To my baby sister

To my baby sister -

Late one night I was sleeping in Gram's den on what is now known as Mollys bed and the phone rang
I heard Gram say "oh great! It's a girl! No, I won't wake them, we will tell them in the morning"
I woke up the next morning and gram told us the news - we had a new baby sister (even though we were expecting a BOY!)
It was a Monday morning so we both had to go to school that day but we could go to see you after.
We rushed home from school and got in the car and went to see you, just a little baby
I remember I had a god awful perm with half my hair pulled up to the side and dangle blue earrings on
I don't know if I really remember or if pictures remind me but I remember holding you
I was 12, I thought I was going to drop you (which I did probably 7 months later off of my bed)
Of course life was never the same again - I was old enough to be a baby sitter now
We got to spend a lot of time together.
Over the first five years there were so many memories for me -
My friends and I made you say fork
I taught you how to count to ten in French and Spanish while waiting for the fireworks in Disney
I pulled you out of the blue car when it wouldn't shut off and put you behind the pool incase it blew up - hey I was 13, what did I know?
I gave you a new name - MEB Goofball Bonehead Beautiful - which as you know, I still call you
Infact - It was on me that suggested your middle name in the first place since I was reading Sweet Valley High Books
I even saw you off on your first day of Kindergarten.
We all saw you get on the bus at grams house for the quarter mile trip up the road to the school
And then I left - I went off to college
Our visits came on weekends, holidays, and summers.
You would occasionally come see me at school but it was never enough
We'd have such good times when we "hung out"
Even though you are 12 years younger than I am we still have a lot in common
Three very special movies, music, picking on our other sister. (WHOM WE LOVE VERY MUCH TOO)
Our special trip to Salem/Boston, meeting Laurie Cabot - the official Witch of Salem, Your first eating of KFC in Swampscott!
Riding the T and sitting next to the very strange man and figuring out what Hahvvid Skwa-ah was
You have changed so much since that day on Molly's bed.
Your accent is gone, You have hair, You have grown into a beautiful woman
I can't believe that it was 18 years ago today I had that horrible perm, blue earrings, and got to hold my baby sister for the first time
No matter how far apart we are from where we started you are still my MEBGGB and always will be
I am so glad that I had the opportunity to watch you grow into who you are today and think that I had a part in helping you along the way
Thank you for that, I love you, and Happy 18th Birthday.