In November of 2009, at the age of 13, I was informed of some news that would change my life forever.

“Sit down, Megan. We need to talk to you.” My mom said this calmly as she and her boyfriend, David, took a seat. It seemed the same as any other ordinary day, but I knew something was up; they never acted like this. “Well, you are going to be a big sister.”

“No, I’m not.” I replied in disbelief. “You’re kidding.”

“We are serious, Megan. I’m pregnant.”

I did not know what to say. I was caught off-guard, and I was completely speechless. All I could do was stare off in shock.

“What are you thinking about?” my mom wondered aloud moments later.

“I don’t know.” What was I supposed to say? I was furious! “Congratulations.”

The next few minutes seemed to move like molasses in winter.

“Mom, I’m going to go upstairs; I have a lot of homework that I have to finish.”

The truth was, I just had to get out of there. I couldn’t fake my happiness for another second.

I rushed to my room and called my sister. I told her everything. Then, I made her swear not to tell. She had to act surprised when my mom told her, and my mom could never find out. I couldn’t break her heart like that.

Looking back, I am ashamed for the way I felt about this wonderful news, but I understand my reasoning. This was a hectic point in my life. I just wanted things to slow down a stay the same for a while.

At this time, I was just settling in to my new house. I was figuring out how things were going to be and gradually accepting the changes that I had been faced with. When I was informed of this mind-boggling news, I was thrown through a loop.
For years I had expected to be the youngest child, especially since I was almost 14 years old and would soon be thinking about moving out and going off to college. I was not expecting this, but looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing.

As the months began to fly by, the idea of having a younger sibling was beginning to develop into a realization. It no longer felt like some crazy dream, and I was becoming more joyous and anxious as time passed.

I remember very vividly the day I discovered that little guppy in my mom’s stomach was a boy. I had only grown up with my one sister, Kayla, so this was going to be an adventure. Surprisingly, I was looking forward to every second of it.

One day, my mom arrived home with some new ultrasound pictures. That’s when her friend, Stephanie, and I decided to come up with nicknames for Clayton.

“He looks like a puppy!” Stephanie squealed.

“Maybe a little, I think he looks more like an alien.” I pointed out.

“Or a jelly bean!”

This went on for about half an hour, until I decided to call him Theodore. I came up with this because he had chubby chipmunk cheeks, like Theodore from Alvin and the Chipmunks. This name was sure to stick for years to come.

Soon, months turned into days, and the countdown to Theodore’s arrival had commenced. Early morning on Friday, August 13th, my mom was taken to the hospital and induced. I spent the previous night with my mom’s friend, Robyn, and we made our way to the hospital around noon. There was no progress; we had a long wait ahead of us.

Some time late that night, I fell asleep on the pull-out couch in the hospital room. I was woken up around midnight to leave; the duration of the wait I would have to spend in the lobby. With only some close friends and family near me, I soon dozed off once again. Moments later I was woken up by the arrival of more people. They had brought Taco Bell, but how could I eat when I was so exhausted?

The next thing I remember was Stephanie’s inquisitive and exuberant voice asking, “Did you hear that?!”

“Hear what?” I wondered, still half asleep.

“The chime! I think Clayton was born!”

“No Steph, I think you imagined it. I didn’t hear anything. You better not be messing with me.”

“I’m serious!” Stephanie insisted.

Almost simultaneously, our thoughts were confirmed. We looked over and saw my little brother. He was on the other side of a window being checked by some nurses. He was the most adorable little boy I had ever seen.

As time has passed, my feelings toward this boy have not changed. Although we do not always get along, I still love him with all my heart. Clayton Alan Goodman is the perfect sibling for me to have. When I first knew I was going to have a brother, I wasn’t thrilled; but to this day, I wouldn’t change it for the world.