"BABA. NICE. YOU!" -- Noelle

 Translation: I'm all done. Being nice. To you.

This phrase is usually hurled in the direction of Chiara, whose tender little feelings are obliterated every time. But the thing about you, Belle, is that you don't mean it. And we can tickle/tease/squeeze you out of these outbursts 80% of the time (leaving an unparalleled 20% that never ceases to astound us) and get you right back to being your silly little goofy self. Delightful.

Truly, I love being this child's mother. She is so hilarious, I am  endlessly torn between amusement and outrage as I witness her crashing through our days like a beautiful, unpredictable little storm cloud. I'm so sorry, Noelle, that I am so strangely delighted by your emotional outbursts. I think you're mostly a happy child, but seriously, Honey, when your mood takes a plunge toward hostile I can hardly keep my countenance. No one on this planet is as adorable when they're thoroughly ticked off as you are.

This is what baba looks like:

Also the face plant is delightful.

This particular beauty was when Noelle was "baba" taking pictures for the Valentine's Day letter I never sent out. It only took two previous pictures to bring out that beast. I think the look on Chiara's face can safely be translated as, "Op, here we go."

When she looks up at me through her furrowed eyebrows it's almost too much for me to bear. I just think it's so funny! Belle, I don't mean to be disrespectful of your feelings, and I never laugh in front of you ... but my heavens, child. Nothing about your life merits this expression.

This one was a doozy. It might be my favorite, because it was actually followed up by a dramatic backward lunge into the carpet which bonked you on the head. You were caught off guard and forgot yourself for a moment and smiled at me like, "Look how silly I am." But then you remembered you were baba and quickly resumed the facial storm cloud.

This, my darling, is your real self:

Okay, just one more.

Whoop! There it is.