Jelly and Peanut hadn't expected today to be any different from normal, not even when their parents left the house and told them to watch their baby sister, Butter. They assumed it'd be a typical day of babysitting, mostly involving watching cartoons on the television, feeding Butter when she got hungry, fixing her bottles, and probably a diaper change or two.
But as the two older otters were sitting on the couch with their little sister, currently snuggled between them, it wasn't hard for Jelly at least to notice that Butter seemed a bit unhappy. Butter was getting older, there was no denying that. But she wasn't quite out of diapers yet. It's not that her parents didn't care, they simply didn't have much time to invest in potty training. Besides, Butter's next birthday wasn't for a few months still. No need to rush, she would be trained in due time, just like her older siblings.
However, when there was nothing to do and you were the youngest sibling in the house, it was hard not to feel… well… sad. You couldn't do much of anything by yourself: No touching a hot stove, no sticking your fingers in an electrical socket, no climbing on chairs or tables to get things, and no chewing or slobbering on things that couldn't fit into your mouth all the way.
Butter knew those rules existed for a reason, the grown-ups didn't want you to get an owie. But she wasn't a helpless baby, she could actually walk on her own two legs (just a little, and she preferred crawling). She knew where her bottles and baby food were kept, and that Mom and Dad kept her nursery fully stocked with changing supplies at all times.
If only today wasn't so cold and rainy, she could go outside with her siblings where at least she'd have the yard to run around in. She'd be good and not wander off. But instead, she was stuck indoors with nothing to do but watch t.v. And truth be told, none of her favorite shows were currently on, and she'd already watched all the saved recordings of old episodes.
Jelly noticed Butter's slight frown as she got up to prepare another bottle for her sister. "I should talk to Peanut about this after we set Butter down for her nap." She thought to herself. She already had a pretty good idea of what they were going to have to do to solve this problem. But to do that she would need her brother to join in, even if he'd insist he wasn't going to do it.
Butter's nap time rolled around about half an hour later, and once she was sound asleep in her crib her two older siblings quietly left her nursery. They went to another room, far away from the nursery. And it was there that Jelly talked to Peanut about the problem she'd noticed. "Butter needs cheering up. I think she doesn't like not being able to do anything today."
Peanut seemed to guess what his sister was suggesting. "That sounds like a problem."
Jelly nodded as a smile broke out across her face. "And you know what we do whenever we have a problem and don't know how to solve it."
Peanut frowned. "The noodle dance," He said with a sigh. "Look, this time I mean it. I'll use my noodle, but I'm definitely not dancing. Not even a little."
"You always say that, Peanut," Jelly teased. "Now come on, you know how it goes. Let's dance!" She didn't even wait for a reply as she began dancing and thinking, that familiar tune playing out in her head like it was second nature to her. She felt tempted to start singing it out loud, but didn't dare for fear she'd wake Butter up from her nap.
Peanut started to think to himself for a while. But try as he might, the otter just couldn't resist the urge that built up inside him. Before he knew it, he was dancing and thinking like he always did.
The dancing lasted for quite a while between the two otters, before Jelly got an idea! "I've got it! We'll give Butter some playmates. I think there's some old toddler clothes that'll still fit us."
"Do we really have to dress up as babies? Isn't there a better option?" Peanut suggested. He suspected it wouldn't stop at just baby clothes.
Jelly smiled. "Come on, Peanut. No one will know but you, Butter, and I. Besides, it's for a good cause. You do wanna make Butter happy, don't you?"
"Well… yeah, I do. But…" Peanut began.
"-But nothing, Peanut!" Jelly interrupted. "It's only gonna be for today, just for a couple of hours. It'll be fun! Think of it as playing dress-up or going trick or treating. You know much we love doing that!" She took off for a nearby closet without waiting for a reply and started to sort through the various clothes inside.
"She's really going to go through with this, isn't she?" Peanut thought to himself. "I guess she's not going to take no for an answer. Better to do it on my own terms, rather than be dragged into it. Besides, we'll change out of the clothes before Mom and Dad come home." And he reluctantly went to join his sister in the closet.
After a great deal of searching, Jelly eventually found some suitable toddler attire for her and Peanut to wear. For Peanut she found an adorable baby blue jumper with a button hatch in the back, and a matching set of baby blue slippers with cute, cartoon animals printed on them. And for herself, she had selected a cute baby pink sleeper that could be zipped up, making it easier to step in and out of.
With a great deal of fumbling and stretching, the two otters were able to fit into the old clothes that fit them (albeit just barely, a few more inches and they wouldn't fit at all). But that was when Jelly got another idea. "If we're gonna dress up as babies, we might as well look the part inside and out."
"Great, back to diapers," Peanut grumbled. "You think Butter's diapers will fit us?"
"They're definitely bigger than your usual baby brand, so I think they will. Only one way to find out!" Jelly grinned. "Come on, let's get back to the nursery!"
The two otters carried their toddler attire to Butter's nursery, Butter was still sleeping peacefully as her pacifier bobbed up and down in her mouth.
Near her crib lay the changing table. From experience, Jelly knew where to find the diapers. They were in the first drawer from the top. She pulled two out, tossing one to Peanut before taking one for herself.
Peanut lay down on the floor. "Can't believe I'm doing this." He grumbled as he took the diaper into his hands. With a great deal of fumbling, he tried to slide the padding over his rear and pull it up. Somehow, it was able to fit him despite clearly not being intended for an otter of his size.
The fit wasn't perfect, if he wiggled around too much it would slide down. The tabs didn't work, they couldn't fit around his sides. But it was as good as he could manage given the circumstances. As long as he didn't move around too much, the diaper would be fine.
Jelly smiled as she slipped a diaper onto her rear and slowly pulled it up. "I almost forgot how comfy these things are," She said with a smile. "This has to be one of the best ideas I've ever had! Butter is gonna be in for one heck of a surprise when she wakes up."
And Butter was indeed surprised when she woke up from her nap and saw her older siblings standing over her crib, dressed in a sleeper and a jumper respectively and wearing diapers that only barely fit them.
"Hey, Butter!" Jelly happily greeted. "Peanut and I decided to give you a surprise for being such a good little otter. We're gonna be your big playmates for today. Isn't that right, Peanut?"
Peanut answered in a somewhat nervous tone. "Y-yeah, that's right. We're going to do all kinds of baby things with you, and you can show us how you have fun. What… do you wanna do first?"
"Well, we need to get her out of her crib first," Jelly laughed as she lowered the guard rails and scooped the little otter up. "She may be the oldest baby now, but that doesn't mean she knows everything."
Butter simply giggled and grinned. She knew just what her siblings needed to complete their looks before she could have fun with them. She waddled over towards the changing table and kneeled down, opening up a drawer that contained some spare pacifiers.
It was clear who they were intended for, they even matched the otters to whom they were assigned. Jelly got a purple colored one, and Peanut got a red one. The two gave the devices a few suckles, surprised at how relaxing and natural it felt.
Peanut then smiled, waddling over and giving her siblings a hug. She didn't need to say anything, they knew what she meant. And they were going to have fun together for the next several hours: Watching television, playing with blocks, waddling around the house, and drinking from bottles. Not to mention sleeping in the nursery with pacifiers bobbing up and down in their mouths.