    Shuttle Launch
    by l.b.k.

    Introduction:

    	Matthew Davis was a shy quiet seven year old boy. An only child with blond
    hair, big brown eyes and slightly small for his age. He never ate much for meals
    and therefore was quite a skinny kid. What worried his parents was his shyness
    though. His parents had often worried about him because he seemed scared of even
    his own shadow. Often times he would end up in his parents room at night -
    scared of something or the other. It was becoming more and more frequent and up
    until a little before Christmas, it was happening more often then not. At school
    he rarely spoke. When he did, it was a soft, shy voice. He also only had one
    friend. This boy wasn't really much of a friend since Matthew was so shy and
    hardly ever spoke to him. He was now a first grader and both his kindergarten
    teacher and this years teacher had expressed concern with his shyness. They had
    him tested but no one had found any sort of problem. He was a good student and
    quite smart. Just a lot lacking in social skills.
    	One of Matthew's biggest problems was he still had not mastered nighttime
    dryness. With only a few exceptions, he woke up every morning wet. Up until just
    before Christmas, he had worn baby diapers for most of his life. The only time
    in that period he didn't wear a diaper to bed was for a few months when he was
    five years old. His parents had hoped that discontinuing the diapers might make
    him stop. But after some time, they realized that it wasn't working. So, they
    decided to put Matthew back in diapers at night. He objected at first, but after
    a few nights it became routine.
    	Another of Matthews problems was occasional wet pants. Lots of times
    during kindergarten he had wet his pants. And this year he had accidents twice
    already. He wasn't teased about it very much in kindergarten. However, first
    grade was different. For at least a week after each accident, his classmates had
    teased him. His parents had thought about sending him to class in Pull-Ups just
    to be safe. But decided the accidents weren't often enough to warrant that.
    	Unfortunately, accidents didn't only happen at school. When Matthew became
    preoccupied with something, he would often times not realize his need to use the
    bathroom. And when he did notice it was too late to make it there. His parents
    would scold him and tell him he should pay more attention. But these accidents
    continued to happen at least once a month. Often times he would be involved in a
    television show or cartoon. And sometimes it would happen when he was playing a
    video game. Video games were one of his passions. He would play for hours if he
    could get away with it. His parents tried to restrict his game time, but often
    times he would sneak time when they weren't paying attention.
    	His parents had threatened diapers and Pull-Ups for during the day. But,
    it didn't have any effect on Matthew. The accidents continued. Each time his
    mother would help him clean up and take his wet clothes to the laundry room to
    wash them. She never went far enough to actually go through with the threat of
    diapers. Although, sometimes she was so mad she came very close to doing it. She
    had even one time grabbed a diaper and started to put it on him when she stopped
    herself.
    	Only recently had Matthew objected to the baby diapers. After seeing a
    commercial for Goodnites he asked his mother if he could use those instead. Her
    only answer at the time was, "we'll see." After several continuous nights of
    asking about the Goodnites, she finally told him that when they ran out of
    diapers, she would see about getting some Goodnites. When the diapers ran out,
    that's exactly what she did. Although the Goodnites were much more expensive,
    she decided to get them in hopes that Matthew would feel better. It had worked.
    After only a couple weeks of wearing Goodnites, he seemed a little less shy and
    more talkative. And after speaking with his teacher, she was told Matthew was
    doing much better at school. He had been in Goodnites at night for about two
    months. Although the nighttime wetting had continued just about every night, the
    daytime accidents seemed to slack off a bit.

    Chapter One - Some Time Off

    	It was mid February when Matthews father was called to his boss's office.
    He had not taken enough vacation time in the past year and stood to loose it if
    he didn't take it by the end of March. He had 7 days of off time built up. It
    was paid vacation, so he would have been crazy not to take off. He decided on
    taking an entire week off in early March and to save the last 2 days to give him
    a long weekend for the last week in March. The only question was - what can you
    do in the winter time for vacation. He couldn't exactly afford to take the
    family on a ski trip or anything. That would be far too expensive. Then the
    thought came to his mind "Florida, that would be nice! We could take a road trip
    and stay at an inexpensive hotel, or possibly camp out part of the time. Far
    enough down where it would be warm enough this time of the year." They hadn't
    been on vacation since the past summer. And that was only to go see his wife's
    parents. Not much of a vacation for him.
    	He sat in his office on his lunch break and surfed the net. Browsing for
    camping places in Florida. After several stops at various web sites, he found a
    listing that caught his eye. "Cape Canaveral". He knew there were going to be
    several shuttle launches in the coming months. He thought to himself, that would
    be nice and Matthew would enjoy it. He seemed to very much enjoy the trip to the
    Space and Rocket center in Huntsville, AL they took the summer before last. They
    had left early for the 4 hour drive from Georgia. They visited a wave pool the
    first day which was Saturday, and stayed one night in a hotel. The following
    Sunday they had gone to the Rocket center early and seen all the sites before
    heading home that afternoon. Matthew had had a blast!
    	He typed in the URL for the NASA website and after a little searching
    found out there was a launch on March 8. It was in the middle of the week on a
    Thursday, and that might be a problem because Matthew had school. But it could
    be considered an educational trip, and he was sure Matthew's teacher wouldn't
    object to his absence. He could take all his assignments with him. He and his
    wife could help him with them.
    	The drive to Cape Canaveral would be fairly long. About 8 hours in the
    family van. But their van was comfortable, despite being a bit old. The couch in
    back could lay flat into a bed and the 3 of them could sleep there if needed.
    They could find plenty more things to do along with the launch to take up the
    seven days they would have to spend leaving two days for driving time. Two
    weekends and an entire work week off. It will be a nice break he thought to
    himself. The only thing left to do was to clear it with the family and make sure
    it was ok with Matthews school.
    	Mr. Davis arrived home that evening at 5:15 P.M., right on time. Dinner
    was already prepared and all 3 of them sat down for dinner. He decided there was
    no time like the present to discuss his off time. So he told his wife and son of
    his plan. His wife's initial reaction was concern about Matthews school. But
    after Mr. Davis explained about it being educational, she agreed it might be ok.
    Matthew was so excited he couldn't finish eating after only taking a few bites.
    But when is mother told him he couldn't go unless he finished his dinner, that's
    all it took to get him eating again.
    	Matthew spent the rest of the night thinking about space-related things.
    For a couple hours he played with his toys that he had got from the Rocket
    center about a year and a half ago. At 8:30 his mom came to his room and
    announced that it was time for his bath and bedtime was in 30 minutes. Matthew
    was hesitant to stop playing but his mother was insistent. She stood him up and
    helped him out of his clothes. When he was completely naked, he made a mad dash
    for the bathroom. His bath had already been started and he climbed right in the
    tub. After giving him time to play a bit, his mother went in to get him washed
    up. Something she knew he was probably capable of doing himself, but hadn't
    expressed interest in doing so. Therefore, she just continued to do it for him.
    After washing his hair and body, and pulling the plug on the drain, she lifted
    him out to dry him off. And when he was sufficiently dry, she sent him to his
    room to get ready for bed.
    	His first stop was the bottom drawer of his dresser, from which he pulled
    out one of the Medium size Goodnites he wore to bed now. After slipping it on
    and pulling it all the way up fitting somewhat loosely around his waist, he
    opened another drawer to get some pj's out. However, there weren't any left. His
    mother had done laundry that day and had washed his pj's. He then called out to
    his mother.
    	"MOM, I need some PJ's!", he yelled.
    	"Ok honey, I'll get some for you."
    	He waited about 3 or 4 minutes before his mom finally came into his room.
    	"Honey, I haven't finished the laundry and all your regular pj's are still
    wet. Why don't you wear the sleeper your grandma gave you for Christmas?" she
    said.
    	There wasn't much enthusiasm from the expression on his face. But, after
    thinking a bit, he finally agreed. He much preferred his other thin character
    pj's. But, the multi-colored sleeper would do for just tonight. The best part
    about them were the feet. He could go down stairs without his feet getting cold
    in the morning. And, without having to put on socks or shoes. That was a
    requirement in their household during winter months. Never was he allowed to go
    with just bare feet in the winter. His mother pulled the sleeper from the shelf
    in the closet where it had been since he got it at Christmas. After unfolding
    and unzipping it, she helped her son into the sleeper.
    	"Now, go brush those teeth and get into bed, it's 10 minutes past your
    bedtime!" she exclaimed. And at that Matthew darted off to the bathroom. Upon
    his return, his mother was waiting for him so she could tuck him in and give him
    a goodnight kiss.

    Chapter Two - One Day To Go

    	Matthew woke that Friday morning, March 2 to the usual wet Goodnites. His
    mom had woke him up so he could get ready for school. He got out of bed and
    began to remove his blanket sleeper. He had been wearing it to bed for over 2
    weeks now. His mom had suggested he wear it till the weather warmed up, and he
    couldn't argue with that. The sleeper was much warmer for him then the thin pj's
    he normally wore. Besides, he sort of liked the sleeper ever since that first
    night he wore it over 2 weeks ago. He quickly slipped it off and then removed
    his Goodnites. He went to the bathroom to put his Goodnites in the special pail
    that was placed there just for that purpose. It was actually a neat little item
    called a "diaper genie" that his mom had used ever since he could remember for
    putting his diapers in. After using a wash rag with warm soapy water to clean
    himself up, he dried off and returned to his room to get dressed. His mom had
    already been there to set out his clothes for the day complete with his Pokemon
    underwear which he always wore on Fridays. He quickly put his clothes on before
    heading to breakfast.
    	Matthews mom reminded him as he was eating breakfast to make sure he got
    all his assignments from his teacher for the coming week. The school wasn't too
    pleased about him missing an entire week. But with the launch being on a
    Thursday, it could have only been reduced to maybe 4 days absence anyway. After
    breakfast, Matthew gathered his school supplies and he and his mom made their
    way out to the van for the short trip to his elementary school.
    	The day was relatively uneventful for Matthew, although, he had trouble
    keeping his mind on his schoolwork because of the upcoming trip. He was very
    excited about seeing the Space Shuttle in real life lift off. He had seen it on
    TV several times but this would be a totally different experience for him. His
    teacher had to get onto him only once for not paying attention. She knew he
    wasn't completely focused, but she also knew the reason why. 5 minutes before
    the final bell rang she called him to her desk to give him the weeks
    assignments.
    	Eventually the long anticipated sound came that Matthew had been waiting
    for all day long. Carrying all his belongings, he hurried out of the building to
    find his awaiting mother. Upon entering the van, he noticed that his mother had
    been shopping for the trip before picking him up at school. Most of the supplies
    would be staying in the van for the trip, but he did have to carry some things
    inside when they arrived home. One of the items was a new jumbo package of
    Goodnites which his mother had told him to carry to his room. Strangely, she had
    just bought 2 new Jumbo packages a few days ago and he wondered why she had
    bought more. Upon entering, he found a large suitcase on his bed that his mother
    had already started packing for him. He set the new package of Goodnites on the
    bed and went back downstairs to the kitchen for a snack.
    	His mom informed him that he could watch TV till dinner time and not to
    bother her because she would be packing and getting ready for the trip. She also
    told him that after dinner, he was to have his bath and go to bed early since
    they would be leaving very early in the morning. Matthew watched some cartoons
    for a couple hours till his dad got home from work. His dad had brought home
    pizza since his mother was so busy with packing and preparing that she wouldn't
    have time to cook a meal. They all sat and enjoyed their dinner and talked a bit
    about what they were going to do on the trip. All of which made Matthew even
    more excited. However, he wasn't very excited about going to bed early and
    delayed as long as possible.
    	Soon the inevitable words "time for your bath" came from his mothers
    mouth. She followed a rather reluctant Matthew upstairs and helped him get
    undressed. He noticed his suitcase was full and was hoping he would have a
    little room in it for a few extra toys. His mother had told him he could take
    either his Gameboy, or his Sega Nomad for playing old Sega Games with him.
    However, he really wanted to take both. And sneaking one of them in the suitcase
    was the perfect way to get to take both. He had hoped that after his bath he
    would have the opportunity to add the nomad to his suitcase. Turns out he got
    his wish. She bathed him quickly and dried him off. Then she told him, "you'll
    have to get ready for bed on your own, I've got a million things left to do. I
    put your pj's and a Goodnites out already. Do you think you could handle it?"
    Matthew just nodded his head yes.
    	He quickly pulled his Goodnites on and then stepped into the blanket
    sleeper zipping it up. Then he turned his attention to the suitcase which was
    now closed and sitting at the foot of the bed. He quickly opened it and then
    went for his Nomad and a whole bunch of games from off his bookshelf. He knew he
    would have to hide them good or his mother would find them. But the suitcase was
    quite full. He decided he could remove a few things to make room. Upon lifting a
    few shirts and shorts from the top layer, he found several stacks of Goodnites.
    Not thinking with reason, he decided to remove some of them because he knew he
    wouldn't need that many for just the night. He removed a stack of about 7
    Goodnites and then another, leaving another 2 stacks. He put the extras in his
    bottom dresser drawer. Now there was plenty of room for his Nomad. After
    replacing the other clothes, he closed the suitcase and put it back where he got
    it hoping his mom wouldn't notice. About 5 minutes later, his mom came to his
    room to tell him goodnight. He was already in bed trying to pretend nothing was
    going on. It took a while before he finally fell asleep.

