Homepage                   Dauphin stories           Dauphins World (Forum)  

Lourdes - Part 1
To contact dauphin, send an e-mail to [email protected]

Lourdes and Dakota were twins. Being eleven years old, they were starting to notice a lot what other girls wore and liked, as well being popular.

Lourdes was the sensitive and the quiet twin, as well as well mannered; she was slow to talk with the others. Lourdes was very na�ve, and believed that everyone was good. In many ways, Lourdes was submissive, and just wanted people to accept her and like her. She was afraid that others would hate her. She just wanted to be normal and be happy. However, she did not believe in being mean with others. She also found it hard how to speak about other girls her age about things like boys, music and clothes. In fact, Lourdes was a bit careful with her clothes. She was not interested in what clothes were modern or what the other girls wore.

Dakota was more outgoing and concerned if she was popular or not. She wanted to be noticed. She wanted the others to like her and she wanted to be the girl all other girls looked up to, and even by the boys! There were only two problems. Both Lourdes and Dakota were very small for their age. They looked like they were 8 year olds, not 11 year olds. While other girls were entering puberty, they had the bodies of 8 year olds. Dakota looked in the mirror every day, and was worried she would be an old woman before she needed a training bra. Another problem was that Lourdes and Dakota were identical in every way. You could not tell who was who. This was a problem for Dakota that wanted people no notice her, and not them.

Dakota was walking around the house. She had to do something. She had to be a girl with her own identity. She no longer wanted to be confused with her sister or to be known as a twin. As she walked through the house, she opened the door to Maria�s room. A tear came to her eye as she thought about her little sister that died when she was 4. Dakota looked around. The bedroom. It still had a crib, and a changing table, as well as baby dolls and toys. For some reason, their mother never emptied the room. It was like a shrine to her daughter that died so young. Their mother said that it can stay there until they got a new sister. Dakota sighed. They had no father, so how would they get a baby sister. Until then, this room was empty, and Dakota had to share a room with her sister.

As Dakota looked around the room, she noticed how big the crib was. She was sure that she could fit in it. She never thought about this before. Then she noticed the diapers next to the changing table. It would be nice being a big sister. As Dakota looked around, she smiled. She would be a big sister again, and not a twin. She knew that Lourdes would fit in the crib and would look so cute with diapers. She just had to convince Lourdes that she was a little sister and even a baby! It was time for her to get to work. She picked up one of her dead sisters dolls, and went down to the sitting room to find her mother.

Dakota showed the baby doll to her mother. �Mum, I have been in Maria�s room. I miss her so much. A shame that her bedroom and toys went to waste. I think that Maria would have wanted Lourdes to have this doll.�

�Lourdes is 11. She is too old to play with dolls. But it was a nice thought.�

�I know she is 11, but in many ways, she reminds me of Maria. I think she should get this doll. If she doesn�t want it, then at least we have tried. Maybe she will be very happy.�

Mum thought about it and went into the sitting room where Lourdes was laying on the floor watching some music videos on TV. Mum just placed the doll besides Lourdes and said that she can have it.

Lourdes looked at the doll. It was a doll that babies have with a frilly dress and a pacifier in the mouth. Lourdes said thank you. She didn�t know why she should get a doll. She stopped playing with them years ago. She just let the doll there and continued watching music videos on TV. She thought it was boring, but she wanted to understand the other girls at school when they talked about music. Dakota came in and sat on the sofa. She was disappointed that Lourdes was not hugging the doll, but it was typical of her laying on a baby rug looking at TV. She could see that her sister was bored. It was time to get her plan working. Dakota said out loud that she was going in the bedroom to lie down and see some magazines.

Lourdes could now see that she was alone. She changed the channel. It was Sesame Street. Lourdes smiled. She preferred to watch this lot more than some boring music videos. Lourdes loved singing to the songs and the storyline of the show was great. She loved Big Bird! After a few minutes, Lourdes was engrossed in the show. She did not notice that Dakota was peeking through the door taking a video of her on her cell phone.

