The next morning when he awoke David headed down for breakfast still wearing his footed blanket sleeper and his diaper. At the table he found his father scribbling on a notepad. The two said good morning to each other and David asked his father what he was working on.

"A crib for you!" Edward answered.

David was totally shocked and asked: "Are you serious?' He wasn't sure if his father was just being sarcastic again.

Edward then turned the notepad so that his young son could see. He then said: "I figure if we use PVC pipe, we can probably build a crib for less then $100 and have it finished by the end of the weekend."

Once again David was in complete shock at what he saw and what he was hearing. He very excitedly said: "That would be Great! And sooo cool!"

Edward smiled at his son's overwhelming enthusiasm. He then said: "Now there is going to be a catch. Working with PVC cement you have to make sure that there is plenty of fresh air and good ventilation. So if we build you a crib today, we're going to have to open up the garage door and make sure we have plenty of ventilation. That means that people in the neighborhood are going see what we're doing. And if any of the kids stop and ask what we are doing, YOU are the one who is going to have to tell them that we are making a crib because YOU are wanting to sleep in a crib at night." Edward paused to let his words sink in. Edward then asked his young son if he still wanted to build a crib even if it meant that others would find out about his secret baby fantasies.

David swallowed hard. He knew the day was coming when others were going to find out about his secret desires. He was hoping to put this off as long as possible. However, the thrill of him being able to sleep in a crib far out weighed the potential embarrassment that might come from others finding out about his secret fantasies. He then thought to himself: "Aw what the heck, they're going to find out sooner or later anyway. At least this way I get a new crib out of it." After a few moments of pondering David slowly started nodding his head and then softly said: "Yes", that he still wanted to start working on a crib that day.

"Very well!" Edward said. "After breakfast we'll both get dressed and go to Home Depot and get the supplies that we will need."

David ate his breakfast as quickly as he could and then rushed upstairs and changed into his "big boy" clothes. After Edward finished his breakfast he also went upstairs and got ready to go. Before leaving the house however, Edward first retrieved the tape measure from the "junk" drawer and went up to David's room where he carefully measured David's mattress. The two of them then got into Edward's S.U.V. and headed out.

From experience Edward knew that PVC pipe would not be heavy enough to support the weight of his son, especially if it were a couple of feet off of the ground. Therefore, Edward first headed to a nearby thrift store. Once inside the store, Edward went straight over to the furniture section. He began examining the dining room tables. He didn't care how the table looked, what he was interested in were the legs and how the legs attached to the table. He was able to find a sturdy table and bought it for $25.00. Next Father and son drove to Home Depot.

When the two Carpenter men got to Home Depot they first went to the lumber section where Edward picked out a piece of plywood. They took the plywood to the cutting section and rang the bell and waited for someone to come to cut the plywood for them. When the clerk arrived, Edward gave him the dimensions from David's mattress, adding a couple of inches for the rails. After getting the plywood cut they next went to the plumbing section. Edward picked out the PVC pipes and joints that he would need along with some slow drying PVC cement. Next Edward headed over to the hardware section where he picked up several long carriage bolts and a box of wood screws. Lastly they visited the painting section where Edward picked up some sandpaper and some wood stain and varnish. At the checkout Edward was a bit surprised when the total came out to be over $100.00.

On the way home David asked his father if they could stop by the drug store. Edward asked what for, and David blushed a little and said that he was running out of diapers. Edward stopped by the drug store as requested. He pulled out his wallet and gave David a $20.00 bill and told him that he would just wait for him in the car. David went inside the store and quickly found the diapers. He grabbed the package and headed for the checkout. He once again looked around to make sure that there wasn't anybody in the store that might recognize him. He again blushed a little when he put the diapers on the counter. The sales lady smiled and rang up the diapers. David handed her the $20 dollar bill and when she handed back his change David's hand was starting to tremble. She then put the diapers into a bag and handed them to the young child with a big smile on her face. By now David's heart was once again beating a hundred miles an hour and his face was starting to get flush. He was very much relieved to get back into the car with his father. David gave his father the change and they headed home.

Back home, Edward opened the garage door and pulled out his wife's car and then unloaded his truck in the garage. The first thing Edward did was to remove the legs from the table. Each leg had two bolts that held it in place. He gave David some sandpaper and showed him how to sand down the legs. While David was busy sanding away, Edward removed the framework from underneath the table. He then moved the framework to the plywood and secured it with several wood screws.

