Sisters

Recently we have noticed that Clio is really warming up to Eleri. In the beginning there, it seemed like she was just tolerating her little sister, and struggling with the impact she had on her formerly only-child world. Now, it's true that Clio has always behaved positively towards Eleri herself; she took her frustration out in other ways (i.e. at me and Dave). Despite these overt tendencies of tolerance, Clio did have the tendency to occasionally shake Eleri's arm just a touch too hard or hold her head just slightly more firmly than I might recommend, and she definitely believes that "sharing" goes in one direction only (upstream to the Big Sibling.) But ever since Eleri started cracking up and just about everything Clio does, the tide has been turning.

Tonight, I had one strapped into a high chair and the other buckled in a bouncy seat, and made a mad dash downstairs to get a crib sheet out of the dryer for the impending bedtime. Upstairs, I heard Clio say, "It's okay Eleri, Mommy will be right back." Then she called out, "mom-my" in a sing-song, and when I responded "yes, Clio?" from the basement she sort of gasped and said, "Eleri! She can hear us!"

It was the first time I've seen (or rather, heard) Clio address Eleri directly, as a person. And not just a person, but a comrade. Dave and I do not know from sisters, having thre bothers between us, but most of my best friends over the years have had very intense sister relationships, and it seems to me that this is the beginning of it all: the passion, the drama, the competition, the up-all-night sleepovers, the joy, the pain, the love.

I'm terrified.

I can't wait.