Saving Grace: CH 28 (10/4/24)

[BabySofia]

7 hours ago, CCApril said:

No pink, no princesses and no cartoons.

Poor girl, losing out on the best things! 

It was the right decision not to do that. Maybe someday they'll correct that of her own accord though! 

7 hours ago, LGGrace said:

With me flying home for a week later this week, this will be the last chapter I post for about two weeks.

Completely understand, hope you are able to come back and post soon after that though! Enjoy the trip home. 

I enjoyed the chapter, I would have been completely overwhelmed with that much family! And more is to come...? I hope she's got more patience than I do! 🙂

[LGGrace]

9 hours ago, CCApril said:

Grace should be happy. They went easy on her room. No pink, no princesses and no cartoons..

I think they did too, but a nursery is a nursery, we will just have to wait and see how see reacts.  I do think that the overtly girly and boyish nurseries are going out of style nowadays.  If it is any consolation, there will be Disney princesses on her purple pull-ups!

2 hours ago, BabySofia said:

It was the right decision not to do that. Maybe someday they'll correct that of her own accord though! 

Completely understand, hope you are able to come back and post soon after that though! Enjoy the trip home. 

I enjoyed the chapter, I would have been completely overwhelmed with that much family! And more is to come...? I hope she's got more patience than I do! 🙂

We will just have to see how far she can be pushed into girly things.  She is going to be the brake while Marley and Katie are the gas.

Thanks, I think it will be fun other than the 7am flight. 

Thank you, I keep forgetting that most people don't have large families.  I made her family a lot smaller than my own, but it is probably still big to most.  Just counting my parents (and step), siblings (and step), siblings-in-law, nieces, and nephews, there are 25 of us.  A small family gathering to me is less than 20 people and I have had family reunions where there were up to 400 people!

[BabySofia]

13 minutes ago, LGGrace said:

Just counting my parents (and step), siblings (and step), siblings-in-law, nieces, and nephews, there are 25 of us. 

🤯

13 minutes ago, LGGrace said:

A small family gathering to me is less than 20 people and I have had family reunions where there were up to 400 people

That's what my grandparents generation was like. We've had some family reunions on my grandmothers side that were like that. Their generation did a pretty big exodus of their home area to where few stayed there. They spread out from Florida to California and up to Oregon. On my other side they had a large family, but my grandfather left their home area and went south, so not as much opportunity to meet them. 

Yeah, not going to lie, I would feel completely overwhelmed and lost in your normal gathering! Have fun! 🙂

[LGGrace]

33 minutes ago, BabySofia said:

That's what my grandparents generation was like. We've had some family reunions on my grandmothers side that were like that. Their generation did a pretty big exodus of their home area to where few stayed there. They spread out from Florida to California and up to Oregon. On my other side they had a large family, but my grandfather left their home area and went south, so not as much opportunity to meet them.

My family has lived in the same county since the 1880s or more if you count my great-grandmother who was Cherokee.  Luckily, for the sake of the gene pool, my generation is starting the exodus. 😆 I don't know how many times I have met a stranger just to find out we are distantly related through marriage.

44 minutes ago, BabySofia said:

Yeah, not going to lie, I would feel completely overwhelmed and lost in your normal gathering! Have fun! 🙂

They can still be overwhelming to me, but there is no shortage of entertainment.  My uncle built a banquet hall that can seat 100 people just so we can easily have family gatherings.

[Kaiko-chan]

She's back home now, how she's ready to be fawned over.  

[APhil]

On 8/6/2024 at 7:27 AM, LGGrace said:

With me flying home for a week later this week, this will be the last chapter I post for about two weeks.  I may have some alone time at night to do some writing, but I doubt I will be able to post the next chapter any sooner.

Don't stress yourself if you can't write or post then don't, we get a great story for free. We know what's going on so don't worry. Have a great time

[LGGrace]

7 hours ago, Kaiko-chan said:

She's back home now, how she's ready to be fawned over.  

😆, we will just have to see how much fawning she can stand.

4 hours ago, APhil said:

Don't stress yourself if you can't write or post then don't, we get a great story for free. We know what's going on so don't worry. Have a great time

Thank you! The story may be free, but writing this story has been very therapeutic for me.

[LGGrace]

I survived my trip home!  Luckily, I didn't get stuck in Atlanta where my layover was due to Hurricane Debby last week.  Overall it was a good trip, got to spend time with friends I have not seen in over a year and family I have not seen since Christmas.  I got cuteness overload from seeing 4 out of the 8 of my nieces and nephews.  Definitely was not used to the humidity,  it wasn't too hot but the heat index was around 105.  Spend all day Monday and Tuesday doing yard work at my house getting it ready to go on the market that I was not used to.  Fingers crossed, with the city I used to live in being one of the hottest markets in the US, I should have it sold and closed on by early October.                                                                                                                                                                              That being said, tomorrow is a rest day for me, so I should have the next chapter posted this weekend!

[Craisler]

Glad to hear everything went well.  I’d be somewhat surprised if your house didn’t sell faster.  I have two friends who sold their houses in what I’d call record time. 

[LGGrace]

Sorry for the delay, I think I had a stomach bug from traveling last week.  It was a good thing that I had plenty of diapers and pull-ups handy.  I am not a big fan of going number 2 in my diapers, but they sure did help me out a few times. 😆 This chapter also is a lot longer than any of the other chapters so far that I was not planning on.

Chapter 26 (Revised)

Looking back and forth between the crib and the changing table, I said, “Uhh, do I really need a crib and changing table?  I understand that the doctor said I needed safety rails on my bed but couldn't it be a normal bed?”

My mom looked at me with sympathy and said, “Sweety, I’m concerned that when you get more mobile, with what the doctor said about the changes to your brain, you may decide to get out of bed in the middle of the night and you could hurt yourself.  That is why, until we know the full effect this has on you, you are not allowed out of bed.  If you decide to get out of bed in the middle of the night, I will put the crib rail back on.”

Pouting, I asked, “But what if I wake up and need to go to the bathroom?”

“Sweetheart, you have yet to have a dry night since you woke up from the coma or a nap either.  That is why there is a changing table too.  Like I promised, your sister picked up a box of pull-ups for you and we will start potty training tomorrow, but I don’t see you not needing diapers if you are sleeping.  If you can get daytime potty trained and are starting to wake up in the middle of the night and needing to go, we will look at changing the rules for you then, but for now, just go in your diaper,” my mom replied, then pointing at the dresser, she said, “If for some reason you do need something during the night, there is a monitor on the dresser.  All you have to do is call for me or your father and we will come check on you.”

Not thrilled by my new sleeping arrangement, but with knowing how protective she was of us when we were kids, I was not going to change her mind today.  Grumbling, I said, “OK.”