    Chapter Three - On the Road

    	At 3 in the morning Mr. and Mrs. Davis' alarm woke them up. They spend the
    next hour loading the van and getting ready. At 4 am, they were ready to go, and
    decided to just let Matthew continue to sleep. So, they carefully carried him to
    the van and put him on the back couch and covered him with a blanket. Pulling
    out of the driveway, they headed for the interstate that would lead them to
    Florida.
    	They had been on the interstate about 2 hours when Matthew woke up. He was
    still in his blanket sleeper and wondered why his parents hadn't woken him when
    they left so he could change. As he moved forward in the van to one of the back
    recliner seats, he noticed his suitcase was sitting behind the driver's seat.
    All the other luggage was in the back of the van. His mom noticed his movement
    and said, "good morning, Did you sleep well?"
    	Still a bit groggy, Matthew's only reply was a nod yes. His mom then told
    him they would be stopping in about an hour for breakfast and he could wait till
    then to get changed. Matthew assumed that meant out of his pj's and Goodnites.
    	About an hour later they pulled off the interstate and stopped at a fast
    food restaurant that served breakfast. Mrs. Davis climbed into the back and went
    straight for Matthew's suitcase and opened it. She reached her hand into the
    case below the shirts and shorts she had packed and instead of placing her hand
    on a Goodnites, she found something much harder. Matthew just about started to
    cry because he knew he was in trouble.
    	"What happened to all the Goodnites I packed?" she asked with a quite
    agitated voice. "Why is your Nomad in here with all these games? I thought I
    told you you could only bring either that or your Gameboy," pointing to the
    Gameboy that was sitting on the back seat. She was now obviously mad, and
    Matthew was scared. Again she asked, "Where are the Goodnites I packed?"
    	Matthew had no choice but to tell her he had removed them and put them in
    his drawer. She was now furious.
    	"Now we are going to have to find a store and get more so you'll have
    enough for the trip," she said. Matthew didn't understand.
    	"Why do I need all those Goodnites?" he asked.
    	"So you don't have accidents. I wanted you to wear them for the car ride
    and while we are watching the shuttle takeoff," she said. "There aren't going to
    be any bathrooms readily available for that. And you know how you like to hold
    it till the last minute. I put them in your suitcase so we wouldn't have to be
    carrying a package of Goodnites around. There are barely enough left for you to
    use at night now."
    	By now Matthew was crying. His mom soon appeared to settle down though,
    and she told him, "stand up so I can change you." He stood up and she unzipped
    his sleeper and one by one, she pulled each leg out with him standing. His
    Goodnites was of course wet but instead of having him step out of it, she ripped
    the sides to remove it. She rolled it up into itself and placed it next to his
    suitcase. Grabbing a Goodnites out of the suitcase she said, "You're just going
    to have to wear one of these and we will have to get some more." She then held
    it open as Matthew stepped into it. She then quickly pulled it up for him. She
    grabbed the sleeper and told him to step in.
    	"Why do I have to wear the sleeper instead of regular clothes?" he asked.
    	"Don't argue, just do what I tell you," was her heated response. Matthew
    just obeyed and allowed her to put the sleeper back on him. All the while Mr.
    Davis was sitting in the driver's seat just listening to all the commotion and
    shaking his head side to side. He thought to himself, this is starting off
    really good.
    	Mrs. Davis was the first to open a door, and Mr. Davis soon followed.
    "Come on Matthew" his mother told him. Instead of arguing, he just went toward
    the van door. His father had come around the side and put out his hands to lift
    him. Matthew assumed that his dad was just going to lift him down to the
    pavement so he could walk in. However, he soon found himself being carried into
    the quite crowded restaurant. They stood in line to place their order with Mr.
    Davis still holding Matthew. He was young enough that this really didn't bother
    him too much. Besides, he knew he was in trouble already and didn't want to risk
    getting his mother even more mad. They had soon placed the order, got their
    food, and sat down to eat. Not much was discussed at breakfast given the
    situation. Soon they had finished. Mrs. Davis took the tray to dispose of it and
    Mr. Davis took Matthew. They piled in the car and headed out.
    	As they headed out of the parking lot of the restaurant, Mrs. Davis
    noticed a Wal-Mart store right down the road. She was still pretty mad about
    Matthew taking all the Goodnites out. So she suggested that they stop while they
    had the chance. Mr. Davis informed her that he could drop her off and then go
    get gas in the van while she ran in. Mrs. Davis thought that was a good idea so
    Mr. Davis dropped off his wife while he and Matthew went to the gas station.
    They took their time, knowing it would take Mrs. Davis a while at Wal-Mart.
    	Mrs. Davis entered the store and headed to the babies section in the back.
    She was about to enter the isle with all the packages of diapers when something
    caught her eye. In the middle of the main isle, were huge signs saying
    "Clearance". What woman could just pass by a clearance sale without even
    looking? She decided to have a quick look to see if there was anything
    interesting. Most of the items were for small babies. Including bibs and various
    other small items. There were also several diaper bags marked down. Most of them
    were older style and obviously being discontinued. Several of the diaper bags
    she noticed were actually gift sets that included other items as well. Most were
    for newborns to be given as gifts for baby showers. But, one in particular was
    marked "toddler". The bag was quite large and had babyish prints in pastel
    colors. She looked at it more closely and realized it had all sorts of various
    toddler size items. Including, a bib, travel pack of wipes, baby powder, baby
    lotion and baby oil. There was also a size 3 pacifier, an 8 oz baby bottle and a
    toddler sippy cup with prints on them that matched the bag. There were even free
    samples of toddler formula and diaper rash ointment. What really caught her eye
    was that it had been marked down to only $5.95 from the original $24.95 price.
    The bag alone was well worth that she thought. She dismissed the idea and
    continued on to the diaper packages isle.
    	She found the Goodnites after scanning most of the other diaper packages.
    Locating the size Medium, she then checked the price. Ridiculous, she thought.
    $14.99 for a jumbo package of 20. I just bought 3 packages of these and now I'm
    having to buy more with the money that's supposed to be for food and
    entertainment for this vacation she thought to herself. She looked at the other
    packages for a bit as she became more and more disgusted. She noticed a $10.99
    Sale tag under the section for Luvs diapers. Quickly locating the size 6
    package, she noticed it had 32 diapers. She thought for a minute what she should
    do and quickly came to the decision that Matthew was responsible for this and
    why should she waste money when there was a better alternative. Without another
    thought, she grabbed a package of size 6 Luvs and headed down the isle back
    towards the front of the store.
    	She soon came to what she had found earlier. $5.95 was too good of a deal
    to pass up. And she would probably be needing some wipes anyway for the trip.
    Even if she bought Goodnites, an accident was probably inevitable and she would
    need something to clean him up. But, now that she was buying baby diapers for
    her son there wouldn't be any bathroom visits. He could just use the diapers.
    Therefore, the wipes and other items were a necessity. She hesitated for a
    second while thinking of how mad he really had made her and then made the
    decision. She grabbed the diaper bag and proceeded to the checkout with it under
    one arm and the package of Luvs diapers under the other. As she walked to the
    checkout, all she could think was, this will teach him not to disobey me.
    	Since it was early in the morning, checkout went fairly quickly. Both
    items were placed in a large blue Wal-Mart bag. She paid with a $20 bill and
    collected her change. Upon exiting the store, she quickly located the family van
    and decided to put the items in the back. I'll let him use up the Goodnites
    first she thought. Then there will be nothing else for him to wear except the
    diapers. He will think there's plenty more Goodnites in the back so he won't
    worry about using the others.
    	The next several hours of the trip were quiet. After playing his Gameboy
    for a while, Matthew eventually dozed off due to boredom. Mrs. Davis dozed off
    as well, mostly due to the stress of the ordeal with Matthew, but also because
    she was tired from having to prepare for this trip yesterday. They had been on
    the road for about seven hours not counting the hour wasted for stops. It was
    noon and the driver was getting ready for a break. Mr. Davis nudged his wife and
    told her it was about time for a lunch stop. They found an exit with an
    information sign for a McDonalds and pulled off the road and into the parking
    lot. Mrs. Davis got up from her seat and headed to the back of the van to wake
    Matthew. While he still slept, she unzipped his sleeper and checked his
    Goodnites. Only 3 hours since breakfast and it was already wet. He had probably
    wet it in his sleep.
    	She gently woke Matthew up and told him she was going to change him. She
    struggled a bit to remove the sleeper as he lay on the back couch of the van but
    she managed to get it off. Again, she ripped the sides and removed his wet
    Goodnites. Momentarily she went to get a new one from his suitcase. She put the
    Goodnites on him as he lay there and instructed him to lift his bottom so she
    could pull it up. He was told to stand up and she went to his suitcase for a
    pair of shorts and a tee shirt. After helping him put them on, she got a pair of
    socks and his tennis shoes out for him. They then exited the van and entered the
    McDonalds.
    	Matthew, like most kids his age would, wanted a Happy Meal from McDonalds.
    And of course that's what his parents got him. They all sat enjoying their meal.
    Matthew ended up eating all of his happy meal like he usually did when they went
    to McDonalds. He even ran out of coke. Hid dad had ordered a super-size drink
    and ended up refilling Matthew's cup for him. He drank every bit of the second
    cup. When they left, they all 3 got a desert for the road.
    	They were only an hour or two from their destination. A small hotel north
    of Cape Canaveral where they could enjoy the beach for a while before having to
    leave for the shuttle launch. It was necessary to get there early for a close
    spot. They had planned on leaving early Tuesday morning and spending Tuesday and
    Wednesday night camping. That left Saturday, Sunday and Monday for staying at
    the hotel. After being in the car driving for 7 hours, no one would have wanted
    to stay in the van overnight anyway.
    	About 1:45, they pulled into the hotel lot. It was not a great hotel, but
    not a dump either. Just kind of plain and reasonably priced. However, it did
    have rooms overlooking the ocean and lots of beach area. The hotel was set back
    from the ocean quite a ways making it a long walk to the ocean. A long wooden
    deck walkway made it's way over the sand dunes to allow visitors access to the
    beach. A length probably equivalent to a football field. They decided to check
    in and relax a bit before unloading the van. After receiving the room key and
    after checking out the room and view for a minute, they took a stroll out to the
    beach.

