My little brother was born today.  He woke Mom up at three o’clock in the morning because he wanted to come out of her tummy.  I was asleep so I didn’t know he was going to be born today.  When I woke up, Grandma said, “Good morning,” and told me I was a big brother today.  She made my favorite breakfast, yummy waffles with syrup and chocolate milk.  How did she know that was my favorite?

I’m excited to meet Danny.  That’s his name.  His name is really Daniel but we’re going to call him Danny because Daniel is a big name for a baby.  That’s what Mom says. 

After breakfast, I run upstairs with Grandma so I can get dressed.  It’s really cold outside and there’s a lot of snow on the ground.  When I put my face on the window, my nose gets really cold and I have to rub it to make it warm again.  I can get dressed by myself because I’m almost three and a half years old. I like my soft pants.  They are warm.  I have to put on a t-shirt, then my sweatshirt so my belly button won’t get cold.  I can tie my own shoes but Grandma says she wants to help.  She makes perfect bows and always makes double knots.  I love my grandma.

We’re ready to go visit Mom and Danny in the hospital but we have to wait for Dad to pick us up.  It’s so hard to wait.  I play with my cars for a little while and then I hear Dad’s car outside.  I get on my tippy toes so I can look out the window.  “Grandma, dad’s here!” I yell.

I say, “Hi, Dad!”  He says, “Hi big brother.”  That’s funny.  I ask Dad if we can go see Mom and Danny now.  He says, “Yes.”  It’s still cold outside so I have to put on my coat and my hat and my gloves.  Now I can’t really move that much and it’s getting hot in here.   We get in the car and drive to the hospital.  It takes a long time to get there.  I like watching the snow plows making snow mountains.  I see a snowman and some kids playing in a snow fort. 

We get to the hospital and Dad tries to find a parking space.  Grandma is looking one way and Dad is looking the other way.  Grandma points to her side. “There’s one!” she says.  Dad parks the car and we get out.  We walk into the hospital.  There are a lot of grown-ups inside.  There’s a lady at the desk.  She asks us who we are here to visit.  I yell out, “Mom and Danny!”  She laughs and asks me who Danny is.  I tell her he’s my baby brother.  She gives us stickers that say we are allowed to go on the elevator. 

Dad let’s me push the button on the elevator and we start going up to the sixth floor.  When the doors open, I see nurses holding babies.  “Is that Danny?” I ask Dad.  “No,” he says.  “How about that one?” I ask.  He says no again.  “Where is he, Dad?”  Dad tells me that Danny is in the room with Mom.  He tells me the room number is 613.  I look at all the numbers on the doors.  610, 611, 612… 613!  This is the room!  The door is closed.  It’s big and heavy so Dad helps me push it open.  The room has two beds.  Mom and Danny are in the first bed. I run over to hug Mom and give her a kiss.  Then I see my baby brother.

"He’s so little, Mom," I say.  "Look, his nails are so little next to mine.  Can I give him a kiss?  Is he asleep?  Is he going to open his eyes?  How come he makes all those little noises?  Can I hold him, Mom?  Please!  Why is he crying?  Is he hungry?  Was I this little when I was born?"

Danny is cute.  His skin is soft and white.  He has black hair.  He doesn’t open his eyes a lot.  He’s very wiggly.  He doesn’t have any teeth.  His lips are really pink.  His toes and his nose are really little.  He cries a little.  He sleeps a lot.  When I put my finger close to his hand, he grabs it really hard.  He peed in the air when Dad changed his diaper.  It was so funny. 

Mom let’s me sit on the bed and hold Danny.  He’s warm and he smells like baby soap.  He opens his eyes and looks at me.  He yawns and closes his eyes.  I give him a little kiss on his head.  “Hi, Danny,” I whisper to him.  “You're going to love yummy waffles with syrup and chocolate milk.”

Copyright 2011 Martha Rodriguez