Dakota could not believe her eyes. Her twin sister changed the channel and was watching a program that only toddlers would watch. Dakota filmed Lourdes, smiling and at times singing along to the stupid baby songs. Then she seen Lourdes reach out and hold and hug the doll. So this was the true side of her twin sister. She pretended to be normal when she was with others. When she was alone she watched baby TV and didn�t mind holding a doll. Dakota nearly fainted when she heard her sister speaking to the doll. She was saying that she supposed she would keep her as it was nice of her mother to think about her. Lourdes said that she would name her new doll Louisa, and gave her a hug. Dakota could not believe what she was hearing. Maybe her twin sister was still not mature and a baby in her heart. It made Dakota feel better. If she was to make Lourdes into her little sister, it would not be that evil, as Lourdes really wanted it deep inside. It was up to Dakota to help her. If she was evil, she would just show everyone at school the video of her sister watching some baby TV and talking with and hugging a doll. However, Dakota was not that mean. At the same time, she realized that she had work to do

Dakota went up to the bedroom. She changed clothes. She put on Lourdes clothes. She didn�t understand why Lourdes liked these clothes. They were so girly! She looked in the mirror and fixed her hair like Lourdes. There was still something different. Then she realized that she had to wash the make-up off her face. Dakota only used a small bit, as her mother didn�t like it. Lourdes didn�t use any. After the makeup was washed off, Dakota looked in the mirror. It looked as if Lourdes was staring back. Now it was time to do the hard bit. Dakota stood there and just waited. After a few minutes, she felt like she had to pee. But it was hard. It was like she could not just release it. Dakota realized that she was concentrating too much. She thought of waterfalls and lakes and then relaxed. Then she felt it coming out. She didn�t pee a lot, but she could feel it. It was a gross feeling. Still, she looked in the mirror and could see the wet patch in her trousers. Dakota took a picture of herself in the mirror, making sure that the wet patch could be seen.

Then Dakota took off the clothes, and after washing herself put her new clothes on again. She rushed down to the washing room and put the clothes in the hamper. Then she went to the kitchen, where her mother was drinking a cup of coffee. It was time for a woman to woman talk, and she needed to convince her mother of something.

�Mum, Lourdes is very happy for the doll�

�Wow, I didn�t think she would be happy to get a doll.�

�Yes, she is hugging the doll while she is watching Sesame Street.�

�Why is she looking at that? It is for children that have not even started at school!�

�It was also Maria�s favourite program.�

�I remember that.� A tear was coming to her mother�s eye.

�You know that I read that when a child dies, their soul can be transferred to their brother and sister, so they live on.�

�That�s a nice thought, and I suppose it is possible. There are a lot of spiritual and mystic things that we do not understand. Who knows, maybe has Maria�s soul gone into you or your sister. That is a nice thought�

�I don�t think it is me. I was wondering if Maria�s soul can be in Lourdes.�

�Why?�

�It explains a lot of her recent behaviour. I mean she prefers to watch toddler programs, and she likes the doll. Sometimes she sucks her thumb (which was not true), and she is not as mature as she should be. She loves going in Maria�s room. I think deep down, she wishes that it was her room�

�You are so funny. You just want your own room. While I believe it�s a possibility that Maria�s soul can travel, I also think it�s absurd treating an 11 year old as a baby!�

�Well if Maria�s soul is the dominant one in Lourdes body, then you would not be babying Lourdes. It would be Maria. Anyhow I have to go up and do homework. This talk is confusing me�

Their mother, whose name is Cassie, was left alone thinking. She could no longer control her tears. She didn�t stop her daughters from talking about Maria, but it reminded her about the hole in her heart that was created when her daughter died. It is true, that she protected her too much when she was alive. She never wanted her to grow up. She became even more protective when she found out her dear daughter was dying. The conversation with Dakota confused her. Is it possible that the soul of her dead daughter was now in Lourdes? Anything is possible. What happens if the Maria personality takes over? Cassie shrugged her shoulders. This was beyond her understanding. Sure it was possible, but it is also possible that it would never happen. She would just have to wish and see what happens.

Cassie peaked in the sitting room. She could see Lourdes lying on the floor singing a song about the alphabet, while hugging her new doll very closely. A glimpse of Maria went through her hair. That was the same way she laid on the floor when she watched TV. Another tear went down her chin; however, she had to remember that this was her 11 year old daughter. Still, she looked so cute just lying there. Cassie walked to the back kitchen to wash some clothes. Her daughters seemed to use a lot of clothes. As Cassie started putting the clothes in the washer machine, she noticed that a pair of trousers was wet. She held them up and smelled them. It was obvious pee. Then she reached down and found the panties. They were soaked too. She recognized them as Lourdes clothes. This confused Cassie, why would her daughter have an accident? Cassie wanted to speak with Lourdes about it. But she knew that it would be too embarrassing. It is best not discuss it with her. As Cassie was putting the clothes in the machine, she once thought about Maria�s soul. It would be nice to take care of a toddler again, even though the toddler was 11.