    Chapter Four - First Night

    	Matthew had not gone potty since he had wet his goodnight that morning
    just before lunch. It was now approaching 3 PM, and he was staring to feel like
    he needed to go. They had taken a much longer stroll on the beach, taking in the
    beautiful surroundings. Matthew was mostly concentrated on looking at all the
    seashells as they walked. After walking in one direction for about 20 minutes,
    they decided to turn around and go back. They had only made it about halfway
    back when Matthew realized he much needed to pee. He hoped he would make it in
    order to use the hotel room bathroom instead of having to use the Goodnites he
    had on. He only made it about 5 more minutes before the urge to pee became too
    strong. He realized he wasn't going to make it. His mom was the first to notice
    his discomfort and asked him, "honey, do you need to pee?" Acknowledging his
    mother he could only nod his head yes. "You know you've got on a Goodnites, why
    don't you just use it?" she said.
    	After another couple of minutes, the urges became too strong and Matthew
    had no choice but to wet his Goodnites. They all 3 paused their walk while he
    did this. When he had finished his mother asked, "Isn't that much better?"
    Indeed it was, and they finished their walk and returned to the room.
    Immediately when they entered to door, Matthew asked if he could change. "Wait
    till we unload the van" was her reply. After a few minutes of relaxing in the
    room, they all proceeded out to the van for the task at hand.
    	After his father had unlocked the van, Matthew was instructed to get his
    own suitcase, and anything else of his from the van to carry in. He grabbed his
    Gameboy and his suitcase and headed for the room. Mr. and Mrs. Davis stood at
    the back of the van deciding what should go in the room and what should stay in
    the van. Most of the food items would be staying as they were primarily for the
    camping part of their trip. However, they did decide to carry in some snacks as
    well as the cooler full of drinks and perishable items because it would need to
    have ice added to it. While moving some of the bags on top, Mr. Davis came to
    the Wal-Mart bag that had been put there only several hours ago. After seeing
    what was inside, he turned to his wife and asked, "Did Wal-Mart not have
    Goodnites?" Before she could answer, he directed another question at her.
    "What's the baby bag for?"
    	She explained to her husband about her Wal-Mart visit starting with the
    explanation that the Goodnites were priced so high. She had settled on the Luvs
    because they were on sale. And since Matthew would probably be using them more
    then not, she didn't see the harm in just getting regular diapers.
    	"But what about the diaper bag?" Mr. Davis asked again.
    	"Well, that was on clearance sale," she told him. She showed him all the
    items listed on the sticker attached to the bag and mentioned the fact that they
    would probably be needing some of them for changes. Since they were travel size,
    she thought that would be all she needed instead of spending much more on
    individual items.
    	"What would have probably cost me over $30, I got for less then $20," she
    stated. "I just didn't see why I should have to spend the money that's supposed
    to be for food and entertainment for this trip on Goodnites that I had already
    bought!"
    	Seeing the slight change in her voice to that of more hostility, Mr. Davis
    asked, "He really made you that mad, didn't he?" A nod yes was her only reply.
    And Mr. Davis responded to that with, "I think I agree with your decision. Now,
    how do you want to proceed with this?" he asked.
    	"I thought he could just use the Goodnites till they run out, then we
    would have no choice but to use the baby diapers," she stated.
    	"Good idea! But should we take them in now?" he asked.
    	"He's got less then 10 Goodnites left, and I think we may need the diapers
    before we check out. Besides, were going to need the wipes and stuff anyway. He
    hasn't used a bathroom yet this trip," she pointed out. Mrs. Davis then took the
    Wal-Mart bag and a couple other bags of snacks to the room. Mr. Davis took the
    heavy cooler.
    	As they entered the room, they noticed Matthew had lay his suitcase on the
    large bed and now was playing with is Gameboy. They both set their items down
    and said in unison, "Put that away." They smiled at each other because of their
    similar train of thought. Then Mrs. Davis instructed Matthew to put the Gameboy
    away till they finished unloading. Mr. Davis and Matthew went back to the van
    for another load. Meanwhile, Mrs. Davis decided to get some of the needed items
    out of the diaper bag, and then hide it and the Luvs in the small closet.
    Leaving the diaper bag in the Wal-Mart store bag, she opened it and removed only
    the container of wipes and removed the plastic from the outside of the
    container. Then she placed the store bag containing the diaper bag and Luvs in
    the closet. She then proceeded to open Matthew's suitcase and remove a few
    Goodnites before placing his suitcase in the closet as well. She placed the
    Goodnites and the wipes on the dresser along with some of the snacks she had
    carried in.
    	Matthew and his father soon returned each carrying a suitcase. Matthew was
    struggling to carry his fathers suitcase, and Mr. Davis had his wife's, which
    was much larger and heavier then his own. Mrs. Davis instructed them to put them
    in the closet for now. As Mr. Davis did this he noticed the roll-away bed that
    was supposed to be for Matthew to sleep on was not in the closet as he had
    assumed it would be.
    	"I'm going to go check with the desk and remind them about the roll-away
    bed," he told his wife. They had decided to just get the room with only one
    double bed instead of wasting money on a huge bed just for Matthew to sleep.
    	As Mr. Davis was leaving, Mrs. Davis said to her son, "come here, lets get
    you out of that wet Goodnites." As he sat on the bed, she removed his tennis
    shoes and then proceeded to undo his shorts. Standing him up, his shorts dropped
    to the floor and he stepped out of them. Just as she had done before, she ripped
    both sides of the Goodnites and pulled it from between his legs. After rolling
    it up and placing it in a trash can, she went for one of the wipes. Matthew just
    looked at it as his mother began to wipe his bottom. Before he could think of
    anything to say, his mother told him, "I got these to make things a little
    easier. We need to keep you clean so you don't get a rash." She deposited the
    wipe in the trash and then picked up a Goodnites off the dresser. As she held it
    open for Matthew to step in, he hesitated and asked, "Can't I wear regular
    underwear?"
    	"No honey, we'll be going to dinner in a little while and I think you
    should wear these. Besides, I think I forgot to pack any underwear for you."
    Matthew was disappointed at this but didn't say anything more. He stepped into
    the Goodnites, allowing his mother to pull it up for him. She new good and well
    that she hadn't just forgotten, but Matthew didn't know that. He stepped into
    his shorts and his mother pulled them up for him just as his father returned.
    	Mr. Davis stated to his wife upon entering, "They don't have any more
    roll-away beds right now, there all being used. They are going to try to find
    one around or possibly get one from another hotel and bring it by tonight."
    	He turned on the TV, grabbed them all drinks from the cooler, and they all
    laid on the one big bed for a while watching. Mr. Davis fell asleep shortly due
    to being tired from all the driving on the long trip. He slept for nearly 2
    hours before his wife decided to wake him. Matthew had finished his own drink,
    and even drank some of his father's while he slept. Then Matthew dozed off for
    about an hour as well after his mother had made him change the channel from
    cartoons to something she wanted to watch.
    	"OK, you two! Time to get up," Mrs. Davis said in a loud voice waking her
    son and husband. Matthew woke up and soon noticed the familiar feeling that he
    always felt after he had been sleeping. His Goodnites was wet.
    	"I think it's time we thought about getting something for dinner," she
    said. Mr. Davis only replied, "Not till after I shower, I'm not going anywhere
    without a shower." He lay there for another few minutes before getting up. After
    taking his suitcase out of the closet and removing a change of clothes and a few
    other things, he hopped in the shower. While he was doing this, Mrs. Davis told
    her son to stand up. Without warning she stuck her had down the front of his
    pants to check his Goodnites.
    	"Just as I thought, all wet!" "Good thing I put that on you," she said.
    Just as before, she removed his shorts and the Goodnites, wiped him clean, and
    put a new Goodnites on him followed by his shorts.
    	Mr. Davis finished his shower and soon was dressed. They all headed out to
    the van and drove off in search of a place to eat. As they drove they noticed
    the road was scattered with an occasional restaurant aside from all the many
    different hotels. Most of the restaurants served seafood. After several miles
    and more then 10 minutes in the van, they finally decided on a seafood place
    since there wasn't much else in that direction they were traveling. After only a
    short wait, they sat down and looked at the menu. Mrs. Davis pointed out the
    kids' selections for Matthew and he soon decided on having fried shrimp. The
    waitress took their drink orders first with all of them ordering sweet tea.
    After bringing back 3 large glasses, she took their food order. They sat eating
    their meal discussing what fun they would have tomorrow. Matthew ate only half
    of his meal. However, he went through at least 2 glasses of tea, which the
    waitress kept filling for all 3 of them. Soon they were finished and the bill
    was paid. They all piled in the van for the ride back to the hotel.
    	They had only been in the van for a couple minutes when Matthew noticed he
    needed to pee badly. All the tea he drank had made it's way to his bladder. He
    asked his dad if they could stop, but there was nowhere to do so. His father
    simply told him "you'll have to hold it till we get back to the hotel. If you
    can't make it, just use your diaper". Matthews quickly corrected his father
    stating that they were "Goodnites". His father's semi-sarcastic reply was "oh,
    yea right". After a couple more minutes he knew he wouldn't make it, and ended
    up peeing his Goodnites.
    	Upon arriving at the hotel, they all decided to get some sleep in
    preparation for the busy next day. Matthew was stripped of his clothes and his
    wet Goodnites and put in the bath. While he was in the tub, his mother retrieved
    another item from the diaper bag in the closet. She thought to herself that if
    he's going to be wetting this much, she had better take some precautions. And
    with that she removed the sample bottles of baby oil, lotion and powder. As she
    was searching the bag for the bottles, she noticed something she hadn't noticed
    before. To one side was a folded piece of lightly padded plastic. She knew
    exactly what it was for and decided she might better use it to keep things off
    the bed. Matthew hadn't soaked very long before his mother came into bath him.
    When he was all bathed and dried, she instructed him to sit on the toilet and
    try to poop. He sat there at least 5 minutes and only a little stream of pee had
    come out. His mother then took him out into the room naked to get him ready for
    bed.
    	She decided against using the changing mat since he was just wearing
    Goodnites. She figured it would just be easier for him to stand. She took the
    bottle of baby lotion and opened it. Matthew saw what she was doing and asked,
    "What's that for?"
    	His mother's response was, "It's just a precaution so you don't get a
    rash. You've been wetting a lot lately and I don't want to take chances."
    	At that he allowed her to rub lotion on his bottom and crotch. She hadn't
    used lotion on him since before Christmas when he was still wearing baby diapers
    to bed. She then pulled the last Goodnite from the dresser on him, and retrieved
    his blanket sleeper he had worn that morning from his suitcase. After zipping
    him up, she picked him up and placed him in bed with her husband who had already
    readied himself for bed and was fast asleep. She told her son, "I guess we
    aren't getting a roll-away , you'll have to sleep with us tonight". She readied
    herself for bed as well, and soon they were all in bed asleep.