Marley lightly bounced me in her arms and said, “Look on the bright side, you now have an in-house maid and butler.”

I just rolled my eyes as she laid me on the changing table.  I then blushed when Marley pulled down my leggings and pushed up my shirt.  My mom placed a new diaper and wipes beside me on the changing table as Marley was untaping my diaper.  When she pulled the front of my diaper down, she stated, “Well, you're definitely all girl now.”

I just turned my head towards the wall and quietly replied, “Geez, thanks for reminding me.”

“Marley, we told you to be sensitive when it comes to all of your sister’s changes,” my mom scolded.

Marley responded, “What, I was just saying.  It is one thing to be told your brother is now your sister and another thing to see it.”  She then looked at me and said, “Sorry Grace, I figure it is still taking a lot to get used to.  I would probably freak out if I woke up tomorrow morning with a penis, but … it would make public restrooms a lot easier to deal with.”  Smiling, she then said, “Ooo,  I would probably mark all of the trees in the backyard just because I could.”

“Marley!  Either finish changing your sister’s diaper or I will.  You can have your Freudian commentary afterward,” My mom exclaimed.

Huffing, Marley said, “Fine,” and started wiping me with baby wipes.  She then pulled the wet diaper from under me and replaced it with a dry one.  After taping the diaper around my waist she tickled my stomach and said, “You do have a cute little belly now.”

I just rolled my eyes again as she pulled up my leggings thinking, ‘I sure hope she goes back to Atlanta soon or my eyes are going to roll out of my head.’

As Marley was picking me up and placing me on her hip, I watched as my mom threw the used diaper away in a diaper pail that was tucked away on the other side of the changing table.  Marley turned to the door and said, “We better get back downstairs, since everyone is here to see you.”

I was swiftly carried down the stairs and into the den with my mom following behind us.  Marley reclaimed her seat on the couch with me sitting in her lap. 

I just looked around as everyone made conversation.  I was just looking at the faces of my family as they made simple small talk about what they had been doing or planning to do soon.  I want to contribute to the conversation, but with the hospital being my home for the past nearly two months, the only things on the horizon right now are doctor visits and potty training, all subjects that I do not want to bring up. Everything changed for me now, but at the same time, everything remained the same.  No matter what is happening in my life, life must go on for everyone else.  Charlie and Ellis grew more and looking over at Granny, I could see she was just a little more frail since Christmas.  I could hear Marley's voice project over me.  I wonder how our relationship will change, she has been more affectionate to me today than in our entire lives.  Of course, we hugged each other before and would tell each other that we love one another, but she just changed me out of a pee-filled diaper without a second thought and to my own embarrassment. 

I looked over at Stanley and could see he was the same but with maybe a few more gray hairs. We locked eyes and he smiled.  He got up and picked me up out of Marley’s lap.  Marley said, “Hey! I was holding her.”

As Stanley placed me on his hip, he said, “You can’t hog her,” and with a smile, “Sharing is caring,” and walked back to the recliner and settled me in his lap to where I could see his face.

I looked over and heard Katie say to Marley, “You can hold Charlie,” and passed him over to her.

I looked back at Stanley when he asked, “Are you happy to be home now?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess so.  I mean everything is different and the same.  I mean other than having the indignation of having our little sister change me and try and baby me, it has been better than the hospital,” I replied.

Stanley responded, “I see where you are coming from.  When I used to work on the road for months before marrying Katie, it was always weird when I would come home.  You probably felt the same when you returned from Arizona the first time.  This is just a lot more extreme.”

I nodded as he continued, “Well, I can see how having our sister change your diaper could be embarrassing.  As far as the babying, if she gets too far out of line, just let me know and I will get back at her.”

“And how do you plan on getting back at her?” I asked.

Stanley replied with a smile, “Oo, I don’t know, I may go with the classic; hold her down and fart on her head.”

Giggling, I asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be a responsible father of two?”

“Hey, I’m responsible.  But I also have a duty as the big brother to first be protective of her and when I don’t have to be protective of her, I have a duty to annoy the pure tea shit out of her at any chance I get,” he said with a chuckle.

Laughing now, I said, “I will let you know if I have to take you up on that offer.”

Pausing for a moment, he asked in a serious voice, “Mom and Dad told me that you've been really struggling with all the changes.  How have you been holding up?”

“Uh, I guess better than before, but it’s still humiliating.  I mean, just this morning, I thoroughly crapped my pants in the middle of the airport and then had to be changed in a busy woman’s bathroom as random women walked by as Mom was wiping poop off my butt,” I replied.

Stanley said, “Yeah, that would be pretty embarrassing, but you are a little cutie and no one thinks that you are too old for diapers.”

“Yeah I know, but it's different knowing it and experiencing it,” I said.

He responded, “If it helps, just think that you get the honor of being able to moon everyone without getting in trouble.”

I gave him a questioning look as he continued, “Do you remember when we were kids and when on vacation in the mountains in North Carolina?”

I replied, “Yeah.”

He said, “Do you remember that the cabin we were staying at had a train track nearby that had one of those tourist trains that would come by every morning?”

Knowing where he was going with this, I replied, “Yeah.”

“Well, we figured out what time the train would come by every morning, and one morning we mooned an entire train full of tourists who thought they were just going to take in the beautiful scenery of the smoky mountains,” he said smiling.

I responded, “Hey! That was your idea and you talked me into it.”

“Maybe so, but you sure thought it was funny after the fact,” he said.

I just rolled my eyes and said, “I don’t think this is the same thing and mom yelled at us when she found out.”

Before he could respond, I looked over to see Ellis trying to climb up and say, “Daddy.”

Stanley leaned forward and pulled her up so that she was sitting on the other side of his lap.  She looked at me and as she was pressing her body against Stanley’s, she said, “My Daddy.”

Stanley chuckled and said, “Don’t worry Ellis, Grace isn’t going to steal me away from you.”

Ellis just grunted and buried her face into his chest.  I placed my hand on her leg and said, “Ellis, I’m not going to take your Daddy away from you.  Your Papa is my Daddy.”

She lifted her head off of his chest and asked, “Papa?”

Stanley replied, “Yes sweetheart, Papa is Aunt Marley’s, Aunt Grace’s, and Daddy’s Daddy.”

Ellis smiled and said, “OK,” then slid off his lap to go back to her toys.

Stanley exhaled, then said, “Grace, don’t get any smaller or cuter or Ellis is going to get very jealous of you.  You are already a little smaller than her.”

Looking at my lap, I said, “I wish this was the smallest I would get, but the doctors said that best case scenario, I will stop at twenty-one months old.”

