“Come on Sister! She is almost out!” I cheer my sister on as she is giving birth to her first baby, and my soon to be niece, Avery Marie.

Before those 9 months, I had never witnessed a live birth, an ultrasound, or searching through stores for new baby clothes and toys. I wasn’t really expecting to either for some time. Especially with my sister not being married, and my sister in law having a different shaped uterus, making it hard for her to get pregnant. So, when the news came that my sister was pregnant, everyone was not very happy. She and her boyfriend didn’t have jobs, or much money. It wasn’t a good time for them to have a baby. Also, not a good time for the rest of us in the family because we just had bad news 2 months prior to it about my cousin. The family was still in distress about that.

Before Avery came into the family, none of us realized how important a baby was going to be. The bad news of my cousin Ryan dying in a car crash, 2 months before the news of Avery, brought my whole family down. I was upset for weeks. My cousin was only 21, and I would never see his loud, happy, full of life self ever again. I felt even sadder because I knew how hard it must be for my aunt and uncle to lose someone that close to them. It didn’t really help that my family was going to have to worry about supporting my sister, her boyfriend, and their baby when my dad is the only full time worker in my family. Especially with all the sadness we held.

As the days went by, we got the news that my cousins, Ryan’s older brother and sister in law, were expecting. My aunt was ecstatic. She hadn’t had a baby in the family for almost 20 years. And they were married, and had their own home. Unlike my sister and her boyfriend, they pretty much lived at my house. But, the news gave my aunt some happiness to look forward to. It seemed as if when someone in the family dies, another one comes into our lives.

As the due date came closer and closer, the family was getting more excited. My sister and her boyfriend were getting their stuff together, and were pretty much ready for the baby. I was excited because I wanted to know what my niece was going to look like. Was she going to have brown hair and blue eyes like her mom? Or red hair and brown eyes like her dad? I was very curious, and could hardly wait.

The family was still devastated about my cousin’s death when Avery was finally born. But, we had a little more happiness, knowing that our minds would be more focused on Avery, rather than still being upset about Ryan.

Once Avery started to make noises, sit up by herself, everyone had smiles on their faces. It was easy to pay attention to her, and think about what she would be like, without having to focus too much on the accident. She was the cutest little baby I had ever met. What I learned from this is, a baby is more important to a family than you realize. My family learned this through seeing Avery smile and watching her play. It just gives you a sense of contentedness, despite the sadness in your life.