    Chapter Five - A Sunny Morning

    	Matthew was the first to wake up the next morning. It was very early and
    the sun had just come up. His squirming in the bed woke his mother.
    	"Be still, Matthew," was her reply. "You've been squirming around like
    that all night. I've barely gotten any sleep at all," she told him.
    	"But Mom, it's time to get up," he said.
    	His mom opened her eyes and saw the sunlight barely coming through the
    hotel room window. After looking at the clock and seeing that it was only 6 am,
    she told Matthew, "Go back to sleep, Honey". Matthew didn't think too much of
    that idea. He decided to crawl to the end of the bed and turn on the TV with the
    volume down to watch some cartoons. As he did so, he noticed his Goodnite he had
    worn that night was very wet. It had even leaked a little onto his blanket
    sleeper. After he noticed the wet spots on his sleeper, he turned and saw the
    small wet spot on the sheets of the bed.
    	"Mom, I wet the bed," he told his mother.
    	"Don't be silly, you're wearing a Goodnite. You couldn't have wet the
    bed", she told him.
    	She then opened her eyes enough to take a look at Matthew and noticed the
    wet sleeper. She then directed her attention to the bed to see what Matthew had
    already seen.
    	"Looks like you had a little too much to drink last night and peed several
    times," she told him. She then climbed out of bed and told Matthew, "Lets get
    you cleaned up. The bed's not too wet. It will be okay."
    	Matthew's father was a very deep sleeper and had slept through the whole
    thing. Mrs. Davis stripped Matthew from his damp sleeper and took it to the
    bathroom sink as Matthew stood and waited. On her way back, she pulled another
    Goodnite from Matthew's suitcase, taking time to count how many would be left.
    There would be 7 of them left after taking this one out. She made her way into
    the bedroom and set the Goodnite on the long dresser beside the changing pad,
    powder and lotion that had been left there from the previous night. On one end
    of the long hotel room dresser was the television set. But there was still about
    5 feet of room. Plenty for what she had planned. She began unfolding the small
    changing pad and placed it on the dresser. The changing pad was rectangular
    shaped and only about 2 feet by 3 feet. It was meant for a toddler, however it
    would be fine for changing Matthew. She turned around to lift him onto the
    dresser. As she was doing so, Matthew asked "Why are you putting me on the
    dresser?"
    	"Because your Goodnite leaked and I don't want the carpet getting wet when
    I take it off," she told him.
    	Matthew took this explanation as acceptable and lay down on the dresser.
    Mrs. Davis ripped the sides of Matthew's Goodnite and lifted him by the legs
    enough to remove it from under his bottom. She rolled the wet Goodnite into
    itself and deposited it in the trashcan next to the dresser. After removing a
    baby wipe, she lifted his legs again just like a mother would do a baby so she
    could wipe his bottom. Matthew never objected to this. And once his diaper area
    was wiped sufficiently, she began rubbing baby lotion on his bottom using the
    same lifting technique. After rubbing lotion on his crotch she continued to rub
    some on his stomach and down his legs almost to his knees. She lifted his legs
    again to be sure she got some on the backside of his legs as well. Matthew
    wondered what she was doing, but decided not to ask questions. She unfolded the
    Goodnite and began to slip it on his legs. After struggling to get it up past
    his knees, she decided to lift him off the dresser in order to pull it up the
    rest of the way while he was standing. After adjusting the Goodnite for him, she
    told him, "Sit quietly and watch some cartoons while Mommy and Daddy get a
    little more sleep."
    	About 2 hours later Matthew woke his mother asking, "Mommy, when can we go
    to the beach?"
    	Mrs. Davis woke up and decided that she would go ahead and take Matthew to
    the beach after showering and getting herself dressed. When she had showered and
    put on her bathing suit she returned to the room to find Mr. Davis still
    sleeping. She decided to just leave him there and take Matthew alone. Her
    husband was probably very tired from the long driving trip the previous day. She
    figured it would be best to just let him sleep a while. He pulled Matthew's
    bathing suit from his suitcase and slipped it on over his Goodnite.
    	"Do I have to wear the Goodnite to the beach today?" he asked.
    	His mother told him she thought it would be best if he did since it was a
    long walk to the beach. She told him that he wouldn't have to wear it at the
    hotel pool though, since it wouldn't be a good idea for him to swim in it. She
    then handed Matthew a pair of beach sandals for him to wear to the beach, which
    he slipped on himself. They grabbed a couple beach towels from their belongings
    placing them in a bag with beach supplies that she previously prepared and
    headed for the beach.
    	Upon arrival, Mrs. Davis laid both towels on the sand and proceeded to
    remove some tanning oil with sunscreen from the bag. She first applied some to
    Matthew making sure to cover him from head to toe. She then pulled some buckets
    and a shovel from the bag and asked Matthew, "Would you like to build a
    sandcastle?" Matthew just nodded his head and took the items from his mother.
    Mrs. Davis then applied oil and sunscreen to herself and laid down on one of the
    towels to catch some rays.
    	Matthew had been playing for about 30 minutes and had built a rather large
    castle in the sand. However, he was beginning to get bored with the whole thing
    and asked his mother if they could go to the pool. She agreed that it would be a
    good idea and that she probably needed to go ahead and wake her husband. They
    gathered their belongings and headed for the hotel room.
    	They were almost to the room when Matthew suddenly stopped. A slight look
    of pain was on his face followed by a look of horror. His mother asked him,
    "What's wrong?" After a brief pause, Matthew told his mother, "I need to go to
    the bathroom." Matthew continued to walk but was obviously waddling a bit. Then
    his mother caught a whiff of something in the air.
    	"Did you have a poopy accident?" she asked. Embarrassed by the question,
    Matthew could only nod his head yes. This infuriated Mrs. Davis. There was
    absolutely no warning. Matthew had just all of the sudden messed himself.
    	"I can't believe it. Why couldn't you wait till we got to the room?" she
    asked. Matthew didn't have an answer for her. "I couldn't help it" was his only
    reply.
    	"Get in the room," his mother told him with a tone of disgust in her
    voice.
    	They entered the room to find Mr. Davis still sleeping. Mrs. Davis set
    their belongings on the floor and immediately began removing Matthew's swim
    trunks as he stepped out of his sandals. Neither of them said a word to each
    other. Mrs. Davis lifted Matthew onto the dresser where the changing pad was
    still laid in position. She then ripped the sides on his Goodnite. There wasn't
    too much mess, but it was definitely runny. She removed the soiled Goodnite and
    wiped him clean using several baby wipes.
    	"I want you to sit on the toilet for a little bit and try to poop some
    more. I hope you're not getting sick," she told him.
    	After lifting him from the dresser and carrying him to the bathroom to sit
    on the potty, she started thinking to herself what to do. Her thoughts were
    immediately focused on the worst. What if that had happened in the pool, she
    thought to herself. She was well aware of the incident that happened at the
    water park near where they lived in Georgia. Lots of kids had gotten sick and
    one had even died from a child pooping in the pool who was not wearing any kind
    of diaper. The bacteria from it had made all those children sick. No way was she
    going to be responsible for something like that happening. There were many
    children at the hotel and lots of them were using the pool. She couldn't take a
    risk, she thought. Maybe I just won't let him swim in the pool. But she knew
    Matthew would be extremely upset about that. The only other option was for him
    to wear something for protection. She knew the Goodnites wouldn't hold up to
    being submerged in pool water. Neither would the Luvs diapers she had bought the
    day before. She would just have to find something for him to wear.
    	She gently woke her husband and explained what had happened. She told him
    that Matthew was in the bathroom and for him to check on him and wait till she
    got back. She then slipped on a shirt and a pair of shorts over her bathing
    suit. After finding her shoes and purse she headed out the door, not really
    knowing where she was going.
    	Her first stop was the hotel registration desk. She asked the attendant
    whether there were any grocery or large convenience stores nearby. The attendant
    told her, "No grocery stores for about 10 miles, however, there are several
    convenience stores. Just about one on every corner. The closest is only a few
    doors down and across the street."
    	While she was there, something else came to her mind.
    	"Can you look into getting us a roll-away for tonight? My son just about
    kept me up all night last night sleeping with us," she said.
    	"I'll do my best to find one for you, Ma'am," the attendant told her.
    "Some people have already checked out today, and maybe that will free one up we
    can send to your room. If I find one, I'll send it right up," he told her.
    	"Thank you," she said before heading out the office door. She turned right
    and headed in the direction opposite of the one they had traveled the night
    before. She could already see the sign down the road for the gas station and
    convenience store the attendant has spoke of.
    	A few doors down was hardly an accurate explanation she thought to
    herself. Distance can be very deceiving when you're walking. Finally she reached
    to store. She just hoped they would have something she could buy for Matthew.
    Aside from all the food items, the store had a rather large beach supplies
    selection in the back. Towels, shirts, a few bathing suits, sunscreens, kites,
    small surfboard looking things, and lots of toys. But, none of that was really
    what she was looking for. As she glanced down one of the aisles leading back to
    the front of the store she spotted the disposable diapers and other baby needs.
    As she got closer she noticed the store only had a small selection of packages,
    unlike what you would find at a grocery store. However, she did find a few
    packages of Diapers in various sizes and Huggies, Pullups in different sizes as
    well. Next to the Pullups, she found what she was after. 3 different packages of
    Huggies Little Swimmers in small, medium, and large sizes. Upon further
    inspection, she found the large size to fit 32+ pounds. She wasn't positive
    these would fit Matthew, but she thought that they probably would, given the
    fact he was still a very small boy. The cost didn't matter at this point. No way
    was she going to let him go without them. And, there was no way she was going to
    put up with his whining by not allowing him to swim in the pool. She picked up
    the package and decided to take a look at some of the other items in the back of
    the store. As she started to walk to the back of the store, some of the other
    baby items came to her attention. She knew the trial packs of lotion, oil and
    wipes weren't going to last for the rest of the trip. She had hoped there might
    be enough but Matthew was going to probably now be wearing diapers the whole
    trip. She decided to pick up a large container of wipes and some medium size
    bottles of baby lotion, oil and powder. She thought to herself that she could
    also get him a kite since they were just cheap plastic and very inexpensive. She
    could also use that as an incentive for him to do as she wished. He probably
    wouldn't be very happy about the swim diapers but having a kite to fly on the
    beach might work to deter his attention. She selected a $2.00 kite from a large
    box not really caring what it looked like. She also picked up a new thing of
    sunscreen from one of the shelves. The title had caught her eye and she figured
    Matthew might need something that was formulated more for younger kids. After
    picking up the bottle of "Water Babies" sunscreen, she made her way to the front
    counter to pay for the items. $27.09 was the total. Probably a bit more then she
    expected, but it was a convenience store and prices there tend to be much higher
    anyway. She paid for the items and exited the store carrying 2 plastic bags
    containing her purchases. Luckily the items weren't too heavy for the rather
    long walk back to the hotel.
    	When she returned to the hotel room, she found the maids there remaking
    the bed and straightening up the room. Since they needed to straighten the
    bathroom as well, Matthew's father had allowed Matthew just to slip on his
    bathing suit. Luckily the maids would be emptying all the trashcans, and would
    dispose of Matthews wet Goodnites, as well as the poopy one he was last changed
    out of. Within a few minutes the maids were done and exited the room.
    	Mrs. Davis started unpacking the bags she had been holding while the maids
    worked. She placed each item on the dresser starting with the wipes and bottles
    of lotion, oil and powder. She also placed the sunscreen on the dresser as well.
    Next came the kite, which she handed to Matthew. He was very excited about the
    idea of being able to fly a kite on the beach. However, his excitement ended
    fairly rapidly as he saw his mother remove the package of Little Swimmers from
    the bag.
    	"You're going to have to wear these when you're swimming in the pool to
    make sure you don't have an accident like you had before," she told him. Little
    swimmers had been on the market for a few years. Matthew knew what they were
    because he had worn them a few times before when he was about four years old.
    	"Mom, I don't want to wear those," he said.
    	"Well, Matthew, I guess I could take them back to the store. But, if I
    take them back, I'll have to take the kite back too," she told him.
    	After a brief pause, Matthew replied, "Okay, I'll wear them. Can we go to
    the pool now?" he asked.
    	"Sure, lets get you dressed," she said.
    	Mrs. Davis proceeded to remove Matthew's swimsuit and neatly folded it and
    placed it on the dresser. She then opened the package of Swim diapers and pulled
    one out. As she kneeled on the floor and allowed Matthew to step into it she was
    thinking to herself that she hoped it would fit. Much to her relief, the pull-up
    style swim diaper fit him fine. While kneeling on the floor, she reached for
    Matthew's sandals and let him slip them on.
    	"What about my swim suit?" he asked.
    	"You've got your swim suit on. Those look like a swim suit, anyway. You
    don't need the other one, too," she told him.
    	"But Mom," he said, only to be stopped short by his mother saying, "But
    nothing. If you want to swim in the pool, you'll wear that. If you don't want to
    swim in the pool and wear that, I'll just take them back along with the kite,"
    she told him.
    	She knew it was too late to take them back since they were already opened.
    However, Matthew didn't know that. After only a brief look down at himself he
    finally said, "OK."
    	Mrs. Davis packed a few items in the beach bag along with the towels.
    Including another towel, the bottle of sunscreen and an extra Little Swimmers
    diaper from the package on the dresser, one Goodnite from out of Matthews
    suitcase and the travel container of baby wipes. She figured they might just go
    directly to the beach from the pool. The last thing she put in the bag was the
    kite. All the while, Mr. Davis had been changing into his swimsuit and getting
    ready to go with them. They headed out the door ready for some Fun in the Sun.

