Thomas knew he had gotten smaller, but the knowledge of his loss of teeth was a devastating revelation. He couldn’t have eaten regular food if she had given it to him!
His mother proved to be an efficient and thorough feeding attendant; when the layer of oatmeal became too thick on his lips and lower face, she scraped the sides of his mouth and chin with the edge of the spoon and fed him the scrapings. Then she returned to feeding him until the bowl was completely empty. When she had finished, both the bowl and his face were almost completely free of any traces of oatmeal. Aside from a tan smear of liquid porridge that covered the area around his lips all the way down to the bottom of his chin, the only evidence that he had just eaten was the messy, drip-streaked bib that adorned his chest and bulging belly.