Not Such a Very Big Sister

People often ask me if Allison Clare is excited about her new sibling. The answer, unfortunately, is no, not at all. She just doesn't understand things that far out of her frame of reference--or rather, we can't communicate them to her. In fact, she seems to think our family is pretty complete the way it is; she especially loved a Christmas tree ornament of ours that showed a snowman family . . . she would point to each figure and say, "Daddy, Mama, Baby" with a triumphant emphasis on the last one, as if to say, "That's all you need."

Recently, she happened across the musical toy bar to her bouncy seat, which I had gotten out of storage for the new baby, and we had yet another conversation in which I tried, futilely but gamely, to prepare her even a tiny bit for how her life is going to change.

AC (fixated on toy bar): Song! Play! La la la.

Me: Yes, do you know who is going to play with that toy?

AC: Prin! [Her babysitter.]

Me: No, not Prin. Gillian*!

AC: Gin!

Me: Yes, do you know who Gillian is? Gillian is your sister.

AC: Friend!

Me: Yes, Gillian is your friend who is in Mommy's tummy.

AC looks down at her own tummy.

Me: She's in Mommy's tummy.

AC kisses my stomach.

Me: That's nice. Thank you!

AC raises her own shirt and points to her own tummy: Baby. Kiss baby.

Me: No, you don't have a baby in there.

AC, insistently: Mama, kiss baby. Baby!

Me: No baby, but I'll kiss your tummy, silly. You are going to love Gillian, and she is going to love you.

AC (spying something she discarded earlier and rolling off my lap to pursue it): Spoon! Find spoon!

Sorry, Jilly. Your sister may find an orange plastic spoon more interesting than news of your arrival, but your Mommy and Daddy are very excited to meet you.

*Working title