All my temperatures were taken by mom, all my older sisters, several of mom's neighbor lady friends, and all the nurses at the clinic. Each of them used the glass rectal thermometer with the silver pear-shaped bulb, and the red triangle at the opposite end. I was always laying on my tummy with my arms at my side at home and at the clinic. When it was taken at mom's neighbor lady friend's houses, I was laying on my tummy across their lap while they were seated in a chair or on the couch. For all the procedures, I would always turn my head to watch the thermometer being prepped with Vaseline.
I never heard anyone say the thermometer was a “baby one”, or that my temperatures in my bottomhole were taken "the baby way." For me, it was the way mom had taken it since I was a baby. She taught my sisters to take each other's temperature so they would know how to do it when they had children. As each sister became comfortable with the process, they asked mom if they could take my temperature. Mom asked me if it was okay. I told her that it was okay since only other females had taken my temperature before. Mom had observed each sister taking my temperature and said that each sister's performance was done correctly. After this, she let them take my temperature from that moment on and repeating that it would be a learning lesson for when they had their own children.
Before mom was given thermometers from the clinic, she was buying them in the stores. One time I remember seeing several of the empty boxes the thermometers came in. Mom had kept them in a plastic box in the upstairs hall closet. Looking at the thermometer boxes I would see a picture of a baby on it. Sometimes it was on the front or side. The individual thermometer boxes also had thermometer, rectal, temperature, and safety printed on the front of the box. I discovered the plastic box when I was getting something from the upstairs closet that mom had asked for. I saw it but didn't explore more until later that day. When I was able to get back to the hall closet, I saw the plastic box still in the same area of the closet. I grabbed it, closed the door, then went to my room to further investigate. I closed my door in case anyone walked in. Upon opening the box, I immediately saw the thermometer boxes. Each was white or tan in color. I then opened the boxes separately to see if they were empty. I knew there were several thermometers in the bathroom on the top shelf. When my temperature was taken, mom and all my sisters would always go there to get the thermometer. As I continued exploring, I saw each box had the paper instructions in it. I looked at each paper and saw pictures of a baby laying on its tummy, or across someone's lap. There was a hand holding the thermometer in the baby's bottom. Seeing these pictures gave me an idea of what it looked like when mom, my sisters, mom's neighbor lady friends, and all the nurses at the clinic saw when they were taking my temperature.
I then heard voices in the hallway. I shuffled to put everything back inside the box. I listened, and heard the voices get lower and then silence. Maybe whoever it was had went down the hall or into the bathroom. I quietly tiptoed to my door. I heard the voices again, but they were low. My guess was the bathroom was where they were coming from. I slowly opened my door and peeked out. No one was in the hallway, and the voices were coming from the bathroom. I saw the door was closed and the light on, as the voices continued. I then quietly tiptoed to the closet and put the box back inside. As I closed the door two of my sisters opened the bathroom door. They saw me standing there and asked what I was doing. I told them I had found something in the closet and was putting it back. Both curiously asked me what I had found. I slowly opened the door and brought out the plastic box. As I showed it to them, both sisters quickly reached out for it. Upon opening it, both of them focused on the thermometer boxes. They asked me if I had any questions. I told them I was just curious when I saw the thermometer boxes, and the paper inside them. They told me that mom had showed them this box and the instruction papers when she taught them how to each other's temperature. The box was also brought out when my sister's asked mom if they could take my temperature. They said mom wanted them to learn how to do it, so they would be comfortable with it when they had children.
At this time, both sisters looked at each other and then looked at me and asked if they could practice taking my temperature. I nodded my head and said it was okay. Both my sisters then danced and clap their hands. They then said for me to go to my room and undress to my underwear and sit on the edge of the bed. They said they would go downstairs to get my oldest sister, and we would all meet back upstairs in my bedroom. When all of my sisters returned, they had a tray with several rectal thermometers in a metal container, a large jar of Vaseline, and a box of tissues. There was also a pitcher of water with icecubes in it. They said it was to keep the thermometers in the metal container cold before they were used. This was like at the clinic, when the nurses took the cold thermometers from the room refrigerator. After they set the tray on the side table, I was told to lay down on my tummy with my arms at my side. From that day on, and many days after, each of my sisters would take turns practicing taking my temperature.
For me, I never thought of having my temperature taken in my bottomhole as the baby way. Or that the rectal thermometers used to take my temperature as the baby thermometers. Even though I did see the pictures of the baby on the thermometer boxes, and the instructions, it never made me feel like a baby. I knew that when my rectal temperature was taken, it was a procedure done by mom, my sisters, mom's neighbor lady friends, and all the nurses at the clinic, to ensure my wellness, and taken as a learning experience for all my sisters.