Later, Lourdes decided that it was time for bed. She took her new doll under her arms, and went into her bedroom. Dakota was sitting at the computer looking at a picture. Lourdes nearly fainted. It looked like her. She looked closer at the picture, and could see that the trousers were wet. Lourdes never wet herself! That was not a picture of her!

�Why did you take a picture of you after you wet yourself?� Lourdes asked.

�That is not me. That is you. You have a bad memory� Dakota replied. She was right, Lourdes memory was not the best, but surely, she would remember wetting herself!

�That is not me!�

�It is, besides everyone at school will think it is you�

�You are not to show anyone in school that!�

�Why not?�

�It�s obvious, they will think it is me, and that I wet my trousers�

�Well it could be fun. I also think that they think it�s funny you watch Sesame Street and look at you now, you are hugging your doll very tight�

�Please don�t tell them and please don�t show that. I will do your chores.�

�You will do anything?� Dakota asked as Lourdes hugged her doll closer. She now could expect to do Dakota�s chores and homework. She wondered why Dakota was being so mean! Lourdes nodded as Dakota smiled and explained what she expected, �Don�t worry. You are my sister. I would never harm you. But since you will do anything I ask, then I ask you to do one thing. The first is that you wear pigtails to school every day. You just have to ask Mum to do it. One more thing, I think you should take your doll to school�

Lourdes did not understand. Was this all? She was expecting to be Dakota�s slave. Maybe her sister was not mean after all. But her requests were strange. Wearing pigtails was a strange request. It was years since she wore them. Only small girls wore them. Taking her doll to school would be no problem. She would just hide it in her bag. Deep down, she thought that at least Louisa (her doll) would not be lonely. Lourdes agreed to the conditions and went to bed.

Dakota smiled. This was easier than she thought. She would never have agreed to those conditions. But it was obvious that Lourdes had a major flaw in her personality. It was easy to influence her. Maybe she did not have a high opinion of herself. Dakota went to bed and thought about the first day of her project. There was still a lot more work to do. She still had a twin sister, and this had to change.

Later that night, when everyone was asleep, Dakota woke up. She hardly slept, because she had one thing to do. She reached below her pillow and found some strawberry extract. It was good that it was clear liquid and not red. Strawberries were one of Lourdes favourite food. Dakota went over to Lourdes bed. She thought that her sister was so cute. She was hugging her doll. It was good that Lourdes was a sound sleeper. The house could fall down and she would still sleep. Dakota wondered why she never wet her bed. Maybe it was because she never drank before bed. Dakota sighed as she took a makeup brush and started painting some of the Strawberry essence on Lourdes thumb. She waited for it to dry in the skin. Dakota did this a few times. Lourdes never flinched. Then Dakota carefully moved Lourdes hand, so her thumb was by her nose. It was time to get some sleep.

The next day, Cassie (their mother) was getting breakfast ready. Dakota seemed to be a bit tired, while Lourdes was very fresh. Cassie did notice that Lourdes was still carrying and hugging her new doll. Maybe that was a good present for her. A tear came to Cassie's eye as she remembered that it was Maria�s favourite doll. After breakfast, Cassie brushed Dakota�s hair. She loved brushing her daughter�s hair. Then it was Lourdes turn. Lourdes asked quietly and in a shy voice if she could have pigtails. Cassie could feel her heart beating. Why pigtails? Why would a girl of 11 want pigtails? She asked Lourdes if she was sure. Lourdes just nodded. Cassie thought that she would not make a big deal out of it, and started giving Lourdes pigtails. She noticed that Lourdes started sucking her thumb when she did it. Dakota was right! Lourdes still sucks her thumb. Why did Cassie never notice this before? After the hair was done, and the girls finished getting ready for school, she went to give them a hug goodbye. She could see the difference between them today. Dakota looked very mature, while Lourdes looked like a girl that was 7 or 8 years old. It didn�t help that she was so small for her age.