    Chapter Six - Fun in the Sun

    	As they walked towards the pool, Mrs. Davis told her husband to go ahead
    and take Matthew to the pool. She wanted to check with the front desk about the
    status of the rollaway. She felt it was better to be a little pesky about it
    rather then let the hotel attendant forget. And since it was now after 11 am.
    checkout time, she figured they might know something by now. There were several
    people in the office when she got there. One couple checking in and several
    people checking out. After waiting a while, it finally came her turn as the last
    of the people left. The attendant knew what she wanted but didn't have good news
    for her. So he started by asking if she found what she needed at the convenience
    store.
    	"Yes, I found more then I needed," she said with a smile. "Have you found
    a rollaway yet?" she asked.
    	Knowing he wasn't going to be able to avoid the question, the attendant
    told her "No, I checked all the rooms of people checking out and none of them
    were using one. I called every hotel within 10 miles and still couldn't find one
    for you. I don't know how old your kid is, but we do have a roll-away crib you
    could use if you think your child might fit in it."
    	"How big is it?" she asked him. He could probably fit in a regular size
    baby crib, but if the rollaway is smaller then that I don't know if he will be
    able to."
    	"I would guess that it's the same size as a regular crib," he told her.
    "The mattress looks like a regular crib mattress. The crib just fold together
    and the mattress stands up in it to move it around," he said.
    	"Hmmm, that might work ok if it's really that big. And since we don't
    really have any other option, I guess you can just have it sent up to the room,"
    she told him.
    	"We won't charge you the extra fee for a roll-away since we weren't able
    to fine the right thing," he told her.
    	"Thanks," was her reply as she exited the office.
    	Mrs. Davis arrived at the pool to find her husband and son both in the
    water playing. There were only a few other kids at the pool. However, they all
    looked to be quite a bit older then her son. She spotted their belongings by a
    few lounge chairs and decided to just lie down a while and watch them play. She
    was still wearing the shirt and shorts over her swimsuit and decided to leave
    them on for a while. She wasn't much of a person for swimming anyway. Matthew
    was having such fun, he had forgotten all about the swim diaper he had on. Mr.
    Davis was busy tossing his son about in the pool. Mrs. Davis could plainly see
    her son's swim diaper as he was thrown by his father, out of the water, then
    landing back in again. None of the other kids swimming nor there parents sitting
    in lounge chairs across the pool from her noticed anything out of the ordinary.
    Matthew still looked fairly young for his age. And she guessed others probably
    thought he was only about 4 years old. And the Little Swimmers certainly made
    him look younger as well.
    	After about 30 minutes of playing with his son, Mr. Davis exited the pool
    and sat down next to his wife.
    	"You think its time to get something to eat?" he asked her.
    	Near the pool was a grill and bar type area with seating covered by
    umbrellas. Since it was lunchtime, there were several customers sitting at
    tables. So, Mr. Davis decided to go see what they had to offer. He wasn't much
    of the type to do any drinking of alcohol, although he did occasionally have a
    beer or two. He was mainly interested in what food they had. He asked one of the
    waitresses if he could see a menu. Hamburgers with french fries and lots of
    different kinds of sandwiches were some of the menu items. Leaving the menu with
    the waitress, he walked back to the pool and told his wife. She agreed that it
    would be much easier to eat there, than going someplace else in the van.
    	"Great, I'll go get some money," he told his wife.
    	When Mr. Davis returned, he called to his son to tell him to get out of
    the pool. Matthew wasn't too interested in that. At least not until Mr. Davis
    told him it was time for some lunch. He quickly jumped out and headed for his
    mom who was holding open a towel. After drying him off, Mrs. Davis put the towel
    down and picked her son up to carry him. Mr. Davis put on a T-shirt he had
    brought with him and they headed for the grill leaving the rest of their
    belongings.
    	The same waitress who Mr. Davis had gotten the menu from approached them
    as they started to sit down at a table.
    	"Would you like a booster seat or high chair for you son?" she asked.
    	Mrs. Davis replied to her while looking at Matthew, "I think a booster
    seat will do fine for now. But, if he can't be still and eat all his lunch like
    a big boy, I may ask you for the high chair later," she said.
    	Matthew was certain his mother was kidding about that. No way would she
    put him in a baby high chair he thought. The waitress soon came with the booster
    seat and 2 menus. She probably assumed Matthew was too young to need a menu
    himself. She also took their drink orders. Mr. and Mrs. Davis both ordered iced
    tea. As Mrs. Davis asked what Matthew would like to drink, the waitress
    interrupted.
    	"We have grape and apple juice if he'd like that," she said.
    	Matthew was quick to voice his opinion stating that he would like the
    apple juice. The waitress left as they viewed the items on the menu. Mrs. Davis
    read the few selections from the kids' section of the menu for Matthew. Matthew
    chose chicken nuggets and french fries. The waitress returned with their drink
    orders. Two large glasses of iced tea and a small toddler sippy cup of apple
    juice. Matthew immediately looked at his mother, but before he could say
    anything his mother cut him off. She knew what he was going to say without
    having to listen to him whine while he said it.
    	"You can either drink it like that or I'll have the nice waitress put it
    in a baby bottle and you can drink it from that and eat your lunch while sitting
    in one of those high chairs over there," she told him as she pointed to where
    they stored the high chairs. Matthew took one look at the high chairs and
    decided not to argue. He still wasn't very pleased about it, though. The
    waitress then took their food orders and collected the menus.
    	They all 3 sat and discussed what they were going to do the rest of the
    afternoon. Lots of time on the beach was the main plan. After about 10 minutes,
    their food order came. Mr. and Mrs. Davis were eating at a rapid pace. However,
    Matthew was only about half way finished with is small size meal by the time his
    mother and father were finished with theirs. Mrs. Davis was the first to draw
    Matthew's attention to the fact he wasn't eating.
    	"Do I need to get the waitress to bring the high chair over?" she asked
    him.
    	Matthew was quick to respond to that by picking up the pace with eating
    his lunch. That was all the reminder he would need this time. He finished his
    meal and reluctantly finished the apple juice from the sippy cup. Soon the
    waitress came to check on them. None of them decided to get any sort of dessert.
    So, Mr. Davis paid the bill and they all 3 headed back to the pool with Matthew
    being carried by his dad this time. Mrs. Davis suggested they all head out to
    the beach rather then staying at the pool so their food would have time to
    digest. So Mrs. Davis gathered their belongings from the poolside and they made
    their way toward the beach. It was a fairly long walk so Matthew certainly
    wasn't going to object to being carried by his father.
    	They made their way out onto the sand and picked a good open spot to lay
    out their towels. As soon as Mr. Davis had placed his son down on the sand,
    Matthew was ready to build a sandcastle. He immediately asked his mother for the
    toys to do so.
    	"Let's put some sunscreen on you first. The other from this morning is
    probably worn off by now," she told him.
    	She reached in the bag and pulled out the new container. Matthew
    recognized that it was unlike what his mother had used on him that morning. He
    couldn't really read very well since he was only in first grade. However, he
    could see the kids' design on the front.
    	"What is that stuff?" he asked.
    	"It's called 'Water Babies' sunscreen. I got it at the convenience store
    this morning. This will protect you better then the other kind," she told him.
    	"But, that's for babies," Matthew exclaimed!
    	"Well, not really just for babies," was her only reply.
    	At that, Matthew just let the subject drop and allowed his mother to apply
    the sunscreen. He was still a bit upset by the fact his mother seemed to be
    treating him more and more like a little baby. Now she had bought a bunch of
    stuff specifically for a baby. But, that didn't mean he was a baby. And, the
    swim pants he was wearing looked more like a real bathing suit anyway he thought
    to himself.
    	When his mother was finished applying the sunscreen, she gave Matthew his
    toys to play. He found an open area on the beach about 20 feet from his parents
    and started building another sandcastle. He had only been working on it about 10
    minutes when he realized he needed to pee. He knew there was no way his mother
    was going to take him to a restroom since they were on the beach so he decided
    to use his swim diaper. Midway through his urination the diaper began to leak
    and the pee started to puddle in the sand. Matthew stood up quickly, however he
    was unable to stop peeing. His mother had been watching him play at the time and
    noticed the urine running down his legs.
    	"Come over here Matthew," she said.
    	Matthew started slowly walking toward his mother who was waiting for him.
    As he approached she said, "looks like someone sprung a leak. That's OK. Those
    aren't made to absorb much pee. They just protect against messes," she told him.
    	By the time he had reached her, he had finished peeing and the leaking had
    almost stopped. Before he realized what was happening, his mother ripped one
    side of the swim diaper.
    	"Mom, not here on the beach," Matthew exclaimed!
    	"Why not? No one's going to even notice if your naked for a little bit,"
    she told him.
    	Despite his protest, his mother ripped the other side of the swim pant and
    removed it from between his legs. From the bag, she grabbed the travel container
    of baby wipes and began cleaning his bottom, crotch and the inside of his legs
    where the pee had run down them. Once he was wiped she made him sit down on the
    towel. After brushing the sand off, she used the same wipe to remove any dirt or
    sand from his feet. She closed the container of wipes, returned them to the bag,
    and pulled out the Goodnite she had brought. Upon seeing this Matthew asked,
    "What about the swim pants?"
    	"Those are for the pool. These are for the beach. These will hold your pee
    in better," his mother told him.
    	Matthew had no choice but to allow his mother to slip the Goodnite over
    his feet and up his legs. She then helped him stand up so she could pull it up
    the rest of the way.
    	"Ok, go back and play," she said.
    	"What about my swim suit?" he asked.
    	"I didn't bring it. It's still in the hotel room. Just wear that. It will
    be ok," she told him.
    	Matthew walked back to his sandcastle unhappy about being on the beach in
    only a Goodnite. These certainly didn't look anything like a swimsuit to him.
    They looked very much like a regular diaper without anything to cover them. Soon
    he was into his project and forgot about what he was wearing. He had played for
    about 30 minutes before his father came over to ask him if he would like to go
    for a walk on the beach. Matthew thought it would be a good idea since it would
    give him an opportunity to maybe find some seashells or other interesting
    things. Before realizing what he was doing, he had agreed. Since Matthew would
    be going, this would allow all of them to walk together. So, Mrs. Davis got up
    from her towel and joined the two of them for a walk.
    	They took off in a direction opposite of the one they had taken the day
    before. There were lots of people on the beach due to the fact it was mid
    afternoon. As they walked, Matthew felt as if everyone on the beach was watching
    him. But, in reality most people just glanced as if everything were normal. The
    site of a 7-year-old boy in a training pants-style diaper really didn't faze
    anyone because Matthew really looked as if he was only about 4 years old. They
    had walked for nearly 30 minutes before deciding to head back. And, by now,
    Matthew had 2 handfuls of shells he had found as they walked.
    	Matthew only lasted about 5 minutes on the walk back before he began
    complaining of being tired. Mr. Davis decided to carry him the rest of the way
    back. Matthew laid his head on his father's shoulder. As they walked, his eyes
    became heavy. They were almost back to their spot on the beach when Matthew
    dozed off to sleep. 5 minutes later they were back. Mr. Davis laid his son on
    one of the towels and asked his wife if maybe they should take him to the hotel
    room instead.
    	"We can stay out here a bit longer. But, he really needs to sleep a while
    so he won't be crabby tonight." "Let's stay about 20 more minutes and then take
    him up," she told her husband.
    	They actually stayed about 30 minutes on the beach before heading back to
    the hotel. As Mr. Davis lifted his sleeping son, he noticed his Goodnite was
    already wet. As they passed the pool area, Mr. Davis said to his wife, "I sure
    could use a dip in the pool".
    	"Here, I'll take him up and you can stay at the pool a while," she said to
    her husband as she took Matthew from his arms. Mr. Davis took the bag with their
    belongings and told his wife, "I'll bring this up when I come". Mr. Davis set
    the bag on a lounge chair next to the pool and jumped into the deep end. His
    mother carried Matthew, who was still sleeping, to the room.

    Chapter Seven - Nap Time

    	When Mrs. Davis arrived at the room, she placed Matthew on the dresser to
    be cleaned up and changed into a dry Goodnite. Her main concern was that he
    might wet again and she didn't want there to be any more leaks. After removing
    his slightly wet Goodnite, she opened the new container of baby wipes and began
    thoroughly wiping him clean. He was quite dirty from being on the beach and
    playing in the sand. She decided it would be best to use several wipes to clean
    most of his body before placing him in the bed. After using 5 wipes, she felt he
    was sufficiently clean. She went over to the closet to get a Goodnight out of
    Matthew's suitcase. As she was doing so, the thought of just putting a Luvs
    diaper on him crossed her mind. However she dismissed it because she really
    wanted to save those until Matthew was completely out of Goodnites. He was
    probably going to object to the regular diapers. But, if she waited, she would
    be able to just tell him there were no more Goodnites. She removed a Goodnite
    from his suitcase, and headed back into the room.
    	As she walked back to the dresser where Matthew lay sleeping, she noticed
    something in the corner of the room she hadn't seen when she came in. The hotel
    staff had delivered the rollaway crib. I could have left him in the other
    goodnight and just put him down for a nap in that, she thought to herself. But
    then she thought that she might have trouble setting it up and decided it would
    be best if her husband handled that chore.
    	While she was wiping her son, she had noticed his skin was a bit dry from
    all the time he had spent on the beach and in the sun. She decided it might be
    best to put lotion on him. She opened the new bottle of baby lotion and squirted
    some on her hand. After rubbing it with both hands to warm it a bit, she began
    applying it to his front side starting with his chest and arms. Matthew was
    sound asleep and never even budged an inch as she did this. She then applied
    lotion to his crotch and finished the front side by doing his legs and feet. The
    tricky part was flipping him over without awakening him. She managed to do it
    with only a slight stir from Matthew. She began the back side by applying lotion
    to his back and then moved down to his bottom making sure to put a good coat on
    his diaper area. She then flipped him back over and slipped the new Goodnite on
    his feet. After pulling it up his legs she struggled to pull it the rest of the
    way up. As she was doing so, she thought to herself how much easier it would
    have been to just put one of the Luvs diapers on him. She thought about putting
    his blanket sleeper on him but remembered it was probably still damp from the
    night before. She then carried him to the bed and tucked him in.
    	About 30 minutes later, Mr. Davis returned to the room. His wife was lying
    on the bed watching TV with Matthew asleep next to her. He quietly entered the
    room trying not to wake him.
    	"I'm going to take a quick shower," he told his wife.
    	She only nodded to acknowledge her husband. Mr. Davis took a quick shower
    and changed into a pair of shorts and a golf shirt in preparation for the
    evening since they would probably be going out to dinner again that night. He
    then joined his wife in the room to watch TV. Mrs. Davis soon dosed off for a
    short nap herself. As soon as Mr. Davis noticed this, he decided to change the
    channel to something more to his liking.
    	About an hour later, Matthew began to stir. This woke his mother from her
    nap. Mr. Davis was sitting in a chair next to the bed still watching TV.
    	"What time is it?" Mrs. Davis asked.
    	"4:30," was her husband's reply after looking at his watch on the table
    next to him where he had placed it the day before.
    	"I'm going to get a shower," she said. "Are we going out to dinner
    tonight?" she asked him.
    	"Yea, I figured we would just go somewhere quick. Maybe a fast food
    place," he told her.
    	"Sounds good. Matthew will probably enjoy that more then going to a
    restaurant," she told him.

    Chapter Eight - Dinner time!

