"I good," he says. I watch him hold the fork by wrapping his whole hand around it, like he's holding a bike handle. It takes him a moment, but he finally gets a piece ripped off and dunks it into the syrup on the side. HIs food is on one of his new plate sets, so the syrup has its own little compartment. "I did it!"
"Good job, honey."
We eat like that, playful banter between us, until both of our plates are empty. Orion uses the sippy cup no problem, but I see him looking over at his bottle from last night. I make a note to pack one in his bag for today. It was a tip Remington gave me; buy an actual diaper bag and fill it with whatever you'll need for events. We wouldn't take it out in public, but for the club or playdates at each others' houses, I can see how it would be handy. I'll double check with him before we leave if he wants to bring it or not.
Riley left us at some point to go downstairs. When we're finished with our food and head down, Orion goes straight to the back door to let him outside while I fill his food and water bowls. I watch both of them from the kitchen island, smiling at the muted sounds of Orion's laughter when Riley runs toward him again and again. He's standing where we were last night and the thought of what we did flashes back through my mind.
When the two of them come back inside, Riley heads straight for his food while Orion stands by the door with his hands by his side. His cheeks are flushed and it takes me a moment to see the welling of tears in his eyes. I rush across the room and stop in front of him. He looks up at me without question.
"I peed."
I look behind him, about to ask if he went outside, but then I remember he's wearing the diaper. He puts a hand on his groin area and we both look down.
"Are you okay with that?" I look back up at his eyes. He takes a second to look up at me. He shrugs his shoulders and I know he's thinking hard about this. "Honey, are you okay with that?"
After my second question, he nods. He gives me the sign that he doesn't want to talk and I accept it. I take his hand and pull him upstairs into the playroom where we keep all his toys and supplies. We got the bunk beds put together last Sunday. The structure takes up a fourth of the room, but there is plenty of space for the rest of his things. I move to the dresser where I've organized the clothes that didn't go in the closet and some supplies, like lotions, creams, and such.
I pull out a pair of training pants and another diaper, asking which he'd like to wear. He looks at both before deciding on the training pants. They're still padded and have a fun squiggly design on them, but they're not made to hold anything if he has an accident. I tell him this and he nods with a smile.
"Lay down on the bed and Daddy will change you."
I grab the pack of wipes from the top left drawer before turning back around. Orion is already on the bed, shorts around his ankles. I keep my laugh to myself at the sight. It's too cute. He lets me maneuver him as I clean him up. When I pull him to his feet to pull his shorts back up, I kiss his thighs and then his stomach. I can see the muscles on his stomach quiver at the touch of my lips.
"Tickles," he says with a laugh. I situate his shorts on him and stand up. He holds his arms out, resting his elbows on my shoulders and looking into my eyes. "Up."
"You want me to carry you?" He nods and I can't say no to him. He isn't heavy at all, something that is also on the list to talk to him about. I don't know if he's seen a doctor for any sort of check up since he's lived on his own. When he wraps his legs and arms around me, he rests his head on my shoulder, facing the room. "Where am I taking you, honey?"
"Paint?"
I walk out of the room and down the hall. I set up the paint station in front of the window on Monday. Orion was at his apartment for the evening and I didn't have anything else to do. I may have also gone to a local art supply shop and bought some additional items. The first thing was a washable rug on the floor. The floors in the upstairs are carpet and I was warned by the cashier that even washable paint is hard to get out of carpet. The desk is a white wood color. It has two drawers in the front and a plank across the bottom to either put more supplies, or if Orion is like me, to put his feet. The left drawer is filled with paint brushes, colored pencils and crayons. The other has stacks of the thicker paper recommended for watercolors and two coloring books.
Orion's eyes are jumping from spot to spot, taking everything in as I show him. I can see he's happy without words. It makes my heart leap once more just watching him. "How about you start painting Daddy a picture while I clean up? I'll be right back and I'll color with you."
He doesn't say anything, but doesn’t argue when I sit him down in the chair that came with the desk. I watch him for a second to see what he's going to choose. He pulls out three paint bottles, a canvas, and one of the brushes. There's also a paint tray he finds toward the back of the drawer.
I head downstairs to clean up quickly. My phone is buzzing on the counter and I see Rachel's face flashing on the screen.
"Hey, Rach." I balance the phone between my ear and shoulder so I can turn the faucet on.
"Long time no talk. Or see. Where have you been hiding out?"
I roll my eyes at this. It has been a while, but I'm not hiding. I play along though. "Just trying to avoid you. I keep getting roped into helping with things whenever I see you."
"That's not— Actually, that might be true. That's not the point though. I hear through the grapevine that you're bringing your Boy to the playdate today?"
She says it casually, if a bit excited. Rachel is a close friend and we hang out as often as we can. It's mostly at the club, but like with the camp, I've tagged along to a few playdates or the rare occasion we all go out to a bar or something. I love that our little group isn't always playdates. I don't mind them, but I like the balance. I'm sure now that Orion is in the picture, I'll enjoy the playdates a lot more. Either way, I see it as a way to hang out with my friends.
"We're still on the fence about it," I say honestly. "We'll be at the party, but I'll have to talk to him. He hasn't had any Little time in front of anyone but myself."
"Is there anything we can do to make it easier for him if you do stay?" Rachel is in full Mommy mode now. I love that my friends are so empathetic.
"He's not one for rough housing," I say. I don't want to give away too much without Orion's permission. "He plays pretend and likes to make up stories, but he also goes quiet sometimes."
"Is that something we should watch out for?" Rachel sounds like she's taking notes. No doubt, she'll have a talk with Luke, to let him know to not overwhelm Orion.
"No, it isn't anything specific. Most of the time, he's just wanting cuddles, but others, he just likes to play without talking. He's upstairs painting right now. I might bring some coloring books with us if he decides he wants to stay."
"Have you seen Austin's room at their house? It's crafts galore. I'm actually jealous of it."
