Sarah came through the door and rushed right up to the playpen. "Oh, mommy, it is going to be fun to have a baby to play with!" she exclaimed. That finally broke Kellie and she started to cry. "Mommy, the baby is crying," Sarah said. "Maybe she needs her diaper changed." "Get away from me," Kellie snapped. "I'm not a baby, and if you don't leave me alone, I'm going to get you so bad." "I'm going to let that one go, Kellie," she heard her mom say from behind her. "But, don't forget that you already have used one warning, and you still have the rest of the week." "Please, mommy," Kellie pleaded. "She was teasing me, and I couldn't help it. She is the baby, not me, and she should be wearing diapers, not me," she continued tearfully. "You had better learn while you can, because that kind of comment is exactly why you are being treated this way," mom responded firmly. Kellie's mom returned from the kitchen a few minutes later with a bottle. "Here, baby, this will make you feel better. Lay down and drink your ba-ba like a good baby." When Kellie settled back in the playpen and took the bottle, her mom covered her with the baby blanket and handed her a teddy bear. "Good baby," she cooed.

Before long it was dinner time, and Kellie could see Lindsey setting the table with only three place settings. Kellie had been so bothered earlier, that she had not been able to eat much at lunch, so she was really hungry. She could smell dinner cooking, and knew it was spaghetti and garlic bread-her favorite. She wasn't sure what dinner was going to be like for her tonight, but she remembered the high chair and couldn't imagine that sitting in a high chair and eating like a baby would be very pleasant. Her bladder was also full to the point that she realized that she wouldn't be able to hold it much longer, and she hoped that, somehow, her mother would spare her the indignity of having to use her diapers. When her mother came to get her for dinner, she asked: "Please mommy, can I go to the bathroom? I need to go really bad. Please?" "Sure you can, sweetie. Babies can go whenever they need to. I'll change you after dinner," mom replied. That wasn't the answer Kellie hoped for, but she knew it was senseless to ask any more.

Mom seated Kellie in the high chair. She started to place the tray on the high chair, then she reversed and sat the try back down on the counter. "Opps," mom said with a smile, "I almost forgot your safety strap." Kellie's mom then fastened the strap around Kellie's waist and between her legs. "How come you have to use a strap?" Sarah asked. "We always strap a baby in her high chair, Sarah, so she can't slip out and hurt herself," mom answered. Once the tray was put in place, mom fastened a terry bib embroidered with the words "Mommy's Baby" around Kellie's neck, and positioned her closer to the table. Her mom took a small portion of spaghetti and some sauce, placed it into the food processor, and ground it into small pieces-not quite a puree. She then poured this into a baby dish, added some pureed carrots from a jar of baby food, and placed the dish on the tray of Kellie's high chair. "Would you like me to feed you this time, Kellie?" mom asked. Kellie lowered her eyes and slowly shook her hear. Mom gave her a baby spoon and showed her how to hold it in her fist as a toddler would. Each time Kellie tried to take a bite, she ended up spilling a little and soon became frustrated. Kellie asked for some bread, but was told that garlic bread was too hard for babies. When she asked for something to drink, her mom gave her a tippy cup with some juice in it.

When Kellie tried to drink from the cup, her mom gently placed both her hands around the cup and told her that she should use both hands. It was bad enough to have to sit, uncomfortably, in the high chair, eat food ground to nearly a puree, and hold both spoon and cup in such a babyish way. That was bad enough, but there was something worse: Kellie knew that she could not hold her bladder any longer. It was bad enough that she was having the worse meal of her life, but having to add wet diapers on top of it was the last thing she wanted. Even so, she couldn't hold it any more, and she finally gave in and soaked herself. When she was done she looked up at her mother and noticed a knowing smile. While the wet diapers didn't feel as bad as she expected they would, the combination of being wet and the frustration of not being able to eat normally eventually got to her, and she started to cry. She was wet and hungry, and wanted her normal life back. She couldn't help it, she just cried.

Sensing that Kellie had reached her limit, mom got up and asked the girls to clean up when they were done. She then cleaned Kellie's face and hands with a wash cloth, removed her bib, helped her out of the high chair, and took her by the hand back into the bedroom. "It's OK sweetie," mom said. "Mommy will get you cleaned up and into a nice dry diaper, and then you will feel much better." "Please mom, please. I don't want to be a baby anymore. I've learned my lesson, I promise." Mom shook her head, and simply said: "I'm sure that you feel like that now, sweetie. But, we have to be sure, don't we? I told you one week. Let's get through the next couple of days, and if you behave, I will reconsider." Kellie gave up-realizing that she had no choice but to try to get through the next few days in the best way she could. Kellie's mom removed her wet diaper, cleaned her gently with a baby wipe, powdered her, and reached for a clean diaper. Kellie noticed that instead of taking one of the diapers from the stack, her mom took two this time. As mom fastened the thicker diaper around her, Kellie could tell that the extra thickness was not going to be very comfortable-she couldn't even bring her legs together. "Does it have to be so thick mommy?" she asked. "Yes, sweetie," mom answered, "you need a thicker diaper at night so you don't leak."

