"If she's wrapped in a blanked, that doesn't count," Cupid said.

"That metal scale is fuckin' cold, Cupe. I ain't laying Imp on it 'less she's wrapped, or it's covered," I said firmly.

"Understandable, babe. Hmm... Okay, we weigh the blanket, then allow for it."

"Sounds logical. Lemme check ta make sure her diddie is clean."

"Strife..."

"Hey, liquids can be heavy, 'kay? An' you know how much poop she can produce."

"I should. I'm rather proud of the fact that I don't dodge diaper patrol." I gave 'im a look. "All right, I don't dodge it often. You know, it never ceases to amaze me how much Imp poops. I mean, she's still on a liquid diet."

I draped Imp ovah my forearm, hooked a fingah in tha back of her diapah, an' pulled. I looked an' sniffed. I'd learned tha hard way that ya didn't just shove a fingah down in there. It looked all clear, so I ventured a check. Imp rustled her wings an' made a noise. "Sorry, kid. Did I tickle? My hand cold? Nothin' there, Cupe."

"Why don't you just weigh her naked?"

"Remembah what happened tha last time we tried that?" He winced. Imp had objected ta tha cold pan, had gotten adgitated, an'... Well, tenny babies don't have control of their potty functions even when they're calm an' peaceful, ya know. Bleh. "When all her hair fell out, I thought it might make a difference, but it didn't."

"I think she was gaining, so that offset it. Are you ready now?"

"Yah. Got tha dinars ready?" Cupe held up a bag. "Ya sure they're one ounce each?"

He sighed. "Strife, have they ever been anything else?"

"I just wanna be sure. Weigh tha blanket." He did. It came ta three dinars.

"Okay." Cupid put a fingah on tha empty pan, pushin it down on tha table. I carefully laid Imp on tha blanket covahed pan, arrangin her on her tummy so her wings weren't squashed. I let go, but cupped my hands just ovah her incase she decided ta learn how ta roll ovah right at that very minute. "Here we go." Cupid started loading dinars on that othah pan.

"Don't ya do it a handful at a time," I warned. "I want an accurate count. One by one."

"...sixteen. One pound. One, two... Will you be quiet? You'll make me lose count, and we'll have to start over. Three, four, five..." When he reached fourteen pounds tha pan Imp was layin on lifted--just a hairsbreadth, but it wasn't pressed down by Imp's weight. Cupid kept pilin, an' the pan slowly rose.

He hit fourteen an' six, and Imp wasn't quite half-way up. "Zeus, Cupe! She weighed this much two weeks ago!"

"I know, hon. Be still. Seven, eight..." Sl-o-w-l-y she rose. "Nine, ten..."

"Cupe, are ya SURE they're a full ounce? Ya couldn't've gotten shaved ones, maybe."

"Hush! Eleven, twelve..." The pans came level. Cupid held his hand ovah tha pan, then gently set anothah dinar in tha pile. That side started ta dip, an' he removed it. "That's it, Strife. Fourteen pounds, twelve ounces."

I picked Imp up an' held her in fronta me, starin inta her green eyes. "Imp! Have ya been sneakin snacks without tellin me?"

*coo*

Cupid draped an arm ovah my shouldah. "I don't know where she'd find time. You feed her half the day."

I sighed. "Yer right--it must be my fault. But I can't stop till she's satisfied, an' it just takes longer an' longer. I think..." I bit my lip.

"What, babe?"

"I'm afraid I ain't gonna be able ta give her enough milk fah much longah. I think it's startin ta dry up."

He nodded. "Ace said that it would probably happen."

"But it's so soon! Imp ain't even seen one season yet. What am I gonna do?"

"You're going to start supplimenting with a milk skin, and gradually wean her onto it so that when the milk does dry up there will be no disruption. And don't start that 'my baby won't need me' nonsense," he warned. I shook my head. I'd gotten ovah that complex, at least till Imp was ready ta start goin out ta be tutored, an' that would be awhile. He took Imp from me, rubbin noses with her. "Honestly, Impgirl! When I think of how your daddy freaked at the very idea of breastfeeding, and now he's all worried about stopping it."

Durin this conversation, Imp wasn't just hangin there in his hands. Nope. Her lil legs were pumpin up an' down like she was ridin wunna those single person, two wheel horse substitutes I've seen in tha Hall of Time. I think they call 'em bickles, or somethin. Her lil fists were wavin, an' so were her wings.

I tickled her undah tha wings, feelin tha feathahs, soft as silk, brush against tha back of my hands. Her legs pumped even hardah, an' she opened her lil rosebud mouth. *aaaaaahhh*

I sat up straightah. "Cupe, that wasn't a fuss!" He put his hand undah her butt, feelin. "I'm tellin you, it ain't a fuss."

*aaaaah*

"She's tryin ta talk ta ya, Cupe!" I bounced on tha bed.

*uuuuhhhhiiieeh*

I stood on tha bed an' bounced! "Strife! Strife! She's tryin ta say my name!" Imp looked at me, surprised, an' hiccupped, then started bawlin. I dropped down nexta Cupe an' wailed, "Aw, crap! I scared her inta stoppin! I bet I traumatized her, an' now she's gonna be mute fah tha rest of her life! It's all my faulty!"

Cupid had laid Imp on his shouldah an' was calmly jouncin her up and down. His voice was low, but firm. "Strife!" I froze. He said gently, "Chill, okay?"

I relaxed a little. "Okay."

