One evening, mommy and Mark went to visit her best friend Emma. First there was nothing unusual about the visit. Mark was placed on a rug with Leona, Emma's daughter, who was two weeks older than him. They weren't really old enough to communicate or play together, but Mark liked visiting Leona as she had toys and picture books he didn't have and he had the chance to explore a place outside his home - although today he realized her parents had set up a playpen with a high fence that the two babies couldn't even dream of crawling across.
Mommy picked him up and gave him a big kiss. "Bye bye Marky, be good for Aunty Em and Uncle Joe! I'll come get you while you sleep so you'll wake up at home tomorrow." With another kiss, she handed him over to Emma. "See you at 10.30! And thanks again!" she said.
"No problem! And remember, if you need more time he can sleep here till the morning."
"No matter what it goes like, I don't think I could survive a whole night without Marky yet." Mommy replied.
"OK, have fun!" Emma said. Mommy waved goodbye, and Emma waved back with Mark's hands, making him laugh.
So this was it - his first time being watched by someone else. Mark had suspected something like this was coming because Mommy had been pumping more milk than usual for some days, and during their last visit here she'd refused to breastfeed him. Emma had fed him Mommy's milk from a bottle instead, which he had reluctantly accepted. Of course he missed his Mommy already, but she deserved some space after all those months of caring for him all the time. She was probably on a night out with friends.
Mark explored the playpen and tested the taste and feel of several of Leona's toys until the babies were picked up for dinner. He drank his bottle in Emma's lap, while Leona sat in her highchair and got spoon-fed orange mush by Joe, her dad.
"Does he not eat solids at all?" Joe asked. "No, he's exclusively breastfed. Even the bottle is pretty new for him." "But he's also 8 months, isn't he?" "Nearly. Jesse said she wants to do baby-led weaning, but apparently he's not interested in any food yet."
Of course Mark didn't want to eat anything but Mommy's milk, why should he?
"Jesse is such an attachment mom, she doesn't even own a stroller. He's in the sling wherever she goes." Emma explained with awe in her voice. "Except when she's on a date, I guess." Joe replied. DATE? Mark couldn't have heard right, Mommy would never drop him on a friend to go on a date. Emma laughed. "Yep. I was really surprised she's dating. I hope it goes well, she sooo deserves some love..."
Shocked, Mark choked on the milk. He caughed, gagged and threw up half a bottle of breast milk on himself and Emma. Emma's "Oh no!" was the last thing he heard before he started bawling.