Devilin' Evelyn and Rhea of Sunshine

My new nicknames for the girls. One of Paula and Bert's Christmas presents to Evelyn last year was this cool little T-shirt that says Devil Baby on it, and for some reason (gee I don't know why :), the name stuck. At least it did for me and John, the people who spend the most time with her aside from Po Po.

The reason for my nickname for Rhea is pretty obvious if you've met her... she probably has the sweetest disposition of any baby I know. Granted, I don't see her 24/7 but when I do see her, she's usually full of smiles and sweetness. And even when she's upset, it's more like a cute little whimper, with lower lip stuck out and all, rather than full-on screaming and crying (though I'm sure her parents can tell us differently).

The 3.5 month gap between them seems significant right now, as Rhea delights in watching Evelyn act like a little Tazmanian devil from her perch, and Evelyn occasionally stops long enough to try to grab Rhea's face (and vice versa), or stick her fingers in Rhea's mouth (and vice versa), or slobber all over Rhea (and vice versa)... But in no time, they're both going to be running around and keeping us parents on our toes, even more than now.

It'll be interesting watching these two girls grow up together, and seeing their already apparent personalities emerge and evolve and blossom. All things point to them being the best of friends, and I imagine that they'll love each other, share secrets and crushes, have huge arguments, and make up, just like sisters might.

But for now, I just love watching the two of them interact (or not interact, as is the case most of the time). One of my favorite Evelyn and Rhea moments happened just a couple of days ago, on the 4th of July, hanging out inside the shady poolside tent at Catherine's house in Mill Valley. It was a scorching hot day, and having just had a swim with Evelyn, we retreated into the tent with Paula and Rhea to get a bit of respite from the sun and give the girls a chance to crawl around a bit. Rhea was busy working on her crawling skills while Evelyn was busy alternately trying to get out of the tent, chasing some bugs inside the tent, and trying to put stuff in her mouth. At one point, while Rhea innocently and unsuspectingly smiled at the camera for her Papa, Evelyn "Bulldozer" Emery (as Paula dubbed her) came rolling over like a bowling ball barreling towards some pins. This series of photos (which I had to steal from Paula and Bert since my camera wasn't handy at the time) makes me laugh every time I see or think of it.