Stanley wrapped his arms around me and said, “Don’t worry, you will help Ellis get used to sharing me.  With Charlie either sleeping or attached to Katie’s boobs most of the time, she has not had to have the full experience yet of having to share her Daddy.”

“Yeah, she's definitely a Daddy’s girl,” I somberly stated.

After Stanley released his embrace of me, I looked over to see that Aunt Sandy was standing beside us.  She smiled and said, “I have to get going but I will see you tomorrow.”

She then picked me up out of Stanley’s lap and as she was hugging me, said, “I will get some cuddling time with you tomorrow.”

Blushing, I said, “OK.”

I then see my Grammy standing by us holding her cane.  She smiled, gave me a kiss on the cheek, and said, “I love you sweetheart, and will see you this weekend.”

I replied, “I love you too.”

Then Katie walked over holding Charlie.  She also gave me a kiss on the cheek and said, “I’m glad you're home, I will see you in a few days.  We need to get going, so I can get dinner ready.”

I replied, “Me too.”

Aunt Sandy sat me down on the couch.  I could hear Stanley saying to Ellis, “Go say goodbye to Aunt Grace, we need to go home now.”

I watched as Ellis walked over to me and climbed up on the couch beside me.  I wrapped my arms tightly around her and said, “I love you, Ellis.  The next time I see you we can play together.”

She hugged me back, and said, “Yay, we play!”

I replied, “Yep, we play,” as I kissed her on the cheek.

She let go of me and as she was sliding off the couch, she said, “Bye-bye Aunty-Uncle Grace.”

I couldn't help but smile as her toddler brain was probably working overtime trying to make sense of all this.  I watched as everyone walked out of the den with both my mom and Marley following them to help out.

As I was sitting there, my mind drifted back to when I got the news of her birth.  I was walking out of class when I was at Georgia Tech when I got text messages from both my mom and Stanley.  That weekend I drove back here as soon as I could to meet her.  The first time I held her in my arms was both one of the happiest moments in my life and also one of the scariest moments too.  She was so small and fragile.  And then moving to Arizona, it took everything I had to not bawl my eyes out when I had to say goodbye to her.  I was able to visit her all the time beforehand, but now I would miss out on seeing her grow up.

I smiled at the thought when Stanley tried to make fun of me for crying and Katie came to my defense and told me he cried like a baby when he held her for the first time after she was born.

Then the realization hit me, I will never be able to hold Ellis again.  Tears welled in my eyes at the reality of my situation.  I should have never gone to ASU or I would have been able to hold her in my arms more before all this bullshit happened.

As tears were rolling down my cheeks, I looked up at my mom asking, “Grace, it’s almost … what’s wrong sweety?”

As a sob escaped my lips, I said, “I will never be able to hold Ellis again.”

 My mom immediately lifted me in her arms as she said, “Aw, sweetheart.”

I buried my face into her shoulder as I clung to her shirt.  She held me tight and started to rub circles into my back.  She whispered in my ear, “It’s going to be alright, Grace.”

My voice, muffled, shot back, “NO IT’S NOT.”

My mom kissed the top of my head and continued to rub my back as Marley asked, “Why is Grace upset?”

“She's upset because she can’t hold Ellis anymore,” my mom replied in a low voice.

I then felt Marley’s hand as she ran her fingers through my hair and then she kissed me on the top of my head.  My mom sat on the couch and after a few moments turned me in her arms so that my head was resting in the crook of her arm.  I looked over and could see that Marley was sitting beside her looking at me with a concerned expression on her face.  I looked away since I didn’t want her to see my tear-stained face.

My mom spoke up, “Grace, sweetheart, can you look at me?”

I looked up at my mom and after she looked into my eyes for a moment, she said, “You know, there is this saying, that there will always come a time when you set your child down for the last time.  Before you got sick, that time came for Stanley, then you, and finally Marley where I could not hold y’all again.  It was not until after the fact, that I realized that.  In your case, it just came earlier than expected for Ellis.  You were never the most excited when it came to babies before Ellis, but I could not have been more proud of the loving uncle you became for her.  She could have not asked for a better uncle in her life.”

Continuing, she said, “Things may be different now, but you can still be there for her and Charlie too.  You will not be able to do the same things for them now, but I still could see how caring and loving you were to them today.  You can still be the caring little aunt who can play with them and give them advice as they get older.  Can you do that for me?”

Sniffing, I quietly replied, “I will try.”

My mom kissed me on the forehead, and said, “Thank you, sweety,” then turning to Marley, she asked, “Can you grab some tissues for me?”

Marley got up and after she walked off, my mom smiled and said, “Don’t tell your sister, but you are Ellis’ favorite between the two of you.”

I couldn’t help but crack a small smile as Marley walked back in and handed the tissues to our mom.  My mom wiped my face and held the tissue up to my nose for me to blow.  After my face and nose were clean she said, “Well, it is getting that time again for dinner for you, I’m going to go get everything ready.”

I nodded my head as she moved me into Marley’s lap.  Marley grabbed the remote and started flipping through channels, then stopped on some reality TV show.  A few minutes later, our mom came back in with an I.V. pole and a full feeding bag.  She set it up next to us, then gave me a syringe of nausea medicine and hooked up the bag to my feeding tube.  She said, “I’ll be upstairs if y’all need me,” as she walked away.

I continued to watch what was on the TV and after about five minutes of watching trashy people with money argue and fight, I finally had enough and looked up at Marley and asked, “How do you watch this garbage?”

She smiled and replied, “I mainly turned this show on for you.”

I gave her a questioning look, and then she said, “This is the cheapest and easiest form of therapy.  I always feel better about myself after watching an hour or two of shows like this.”

“I guess I see your point,” I replied.

She responded, “Another thing about these shows is, that no matter how much money you have, it doesn’t take away your problems and you can’t buy class.”

With a giggle, I replied, “So true.”

The doorbell rang, Marley lifted me up, and sat me beside her on the couch, and as she was getting up, she said, “I’ll save your spot.”

I just rolled my eyes at her.  A minute later I heard the front door close and Marley shouted, “Mom, dinner is here.”

I watched as she walked by with a take-out bag, she looked at me and with a wink, said, “Don’t go anywhere cutie.”

I just sighed and settled into the corner of the couch.  A minute later, my mom walked by and said, “Let me know if you need anything, we will be in the kitchen for a little bit eating dinner.”

I replied, “OK.”

About ten minutes later, I felt pressure build in my stomach.  I looked up and saw that the feeding bag was only about two-thirds the way empty.  I cursed at myself as my body started to push and the back of my diaper started to fill up.  My bladder decided to empty at that moment too.  When my body finally stopped, I was left dazed as I sat there with both the back and part of the front of my diaper was full of poop.

Breaking out of my fog, I called out, “Mom?”

“Yes, sweety,” my mom shouted from the kitchen.

