Joanne came into the master bedroom and approached the white plastic crib that sat at the foot of the bed she shared with Philip. He was presently working with something in her office, and to a degree, while he had his own business interests and ideas, he was more than happy to help with many of the administrative tasks that related to her fashion company. It was all helpful and further let Joanne work to set things right between herself and her daughter, Nicole, who'd married Philip's father, Lars. It made for an interesting family dynamic, but it was something that Joanne felt was working rather well. Particularly as things for her had changed of late.
The changes of late was the arrival of her new children, a male and female. They were darling Fennec Fox Animalians with the same cream-colored fur as their parents. The male, Donovan, and the female, Ramona, were fresh and friendly, though they also tended to remind Joanne of the fact that infants often had different sleep schedules from their parents. But their cuteness and Lars and Nicole being supportive also made up for some of those changes and helped drive Nicole forward to not repeat the sort of controlling mistakes she had made in raising Nicole. It thus made for a happy family and something that Joanne was also quite willing to continue working at that, and that included providing space for Animalia Ambassadoria to meet and hold sessions, even though Miles had graduated from WSA and was now at college.
As Joanne reached into the crib to lift up Donovan, who was giving a few soft yips as he called for food, and which both Joanne and Philip had found sounded different from when they had diapers to clean. She smiled to him and glanced with another eye to see that Ramona was awake but seemed more content to practice rolling over in the crib and pulling the blanket around her. Joanne smiled and this did feel good and she was happy, and it was a happiness she hoped she could share and give back to the community that had managed to restore her relations with Nicole and helped her get over the mental issues that had nearly led to her death. Helping with Animalia Ambassadoria would do that, but for now she was more focused on the kit presently yipping in her arms and reaching for her chest with his little cream furred fists.
"So... I sense you're hungry little one," Joanne said to Donovan, who yipped back, "and maybe one day you'll be interested in Animalia Ambassadoria..." She then paused and moved to sit down on the bed while undoing the buttons on her shirt, "but until then... I'm happy just to have you as part of my family."
Her mind soon drifted off to when Donovan and Ramona were born.
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Joanne found herself giving some very contented sighs in the Horizon Light maternity ward as she felt both Donovan and Ramona nurse from her. The feeling of her milk flowing seemed to also connect her to the two kits presently getting their much needed food after being born. The labor was long and still hard, though not entirely as hard as it had been with Nicole many years ago. Of course, Joanne also figured that with her hips now being much wider than they were when she gave birth to Nicole, some things, like giving birth would be easier.
"They're precious, mom, simply precious," Nicole spoke politely from the foot of the medical bed that Joanne was in and with Lars standing beside her. "Though the nurses kinda fluffed their fur up a little bit."
Joanne looked down and noted at both kits. Their ears weren't yet as proportionately big as the rest of the family of Fennec Fox Animalians, and they sat limply down on top of their heads as they nursed. The biggest thing to note at present was that the fur on their backs was a bit ruffled in various directions, a result of some of the rubbing that had been done to dry and clean them after Joanne had managed to push each kit out of her. The birthing fluid had them wet and that needed to be cleaned and dried, and that left things going a bit in every direction. It wasn't the prettiest look, but Joanne found herself accepting that. After all, in time they'd be brushed and ready and something within Joanne new that.
"I'm sure we can brush them once they've gotten their first meal consumed," Philip commented, "assuming I can get full feeling back in my hands by then."
"Oh, I didn't squeeze you that hard," Joanne teased back, "and besides... you look strong enough that you can take it... and I'm sure Donovan will keep you tested as he grows up. Something tells me he'll be built like his father and grandfather."
"And will make all the vixens swoon when he grows up," Nicole added.
"I'd be more content with a loving family," Philip said as he took one hand and nuzzled the back of Ramona's head with it and then the back of Donovan's. Neither kit stopped their nursing, but did offer some soft yips at the physical contact with their father. Philip paused to look over to his father and his mother/daughter-in law "and that would include everyone."
Joanne nodded and smiled back at that. It was something that she wanted and wanted as a way to recover from the mistakes in the past. Having Lars and Nicole there showed that the relationship with her eldest daughter was much better now and seeing Philip smile reinforced her drive to be better. And raising Donovan and Ramona represented a new shot at that. She'd been discussing something with the head of her staff on things they could do to be friends with the kits when they were born and thanked him again for all that he and the staff had done when her labor hit. Philip was then quick to come, and they got her to the hospital where after several hours, she gave birth to the twins. By that point, Nicole and Lars had arrived. The pain of labor hurt, but just having her family there made her feel good and that was what Joanne wanted to keep feeling.
"And we will be a loving family," Joanne smiled to Philip and then looked to Lars and her daughter, "and I'd hope that you two will also be there... to be family too."
"Of course, mom," Nicole replied, "just remember to let these two be themselves."
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"And you and your sister will be you," Joanne mused to herself as she felt Donovan begin to suckle for his afternoon feeding.
"Hmmm?" came a male voice making Joanne look up to see Philip come in.
He was presently in some of his workout clothes and was removing the light jacket that he'd been wearing while outside.
"Lars and I finished with our workout for today," Philip spoke, "and I thought I heard you say something..."
"That our kits will be them," Joanne answered with a small smile, "and that maybe in the future they might get interested in Animalia Ambassadoria."
"Could be," Philip smiled and looked down into the crib, "though Ramona will have to unwrap herself before getting onto the show."