After pulling her plastic panties up over Kellie's thicker diaper, mom removed Kellie's t-shirt, and then helped her into one of Sarah's old nighties. It wasn't as long as her own, or as comfortable, but she knew the nightie was going to be the least uncomfortable thing she would be wearing over the next few days, so she gave in and didn't argue. Mom then sat back onto the bed with her head against the wall, and helped Kellie move into a position where she could lie across her mother's lap. Her mother held her close and became to hum lullabies just as Kellie had watched her Aunt Laurie do with Katie many times. Kellie wasn't sure why, but she found that being held in this way was comforting, and she soon calmed down. She knew the next few days would not be fun, but then she also realized that having time like this with her mother, being held and comforted might not be so bad. Kellie relaxed, closed her eyes, and was soon fast asleep.

Kellie woke several times during the night. This first time she woke because her bladder was full again. Realizing that there was no point in waking her mom and asking to be let out of her diapers, she gave in and wet. She was surprised to find that the warmth which spread through her diaper didn't feel bad, and she quickly drifted off to sleep again. The second time, she woke from a nightmare. She had been dreaming that she had slowly become small again, and even Sarah was able to carry her around like a baby doll. In her dream Sarah had been trying to teach her new baby sister how to cry. "No, no," Sarah would say, "you have to cry like a real baby," and then Sarah would pinch her. Kellie was too small in her dream to do anything about it-she couldn't even move her arms right to try to stop Sarah from pinching her. The last pinch really hurt, and she was crying full force. She woke to the sound of a baby crying, then realized that she was the one crying when she saw her mom standing over the crib and trying to comfort her, "There, there, sweetie," mom cooed. "Mommy's here." Then when Kellie calmed down, she continued: "bad dream, huh?" Kellie nodded. "Well, I see you are wet, so let's get a dry diaper on you. Then a nice warm bottle will help you get back to sleep, sweetie."

Mom removed Kellie's soaked diaper, cleaned her up, and had her back in a dry diaper in a flash. Mom then went out to the kitchen and returned with a bottle. She held Kellie across her lap as she had earlier, and placed the nipple into her mouth. "There, sweetie, this will make you feel better and help you get back to sleep," mom cooed. As the warm formula spread in her mouth, Kellie realized that she liked the taste. She also realized that the dry diaper did feel better, but even more, it was rather nice to have her mommy holding her and feeding her again. After finishing her bottle, she smiled up at her mommy and said: "I'm sorry that I was bad, mommy, but I promise to be a good baby from now on. And, I promise that I won't tease Sarah anymore." "That's good, sweetie. Now, let's get you back in your crib so we can both get back to sleep."

The next day seemed to go a lot better. Mom got her up at 7:00 AM when she woke up, and feed her some rice cereal, which she prepared with formula and some banana which she crushed and mixed in. After mom finished feeding her the cereal, she was given a bottle of warm formula to finish while mom ate her own breakfast. She was then dressed in one of Sarah old sun dresses (which didn't quite cover her diapers), and put in her playpen while the others tended to their chores. It wasn't long before Kellie realized that she was in for another challenge: her bladder was full again, but she also needed to have a bowel movement. The thought of messing her diapers was awful, and she begged to be allowed to use the toilet. Her mom responded with a smile, gave her a pacifier, and said: "when was the last time you saw Katie use the toilet?" At that, Kellie knew she was defeated, and tried giving in to the pressure. She quickly found it wasn't so easy going in a diaper, and then realized that this was probably why Katie always made such faces when she was going.

Not long afterward, mom walked by and said: "whew, smells like someone needs a messy diaper changed. I've got my hands full, but I'll come change you in a few minutes, sweetie." Lindsey heard her mom's comments and said: "I'll do it mom, I don't mind." "All right," mom replied, "thanks honey." Kellie wasn't too sure about having her sister change her messy diaper, but she was quickly put at ease by her Lindsey's gentle attention. "No wonder people like her as a babysitter so much," Kellie thought to herself."