Edward now set out on building the rails. He started with the side rails. He measured the plywood and carefully calculated the exact distance between each rail. He put 2 of the T's together with a piece of 1" pipe and measured and trimmed and measured and trimmed until he had the exact distance he wanted. He then took the pipe out and created a temporary "jig" to cut all of the connecting pieces the same. He put all of the pieces together and measured the overall length. When he came out =" too long he took apart a couple of pieces and trimmed them up. Once he had the correct distance he glued everything into place. He was glad that he had bought slow drying cement since this allowed him to move things around to line everything up. After finishing the first side rail, Edward repeated the process for the other side rail.

About the time that Edward was finishing up the second side rail, David had finished sanding down the legs. Edward examined his son's work and sanded down a few areas that David had missed. Next they hung the legs up using some twine that Edward ran over the rafters in the garage and applied the stain. By the time they were through staining the legs it was getting close to lunchtime. Edward suggested that they go ahead and stop and take a break and eat some lunch before continuing on.

During lunch Edward began talking to David about how he was going to handle the teasing that would surely come when others learned of his unusual interest in being treated like a baby. Edward encouraged his son to hold his head up high and not act ashamed of himself. That there was nothing wrong with acting like a baby, that he was not hurting anybody, and that he was not forcing anybody else to act like a baby. The concerned father counseled his young son to walk away from ridiculers and not to allow himself to be provoked by them.

Edward also told his young son during lunch that it was time for him to start going "public" with his big baby ways and that Sonia had invited her parents over for dinner that evening. Edward explained that if David wanted to continue to wear diapers and act like a baby, that he would have to let his grandfather and grandmother see him dressed up like a baby. Edward also made sure that David understood that he was not being forced to act like a baby around others, that if he so chose, he could dress and act like a regular 12 year old. But if he was unwilling to act like a baby around others that he would not be allowed to wear diapers and act like a baby around the house in private. David again agreed to his father's terms. Edward then asked David if he understood why he had laid down these ground rules. The young boy acknowledged his father's question and said that if he wanted to act like a baby that he had to be "true to himself" and not run around and hide who he really was, or, be of ashamed of who he was. His answer satisfied his father and the two of them finished eating their lunch.

After lunch Edward had David apply another coat of stain to the legs while he finished up gluing the other side rail. When he was finished gluing the bottom rail of the side rail together, Edward began working on the head rail. He pretty much repeated the same steps he had used on the side rails with the exception that the spacing between the rails on the headboard was about =" less then the side rails. Edward went ahead and set up another "jig" for these pipes as well, even though there were far fewer of them then the side rails.

After finishing up the bottom rails, Edward then began working on the top rails. These were much easier since Edward could use the bottom rail as a guide to work from. He even showed David how to piece the top rail together and glue it into place. While they were waiting for the slow drying cement to dry, Edward continued talking to his young son about different scenarios that could come up in regards to his diaper wearing and his secret baby desires. They even engaged in "practice sessions" where Edward would say things like: "What if someone calls you a freak of nature? What would you say back to them?" The concerned father carefully guided his son through what to say and how to say it and also what not to say.

By now David and his father were starting to attract attention from the neighborhood kids who were riding around on their bicycles. Different ones started coming up in the driveway and asking David and his father what they were working on. Edward made David explain things himself. David struggled to hold his head up and explain in a strong clear voice that they were making a crib for him. The reaction was almost always the same: "A CRIB?!? WHY????" David then explained that he enjoyed acting like a baby and being treated like a baby. His answers drew puzzled scowls from the neighbor kids, but nobody said anything because of Edward standing there in the garage with David. A few of the children did sing out songs teasing "Baby David" as they rode away. Edward calmly said to his young son that he had better get use to that.

One of the neighbors who stopped by to see what they were doing was a young girl named Rachel who lived down the street and was a year older then David. David had seen her around in the neighborhood but the two seldom ever talked to each other. When she found out that they were building a crib for David she also had a puzzled look on her face, but she was much more curious about the project then the other children. She asked several questions about the construction of the crib and also asked David a few questions about why he liked being treated like a baby. David was not comfortable talking about his deep dark secrets with an almost complete stranger, but there was something about the genuine interest in Rachel's voice that put the young man at ease. After a while she grew bored with watching David and his father work on the crib. As she left she said: "Let me know how your crib turns out." David blushed a little which caused Rachel to smile.

