She saves. And shoots spirals.

These are the conversations I will miss. First of all, I imagine it is only a matter of time before my daughter is no longer talking to me from the toilet, with the bathroom door open. There's a short window in each child's life when they're young enough not to care about that, but old enough to have an insightful conversation such as this.

Tonight, as I'm sitting in the dining room checking email she calls out with excitement, "Hey mommy--you know what would be a great super hero?"

"What?"

"Spiral Girl!"

"Spiral Girl. I love that. What does Spiral Girl do?"

"She saves.  And shoots spirals."

Of course.

"I can't believe they didn't put her in the super hero book," my daughter says with a mix of wonder and disgust.

"Well, you could make her yourself."

"Yes!" she exclaims. "I'm going to make her right after I'm done."

A moment later, she streaks out to the dining room completely nude and proclaims, "I know another one. Booger girl! She shoots boogers at bad guys."

Unfortunately a mom can't really laugh at Booger Girl, though it is kinda funny. She tries again.

"Or how about Pentagon Girl?

"What does she do?"

"She only shoots pentagons....She's kind of a stinky super hero. Well, her work is kind of stinky. Her name is not. "

This is the point in the conversation when I realize she is punctuating her thoughts by casually waving around a wet wipe. There is undeniable evidence that she ran out of the bathroom with the Booger Girl idea mid-wipe.

Horrified, I bust out first-middle-last-name. Sometimes you gotta mean business. "...do not leave the bathroom or the toilet until you are finished wiping your bottom."

She races back to the bathroom, and calls, "Okay, girlfriend! Geeze!" A moment later she adds, "And don't start saying bottom."

I don't know why I said "bottom." I never say "bottom." We usually just call it like we see it at our house. A butt is a butt. But for some reason in this instance, I chose bottom. Maybe it was because I used first-middle-last-name. I felt I had to be more formal in my decree. Anyway, I wasn't getting away with it.

"And don't even think about calling it a toushie," she adds. "I hate that name."

"Really, now? What name do you prefer?"

"I prefer bootie and butt." Extended pause. "Actually, bootie is the goodest."

Bootie is the goodest isn't it? So wise, so honest. Out of the mouth of my babe.

In the words of Billy Joel, "These are the times to remember, 'cause they will not last forever. These are the days to hold onto, 'cause we won't although we'll want to."

This is the time!

The time is going to change. :(