Done Adulting Vol. 1 Ch. 44

None of them slept very well, each for their own reasons. Back to work; back to school; and for Jamie, way, way back to daycare. And knowing they had to get up earlier than they normally did made falling asleep harder. Unfair it what that is: the sooner you need to get up, the more your body won’t cooperate in falling asleep. Everyone was a little groggy.

Becky was up first and got Jamie out of his crib. He was still asleep when she picked up him, and he awoke as she was bringing him to her shoulder. He felt displaced and heavy, like he wasn’t ready for consciousness, not having gotten up so early since he’d arrived. He’d slept without pajamas, as he did most nights, and the sudden coolness out from under his blankets made him snuggle in closer to Becky for warmth. She’d already run a tub, and she managed to remove Jamie’s diaper and slip him into the water without putting him down. The water finished waking him up, and he wasn’t too pleased about it. How much difference an hour of sleep makes.

This was a business bath. He was in, he was cleaned, he was dried, his hair was combed, he brushed his teeth, and he was on his way back to his bedroom. He did and didn’t want to talk. They’d already talked a lot, and there wasn’t more to discuss so much as a vague hope that talking, even awkwardly, would distract Jamie from the butterflies in his tummy.

Today was an Amanda day, meaning he’d get picked up by Amanda because she finished classes earlier than Becky got off work. On days where Becky was done first, she’d pick him up. Some days he might get picked up later if something came up, and Jamie would be told in advance.

He’d get delivered directly into Diane’s arms today. She owned Little Hearth, and she’d promised to stay with him until he was comfortable. Her staff would pay especially good attention to him for the first few days. There were no plans beyond that. He was going to have to wing it. Improvise! Adapt! Overcome!He remembered that motto from one of Clint Eastwood’s lesser-known movies. Of course, he wasn’t invading Grenada. Daycare, he knew, would be a challenge of a different magnitude.

Becky took especially good care in getting Jamie into his first diaper of the day. She spent nearly as long rubbing cream into his bottom as she had rubbing shampoo into his scalp. She picked one of the cartoon diapers. I gotta watch some TV, he thought, and find out who’s on my butt. Amanda came in bleary eyed but dressed, better dressed than most days. A first-day-of-school outfit.

“You look pretty today,” Jamie said, craning his head around from his supine position.

“Aww, thanks, buddy. I’m going to go get breakfast started. Any requests?”

“Um … toast.”

“Mom?”

“Whatever you’re having. And thank you.”

A few minutes later, Becky and Jamie joined Amanda in the kitchen where she was making eggs and toast. Jamie had been back on any food he wanted for a while, but he was content with toast in the mornings. Amanda made it with butter, cinnamon, and sugar on it for him. He never even liked the smell of eggs. He was interested in the shells, though, and wondered what kind of bird came out of an egg the size of his hand.

“Cute outfit, Jamie,” Amanda said from the stove. Becky had put him into shorts with snaps on the legs and a onesie with a bear on it. It was a little younger of a look than Jamie liked (by about 25 years), but Becky wanted him to look especially adorable and figured a onesie would be more comfortable if he played hard.

“Want a bottle with your toast,” Becky asked. Jamie nodded with a smile. It wouldn’t help him wake up, but there was never a time he didn’t want some of the good stuff, nor would Becky turn down the chance to feed it to him. Most mornings, if he had formula, it was in a sippy cup and he drank it himself. Sometimes, though, he asked for a bottle or was just given one, and it was fed to him. It was slower, and they were pressed for time, but it was worth it this morning, maybe for Becky most of all to calm her own feelings on her little’s first day of daycare.

As Becky held Jamie and his bottle in one hand and fed herself with the other, she thought about how much easier the day would be if Jamie were regressed. He’d have no clue what was happening; she could predict with reasonable confidence that he’d have a meltdown when she left him and then have a good day once something shiny distracted him. This was totally unpredictable.

Jamie finished his bottle and his toast, the bigs finished their eggs, and the dishes went into the sink. Becky went to change into her work clothes.

“So …” Amanda started. She didn’t know the next word.

“So …” Jamie responded.

“You got your book and coloring book.”

“Yep.”

“A coupe outfits if you need to change.”

“Yep.”

“Your pacifier.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Do you want to put your paci in your pocket right now, just so it’s handy?”

“Mhmm.”

Amanda smiled at him, but without much mirth. She got his paci out, and he slipped it into his pocket.

“It’s gonna be a good day, Jamie. Promise.”

“Yours, too. Promise.”

Becky came back with her purse. “Well, are we ready?”