Baby Logic

Clara Grace’s mommy had done her best to prepare the little girl for the earth shattering arrival of a new sibling in the home. In the beginning, this had been done through requests for the toddler to please refrain from kicking or bouncing on mommy’s tummy, seeing as how a tiny baby lived inside. She further explained that the baby was getting bigger and bigger and soon would come out to play with his big sister. Clara Grace showed interest in the concept by continually asking her mommy to sing the “Baby song” which had been improvised for the occasion. Even so, her mommy couldn’t be sure whether the full magnitude of the coming event was fully realized by her little girl.

During the last week of pregnancy however, Clara Grace talked more and more about her little brother, almost as though her anticipation was mounting along with the rest of her family’s. On Thursday morning, four days before her brother’s arrival, Clara Grace commented to her mommy during a diaper change, , “Baby Brother coming.”

Her Mommy replied, “You’re right, baby Brother is coming soon."

Clara Grace carried the conversation further by stating matter of factly, “Baby Brother coming out door.”

With the imminent day approaching, her mommy reflected wistfully of a delivery where things could really be that simple. On Saturday morning, the day before her baby brother arrived, Clara Grace patted her mommy’s stomach during another philosophical diaper change and said, “Baby in tummy.”

Her mommy answered, “You’re right, there’s a baby in mommy’s tummy.” Clara Grace thought for a moment then reflected empathetically on what must seem like an eternal imprisonment for her baby brother, “Baby in time out?”