Later, Lourdes was sitting at her desk in school. She was day dreaming as the teacher was trying to explain how to do some maths. Then the teacher slammed her hand on Lourdes desk and told her to stop sucking her thumb, and pay attention. Lourdes was confused. She never sucked her thumb. Yet, this morning when she woke up, she found her thumb in her mouth. Then she did it again when she was getting her hair done, and several times since. Lourdes could not explain why, it just had a nice taste. It must be like some of the other girls that tried smoking. Maybe they wanted something in their mouths. It was actually a strange day. Sucking her thumb and having pigtails. The other classmates sniggered when they saw her. One even asked her if she was in the right class, or should she be in pre-school? Now they were snickering again because the teacher shouted for her to stop sucking her thumb. At least, they didn�t know that her doll was hidden in her bag. Lourdes wanted to give her a hug just then. Before she knew it, her thumb was once again in her mouth.

Lourdes was happy when school was finished. When she came home, she rushed to do her homework. She tried explaining to her doll what she was studying. At times she had to remind herself that the doll most likely could not understand a thing! After she did her homework, she went out to watch TV. Her mother and Dakota were there. Nothing much was said as Lourdes was thinking why are all the music videos about romance and sex? Dakota broke her thoughts by saying she could change the channel if she wanted. Barney (The purple dino) was on another channel. Lourdes looked at her mother that just smiled. Lourdes changed the channel. She was now smiling, looking at something she liked. Little did she know that it was boring Dakota. After a while, Lourdes realized that she was sucking her thumb again, while watching Barney, and holding her doll. She didn�t realize that her Mum walked out. The next thing Lourdes knew was that her Mum put a pink pacifier in her mouth. Lourdes spit it out and shouted that she was not a baby. Her Mother said nothing, and put the pacifier back in her mouth. Dakota was shocked at what she just seen her mother do. She told her sister that it doesn�t matter, no one will know, and maybe it will help her stop sucking her thumb. Lourdes said nothing, but did not spit it out.

A few days later, Dakota was in her bed, contemplating on what was going on the last few days. She only told Lourdes to wear the pigtails for a day, so she was shocked when Lourdes asked for them the next day. Now her mother just does it, and Lourdes does not complain, she just sits there sucking her pacifier. The same could be said at school. Lourdes still took her doll with her, and the other girls teased her that she looked like a pre-schooler. Lourdes still got in trouble for sucking her thumb, and as soon as she came home, she found her pacifier. Dakota tried telling her that the pigtails was just for one day, but Lourdes replied that it was their mother that did it. This did not explain why she sucked pacifiers and never let go of the doll.

It was confusing for Lourdes too. She didn�t know why she did not tell her Mother to stop giving her pigtails. Maybe it was just because she knew her mother decided and she had to obey. She did not know why she sucked her thumb or used the pacifier. She just felt safe doing it, like as if she was in her own world, away from the peer pressure and the pressure of trying to live up to others. Sure, she was teased at school. But she thought that the other girls seemed older than her. They knew more and were wiser. Lourdes knew that she was not a baby, but at times it was hard to believe that she was 11.

It was time for Dakota to take her project to the next level. She decided that it was time to have a talk with her mother again. She did this while Lourdes was watching Disney channel.

�Mum, I was wondering, why did you give Lourdes the pacifier last week?�

�I have been thinking about that myself. It just seemed as the loving thing to do. I noticed since then, that Lourdes feels happier with it.�

�That is strange; maybe the theory that Maria is part of her is true�

�I was thinking that too. At any case, I found out that she had an accident last week. Don�t say that I told you. It must be very embarrassing�

�What will you do about it?�

�I think we should see how things go. I have been reading the internet. It says that some children can regress, in other words act like they are younger. I spoke with the doctor. She said it is true, and she believes that if this happens, then we should baby Lourdes.�

�You have been busy. I don�t understand what you mean baby her though�

�Well the doctor read about big children that suddenly act like babies. They really think they are in their minds. They are a baby trapped in an older body. The mothers treat them like they are babies, and they outgrow it�

�You don�t mean that she has to wear diapers and sleep in a crib and all that?�

�I don�t think there is need for that now. But if it comes that far, we do have Maria�s room. If it does come this far, we would have to give her the opportunity to be babied. It is important that we do not tease her. Like we now accept her with her hair and pacifier and doll, we have to love and support her.�

Dakota could not believe what she heard. Her Mum was willing to treat Lourdes as a baby. This was so confusing to Dakota. She thought her mother would never treat her 11 year old daughter as a baby? Dakota never heard about regressing before. Which girl or boy would suddenly think or want to be a toddler. However Dakota had to work with the next part of her plan. She smiled as she was thinking how she will redecorate the bedroom, while Lourdes would be in a crib wearing a diaper. The problem was how would she get Lourdes to wear diapers? Dakota would have to be clever and even a bit evil, and slowly manipulate her twin sister. She helped her along with the pacifier, but getting her to wear a diaper would be a bit harder. It also meant that Dakota would have to wake up in the middle of the night and be awake when Lourdes was awake.

