Peach

The Bean has a friend. Her name is Peach.
Peach is a rabbit. A very diminutive rabbit.
Two Christmases ago, I bought Bean the Calico Critters Doll House. She was, and remains a bit freaked out by humanoid dolls. I figured that a Doll House with animals was right up her alley. I was right- to a degree. She never really got THAT into the whole thing until I got even smarter.
I bought her one of the little additions, I got her, my paper/shopping/cash register/receipt obsessed child- The General Store. The store came with a small, peach-y kind of colored rabbit to act as Storekeeper.
One day Bean says to me, "Mama let's play Miniature Store!" I agreed. I asked about the rules and regulations....I was told that I would be the rabbit, and she had to shop while Bean ran the register that is the size of a dime. No problemo.
Except that I got a bit.....bored.
So I started talking for the rabbit, who quickly became Peach because, yes, I AM that original. Then Peach needed a back story and I filled that in, then Bean jumped on board and started filling things in. Then the store stared having weekly specials.....It has all snowballed, in the most pleasant way.
Peach is now one of Evelyn's favorite ameeuhls. Peach is very real to her and completely separate from me. When I talk as Peach, to Ev, it's PEACH. They laugh together, they have little inside jokes, Evelyn calms Peach's cat fears.
Sometimes after we have been playing and Peach says something funny, Evelyn will tell me all about it- later, like I wasn't even there, killing my throat to maintain Peach's particular pitch.
Though I think that somewhere Evelyn knows what we are doing. She knows that Peach is me. I am very thankful to that small rabbit. Through her I have a different kind of friendship with my daughter than I ever would have.
Yeah some days, the last thing that I feel like doing is sitting down on Bean's floor while my legs slowly loose feeling and my throat gets worn out. Some days the thought of Peach's 24 babies and her many trips to the store gets to be a bit monotonous.
Every time Evelyn asks though, I say "yes!" and gladly lay down MY worries for the day and I go shopping at the friendliest, tiniest General Store that there ever was. Because one day?
One day she will stop asking. And the magic that is Peach and her world will fade. And Evelyn will discover greater and grander things in this world than sitting in a patch of sunlight in a quiet room with her mother.