Bonding

Have you ever done something without realizing that one moment was going to change the whole way you felt about someone? Well, I have felt that way about my baby brother before. It was almost the beginning of spring, and I was reminded of that as the moist air hung onto my face even as we entered the unfamiliar place. My mom and I were going into Brittany's new house, to help her get it all cleaned up and ready to live in. Brittany is one of my mom's best friends.

Moments later, I saw Brittany. "Hi!” She greeted us. “Do you want to look around?” She welcomed us in with friendly smiles and gestures. Her hair looks like a maroon color, and it shines in the open house.

To my left is an old fashioned white dresser with pictures of Brittany’s family - her son, Theo, and her husband, Dustin - and a large mirror. I walk away from the entryway and go into the living room. There is one sectional brown couch in front of a set of windows, and a black coffee table. I walk toward a hallway on my right, which I can see has two bedrooms and a bathroom. I'm guessing that the bedrooms belong to Theo (Brittany's son) and the unborn baby of Brittany. I walk into the room closest to me, and slowly open the door. That's when I know that this room is for the baby, since there are boxes and toys on the floor. The room next to the bathroom is Theo's, then.

The first thing I see when I fully walk into Theo's room is the chalkboard. It wasn't just any chalkboard, either. It covered the whole wall, and it had things such as "I love you Theo" written on it. I go up to it and put my hand over one of the chalk pieces. It feels dusty and fragile in my hand. I write a positive - but sloppy - message on the board for him. The chalk leaves an orange print on hand, and I quickly wipe it away. Chalk is so messy. Too messy.

Later, after I had seen everything in the house, I heard my mom’s voice. She says jokingly, “Emma?! Are you alive back there?” I go back to the living room and see my mom and Brittany on the floor. In their hands they have Magic Erasers, scrubbing the ground.

"What are you doing?!" I asked them. Brittany explains to me that there are paint droplets all over the floor, so they're trying to get them off. I grabbed a Magic Eraser and started scrubbing, too. The liquid squeezed onto my hand from the pressure, and my elbows started to get sore. It wasn't as easy as it looked, and there were a lot of dots. We tried to come up with some solutions to make it easier, such as dipping the Magic Eraser in water and squeezing the water out of the Magic Eraser.

When we finished, Brittany offered cookies. They were the freshly baked chocolate-chip kind, and the smell was like heaven for my nose. I inhaled as much as I could, not wanting it to end. I gratefully reached for one, and took a tiny bite, wanting each bite to last. It was crisp with a warm chocolate taste. I finished the rest, and thanked Brittany.

The whole time, I had forgotten that my baby brother, Cameron, was here with us. I suddenly heard him cry, and instantly remembered. Cameron is about three months old, and was born on December 30th. My mom rushed into the living room, and took him out of his car seat. She put her hand comfortably on his bald head, and bent down to reach inside his diaper bag. Her hand disappeared in the black and white, and came back out holding a bottle, and formula.

My mom surprised me by saying, “Would you like to feed him?” I delightfully accepted her offer. I sunk into the couch, and set a pillow on my lap. I was so excited, but I was also nervous. It was my first time feeding him, and the only other time I even held Cameron was in the hospital, when he was born. I didn't want to drop him. She carefully set him in my arms. When he saw the bottle, his binky immediately dropped from his mouth, and he reached for it. He started chugging it down, like he hadn't eaten in days. He was comforting in the cold weather, and he smells just like all little babies do.

8 MONTHS LATER

After that memorable moment, I finally realized something about Cameron I loved him. From that moment on, I started to be more intrigued in what he was doing, and I even started to play with him. We started to bond. Cameron is now a year old, and has learned to walk and have a lot more interest in the world. He has even eaten his first cake at his first birthday party! We see his smile more often each day, and more and more of his personality. Soon, he will start talking, and going to school, even. I never want to miss one precious moment of his life.