happy birthday, little brother.

17 years ago today, my little brother was born.

i remember the day we found out my parents told us they were having a baby. i was 10. my sister was 17. we were sitting around the table waiting to eat dinner and dad told us they had some news to share after we prayed. we knew they had been at the doctors that day, so i kept thinking the worst throughout that prayer. afterwards, when they said they were going to have a baby, i think my sister and i looked at each other in shock, laughed, and then said "ewwww...". yeah, we're such loving children.

fast forward 6.5 months later to valentines day. my mom had been having complications with her pregnancy and had been in the hospital for the past month, on forced bed rest. i remember coming home from school that day, sitting at the dining room table and getting the call from my dad that they had induced my mom because she went into pre-eclampsia. a few hours later, my brother was born - completely healthy - weighing only 3 lbs.

at 10, i had no idea the severity of everything surrounding my mom's health and my brother's birth. but now, 17 years later, i finally understand. my brother's birth was a miracle. for my mom to have given birth to a completely healthy baby, at 43, with high blood pressure, hypertension and experiencing several miscarriages previously is amazing.

so happy birthday, little brother. you made me a big sister. and you're a pretty good kid, if i do say so myself.