#hollababy

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"Can you say cucumber?" Shane leans forward on the handlebar of the shopping cart, enunciating the word clearly so Emiliya can see his mouth move.

"Cucucu!" she babbles excitedly.

"Cucumber," Shane repeats.

"I can barely say this," Ilya mumbles, dropping a bag of heirloom tomatoes in the cart. "Two times it's cu and it's not pronounced the same."

Shane gives him a grin and Ilya briefly pinches just above the waistline of his shorts.

"Papa," Anastasia taps her hand against Ilya's hip, "Can we get strawberries?"

"Only if you say it in Russian," Ilya replies and she frowns at him, then rolls her eyes.

"Klubnika," she says, then dashes off to grab the biggest basket she can find.

"Will she eat all of those?" Shane asks. Ilya just raises his eyebrows at him.

Anastasia doesn't enjoy a lot of fruits and vegetables due to their unpredictable nature, but strawberries are one of her safe foods and have been since she was tiny. She has to get her vitamins somewhere, Shane thinks. Their pediatrician says it's not a big deal and that kids, even with a restrictive diet, usually get their nutrients. It does still make him feel a bit queasy about her well-being.

"Grab blueberries for your sister," Shane tells Anastasia; Emiliya squeals when she hears the word blueberries.

Anastasia looks around critically, squinting. They let her. Grocery shopping with two children takes forever, but they have nothing but time.

"Where are they?" she eventually asks.

"Read the signs, baby," Shane encourages her. She squints again, trying to read, but he can tell she's growing frustrated now.

"Daddy, help, please," she eventually whines, reaching out for him.

"Come." Shane beckons her over, then takes her hand. Ilya grabs the handle of the shopping cart, making a funny face at Emiliya, who giggles in response.

They find the blueberries together, and Anastasia picks out an equally as large container of blueberries. Their monthly berry budget must be crazy. Luckily, Shane thinks, they're in the fortunate position of being able to grocery shop without checking their account balance first.

"Emmy will like these," Anastasia declares.

"Do you think so?" Shane asks, getting a nod in return.

"Heck yeah!"

It bring a grin to his face; at least she has stopped saying fuck yeah.

"Look Emiliya, your favorite," Ilya says in Russian. Emiliya squeals and claps when she sees the big bucket, then immediately reaches for it.

"Look, you getting those for her made her so happy," Shane tells Anastasia; she gives him an excited smile. They've been doing this for ages now; her therapist recommended verbalizing and explaining emotions.

"Yes, she's laughing!" Anastasia says, then reaches for her sister. She's only just tall enough to grab her leg, so she plants a kiss on Emiliya's knee, which makes Emiliya giggle.

Shane catches Ilya's eyes, and they exchange a smile. Sometimes, the girls are in a horrible mood, getting into fights, breaking stuff, hitting and biting each other, not sleeping. It's hard.