It couldn’t have been an hour before Molly returned to the Fair Daycare, but the 2 people there when she dropped her husband off were not the same.
“Hi, here to pick up Jasper.”
“We are scrambling a bit, and you are?”
The exchange took just a minute as they checked id photos and confirmed.
“He’s over there, and his stuff is in locker 12. Would you mind collecting him, I can check you out in about 5 minutes. Thanks.”
Molly walked over to where she pointed but didn’t notice her husband anywhere. All she saw was a few cribs lined up against a wall and a little girl rooting through a toy box.
“Where are you Jasper?” Molly softly said virtually under her breath as she leaned on one of the cribs, not realizing there was a little guy sleeping in it.
He was an adorable little baby, just lying there in his unsnapped yellow onesie, baby bottle hanging out of his mouth, knees bent so his little tush was sticking up in the air, plastic pants on display.
Molly just stared at him, then the stare turned into a gaze, she started to giggle at recognizing her husband.
A stunned Molly snapped pictures and video of little Jasper napping in a crib. These images of her adult husband would be the perfect rendition of a baby at naptime.
Smiling at his earlier complaint about her suggesting he might not yet be 3. She wondered how he might feel now? Had he grown tired of being such a little guy, especially now that he had been put in a daycare crib? How would he react to her other news?
Letting Jasper get a few more minutes of sleep, she grabbed the diaper bag then returned to get her little boy.
Molly knew she need to get him out of here.
One of the vendors had been selling children’s clothes, so Molly picked up some 4T pants with a stretchy waist and the only shirt that might fit. I was a terrible shirt, light green with a big yellow cartoon duck on it. Only a 3T and a small one at that, it looked like it was too small, but it was that or nothing close to working.
Molly removed Jasper from his crib and stood him up for a quick diaper check. Fortunately he was still dry after his little nap. Mommy dressed her zone out child. Then packed his diaper bag and signed him out.
Buckled into the car seat moments later, “Mommy thinks we should go out to eat baby”
In spite of being walked to the car, Jasper was not fully awake, so was non-responsive.
It was only 5 pm when they pulled into the Noodle Factory.
“What are we doing here?” Jasper asked.
“Mommy thought we should eat out tonight.”
Jasper had developed a fear of being out in public. The trip to the fair was embarrassing. Everyone treated him like he was a baby and he is a big boy. “Mommmy….Do we have toooo…” he whined.
“Yes dear. We will have fun.”
Pulling him out of the car and standing him on his feet, she hoped the now alert little boy didn’t notice that his shirt didn’t quiet reach his waist or that the pants did little to hide the bulge of the plastic and diaper beneath, but there was no need for such a concealment, the pants couldn’t hold high enough not to reveal the top of his plastic pants.
As Jasper walked he soon became aware of the bulk and realized he had a distinct waddle, which embarrassed him.
“Moommmyy” he whined lifting his arms in that universally understood way children beg to be picked up.
Molly recognized the absurdity of the situation. Here he was concerned he looked like a tot because of his gate, now asking to be carried which made him look more like that very toddler.
It was quiet the sight. Molly carrying boy and his accessory bag. His bottom raised high enough so his stature was not clear to all.
Early dining was domain of the young and the old.
The plate of noodles was a joy to watch Jasper attempt to eat. He stood on his chair and within minutes seemed to be using his hand to get the fork to hold the noodles. The futility of the fork finally was realized moments later. He then tried eating with just his hands.
Molly was entertained by his infantile display. Not happy with what she needed to clean up, but that would come later, she marveled at what no one would mistake as anything other than a toddler trying to feed himself. Fortunately he wore the massive bib that all the kids seem to wear. That didn’t save his hands or hair.
“Baby, do you want mommy to help?”
“I do it.”
“You let me know.”
Jasper pause for a moment and Molly picked up on the cue.
“Are you sure?”
Jasper was kind of hungry and this was messy and he was wanting to eat. “Mommy help.”
“What are the magic words?” Molly could resist playing with him.
Jasper was momentarily confused magic words he thought to himself what could she mean? Then it dawn on him “Oh Please mommy feed me”
“Oh course baby, and you asked so nicely.” She wipe off his hands a bit first and given the seating, had little choice, but to pull him over and seat him on her lap. As she did she did a double take and stuck a finger into his pants. “Baby did you know you made tinkles in your pants?”
“I not a baby.”
“Of course not, lot of big boys make tinkles in their pants. Now let’s eat.” Molly fed Jasper the rest of his dinner while he sat nicely on her lap.
“Are you enjoying the day?
“Mostly” Jasper answered.
“Are you a little embarrassed?”
Jasper just nodded.
“I think that is what it was like to be little. So that would probably be a normal thing for a 4 year old.”
Jasper thought about it for a moment. She was probably right, but that didn’t change anything. “Are you enjoying this?”
“Oh yes, very much. It’s nice to see what it would be like to be a mom and to get to play with a little boy. Now, how about we go change that diaper?”
Jasper was caught off guard. He had totally ignored his diaper and now that humiliation was front and center.
Molly paid, then took him by the hand to the ladies room and stood there behind two people already changing their little ones.
Jasper was uncomfortable. Standing in a soaked diaper in a ladies room, his discomfort was hard to hide.
No sooner had Molly reach into the diaper bag and produced a set of plastic keys which Jasper quickly began to mouth to comfort himself, then a woman walked in, kneeled down and struck up a conversation with Jasper.
“Well hello there young man.” Then stood and said hello to Molly.
“Hello.”
“I’m Maria Schmidt I run Sunny Smiles Daycare.” She was standing there also waiting, but she looked to be waiting her turn to one of the stalls. “He is an adorable young man.”
“Thank you” Molly replied
Maria leaned over to again address Jasper “So, how old are you young man.”
Standing there the size of a 4 year old but looking every bit like a large 2 and a half to 3 year old, Jasper held up 4 fingers and said nothing.
Maria smiled, not really believing the little tyke. “Why aren’t you a big boy.”
Soon Jasper was for the second time today, strapped down on a changing table. Playing with his plastic key, Molly began removing his pants, only to have Jasper attempt to help, attempting to kick them off.
“Stop that Jasper.”
“No!”
“Stop it now.”
It was too late. The pant flew off one of his legs and right into the opening for disposing of trash. Not just any trash. It was right there at the changing station, so that was where all the dirty diapers were being disgarded. A hole in one.
“Now look what you have done.” Molly gave jasper’s diapered bottom a sharp smack.
The padding on Jasper’s made sure it couldn’t possibly hurt, but the shock of the moment stunned him.
“Now hold still.” Molly commanded.
The lady at the other station turned to her and commented. “Boys will be boys”
“Yeah and mine is always a handful, I wonder if he will ever grow up” Molly smiled at the irony of her own comment, as she returned to the diaper change before attempting to retrieve those pants.
Freshly diapered with that nice clean baby smell, Jasper lay there in his ducky shirt and diaper, while Molly failed to see how she could get those pants back.
“You really did it this time. So now we have no pants for you.”