One random day in the 5th grade my mom took my sister Bailey and me out of school. Bailey and I were so confused about why we were leaving. When we got in the car, my dad was there too. From the second I stepped into the car, I knew something was up.

Bailey and I kept asking our parents why we were being taken out of school. Finally they answered, “Your Mom is pregnant.” Bailey and I did not believe them because of the age gap this baby would have between us. I was 11, and my sister was 8. 

My parents said that we were going to the doctor’s office to see the first ultrasound of the baby, but my sister and I were still in denial. Eventually we pulled into the parking lot of a doctor’s office and we suddenly realized that our parents were not joking.

We went into the building and sat in the waiting room. After about 30 minutes, they called my mom’s name. The four of us walked back to the room. As my mom sat down on the exam chair, my dad, my sister and I sat on the couch. I can still remember seeing the little tiny being on the ultrasound screen. That was the moment I realized that I was going to be a big sister to a baby who would be 11 years younger than I.

About a month and a half passed and we ended up going into lockdown because of COVID. Still, the only people who knew about the baby were my parents, my sister and I. Since we couldn’t go to see our family, we decided we were going to FaceTime them and tell them about the baby. My dad always likes to make things complicated. He wanted us to make a slideshow that had the sentence “Lindsey is pregnant” hidden on every slide. If people couldn’t find those hidden sentences, the last slide had the ultrasound of the baby on it. So we FaceTimed all of our family and told them about the baby. Most people didn’t believe us. 

A couple weeks later my parents found out the gender of the baby. They wanted to make it fun for us, our family and friends by having a gender reveal. My parents videotaped it to send to our loved ones. My sister and I shot our BB guns at balloons. All of the balloons were empty except one. One was filled with the color powder of the baby’s gender. I was really hoping it would be a boy, so my sister and I got to shooting the balloons. It took a couple minutes, but finally we shot the right balloon and it was a … GIRL! I was disappointed, but the fact I was having another sibling got me excited.

Months passed by and my mom’s belly grew and grew. I started my first year of middle school, and the baby’s due date was coming up – Oct. 1. We were just too excited about this baby.

One Thursday after school I was walking to my car to go home, but when I got to the parking lot I couldn’t find my mom’s car anywhere. All of the sudden I heard my name being called. It was coming from a black car. I walked closer and sure enough it was my cousins. I didn’t even have to think twice before I knew what was happening. I got into the car and I heard the reassurance, “Your mom is at the hospital. She is going to have the baby!” So many emotions flooded through my brain. I went home to get ready for soccer practice when my Nana told me to pack a bag because I was staying the night at my best friend’s house.

This day just kept getting better and better. 

My nana drove me to my club soccer practice. After 30 minutes of practice, my nana called my name, “Peyton! Your mom had the baby!” I got so excited. My teammates and I were jumping up and down! 

A couple days later my nana announced that my parents were bringing the baby home from the hospital. Bailey and I were so excited. When we heard they were nearby, we rushed outside to the driveway. I just saw a tiny peek of what was soon to make me burst out in tears.

They brought the baby inside and we sat down on the couch. My mom gently handed me the smallest thing I had seen in my whole life. As soon as that tiny baby rested in my arms, I was overcome with emotions. I started crying so much. Tears of joy. This was the best feeling I had ever experienced. I couldn’t believe that this was real life. I looked over to my mom and she smiled back at me. This was the greatest blessing that had ever happened to me: Jordan Blair Smithson.