Everyone always says that the second child goes much faster, but I didn't realize how fast it would be. My mom is only in labor for 12 hours, which might seem like a lot if she wasn't in labor with me for 36 hours. But once she's induced, everything seems to go very quickly. I barely have time to text Beth and Baker that it's happening before a screaming Auggie comes into the world, weighing 7.5 pounds and 19 inches long. The nurse signs his name on the whiteboard August Robert Russell as the other nurse wraps him in a blanket and hands him to my mother.

In all my life, I can honestly say I've never seen my mother so exhausted. There's sweat pouring down her face as she cries, holding her newborn son against her bare chest. And God, he is so perfect. Pink and kind of wrinkly, sure. But perfect. His eyes are closed, so I can't see what color they are. But he's got a head full of dark brown hair already. My mom cries when she holds him, and my dad huddles up beside her in his blue hospital outfit, tears streaming down his face as well.

"Sweet Auggie," my mom whispers as he holds one of her fingers in his little hands. "Bert, look at him."

My dad just nods his head. He's so overcome with emotion that he can't speak. I take a tentative step toward them, and without even thinking, my dad reaches an arm out for me, inviting me into the huddle. He slides an arm around me as I look down at my baby brother. And there's something about this moment... I can't explain it. But it's the newness of it all. The miracle. I cry too, allowing the tears to fall freely down my cheeks, and for once I'm not embarrassed to cry.

"I love you, Auggie," I whisper as I place a warm hand on his tiny head. And it hits me that I'm the first person to say those three words to him. He'll hear them a lot in his life from mom and dad. Future partners and any children he may have. Friends, even. But I was the first to say them and mean them. And I've never meant them more than I do in this moment.

He smiles when I say the words, which makes my mom cry even harder. The doctors later tell me that he probably just has gas. Apparently babies smile when they have gas. But I think they're wrong. I think that people know, inherently, what those three words mean. It's stamped on ours souls before birth. The only three words we come into this world fully understanding.

My dad doesn't waste much time before he calls Ian to tell him the news, and Ian doesn't waste much time before he comes to the hospital. I expect to see Baker with him, but I don't. He's not feeling well, according to Ian. But he does send his congratulations. I try not to be worried that he didn't send them to me. That he hasn't answered my texts yet. Instead, I choose to focus my attention on my brother and the rest of my family. Because on this day, we experienced a miracle.

The moment my mom relinquishes Auggie, we all take turns holding him. My dad goes second, and I make sure I get plenty of pictures for the baby book. Then he hands him to me, and my dad gets all the pictures he can. When I'm done, we sit Ian on a couch and place Auggie in his arms. And the look Ian gives my brother melts my soul. It's pure love and adoration. I take pictures and send them to Baker, letting him know I wish he could be here and that I hope he feels better.

We don't stay in the hospital very long. The doctors run some tests on Auggie and my mom to make sure everything is okay, and thankfully they're both good to go. So the five of us get in my dad's truck (my dad double checking the car seat three times to make sure everything is safe and secure) and make our way back to our house. It's so strange to think that we left this morning a family of three, and are returning a family of four.

Ian spends the day with us, laughing and celebrating as we spend time with our new family member. And even though Baker worries, my parents don't act like Ian is imposing on our time at all. On the contrary, in their eyes, he's just as much a part of this family as I am. He plays with Auggie, holds him a few more times, and then gently gives him back to my mom when it's time to breastfeed.

My mom falls asleep with Auggie in her arms. Her hair is disheveled, and her face is pale from all the stress she went through today. But her lips are quirked up in a smile, and she barely twitches when my dad takes Auggie from her and hands him to me before helping his wife upstairs to their bedroom so she can get some much needed rest. Meanwhile, I look down at my little brother and well up with tears again at just how beautiful he is. How much he already means to me.

"Do you know any lullabies?" Ian asks me, forcing my attention back up to him.

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know. Not really. I haven't had much experience with babies. But when I was little, my mom used to sing me "Return to Pooh Corner" by Kenny Loggins. I think I might know some of the words."

