Heather and I were up in McKenna's room with her, away from the TV, away from music, just the three of us, and the mountains of toys that grandparents and uncles and aunts and godparents have bought for her. McKenna ran around the room half-yelling, half-singing, waving her arms in the air. Her curls bounced up and down as she flapped around the room. She looked intent like she was trying to find enough space to really get a flying leap and take off into the air.
Around and around she spun, this way and that, sometimes stopping to hit a key on her keyboard and running once the music started again. Then, McKenna spotted the toy she wanted, the toy mommy had taken from her, the toy to trump all other toys in the world: The Popper.
Yelling, and bouncing as she ran, McKenna grabbed the popper with one hand and started zooming even faster around the room POP PO-POP-PO-POP POP POP PO-POP-PO-POP. Heather cringed as the noise got defeaning, McKenna shouting and singing and zooming and popping. We both stopped and turned our ear towards Owen. Would he wake up because his sister was bent on raising a ruckus? As we were turned, McKenna ran between us and slammed the popper into the dresser. BLAM!
McKenna laughed and slammed it into her dresser again. BLAM!
"McKenna, stop it!" BLAM!
"McKENNA!" BLAM! All the while she's looking at mommy and giggling.
"1" McKenna wound up.
"2" McKenna stood with her arm all the way back, ready to go.
"Don't hit your dresser, if you hit the dresser again, I'll take the popper away".
McKenna looked up at mommy, mommy looked at McKenna. Somewhere in the house, Hex meowed. Suddenly McKenna sprung into life, springing her arm forward with great speed, sending the Popper hurtling towards the dresser, this was going to be the loudest collision yet and the aftermath would be furious. I could see dark clouds of anger and frustration spring up around Heather's face, the fury rising like a dark phoenix over her whole body, when within inches of the dresser, McKenna stopped her arm and stopped the popper, looked up at mommy, and quietly tapped the dresser. tap! tap! tap! McKenna kept looking at mommy as she tapped the dresser.
It was then that I realized that McKenna wasn't pushing the popper, she was pushing Mommy.
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