✅ Over Protected

48. Baby Enjoys her Lifestyle

This bonus chapter is thanks to Uwigi. Thank you!

When I woke up in the morning, I could stretch out in bed and wiggle my toes. It felt funny as a little breeze managed to creep under the bottom of my blanket, and that was enough to amuse me for several minutes. I could laugh at the tiny rainbows on the wall as well, where the sunlight managed to sneak through at the very edge of the blinds to be refracted by the little plastic pull on the end of the chain.

I knew there was more to think about than just the movement of air and the sparkle of the morning sunlight, but I was too little to think about it. I knew that my diaper was wet; that was no surprise now. And I knew that I was feeling the tail end of all the fuzzy-headedness that must have made my dreams so happy and fun. I knew that Mummy would have some plans for the day ahead, but I had given up trying to predict those plans a long time ago. I just didn't need to know, and so long as I was feeling just a little babyish, I could choose not to think about it and put those thoughts out of my mind completely.

A part of me was excited to know if I would be going to see Lyra today, or if she would be here. Maybe we could play out in the garden while the sun was so warm and friendly. Penny might come to be a babysitter, or to be the baby. Some days, Mummy could find time to look after me and show me so many wonderful new things, and some days Sarah and Scott would be the ones looking after us. I'd gotten used to it now, with Scott always arriving just a few minutes after mMummy went away to work. But depending how many big girl thoughts were left in my brain, I might not even realise she had gone. It was wonderful on the days I couldn't think at all, and I was free to just react to everything going on around me.

I wondered if I could go to school, too. That would be a different kind of fun, trying to learn things and showing off how clever I could be. A little part of me was sure that wouldn't be the case; it was summer now, and I was vaguely aware that school had ended for the summer break, but I still knew that anything could happen. I was still too giddy to let facts stand in the way of my excitement, or to be sure about anything at all.

"Morning baby!" Mummy said as she came into my room. "Are you all happy? Looking forward to meeting some new friends?"

My eyes widened and I nodded vigorously. I really wanted to meet more new friends, and I would have been just as cheerful and excited no matter what she told me was happening.

"That's good. But let's get your soggy bum changed now. Okay? We need to have a little talk this morning, and then we can have a lot of fun this afternoon. I think you should have more friends, so let's see how well you can get on with other babies. Okay?"

I nodded again. I might have started to realise that I got excited about whatever Mummy offered when she asked me if something was 'okay', just like it was only natural to call her Mummy and not any longer words. My mind was changing, but on the rare moments were I even realised that, I usually didn't let myself think about it for long. It just made things more fun for me, and helped me to trust Mummy more.

Mummy carried me over to the changing table with a little grunt of effort, which made me laugh again. I didn't know why it was funny, but today was one of those mornings when everything felt so fun, and I knew that I would have fun no matter what she was talking about. So while she unfastened my diaper and cleaned me up with those wipes, I could just cuddle Reggie and laugh at the stars on the mobile over my changing table.

When she took me downstairs and managed to get me into my little high chair, I thought I must be the luckiest baby in the whole world. I had so many wonderful things in my life, and a caring sister sitting next to me as well, ready to help out. And I did need a bit of help with breakfast. My hands didn't quite move how I wanted, and it was easy to make a mess. But she was there to wipe the porridge off my face, while I just laughed and tried my best to get some of it into my mouth. Over the last few months, this had become a new kind of routine. Sometimes I was aware enough to watch Sarah's expressions, and to worry if she was doing too many chores now that I was barely capable of anything; but since Scott had starting her out on his occasional visits, I knew that she couldn't have been happier.