That night, Dakota was out in the toilet getting ready for bed. She came in as usual and lay in bed while she gave her doll a hug. The light was turned off and Dakota could hear her sister sucking her pacifier. It was so hard not teasing her. Maybe that would help her get into diapers. Maybe if Lourdes was humiliated and teased, she would lose any self-esteem she had. Dakota fell asleep while she thought about this.

The next morning, Dakota woke up. She looked over at Lourdes. She was asleep. But it was soon time to get out of bed, so Dakota did not want to close her eyes again. It was hard just lying there. Dakota had to go for a pee. But she had to wait. It was part of her devious plan. While Dakota was waiting, she was thinking if she would go through with her plan. Was it evil of her? Her plan to make Lourdes to a little sister was not normal. It was playing with another person. She could destroy Lourdes reputation and even life. However Dakota could not survive as the way things were. She could not be an invisible twin.

Lourdes woke up and yawned. She struggled out of bed and got changed. Unlike Dakota, Lourdes always changed put on her clothes for the day before she went to the bathroom. This suited Dakota fine. She needed Lourdes nightdress and panties. After Lourdes got changed, she walked out to brush her teeth and wash a bit... Just as she walked out the door, Dakota rushed as fast as she could. She was wearing the same nightdress as Lourdes, so she just had to change panties. She quickly changed into Lourdes panties. Dakota then laid down on Lourdes bed and peed. It was a strange and yet disgusting feeling, but it had to be done. Then Dakota rushed to take the clothes off and put them on the floor. She put on the dry nightdress again and sat on her bed. Now came the hard part.

Lourdes came back in the room. She has the pacifier in her mouth. It was another day and another day at school. She could see that her sister Dakota was sitting on her bed laughing and pointing. Lourdes looked at what she was pointing at. She could see that her bed was wet and when she looked at the floor she could see her clothes were wet. Lourdes sucked on her pacifier harder as she was confused. Her bed was not wet when she woke up, was it?

�What happened to my bed?� Lourdes asked

�It looks like you wet it. You are 11 and you wet the bed.�

�I did not�

�Of course you did, look at it!�

�It was dry when I went out to the bathroom�

�Did you pee when you were in there?�

�No��

�Of course not, because you wet the bed like a baby! You rushed out to the toilet and did not even notice.�

�I suppose I did. This is so embarrassing. What will Mum think?�

�She will most likely think that you are just a baby�

�I am not a baby!�

�Yes you are, and you should admit it. You have pigtails like a baby, you have a doll, you use a pacifier, and now you wet the bed. This sounds like things that a baby does!�

�You are so mean!�

�I am just telling the truth!�

Just then Cassie (their Mum) came in.  She heard the girls fight outside and now she could see the proof herself. She could not believe it. Lourdes had wet herself. Cassie wondered if her daughter was regressing. This could be because she had problems. Maybe even Maria�s soul was dominant. Cassie knew she had to be patient. If Lourdes was regressing, she would have to support her and love her. Cassie even smiled as she was braiding Lourdes hair. It would be nice having a baby once again. Cassie knew ever since she was pregnant with her twins that she was born to be a mother, and she never wanted her children to grow. Maybe this was the reason she was not freaking out like many mothers would. Her smile disappeared as she thought of how confused Lourdes must be. She was about to be a woman, and she was behaving more and more like a baby. What would the other girls at school say? How will these affect her personality? Would she be happy? She knew that Dakota was already starting to tease her. Who said being a mum would be easy?

Lourdes was quiet all day. She was afraid that Dakota would tell everyone that she wet her bed. How could she wet the bed? She was too old to do that! On the other hand, she was too old to use pacifiers and suck her thumb. Now she let her mother give her pigtail, so she looked like she was a toddler. She was not interested in the boy bands or the music the other girls listened to. Lourdes was slowly coming to the conclusion that she was weird. She decided that she had to act more grown up. She did not want people to think she was a baby. She just hoped that Dakota would not tell everyone about the bed. This made her think about how embarrassing it was when her family seen that she wet the bed. Dakota said that she was a baby! How could she say that? She was her twin. Lourdes could not figure out why she could not remember she wet the bed. Surely she would remember being wet. What was the matter with her? Why did she forget things? Lourdes went to the girl�s bathroom and had a good cry.