    	About 45 minutes later, Mrs. Davis was ready. She came back into the
    bedroom carrying Matthew's sleeper.
    	"Do you think the hotel has a washer and dryer room where we can clean
    this?" she asked her husband.
    	"Yea, I saw one just down the hall. It's right by the ice machine". They
    take quarters and there's even a vending machine for single load detergent and
    dryer sheets," he told her.
    	"I'm going to go put this in the washer. Then, before we leave for dinner,
    we can put it in the dryer." "That way it will be done when we get back. I'll
    take the beach towels too," she told him. She slipped on her shoes, grabbed a
    handful of change from her purse, and headed out the door to the laundry room.
    She was gone only 5 minutes.
    	Matthew was sitting on the edge of the bed wearing only his Goodnite. He
    had been there watching TV the whole time Mrs. Davis was showering. As she
    passed, she noticed his Goodnite was wet.
    	"You sure are wetting a lot, Matthew. You haven't really even had much to
    drink today," she said. Matthew looked down at his Goodnite and realized he was
    wet. He hadn't even noticed. This was probably due to the fact his mother had
    coated his diaper area with a good amount of baby lotion before putting his
    Goodnight on him. She thought it was odd how he was wetting so often but decided
    not to worry herself with it.
    	"Lets get you changed and ready to go," she told him.
    	She lifted her son up onto the dresser and began ripping the sides of his
    Goodnite. After removing it from his bottom, she began wiping him. She decided
    to use baby powder this time and gave a good sprinkling on his bottom and
    crotch. After retrieving another Goodnight from the closet, she lifted him from
    the dresser and allowed him to step into it before pulling it up into place for
    him. She then went to get him some clothes to wear. She returned to the room
    holding a pair of shortalls and a T-shirt, which she helped him put on. Next
    came the socks and shoes before they all headed out the door. They had made it
    down to the van and got in before Mrs. Davis remembered the wash she had
    started. She thought to herself, that it probably wasn't finished yet anyway and
    she could just finish it when they got back.
    	They had only been driving a couple minutes when they came upon a
    McDonalds. Of course Matthew was the first to notice it and as far as he was
    concerned, that was where they were going.
    	"McDonalds!" he exclaimed from the back seat. Mr. and Mrs. Davis just
    looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders both at the same time. Neither
    one of them really wanted to eat at McDonalds. However, the fight that would
    result with Matthew if they didn't eat there was far more then they wanted to
    deal with at the time. Little did they know the trouble that lay ahead.
    	Mr. Davis pulled the van into the lot and parked. Mr. and Mrs. Davis both
    got out at the same time. Mrs. Davis opened the side door of the van for Matthew
    and stretched her arms out for him. This was a clear signal that he was to be
    carried in. Without hesitation he jumped from the van into his mothers arms.
    	"I think I may have one of their tasty pre-prepared salads," Mrs. Davis
    said sarcastically. "Is that what you want, too Matthew?" she asked jokingly?
    	"NO, I want Happy Meal!" he said.
    	The line was empty despite it being about 6 PM. The rest of the restaurant
    was empty as well. They quickly ordered their meal. Mrs. Davis ordered her
    salad. Mr. Davis ordered a double quarter pounder with cheese value meal. And,
    of course, they ordered a happy meal for Matthew. The worker taking the order
    glanced at Matthew before ringing up his Happy Meal. Being a fairly new
    employee, and not being very good at all about guessing ages of young children,
    he decided to ask about which toy to include in the happy meal. The toys they
    had at the time were for children 3 years old and over. And he just wasn't sure
    about Matthew's age. He also noticed the slight bulge suggesting a diaper or
    training pant in the seat of his pants as Mrs. Davis was holding him. On second
    thought, he was almost sure the kid was at least 4 years old, but decided to ask
    anyway.
    	"Ma'am, Would you like the regular toy or substitute the one for
    Toddlers?" he asked.
    	Confused by the question, she decided to ask a question herself.
    	"What is the toy"?
    	The worker held up a Pokemon toy, which happened to one Matthew already
    had. Upon seeing this, Matthew blurted out "I've already got that one," in an
    extremely whiney voice.
    	"I'm sorry, that's the only one we have left. We'll be getting the new Spy
    Kids stuff in a few more weeks," the worker told them.
    	"Then I guess you should give him the toddler toy, especially if he's
    going to act like one," she said, looking at Matthew.
    	The worker just smiled and finished entering the order.
    	"I'm not a baby," Matthew began to argue with tears starting to form in
    his eyes.
    	His mother was quick to respond with, "You sure are acting like one."
    	Matthew's crying soon became worse. After several attempts by his mother
    to shush him, he continued.
    	"If you don't stop crying you'll be sorry," she told him.
    	None of this did any good. Matthew laid his head on his mother's shoulder
    and continued to sob into it. Their order was filled and Mr. Davis who had been
    standing there silently took the tray. He knew better then to interfere with his
    wife while she was trying to control their son. Whatever decisions she made he
    would always support. Carrying her son, Mrs. Davis followed her husband. As they
    entered the seating area, she stuck out her free hand to take hold of a high
    brown plastic seat sitting by one of the trashcans. She drug it behind her to
    the booth her husband had selected and placed it at the end. Matthew didn't even
    see what it was until his mother lifted him up to place him in the chair. The
    tears in his eyes distorted his view while his mother slipped his feet into
    position and lowered him till he was in the seated position. From the back of
    the chair, she took hold of a white plastic tray and placed it in front of her
    son attaching it to the chair. It was then that Matthew realized he was sitting
    in a high chair. His crying became worse at this point prompting a response from
    his mother.
    	"If you don't quit crying and sit there and eat your dinner, I'm going to
    give you the worst spanking you ever got," she told him with a stern voice.
    	His crying suddenly became muffled. He had been spanked plenty of times
    before, and knew it was something he should avoid at all costs. Mr. Davis began
    distributing the orders as his wife took her seat. He placed the happy meal and
    a small drink on the high chair for Matthew first and began taking the items out
    of the box for him. He unwrapped the hamburger, emptied the fries onto the tray,
    and left the toy inside the box. Mrs. Davis was quick to take the happy meal box
    away.
    	"No toy till you finish your dinner, baby!" she said.
    	The tears welled up in his eyes even more then before. But he was quick to
    muffle any sound in fear of the spanking that might result.
    	Mr. and Mrs. Davis began eating their meal. They were basically ignoring
    their son as he sat in the high chair and sobbed. Both of them were more then
    halfway finished. Matthew had only eaten a few fries. However, he had drunk most
    of his soda. This prompted his mother to take action. She leaned over and took
    his hamburger and began tearing it into little bites.
    	"If you can't eat like a big kid, I guess I'll just have to feed you like
    a baby," she said.
    	Matthew continued to cry as his mother finished tearing the rest of his
    hamburger. When she was finished she began holding pieces of hamburger and
    occasionally a french fry for her son to eat. She took bites of her salad in
    between feeding her son. Mr. and Mrs. Davis were both finished with their meal.
    However, Matthew still had about half of his to go. Mr. Davis waited patiently
    as his wife finished feeding their son. Only when he had finished did they give
    him the Fisher Price toy meant for a baby. And, once it was in his hand, they
    got up to leave. Mr. Davis deposited the waste in the trash as Mrs. Davis
    removed Matthew from the high chair and returned it to it's original spot for
    the next baby to use. They all got in the van, but this time Matthew sat in his
    mother's lap for the short ride back to the hotel.
    	When they arrived back at the room, Mrs. Davis instructed her husband to
    watch their son while she went to put the sleeper and towels in the dryer. Upon
    her return, she informed her son, "As soon as your sleeper is dry, you're going
    straight to bed. Honey, Do you think can you set that up?" pointing to the
    rollaway crib in the corner of the room? Matthew hadn't even noticed it yet. And
    even now, he still wasn't sure what it was. However, Mr. Davis knew exactly what
    it was. And after a few minutes of trying to figure out how to set it up, it was
    done. Matthew knew what it was then. And the crying started all over again.
    	"This was all the hotel had. They didn't have a regular roll-away bed.
    You'll just have to sleep in that. Your tossing and turning all night kept your
    father and I up half the night. There's just not enough room in the bed for all
    3 of us. This bed is much smaller then ours at home," she explained.
    	Matthew knew not to argue. He sat on the bed sobbing and thinking to
    himself how horrible it's going to be to have to sleep in a baby crib. His
    father then turned on the TV and found a movie to watch. Matthew was soon into
    watching the movie. His tears dried up and he basically forgot about everything
    that had happened and was about to happen. Everything was fine until his mother
    got up about 30 minutes later to go check the laundry. A couple minutes later,
    she returned carrying his sleeper and their beach towels.
    	"Ok, time to get you ready for bed," Mrs. Davis told her son as she placed
    the blanket sleeper on the bed. She continued on to the closet and placed the
    towels on the shelf. Matthew continued to lie in the bed. He was reluctant to
    move because this had reminded him of the fact he would soon be sleeping in a
    baby crib. His mother ended up going over to the bed to pick him up. She stood
    him on his feet and began undoing the straps of his shortalls. Once undone, the
    shortalls slipped to the floor. She then sat him on the bed in order to remove
    his shoes, socks and T-shirt. Of course, yet again, his Goodnite was wet. She
    figured with all that had happened at dinner, he probably wet himself like a
    baby, too. "Maybe I should use one of the Luvs diapers on him tonight," she
    thought to herself. She went to the closet and looked at the package of diapers.
    However, something made her stop. She turned her attention to Matthew's suitcase
    and counted the remaining Goodnites. Only 4 were left. That meant that he had
    used 4 of them that day because there were 8 this morning. "He'll be in diapers
    soon enough at the rate he's going, I better not go too far, The high chair and
    crib are good enough for now," she thought to herself.
    	Returning to the room with a Goodnite in hand she placed it on the
    dresser. She then turned to her son, and lifted him off the bed. Again she went
    through the routine of changing a wet goodnight. However, this time she decided
    to use some baby oil on him instead. Just as before his nap, she applied baby
    oil to the entire front of his body. Matthew was none too pleased about it. But
    there was really nothing he could say or do. She flipped him over and did his
    backside as well. Then lifting him off the dresser, she allowed him to step into
    the Goodnite himself. After pulling it up for him, she helped him into his
    sleeper. Now it was time for the inevitable. Fear and hurt swept through
    Matthew's body. He truly felt like a baby as his mother lifted him up and
    carried him across the room. Tears welled up in his eyes yet again. With one
    hand on his back, and another hand behind his knees, she lifted her son over the
    railing and lowered him to the mattress. Only a single fitted sheet covered the
    plastic coated crib mattress. The crinkling of the plastic made the experience
    even worse. Tears were pouring down his face as his mother looked on. In order
    to hide his shame, Matthew rolled over to hide his face. The rustling of the
    plastic was much worse as he did so prompting him to go a step further without
    even meaning to. Without even acknowledging he had done so, he placed his thumb
    in his mouth and began sucking.
    	Seeing her son in the crib gave Mrs. Davis a sense of pleasure. It had
    been a long time since she had seen a similar image. Matthew hadn't slept in a
    crib in years. When he rolled over and placed his thumb in his mouth a small
    tear had come to her eye. He looked so peaceful and cute. Without even realizing
    what she was doing, she reached her hand through the bars and patted his bottom
    saying, "Goodnight, Baby."
    	Mr. and Mrs. Davis prepared for bed themselves. It was still very early,
    so they both stayed up watching TV another 2 hours. Matthew had cried for nearly
    30 minutes before drifting off to sleep. Before they went to sleep, Mr. Davis
    commented to his wife about how cute Matthew looked.
    	"I hope we aren't going to far with this," he told his wife.
    	"He'll be fine. Trust me," she told him.
    	They turned out the lights and were soon both asleep.