I replied, “Uh… I need you.”

A moment later, she walked in and asked, “What’s wrong honey?”  I could then see that she could smell what was wrong as she said, “Oh, your feeding bag is almost empty.  You will need to wait and by that time, Marley and I will be done eating and I can give you a bath.”

I pouted and responded, “Fine.”

She gave me a sympathetic look before going back to the kitchen.  I sat there and stewed as I could feel the contents of my diaper start to get more sticky and dry to my skin.  My mom and Marley walked in right when my skin was starting to itch and get irritated.  My mom said to Marley, “Can you start a bath for Grace while I get her cleaned up.”

Marley replied, “Sure,” as she headed upstairs.

My mom quickly disconnected the bag from my feeding tube and flushed it.  As she picked me up, she said, “A nice bath will make you feel better.”

She carried me up to my room and I cringed as she sat me on the changing table with my legs hanging off.  She took off my shoes and socks, then pulled my shirt off and tossed everything on the floor in front of the dresser.  She laid me down on the changing table and pulled off my leggings, leaving me in just a very messy diaper.

She grabbed a tub of wipes from under the table and then opened my diaper.  I could see that my mom was doing her best not to make a face, but I didn’t need to look down to know it was bad.  She began to use wipe after wipe and after what seemed like the whole tube was used, she pulled the dirty diaper from under me and balled it up.  As she was throwing the diaper away, she said, “I’m going to have to put some rash cream on you tonight, your bottom is a little pink.”

I nodded my head since it seemed rhetorical, as she picked my naked form up and placed me on her.  She carried me past my brother’s and sister’s rooms and into the bathroom.  Marley was sitting on the toilet with the lid closed looking at her phone, the bath was drawn with bubbles, and the one big difference in the bathroom was that there now was a white plastic training potty with a light green seat and lid next to the toilet.

My mom lowered me into the tub where the water went up to my belly button.  I, for once, was grateful that Marley decided to go the more juvenile route, with the bubble bath, since there was a layer of bubbles covering my lower half.  Marley looked up from her phone and with a smile, said, “I hope you enjoy your bubble bath tonight.”

I just glared at her as my mom dumped a cup of water on my head.  My mom replied, “Don’t antagonize your sister, Marley.”

“What, I still try to have a bubble bath once every week,” Marley replied.

While dumping another cup of water on my head, my mom said, “That may be true, but I’m pretty sure this is Grace’s first bubble bath since she was about six or seven.”

I looked at Marley and said, “That’s probably true, and I probably have had more baths in the past week than I have had in my entire adult life.”

Marley smiled and said, “Well, welcome back to the good life of baths.”

As my mom began to massage shampoo into my hair, I shut my eyes and simply replied, “Ah-hu.”

My mom asked, “Marley, what time are you leaving in the morning to go back to Atlanta?”

“Unfortunately, I have to be on the road by seven to be at work on time.  Which sucks, since I’m going to miss the little cutie in the tub trying out her new potty,” Marley replied.

Without even opening my eyes, I just flipped her off.  I heard her giggle, then said, “What, it’s not my fault Grace that everything you do is just so stinking cute.”

Pouting, I opened my eyes as my mom started scrubbing my upper body with a washcloth and told her, “Can you wrangle your daughter on all the cute crap?”

My mom giggled, then said, “Well, your sister has a point, but Marley, you need to give Grace a break.  She is adorable, but if her I.Q. test means anything, she is probably the smartest person in the room right now.”

As my mom leaned me forward to scrub my butt, Marley replied under her breath, “Yet, her biggest attribute that could be weaponized is being cute.”

At that point, I didn’t know if I should blush or glare at her, so I just did my best to ignore her last comment.  My mom then asked, “Grace, do you want to soak in the tub for a little while or are you ready to get out?”

Not wanting to be naked in front of my sister more than I had to, I replied, “I’m ready to get out.”

My mom then pulled the plug on the drain and after cutting on the faucet, started rinsing me off with cups of warm water.  Once the water was drained and I was free of suds, she wrapped a towel around me and lifted me out of the tub.  She sat me on the bathroom counter, then took a blow dryer and brush and started blow drying my hair.  After about five minutes of getting blasted with hot air, my hair was dry.

My mom then said, “We haven’t been doing this since we didn’t want you to get sick and you have not been eating anything, but it is probably best to start brushing your teeth again.”

I said, “OK,” as my mom pulled out a small toddler toothbrush and squeezed what looked like pink bubble gum-flavored toothpaste onto it.  She handed it to me and I started brushing my teeth.  I was struggling with trying to get my hand to move the toothbrush over all of my teeth, but I was still able to get it done.  I handed the toothbrush to my mom and she handed me a small bathroom cup that took both my hands to hold.  I took a sip and swished it around in my mouth, before spitting into the sink.  While handing the cup to my mom, I smiled into the mirror, then it dawned on me.  What happened to my teeth?  Did they shrink like my bones?  If I am supposed to be around two years old, did I lose my secondary molars?

As my mom lifted me into her arms, I asked, “Did my teeth shrink or something too?”

As she was carrying me out of the bathroom, she replied, “I guess with everything going on after you woke up from the coma, your teeth were a footnote.  Actually, all of your adult teeth fell out and new baby teeth grew in to replace them.”

As she set me down on the changing table, she said, “It was over a two-week period, and we had to check for loose teeth multiple times a day to make sure you didn’t choke or swallow them.”

As she unwrapped the towel, she noted, “You can add to the list that you are the first person to have three sets of teeth in your lifetime.”  She then turned to Marley who had followed us and asked, “Can you pick out a set of pajamas for Grace, they should be in the dresser.”

My mom then took some rash cream, rubbed it all over my diapered area, and taped a diaper around my waist.  As she was rubbing lotion all over my body, Marley walked over holding what looked like a white cloth with small pink and purple hearts all over it.  Mom grabbed it out of her hand and said, “These are cute.”

My mom fed my feet in one end and as my arms were being pulled through the sleeves, I figured out it was footed pajamas.  I looked down as she was buttoning all the snaps that ran up each leg and up the middle to my neck.  As the last snap was buttoned, I stated, “Of course Marley would pick this for me to wear.”

Marley smiled, picked me up, and said, “Yep and you are as cute as a button in your little hearts onesie,” as she bopped my nose with her finger.

My mom interjected, “It would not have been my first choice for you, but your sister has a point.”

I just groaned as Marley bounced me on her hip and said, “Let’s go downstairs and watch TV until you're ready to go night-night.  I saved your spot for you.”

I just rolled my eyes as I was carried out of my room and I could see that mom was left standing by the changing table just shaking her hand.