"You just startled her is all. Damn, babe, how much sugar have you had lately?"

I picked at tha sheets, avoidin his eyes. "Why dya ask?"

He silently got up an' laid tha now quiet baby on tha bed. Then he squatted an' peered undah it. Shit, I knew I shoulda cleaned before he came home. He looked up at me and sighed. "Okay, Strife. Twinkies or Jolt, not both at the same time."

I rubbed tha toe of my boot on tha floor. "They was havin a special?" He stared at me. "All right. Cupe, ya don't suppose that all tha sugar I eat transfers ta Imp an' that's what's makin her fat?"

"Strife, she's not fat."

I rolled Imp on her side an' tickled her belly. "Yah? What about this? She has a gut." I made a face at tha baby. "Not that ya ain't beautiful, sweetheart. I love every chubby dinar's worth of ya."

"Babies have different body proportions from adults."

"They do?"

"Sure. Haven't you noticed that her head-to-body ratio is large when you compare it to yourself?"

"Now that ya mentioned it, but I thought that was just 'cause she had a super sized brain. I mean, we've already settled tha fact that she's a genius." I laid Imp back on her belly. Her head popped up an' she looked around. She was gettin good at that.

"Look, a growth spurt isn't unexpected. If she starts moving toward giantess levels, then we'll start to worry." He tickled Imp's feet, an' she kicked. "She's just a big girl--that's all." Now he made a face at her. "All the better to whip the butts of fresh boys."

"Tha second she hits puberty I'm askin Hades if we can borrow Cerberus ta keep watch on her. I seem ta recall that he has a taste fah horny guys, considerin how much he chased my ass when I was down there."

Cupid grunted. "Just remember, she's got Dite for a grandma, and us for parents. I don't think it will be possible for her to be naive for long. I mean, Bliss already knows the basics."

"Well, we'll keep her away from tha culicues fah as long as we can."

I noticed that Imp was tryin ta do somethin. At first I figured she was just exercising her right ta make a mess in her diapah, but finally decided that wasn't it. But she was sure tryin hard ta do somethin. Her little face was squooshed up inna intent look, green eyes squinted, forehead wrinkled up ta tha arrow of green-brown peachfuzz (yah, she got a widow's peak. If she was any cuter it might be lethal). She was makin tha same sorta little grunts of concentration an' effort that usually signalled a poop, too. "Cupe, look at Imp. What's she up to?"

Cupid examined her closely. Imp's head fell ta tha side. At tha same time she pushed with tha opposite arm an' leg. She turned pink with exertion. "I think she's trying to turn over." I reached toward her, but he stopped me. "No, let her alone for a minute. She has to learn to do this sometime."

"But what about her wings?"

"If she makes it, we'll only let her stay that way for a minute or two. Anyway, the bed is soft--the wings shouldn't get bent."

"Shouldn't ain't won't."

"Honey, she'll let us know if she's uncomfortable. Remember the time you accidentally poked her with a pin?" I winced. It hadn't been deep, but that wasn't tha point. There'd been a spot of blood, an' Imp had squalled like a harpie with her tit in a wringah. Add ta that tha fact that I was about a half-step from hysterical, an' it wasn't one of my bettah memories. Luckily Cupe was home. I spent an hour cryin an' shakin. Imp got ovah it a lot quicker than I did.

Imp fell back on her belly an' fussed for a second, then started strainin again. This went on fah about ten minutes. Strain, relax. Strain, relax. Strain, relax. I looked at Cupid. "Cupe, we may be in trouble. She's provin ta be a persistant lil cuss."

He kissed me. "She gets it from me. I had to keep after her daddy for ages till he finally saw the light." He suddenly smacked himself on the forehead. "What am I thinking? Or not thinking? If this is going to happen I want to record it. Where did we put that recording mirror Demeter gave us?" He jumped up an' tore around tha room, tossin stuff all ovah, babbling, "Not yet, Imp! Wait! Wait!" He finally found it an hustled back, holding up tha mirror so that tha bed was reflected in it. "0kay, sweetie, go ahead."

Don't let anyone tell ya you can't communicate with a baby. Just as he said this Imp made her supreme effort. She turned red in tha face. Her lil body bowed, her offside arm an' leg stiffened, her head jerked ta tha side, an' her body sorta followed it ovah. Blink, an' she was layin on her back, legs kickin, an', I swear, a smug look on her face.

Cupid crowed, "Got it!"

"This calls fah celebration!" I bent down, pressed a kiss on Imp's beautiful watermelon belly, an' blew tha longest, juciest, buzzinest raspberry possible. Imp gasped, then... Um... Chortled? It wasn't quite a chuckle or a giggle, but it was definitely a laugh--her first. I looked up eagerly. "Didya get it?"

Cupid beamed, tha smile splittin his face ear ta ear. "I sure did! You know that we're going to have to mount a guard over this once Dad and Mom see it."

"Maybe Heph can figure out a way ta make duplicates." I picked Imp up an' cuddled her. "Aftah all, it would hardly be fair of us ta keep such a wondah ta ourselves."

"Just think--before we know it she'll be crawling, then standing up, then walking, then flying... At least I hope she walks before she flies."

I whispahed in Imp's ear as Cupe kept speculatin on all her future milestones. "Don't be in a hurry ta grow up, honey. I'll carry ya fah as long as ya want." She nuzzled against my cheek, lil rosebud lips plantin an open, moist, baby-kiss. "Fahevah."