    Chapter Nine - A Dark and Rainy Day

    	Matthew woke again early in the morning. He could see his mother and
    father were still asleep as he peered through the bars of the crib. Upon doing
    so, he remembered the night before and all the humiliation instantly came back
    to him. He knew it would not be a good idea to wake them so he decided to just
    lay there in the crib. It was then that he noticed the noises coming from just
    outside the window. He was sure of what it was. And soon a sudden clap of
    thunder confirmed it. As he lay there listening to the rain, he drifted back to
    sleep.
    	About an hour later it was still raining heavily and a sudden clap of
    thunder woke them all. Matthew had been frightened by the thunder and his mother
    was quick to arise and go over to the side of his crib. As she started to lift
    him out of the crib, she noticed the wet spot on his sleeper. His Goodnite had
    leaked again. They had never had many problems with leaky Goodnites when at
    home. So, she assumed that he must be wetting either more often during the night
    or producing much more urine each time he wet. She attempted to unzip his
    sleeper while he was still lying in the crib but the fact that the side wouldn't
    lower on that kind of roll-away crib prevented her from doing so. She simply
    grabbed him under the knees with one arm and behind his back with the other to
    lift him out. The thunder had startled him and she could see the fear in his
    eyes. She carried him to the dresser and sat him down on the pad in a seated
    position. After unzipping his sleeper, she removed his arms from it. Then
    lifting him in the same manor as before, she spun him around so he could lie
    down on the changing pad. She then lifted his legs and removed the sleeper from
    under his bottom and finished removing it by pulling it from his legs. She
    proceeded to remove his wet Goodnite and clean his bottom with the baby wipes.
    After retrieving a fresh Goodnite from his suitcase in the closet, she began
    slipping it over his feet and pulling it up. As she reached the point of his
    bottom, she struggled again to pull it the rest of the way up. With a little
    effort she managed to do this again.
    	As Mrs. Davis was changing her son's Goodnite, Mr. Davis had turned on the
    television in search of a weather forecast. After surfing channels, he found the
    right station. The outlook didn't look very good for the day. However, there was
    a chance the weather could clear up later that afternoon. "I think we are in for
    a rainy day", he said to his wife as she lowered Matthew from the dresser
    wearing only his Goodnite. "I think we might want to try to find something to do
    indoors today", he said. His wife was quick to respond, "Something other then
    sitting in this hotel room all day". Matthew went over to the bed and sat next
    to his father. They all were silent for about a minute while trying to think of
    what they should do. Mrs. Davis was the first to come up with any sort of plan.
    "I saw a flyer in the hotel lobby for a outlet mall", she said. "I'm not sure
    how far away it is, but maybe we could go there", she announced. "Lets go try to
    get some breakfast and find out more about it", Mr. Davis suggested. They all
    began to get ready to go by putting on their clothes they had worn to dinner the
    night before. As Mrs. Davis finished preparing, Mr. Davis helped Matthew into
    his tee shirt and short-alls. Soon they were ready, and proceeded out the door
    with Mr. Davis carrying his son.
    	As they entered the hotel lobby, they noticed several people standing
    around eating and drinking. The hotel provided their guests with a simple
    continental breakfast. Basically that meant your choice of 2 different kinds of
    donuts, and an orange juice or coffee. They decided it was better then nothing
    and certainly better then trying to brave the weather to go some place else.
    They each grabbed a donut and Mrs. Davis fixed a cup of orange juice for Matthew
    while she and her husband chose to have coffee. "Matthew, you had better not
    spill this", she said handing the small paper cup to her son. After pointing out
    the flyer on a bulletin board to her husband, Mrs. Davis decided to go ahead and
    ask the man at the hotel desk how far it was. "About 20 or 30 minutes I
    believe", was his reply. Mr. Davis studied the flyer and noted that the outlet
    mall had lots of good shops that interested him. He also felt his wife would
    enjoy some of the other clothing outlets. Matthew would enjoy the couple of
    kids' stores that were there as well. He also noticed at the bottom of the flyer
    that there was a supervised child care place. Matthew might be a little old for
    that he though, but he might accept it at least for a little bit rather then be
    toted around all day. Although they hadn't brought a whole bunch of cash in
    order to do much shopping, he thought they could at least do some looking. If
    they happened to find any great deals, he could always just put it on the credit
    card.
    	They left the lobby with breakfast in hand and made their way back to the
    hotel room. Halfway to the room Matthew dropped his cup of orange juice which
    was half full. It was a concrete sidewalk and not much of a concern to have to
    clean it up. However, Mrs. Davis wasn't pleased none the less. "It's a good
    thing you didn't drop it in the lobby or you'd be in big trouble", she told him.
    When they reached the room, they decided just to gather some things and make the
    trip to the outlet mall. It was raining out so showering and changing clothes
    would have been a waste of time. Mrs. Davis emptied the bag they had carried to
    the beach the day before and packed it with things she thought she would need
    for Matthew. She decided to put the two remaining Goodnites in the bag as well
    as the travel pack of wipes and lotion. Her attention was then drawn to the Wal-
    Mart bag. She opened it up and looked inside the diaper bag. Her first though
    was that she could just carry the diaper bag to the outlet mall. But she decided
    against it. As she looked through the bag for things that might be needed, she
    came across the sippy cup. She decided to put it in the bag they were taking. In
    light of the orange juice he had just spilt she thought it would be a good thing
    to take. She then came across the package with the pacifier in it. She thought
    to herself that if Matthew had another crying episode like the night before, it
    might come in handy. She also decided to put the bib in the bag rather then
    carry an extra change of clothes for Matthew to prevent him for getting his
    clothes dirty at lunch. She was sure they would probably end up at an ice cream
    shop as well. She thought that she could use the ice cream as an incentive for
    him to wear the bib. None of them had brought any rain gear with them, however
    there was a large umbrella that they always kept in the van. She decided to put
    an extra shirt for herself and one for her husband in the bag in case they got
    too wet. This took about 5 minutes to pack up. Then they made their way to the
    van.

    Chapter Ten - The Outlet Mall

    	The drive to the outlet mall was a bit longer then the hotel person had
    said. But it was raining heavily, which made driving a bit more difficult. It
    took them about 45 minutes to get there. They got a good parking place near one
    of the shops at the corner of the complex. It was still early and the outlet
    mall was not very crowded yet. They strolled down the covered sidewalk looking
    in the shop windows. Some of the stores weren't even open yet but most would be
    opening shortly. They walked for nearly 20 minutes before entering one of the
    shops. It was a clothing outlet for Eddie Bauer. They roamed the store for about
    15 minutes but didn't find any deals they just couldn't pass up. Matthew seemed
    to be getting bored a bit so they continued on.
    	The next store they went in was a clothing store for women. Mrs. Davis
    looked at several items but didn't find anything she really like and just had to
    buy. By this time Matthew was becoming quite bored and asked if they could go to
    a toy store. His mother replied, "I'm not sure there are any toy stores here,
    but we'll just have to see". They continued their walk and soon reached the
    middle of the outlet mall where the food court was. On one side of the food
    court was the area for children. It had a play ground area that was fenced in.
    Most of the equipment was meant for pre-school children but there was a slide
    and merry-go-round that interested Matthew. There were a few kids there, but all
    seemed to be in the 2 to 3 year old range. He asked if he could go in, but it
    was obvious that it was only for kids whose parents dropped them there to be
    supervised while doing their shopping. They checked the rates and found it to be
    $5 an hour, which seemed reasonable. "Do you want us to leave you here with the
    other kids for an hour or two?", his mother asked him. Matthew thought for a
    moment and decided he didn't want to be left there with all the little kids for
    that long. "Ok, maybe later today", his mom told him. The outlet mall had four
    sections of shops all leading off from the food court in the center. They
    continued down one of the walkways and headed in a different direction then they
    had come.
    	They had almost reached the end of all the stores in that section before
    finding something that interested them. It was a sporting goods store. They all
    went in and browsed the items. Mr. Davis took interest in some of the golf
    stuff. There were some really good deals on some things. But he soon decided not
    to purchase anything since he had just got a new set of clubs less then a year
    ago. While he browsed, Matthew and his mother looked around in the youth sports
    area. Matthew checked out the baseball bats and gloves as well as some of the
    hockey equipment. He even found a basketball and began bouncing it. His mother
    promptly told him not to of course. Matthew was looking at other things when
    something caught Mrs. Davis' eye. In the corner of the store with the bicycles
    were a few different styles of jogging strollers. She had seen mothers pushing
    their kids in the neighborhood while they ran. She wasn't much of a runner but
    did like to take daily walks. But on days that Matthew was home, she was unable
    to do it. Matthew had outgrown the small stroller they had since it was
    primarily sized for a small baby or early toddler. She looked at the prices and
    decided they were way too expensive. But she figured for someone who needed it
    for running they would be worth it. They had spent over 30 minutes in the store
    before deciding to move on.
    	They soon reached the end of that section and turned back toward the food
    court. By the time they reached the food court, Matthew was complaining of being
    tired of walking. His father suggested that he could carry him on his shoulders
    for a while. It was still over an hour till lunchtime, but they decided to get
    something to drink. Mr. Davis sat with Matthew over near the kids play area
    while Mrs. Davis went to get drinks. She returned with only 2 large cups. She
    handed her husband one of them and set the other on the table. Matthew started
    to take the other large cup, but his mother stopped him. "Hold on, you and I are
    going to split this one", she told him. She reached into the bag she had been
    carrying and pulled out the sippy cup. Matthew couldn't believe his eyes. He
    knew exactly what his mother had in mind. "I don't want that!", he said. "Well,
    it's either drink it in this or go thirsty", his mother told him. Matthew didn't
    say another word while his mother removed the lid of the sippy cup and poured
    some of the drink into it. She placed it in front of Matthew and began drinking
    hers. Matthew just looked at it for a minute then decided he was too thirsty not
    to drink it. They sat there nearly 10 minutes sipping on their drinks. Matthew
    finished his and asked for more. His mother agreed to fill his cup only half
    way. "I don't want you drinking too much or you'll flood your diaper", she told
    him. Matthew knew what he was wearing wasn't really a diaper. It was only for
    protection he thought. However, he knew that he needed to wear it and if he
    couldn't make it to the bathroom, he could just let go in the Goodnite.
    	They left the food court carrying their drinks. Matthew's father put him
    on his shoulders. Matthew was holding his sippy cup, which still had some of his
    drink left in it. Then all of the sudden he dropped it. Luckily the plastic cup
    was strong enough not to break from that height. The top even stayed on it. His
    mom just handed it back to him. About 2 minutes later he dropped it again. This
    time Mrs. Davis just put it in the bag. It was almost empty anyway. Matthew
    wanted to finish it but his mother told him, "No, obviously your not old enough
    to even use a sippy cup and hold onto it". Matthew wondered why his mom would
    say that but didn't make any reply.
    	They spent the next 30 minutes going into various stores. Matthew was
    taken down from his dad's shoulders every time they entered a store. Then he was
    put back on when they left. None of the stores really interested Matthew or his
    dad. Mr. Davis was getting tired of having Matthew on his shoulders so he told
    him to walk. Matthew was becoming quite bored with this whole outlet mall trip
    and was dragging his feet. Not 2 minutes later he was asking his mom to carry
    him. His mom just simply told him no. A few minutes later he tried again to get
    his dad to put him on his shoulders or just carry him. "I'm not going to be able
    to carry you around all day", he told him. Then Mrs. Davis suggested that maybe
    they could rent a stroller for him. Matthew didn't like the sound of that. He
    decided that he would walk and stop complaining. Five minutes later his parents
    noticed he was dragging his feet again. About that time they came upon a kids
    outlet store. It wasn't exactly a toy store, but did have some games and toys.
    They browsed for quite a while and Matthew was quite content for the time being.
    He picked out something he really wanted and asked his mom if he could get it.
    It was a large set of toy cars and the box was quite big. "That's too big to
    have to carry around the rest of the day". "Maybe we can come back and get it
    later", she told him. Matthew was pretty upset and began to pout a bit. His
    mother decided to get him out of there before he caused trouble.
    	They were almost to the end of the section of stores when they came across
    a Cosco outlet store. Upon seeing some strollers, highchairs and other baby
    items in the front window, Mrs. Davis decided to ask if the outlet mall had
    strollers or something similar for rent. Matthew and her husband waited outside.
    The store clerk told her that she did not think so. Then she added, "we are
    closing this store in a couple weeks and everything is 50 percent or more off
    the outlet price right now". "We could probably sell you one for a little more
    then you would pay to rent one". She directed her over to the wall on one side
    of the store where all the strollers were. There were about 30 different models
    to choose from. The smaller infant size and the umbrella style strollers she
    knew would be too small. But there were about 10 or so larger ones as well. She
    looked at several of them and noticed the prices were in the 60 to 70 dollar
    range but were marked half off that. Thirty or thirty five dollars didn't seem
    too much to spend she thought. While looking them over, her attention was drawn
    to one on the end. It seemed to be much larger then all the others. The clerk
    noticed she was looking at that one in particular and added that it was a
    pediatric stroller Cosco didn't even make. She wasn't sure why it was even in
    the store. She added that it was designed for handicapped children up to 80
    pounds. Mrs. Davis said she was a little confused by the design because the seat
    was so large and looked like a large car seat. The clerk told her that the seat
    was removable from the frame and it could be used as a car seat as well. There
    was a thick padded seat with a five-point harness and a separate pad for the
    neck. There were also straps to hold the feet to the large metal footrest. The
    price was a bit of a shock to her. The first price she read was the regular
    price of $250. However, the outlet price was listed at $150. There was no
    percent off sticker though. Mrs. Davis asked the clerk what the price would be.
    The clerk told her she wasn't sure and went back to the desk to check. She
    couldn't find out from her stock list what the percent off should be, so she
    decided to call her boss on the phone. A minute later she hung up the phone and
    told Mrs. Davis, "My boss said just to let it go at 75 percent off the outlet
    price. There's also another part to it in the storage room that isn't put
    together yet. It's a stand to put the seat on and has a tray. It's a high chair
    as well. She punched the numbers in the calculator on the counter and then told
    Mrs. Davis, "that comes to $37.50 plus tax". It was a deal she wasn't sure she
    could pass up. But spending $40 on a stroller without consulting her husband
    might not be a good idea. She went back over to look at it more and think. The
    clerk came over shortly and mentioned the fact that it was a car seat and high
    chair too and she couldn't imagine what it would cost to buy items that large
    separately. She still couldn't make up her mind though. Then the clerk said, "I
    tell you what... I'm not supposed to do returns since we are closing the store,
    but if you buy it and try it out for a day or two and you don't like it, you can
    bring it back. It was a done deal. Even if they just used it for the next few
    hours she could bring it back she thought. "Can I come back in a couple hours
    when we finish shopping and get the other part?", she asked the clerk. "That
    would be fine", the clerk said. She quickly paid cash for it and pushed the
    stroller out of the store.
    	Mr. Davis' eyes went wide when he saw what his wife had. Matthew's eyes
    almost popped out of his head. He stood there in disbelief that his mom would
    put him in a stroller. "Is that a rental?", asked Mr. Davis. "Well, not
    exactly... If we don't like it we can return it though... And it was only $40",
    she told him. Then she walked over to him and talked in a low voice to where
    Matthew couldn't hear her. "It converts to a car seat and a high chair too....
    And it's made for handicapped kids", she told him. "Matthew's not going to like
    this", was his only response. "Well, we'll just have to see about that", she
    said with a smile. All the while, Matthew was standing there staring at it and
    slowly backing away from it and his parents. It startled him so badly that he
    began peeing into his Goodnite uncontrollably. He didn't even realize he was
    doing so till he felt the wetness. "Come over here and sit down", his mother
    instructed. Matthew just shook his head from side to side. "Now", she added. "Do
    I have to?", he asked. "Yes.... At least try it out". Well, that left an option
    open for Matthew. Maybe if he didn't like it he wouldn't have to ride in it he
    thought. He slowly and reluctantly walked over and sat down on the edge of the
    seat. After his mother made a few quick adjustments to position the neck rest
    and open the harness, Matthew sat back. He remembered riding in the stroller
    when he was younger and also riding in a rental one at the mall a couple years
    ago. But this stroller was totally different. It felt like a recliner chair. The
    padding was thick and soft and the neck brace felt nice. But, he wasn't quite
    ready to admit to his parents that he liked it, at least not yet. However, the
    expressions on his face and the fact he wasn't throwing a fit pretty much gave
    it away. His mother proceeded to fasten the harness. Then she slipped his feet
    into the foot straps and adjusted the Velcro straps to secure his feet. She
    hooked the bag she had been carrying onto one of the hooks on the back of the
    stroller and began pushing it. Matthew settled back in the seat appeared to be
    completely comfortable.
    	They walked back to the food court and decided to get some lunch. Matthew
    spotted a pizza place from what he considered his new recliner on wheels. His
    parents decided just to go along with whatever he wanted for lunch. Besides,
    pizza sounded fine with them. They ordered 4 large slices and 2 large drinks.
    Mr. Davis figured he could eat 2 of them himself. They found a table to sit at
    and set their food down. Mrs. Davis proceeded to get the sippy cup out of the
    bag and told her husband to fill it for Matthew. She then walked over to where
    the trashcans were and got one of the plastic booster seats. She thought about
    getting one of the high chairs that were right next to it, but Matthew hadn't
    done anything to necessitate needing a high chair. At least not yet she thought.
    She returned to the table and placed the booster seat in one of the chairs. Then
    she removed the harness and foot straps, lifted Matthew into the booster seat,
    and scooted the chair up to the table. Mr. Davis placed Matthew's sippy cup in
    front of him and he immediately began drinking from it. Even though Matthew was
    close to the table, his mom decided there was still a chance he might get pizza
    on his clothes. She went back to the bag hanging from the stroller and removed
    the bib. Standing behind her son, she unfolded it and slipped it into place.
    Before Matthew even knew what was going on, she had secured it on him by closing
    the snap behind his neck. Matthew took one look at it but said not a word.
    Instead he grabbed the pizza his father had put in front of him and began
    eating.
    	Not much was said during their lunch. They were all quite hungry and sat
    quietly just eating. When they had finished, Mr. Davis collected the trash and
    went to throw it away. Mrs. Davis removed Matthews bib for him and noticed the
    bit of pizza sauce on the front of it. There was even a piece of pepperoni
    caught in the pocket at the bottom of the bib. Not knowing what to do with it,
    she decided just to let Matthew eat it. He thought it was a bit funny how
    something he had dropped didn't end up on the floor. "Good thing I put the bib
    on you or you'd have pizza all over you clothes", his mom told him. Matthew just
    smiled. She folded up the bib and put it back in the bag. She knew it was dirty,
    but she figured she could clean it later. She pulled the chair back from the
    table and was about to lift Matthew out of the booster seat but decided to do
    something else first before she put him back in the stroller. She unfastened the
    straps on his short-alls and pulled the chest part down. Then she stuck her hand
    in to check his Goodnite. "I think we better change this wet diaper before we go
    anywhere", she told him. She spun his chair around and then picked him up and
    put him on her hip. She walked to the stroller and grabbed the bag and started
    toward the restrooms. "We'll be back in a few minutes", she told her husband who
    had just returned to the table. "Watch the stroller while I change his diaper",
    she added.
    	Matthew was quite uneasy about having his Goodnite changed in a public
    place. There were several women in the restroom when they entered. Mrs. Davis
    didn't think twice about it. She simply took him over to the changing table and
    laid him down on it. His feet stuck out off the edge, but he wasn't big enough
    for it not to have been a good place to change him. With his shortalls already
    unsnapped, she began pulling them off. It took a little effort but she managed.
    She placed them on the back side of the changing table next to his head then
    slid his shirt up as to give room to work before ripping the sides on his
    Goodnite. When she lifted his legs to remove the Goodnite, Matthew began to sob.
    His mother knew he was embarrassed but this was something he would just have to
    get used to if he were going to continue wetting himself like he had been. She
    lifted his legs again and started wiping his bottom with a baby wipe. As his mom
    did this, he watched the other ladies in the room. He felt as if all of them
    were watching him. Slowly his sobs became stronger and tears started running
    from his eyes. His mom finished wiping his bottom and began cleaning his front.
    In an attempt to quiet him, she 'shushed' him and told him "we'll be done in a
    couple minutes". This did very little good as his crying became more intense. He
    started to whimper. She finished wiping him clean and proceeded to get the
    bottle of lotion from the bag. She squirted a fair amount into her hand and then
    lifted his legs in order to put lotion on his bottom. As she did this, his
    crying became even more intense. Matthew was bawling and the noises he was
    making doing so were getting loud. She noticed a couple of the ladies that were
    washing their hands looking over. She finished his bottom and put his legs back
    down. He was crying uncontrollably and she had to do something. She reached into
    the bag with both hands and removed the pacifier from its packaging. She stood
    up, bent over him, kissed his forehead and slid the pacifier into his mouth. His
    crying immediately became quiet as he began to suck. By the time his mother had
    finished putting lotion on his front and slipping the new Goodnite and his
    shortalls over his legs, his crying had stopped. She lifted him off the table
    and stood him up on the floor. Then she pulled the Goodnite the rest of the way
    up and finished putting his shortalls back on.
    	Mr. Davis was dumbfounded as he watched his wife emerge from the restroom
    carrying their son with a pacifier in his mouth. He could tell right away that
    Matthew had been crying. "Is he ok?", he asked her. "Yea, he'll be fine". "I
    think he may need a nap though". "Can you watch him while I go back in?" "I
    didn't get a chance to go myself yet", his wife explained. "Ok, but I get to go
    next", he told her with a smile. As his wife went back in, Mr. Davis decided to
    put Matthew in the stroller. He attached the harness and fastened his feet with
    the straps. Upon inspecting the stroller a bit, he discovered the seat could be
    reclined a bit. He loosened the adjustment knob and allowed the seat to tilt
    back. Matthew just closed his eyes and continued to suck on the pacifier. His
    father kissed him on the cheek and proceeded to tell him, "try to get some sleep
    son". Just before Matthew drifted off, his father whispered to him "Goodnight...
    We love you baby".
    	Mrs. Davis returned from the restroom shortly afterward and then Mr. Davis
    took his turn. They continued to browse the rest of the shops in the last part
    of the outlet mall. They had been shopping for over 2 hours before finally
    deciding to call it a day. Matthew had slept the entire time making the shopping
    much more peaceful for both of them. They hadn't found much to buy however Mrs.
    Davis had settled for a pair of comfortable walking shoes at a shoe outlet store
    and Mr. Davis purchased a shirt from a department store outlet shop. They made
    their way to the van for the return trip back to the hotel. Mr. Davis was able
    to figure out how to remove the seat from the stroller and place it in the back
    seat securely without much trouble. Matthew slept through it all. They made a
    quick stop at the Cosco store to pick up the other part of the stroller as they
    were leaving. Mrs. Davis went in to get it and informed the clerk that they
    would definitely be keeping it. Matthew woke up about 10 minutes before they
    arrived at the hotel. He was a little confused when he realized he was still in
    the seat of his stroller but it was now sitting in the back seat of the van. He
    figured out that this would now be his new car seat as well. He was ok with it
    though since he thought the seat was so comfortable. It had been raining off and
    on all day and still hadn't stopped. Just before reaching the hotel, they
    decided to go ahead and get some dinner from a drive through rather then have to
    go back out later. They stopped at a Burger King and picked up some food. When
    they ordered a 'big kids meal' for Matthew, they both looked at each other and
    then at their son. They were both thinking somewhat of the same thing. Matthew
    certainly wasn't exactly a 'big kid", at least not much of one any more.

