Chapter 54 – Diaper Mishaps and a Smile (Two Months)

September 16th, 1918

The weather is starting to cool off, and the citizens of Hope Valley are looking forward to the fall. Lee finally feels like he has a good schedule, one where he can be mayor and entrepreneur and have time to be a good father and husband. Today is a big day in the Coulter home. It is Patrick's second first day of school here in Hope Valley, and Rosemary is returning to work with her daughter by her side.

Even before Isabella was born, Lee and Rosemary made it a point not to try and completely disrupt Patrick's life. They still want to have breakfast and dinner as a family most days, and they both want to walk Patrick to school, and at least one of them will pick him up in the afternoon. Rosemary plans to work mornings to see how it goes with Isabella.

Lee, Rosemary, and Isabella drop Patrick off at school that morning and head to the office. Rosemary lays her daughter in the cradle, and she gets to work on an article about Fiona's Salon. She is doing a series of articles on the various businesses around town. Fiona volunteered to be featured first. Rosemary takes a break when she hears Isabella whimper. As she gets closer to the cradle, she gets a whiff of something foul, so she uncovers Isabella and sees poop all over her clothes, blanket, and cradle sheets. Rosemary gasps in horror while Isabella starts kicking her legs and screaming.

Lee checks out the commotion and immediately sees and smells what his adorable daughter just produced. "How can someone so cute and tiny create something so disgusting?" Lee wonders aloud.

Rosemary answers, "I don't know, sweetheart." She laughs for a moment before it turns into a frown. Rosemary plugs her nose, taking one more look at the mess and then her daughter when an idea comes to mind. She immediately turns on her charms and grins at her husband, asking, "Would you be so kind as to change her diaper? I'll get the next one."

Lee chuckles, replying, "I wish I could, but I am already late for my meeting with Bill. I should have been there five minutes ago."

"I see. Well, you are already late…what is five or ten more minutes of bonding time with your little angel? Bill won't mind."

"I know what you are trying to do, Rosie."

"What?"

"You don't want to change her sticky, smelly diaper."

Rosemary pouts, mentioning, "Who does?"

"I am sorry, honey, but I do have to go," remarks Lee as he kisses his two girls and says, "Goodbye."

A few hours later, Lee returns to the office, and Isabella is unhappy about something. Not only that, but the office still smelled of poop. The first thing out of his mouth is, "Sweetheart, why does the office still stink?"

Standing over the cradle, a frustrated Rosemary answers with an emphasis on your, "Because your daughter just had another diaper mishap, and I have no idea what to do with the dirty clothes, diapers, or sheets. I can't exactly leave her alone to wash anything, now can I, Lee."

"No, I guess you couldn't, but at least you could have put the smelly stuff outside."

Rosemary pouts and dramatically describes the last few hours. "She's pretty much been crying since you left. First, I had to hold her in one arm and type with the other. Next, she spits up all over her blanket, followed by another dirty diaper, messier than the first. Where were you? I could have used your help."

"I tried to get back. Really, I did. The meeting with Bill went long, and I kept getting stopped in the street as I walked back here. Everyone thought they needed to tell me exactly what was bothering them in Hope Valley and how I could fix the situation. Then I forgot I told Lucas I would stop by the Saloon. He wanted to discuss which movies he should bring to Hope Valley next."

Rosemary rolls her eyes, picks up Isabella, and hands her to Lee. It is your turn now. I need to finish this article before she is hungry again.

Lee sits down with his daughter, baby talking, "I can't wait to show you your first moving picture! If you are anything like your Mama, you will be in love with the screen." The talking usually calms her down, but her cries only worsen, so Lee checks to see if she needs a clean diaper. And when she doesn't, he suggests, "Honey, I think she is ready to eat."

"Now? Are you sure?"

"I'm pretty confident I know when my little girl is hungry."

"And you don't think I do?" quizzes Rosemary.

"That is not what I am saying, sweetheart."

A guilty expression forms on Rosemary's face as she demurely responds, "I know." Lee eyes his wife sympathetically, bringing Isabella over to her, where Rosemary gladly cradles her daughter while Isabella nurses for what seemed like the hundredth time today. A little while later, she glances over at Lee, who is now sitting at his desk. "Lee, do you think it's too soon for me to bring our precious baby girl to work? Maybe she is not ready to share my time."

Lee replies, "Or maybe, you are not ready? You always put one hundred percent into everything, and you can't do that with Isabella and running the paper."

