Sweetest-Sounding Trio

I had a much-needed soak in the tub this morning in an attempt to soothe some aches and pains. At Daddy's suggestion, I even locked the door. (GASP!) Funny how that locking-the-bathroom door phenomenon is so different for mommys and daddys. It never phases the kids when Daddy locks himself in the bathroom. And come to think of it, I don't think he's ever had to take care of his business in the company of the kids. Mommy, on the other hand, is quite accustomed to a pint-sized peanut gallery either observing, critiquing or inquiring about my every last personal activity in the bathroom. All times of the day. All times of the month. To date, my favorite peanut-gallery comment came from Osten, who once exclaimed, "Mommy, you have a sticker in your underwear!"

So getting back to my bath this morning . . . I had soaked for nearly 15 uninterrupted minutes, when I began to hear the faint sounds of Daddy and Osten singing "God Bless America," one of Osten's favorite songs. (Daddy and I bought a hardback book version of the song on a trip to Washington, D.C. when I was pregnant with Osten, and he has always loved for us to read/sing that book to him.) The sound of their sweet voices accompanied by Marci's attempts to join in became clearer and clearer. It was the sweetest-sounding trio these ears have ever heard. Soon, the three of them were just outside the bathroom door, with both kids jostling the door knob. I think they were equally surprised and insulted when they discovered the door was locked. As I drained the tub and dried off, they gave me an encore of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," another one of Osten's favorites which he always concludes by shouting the infamous words of Cubs' World-of-Famer Ernie Banks, "Let's Play Two!" (With a dog named Wrigley and a daddy who was raised on Chicago baseball, is it really a surprise that he's a Cubs fan??!!)

What a start to the day! I'm hard-pressed to say if the bath or the trio was more delightful.