Done Adulting Vol. 1 Ch. 125

“Can I get out of the playpen now?”

“Not until we’re ready,” Becky said.

“But …”

“Shush, sweetie. Just a few more minutes.” Jamie sat back down in his playpen wondering what was such a big deal about him being out of the playpen while they got everything ready for their Christmas Eve party. They’d only had the one other party, and he’d ended up in the playpen then, too, as though he’d get in the way of Becky’s manic cleaning. It didn’t seem such a big deal to him. It was only going to be family and close friends. Jamie had drawn the invitations himself.

“I’ll get him, Mom,” Amanda said as she walked through the living room and plucked Jamie out of the playpen. “Let’s get you dressed.”

“Thanks, Manda. Can I, uh, before you get me dressed?”

“Who’s stopping you?” Amanda could feel Jamie’s diaper expand and grow warm on her hip. “Feel better?”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“If you don’t stop apologizing for that, I’m just gonna stop changing you,” she playfully said while swatting his butt.

“I’ll try to remember,” he replied, flinching just a little at the swat.

“See that you do.” She laid him on his changing table and pulled off the sweatpants and t-shirt he’d been wearing since his bath a couple hours earlier. “Do you think we have time?”

“Time for what,” Jamie asked.

“For pbbbbbbbtttt!!!!” Amanda blew a Christmas Eve sized raspberry on Jamie’s tummy!

“Manda hehehehe stop hehehehe stop hehehe please!”

“Stop what? Stop tickling you?” She went after his armpits and ribs as he squealed and thrashed on the changing table. When she finally did stop, he was red-faced and sweating. “I’m gonna tell everyone my present to them is holding you down while they do that.” She opened his stinky diaper and started to clean him off.

“No,” Jamie pleaded.

“Yes!”

“No, please?”

“Yes, please!”

“But …”

“Unless! Unless you promise to try to stay up with me tonight to wait for Santa.”

“What time does he get here?”

“I don’t know. We’ve never been on his route before. He only goes to houses with littles.”

“How does Santa work anyway?”

“Time zones.”

“Really?”

“Yep.” She rubbed powder on his diaper area and under his arms, sprinkling just a little on his chest. She took a deep breath. “Mmmm. I love the way clean Jamie Bears smell.” She wrapped him in a clean diaper.

“You’re in a silly mood today.”

“Of course I am! It’s Christmas Eve – my first real one!”

“You’ve had Christmas before.”

“Not with a little.”

“What’s the difference?”

“More Christmas! More presents, more decorations, a tree, and Santa comes.” Jamie wasn’t sure if she was joking about Santa or not. If she was, she sounded awfully earnest.

“O,” was all he said in response.

“So an outfit for the Jamie Bear.”

“I guess I have to put on actual clothes.”

“If we don’t, Mom will re-dress you.” That was a long-standing rule in the Webb home: on important holidays, everyone wore what Becky wanted them to. It wasn’t until she was sixteen that Becky told Amanda to wear whatever she wanted for Harvest Day.

“Can I at least not wear that sweater I wore to Jane’s?”

“Itchy?”

“Big time. They could’ve not imported that part of the tradition, and everything would still have been fine.”

“I think we got a few options.” Amanda pulled open his dresser drawer. “Slacks or corduroys?”

“Slacks.”

“I think your red sweater goes with these, the comfy one.”

“Can I at least wear my slippers?”

“Don’t like those dress shoes Mom got you?”

“They hurt my feet.”

“I think we can sneak those in at least.” Amanda laid the outfit on the rocking chair. It was easier to dress him from there. “Alright, Jamester … Jamie, I just changed you,” she whined.

“What?” She poked the soggy front of diaper. “O. Sss …”

“Don’t say it. Lay back, baby,” she smiled. His diaper could take more, but as long as he was already stripped, it was easier to change him now than later. She got him into a dry diaper again, this time rubbing baby oil into his diaper area. Jamie squirmed when she did; he couldn’t help it. She sniffed again.

“What?”

