efore our younger daughter Christina was born, several people told us that we should have a gift for our older daughter Elizabeth from the baby. Supposedly, this would help the siblings “start out on the right foot” and make the older sister happy that the little baby had a present for her. So, when Elizabeth came to see Christina and me in the hospital, I pulled out a wrapped present with a card that said, “Dear E, Thanks for being a great big sister. Love, C” It was a personalized book — Elizabeth’s Adventures on Sesame Street — featuring a story and photos of Elizabeth partaking in various activities with Elmo, Cookie Monster, Zoe, Grover, etc. The book was a huge hit and it became her favorite bedtime book for at least six months thereafter.

That all happened when Elizabeth was 2-1/2 years old. 16 months later, on the way to school today, she asks me out of the blue, “When was I on Sesame Street?” I answer truthfully, “It is actually just a story. It’s not real. The book just has your picture in it.” She proceeds with her questioning: “How did C come out of your tummy with books?” Hmmm…. she got me there! Of course, in her mind, it made perfect sense that Christina must have had the book in the womb if she brought it for Elizabeth.

Caroline