I put my hand on Kevin bottom. He was soaked and the diaper had leaked just a little. I patted him on his back and said, “Time to get up, buddy.”
He woke up suddenly, “How’d I get here?” he asked somewhat disoriented.
“I carried you up here last night after you fell asleep. Don’t you remember?”
“No. Not at all.”
“It’s okay, you seemed pretty beat” I said. “How’s your head feel?”
He shrugged, “fine I guess. Why?”
“You weren’t feeling well when I put you to bed last night. We need to get you cleaned up and dressed.” He reached up and I leaned down for him to wrap his arms around my neck and then I swooped him up and carried him into the bathroom.
Once again, the pad went down and I began our ritual, but this time I said, “Kevin, um, I think I need to help you with your bath this time.”
“What? How come?”
“The first time I changed you yesterday, I noticed that you didn’t do a very good job with some of the parts you can’t reach. If you’re in a shower the running water takes care of it for you, but in the tub, you have to do it all, um, manually. Not your fault at all, but we can’t have it.”
“I’ll try harder,” he said.
“Kevin, sweetie, I’m sure you tried your best yesterday, some parts are too hard for you to reach, especially with a bad wrist. I promise you, it won’t be that bad…Okay?”
“Okay,” he mumbled.
“Just be a sec.” I said and stepped into my room and pulled off my Keds, my yoga pants, and my tee-shirt and emerged wearing my swimsuit. (It was one piece from when I was a lifeguard the previous year.)
“What’s up with the bathing suit?” Kevin asked.
“I’m not getting my clothes soaked.”
“I bet you’d look good in a bikini.”
“I bet you’re right, but you’ll have to wait until we get to the beach to find out for sure.”
I filled the tub, tested the water and when it seemed good, I went back to Kevin and removed his diaper and carried him to the tub. I eased him into it and said, “Okay, you get started, and I’ll finish up with the parts you can’t reach.”
Kevin looked kind of shy and embarrassed during this, which I thought was pretty funny considering all that I’d been doing with him the last few days. But, nobody every said that little boys are rational.
While he was washing himself, I chatted with him about TV and movies and books he liked. I looked at the wall over his head most of the time, which I think made him a bit more comfortable. Then he said, “I think I got everything I can.”
“Okay, let me see.” I said as I walked up to him “Not bad, not bad. Let’s see about your back.” And then he splashed me, soaking the front of my swimsuit and he burst into giggles.
“Why you little…” I said and I began to tickle him. By the time the splashing and the tickling had finished, I was soaked, the bathroom was a mess, and Kevin was exhausted. “Somebody deserves a smacked bottom!” I said.
Kevin stuck out his tongue at me and with both started laughing again.
I soaped up the wash cloth and cleaned the back of his neck and then down his back. Then I said, “Let’s take care of your hiney, okay?” I took the wash cloth and soaped it up and cleaned his backside. He was the brightest shade of red I think I’ve ever seen on a human being. “There,” I said, “all better. I think we need to do your hair, too.”
When we were done and I had Kevin dried and in a clean diaper, I said, “we’re staying in today. I think you’ll be alright with just a tee-shirt on over your diaper.”
Kevin looked at me for a moment and then shrugged and said, “Okay…I’m hungry, can we eat?”
“Sure thing,” I responded, “just let me get this mess cleaned up and I’ll take you down for breakfast…and a surprise.”