Chapter 49: Introducing Baby To The Family
Ludo’s Mom decided to introduce her new baby girl at a large family gathering.
The morning of the party, she dressed him in an elaborate pink dress adorned with lace and ribbons, complete with matching frilly socks and shiny Mary Johanna shoes. His hair was styled with delicate barrettes, and his face was subtly made up with a touch of pink lip balm and a hint of blush. His nails were painted a soft pink to match his outfit.
“You look perfect, darling. Remember to be on your best behavior and thank everyone for their compliments.“
Ludo nodded with nervousness. “Yes, Mummy. Thank you for dressing me so beautifully.”
When they arrived at the party, the guests were already gathered in the large living room. Conversations quieted as Ludo and his mother entered. She held his hand firmly, guiding him into the center of the room. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet the new addition to our family—my baby girl, Ludo.”
Ludo felt every eye on him, and his face turned crimson. He performed a small curtsey, as he had been taught. “Hewwo, everyone. Thank you for having me.”
The family members, although warned of this new situation, remained amazed at what they saw.
Ludo’s cousins, particularly the younger ones, were the most vocal. They giggled and pointed, making no effort to hide their amusement.
“Look at his dress! It’s so pretty! Do you like being a girl now, Ludo?” asked his cousin Anouk.
Ludo nodded, swallowing his pride. “Yes, I do Auntie Anouk. Thank you for noticing.”
Throughout the party, his Mom encouraged him to interact with everyone, introducing himself and thanking them for their compliments. “Go on, dear. Show them how polite you can be.”
He went from group to group, performing small curtsies and thanking everyone for their kind words.
Some family members couldn’t resist making fun of him directly. One of his older cousins, Marike, decided to test Ludo’s obedience. “Hey, Ludo, can you do a little twirl for us? Let’s see that dress in action.”
Ludo complied, twirling slowly as his dress flared out. The room burst into laughter. “Thank you for the request, Auntie Marike.”
He was then tucked into a playpen. It was positioned strategically for all the family could see him. As he played with his dolly and a set of stuffed animals, he tried to focus on his toys, distracted from time to time by the occasional visit from his little cousins and the amused glances from adults.
“Hi, Baby Ludo!” Anouk called out, “Do you like playing with your dolly? Is she your best friend?”
Ludo looked up from his toys, his eyes wide and innocent, his cheeks flushed. “Y-yes, Auntie Anouk. Me wuv my dolly. Ludivine is my bestest fwiend.” He rocked her gently, humming a little tune.
Anouk giggled, poking at the bars of the playpen playfully.
“Ludo, are you having fun? I see you’re quite the little baby today,” his aunt Susan asked with a knowing look.
He glanced up and nodded earnestly, “Y-yes, Auntie Susan. Me happy. Th-thank you.”
Halfway through the party, Ludo’s Mom announced “Ludo, it’s time for your bottle. Let’s show everyone how well you drink from it.”
She handed hil a baby bottle filled with milk. With trembling hands, he began to drink from it, feeling utterly humiliated as he did so.
“Oh my gosh, this is too funny! He really is like a baby!” exclaimed his cousin Marja.
As the party continued, he felt a warm, wet sensation spread through his diaper. His mother, ever vigilant, noticed immediately.. “Oh dear, looks like someone needs a change.”
She called over his cousin Anouk, to help. They led Ludo to a corner where they laid out a changing mat.
“Don’t worry,” the little girl reassured him, “we’ll take care of you. Just like a real baby.”
At lunch, he was carefully placed in a high chair at the dining table. His cousins Marja and Anouk took on the task of feeding him. They used a pastel-colored bib to keep him clean, with a lot of giggles and teasing.
Marja, with a playful smile, held a spoonful of pureed vegetables and brought it to Ludo’s mouth. “Open wide, Ludo! Here comes the airplane!”
Ludo complied. Each bite was met with light-hearted comments from the cousins and a few playful jabs.
“Look at you, just like a real baby!” Anouk giggled.
After he had finished his meal, his grandmother, who had been watching with a fond expression, came over to take her turn.
She gently scooped him up from the high chair and settled him into her lap. “Let’s get you your bottle, sweetie.”
She cradled him in her arms, holding him close and placing a baby bottle in his mouth. The bottle was filled with warm milk, and as Ludo suc-kled, he could feel the comforting embrace of his Grandma. “You’re doing so well, my little one.”
After he had finished the bottle, she gently patted his back to help him burp. “Time for a little burp, sweetheart. Let’s see if you’ve got one in there.”