We made it down to the den and Marley grabbed the remote off the coffee table, sat in the recliner, and settled me in her lap.  After reclining back so I was just about laying on top of her, she started flipping through Hulu, then started up an episode of The Bear.  I watched as our mom came down and took the empty feeding bag into the kitchen.  A few minutes later, I watched out of the corner of my eye, as she came back in with a bag of fluids and picked up the I.V. pole to carry up to my room.  I was only passively watching the show since I had already seen this season, but I did see my mom come back in and take a seat on the couch.  By the time the episode was ending, and the next one was starting, I was starting to get tired and having a hard time keeping my eyes open.

Marley gave me a little nudge and asked, “Are you getting sleepy?”

All I could do was nod my head.  She turned me over in her arms so that my head was resting on her upper chest, then started rubbing my back with one hand and had the other resting on my bottom.  A few moments later, with my eyes closed but not asleep yet, stated, “It’s hard to believe that this little thing falling asleep in my arms is my older brother.”

My mom replied, “It sure is, but be gentle with her.  She is still having a hard time with everything, so try not to baby her too much.”

“I will do my best, but she is not making it easy on me,” Marley responded.

My mom said, “I can believe it.  Your Dad and I are having a hard time not thinking she is you when you were a toddler.”

“I was really this cute when I was a baby?” Marley asked.

My mom giggled and said, “Yes, you both were.  Other than the age gap, y’all were clones of one another but of the opposite gender.”

“So, if we are in public together, people would think that I am her mommy?” Marley asked.

My mom replied, “Without a doubt, but if you try and mommy her, be prepared for her to pitch a fit.”

Marley giggled and I felt my bladder release as Marley said, “Do worry, I won’t do that to her.”  I then felt her pat my bottom and said, “I think she just wet herself.”

My mom said, “Probably so, let's get her to bed.”

I could feel Marley get up with me in her arms, with my head resting on her shoulder, I was fast asleep before I made it to bed.

 

 

[Kaiko-chan]

I wonder how much longer till the babying starts.

[LGGrace]

19 minutes ago, Kaiko-chan said:

I wonder how much longer till the babying starts.

I have some foreshadowing coming up soon, but you will have to wait and see how much babying will take place.😁

[zzzz50]

3 hours ago, LGGrace said:

“Yeah, other than having the indentation of having our little sister change me and baby me,” I replied.

I think this should be indignation instead of indentation, took me a second to figure out! Big words for a 2 year old.
 

Another great chapter, no doubt the babying will intensify especially as she gets smaller. Just wait until they need to have a sitter!

[Craisler]

And bawl instead of ball. 

[kerry]

6 hours ago, LGGrace said:

Yeah, other than having the indentation of having our little sister change me and baby me,” I replied.

indignity?

6 hours ago, LGGrace said:

cutting on the fault

??? Is this some expression I've never heard?

 

[LGGrace]

6 hours ago, zzzz50 said:

I think this should be indignation instead of indentation, took me a second to figure out! Big words for a 2 year old.

You are correct, thanks for the catch.  Yes, her vocabulary is big for a 2-year-old, she should probably laid off the Baby Einstein videos! 😀

6 hours ago, zzzz50 said:

Another great chapter, no doubt the babying will intensify especially as she gets smaller. Just wait until they need to have a sitter!

Thank you!  I do have a chapter planned for her having a babysitter and without any spoilers, she will throw a fit over it.

3 hours ago, Craisler said:

And bawl instead of ball. 

Thanks for the catch.

2 hours ago, kerry said:

??? Is this some expression I've never heard?

I had to have some choice words with my editor on missing that one. 😆  It was supposed to be faucet.

[BabySofia]

Awww, she's adorable! Glad to see an update today! 🙂

[Craisler]

It seems to me that Grace is a rather passive character in this story.  Everything seems to be happening to her and around her.  There are very few instances of Grace taking the initiative or expressing her desires.  The changes in her brain so far would make her more emotional and less inhibited.  I can imagine her feeling more vulnerable in her current condition, but given her accumulated experience and intellect, I'd expect her to be more assertive in expressing her wants and needs.  In her position, I'd vocally express my objections to being trapped in a crib until someone lets me out.  At a minimum, I'd think she should be allowed the freedom of entertaining herself in her room by reading or working on her computer/iPhone/iPad.  The way things play out in this chapter, she seems to be losing more and more of her freedom and independence. 

[LGGrace]

1 hour ago, BabySofia said:

Awww, she's adorable! Glad to see an update today! 🙂

Thank you!  I was awing myself at the mental image of her hugging and kissing Ellis when I was writing it.

39 minutes ago, Craisler said:

It seems to me that Grace is a rather passive character in this story.  Everything seems to be happening to her and around her.  There are very few instances of Grace taking the initiative or expressing her desires.  The changes in her brain so far would make her more emotional and less inhibited.  I can imagine her feeling more vulnerable in her current condition, but given her accumulated experience and intellect, I'd expect her to be more assertive in expressing her wants and needs.  In her position, I'd vocally express my objections to being trapped in a crib until someone lets me out.  At a minimum, I'd think she should be allowed the freedom of entertaining herself in her room by reading or working on her computer/iPhone/iPad.  The way things play out in this chapter, she seems to be losing more and more of her freedom and independence. 

I agree with your take on her being passive.  Like her, I'm pretty non-confrontational IRL until I reach my breaking point. Without giving any spoilers away, she is the frog in a pot of water that is being slowly heated to boiling point.  I will say, in the next chapter, she will have a lot more freedom as she starts potty training. 

I will make a note to myself when I revise the whole story.  I should have done a better job of explaining what she was thinking in this chapter.  She just got home from having her life turned upside down and she is seeing that, for the most part, life for everyone else has gone on without her.  I may make the revisions tonight since I should be able to convey this with a few key paragraphs and lines.

[Craisler]

Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying the story.  No one could ever really know how they’d act in a situation like this.  I just think that a 27 year old adult would likely be more assertive about their intellectual need to be treated like an adult and having a say in how their life will unfold.  Since getting home, it sure seems like she’s being treated more like the toddler she appears to be rather than the 27 year old she actually is and her needs, desires, and thoughts are being treated as increasingly irrelevant and subordinate to those of the adults around her.

[LGGrace]

1 hour ago, Craisler said:

Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying the story.  No one could ever really know how they’d act in a situation like this.  I just think that a 27 year old adult would likely be more assertive about their intellectual need to be treated like an adult and having a say in how their life will unfold.  Since getting home, it sure seems like she’s being treated more like the toddler she appears to be rather than the 27 year old she actually is and her needs, desires, and thoughts are being treated as increasingly irrelevant and subordinate to those of the adults around her.

I really appreciate the feedback.  The revisions I'm working on are something that I think needs to be added to the story.  I agree, we will never truly know how we will react.  The part of this chapter that did not take a big stretch for me was her reaction to not being able to hold Ellis again.