Ian nods his head. "Will you sing them?" he asks.

I smile at him and look back down at Auggie. Then I suck in a small breath and start singing the first verse of the song. While I sing, Ian gets up and sits beside me, resting his head on my shoulder as he stares down at my little brother, his eyes brimming with love. I wrap my arm around him, feeling in this moment that he's almost as much my little brother as Auggie is. He leans in closer when I start the second verse. When I finish the song, I find that he's fallen asleep beside me, his breathing deep and even. It's only just now that I see the dark shadows under his eyes. Poor guy is exhausted. I can definitely relate.

My dad comes down the stairs a few moments later, and when he sees Ian sleeping beside me, he grins. Then he walks up and takes Auggie from my arms, placing him in his little bassinet we have set up in the living room before lifting up Ian and carrying him to our guest bedroom. Ian is so small. I doubt he weighs more than 100 pounds. And he barely flinches as my dad carries him to bed. Sometimes it's weird to think that I've only known Ian for a year. It feels like he's been around for so much longer. Like I've known him his whole life.

When my dad comes out of the guest room, he looks at me and says, "If you want to take a nap too, it's okay. I got this."

I nod my head. "I know you do." But I'm not remotely tired, even though I know I should be. So instead, my dad and I just sit on the couch together and stare at the bassinet, waiting for any sort of movement or sound that would signify Auggie has woken up again. "How are you feeling?" I ask him after a while.

He sucks in a deep breath before answering. "I feel exhausted. Excited. Terrified. I don't know, Summer. I think... well, hopefully one day you'll know what this feels like. I mean, you already do, to some extent. He's your brother. But... I don't know. This is my son. I have a son." His voice cracks a little on the last word. "I just can't believe this is real. So many years... I thought it was impossible."

I smile as I rest my head against his broad shoulder. "I'm so happy for you, dad. Really." He nods his head, but he doesn't speak. Instead, he sits on the couch and cries softly, his tears of joy sliding down his face like small rivers of bliss. My phone buzzes in my pocket, and my heart leaps thinking it's Baker. But my stomach sinks when I see it's Beth. "Hey, Beth wants to know if she can stop by and see Auggie. She's offering up her mom's tamales in exchange for some baby time."

He laughs thickly as he wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. "Sure. Of course Beth can stop by. As long as her mom's homemade salsa is part of the deal."

I smile as I text Beth back, and a moment later I get a response. "She says she has two jars ready to go."

"Then come on down," he says in his best Bob Barker impression. I giggle as I shoot her a response. Then I pull my chat thread with Baker, hoping he's at least seen my texts. But there's no read receipt, which makes me question if they've even gone through. Maybe that's why he isn't writing me back. But even if he's not seeing my messages, I can't think of a single reason why he hasn't reached out to me. I mean, his brother is here. I'm here. At the very least, you'd think he'd be trying to get ahold of one of us.

"How's Baker feeling?" my dad asks, as if he can read my mind.

I shrug my shoulders. "Don't know. He's being kind of quiet today." I don't tell him that he hasn't said a word to me, because I don't want it to seem like I'm dwelling on my boyfriend rather than my little brother.

But of course, he sees right through it. "Did you guys have an argument?" he asks slowly, concern filling his voice.

"I... I don't think so," I reply, my chest getting tighter. "I mean, I think we're okay." I suck in a breath, close my eyes, and plant a smile on my lips. "Yeah. We're okay. It's fine. Ian said he wasn't feeling good right? So he's probably just sleeping."

My dad gives me a sympathetic grin. "You're probably right. Don't worry about it too much, sweetheart. It'll work out." Just then, there's a quiet knock on my door, and my dad chuckles softly. "That girl is fast."

I laugh. "Knowing Beth, she was probably down the street when she texted me." I stand up and walk over to the door, swinging it open a moment later to find my best friend on my doorstep. She's carrying a large Tupperware container full of tamales and two giant jars of salsa. My mouth waters just looking at this food, and I realize that I haven't eaten anything all day. I've been too focused on my promotion from single child to older sister.

