It was 6.30 on a Monday morning and Lauren had just finished drinking her first coffee of the day, indicating it was time to go wake up Camila. She went up to Camila's room, drawing the curtains despite the fact that it was still rather dark outside before moving over to Camila's crib.

"Good morning, angel," Lauren said gently, reaching down to lightly stroke Camila's arm. 

The little girl looked adorable, fast asleep in her sleepsuit with her pacifier firmly in her mouth and her silky hair spread out messily.

"Shh," she soothed as Camila whined, reaching down to pick her up. "It's time to wake up," she hummed, rubbing Camila's back while the little girl lay limply in her arms, making no attempt to move. 

She took out Camila's pacifier the way she usually did in the mornings, fully expecting the little girl bursting into tears. While she didn't enjoy it, it was the only way to wake Camila up that early.

"I know," Lauren said sympathetically, bouncing Camila in her arms until her sobs died down.

She laid her down on the changing table that she and Dinah had recently bought to replace the plastic mat they had been using.

"Mama?" Camila asked, tiredly rubbing her eye as Lauren undid the buttons at her crotch.

"What is it, love?" Lauren asked.

"Can we watch Peppa while eating breakfast?" Camila yawned.

"I was hoping you'd try sitting on your training potty while you have breakfast," Lauren said subtly, knowing potty training was a sensitive topic for Camila.

"No, I don't want to," Camila whined as Lauren took off her wet diaper.

"Not even if I let you watch Peppa?" Lauren bargained.

"Only if you also give me chocolate milk for breakfast," Camila said with a cheeky smile.

"You want me to give you liquid sugar at 6.45 in the morning?" Lauren chuckled, fastening the snapsuit despite the fact that Camila wasn't wearing a diaper anymore and lifting her off of the changing table and onto the floor.

"I'm so adorable that you can't say no," Camila grinned.

"Alright, I'll think about it," Lauren laughed, shaking her head in amusement as she ushered Camila into the bathroom, putting a small amount of toothpaste on the little girl's light up toothbrush and handing it to her. "Brush your teeth, angel, I'm just going to go get dressed."

Lauren left the bathroom door open before going back to her and Dinah's room where her girlfriend was still fast asleep. She settled for a silk white shirt and dark trousers along with a pair of black heels.

"Mama?" Camila toddled into Lauren's room, having finished brushing her teeth, to find Lauren still busy getting ready. 

"Sorry, baby, I'm almost done," Lauren promised, glancing at Camila who was climbing onto her bed.

"DJ? Mommy?" Camila asked, climbing onto Dinah's back.

"Honey, let her sleep," Lauren warned, knowing how moody Dinah could get in the mornings.

"I'm up now," Dinah muttered, sitting up and pulling Camila into a hug. "The tickle monsters got you now!" She shouted, starting to tickle Camila relentlessly, causing the little girl to erupt into giggles.

Lauren smiled over her shoulder; it wasn't hard to see that Camila was the best thing to have happened to them.

"Alright, alright, now that you're both up why don't we have pancakes for breakfast?" she suggested, walking over to where Camila was now dramatically sprawled on top of Dinah's legs.

"I like pancakes," Camila hummed, turning onto her tummy.

"I know you do," Lauren nodded. "Should we go wait downstairs while DJ gets ready," she suggested, reciprocating when Camila reached up for her.

"Mama," Camila whined, playing with the buttons on Lauren's shirt while the older girl carried her down the stairs.

"Not now, niñita," Lauren said gently, rubbing Camila's back. "I'm going to get you a sippy cup of milk instead, okay?" she said, taking the training potty out of the cupboard and walking into the living room. Camila squirmed in Lauren's arms, already uncomfortable. "Look, angel," Lauren said, turning on Peppa Pig.

"It's Peppa," Camila smiled, relaxing in Lauren's arms and swinging her legs happily.

"Yes, it is," Lauren smiled, once again unfastening the buttons of Camila's snapsuit and rolling it up to stop just above her bellybutton before setting her down on the potty. "Mama's just going to go start breakfast, can you stay here with Peppa?" Lauren asked, giving Camila back her pacifier and letting her put it in herself."

Camila nodded, too busy watching Peppa to be paying any attention to Lauren.

"I can't believe I'm up this early," Dinah yawned, padding into the kitchen in the pyjama shirt and cycling shorts she slept in.

"The power of Mila," Lauren chuckled, giving Dinah a kiss on her lips.

"You need any help?" she asked, looking around at the complex operation Lauren had made out of making pancakes.

"Can you put some plain milk in Camila's sippycup and take it out to her?" Lauren asked, realising she had forgotten. "I promised her chocolate milk but we're having pancakes and I think that's more than enough sugar for her."

"Sure," Dinah nodded, pouring some milk into Camila's pink, plastic sippycup. "Do you think she's going to have trouble at school today after that party?"

"Uh, I'd like to hope not," Lauren sighed. "But probably, I told those kids off but I don't think it's going to do much good."

