a giggle and I couldn’t help but giggle too. Carina whips her head around to see me letting out a sigh of relief. “Ma!” Parker squeals and I chuckle, going over and sitting next to them, setting the bottles in front of us. I take Parker from Carina and she already laying her head on any skin shown. “Better take that off, it’s the one thing that calmed her down along with a silly picture of you” I chuckle and pull my shirt off, leaving me in a sports bra. “So shadow puppets?” I ask and Carina does a butterfly again making our twins fall into fits of giggles. Carina nods and I see a sad smile appear on her face. “When my mama died, my dad, he did not handle it well. And, while he was passed out on the couch I had to take care of Andrea, and he would ask when Mama was going to come back and I told him soon, even though I knew. And while she was still alive, she would take us to the darkest room in the house, prop up a flashlight and teach us how to do shadow puppets. It always put him right to sleep and calmed him down, but I stayed up and she taught me how to do them all the time. I love it. And I just remember Andrea being very upset one night because Dad wouldn’t get off the couch and I took him to his room and I did a shadow puppet show for him. I forgot that that had even happened until I saw the flashlight turn on, on my phone and saw my shadow on the wall. So I did it for them and they clearly love it” She explains to me and I smile gently and kiss her cheek. “So teething and a cold?” I ask, picking up Parker's bottle and feeding her, Carina doing the same. “It’s going to be a rough few next days,” She says and I nod, “So worth it,” I say and she laughs.