[LGGrace]

I have made some revisions to chapter 26 last Saturday.  Thanks @Craisler for your feedback, it made me realize that my internal dialog was lacking in that chapter.  Once this story is complete, I still plan on making some revisions once I get some more writing experience under my belt, but I don't see any major plot points changing.

The fall semester has started for me this week.  I still plan on trying my best to post a chapter a week.  I would like to have this story completed by late spring or early summer next year.  With this story shaping up to be over 300K words, we still have a lot more story to come!

Chapter 27

I woke up to someone picking up my arm.  I open my eyes to see my mom pushing a syringe into my I.V.  As she sets my arm back down, she sees that I am awake and with a gentle smile, said, “Good morning, Grace, how did you sleep last night?”

I stretched my arms and legs and replied, “Good, I guess, I don’t even remember going to bed.”

As my mom was connecting the feeding bag to my feeding tube, she said, “I bet so.  You were hard and fast asleep when Marley put you to bed.”

Awake enough now to take in my surroundings, it was one thing to see my new bed and another to be lying in it.  With the crib railing to my right and the toddler railing to my left, the whimsical stars and moons on my sheets and pillow, and the teddy bear that Ellis picked out for me in the hospital in the corner at the foot of my bed; it gave no illusion to the toddler that I appeared to be.

My mom said, as she was pulling down the sheet, “Let’s get you out of bed so that we can go over the plan for today.”

I nodded my head as she lifted me up and my now swollen diaper squished against her forearm that was supporting my rear end.   She grabbed the I.V. pole with her other hand, then walked across my room to the rocking chair in the corner.  The chair creaked as she sat down with me in her lap.

After a moment of sitting in silence, with only the sound of the creaking of the rocking chair, my mom spoke up, “Grace, after your feeding bag is empty, I’m going to change you out of your diaper into a pull-up.  You probably saw the training potty in the upstairs bathroom, but there is also one downstairs in the guest bathroom if you are down there.”

Pausing, she took a deep breath, “I know you’re still smart, and what I am about to tell you, you may think is beneath you, but I potty trained you once, and also your brother and sister.  Your body is that of a twenty-four-month-old and it is rare to get a child potty trained by that age.  I was only able to get your brother mostly potty trained by that age, but it is still possible.  On top of that, you are still dealing with being sick and the effects of being in a coma.  Being in the coma as long as you were would still cause full-grown adults bathroom problems.  I’m saying all this, to let you know that if you do have any accidents today do not be too hard on yourself.  Are you ready to hear the plan?”

Hesitantly, I replied, “OK.”

“After I change you, we are going to go to the bathroom, and I want you to try and go.  Then, every forty-five minutes, I am going to take you to the bathroom.  If you need to go in between, by all means, go, but let me know.  You're a girl now, so I’m going to show you how to wipe and I want to watch you a few times to make sure you are cleaning yourself properly.  One thing you have to worry about more now is UTIs.  From my own experience, having a UTI is not fun and I want to make sure you know proper hygiene.  And the last thing is, no pants.  It is only you and me today, so you have no reason to be embarrassed.  I want you to have every opportunity to make it to the bathroom in time and pants will get in the way of that,” she stated.

I thought over what she said for a moment.  Most of it made sense, but I was not a fan of her no-pants policy.  I asked, “Can I wear some shorts or something?”

She gave me a sympathetic look, then replied, “I’m sorry sweety, it’s either a tee shirt or a short dress, and it's just for today.  And it is just me here so no one will see your pull-ups.”

Pouting, I replied, “I guess I will go with the tee shirt,” since I definitely was not up to wearing a dress yet.  I know dresses are in my future since I agreed that this was my best option, but not today.

My mom gave me a kiss on top of my head and said, “I know this can’t be easy, especially for a twenty-seven-year-old, to have to experience this, but I will always do my best to protect your dignity in public.  Anything I do for you is because of your physical limitations, not your appearance.”

Still pouting, I reluctantly replied, “OK.”

The room fell silent, other than the creaking of the rocking chair, as my mom gently rocked back and forth.  I looked around my room and from what I could see, it looked like my mom unpacked my laptop and it was sitting on top of the bookshelf along with my phone and its wireless charger.

After sitting in silence for fifteen minutes, my mom spoke up, “Well, other than potty training, what do you want to do today?  You can have some alone time in your room with your laptop and phone, or you can watch TV downstairs.”

Alone time, I had not had a second to myself since my parents showed up at the hospital.  Jumping at the opportunity, I responded, “Can I just spend some time up here on my laptop?”

“Certainly,” she replied with a smile.  She looked up at the now-empty feeding bag and said, “Let's get you ready for the day.”

She disconnected the feeding bag from my feeding tube, then the fluids from  my I.V.  Getting out of the rocking chair with me in her arms, she said, “Let’s get you out of the wet diaper.”

She laid me down on the changing table, then took a syringe out of her pocket and flushed my feeding tube.  She stripped me out of my pajamas, then untaped my diaper and wiped my skin free of urine.  After throwing the syringe and diaper away, she lifted my naked form off of the table and then set me down on the ground.  Looking at the shelves underneath the changing table, they were now fully stocked with stacks of diapers, pull-ups, tubs of wipes, lotion, and rash cream.  She took one of the purple pull-ups off the top of one of the stacks and then opened it up.

Kneeling down she asked, “Try stepping in for me?”

I took my right foot and was able to guide it into the leg opening, but when I tried to bring my left foot in, I lost my balance.  Before I could even react, she caught me with one arm, then helped guide my foot the rest of the way before pulling it up to my waist.  I looked down and couldn't help but internally sigh at the image of a smiling Bella looking back at me.

She stood up and with a smile, said, “Let’s get you a shirt to wear.”

She walked over to the dresser as I followed her, then after opening up one of the drawers, pulled out a tan-colored tee shirt.  She pulled the shirt over my head and then helped feed my arms through the sleeves.  Looking at the front of the shirt, it had a cartoon owl on the front with captions above reading, ‘I’m a Hoot,’ above it.  The hem of the shirt just made it down to the top of my pull-up with my arms beside my side.  I wanted to complain, but it could have been a lot worse if my mom decided to complete the princess ensemble with a pink or purple princess shirt and it is not like there are much better options for someone of my size.

My thoughts were interrupted by my mom saying, “Alrighty, Grace.  Let’s go try and use the potty.”

My mom started walking out of the room and as I followed her out, I asked, “Do you have to call it the potty?  I am not really two.”

My mom paused for me to catch up, then replied, “No, I probably shouldn’t for your sake, but it is a force of habit and I will do my best to not call it that.  Just ignore me if I do.”

