Sisters

Avery's worst fear, besides dogs (guess who she learned that from ;), would have to be her baby sister, Junie. She lives in constant fear that Junie is going to knock down her towers, take away and eat her toys, ruin her magnetic "letter factory" on the fridge, pop all her balloons, touch her with dirty hands, run over her in the little car she motors around in, etc. Avery hasn't slept in her big girl bed forever because that's where she's been storing all the toys she doesn't want Junie to reach. The other day when Avery was playing with her farm I overheard her say, "I'm going to put these goats right up here (in the window sill) where Junie can't reach them with her hungry little paws and eat them up!"

(This is Avery's method of self-preservation when June is in her car.)

At the same time, Avery wants to be June. She told Santa her name is "Baby" and she tells me a million times a day, "I can't do that 'cause I'm only a baby." Yeah, that got old really fast. She crawls around. She talks gibberish. She begs to play in Junie's crib or on her changing table. She claps her hands like Junie. Today when she wanted one of Junie's toys that I wouldn't let her play with (I was trying to defend June's rights to at least one toy!) she told me that her name was June so that I would change my mind. Seems to me like someone has been bit by the Jealous-of-June-Bug.

Before I close let me add that apart from all the fear and jealousy, Avery does love her little sister. She gives her big hugs and kisses randomly and says, "I am your sister, Junie." She tells her, "Good night, Sweetie Pie!" before June goes to bed. She even watches out for her, like yesterday when June was going down for a nap and Avery yelled down the hall, "June! Take a good nap 'cause Santa Claus is coming to town!"