Waiting to Become a Big Sister

So, Lilly is very interested in the whole adoption thing...actually, you could say obsessed! It is very cute. She requests the same book every night at bedtime (for weeks!): "The White Swan Express". This book is about 4 different families traveling to China to pick up their new baby girls. She is seriously disappointed that there are no Chinese adoption books about getting little brothers, though. She doesn't understand why other people don't have Chinese brothers!

She loves to sit on my lap while I read blogs about China...trust me, this opened up a whole can of worms about cleft lips and special needs and why Emmett's foot is "hurt!" She met a little girl with a cleft lip the other day and she was so excited because she knew all about them! She kept whispering in my ear all the facts she has stored in her super scary smart brain. I was pretty impressed.

But the funniest thing is that she keeps playing "adopting from China" with her friends. One day as I was cleaning a closet in the basement, I heard her and her friend Hailey Whittier playing this. Lilly led them through the whole process of getting a baby brother: the paperwork, the physicals from the doctor, taking pictures, and - my personal favorite - getting shots. I watched as Lilly led Hailey into the play tent to give her the shots she would need. Then I heard the whole conversation:

Lilly: Ok, Hailey, we have to give you a shot.

Hailey: Ow, ow, ow! (author's note: I am not sure what instrument was used in the process, but I suspect it was a princess figurine hi-jacked from the toy castle. Trust me, she has a pointy hat that could do some serious damage!)

Lilly: (Soothingly) Shots hurt, don't they?

Hailey: They hurt real bad, Lilly. I don't think we can play this anymore. It really hurts!

And that was all there was to it. I, of course, was laughing hysterically - actually, I'm doing it again just thinking about it! I love that little girl!