"Kids," Dinah muttered before walking out into the living room. "Here, babe," she said, handing Camila the mik.

"Up," Camila whined, reaching for Dinah.

"Not when you're not diapered, I don't need you having an accident on me," Dinah said, opting to sit down next to Camila instead.

"I'm done," Camila whined, kicking her legs.

"You're supposed to use the potty, not wait for Lauren to put you back in a diaper," Dinah chuckled, tapping the plastic chair. 

"I can't," Camila pouted around her pacifier. "It's tricky, DJ."

"I know, but you're a big girl, you can do it," Dinah encouraged.

"I'm only small," Camila said, squirming uncomfortably. 

Dinah bit her lip, resisting the urge to coo at how adorable their little girl was.

"Have your milk, it'll help," Dinah suggested, holding the sippycup up to Camila's mouth.

"Ready to eat?" Lauren asked, poking her head around the door.

"Yeah, let's go, Camzi," Dinah said lifting Camila to her feet.

"Darling, bring your potty to the table, we can put you on a big girl chair," Lauren said before going back into the kitchen.

"Lo, she's practically naked, she's going to catch a cold," Dinah pointed out. "I'll go get her some socks."

"You've got DJ wrapped around your little fingers, haven't you?" Lauren chuckled, lifting Camila up onto the chair. "Are you nervous about school today?"

"Mm...yes," Camila said. "I like it when you give me my special milk," she said thoughtfully.

"You mean breastmilk?" Lauren asked, bending down next to Camila's chair so they were eye level.

"Mm," Camila hummed. "But normally I have it with just Mama, so the people from school might think it was funny when they saw."

"That's a good point, love," Lauren said gently. "I usually only give you my milk when we're somewhere quiet, but the reason I gave it to you that night was because you were very upset and I know it calms you down," Lauren explained.

"But sometime I see other babies havin' special milk, so why is it funny for me?" Camila furrowed her eyebrows, trying to understand the situation.

"Mila, if breastfeeding is something that you need to feel safe and loved, then it doesn't matter what other people think," Lauren said sincerely. "If those girls make fun of you because they saw you nursing, or for any other reason, you go straight to Miss Epseley, okay?"

"Okay," Camila nodded; what her Mama was saying made sense.

"Got them!" Dinah exclaimed, walking in with a pair of fluffy unicorn socks. "There you go," she said, slipping them onto Camila's little feet.

"Try not to be messy, baby," Lauren chuckled as she put the plastic plate in front of Camila. She only had one pancake, seeing as her appetite wasn't that big, and a splash of syrup, but Lauren didn't doubt Camila's ability to make a massive mess for one second.

"This is so good, Lo," Dinah said through a mouthful of food.

"Chew," Lauren ordered with a laugh as she leaned over to cut Camila's food.

No surprise, twenty minutes later Camila had syrup all over her face and was guzzling down her milk as she sat slumped lazily in Lauren's arms.

"I'll tidy up here," Dinah said starting to clear the table. 

"I think it's bath time for you," Lauren said, lifting Camila off of her lap. "I'm very proud of you for sitting on your potty today, we can try again tomorrow," she said, ushering Camila up the stairs.

"I din't like i'," Camila lisped around her thumb.

"I'm sorry you don't," Lauren said sympathetically as she undressed Camila, lifting her it the bathtub. "We just thought it would be good for you to be potty trained at least in the day time, but if you don't want to we can keep you in diapers for now."

"I'll try again," Camila said quietly.

"Thank you, angel," Lauren smiled, scooping up warm water to wash the sticky sugar off of Camila's face.

By the time she and Camila were walking to school, however, the charming little girl had been replaced with a cranky, nervous one.

"I don' wanna," Camila pouted, sticking close to Lauren's side. Lauren had given her her pacifier for the time being, but she knew that she wasn't normally allowed it at school and it would soon be in the older woman's handbag.

"Remember what we talked about this morning?" Lauren asked as the school came into view.

Camila nodded, frowning slightly when Lauren held her hand out expectantly but surrendering her plastic soother all the same.

"Camila!" A voice called from behind them.

"Hi, Ava," Lauren said with a polite smile. "Did you have a good weekend?"

"Yeah, I did all my homework and went out with my sister and went swimming," she said proudly.

"That sounds lovely," Lauren said in her teacher voice.

"I'll walk Camila to our classroom," Ava said, taking Camila's hand firmly in her own.

"Oh, that's very nice of you, isn't it Camila?" Lauren said. While she was relieved Camila was making a friend, she knew that walking to her classroom was a big deal for Camila and she had been walking her ever since she first babysat her. "Will you be okay?"

"Yes, I can do it," Camila said, despite sounding unsure and her voice wobbling.

"I love you," Lauren said, placing a kiss on Camila's forehead.

She watched to two girls walking into the school ahead of her holding hands. Despite Camila's obvious nerves, her heart was bursting with pride at the sight.

***