"Hello, hello," Beth whispers as I step aside for her to walk through the doorway. "My mama sent me with food for everyone. She said you guys would probably be hungry." I take the tamales and salsa jars from her as I set them down on the coffee table. "Now where is he? Where is my new favorite little man?"

"Beth," my dad says, and he walks up and gives her a big bear hug. "Thank you for stopping by. We really appreciate—"

"Yeah, yeah," she interrupts, her lips curving up into a smile. "Where is he? Don't make me take the salsa jars back, Bert. I swear I will."

Another laugh as my dad releases her and gestures toward the bassinet. Without another word, Beth tiptoes over to it and leans her head over the sides to look at Auggie. "Oh my God," she whispers, her smile widening. "He is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen in my life."

"Have you ever even seen another baby?" I ask skeptically, smirking. She waves her hand dismissively at me.

"Hello, sweet boy," she whispers as Auggie takes a deep breath in his sleep. "I'm Beth. I'm your sister's only friend." I glare at her, but she doesn't seem to notice. "Which means I'm your friend by association." She looks up at my dad. "Can I hold him?"

My dad looks a little stunned, and honestly, a bit nervous. "Um... let's let him sleep for now. Ashley is in bed catching up on some sleep, and I promised her I'd wake her if he woke up. And she really, really needs to get some sleep."

Beth nods her head. "I can only imagine," she says. "Was it hard for her?"

He nods his head. "Yeah. But faster than we had anticipated. Because he was passed his due date, we kind of thought he would take forever to come out once she was induced. But nope. Twelve hours. That's all it took."

Her eyes widen. "Twelve hours? Holy crap, that's so long."

"Try 36 hours," a voice says from the stairs, and we all turn around to see my mom in her nightgown standing in the hallway. She's got bags under her eyes, and she looks paler than I've ever seen her. Her eyes lock on my dad, who is looking at her with concern. She shrugs her shoulders. "I couldn't sleep, honey. I tried. But I just want to be with him. And are those tamales I smell?"

Beth giggles as she points to the food on the coffee table. "My mama made these for you guys. Help yourselves."

My mom grins as she walks over and plucks a tamale out of the container. She unpeels it and takes a large bite. Her eyes roll back in her head. "Oh my God, Beth. These are so good."

"I'm glad you like them," Beth says with a smile. "I'll tell my mama. That'll make her happy. She wanted to come here to see the baby too, but she didn't know how many people you were allowing over right now."

"Well, Bert and I don't have much family," my mom replies. "His parents are on the east coast, and mine have long since passed away. So I guess... whoever wants to stop by right now, they're more than welcome. Especially if they keep bringing us food. These are seriously delicious."

Beth smiles, then she looks at my dad and says, "So... since Ashley is awake now, can I hold him? I promise I'll be careful." She puffs up her bottom lip and widens her brown eyes. "Please?"

My dad laughs as he looks over at my mom, but she's too busy eating to pay much attention. He shrugs his shoulders finally and says, "Why not?" Then he reaches down into the bassinet, lifting baby Auggie, who fusses just a little as he places him carefully in Beth's arms. She stares at him like he's the most expensive jewel in a treasure chest.

And this is how we spend our day. Together with the family we chose as we ooh and aww over our new perfect family member. The best possible addition to the Russell-Lumen family. He cries after a few minutes of being in Beth's arms, and she panics a bit before handing him off to my mom. But the moment he settles in my mom's arms, he quiets down. Like he knows that's where he belongs. And as my mom looks down at her new son, a tiny bit of sauce from the tamale staining the corner of her lips, she smiles. I've never seen her so happy. And her joy is contagious it seems, because I can't seem to wipe the smile off my face as well. A little while later, Ian joins us, and it feels like we're one big, happy family.

Author's Note:
August Robert Russell has entered the chat, ladies and gentlemen! Please let me know what you think of this story in the comments. And if you're enjoying it, don't forget to share it with your friends so they can enjoy it too! I'll be back very soon with another chapter! Stay safe and healthy until then, my dears!
XOXO,
~Aly