Today at lunch Tuck invented what I am calling The Wacky Dance. It consisted of putting both hands together and swinging them in a circle. Emi immediately copied it, and pretty soon they were both laughing and saying, "Wacky dance, wacky dance!" while their flying arms knocked bits of rice and chicken across the table.

Because they were both wearing black turtlenecks, all I could think of was the old Sprockets skits on Saturday Night Live.

Then at naptime they decided they would "read" stories to the two cloth dolls some family friend gave them at birth. These dolls have auburn yarn hair and look a bit like Raggedy Ann and Andy, only with clothes that can be zipped, buttoned, tied, etc. A friend of ours insists they are called "Dressy Betsy" and "Dapper Dan," so that is what we call them.

Emi sat on the Elmo couch with Dressy Betsy leaning back on her. Tuck was pointing out the mouse in Goodnight Moon to both dolls, saying "EEEEE!" every time he found the mouse. Emi was stroking strands of the doll's hair. This gave me goosebumps, because this is what I often do when the kids are in my lap at story time.

Just as I was thinking, "Wow, I guess kids really do what you model for them, how nice that they are reading to their dolls," Emi gave both dolls a big hug and said "Have TWO babies!" (which is something I used to do when they were smaller). Then she picked up the girl doll and started patiently rocking and rocking it. "Rocking baby!" She was very pleased with herself.

I found this incredibly poignant because of the many hundreds of hours we all spent rocking Emi when she was a colicky, refluxy baby -- James bouncing her on the ball, Maryellen patting, Chrissy holding, grandmas walking, and me just sitting and rocking and rocking in that blue chair. And now here is Emi sitting and rocking the baby back and forth, using her whole body like we all did.

Just as I was getting misty eyed and nostalgic, Tuck tossed down the boy doll, declared "All done baby!" and scrambled up into his crib to get his favorite blue truck. But like I always tell him when he says "all done mama," you're never really all done, are you? :)