The sweet big sister

Rebecca is becoming more and more affectionate with Lucy. It is very sweet to watch.
Yesterday night, I was feeding Lucy her supper in a non-standard manner. I had her sitting on my lap instead of in the high chair. Rebecca suggested that I put Lucy in her high chair and I explained that Lucy was having a very hard day with teething and seemed to need the extra comfort. I explained to Rebecca that teething is when new teeth come in, and that it can be very painful. Rebecca immediately got out of her chair, came around to where I was sitting, told me that Lucy had a bobo, and that she was going to kiss it better. And then she gave Lucy many kisses on the head. It was very touching, especially because I didn't expect it at all. I really thought Rebecca was feeling jealous and coming to try to sit on my lap too. Lest you think I am a meanie, Rebecca did seem to have a bout of jealousy for a few days this week - for no apparent reason.
A few days ago, there was another cute incident. Rebecca, Lucy, and I returned from a shopping trip. During the car trip, Lucy had fallen asleep. We came into the house, and I was holding Lucy. We are standing in the vestibule, and I explain to Rebecca that we need to be quiet because Lucy has fallen asleep. In the midst of all this, I am trying to take off my boots one handed, and prevent Rebecca from running through the house in hers. As I bend down with sleeping Lucy all cozy in her snowsuit, Rebecca exclaims how cute Lucy is and covers her face with kisses. Part of me was touched, and part of me was desperately afraid Lucy woud wake up. Lucy did open her eyes after about the twelfth kiss, but I was subsequently able to get her back to sleep.
The girls have been interacting more and more. Sometimes, it's just making each other laugh in a manner that creates a sort of positive feedback loop. Sometimes, Rebecca "talks" back to Lucy in Lucy's language. It's strange and wonderful. We are watching a relationship develop right in front of our eyes. Previously, I've thought of the relationships in our family as being Greg and I, each of us with Rebecca, and each of us with Lucy. Rebecca + Lucy is a totally new dynamic.
Lucy and Rebecca have different bedtimes. They started out in synch, but things shifted. On nights when one parent is away, this can become tricky because Rebecca sometimes goes bonkers while we are settling Lucy. Generally, Lucy is very easy to put down for the night - but when she has a rough time, it can be very long. To help solve this problem, I decided to recruit Becca into Lucy's nighttime routine as much as possible. Rebecca LOVES this. She disposes of Lucy's wet diapers, she helps me pick out Lucy's pyjamas, she helps me pick out Lucy's bedtime story, she demos proper tooth brushing techniques for Lucy, and finally, she helps select bedtime songs and perform them. On nights when Lucy is very tired and we cut short the normal routine, Becca is very disappointed. Perhaps it's her age, perhaps it's just that enough tme has passed since Lucy's birth, but Rebecca is turning into a super-duper helper.