Gen 1 Ch 7: DNA

Arthur was just coming to terms with being a father of three now, when he noticed Kaitlin staring off into space. That look could only mean one thing.
"Are you thinking about your next experiment already? Please don't tell me you want to make another clone, we have our hands full as it is!"
"Oh no Artie, not a clone. There is one more question about genetics that I absolutely need to answer."

And as always when Kaitlin needed help with her research, Arthur was happy to oblige.

It seemed the experiment was well on its way to success! Arthur was excited to become a father yet again. He loved the three green bundles of joy as if they were his own, but expecting his and Kaitlin's own genetic offspring was a whole new adventure.

He was just a tiny bit concerned about Kaitlin's parenting skills.
"Teddy! Teddy!"
"Yes Bloom, this is how the ancient Egyptians preserved their dead. Normally the flesh on a dead body rots until there is nothing left of it, but using various herbs and ointments they managed to stop the decaying process."
"Te... teddy?"

Kaitlin's belly soon started to grow at an alarming rate.

Arthur calmed his nerves by occasionally venturing out into the wilderness around their home. He met a stray cat, and hoped to adopt it.

It would be nice to have a pet for the children to play with once they grew - to give them some semblance of a normal life.

He even bought a special garden gnome said to attract stray cats. Apparently it contained some special pheromones.

The cat had other plans however and proceeded to shred the newspaper on the porch with its sharp claws. When it then went on to destroy the gnome itself as well, Arthur gave up on his idea of adopting the stray.

Kaitlin never even took notice of Arthur's failed attempts at befriending the cat. She was too absorbed in devouring all the available reading material on pregnancies, as well as taking her own, much more detailed notes.

"Arthur, come here for a moment and talk to the fetus. Apparently it is beneficial for the development of the brain."

The pregnancy seemed to be quite exhausting to Kaitlin - she didn't even sneak out of bed at night for a while. It was a blissful time.

When the big day finally arrived, Arthur was prepared. He had borrowed a police cruiser from work to take Kaitlin to the hospital as quickly as possible, with sirens and all. Kaitlin, being her usual excitable self even during labor, had a blast!

And finally they welcomed baby Bismuth to their family!

 Time passed, and the parents of four watched happily as their children grew like weeds. Well, Bloom and Broccoli did at least.

Beryllium grew to become an undeniably extraterrestrial toddler. She was the sweetest little girl though, and had everyone wrapped around her little finger instantly with those huge, charming eyes.

Just like her older brothers, she just had a knack for learning.

As bloom aged into a child, he took to sleeping in his mother's laboratory.

He said he slept best when he was in the little indoor garden, and Kaitlin took note of that excitedly.

Bloom seemed to take after his father, in that he loved to paint outside on the deck.

The first painting he created was something to hang over little Beryllium's crib.

 He was such a loving older brother!

It surprised both Kaitlin and Arthur when he came home from his first day of school with a frown on his face. He wouldn't say what happened, but having endured years of merciless teasing himself, Arthur knew it could only be worse for the little green boy.