Adi blushed and tried to hide her face as she felt her bladder empty. She'd gotten so used to the feeling over the last few days that she hadn't even thought about it when deciding if she wanted to act like a baby. She'd decided that playing like a little kid would be better than worrying about what Toni was going to think, but she hadn't considered the humiliation of wetting herself in front of her Mom again.
Thankfully she was still wearing a diaper, because when she'd got dressed she hadn't even known if an adult day was on offer. But knowing that she'd asked for it this to happen was so much worse than hearing her name in a situation where she couldn't control it. She found herself screwing up her face and burying her head in her hands, trying to hide from the world even though she knew there was no way that could happen.
"Don't worry, dear." Adi almost jumped in surprise when she felt a hand touching her hair. But Mom was stroking her hair gently, and muttering soothing words that didn't need to mean anything at all. "You're only a little kid today, so you don't need to feel bad about anything. If you're a baby, you won't be embarrassed about things you can't control, you might blush a little but it'll feel normal, and not something you need to worry about. Is that okay?"
Adi nodded, and took a little breath in. She wasn't sure if it was because Mom was being so supportive and acting like it didn't matter, or if those words had been close enough to the trigger phrase, but she was already starting to feel more relaxed.
"Did that work, honey?"
"Yep," Adi giggled. "You didn't say it quite right, but I think it doesn't matter."
"I started wondering after something your brother said yesterday. I think your mind is prety flexible about what it will accept. That could be a bad thing, but maybe it makes it easier for me to help you without you needing to worry about it. Okay, hon?"
"I think so," Adi answered, finding that even with the blush still colouring her cheeks she couldn't help smiling just a little as she thought about the day ahead. And, of course, she was as excited as she usually was about Mom's coffee in front of her. She managed to eat her breakfast with no more mess than usual, although part way through she decided it might feel more in-character to grasp her spoon in a clenched fist rather than holding it properly, and as a result some fraction of her cereal ended up decorating the table and her shirt.
"Have you given yourself some baby behaviours that i don't know about?" Mom asked with one eyebrow raising a little. Adi paused then, and shook her head a little. She'd spent a lot of the last few months trying to resist babyish behaviour, and now she was doing it when she didn't have to. She'd have to explain to Mom, and just hope she'd understand.
"Britney helped me pick some words on the open day," she said, feeling just a little frustrated that she couldn't say the first words she'd thought of to express the same concept. She didn't let it bother her any further, and as long as she was understood it didn't matter if she used big words or not. "It kind of... makes me happy when I do baby stuff. So I don't worry. That's good, so I don't feel bad about what I said. And I won– I thought if I do more baby stuff, it might make me more happy."
"That's fine, hon. You can play as much as you need to. If you're just playing at being a baby, or if the hypnosis helps you to do it, I think it should be relaxing both ways. So you can do whichever you prefer, and you don't have to explain yourself. I think there's people out there who find it really relaxing to just dress and act like a kid, just playing along. And there's people who need the hypnosis to actually shut away their adult thoughts so they can enjoy regression without anything nagging at the back of their mind. And there's people who enjoy feeling like their can't help it. Maybe that way you don't feel any guilt over it, if it wasn't your choice. So you can have whichever you want. Would you like me to surprise you with something later?"
Adi thought about that while she kept on eating, but didn't switch back to holding her spoon properly. It was harder like this, but it meant that she was thinking a lot about how to use her spoon, and how to get food in her mouth. Less mind-space left for adult concerns and worries. Maybe this was why it appealed so much to the adult babies who'd originally asked for all those hypnosis files. She still wondered what kind of surprises Mom would think of, and she wondered if there would be anything that could help her forget her nervousness completely. But at the same time, she didn't want to end up trapped as a baby again because of some misunderstood answer.
"Will I..." she started, and found the next word escaped her. "Can I...?"
"You worrying again about growing up later?" Mom took a guess, and managed to be almost spot on this time. Adi nodded, and Mom continued: "Well, don't worry about that. If you want to be a baby today, you can be a baby today. I might be able to think of some new behaviours to make it feel more real for you, or to help you enjoy feeling out of control. But I won't push the deadline. Tomorrow I'll ask you again if you want to be a baby or an adult, and I'll ask before I say your name so I know that your answer is your own choice. Okay?"
Another nod, and then Adi thought of something that she'd have to use words for: "Will Toni be here?"
"Tomorrow? I think her dad sent her on a short business trip. The first one for her new job, even if she's not officially on the books yet. She was worried about missing you, but we assured her that you'd be safe until she comes back. She'll be home tomorrow night, and she promised she'll have a present for you."
Adi found herself giggling in excitement as she tried to work out what the present might be. A souvenir from some far-flung place? Something for a baby girl, or something more adult? She couldn't believe she was getting so excited at the slightest hint of a gift. Maybe acting like a kid automatically made her feel like one too, more than she'd ever expected. So much excitement, but tempered with just a little nervousness. Would Toni be angry at her for putting herself in a situation she wasn't comfortable with, and for not communicating her needs?
"You're worried, aren't you?" Mom seemed to get right to the point, unravelling Adi's concerns before she even had time to think about them. "You know Toni loves you, but there's a little voice in the back of your head saying she's going to be upset for some reason. And you want to be a baby so you don't have to think about those things, because the rational side of your mind already knows it's a baseless concern. Right? So would you rather switch off your adult mind for a day and a half, and then go back to grown-up Adi when you need to talk to your girlfriend about what's been happening?"
Adi started to nod automatically, and then caught herself. She had to think it through properly. She knew that Toni liked her just as much as a grown-up or as a little kid, so she wouldn't be angry that Adi had messed up. But it was so easy to blame herself for a stupid mistake, and think that everyone else would be just as worked up over it. Being a baby again might help her escape those worries, but that would just be running away rather than anything productive. She knew that she needed to...
Her train of thought derailed, she bit her lip gently and tried to think what she could actually do. She didn't need to do anything to make sure Toni would support her, because the only problem was her pointless worries. So why not accept something that would make her stop worrying? When she thought about it like that, being too young to think about her problems seemed quite appealing. Was this wat Mom had thought she was feeling all along? A place where her nervousness itself was the only problem, and she just wanted to escape from it?
"Okay," she said slowly. "Until Mommy's back. And I can see Dean again?"