Big Sister Little Sister

Big sisters are great for lots of things, like giving you your first driving lesson (when you're only 4 months old!). I laughed yesterday when Emma pulled this kick-and-play toy up to Ashlyn, who was sitting in her bouncy seat. Normally, the baby lays on the floor and kicks the toy to make music and lights come on. But Emma thought it would be more interesting if Ashlyn could actually reach the toy and play with the pretend steering wheel, like she likes to do. Then she pulled up her Elmo chair next to Ashlyn, and her imaginary car was complete. She was ready to give her first driving lesson to her little sister. For this first lesson, they drove to the pretend mall. When they arrived at the mall, Emma was upset because Ashlyn wanted to stay in the car and keep driving, while she wanted to go into the mall and buy things. We finally solved the problem by my going into the mall with Emma, while Ashlyn drove around the parking lot.

I've been amazed at the connection my girls seem to have, even this early on. Ashlyn just adores her big sister, and I believe the feeling is mutual. There are times when Ashlyn gets very upset about something, and Dakota or I are trying our best to calm her down, but to no avail. Then in walks Emma, and suddenly the sun comes out and the birds start singing and everything is right with the world again. The terribly unhappy baby locks eyes with her sister and starts to smile, talk and even laugh. It's as if she's saying, "Oh, thank goodness you're here, big sister! These parents are trying to do terrible things to me like feed me when I'm not very hungry! Come and save me!" And Emma is happy to help. I hope this bond lasts a lifetime!

And now, a funny note to end on... Emma is at that age where things she says and does just crack us up. Last night we went out to dinner and ran to a store or two afterward. At dinner, we were each telling the waitress what we wanted, and Emma told her she wanted a "cheese grilled sandwich with broccoli." She's always called them "cheese grilled sandwiches" instead of grilled cheese. And the broccoli--she asked for that even before we knew it was an option for the kids meals. Ask her and she'll tell you that broccoli is one of her favorite foods--she's definately her father's daughter! After dinner, she randomly started talking about things, and told us this: "Someday I'll say goodbye to you guys and I'll marry a prince. [pause] No... I won't marry a prince... but I WILL be a dentist!" *lol* And a little later, when we were in the shoe section of a store, she stepped into a foot measurer and loudly asked, "Mom how old is my foot?" (much to the amusement of some other customers nearby) I love having kids!