Siblings

As much as I was NOT excited about the prospect of being pregnant, having a baby and going through all of that baby "stuff" again, I have always known I wanted to have more than just one child. After having the third of my three brothers come out to visit, I am firmly convinced that Jacob needs to have a brother or sister.

There is simply no other relationship like the one you have with your siblings. I know some people were not the best of friends with theirs while growing up, but lots of people were. I can honestly say that my brothers were, and still are, my favorite people in the world. I know I've written about how neat I think they are before, but the thing that I noticed when Mick was here is how comfortable it is to be around your siblings. They already know your story...they know your parents, they know your siblings, they know how to push your buttons...There are so many shared memories. Shared love for other family members. Spending time with family makes you feel connected...and it feels good to feel connected.

I have a friend who is an only child. We talked about this once and something she said has stuck with me. She said that growing up as an only child wasn't particularly sad or lonely - that was just the way it was. What made her sad was to think that once her parents were gone, there would be no one else who would remember them the way that she would.

That's what I love about having brothers. They remember the same stuff I do. They remember little things about mom and dad that make me laugh. I was just writing earlier today about the time my mom was so angry with me and Mick in the minivan that she pulled over to the side of the road and screamed at us to get out. While it's a funny story to tell, no one but Mick can truly appreciate the hilarity of mom pulling back up next to us on the side of the road and demanding that we get back IN the van. It WAS funny.

There are things like this that all of us shared, and we will all still talk about someday when we are old. These are the things that make life seem real...the connections you have with the people you love are more important than anything else. I think that Jacob will have someone to share memories like that with, someone to feel connected to, and it makes me happy. Really, deep-down, happy.

Now I just wanna know if he's going to have a brother or sister...