Lindsey helped out a lot during the day, and volunteered to babysit while her mom went shopping with Sarah. She took Kellie out of the playpen and allowed her to roam and stretch out as long as she stayed within her sister's sight. Several times she and Lindsey played games. Kellie wasn't thrilled about playing baby games like tickle bugs and peek-a-boo, but it was a lot better than spending the whole day in the playpen, and at least she knew that Lindsey was trying to help. At mom's instructions, Lindsey fixed a lunch of peanut butter sandwiches and canned peaches for the two of them-cutting Kellie's into small portions before giving it to her. "Mom said that you could feed yourself if you want, and if you don't mind using your fingers," Lindsey explained. After they finished lunch, Lindsey changed her, and put her down for a nap with a bottle of water to suck on. The afternoon also went well, mostly because Kellie was trying especially hard-even tolerating Sarah's comments. Lindsey and Sarah took Kellie outside in the afternoon to play in the back yard. She was really nervous about playing outside in the back yard with her diapers showing under her dress (even if the back yard was fully fenced and quite private), but it was better than being inside. When mom saw that they were playing nicely, she even got out Sarah's old baby pool and let Sarah and Kellie play in the water for a while-as long as either she or Lindsey were close at hand.

Before long, dinner was over, and mom asked the older girls to clean up while she got the baby in the tub. Kellie hadn't had a bath or shower for two days, and it had been a warm day, so she looked forward to the idea of a nice bath. . "You are soaking wet, sweetie. I bet it will feel good to get that wet diaper off," her mom remarked. Kellie sat on the floor, while her mom prepared the tub. She noticed that mom had already placed several baby bath products, and even a few bath toys near the tub. "She had to think of everything," Kellie sighed to herself. In a few minutes, Kellie's wet diaper was removed, and she was helped into the tub. Not lifted exactly, since she was too big for that, but close enough to be sure that she knew she was still mostly helpless. Kellie's mom then washed her with baby bath, and shampooed her hair with baby shampoo.

"Sarah, if you are done, would you please come watch the baby for me for a moment." Mom yelled out. "Sure mom," Sarah replied. Sarah always called her mother "mommy," so Kellie couldn't help but notice the shift. "Great," Kellie thought to herself, "just as I am being forced to be the baby she should be, she decides to grow up a little. Since she didn't want to add to her punishment, however, she kept her thoughts to herself. When Sarah came into the bathroom, mom said: "just watch her for a moment, please." I need to get her a clean diaper and a nightie ready." "OK mom," Sarah replied.

Sarah picked up two of the bath toys-little plastic animals and started to play as if Kellie really were a baby. "You want to play, baby? No?. OK, mommy will be right back to take you to get a nice dry diaper on, then you have to go to bed in your crib while we watch movies. Maybe tomorrow, mommy will let me feed you or change your diaper. It's going to be fun having a little baby sister," Sarah rambled on. That was it. Kellie could take no more, and she snapped. It was bad enough being humiliated by her mother, but she wasn't going to take this. With both hands, she scooped up water from the tub and flung it at her sister. "Mom!" Sarah cried out, "the baby just splashed me." At that, Kellie let her have it again-this time picking up one of the stupid baby toys and throwing it at Sarah as hard as she could. "Mom!" Sarah cried out again. In a flash, mom was in the bathroom, and grabbed a towel to help Sarah dry off. She then looked sternly at Kellie and said: "that's good for a second warning." "I'm sorry, Sarah," mom said. "the baby is just cranky and needs to be put to bed. We'll just have to make sure she gets her bath a bit earlier from now on. It's only water, so please dry it off and go watch TV with Lindsey."

Mom then helped Kellie from the tub, wrapped her in a towel and took her back to the bedroom. "I was going to let you stay up with the big girls tonight since you did so well today. But I see that you are just too little a baby for that, and I'm just going to put you straight to bed. I hope you are happy." "I'm sorry mommy," Kellie said as she started to cry. "It's just too hard to have her treat me like a baby." "Well, you may as well get used to it, Kellie, because she is your older sister now and she is going to be helping care for you." Her mom then placed Kellie down on the bed, and placed a thick diaper under her. She then dusted her with baby powder and rubbed it in gently. Next she pulled the diapers snuggly around her, fastened them in place, and pulled a clean pair of plastic panties over Kellie's diapers. Next, she placed another of Sarah's old night gowns on her. Kellie was then helped into her crib, given her binkie, and covered with a baby blanket. After a goodnight kiss on her forehead, the side of the crib was fastened up, and mom said: "night night, baby. Sleep tight. Mommy will check on you in a little while. Mommy will turn on the baby monitor so she can hear if you need anything." Mom then turned on a night light and left the room-leaving the door slightly ajar.

THE END!