I nodded as I walked in front of her into the bathroom.  My mom said, “Just go and sit down and see if you can go.”

With my legs already getting tired, I pushed past my embarrassment, pulled down my pull-up, and gently sat down on the training potty.  I looked up to see my mom standing next to me and she said, “Try and go for a few minutes, if you can’t go, we will try again later.”

I nodded, then looked back down at the tile floor in front of me and did my best to block out the thought that my mom was standing over me and watching.  I struggle to get my brain to signal to my body to relax my bladder.  Since waking up, every time I wet myself, I was already at the point where my body took over with no input from my brain, but to actually try and go was almost foreign to me and my new body.  I didn’t feel like I needed to pee, but after what felt like forever, but most likely, a minute or two, I was able to release a stream of urine into the toilet.

Since I was in diapers since all the changes, I was a little taken aback by the difference in my urine stream now.  I mean, a couple of my exes have used the bathroom while I was also in the bathroom getting ready, but I never really paid close attention.  My mom used to take both Marley and me into the bathroom stall when we were little, but her being my younger sister, I would look away.  I couldn’t help but internally laugh at my five-year-old self because I thought that all girls peed out their butts at the time.

I was pulled from my thoughts again, when my mom asked, “Are you all done, sweety?”

I looked up and replied, “Yeah, I think so.”

With a wadded-up piece of toilet paper in her hand, she reached down and wiped me.  I blushed as she said, “I know you know this from changing Ellis’ diapers, but I want to reiterate that you always wipe front to back.  Also, make sure that you wipe well between your vagina lips, OK.”

With my face beet red, I nodded my head.  She dropped the piece of toilet paper between my legs into the potty, helped lift me up to my feet, and pulled my pull-up up from around my ankles.  With a pat on my bottom, she said, “Go wash your hands while I empty the potty.”

Walked over to the vanity and saw that my mom must have put a small step stool in front of one of the sinks this morning.  I gingerly got up on the stool, but still had to stretch to reach the faucet to turn on the water.  Another task was getting to the soap.  I had to reach with both hands and pull the soap dispenser to the edge of the counter so that I could get a pump of hand soap.  As I was rinsing the soap off my hands, I heard the toilet flush.  My mom walked over and grabbed the hand towel and handed it to me to dry my hands off.

She then said, “Let’s do something about that bedhead.”

She grabbed the brush that was sitting on the counter, then brushed my hair and pushed it behind my ears.  Playing with my hair, she said, “You have enough hair for a short ponytail now.”

She then gathered up all of the hair that was on the top of my head, held it in a high ponytail, and said, “If your hair is getting in your eyes too much, we can always do a half ponytail, I always thought this was a cute hairstyle on Marley before her hair got long enough for more styling options.”

Looking at myself in the mirror, I replied, “Hard pass, I look like a pineapple.”

Giggling, she responded, “Maybe so, but a cute pineapple.”

I rolled my eyes, as she continued, “Well, I could get you some hair bands too.”

As she let go of my hair and made sure it was tucked behind my ears, I replied, “I like that option better.”

I hopped off the stool, as my mom said, “I’ll pick some up for you when I go shopping Saturday morning after your dad gets back.  He should be back tomorrow afternoon, he said, he should make it somewhere around the Mississippi-Alabama border tonight.”

I said, “OK,” as we walked out of the bathroom.  Right before I was about to walk back into my room.  I stopped at the top of the stairs.  It being my first time actually standing at the top of stairs at my new size, I found it to be daunting at best.  I might as well have been standing at the top of a giant set of benchers.

My mom said, “It probably goes without saying, but do not go up and down the stairs on your own.  Just call for me if you want to go downstairs.”

I looked up at my mom, and replied, “That is probably the one rule that I am one hundred percent OK with.”

“Thank you, I did not want to have to fight you on that.  I definitely do not want to have to use baby gates.  I hated having them up all over the house when you and your brother and sister were babies.  Your dad didn’t mind though, he would just step over them like they were nothing,” she said.

As we stepped into my room, my mom asked, “So, you want to spend some time on your computer this morning?”

“Yes, please,” I replied.

She grabbed my laptop off the bookcase, then sat it down at the table in front of one of the chairs, and opened it up.  She then grabbed the charging cable and plugged it into my laptop.  Taking a seat, my pull-up made an audible crinkle as I sat down on the wooden chair.  It was a novelty to be seated at the first me size piece of furniture since waking up, despite how juvenile it was.

After my mom grabbed the empty feeding bag, she said, “I’ll be back up and take you to the bathroom in a little bit.”

I said, “OK,” as I booted up my computer.

Placing my hands on the keyboard, I ran into my first problem.  Between my hands being so small and the lack of coordination in my fingers, I could not type my password in the way I normally would.  Sighing, I reverted back to the hunt-and-peck method from my childhood before I learned to properly type.  Luckily, not much hunting, but still all pecking.

Looking at my desktop screen, I paused for a moment to think about what to do.  I always mainly used my laptop as a tool for school work and research, so I was a little lost on what to do.  Settling on my go-to, I logged into Youtube.  I looked up to see my mom setting a sippy cup on the table, she said, “I want you to try and drink this whole cup of water by the end of the day.”

I replied, “OK,” as I turned my attention back to my screen.  I couldn’t help but smile a little at the backlog of videos that I have yet to watch because of being in the hospital.  Deciding that I could use some general existential dread to take my mind off my own personal existential dread, I clicked on a Kurzgesagt video.

Looking at the sippy cup, I took a sip, hoping if I took a few sips between bathroom breaks, I should be able to finish the cup today without getting nauseous.  After watching a few videos, I see my mom walk back in.  She stated, “Potty break, Grace.”

I nodded my head as I slid out of my seat.  Walking into the bathroom with my mom following me, I pulled my pull-up down and took a seat on the potty.  Like before, I didn’t feel like I needed to go, but within a minute, I let out what I assumed to be an almost full bladder’s worth of urine into the potty.

I glubbed as my mom handed me some toilet paper.  One of the only positive things about having to wear diapers was it kept the female changes to my body from the forefront.  I was still uncomfortable with the changes, but I told myself that this was my new body, and I couldn’t run away from it.  I steeled myself and quickly wiped, then pulled my pull-up back up.  I walked over to the step stool and washed my hands as my mom cleaned, dumped, and rinsed out the potty in the toilet.

Walking back into my room, my mom asked, “Are you still alright with staying up here on your laptop.”

“Yes ma’am, I may want to watch TV or a movie this afternoon, but I’m good up here for the rest of the morning,” I replied.

She responded, “OK, sweety.  I’ll come and bother you again in a little bit.”

