Chapter 11 #2
“Paying attention,” Song replied. “Caring enough to ask immediately instead of waiting for it to start getting warm. I am heat sensitive, and I burn easily. I do have to use SPF 70 and even 100 when I can find it. I usually order them online and reapply them regularly if I’m going to be outside.
I love to swim, but I have to be careful and take breaks because the sun can be really draining for me. ”
“Does it bother you when it’s too warm indoors?” Gage asked, keeping his voice low but still clear enough that they didn’t miss the question.
“No, not unless I have too many layers on, which is why I only wear one and a lighter coat instead of a heavy, fluffy one. If I’m going to be in a store for a while and it’s warm in there, I just take it off, fold it up, and tuck it in the upper basket of a cart.
I can’t sleep with an electric blanket, or I wind up sweaty, itchy, and overheated, but it’s being outdoors in summer that I really have to be careful of.
I constantly drink water too and avoid anything sugary because it just dehydrates me and makes me more susceptible to heat exhaustion.
I’ve never had heat stroke, but I do get heat cramps, and those suck. ”
“That’s a very important thing for us to know and be on the lookout for,” Cooper explained.
“It will help us know what to keep in our backpacks for you when we go on outings, too,” Gage said.
“As well as things to keep stocked in the fridge and freezer once the weather turns warm. Are colder and lighter meals easier for you in summer? We happen to love salads and fruit in this house, so adding a bit more variety in those areas won’t be an issue. ”
“I love both, and pasta salad and potato salad too, just not with mayo. It makes my stomach hurt as soon as I start getting warm, which sucks, because I love it on sandwiches but have to switch to honey mustard in summer,” Song explained.
“What do you use as an alternative in your pasta and potato salad?” Cooper asked.
“Plain yogurt and sour cream. I don’t eat a lot of eggs in summer either, even though deviled eggs are my absolute favorite. I limit myself with them if I’m going to go outside after eating them.”
“There’s a list in the kitchen that I’m going to have you add to,” Cooper explained. “We all have a page. It’s the foods we can and can’t eat and the things we do and don’t like.”
“What do you do when one person likes something, and another doesn’t or can’t eat it?” Song asked.
“Make two meal options if we need to,” Gage replied. “Or look for similar alternatives we’ll all enjoy.”
“For example,” Cooper continued. “Zachy loves chicken and rice, but I absolutely despise rice, so we played around with the recipe and discovered that substituting orzo for rice created a dish with the same flavor profile that we could all enjoy.”
“What’s orzo?”
“A tiny pasta that’s shaped a lot like rice, but the taste and consistency are actually lighter and less grainy, at least in my opinion.”
“I’d never had it before,” Gage said, “and neither had Zachy, but after we’d tried it, we fell in love with it. Living together is all about compromise and a willingness to try new things and just be honest with one another about if it works or not.”
“No one is ever going to be upset if something doesn’t work for you or if you need us to tweak something,” Cooper explained.
“But we will be concerned if you try to force yourself to eat or do something that you don’t enjoy just to try and make it easier on us.
That’s not the way things are supposed to work.
We’re each individuals, and there are going to be times when things just don’t line up.
As your daddies, it’s our job to make sure all your needs are met, so if that means stocking the fridge with bottled water and sugar-free drinks, or making two different meals, or using alternate ingredients, then we’re grateful to know about it now so we can plan. ”
“And it really doesn’t bother you to have to do things differently for me?” Song asked.
“Not in the slightest,” Cooper said.
“Not one bit,” Gage assured him. “We’re happy knowing that you trust us enough to tell us these things already, and we want you to always keep doing it.
We told Zachy the same thing, and guess what, there are several things that he can’t have, like caffeine, which means we check any new drinks he wants to try before we can let him have them.
He’s got to be careful about eggs too and can’t have them in the morning before he goes to work because of the costumes he has to wear on the show.
He has the same issue you do, where they give him a stomachache if he gets hot.
That’s why we created the list. So we could plan our meals accordingly. ”
“That’s…” Song began, seeming to fumble with his words for a moment. “Solo said I’d understand the difference between a good daddy and a wannabe, and she was right.”
Cooper hugged him again. No other words were needed.
The longer their boy was with them, the more he’d learn, and they’d take great pleasure in teaching him and showing him just how important his comfort, health, and security was to them.
From there it would be easy for him to learn the most important lesson of all.
That he was loved.