Memory on addition lane...

I was four years old at the time. Blissfully ignorant of my surroundings, and was torn out of my normal life when my mom and dad were gone one morning, replaced by my aunt Laura and Uncle Jeff. I was confused when they told me that Mom was having a baby, and they were here to babysit us. Yes, there had been talk of a baby, and mysterious packages arriving with toys and baby things that I couldn't play with.

I quickly forgot my confusion when I realized that my cousins had also come to play with us. We spent the morning together, pretending, playing in the woods and sliding down the basement stairs. Sometime after braekfast and before lunch, Uncle Jeff inturrupted our play to announce that my mom had had the baby, and we were going to go visit her now.

After getting buckled into my carseat, I chattered to my cousin, Bethany, about my baby brother or sister. I think my uncle Jeff had told me which it was, biut I had been either to excited or didn't listen. I remember walking in the sunshine of the parking lot, and saying that I hoped I had a little sister. I had an older brother, and I was jealous of Bethany, who had an older sister instead.

"No, you have a little brother, I know"

'Bethany, you don't know anything, I have a little sister!" I was, and still am, very stubborn. We argued all the way inside, while we stood in the elevator, and as we trooped down the hall of the maturnity ward. I walked in and saw my beautiful mother, who was clutching a small blanket bundle. I got right to the point.

"Mom, do I have a sister?"

"No, honey, this is your brother, Drew Steven," I heard Bethany crowing that she had been right, but all I saw was the baby. My little brother. All wants for a sister faded away, and all I wanted was to stay with this baby forever. After some congratulations and having Drew passed around, Uncle Jeff proposed that he should take us kids to Burger King to celebrate. I protested, saying that I would stay and 'help'. My mom told me that she and Drew would be fine and that I should go and eat.

I left with my cousins, and looked back one last time at my little brother, Drew.