Laughter Among Sisters

Abbi sat on my lap on the floor in Emma's room while Emma climbed the ladder to the top bunk. Abbi had been kind of cranky all morning but seemed content to gnaw on her fingers in my lap. Emma gathered all her stuffed animals around her on the bunk bed and then, without warning, launched a bunny over the side. Narrowly missing Abbi's head, the bunny bounced off my leg and onto the ground. Emma froze. I froze. What would come next? A scolding from mommy? A shrill cry of indignation from Abbi?

None of those. Abbi broke the silence with a chuckle, then a full rumble of belly-laughs. Emma and I joined her, delighted to hear her first real laugh. Emma threw another animal at us, the stuffed cat soaring through the air evoking a ripple of giggles from Abbi. I tossed the cat back up at Emma, which made Abbi laugh even harder. She kept her eyes on the animals flying this way and that, taking pure joy in the circus before her. And Emma took equal joy in making her sister laugh.

Emma scooted around on the bunk, looking for anything to throw over the side and make Abbi laugh. I soaked it all in, wishing I had my camera (a common wish because all the good stuff happens when I'm unable to record it) and loving that my two girls were playing with each other. I loved seeing Emma delight in making her sister laugh. Emma laughed almost as hard at seeing her baby sister giggle and chuckle.

But as the saying goes, it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. And when Emma launched her baby doll, with its hard-plastic head, over the side and hit my shin bone with it, I decided perhaps it was time to end the fun. I know, I know, mommy is such a kill-joy. But Emma had run out of soft toys so the game was over.