By the time they had finished gluing the top rails together it was getting dark and cold and Edward announced that he was going to call it a day. He was going to save the footboard for the next day. The footboard is where the gate would be created allowing David to enter and leave the crib. David was disappointed that they would not be able to finish the crib that day but he could see that the crib was nowhere near being finished. They did go ahead and put a coat of varnish on the legs so that they could dry overnight.

The next morning Edward began by flipping the plywood over and attaching the 4 legs. He and David then flipped the crib over onto its legs. Edward then put the 2 side rails and the headboard rail together. He then called for Sonia to give them a hand in lifting the rails onto the plywood. The rails were not very heavy; they were just flimsy. Edward got on one side, Sonia got on the other side and David grabbed a hold of the headboard rail and the three of them carefully maneuvered the rails onto the plywood. Edward then carefully lined things up and then switched places with David. He told his wife and son to hold the rails very still as he got his drill out. Starting in the middle of the headboard rail, Edward drilled a hole through the PVC pipe and through the plywood. He then took one of the long carriage bolts and ran it through the hole and tightened the nut as tight as he could with his hand. He worked his way out from the middle of the headboard until he was on the two outer edges. Next he moved to the side rail that David was holding. He realigned the rail and then drilled holes and ran carriage bolts through the holes. Last but not least, Edward moved to the side that Sonia was holding and did the same thing on her side.

David could not believe his eyes! For the first time since they had started working on the project, it now looked like an honest to goodness crib! David asked his father if he could climb inside to examine the crib from the inside out. Edward gave his son a boost up into the crib and instructed him not to touch the rails until he could tighten up the nuts. David chuckled with uncontrollable delight as he crawled around inside the crib. He even laid down on the plywood and looked out through the rails and imagined what it was going to be like to sleep in a crib every night. Edward and Sonia looked at each other in and smiled. They also shook their heads in disbelief over how excited their young son was to be able to sleep in a crib again.

Edward retrieved his wrench from the tool chest and tightened up the carriage bolts as David played on the inside of the crib. Edward had glued to top rails together and he had glued the bottom rails together. However he did not glue the 1" vertical pipes in to the T's that connected the top rail to the bottom rail. He wanted to wait until the bottom rail was bolted to the plywood, this way he could trim up any of the pipes that were too long. And sure enough there were about a half dozen pipes that needed trimming. Once every thing was trimmed up, Edward glued the 1" pipes into the top rail only. He did this on purpose so that the side rails and the headboard rail could be easily removed and this would make it much easier to set up and take down the crib. He wasn't sure if once the crib was set up if David was going to want to leave it set up all the time and sleep in it every night. That is why he designed the crib to be semi portable and easy to set up and take down.

Last but not least came the footboard. This was going to be by far the most difficult piece since this was where the gate was going to be to get into and out of the crib. Edward started with 2 toilet (closet) flanges that were turned upside down and securely bolted to the plywood. Next he cut off two very small piece of 2" pipe that came up from the closet flanges to a reducing "T". The reducing "T" created a 1 =" cross bar across the footboard of the crib. Over the 1 =" piece of pipe Edward used a 2" piece of pipe that would run up and create the rails for the footboard. Having the 1 =" piece of pipe inside of a 2" pipe is what would create the hinge that would allow the gate to open and close on the crib. Also Edward built the footboard rails to run horizontally instead of vertically so that when the gate was lowered the rails could serve like rungs on a ladder to help David climb into the crib. Realizing that the gate would also be used as a ladder, he also used 2" pipes to support David's weight. On the top of the gate Edward used reducing couplers to bring the 2" pipe back down to a 1" pipe to tie in to the rest of the crib.