"You're right, but I want to show her she can be a mother and wife and have a career."

"Rosie, she is barely two months. She won't remember anything until she is closer to Patrick's age." When Isabella stops eating, Rosemary lifts her to her shoulder and burps her.

"Are you recommending I shouldn't work anymore?"

"No, not at all. I think you need to give yourself a break and understand you may not get as much work done as you did before. Now you have two children to focus on, well maybe three if you count me." Rosemary chuckles. "Your family is your number one priority, and what little time you have left, you can devote to your career."

Rosemary yelps, "Not again!"

Lee asks, "What happened?"

"She spit up again, but this time it is all over my hair," reveals Rosemary with an exaggerated frown.

"Do you need some help?"

"No, thank you. I think we'll just go home early. We are both in need of a bath. Plus, I want to be back in time for Patrick."

"If you are too tired, I'm sure Patrick won't mind me picking him up by myself."

"I may be exhausted, but not enough to miss my son after his first day of school," responds Rosemary as she stands up. Lee hands Rosemary Isabella's bag, kissing her on the cheek. Rosemary bites her lips, inquiring, "Will this ever get any easier?"

Lee answers, "Probably not."

Rosemary's face falls as she heads for the front door, saying, "I better get her home."

Rosemary is happily surprised Isabella fell asleep during her buggy ride home. She even manages to lift her out and carry her inside before she wakes up. Rosemary coos, "You stink, little one. It is time for your bath and then maybe a nap." Isabella babbles as Rosemary lays her in the bassinet downstairs. Rosemary heats some water and fills the small washtub. She squirts a little soap in the warm water and places Isabella in the tub, washing off the last remnants of the diaper accidents from earlier in the day. Once Rosemary ensures Isabella is nice and clean, she wraps her daughter in a towel, dries her off, and puts on her diaper. They go upstairs, where Rosemary dresses her in a cute blue dress and matching bloomers. She rocks Isabella to sleep, and after a few minutes, she carefully carries her daughter to the bed, placing her between a couple of blankets. Rosemary checks the clock and realizes there isn't enough time for a proper bath, so a wash rag and the wash basin in her room will have to do. She cleans up as much as possible and slips on a clean outfit, twisting up her partially wet hair, knowing she doesn't have time to dry and style it in her regular curls. Thankfully, Isabella is still napping when Rosemary finishes, so she crawls on her bed next to her daughter, hoping to close her eyes for a bit. The next thing Rosemary knows, she's being woken up by a screaming Isabella. She opens her eyes, panicking because she needs to be at school in twenty minutes. Rosemary quickly throws what Isabella might need into her bag, grabbing her crying daughter and hurrying down the stairs, out front to the buggy awaiting them. She lays Isabella down, covering her up, and bopping her nose, chin, and belly button a few times. Rosemary coos, "Okay, pumpkin. Are you ready to see your big brother? Did you miss him today? I sure did."

Rosemary starts walking, and Isabella seems content with the movement, at least for a little while. That is until Rosemary accidentally hits a rock, jostling the buggy and scaring Isabella. She starts to cry again, so Rosemary stops walking and tries to console Isabella, but nothing is working. Rosemary finally puts the sling over her shoulder, slipping Isabella inside, eventually calming her down. Then she pushes the empty buggy the rest of the way to the office.

Lee steps outside right as he sees his girls out front, offering, "Would you like me to carry Isabella?"

Rosemary responds, "Thanks, but she finally settled down, and I don't want to wake her up again." So, they leave the buggy at the office and meander over to the school with a few minutes to spare.

Patrick is the first one out the door, running directly to his parents, hugging them both. He shouts, "Hi, Mama, Papa! You're both here!"

Rosemary reveals, "We both wanted to be here on your first day of school. Did you have fun?"

Patrick's face falls, mentioning, "Um, Missus Eliza…I mean, Missus Grant wants to talk to you."

"What is this about, Patrick?" questions Lee.

Before he can answer, Elizabeth climbs down the stairs, calling their names, "Lee, Rosemary!"

Rosemary asks, "Is everything okay?" as Elizabeth gets closer. She nods, and Rosemary tells Patrick to play with Vincent. Patrick agrees, jogging over to his friends. "Elizabeth, what happened?" Elizabeth hesitates, forcing Rosemary to speak in a higher-pitched tone, "Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth smirks at her friend, revealing, "Patrick fell asleep during our afternoon lesson."

