Like a lightbulb going on

I know it must seem a repetitive theme, but I can't help but express this: my girls are not babies anymore.  Aside from the fact that Gina and I finally watched that Babies documentary that came out during the Hoover administration (seriously, Blockbuster stopped carrying documentaries in it's stores so we put it on our queue and a year later it finally showed up. ... now that we've got toddlers), it's more and more obvious everyday that they're big girls.  Last night while Gina was at class, after explaining to them what "yoga" is and teaching them a couple of moves, we went in the kitchen to have a snack.  Arianna finished first so I cleaned her up and told her she could watch some TV.  As she waddled off into the dark living room I told her she needed to turn on some lights because it was dark in there.  As parents, we're always saying stuff we don't expect to be absorbed or comprehended.  But we say it anyway either to fill the dead air or in hopes that one day it'll be a two way conversation.  Anyway, I turned to Genevieve to get her cleaned up (that kid can make a mess out of anything. ... I almost took a picture because she took the minuscule amount of chocolate on those cookies and made herself look like a recently homeless man with a five o'clock shadow).  In my peripheral vision the world to my right suddenly lite up.  I turned to the living room to see Arianna waddling from the light switch to the sofa to sit and watch her show.  She's not a baby anymore.  She's a big girl who understands the one way conversation I feel like I'm having sometimes.  She can turn on the light when asked.  She can turn on the TV.  She can sit and watch a program all by herself.  I literally sucked back a couple of tears at that moment.  One was a tear of pride, the other a tear of loss.  Every day they grow older I feel like they need me just a little less than the day before.  Thank god we have another baby on the way.  I don't know what I'll do with myself once they start taking a bath by themselves and doing their own hair.  I'll just be the tall guy in the corner with nothing to do.