On the way home, Lourdes tried sitting next to Dakota. Her twin sister pushed her away and whispered that she did not want to sit next to a baby that could wet herself at any time. Lourdes lowered her head, hoping that no one heard this and sat next to a boy that didn�t say a word.

When they came home, Lourdes went straight to the bathroom and took the elastic out of her pigtails. At least she looked like she was 11 again. Lourdes was about to go out and see TV, when she thought she had to do something else that a girl her age would do. She decided to look on Skype. After a while, she got bored because no one wanted to chat with her. Lourdes felt like crying. She put the pacifier that was in her pocket in her mouth. Then she went on youtube and looked at some cartoons there.

Dakota came in the room. She noticed that Lourdes fixed her hair when she got home. She also noticed that she was not watching toddler programs on TV. She saw her sister trying to be on Skype. She felt sorry for her sister. No one at school was speaking with her. They thought she was a bit babyish. Little did they know! It was so hard for Dakota not to tell the whole class her sister wet the bed, (or thought she wet the bed). Dakota would be able to do this later. As for now, she was happy that people were paying more attention to her. Besides that, she knew that Lourdes was happy when she acted younger than she was. Now Dakota just had to make her feel younger and accept the fact that she was a baby. Dakota just had to push Lourdes to this. However, it might be a bit hard, as she could not wet Lourdes bed every day, and make Lourdes think it was her. She had to get Lourdes to do it. On top of this, she had to make Lourdes use baby things, and be a baby. Dakota knew the next step.

Lourdes noticed that her sister was now standing in the room. She quickly went back to Skype and spit the pacifier out. Dakota came to Lourdes and put the pacifier in her mouth while saying it was fine; no one knew she was doing it.

�I do, and girls my age do not use them� Lourdes protested.

�Girls your age do not wet the bed�

�That was only once, and I must have been very tired. I just can�t remember doing it. Tonight I will go to bed early�

�Babies do go to bed early�

�Do not call me a baby!�

�Whatever, hey I got you a present. It�s a huge poster of a waterfall. I will just hang it up. You will love it, because it has small teddy bears that are swimming at the bottom of the waterfall�

Lourdes looked at the poster. She had to admit, that it looked pretty. However, Lourdes fast decided that she had to act her age. She went back on Skype and tried saying high to some girls she knew from school. Of course, none of them answered her. So she kept the pacifier in her mouth. She was afraid she would cry in frustration if she spit it out.

Later that night, the family was sitting down watching TV. Lourdes did not notice her mums disappointed face, as her mother seen that she no longer had pigtails. Lourdes could not see, she was sitting on the floor in front of her mother, using her legs as something to lean against.

Dakota saw Lourdes push her mum�s hands away when she tried putting Lourdes back in pigtails. Dakota was shocked at the disappointed and rejected face on her mum. She decided it was time to put Lourdes in her place. Some would say it was time to subdue her. Dakota on the other hand was trying to defend her actions by saying she is not forcing Lourdes to do anything. She is just showing her a side of her that makes her happy.

Lourdes didn�t see Dakota leave the room. She was annoyed at her mum for trying to make her hair look like a toddler�s hair again. She raised her eye brows when Dakota came and gave her an envelope and a glass of milk. Lourdes was about to say she didn�t drink before bed. However, she didn�t want Dakota to be mad at her. Dakota was being nice, and in fact besides she teased Lourdes for wetting the bed, she was the only one that was nice to her. Lourdes just wanted people to like and be nice to her.

Lourdes drank the milk as she opened the envelope. It was pictures of her. Some pictures showed her smiling as her mum helped her with the pigtails. Other pictures showed her hugging her doll or sucking on her thumb or pacifier. One picture showed her wet bed. The last picture showed her lying on the baby rug while watching some baby TV.

Lourdes was about to get up and hit someone when Dakota started explaining, �Lourdes, I have taken those pictures, not to embarrass you, but to show you what you do. You may be 11, but it is obvious from those pictures that you are not ready to act like an 11 year old. Don�t worry. I won�t show anyone those. Besides that, I think they are cute. It shows you when you are most secure and happy.�

�I suppose that some girls just do not grow up like other girls� Their mum continued, �As Dakota says; you have the body of an 11 year old, but the mind and interests of a small girl.�

�I-I-I am not a baby!