“I like that smell, too, ya little wiggle bug.” She got him down and dressed, picking red socks to match his sweater.

“Mom got a couple treats for you, too,” Amanda said as she reached into a shopping bag Becky had left hanging from the chair. “First …” Amanda tore open a pacifier with a reindeer’s nose on the mouthpiece. “Like it?”

“Yeah.”

“And … ohoho,” Amanda laughed.

“What?”

“I think you only have to wear them for pictures.” She took out a reindeer antler headband. Jamie blushed.

“If it makes Mom happy … do I have to put them on now?”

“Maybe we can wait a bit. People should be here soon.”

“Can I help with anything?” He always offered. There just wasn’t much he could do. He’d asked again recently about a stepstool, and Becky had again said she’d rather he keep his feet firmly on the floor.

“You can come keep me company while I get dressed.” She picked him up and carried him up the stairs. She set him on her bed while she changed.

“Tights,” Jamie asked as she pulled a pair of white tights up her legs.

“What? I like tights.”

“I’ve never seen you wear them.”

“Now you have.”

“New dress,” he asked as she got a green velvet dress from her closet.

“Yeah.” It had a red velvet belt she had trouble tying.

“Need help?”

“Yeah … guess I’m just nervous.” She moved closer to the bed and turned around so Jamie, standing on the mattress, could reach up and tie it for her.

“Nervous about what?”

“Santa coming.” Jamie was thoroughly confused. He wondered if he needed to have the talk with her, but if he did, he’d hate to be the one to break the bad news to her.

“You look very pretty.”

“Aww, thank you, Jamie Bear. You look handsome like you always do. Shall we head back downstairs?”

“We shall,” he joked. They found Becky rushing around.

“Mom,” Amanda said, placing her hand on the oven door as Becky was about to open it, “I got this. Why don’t you go get dressed?”

“Thank you, baby.” Becky gave Amanda a peck on the cheek and went upstairs to change.

“What’s her deal,” Jamie asked.

“She always gets like that before a party.”

“Why? It’s not like Dana is coming over … she’s not, is she?”

“No way. I think you’ve seen the last of her.”

“Not you?”

“Realistically, probably not, but I’m her granddaughter, and you’re not, so don’t worry about it.” Amanda laid the dining room table while Jamie sat in his highchair in the kitchen.

“You sure I can’t help with anything?”

“Um …” Amanda looked around the kitchen trying to think of something that was both not done yet and something he was tall enough for. “Ooh! I know. The presents for tonight are in the hall closet. Can you put them under the tree?”

“Sure.” She helped him out of the high chair.

“Thanks. Don’t try to move any that are too big for you.”

“I’m strong,” he said over his shoulder.

“You know what I mean,” she called out after him. There were eighteen presents in there. They weren’t big so much as wide. He made a stack on the carpet and slid it across the room to the tree, arranged them, and went back for three more such loads before going back to the dining room.

“None were too big.”

“Good.”

“What now?”

“Now we wait,” Becky said as she appeared in the kitchen dressed for the evening. “And Amanda, I got you this, too.” She held out a shopping bag. Amanda took it and looked inside.

“Really, Mom?” She smiled indulgently at Becky.

“O, be fun.”

“I’ll wear them if Jamie wears his,” Amanda said as she put her antlers on. Jamie ran to get his from his room. When he got back, Becky scooped him up and gave him a kiss.

“Amanda couldn’t convince you to put the shoes on, huh?”

“She didn’t try very hard,” Jamie confessed.

“Ratting me out, huh,” Amanda said, “I’m gonna tell Santa.”

“He’s already made his list.”

“I hear he keeps it in the cloud so he can update it anywhere.”

“Well,” Becky said, “I think the antlers make up for it. I got some for Mel and Rosie and Ella, too.”

“So basically all the littles and the bigs under twenty-one,” Amanda said.

“Yep.” The doorbell rang.

“Thanks for inviting Ella and Stacy,” Jamie said.

“Of course! I’m glad they could come.”