Baths and babies

So, yesterday I was getting the girls ready for the bath, causing excitement of all sorts in both kids. Madeleine was toddling around carrying toys when I said, "Madeleine, do you want to take a bath?," prompting her to drop her armful of play-things and toddle off to the bathroom, climbing into the tub fully clothed and then screaming over the injustice of me taking her out of the tub to take her clothes off. I'm glad to know she greets her bathing time with such happy anticipation. Julia, on the other hand, was perfectly willing to take a bath, but not over-the-top excited like Madeleine was. Instead, she found something else to get delighted about:

JULIA: (flushing the toilet after going potty) Mom, is that SO cool?
ME: It sure is.
JULIA: Does it make you feel magic in your heart?
ME: Uh, yeah, it does.
JULIA: Does it make you feel like waking up in a thunderstorm?
ME: Yup, it does.
JULIA: Does it make you feel like Mommy's in the toilet, getting flushed away?
ME: No, it doesn't.
JULIA: (disappointed) Why not?

Another thing Madeleine has been excited about lately is babies. She's going through a baby phase that is similar to the one Julia went through around this age. Every glimpse of a baby, whether it be a picture, a baby doll, her reflection, or the kid on her yo-baby container, causes her to urgently exclaim, "Baby!" followed by an attempt to give the baby a hug. (Or her version of a hug, which is to lay her head down on the baby of the moment.) Lunch time has suddenly become more complicated, as she needs to hug the baby on her yogurt in between spoonfuls of food, and if I'm not careful to remember what's coming, a yogurt-filled spoonful and and Madeleine's head wind up colliding. Here is some baby-hugging caught on video:



BE-BAY!