Adored

Nineteen

Last evening was eventful for the two men, Nixon, and Amari. The four of them had witnessed Easton's first tantrum, a fussy fit that had been heavily influenced by tiredness.  As far as tantrums go, it was very mild, but it caught them by surprise because it was his first show of defiance.

The young lad was told it was bedtime, as it was closing in on ten o'clock at the time, whereas Easton's bedtime is usually at eight o'clock. However, the young boy wanted to finish the film they had been watching as a family. And no amount of 'We can pause it and watch it tomorrow,' or 'It's past your bedtime, you're going to be cranky tomorrow'  would settle Easton. 

Poor thing had refused to even acknowledge he was falling asleep while sitting up. His head kept lolling to the side, only for him to jolt awake and fall back again. He wanted to find out if the little fish would find his daddy again, instead Easton was picked up and taken to his room before he could  witness the happy reunion.

Scott sat rocking him in the chair, humming as Easton sobbed.  Scott realized how hard it was for the fun to end for any child, but especially in this instance since it had been so long for Easton.  A child can't understand the need for sleep or proper nutrition. They only know what they like.  He wanted to explain all of this to Easton, but experience had taught him that this was not the time to reason with a child.  It was very much like dealing with the drunk adults at the club where he worked.  A drunk, upset adult was very much like a toddler. There was likely to be tears, tantrums, slurred words, and maybe even wet pants.  

As Easton began to wind down, quickly losing steam, Scott spoke softly.  "I know you're upset and I know decisions are hard to make right now, but you have one last one to make tonight.  I am going to change you into a dry diaper for bed.  Do you want a bottle before going to sleep?"

Easton paused, his breathing still shuddering as he tried to calm down.  Finally, without removing the thumb from his mouth, he nodded slowly.

Scott used his phone to text Felix downstairs to ask him to prepare and bring up a bottle.  Scott was glad Easton had agreed to a bottle. It was a good recovery to end the night on.

In a way, as Easton was tucked into bed after a diaper change and a pacifier gently pushed between his lips, it was nice to see the boy act out, as it showed them all that he was getting comfortable. Though, he acknowledged they're going to have to learn to not be too lenient with the little boy.  Scott and Felix had both had to learn how to do what was best for the child even when the child resisted some decisions.  They had also learned to curb their frustration and hear the child out, so they could explain why it had to be a certain way.  It didn't always garner compliance, but it headed off most escalations of temper.

                                                                           Monday

In the early hours of the morning, Easton stirred awake. He suckled on the plastic between his lips, liking the comfort it offered. It was still new, and became a surprise to wake up to at six twenty-two in the morning. But last night he was too overtired to register what was going on. He liked it though, and that's the main thing.

The boy laid there, staring up at the ceiling as his chest rose and fell in a calm rhythm. Then, he remembered what today is and instantly grew excited. It was park day!  He liked the park, always had when Mummy was with him. The swings was his favorite, as then he felt like he could fly, convinced if he went any higher, he would reach the fluffy cotton clouds.  He wanted the swings to touch the fluffy clouds right now.  With not having any concept of the time, Easton picked up Max from the floor where he had fallen in his sleep and toddled to Scott and Felix's room. Feeling brave as they did say they it was okay to come see them if he was having trouble sleeping, whether that being a nightmare or feeling sick, didn't matter. They said they rather be woken up and lose sleep over any of their children suffering on their own.