Chapter 94 - Lots of News

                                    

                                          
If Kuchel was identical to Levi on the outside, she was the purest copy of Hange on the inside.
Within just a few days of life, she had shown to be a very extrovert and charismatic baby, although it was still too early for her to start smiling like a normal human being.
The first days were pretty challenging, because, despite already having Lara as a daughter, now Hange and Levi were "half" first-time parents, and everything was very different when it came to a newborn baby.
Levi, for example, took at least a whole week to finally feel safe enough to hold her. He would still give a silly smile when he gazed at Kuchel in his arms, as if Levi couldn't believe the baby was really there. He had also become much stricter in cleaning the house and if he spotted a tiny dust on the floor, Levi would already take the broom, leaning on the crutch. When it was his turn to change her diaper, it looked like he was going to face a radioactive field, such amount of cloths Levi would wrap around his face to avoid the stink.
Hange was dealing with maternity as best she could, for she knew it was not a bed of roses. Her mood still swung a lot and Hange was feeling quite exhausted from having to wake up in the middle of the night to breastfeed. However, it was clear on her face how delighted she was to finally have the baby she had dreamed of. Incredible as it may seem, now Hange had a much sharper sense of hygiene because of the baby, even having times when she would bathe twice a day, which can be considered a miracle. After about two weeks of rest, Hange started to feel much better and was now getting back to her normal activities.
Lara and Kuchel seemed like blood sisters, so well they got along. The baby would grip her older sister's fingers and squeeze them tight, while Lara read some children's stories from some books she had bought, and they slept together on the couch. Lara worked very hard to help her mother with whatever was needed, such as washing and ironing Kuchel's clothes so that everything was as clean as possible. Lara was also in charge of bathing the baby, and often the two of them would stay together in the bathtub, with Lara affectionately wetting Kuchel's head with the handheld shower at a nice cozy temperature.
Armin was a special case and seemed to have the gift of babysitting. For some reason, he could identify all of Kuchel's types of cries, knowing exactly what she wanted. The teddy bear he had given her became the baby's best friend, and she would only sleep with it in her crib. Kuchel was very restless and always seemed to fight sleep, as if she was facing the biggest Titan ever at every time it was nap time or at night. Hange, Levi, and Lara would try everything to make her sleep, but only Armin could do it, which resulted in him being woken up in the middle of some nights by a desperate Levi with dark circles, begging him to make Kuchel sleep.
When Kuchel was a month old, she was finally able to receive some visitors. Onyankopon and his parents went to visit her and Imani was surprised at how well the baby breastfed. On another occasion, Sasha, Niccolo, Connie, Jean, and Mikasa also paid a visit, bringing some very useful presents, such as diapers, bottles, newborn toys, and even some tiny clothes.
Everyone held her a little in their arms (only Connie couldn't quite make it, for he thought the baby was going to jump out of his arms and crash on the floor at any minute, and gave up). Just like she did when she was still in the womb, Kuchel continued to show that she was very fond of Mikasa, crying out loud when Mikasa wanted to give her back to her mother, making her have to hold Kuchel for at least another ten minutes. At one point, Lara poked Armin and they noticed how Jean gazed at Mikasa and the baby with a twinkle in his eye and a silly, passionate smile. Mikasa didn't seem to notice, for she was too busy, shyly playing with the tiny baby's hands.
Time went by and Kuchel was growing up strong and healthy. When she was three months old, Sasha and Niccolo got married, inviting Lara and Armin to be their bridesmaid/groomsman. The newlyweds moved to a small apartment they rented downtown, which was close to the Headquarters and the bakery where Niccolo worked. Sasha's parents also moved into a smaller house they bought, making the temporary home available to another refugee family.