Open the bedroom window. The July weather had been getting the best of me, and the stock of Mr. Freeze ice-pops in the big chest freezer had gotten dangerously lower in the last week.

I jumped as an ambulance sped by the house, waking the baby. Tiny cries of a tiny life, calling out for comfort through the wireless baby monitor on the shelf. I smiled, my heart filling up with warmth as I crossed the hallway to calm my little daughter. She wouldn't go back to sleep now, I knew that much. She never did like going to sleep once she'd been woken up. It was almost as if she was afraid to miss something if she let herself drift off.

Andrea smiled and gurgled at me when I picked her up. She'd been an early smiler, at four or five weeks old, and started making happy baby noises very shortly after. She never failed to melt me completely when she started smiling and cooing, almost as if she was singing a song to me. But tonight was simple smile and gurgle, as if to say "You came to save me from the scary noises. I knew I could count on you."

I walked downstairs to the living room and turned the light on low, singing and talking to Andrea, who responded with smiles and small noises, and an occasional arm wave. Another ambulance and a police car sped by, sirens wailing, and Andrea made a small, distressed cry.

"Shh...It's ok. It's summertime and people do silly things. The police and ambulances are there to keep us safe. People get into trouble when it's hot, and sometimes people get sick because they don't take care of themselves in the heat. But those noises that you hear are good people who keep Baby and Mummy safe for the silly people. They make a lot of noise in their big ambulances and police cars so that people know to get out of the way and let them do their job."

Andrea cooed. I didn't know how much of what I'd just said she really understood, at only ten weeks old, but she held my gaze and seemed to be listening.

Maybe my little girl only liked hearing my voice, or maybe she really knew what I was talking about.

The tall fan in the corner blew softly, keeping the room cool, as Andrea and I sat together, sharing another summer midnight.