Chapter 39
The next morning, I got up early like I usually do and gave Terri a call on Skype. Before I went to bed, I sent her an email letting her know what was going on and telling her I’d give her a call around 7:00 my time which was lunch time for her. We chatted a little bit and she said she thought I was handling everything the best way possible. She make a joke that I should be getting combat pay. Before I signed off, she asked me to have Kevin give her a call when he was up and dressed. She wanted to have a chat with him after they had missed each other yesterday. I also saw that I had a text from Mrs. Dunn that she was able to get an 11:00 appointment at “Snips and Snails” for Kevin’s haircut.
Then, I hit the treadmill for about an hour. It is kind of boring compared to running outside, but as long as Kevin is laid up, I guess it’s for the best. I watched the news as I ran. The thing I was most interested in was the weather since we had guests coming that evening and I wanted to eat outside on the patio. It looked clear to me. I finished my run and then straightened up the house. It wasn’t too bad to begin with, actually, but I wanted to put the toys away and I still had the close from yesterday’s “Dress-up” session to get back in the attic.
When everything was away and the house ship shape as my grandfather used to say, I figured I should get Kevin out of bed. I went and filled the bath tub with warm water and then I walked into his room to wake him up. Every time I did this it brought a smile to my face. This time, he had kicked his sheets off and was lying on his tummy with Emmett the otter under his arm and his thumb plunged into his mouth. It has been a hot night so all he went to bed in was his diaper and a tee-shirt. I could see his diaper was totally saturated. I walked over to him and gently placed my hand on his back and gave him a little shake. “Hey buddy, time to get up!” I whispered into his ear.
“Okay, Mommy.” he mumbled back and then rolled over. I felt my heart jump when he said that.
I gave him another minute and said, “C’mon pal, got to get rolling.”
“Huh,…Oh sure…’morning Carrie.” he mumbled as his eyes slowly opened.
“Big day ahead, lets get you cleaned up. Okay?”
By now he was basically conscious and sitting up. He said, “Right, sure…um, I’m pretty wet…”
“No foolin’” I said. “Let’s get you into the bath. But first…” I gave him his morning does of anti-biotics and a glass of water. “Drink it all!” When that was accomplished,
I leaned over and grabbed him under the arms, “Upsy daisy!” I sang as I dropped him on my hip and carried him to the bathroom.
“Now,” I said, “we have an 11:00 appointment for your hair cut so we don’t have a lot of time to waste this morning. Plus, your mom wants you to give her a call after you’ve gotten cleaned up.”
“No problem.” Kevin said as I laid him on the floor and undid his diaper. He sat up and I helped him get his shirt off.
“We need to change these bandages today, I think. They are getting kind of ripe.” I told him.
He just nodded as I lifted him up and lowered him into the tub. “Can you take care of yourself this morning, or do you want some help?” I asked.
“No, I’m good.” he responded.
“In that case, I’m going to get the bandages together. Be right back. Will you be alright?” Part of my training was telling me “never leave a baby alone in the bathtub.” But Kevin isn’t really a baby. In fact, he was certainly old enough and usually mature enough to be a babysitter. So, no problem, I thought. “Call me if you need anything.” I added before I left.
I could feel him rolling his eyes. “Okay, Mommy!” he said sarcastically. My heart didn’t jump quite so much this time. I gave Kevin about 10 minutes and then came back in. “Almost done?” I asked.
“Yeah, but what about my hair?”
“They’ll wash it when you get your haircut.” I told him. “I’ll just comb it neat before we go.”
“Okay. In that case, all done.”
I let the water out of the tub and picked Kevin out, wrapping him in a nice fluffy towel.
“I was thinking, we’ll stick with the Pampers for this morning and maybe by this afternoon when the Dunns are over the infection will be under control and we can switch to pullups. What do you think?” I asked.
Kevin grimaced a bit, but said, “Yeah, that’s probably for the best.” So, I diapered him, re-bandaged his wrist and ankles and got him dressed in a pair of cargo shorts and a polo shirt. I wet comb and did my best with the unruly mop on the top of his head. When I was done, he looked presentable. “All right. You need to call your mom and I need to take my shower.” I told him. I picked him up and carried him to the computer. “I’ll see you in a few.” I said as I left the room.
I got my shower supplies together and my clothes for the day together and then headed down the hall to use the deluxe shower in Terri’s room. Ah, heaven. When I have a house, I’m getting a set up like this even if it means all my furniture comes from Ikea. I finished up and dressed myself in a polo shirt and a pair of capris. I dropped my stuff by my room and then knocked on Kevin’s door.
“Come in.” he said. Kevin was in front of his computer with a headset on smiling and nodding as he spoke with his mom.
“…Okay mom. Love you too. Do you want to say anything to Carrie, she just walked in…Oh, I’ll ask… Carrie do you need to talk to mom?”
“No, I’m good” I said as I leaned down and waved into the camera. Terri waved back with a big smile.
“She says she’s good…love you lots…talk to you soon…bye bye.” He said and ended the connection with a sad little sigh.
I smiled at him and rubbed his back. “Let’s get you breakfast so we can get going to the mall.”
About 15 minutes and a diaper change later (not a good sign) we were on the road to the mall.
When we got there the parking lot was pretty empty. The mall opens at 9:00 for senior citizen walkers and the shops open at 10:00. It was about 10:30 when we got there so most of the action hadn’t started yet. I got the wheelchair out of the car and helped Kevin in. Snips and Snails was on the second floor of that mall’s atrium, right next to the main food court. After some searching we found the elevator and rode up to a part of the mall I hadn’t been in yet. It was kind of cool. It was all kind of upscale shops that would cater to kids – A Build a Bear workshop, Lego store, Pottery Barn for Kids, Gap Kids, Baby Gap and of course, Sugar and Spice girls’ salon and Snips and Snails boys’ barbershop.
It turned out that the salon and the barbershop were the same business. There were separate entrances for the boys and girls and the boys’ side of the shop (kind of a Honey I Shrunk the Kids decor with barber chairs that looked kind of like saddles on the backs of snails) was different from the girls’ side (which was very pink and looked like something out of a Carebears cartoon.) but it was all one big shop. In the middle were some seats around a TV and some kind of cool looking preschool toys. There was also a coffee maker and today’s papers. So, we went in the boys entrance and spoke to the receptionist.
“Hi, I have an 11:00 appointment for Kevin O’Neil for a haircut.” I said
“Oh, hi!” the very bubbly receptionist said back as she looked down the list, “Yep, he’s right here. You’re just a bit early Kevin. Do you guys mind waiting in the waiting area until your barber gets in?”
“No problem.” I said back.
“Sweet. Can I get you some coffee or something?” She said to me.
“Yes, please!” I said realizing I needed some caffeine just then.
“And would Kevin like some milk or apple juice?” She asked Kevin but was looking at me for the response.
“Milk, please.” Kevin said. And I nodded.
“White or chocolate?”
“Oh, Chocolate please” Kevin replied. The young woman looked at me and I nodded again.
“I’ll bring it right over!” she said.
