"They'll be best friends," everyone who has either been a sister or has raised sisters has told us about our two girls.
"They'll tell each other secrets they won't tell anyone else," we heard.
"There is no bond like that of two sisters close in age," we were promised.
I've never been a sister or had a sister. I've just gone along assuming sister experts were right; that our two little girls would walk hand in had across clouds, their pet unicorns nibbling at magic dust they held in cupped hands.
They'd laugh off any troubles that faced them and they'd laugh so hard that flowers would shoot up from the ground to laugh with them.
They'd cry together and they'd smile together. They'd get married at the same time and their children would form a band that would play ukuleles in a small resort town for children who had never heard ukuleles before.
We trusted the people who told us this.
Then, we had this photo shoot with Barbara Ann Studios. This photo shoot day is now known in our house as "the day the unicorns died."
"Give each other a hug," was the instruction.
So, what happened?
"NEVER!" was the answer.
Now we've learned that the best friend part builds slowly. Or, more likely, that best friendship doesn't involve as many unicorns as we thought.
I'd say my brothers and I are now best friends, but I can remember growing up things weren't always this rosy. If one of them tried to wear my Toronto Blue Jays cap, I'd get upset. If they dared wear their shorts higher than I did, I'd take offense.
There's just the tiny matter of the stage where best friends go absolutely ape shit when their best friend tries to give them a hug because they're only kids. That stage was the stage we evidently forgot.
Best friends can fight and best friends can reject hugs. Behind the yell though I see a big sister who loves her little sister. I also see every day a little sister who admires her big sister beyond words.
Here's to many more years of friendship.