"Oh, no, he did?" responds Rosemary with a guilty expression. She peeks at her sleeping baby, nestled against her, remarking, "Yeah, Isabella has been keeping us up every night."

Lee adds, "It probably doesn't help he often wakes up in our room in the morning."

"He is not staying in his room?" inquires Elizabeth.

"He sometimes does, but I think he sleeps in our room because he feels left out and a little insecure, causing him to be clingy."

"Aw, poor kid. Have you talked to him?"

"Of course we have," replies Rosemary.

Lee chimes in, "We are probably due for another talk, one where we start forcing him to sleep in his room. We've been extremely lax on him since Isabella, but maybe it is time we treat him like before." Elizabeth smiles sympathetically toward her friends and gives them space to talk.

Rosemary turns to Lee, saying, "You're right. And even though Patrick won't like it, we must ensure he gets enough sleep." She purses her lips, inquiring, "He knows how much we love and care for him, right?"

Lee wraps his arm around his wife, answering, "There is no doubt in my mind."

Rosemary nods, stating, "I don't want him ever to doubt how we feel about him."

"And he won't because we will always remind him." Rosemary grins and pats his cheek. Lee holds the moment between him and his wife a while longer and then yells, "Patrick, it's time to go."

"I will be right there."

September 17th, 1918

The following morning, Isabella wakes them up screaming at the top of her lungs. Lee groans, forcing himself out of bed. He checks her diaper, which is sopping wet, so he changes and brings her to Rosemary, who is finally opening her eyes. They both happen to glance at the settee, noticing Patrick lying on his stomach with a blanket wrapped around him, covering him up to his ears. Rosemary takes Isabella from Lee and begins to nurse her while Lee checks on Patrick. "Are you awake, buddy?" whispers Lee as he kneels on the floor next to his son.

Patrick rolls over, mumbling, "Yes, sir."

Lee sits next to him on the settee, and Patrick climbs into his lap. "I think the three of us need to talk. Elizabeth told us you fell asleep in class yesterday afternoon. Is that right?"

Patrick looks at Rosemary and Lee, sorrowfully answering, "Yes, sir. I'm sorry, Mama, Papa. It's just hard to go back to sleep after Isabella wakes me up every night."

Lee responds, "She wakes all of us up, buddy. But don't you think it will be easier to fall back to sleep if you stay in your room? Surely, she's not as loud in your room as in ours."

"But…"

"But, what?"

"I feel left out over there. Like I will miss out on something."

Rosemary questions, "What do you mean? Miss out on what?"

"I don't know," replies Patrick as he takes a minute to decide whether he should continue. "I guess I feel like if I wake up here, I will get to spend more time with you."

Lee squeezes him, offering, "Do you want to know what I think?" Patrick nods his head. "Well, I think you should start sleeping the entire night in your room. Trust me, you will sleep more in there by yourself, and once you sleep more, you'll feel better. Which is what you need now that school is back in session. Besides, you'll much rather spend time with your friends than your boring old parents."

Patrick looks to Rosemary for agreement. She grins, answering, "Papa is right except for us being old and boring." The three of them chuckle.

"Okay, I promise I will try to sleep in my room the entire night and try my best not to fall asleep at school again.

Lee remarks, "Great," as he tickles his son until they laugh so hard, they cry.

September 23rd, 1918

Lee and Rosemary are in bed with Isabella, waiting for Patrick to join them for his bedtime story. Isabella is in front of her parents, lying on her tummy for the second night in a row but only tolerating it for a few minutes. When she starts to cry, Patrick finally runs in with The Bobbsey Twins and the Deep Blue Sea. Rosemary picks up her upset little girl, resting her head on her chest and shoulder. Patrick hops on the bed between Rosemary and Lee, handing the book to his father. Lee yawns and opens the book, inquiring, "Now, where did we leave off last night?"

Patrick giggles, responding, "Papa, this is a new book. We finished the last one."

Lee messes with Patrick's hair, saying, "Oh…kay. I guess I am more tired than I thought."

Patrick eyes his sister, sarcastically mumbling, "Thanks to you."

"Patrick!"

"What, Papa? It is true."

"It is true, bud, but you can't blame her. She doesn't know any better."

Patrick whines, "Will the crying ever stop?"

"I'm not sure, but I think she will as she ages, at least I hope so." Lee clears his throat and opens the book to read the first chapter.

