Chapter 1

 

  My name is Mindy Kim, and early this morning, when it was still dark outside, my parents rushed to the hospital. My baby sibling was finally coming!

  Luckily Dad had already helped me pack my bag last week.

  “It’s good to be prepared, since we don’t know when exactly Julie and I will need to go to the hospital,” Dad had said. And he’d been one hundred percent right!

  I had everything I needed for the next couple of days in my suitcase. My pajamas, my toothbrush, and even Mr. Toe Beans, my stuffed corgi. I’d already put most of my plushies in a box for my little sibling, but I’d kept Mr. Toe Beans for myself just in case.

  I wanted to go to the hospital with them, but I already knew I couldn’t. Dad and Julie had told me kids weren’t allowed. So my parents dropped off me and my dog, Theodore the Mutt, at my best friend Sally’s house on the way to the hospital.

  Apparently, when babies are born, the parents have to stay in the hospital for a day or two just in case. I couldn’t wait to meet my baby sibling, but I was excited to have an excuse for a sleepover with Sally!

  Even though my baby sibling hadn’t been born yet, I already had a lot more responsibility than I used to. Since there was no one else to take care of Theodore, it was up to me to make sure he was on his best behavior and was a good doggy guest. The first thing I did after I put my bag in the Johnsons’ guest bedroom was take him out in the backyard so he could poop.

  When we came back inside and I finished unpacking my bag, Sally and I still had a few hours before we had to go to school. Mrs. Johnson said I could take a nap, but I was way too jittery and excited to sleep. I really wanted to meet my baby sibling, and I couldn’t stop wondering what Julie and Dad were doing at this very moment in the hospital!

  Sally and her older sisters, Martha and Patricia, sat with me at the breakfast table as Mr. and Mrs. Johnson made us food.

  “Are you excited, Mindy?” Sally asked. “You’re finally going to be an older sister!”

  “Yeah!” I said. “But I’m really nervous. I’ve never had a sibling before, so I don’t know what it’s like.”

  “I still remember what it was like when Mom had Sally,” Martha said. “I was much younger then, but I was so happy when she was born. I loved sharing my Barbies with her and dressing her up when she was a baby. She was so cute, too!”

 

   

 

Sally beamed proudly. “Yup! I was a very cute baby!” she said, holding her head up high. “I’ve seen the pictures.”

  We all laughed.

  “You’re still cute today, too!” Patricia pointed out. “And you’re still a baby to me and Martha.”

  “I sure am!” Sally replied right away.

  Everyone laughed. I asked Sally’s sisters a bunch of other questions about being an older sister, like “How did it feel to not be the only child anymore?” and “What should I do when the baby is being annoying?”

  “I don’t really remember being the only child,” Martha said. “I was three when Patricia was born, so she was always just kind of there. But if I’m being honest, even though I was happy when Sally was actually born, when I first found out that Mom was pregnant again, I hated it.”

  “What?” Sally gasped. “You didn’t want to be my sister?”

  Martha gave her an apologetic grin. “It wasn’t anything personal. I was just six! And I loved our family just as it was, with Patricia and our parents. I was worried Sally would change everything.”

  “And I did!” Sally exclaimed. “But in a good way, right?”

  Martha reached over to tickle Sally until she giggled. “Yup!” she exclaimed. “Even though you’re a little butt sometimes.” She looked at Patricia and then at Sally again. “Both of you can be, at times.”

  Patricia made a face. “Ew, don’t call me that. I’m only three years younger than you.”

  Martha rolled her eyes and smiled. “Whenever your sibling is being a little butt,” she said, turning her attention back to me, “just remember it probably won’t last. Kids go through a lot of phases. Oh! Also remember to always ask your parents for help or tell them if something is wrong. Even if you’re older, you’re still a kid too. Don’t forget that.”

  I nodded, taking it all in. “Thanks, Martha. This helps a ton!”

  When the food was done, we ate a hearty breakfast of waffles, scrambled eggs, and bacon with orange juice. By the time we arrived at school, I felt a lot better. I still couldn’t wait to see my baby sibling, but I wasn’t worried like I was before.

  As the day went on, though, it got harder and harder for me to pay attention in class. I did my best, but I ended up doodling a lot instead. In the margins of my notebook, I drew Dad and Julie standing behind me as I held the baby in my arms. We all had big smiles on our faces.

  Tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough!