The giggles

We got our first full-fledged laugh out of TheGirl tonight, a hearty "a-hoo, a-hoo, a-heeeee!" instead of the half-hearted little "heh-heh," she's been giving us.

When I say, 'we,' I actually mean 'he,' of course. TheBoy gave his sister the belly laughs; he is her white knight and her court jester rolled into one. It was one of the moments that makes me understand why people have more than one kid: We were sitting on the couch hanging out. He was bouncing up and down, buzzing from the mango he had for dessert. She was staring back at him over my shoulder when, all of a sudden, she got the giggles. Every time he bounced, she would laugh and laugh. When he stopped, she would stare at him, her eyes as round as golf balls. Then he'd start up again, and the laughs would come back. They kept it up for a good 10 minutes.

What's really funny is that this is the beginning of what I suspect and hope will be a lifetime of brother and sister against the world. He wasn't supposed to be bouncing on the couch. I've told him that a million times. Yet it got a laugh out of little sister, so he was willing to face the consequences.