"Thump!"

It was them. I knew it was them. Don’t ask me how I knew. I knew even before I heard their voices.

"Em, come on! I’ve gotta call Grace n’ Dr. O’Rourke!"

"Mike, the boy isn’t coming out this second."

"Well, I don’t really wanna deliver him myself, Em. I ain’t Dr. Welby. Let’s leave it to the pros."

There was the "slam!" of a door upstairs, and the sound of someone running to the kitchen. It was a few minutes before I heard Papa’s voice again.

"Hi, Grace? Yeah, she’s ready. The kid’s comin’ out. The contractions are about ten minutes apart. You should hear her. That boy must be HUGE."

I didn’t hear anything else. I figured he meant Mrs. Parker. She’s the nice nurse lady who lives down the street. Mama says she helped us when I was born, and she was gonna help with my new brother, too.

My brother. My own little brother. I was going to be a big sister, just like my friend Shelly! I was gonna have someone to play Cowboys n’ Indians and Cops n’ Robbers with. We’d watch Scooby Doo n’ Sesame Street together. I bet his favorite characters would be Bert and Ernie, too. I’d teach him how to lasso a rocking horse and build a Lincoln Log cabin and play on the swing set and run a race with Little Mick and ride a tricycle and even play guitar. When I could read, I’d read him all my favorite stories, like Make Way For Ducklings and The Poky Little Puppy.

I heard Papa again. "Yeah, Pete, you can pick her up now. I know it’s 1 in the mornin’, but she don’t need to be underfoot while Em n’ the baby’s restin’. Katie loves visitin’ you guys. I’ll be over later in the mornin’ to tell you the gory details."

I guess he meant Uncle Peter. Papa sometimes calls him "Pete." He’s Papa’s best friend. Uncle Peter likes nice things, like peace and harmony. He always wants everyone to be nice to each other. He’s great at making music. He’s one of the best bass players ever, and he’s a great piano player, too. He’s my friend Jordan’s daddy, and Jordan wants to be just like him when he grows up.

"When I grow up," I thought to myself with a yawn, "I’m going to be a mama, so I’ll have my own little girl and boy to read stories to. I’ll be a cowgirl and an astronaut like on TV and a superhero, and I’ll be in my own band with Jordan and Shelly and Mick..."

I don’t remember much else. I guess I went to sleep. When I woke up, I wasn’t in my bedroom. I was in the big nurseury room in Jordan’s huge old house. I was under the green and yellow blanket in one of the little beds. I could see Jordan’s red hair peeking out from under the blanket on another little bed. He was still sleeping.

I didn’t know how I got to Jordan’s house. I went over to Jordan to ask him if he knew.

"Jordan!" I shook him hard. "Jordan! Wake up!"

He turned around and looked at me. He was still kind of asleep. "Huh? Oh hi, Katie. How did you get here? Did you do the blue light thing?"

"I don’t know! I heard Papa talk to your papa, and that’s the last thing I remember!" I smiled real big. "Jordan, Mama was havin’ my brother! He was gonna come out! He’s gonna play with us now!"

Jordan grinned his big grin. "Really?" He sighed. "I wish I could have a brother. I never have anyone to play with in this big house! Dolly the kitty always wants to sleep, and my mommy and daddy are always busy!"

I took Jordan’s hand. "I’ll bet your mommy will have another baby soon! Then we’ll both play with our brothers!"

Jordan’s blue eyes were really big. "Really?" He frowned. "How?"

I grinned. "The stork’ll bring him! That’s what Papa told me! The stork’s gonna bring my brother!" I shrugged like Papa does. "I guess they didn’t want me to bug Mr. Stork while he gave my brother to Mama."

Uncle Peter came in. Uncle Peter has long yellow hair, and is always smiling. Today, he looked a little tired, but his smile was extra-big. He picked me up and looked right at me. "Hi, Katie! I’ll bet you’re surprised to be here!"

I nodded. "Yeah! Brother’s here!"

Uncle Peter laughed. "No fooling you, Katie Nesmith! Just like your dad. Yes, your mommy had the baby at six thirty this morning. His name is Robert Michael Nesmith Jr. He’s eight pounds, six ounces. That’s big for a baby! He has black hair and gray eyes, and guess what?"

"What, Unca Peter?"

"Mrs. Parker said we could take you two over to meet Robbie after you have breakfast!"

"Yay!" I cheered! I was too excited to eat breakfast. I wolfed my oatmeal down as fast as I could! Jordan, on the other hand, ate his so slowly. I had to keep telling him to hurry up, or we’d NEVER get to see my brother!

Uncle Peter and Auntie Valerie helped us get dressed. I wanted to get there fast, but Auntie Valerie wouldn’t put my shirt and overalls on fast enough! She put on my little strap shoes, even though I told her I didn’t need them. I’d be in my own house!

"It’s cold and wet today, Katie," Auntie Valerie scolded. "You’ll catch the flu if you go out without your shoes and socks!"

We FINALLY got into Auntie Valerie’s little blue car named Rosemarie and went to my house. I rushed right in. "Where’s my brother?" I called. "Wanna see!"

"Shh." Papa came into the kitchen, a finger on his lips. "You can’t be loud around Robbie. You’ll wake him up."

Uncle Peter put Jordan on the floor, so he could see my brother, too. "Hi, Mike. How’d it go?"

"Noisy." Papa shook one of his hands. "Em’s a LOT stronger than she looks. Must be all that typin’ she does."

Auntie Valerie took us into my room downstairs. Someone put a big bed in my room last night, and Mama was laying in it, under a lot of blankets. She was really red, but happy. She had a big smile on her face. She rocked and sang to a little blue blanket in her lap.

Mrs. Parker was there, picking up reddish blankets. A big man with silvery-black hair in a white coat was there, too. He was putting funny things in a big black suitcase. "Hi, kids," Mama said softly. "Meet Robbie."

Mrs. Parker and Auntie Valerie lifted us up to the bed. When Mama pulled the blanket away, I saw a little red person. I didn’t know why they said he was big. He looked so very tiny to me! He had black hair, like mine, but he didn’t open his eyes.

"He’s sleeping," Mama said. "He had a big day. Being born is very tiring!"

I put my hand on his hand. He had really soft hands, softer than my dog Big Jake’s fuzzy tummy. "He’s so little, Mama!"

"Babies are little, Katie. He’ll get big soon, though, and before you know it, he’ll be chasing after the rest of you!"

"Yeah!" I smiled a lot at that. I like to chase Shelly and Mick and Jordan. It’s fun.

Papa came in. "How do ya feel, darlin’?" That’s what Papa always calls Mama. He calls me "Cowgirl."

"Tired, Mike." Mama smiled a little. "Tired, but really happy."

Papa put his hand on my shoulder. "Just imagine that, Katie. You have a brother to pick on now. I have a boy."

"I have a brother." I smiled again and rubbed my brother’s black hair, thinking of all the things we’d do together soon.