With my mom walking out of the room, I looked around until my eyes settled on the beanbag chair.  The me size chair was nice, but sitting on a wooden chair, even with the thin padding provided by my pull-up, was not ideal.  I clutched a corner of the beanbag chair with both my hands and with some force, dragged it over to the table.   I slid my laptop over to where it was in front of the bean bag chair, hit play on the paused video, and sunk into the chair.

After starting a new video, I felt pressure in my stomach.  My eyes got big as I shot up from the bean bag chair.  As I was making it past the threshold of my room, I yelled out, “Mom, I have to go to the bathroom!”

As fast as my weakened leg could carry me, I rushed down the hallway.  Before I could even make it halfway to the bathroom, I could already feel some poop leaving my rear.  I held on with all of my might, thinking that I just needed to get most of it into the potty at this point.

Entering the bathroom, I suddenly stopped in my tracks as I cramped up and clutched my stomach as I doubled over in pain.  The battle was over, as my body forced me to crouch down and begin to fill the back of my pull-up with a groan.  The pull-up was quickly overwhelmed and I could feel it leak out the leg gathers onto my inner thighs.  When I thought the worst of it was over, a second wave hit me and caused more poop to run down my legs and drip onto the floor between my feet.

From behind, I heard, “Oh, Grace.  It’s alright sweety, I will get you cleaned up.”

Frustrated with myself, I didn’t know whether to scream or cry, so I just stood motionless and kept quiet.  My mom lifted me by my armpits and placed me in the tub on my feet.  She quickly stated, “I’ll be right back.”

My mom was back a minute later with an arm full of supplies.  Taking some baby wipes, she started wiping my legs down and throwing the used wipes into a plastic grocery bag.  She then ripped the sides of my pull-up and threw it into the grocery bag too.  After wiping most of the poop off of me, she turned on the faucet, then said, “I'm going to clean up the floor while the water warms up.”

After cleaning the floor my mom took a cup and rinsed my lower half off, then took a washcloth and soap scrubbed my legs and butt.  Once she rinsed the soap off, she shut off the water and dried me with a towel.  Taking me out of the tub, she helped me into a new pull-up.  Sensing that I was upset, she said, “Don’t be hard on yourself for having an accident.  You have been doing great this morning and I think this has more to do with you being sick.  You were having accidents before the coma too.”

I quietly replied, “OK,” as I knew that was true, but I was still not happy about it.

“I’m going to finish cleaning up in here if you want to go back to your room,” my mom responded.

I nodded my head and slowly walked back to my room.  I collapsed into the bean bag chair, my legs burning from having to stand up for so long.  Trying to push past my failure in potty training, I went back to watching YouTube.

My mom, true to her word, came back and got me to go to the bathroom at some point.  Like the other times, I didn’t need to go, but somehow, released a large amount of urine into the potty.

Afterward, my mom came back into my room with the feeding bag and said, “Lunchtime, sweetheart.”

She hung the bag on the I.V. pole, then said, “You usually fall asleep during your lunch feeding, so I’m going to change you into a diaper.”

Knowing that was most likely going to be the case, I replied, “OK.”

I got up from the bean bag chair, and then my mom picked me up and laid me down on the changing table.  She ripped the sides of the pull-up and slipped it out from under me, then took a diaper from under the table and taped me up in it.  After setting me back down on the ground and with a pat to my diapered rear, said, “You can go sit down in your bean bag chair and I will get you all hooked up.”

I nodded and took a seat.  She gave me a syringe of nausea medicine and then started both my feeding bag and fluids.  I leaned up and hit play again on my laptop as my mom sat down on the floor next to me with her legs crisscrossed.

My mom then asked, “What have you been watching all this morning?”

I replied, “Mainly, science-based YouTube videos.  The channel that is playing right now is PBS Eons.”

“Well, you always loved to watch the Discovery Channel all the time.  And when you were in early elementary school, you would watch PBS Kids every day after school,” my mom said.

I replied, “Yeah,” as we continued to watch the rest of the video.  I started to get tired but clicked on another video.  About five minutes into the next video, my eyes started to get heavy as I started to nod in and out.

My mom said, “Sweety, I think it’s time for you to get in bed.”

I didn’t even respond as she picked me.  She gently laid me down in bed and tucked me in.  I fell asleep before she even left my room.

I awoke to my joints aching.  I cursed at myself for not asking for pain medicine before my nap.  The next thing I was hit with was the smell of something rancid.  Moving around a little bit, I could feel that the back of my diaper was full of poop.  How did this happen, I at least would wake up as it was happening.

Between the pain in my joints and pooping myself in my sleep, it didn’t take much for tears of frustration to pool in my eyes.  I yelled out, “Mom! Mom!” as I slammed my fist against my mattress.

[Craisler]

I hope the exam you mentioned having in August went well.  

Instead of sitting around playing on the computer, it might be more productive for Grace to being spending more time being active, being outside getting some exercise and building up here endurance and strength. 

Unlike actual toddlers, I would think Grace’s potty training should be easier given that she should know the internal signals that she needs to go and what muscles to use to control her eliminations.  The muscles may be weakened from lack of use and the coma, but they are still there.

[BabySofia]

Glad to see a new chapter. I suspect Grace may be finding that with her bowel issues diapers are going to be the best option... Appreciated seeing her get a chance to have some alone time doing some 'grownup' things for a bit. She seems to be making it longer without pain meds at least? 

[LGGrace]

6 hours ago, Craisler said:

I hope the exam you mentioned having in August went well.  

Instead of sitting around playing on the computer, it might be more productive for Grace to being spending more time being active, being outside getting some exercise and building up here endurance and strength. 

Unlike actual toddlers, I would think Grace’s potty training should be easier given that she should know the internal signals that she needs to go and what muscles to use to control her eliminations.  The muscles may be weakened from lack of use and the coma, but they are still there.

Thanks! It went well, 1 down 2 to go!

That would probably be good for her, but I think her mom is pretty happy with a lazy day at home after spending the past 45+ days in the hospital with her and flying the day before.  She will be out and about in the coming days.

I do think she has a slight advantage.  As of right now, you could say she has OAB and urge incontinence since she has not been able to go much more than an hour without wetting herself and does not have much warning beforehand.  One of the major signs that a toddler is ready for potty training is staying dry for over two hours.

4 hours ago, BabySofia said:

Glad to see a new chapter. I suspect Grace may be finding that with her bowel issues diapers are going to be the best option... Appreciated seeing her get a chance to have some alone time doing some 'grownup' things for a bit. She seems to be making it longer without pain meds at least? 

Thanks! It may take a little convincing from her mom, but to avoid what happened this morning, she should probably wear diapers when out of the house for the time being.  I think the little bit of alone time has been very good for her mental well-being.  Yes, she has slowly been able to get to the point that she only needs pain meds roughly every 24 hours.