    Chapter 11 - A Relaxing Evening

    	When they arrived back at the hotel, they decided to leave Matthew in his
    seat and just put the seat back on the stroller frame. Mrs. Davis pushed the
    stroller with their bags hung on the back of it while Mr. Davis carried the high
    chair frame and their food. Matthew asked for his meal mainly because he wanted
    to see what toy was in it. His mom told him to just wait a bit. Mr. Davis
    removed the high chair frame from the box and found that it simply unfolded.
    There weren't any nuts and bolts or anything to put it together. Matthew had no
    clue what it was until his dad removed his seat from the stroller frame, placed
    it on top of the other frame then removed the tray from the other box and slid
    it into place. His mom got the bib out of the bag and put it on her son before
    putting his 'big kids meal' on the tray. She also got his sippy cup out and
    filled it with the drink that came with his meal. Then she removed the pacifier
    from his mouth. Matthew had become so comfortable with having the pacifier in
    his mouth that he didn't even realize it was still there. It had been in his
    mouth the whole time since lunch.
    	They ate their dinner quietly without even turning on the television.
    Matthew was about half way through his meal when he told his mom he needed to go
    poop. She didn't believe him and thought it was just a ploy to not have to
    finish his dinner. She told him, "When your finished with your dinner I'll let
    you down". "If you still have to poop I'll put you on the potty". "If you can't
    wait, you can just go in your diaper". Matthew ate a few more bites and then
    could hold it no more. His mom knew exactly what was happening from the look on
    his face. When he had finished he had a look of relief. He then continued eating
    his meal until it was gone. He even finished his drink, which his mom had added
    some of hers to refill it once already. When they all had finished their meals,
    she removed the tray from the highchair and set it on the bed. She took
    Matthew's pacifier from off the tray and put it in his mouth. Then she lifted
    him up and carried him over to the dresser to change his messy diaper.
    	As she slipped the goodnight up his legs, she knew this was the last one.
    And with all the fluids he had drank with dinner, it wouldn't be long before it
    would be wet. They all 3 lay on the bed watching television for the next few
    hours. Matthew was only wearing his Goodnite and shirt. After taking a quick
    shower at about 8 p.m. Mr. Davis nodded off to sleep. Mrs. Davis was starting
    feel a bit tired as well. But she knew she had to stay awake. Matthew finally
    got tired again and dosed off to sleep around 8:30 p.m. By 9 p.m. his last
    Goodnite was soaked. Being careful not to wake him, Mrs. Davis carried him to
    the dresser and removed his shirt and the wet Goodnite. She took extra care
    cleaning him up and applying a good coating of baby oil. She finally went to the
    closet and took out the package of Luvs diapers opening the side of it on her
    way back to the dresser. She set it on the dresser and removed one of the
    diapers. She was still a bit worried they might not fit him well. She lifted his
    legs and slid the opened diaper under his bottom. She then went to the sink to
    wash the oil off her hands. She returned and carefully brought the diaper up
    between her son's legs and secured the tapes on either side. She stood for a
    moment looking at her son. He lay there peacefully with his pacifier in his
    mouth and a diaper on his bottom. She noticed how well the Luvs diapers fit him.
    If anything, they might have been a little too big. She started to put his
    sleeper on him but remembered it had been a little wet the night before because
    his Goodnite had leaked. She decided to just put one of his tee shirts on him
    instead. She then carried him over to the crib and placed him in it. Matthew
    woke up a bit as she did this and rolled over on his stomach. He still had the
    pacifier in his mouth and that gave his mom an idea.
    	She returned to the closet and dug through the new diaper bag. She removed
    the baby bottle and a packet of the toddler formula. She washed out the bottle
    in the sink, and then filled it with warm water. She emptied the contents of the
    formula packet into the water, put the top on the bottle, and shook it till she
    was sure it was dissolved. She carried the bottle over to the crib and carefully
    removed Matthew's pacifier and quickly slipped the nipple of the bottle between
    his lips. As if it was the most perfectly normal thing in the world, Matthew
    started nursing on the bottle. Perhaps it was just instinct. Or, maybe it was
    exactly what he had needed for a long time his mom thought. He just wasn't ready
    to grow up and be a big boy. And she wasn't ready for it either. She held the
    bottle in an upright position until it was almost empty. Then she just rested
    the bottle on the mattress with the nipple still in Matthew's mouth. There would
    be some left if he woke up at night or was thirsty the next morning. Before
    going to take a shower herself and get ready for bed, she rubbed and patted the
    smooth plastic of the Luvs diaper on Matthew's bottom and kissed him good night.

    (Next installment coming to Deeker's site soon)