Kids grow up so fast. (Life With Unicorns)

For a couple of months now, I have had a routine with Mr Bunches at the start of his bath.  It goes like this:

I put him in the bathtub and start the water, putting in the golf ball we use as a drain plug because about 10 minutes after moving into our house we lost the actual drain plug and it was 9 at night and I didn't want to go to the store to get a new plug and I discovered that a golf ball works perfectly well as a plug and there you are: 10 years later, we use a golf ball.  That is how life works.

Anyway: I put him in the bathtub, start the water, and then he stands at the far end as I say:

"Da...da...da...da..."

For the musically uninclined among you, I am saying/singing the Theme From Jaws, getting faster and faster

"Da...da...da.da.dadadadada"

until the water hits his feet and I say

"Dadadaaaaaaaa" and he laughs and then we shampoo his hair.  It's all very dramatic and fun and a real bonding moment, until the other night when he was tired and I put him in the tub and golf ball, etc., and started saying it:

"Da da"

and he said "No, daddy.  No da da"

And so I went along with it because I figured he was tired but then last night, I tried it again and he stamped his foot and said:

"No da da."

So that's over.  And I miss it already.  What's going to go next, as he grows up?  Will dark bath stop*?  Will we stop doing Tickle Big? WILL WE STOP PLAYING THAT GAME WHERE WE PRETEND THAT HE IS THE CRAB AND I AM THE CRAZY FRENCH CHEF IN THE MUSICAL NUMBER Les poissant FROM 'THE LITTLE MERMAID AND I CHASE HIM AROUND AND AROUND OUR LIVING ROOM WHILE HE CRASHES THINGS INTO ME?

Actually, I could live without that one.

*"Dark bath" is where he goes in the tub and I turn out the lights and then I use the flashlight app on my phone to light the bathroom.  Sometimes we use a strobe light and it's like he's taking a bath in stop motion.