Just as they entered the house, Alex’s stomach rumbled.
“Aw, is mommy’s little girl hungry?” Mrs. Moon asked. Alex’s stomach rumbled again. “I’ll take that rumbly tummy as a yes. Don’t worry, I’ve got just what you need.” Mrs. Moon carried Alex into the kitchen, along with the bags of supplies. She set Alex on her hip and began to dig through the bags. “Where is it…ah-ha!” She pulled out a jar of baby food.
“What? No, mom, that’s gross!” Alex whined.
“It was your favorite when you were this little before. And more importantly, it’s what your little tum can handle.” Mrs. Moon grabbed a little spoon, popped open the baby food, and sat down in a chair with Alex on her lap. “Open up, Alex.”
“No.”
“You’re hungry. Eat,” Mrs. Moon said firmly. She pushed the spoon into Alex’s mouth. Instinctively, Alex swallowed. To her surprise, she actually did enjoy the taste. “See? I told you this was your favorite.”
“It’s not that bad, I guess,” Alex mumbled. Despite pretending to not really care, she eagerly opened her mouth for the next spoonful. Before she knew it, half the jar was gone. Alex opened her mouth for another bite, but it didn’t come. “No more?”
“Sweetie, you need some diversity in your diet,” Mrs. Moon said patiently. “Now, if you’ll wait here, I’ll get the rest of your lunch ready, okay?” Alex nodded. Her mom set her down on the chair. “Don’t move. I don’t want you to fall down.”
“Okay.” Alex watched curiously as her mom pulled a few things out of the bags and then turned around, busying herself with something that Alex couldn’t see. Her stomach, still not quite full, rumbled. “Mom?”
“I know, you’re still hungry. I’m almost done.” After what felt like ages, Mrs. Moon finally turned around, holding a baby bottle full of formula. “All right, time for baby’s baba!”
“What? No, I’m not drinking-”
“It has all the nutrients you need,” Mrs. Moon said, walking back over. “And I’m not exactly lactating right now.” She sat down and put Alex on her lap. “Not like you’d breastfeed from me anyways.” She shoved the nipple of the bottle into Alex’s mouth. Once again, instinct took over and Alex began to drink. She guzzled hungrily, emptying the bottle in a matter of seconds. “Good girl!” Mrs. Moon held Alex over her shoulder and burped her.
“Now what?” Alex asked.
“Well, I have to do one thing real quick.” Mrs. Moon stuck a finger down Alex’s diaper, making her daughter yelp in shock. “All right. Still clean.” She smiled at Alex. “Since you don’t need a change yet, we can skip right ahead to what I was thinking we’d do.”
“Which is?”