”Good morning, sweetheart.” It was Mommy’s voice. Vivian opened his eyes. One of Mommy’s hands was under his pajama pants, squeezing the front of his diaper.
Mommy gently pulled the blankets back and took his hand, helping him to his feet. She guided him out of the bedroom and into the living room, where she sat him on the floor with his back against the couch.
“You wait right here while I get breakfast together, okay?” she said softly. “Then we can change your diaper and get ready for the day.”
Vivian didn’t answer. That warm, fuzzy, very little feeling from last night hadn’t dissipated yet. His middle and ring finger were in his mouth. Mommy just smiled at him and ran her hand through his hair. She turned on the TV on her way out of the room.
Vivian listened to the sound of dishes being set on the counter from the kitchen. How long was she going to take? It sounded like she was just making cereal. He was feeling a little bit of pressure in his lower belly and shifted from side to side.
It would be really embarrassing to go potty at the kitchen table. And it wouldn’t be nice to Mommy to go after she had showered and changed him. And he really wasn’t feeling like it was a toilet day. He was probably going to pee in his pull-up as much as he could get away with it.
Vivian crawled behind the couch, face burning even though he was alone. He had just started pushing when he heard Mommy’s voice again.
And then footsteps across the floor.
“Is he behind the couch?”
The cushions made a shuffling sound and Vivian looked up.
“What are you doing back here, silly?”
Vivian was watching dust motes swirling in the sunlight that streamed in through the crack in the curtains, trying not to look at Mommy. He wasn’t sure if he wanted her to find out that his diaper was a little messy yet.
“Okay, well, I made you a bowl of cereal. Do you want to come out and eat it?”
Vivian nodded and slowly crawled back out from behind the couch. He still really needed to finish going. Mommy had set his cereal on the coffee table. He picked it up and took it to the middle of the floor, where he knelt facing the TV.
“Do you not want to sit at the table with me?” asked Mommy.
“Okay, you can watch TV instead. But that means no TV after dinner tonight, okay?”
Vivian nodded, even though he really did want to watch TV later when he wasn’t distracted. He stirred his cereal, watching Mommy leave for the kitchen.
As soon as she was out of sight he sat up on his heels and started to push again. Mommy reappeared in the doorway and he quickly sat back down, feeling his diaper squish against his bottom.
“I’m going to eat out here, too, I think,” she said.
“Okay,” said Vivian quietly. Now he’d need to be really sneaky. Mommy was sitting right behind him on the couch, but she was eating and watching TV. He slowly raised his bottom off his feet and adjusted so that there was some room under him. It wasn’t as comfortable as squatting or going on all fours but he could make it work.
He focused hard on being really still and quiet and pushed one time, and then another. More mess was easing out of him. He glanced over his shoulder at Mommy and she seemed invested in the TV show.
He pushed a little bit more, feeling his eyebrows scrunch together. Slow, slow, almost done…he relaxed again, trying not to breathe too hard.
After the episode was over, Mommy crossed the room to pick up his cereal. “Are you all finished?” she asked, rubbing his back.
“Um, I think so. I’m sorry I didn’t eat it all.” He offered her his bowl.
Mommy laughed. “Noo, buddy, that’s not what I meant. Can you sit up for me?”
Vivian raised his bottom off his heels and felt Mommy’s hand on the back of his diaper. He could feel himself blushing again, not just in his face, but on his neck and ears, too.
“Can you tell Mommy if you’re finished going potty?”
Vivian nodded, thumb tracing his lips. “I’m all done.”
“Okay, good. Can you help me take your bowl into the kitchen? Then we’ll get you in the shower. I’m so glad you went while you still had your diaper on.”
Vivian covered his face with his free hand as he followed her to the kitchen. She hadn’t only been completely aware of what he was doing in the living room; she also clearly knew that he had no intentions of using the bathroom today.
