Geo, My Brother

Big Sister

She was only 14 months old when he was born.

She couldn't really understand what was going on. Why was everybody up and about in the middle of the night? Why do Mommy and Daddy have bags? Where are they going?

Standing up in her crib, she called out for her parents, hoping to get some answers. When they entered the nursery, the child noticed how her mother is breathing rhythmically in a pattern: in, in, out. In, in, out.

"Ma-ma?" The little girl asked in a concerned voice.

Her mother smiled and patted her daughter on the forehead. "Don't worry... sweetie," she said to her, breathing in between. "Mommy is... going to be... okay."

Then her father lifted her up. "We have to go to the clinic, but I promise we'll see each other before long. Milli, you're about to be a big sister!"

Big sister.

Those were the words Milli's been hearing since her first birthday. Her mother had gifted her a book about a big sister, and explained that she's having baby, and that means Milli would be a big sister herself. Milli didn't quite understand what that meant, but she was happy with the idea that she would soon have another kid to play with.

Her father kissed Milli on the forehead, lowered her down to her crib, and turn on her mobile. "Goodnight, Milli," he whispered. "We'll see you later." And with that, both her parents left the room.

As Milli gazed at the spinning birds and bees, she thought about her new brother or sister, and what they would be like, before slowly drifting off to dreamland.

----

The next morning, not long after breakfast, little Milli came up to Bot with a book in her hands.

"You want me to read your big sister book?" the green robot asked. Milli nodded. "Well, okay then."

So, Bot sat Milli on his lap and opened the book. Little Milli pointed to a picture of a little girl. "This is Sally," Bot told her. "She's about to be a big sister, just like you."

After a few seconds of looking at the picture Bot turned the page and Milli saw that somebody was handing Sally a small white bundled blanket. The red-haired toddler was curious about the bundle, so she turned to the next page where she saw Sally holding the bundle. And inside that bundle was a...

"Baby!" Milli cooed. Bot smiled. "That's right, Milli. A baby. He's cute, isn't he?" Milli gazed at sight of a little girl and baby together. It was beautiful.

Throughout the rest of the book, Milli saw Sally helping her parents taking care of baby brother, including feeding him, bathing him, playing with him, and rocking him to sleep. Milli cooed at everyone of those pictures before Bot puts the book aside.

"Now, Milli," he said gently. "You're a bit smaller than Sally over here, so you may not be able to do everything Sally does in the book." Then he ruffled her red hair. "But I know you'll still be an amazing big sister to your new brother or sister." Milli giggled as Bot tickled her chin.

A few hours later, Milli was happily playing in her playpen when suddenly she heard the phone rang. Bot came out of the kitchen to answer it. Milli watched with curiosity. Something exciting must have happened on the other side of the phone, because Bot sounded very excited.

As soon as Bot got off the phone, he walk over to the playpen and lifted Milli up. "That was your daddy, Milli," he exclaimed. "Guess what? The baby's been born! You're finally a big sister!"

Big sister.

Milli cooed happily as soon as he said that. Bot chuckled and ruffled her hair. "I knew you'll be happy to here that," he said. "Come on, we're going to the the clinic to meet the baby!"

Placing Milli on a baby carrier and carrying her duffle bag in his Bot-O-Mat, Bot gently hopped to the clinic in the woods.

                                  ----

When they reached the clinic, Milli's father greeted them from the door.

"Da-da!" Milli held up her arms, wanting to be picked up by her daddy, to which he happily obliged. "Hi there, princess. You're a big sister now!" he told his young daughter. "Come on, let's go see them."

The father led Milli and Bot to a small room with lots of lights and curtains. Behind those curtains was a bed and bassinet that were both Umi-sized. And resting on that bed was Milli's mother.

"Ma-ma!" Milli called out to her.

"Hey, guys," she said softly. "Ready to meet him?"

Milli's father sat down on a chair with his daughter on his lap, while Bot went over to the bassinet to get a look at the newborn. Milli watched as he picked up a light blue bundle.

"Hey there, little guy. My name is Bot. Hi!" Bot spoke softly to the bundle, waving at it. Milli could see a tiny hand waving back at him.

Bot then brought the bundle over to Milli. "Okay, Milli. Ready to meet your new baby brother?"

Milli nodded, and Bot carefully placed the bundle in her arms. "Okay, little fella," he told the bundle. "This is Milli, your big sister."

Milli took a good look at her newborn brother. He was adorable. He has brown eyes like her - their - dad, and his tiny tuft of hair was navy blue much her - their mother.

"Baby..." she said softly. The baby seemed a bit confused by girl holding him, but after she gave him a gentle peck on the forehead, he cooed happily at her.

All the while, the grown-ups were touched by the scene. "So, what's his name, anyway?" Bot asked Milli's father. "We're still working on it," admitted the father. "Tera and I were hoping to come up with a good one by tomorrow."

While the grown-ups were chatting away, the baby held his little hand up towards his sister, and she gladly place her hand on his and give him a smile.

Milli may have not been old enough to remember his birth, but one thing was clear: she was going to be the best big sister she possibly could be!