Unfortunately, Lee doesn't get too far in before Isabella gets fussy and starts to cry. Rosemary tries to distract her with funny faces, which works for a little while. When she starts crying again, Rosemary sticks her tongue out, and Isabella's lips curl slightly. Rosemary coos, "Did you just smile, my sweet baby girl?" Lee drops the book, and he and Patrick immediately turn their attention to the girls, trying to see what happened. Rosemary is beaming at her daughter while Isabella stares back at her mother. "Can you smile again, princess? For Papa and big brother?" Rosemary sticks her tongue out again, but Isabella doesn't do anything this time. "It's okay, sweetie. You can show them another time." Rosemary tries again after seeing the disappointment on Lee's face, but nothing. Lee sighs, grabbing the book off the bed and continuing to read until both of their children are asleep a short fifteen minutes later.

Lee whispers to Rosemary, "I'll tuck him in and be right back." Rosemary nods, and Lee taps Patrick, telling him, "It's time to go to bed."

Rosemary kisses her son goodnight, and Lee walks him next door, tucking him in.

"Good night, Papa."

"Good night, buddy! I love you to the moon and back," mentions Lee as he covers his son up with his blanket. He turns off the lights, shuts the door, and returns to his room, where Rosemary is gazing at their little girl and fighting sleep. "How much time do we have?" questions Lee.

Rosemary yawns as she replies, "We probably have about an hour until she wants to eat."

"Great, we can nap for an hour."

Rosemary giggles, remarking, "We will be lucky if she lets us rest for more than thirty minutes." Lee lifts her out of Rosemary's arms, cradling her for a moment before putting her in the bassinet. Lee climbs into bed next to his wife, and they both close their eyes. Unfortunately, not twenty minutes later, Isabella wakes up and cries. They both struggle to open their eyes, but Lee manages to force himself out of bed. He picks his daughter up, nuzzling her on the nose and stomach, trying to get Isabella to stop crying. When she doesn't, he blows on her tummy a few times, and her cries finally lessen. Lee blows one more time, but this time louder, and Isabella's lips curl up.

"Are you smiling for your papa, princess?" Lee repeats the sound on her tummy, and there she goes again. "Rosie!" exclaims Lee, "She's smiling."

"Good girl, pumpkin. You just made your papa's day," reveals Rosemary.

"You sure did, angel."

Lee hands Isabella to Rosemary, who sweetly questions, "Are you ready to eat, baby girl?" Rosemary sits up with her back against the headboard, preparing Isabella to nurse.

Lee climbs back in bed beside Rosemary, confessing, "I can't believe she is already smiling. She is growing up too fast."

September 27th, 1918

Rosemary and Isabella are in the office on a Friday morning. Lee is out meeting with his constituents, and Patrick is at school. Ned and Robert knock on the office door, and Rosemary scrambles to open it up since she notices their hands are full. They step inside, and Ned inquires, "Where do you want this?"

"Oh, my," Rosemary says with a gasp. "What is it?" Ned uncovers it part way, showing Rosemary it is a settee with brown wood to match their desks and maroon velvet for the fabric. She points to the front corner by Lee's desk, instructing, "Over there." Rosemary moves some things around so Ned and Robert can carefully position the settee in the corner. She questions, "Who sent this? I don't remember ordering anything." Ned gives her the packing slip, and he and Robert excuse themselves, heading out the door. Rosemary studies the packing slip, grinning when she hears her daughter waking up from her nap. She picks up Isabella, cooing, "I am so glad you are awake. Did you have a good nap?" Isabella squirms. "Your always thoughtful Papa bought us a settee, so Mama doesn't have to sit on the hard office chair while you eat." Rosemary rubs under Isabella's chin, causing her to smile once again. "Your father hangs the moon and stars. Doesn't he?" inquires Rosemary in her baby voice. She sits down on the settee and holds Isabella in her arms, humming Hush Little Baby, Don't You Cry, when Lee walks through the door.

Lee immediately notices the settee, mentioning, "Aw, I wanted to surprise you with this. I'm sorry."

"No apologies needed. It arrived about ten minutes ago. Ned and Robert brought it by."

"Well, what do you think?"

Rosemary pats the seat beside her, and Lee sits down, kissing Isabella on her forehead. Rosemary giggles, offering, "It is perfect. I should have thought of it myself. It gives me a more comfortable place to feed, change her diaper, and rest if I want to shut my eyes for a little bit. Thank you so much, sweetheart."