Rainbows, Daffodils and Bunny Rabbits vs. Fire, Brimstone and a Rabid Raccoon

Abbie’s face lights up a room when someone she loves comes in. You should see her as she hears the front door opens when Daddy comes home from work. Her little head spins to find me and she looks at me with those giant blue eyes and that dumbfounded look. “Is that him? Is that really him?” she says. And then immediately her little mouth turns up and she smiles big, even chuckles, as she speed-crawls towards the door.

This is natural. Of course she’s thrilled when Todd enters the room. She’s spent the whole day wondering “Where in the hell did that big guy go?” When something is out of a baby’s line of vision they have no idea it exists. When something is gone, in their mind it’s just vanished. This is why we play peek-a-boo with them. It teaches them that things and people exist even when they can’t see them. That is until we confuse them later in life when we tell them about the bear that shits in the woods. Or does it?

Anyway, Daddy is fun. Daddy is comfortable. And most importantly Daddy means food. And Abbie, as are all babies, is smart and knows that when she bats those long lashes and smiles that gaping, toothless smile she’s going to get what she wants from him. So it doesn’t surprise me that Abbie is elated when Todd shows up. She gets something out of the relationship. And let’s face it, babies are life sucking creatures that survive because they have the finest tuned egocentricity on the planet.
Now, when Evie comes home or walks into a room she runs to Abbie. A little Evie scares me so I can only imagine what a giant, looming Evie looks like to a little baby. Evie runs over and gets right in Abbie’s face and screams or barks or even growls. And she does it again, and again, and again. Evie picks Abbie up by her head and squeezes her until she pukes up an entire bottle. She watches the baby as she crawls across the living room floor and then drags her back to where she started by her tiny little feet. Todd and I are constantly telling Evie to stop, constantly making sure Abbie’s ok. That I’ll find Abbie folded up into Evie’s play-kitchen oven or naked hanging from the ceiling fan by her toes is my recurring nightmare. I am actually afraid that Evie will hurt, mame, or otherwise scar Abbie while she plays with her. To be sure, there is nothing malicious about Evie’s behavior. She looks upon Abbie like a dolly. It’s just that Evie’s so damn exuberant and so creative and sometimes possessed by the Devil that we’re always keeping an eye out when they’re together.

Despite all of the ways that she’s manhandled, tortured, and abused, Abbie beams the same smile and her whole body gets excited just the same as when Daddy comes home. Abbie LOVES her big sister. She wants to be near her. Maybe she has a death wish. Maybe she’s a masochist. Abbie keeps going back for more. She laughs when Evie barks in her face. She shrieks with delight when Evie drags her across the floor by her feet. Abbie thinks that almost everything her big sister does is freaking hysterical. So when Evie walks into the room acting like a rabid raccoon and I take a deep breath psyching myself up to deal with the tsunami that’s about to hit, Abbie starts laughing and then I can’t make Evie stop. How can I make the thing that Abbie finds so joyful stop? And then it makes me happy to see my little girls, sisters, in-love with each other. Even though one is my sweet angel and the other is a freaking beast.