Ludo, now used to the routine, let out a small burp as she continued to cuddle him. The sound and the sight of Ludo being treated so tenderly amused the rest of the family.
“Look at him, he’s such a little baby!” Marja laughed.
“And he even burps like one too!” Anouk added playfully.
Their Grandma continued to hold him close, enjoying the moment of bonding. “There we go, all done. Such a good baby.“
Ludo responded with a shy smile and a gentle nuzzle against her.
After lunch, it was time for him to take a nap. He whined slightly but knew he had little choice. He was gently guided to an old cot that had been retrieved from the attic.
As he lay there, he tried to settle into sleep. He closed his eyes and drifted off.
Later in the afternoon, when his mother and cousins approached the cot to wake him, they were greeted with an unfortunate discovery. Ludo had had a significant accident in his diaper. The smell was noticeable, and the situation was undeniably messy.
“Oh, it looks like baby Ludo had quite the big mess in his diaper,” Marja noticed with a slight giggle.
Ludo’s face turned red with embarrassment as he stirred from his nap, feeling the unpleasantness of the situation. He wiggled uncomfortably in the cot. “M-mummy... I had an accident.”
Maintaining her calm and gentle demeanor, she approached the cot. “Oh, sweetheart! Let’s get you cleaned up.”
He was carefully lifted from the cot and his cousins helped their Auntie to clean him up. He responded with a soft, embarrassed whimper, unable to say much as he was cleaned and freshened up.
Marja and Anouk took him into the garden where they worked together to set up the garden with various objects and obstacles. They used garden tools, flower pots, and playground equipment to create a challenging route. They even added a few soft toys and plastic balls for Ludo to retrieve along the way.
“This is going to be so much fun! Let’s see how fast he can crawl through this course!”, Marja giggled.
They led Ludo to the starting point of the course.
“Okay, Ludo, on your mark… get set… go!” she cried.
Ludo started crawling, trying his best to follow the route they had set. As he moved, he had to navigate around flower pots and duck under low-hanging branches. He picked up plastic balls and stuffed toys along the way. Marja and Anouk followed closely behind.
“Look at him go! Our little baby’s so good at crawling!” Anouk laughed.
“Make sure to get that ball, baby Ludo! You don’t want to miss any of them!” Marja said with a giggle.
Their laughter filled the garden as he continued, doing his best to complete the course, with his cousins giving him playful taps on his padded rear.
After a few more twists and turns, he finally reached the end of the course. He was out of breath but managed a small, shy smile. His cousins rushed over to him, clapping and cheering.
They decided to reward him with a special treat. With gleeful smiles, they brought out a bottle filled with a clear liquid. To the unsuspecting Ludo, it looked like a regular baby bottle of sugar water.
“Here you go, Ludo! You did such a great job crawling through the course. Have some of this yummy drink!” Marja told him sweetly.
“Yeah, you deserve a treat! Drink it all up!”, Anouk giggled.
Ludo took the bottle from Marja's hands. He took slow, deliberate sips, trying his best to maintain a cheerful demeanor. The liquid, though, was soapy and tasted foul. He had to force himself to drink the entire bottle, his face scrunching up with every sip.
“Th-thank you, big cousins. This is s-so good!” he said with a curtsey.
Once he had finished the bottle, Marja and Anouk presented him with a pacifier, which they slipped it into his mouth.
“Here’s your pacifier! It’s nice and clean, just for you.” Anouk actied nonchalant.
“Don’t forget to give us a pretty baby smile while you use it!” Marja smiled.
Little did Ludo know thagt they had secretly coated the pacifier with a bitter-tasting substance. His taste buds already assaulted by the soapy water, now had to endure the bitter taste of the pacifier. He tried to hide his grimace and smiled as best as he could.
He gave a few baby noises to show his gratitude. “Th-thank you, b-big cousins.”
As the final part of their prank, Marja and Anouk handed Ludo a piece of candy with barely concealed smirks.
“This candy is a special treat! Make sure to eat it all!” Marja said cheerfully.
“It’s going to be a new experience for you!” Anouk giggled.
Ludo took the tricked candy, trying not to let his nerves show. As he chewed, an horrible taste of soap spread across his tongue. He had to force himself to swallow, desperately trying not to grimace.
“Th-thank you for the c-candy,” he told them with a pained expression.
Marja and Anouk congratulated each other for their good pranks. They couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Ludo’s discomfort.
He gave his family a final curtsey, “Th-thank you, big cousins. I love playing with you. Thank you, everyone, for your kindness and understanding.”