In Vacant or in Pensive Mood

Imagine you are 1. You have been busy all day, exploring your home and the world around you. You were running, jumping, climbing and, of course, falling. But you were having fun! So you didn't let anything stop you. You had enough energy and enthusiasm, To pull yourself up after every fall, To continue playing, no crying at all. Now it's night time. And your legs are starting to ache. You're trying to sleep, But that mosquito bite, it's also keeping you awake. You wake up. Multiple times.  Your only relief is that, each time you wake up, Mamma is there beside you.  Each time you wake up, she comforts you. When you point to your leg, she examines it, She puts lotion on it, massages it, prays over it. As she works her magic, you fall back asleep. It has only been a while. But now that weird thing, you put in your mouth--the one that mom told you not to--is making your tummy feel weirdly. You wake up again. You, and Mamma , both! She holds you close to her body, Feeds you,...

When they wheeled me into the operation theatre, I expected to come back out WITH a newborn. What I didn't anticipate was that I'd come back out, myself, a newborn. But unlike my little girl who's all new and fresh and eager to take on the world, I'm only like a newborn because... - I need assistance with walking, sitting, lying down and turning - I'm dependent on others for everything - from eating to drinking, even visiting the toilet - I wear a diaper (maternity panties) and need help with changing - If I poop, there's cause for celebration - The only way I know how to communicate sometimes is through tears In the last few days, I've had a stranger shave me, while someone else stripped and reclothed me, someone wiped me down, someone took out my urine (bag). Shame? I've been stripped of that, too. It will have to be one of those things I learn all over again. My mom has recently bathed me, and my husband accompanies me on every long, hard trip to ...