He started it!

My baby brother turned 14 today. What?? I remember when he was an anklebiting little noise machine. All of a sudden he's damn near taller than me (I give it 3 months.) Last year I had to run out to the garage quick, and grabbed what I thought were my stepmother's sneakers and put them on. They fit. Later, I found out they were my brother's.

Just in the last 2 years we've really talked a lot. For a long time, we fought. He's technically my half-brother, but I see no reason to call him that. We drove my father insane arguing, although it's a running family joke that we worked together against one thing-- my father's hairline-- I made it gray and my brother makes it fall out. Just in the last couple years I realized I have to be a role model, even though I'm his big sister and therefore obviously to a teenaged boy that gives me little credibility. Usually when I call my dad, he gets on the phone and we talk about school. I gave him a heads-up on the history of the teachers and the ones I liked/despised.

I know he's been teased in school, and it makes my blood boil. I want to march into the school and bang heads. But I know I can't. Once he grows a little it'll be better. Besides, he's goofy like me, and smart mouths help. Last year some jackass upperclassman flipped my brother across the hall. I mean, THREW him. I can't imagine that. I got teased for being too skinny, too smart, and then too fat...but no one ever touched me. My father went to the school and spoke the principal, who said he'd keep an eye on the situation. Heaven help that kid if I'd been there. He starts 8th grade on Wednesday, I hope he nad his friends have an easier time this year.

He's my little monster and I regret not being closer to him when he was little. I never lived primarily with my dad, and I admit when he was born I was jealous. I'd had 9 years and 11 months of being an only child. But it didn't take long to make me realize that he wasn't so bad. He was born on my first day of 5th grade, at 10 lbs and 6 ounces. Giant baby. Biggest one in the nursery. And yeah, he came too fast for my stepmom to be drugged up.

I remember that my name was the last one he learned to say. I had almost given up and then one morning when I was in the kitchen I heard him yelling "DIDI!" Close enough for me. It stuck for almost 10 years.

He went through this phase where the flushing of the toilet was the greatest entertainment ever. He tried to flush everything-- including dad's paycheck. Luckily, he had bad aim and that just ended up behind the toilet. I think some keys were sacrificed to the porcelain god though. But my favorite memory is of him on the floor in his diaper bouncing along to Bob Marley.

I can't believe how we didn't get along and well, what a shitty sister I was for years. When I was a teenager I was wrapped up in my own private issues of angsty-ness. When I was in college I was all about trying to be all independant and unique-- just like everyone else. I like being able to talk to him, and sometimes I am floored by how smart he is now and how silly he can be. And to be honest, how much of myself I see in him. He'd deny that like Clinton denied inhaling...but I do see things he does that remind me of myself. He doesn't go with the herd. I hope that doesn't change.

Still. He started it... the first time I ever held him he stuck his little fist out and punched me in the nose.


PS this post needs a cute puppy picture...