The next challenge was to create a method to latch the gate into a closed position. For this Edward was going to use 2 pieces of =" pipe inside the 1" pipe to slide back and forth and when the gate was closed the =" pipes could be slid into the couplers coming off of each side of the side rails. Edward started off by drilling holes in the =" piece of pipe and running a carriage bolt through the hole. The carriage bolt was held in place by 2 nuts, one inside the pipe and another one on the outside. These 2 nuts were tightened thus creating handles to slide the =" pieces of pipe back and forth. Next Edward used a jigsaw to cut notches in each end of the top rail on the gate. These notches are where the carriage bolts would run. The =" pieces of pipes were then slid into the 1" top rail on each side and test fitted. Next a very small amount of glue was added to the each end of the 1" top rail and Edward very carefully slid on the 2 T's on each end of the top rail. He was very careful not to get any glue on =" pieces of pipes. In fact after the T's were in place Edward kept moving the =" pieces of pipes back and forth making sure that these didn't inadvertently become glued in place. Once the T's were in place on each end of the top rails, these provided a "stop" for the carriage bolts. Edward then slid the =" pieces of pipes out as far as he could until the carriage bolts hit the T's. He then cut off the excess pipe. Finally everything had to be lined up and Edward had to do several trimmings before he could glue everything together.

At last the crib was finished! Edward lowered the gate on the footboard and David climbed inside. Edward carefully watched as David stood on the 2" rail as he climbed into the crib, he wanted to make sure that it was sturdy enough to support his son's weight. Now it was time to take the crib upstairs. David climbed out of the crib and his father took his rubber mallet and removed the gate first. Next came the side rails and headboard rail. These were loosened and then removed as one piece from the plywood frame and then broken down. And last but not least the frame was turned over, upside down, and the legs were unbolted.

Father and son then grabbed a hold of the plywood frame and carried it upstairs to David's room and propped it up against the wall as they disassembled David's "big boy" bed. Edward asked David if he was going to want to use the box spring on his crib. He explained that it might be a little bit more comfortable but that it would not look like a crib. David decided that he wanted to stay with the crib look and opted to just use the mattress. The two of them then carried the box spring down to the garage and propped it up against the wall. Edward grabbed the 2 side rails and David grabbed 2 of the legs and they returned to his room. A couple more trips of going back and forth between the garage and the bedroom resulted in getting all of David's "big boy" bed into the garage and getting all of the parts for his crib into his bedroom.

Edward turned the plywood frame over and bolted the 4 legs into place. The frame was then turned over and the mattress was put on to it. Once the mattress was on the frame, Sonia pulled out a "Baby Mickey" sheet that she had bought the day before while David and Edward were busy building the crib. David adored the new sheet and agreed with his mother that it did look very "babyish". Then Father and son connected the 2 side rails to the headboard rail. They carefully lifted up all 3 rails and positioned them over the corresponding T's in the framework. Once all of the rails were lined up, Edward used his rubber mallet to tap everything securely into place. Finally the gate was put into position and tapped into place. It took several very firm hits with the rubber mallet to properly line up the top of the gate so that it would properly fasten into place. Father and son stood back and admired their handiwork. Edward was very pleased how quickly and how easy it was to put the crib together.

David quickly and excitedly climbed into the crib and closed and latched the gate behind him. He walked around inside the crib examining all four sides. He sat down and grabbed hold of a couple of the bars and gently shook them. They weren't the sturdiest bars in the world, but they would definitely do the job. David asked if he could take a nap in his new crib. Edward said that would be fine, but first he needed to eat some lunch. David agreed and told his parents that he would be down in just a minute.

After his parents left the room, David quickly changed into a diaper and then put on his blanket sleeper. As he was leaving the room he grabbed his bib and sippy cup. Sonia smiled as her "baby" boy came into the dining room. David smiled back and sat down and put on his bib as his mother brought his sandwich out to him. Sonia asked if David wanted her to fill up his sippy cup for him. David responded with a very polite "Yes Please". Sonia filled up the sippy cup with some soda and returned it to her son. David quickly ate his lunch, as he was very excited and anxious to sleep in his brand new crib. After lunch David returned to his room and retrieved his baby bottle. He filled the baby bottle up with milk and gave both of his parents a hug and a kiss "good night". David thanked his father over and over again for making the crib for him. Edward responded that he was very welcomed.

David returned to his room and climbed into the crib. He closed the gate and latched it shut and then laid down. As he laid in his crib drinking his bottle, he ran his free hand back and forth across the rails of the crib. He had barely finished his bottle before he fell fast asleep feeling safe and secure in his new crib.