This is such an old photo, but it is one of my favorites.
The baby is my little brother, Evan James. He made me a big sister for the first time and forever changed my life.
Evan and I are almost exactly 6 years apart. I was born on Labor day September 5th 1994 and he was born on Labor day September 4th 2000. My parents told me he was a birthday present... I told them to take it back. Lol
All joking aside, I adore my little brother. He has grown into such a bright and kind young man. I like to think I had something to do with that. however, we weren't always so fond of each other.
I was used to being an only child until Evan came along. I had no idea what to make of him. As we grew up he was always 1 step behind me. He loved to mimic me, play with my dolls and in general try to be close to me. At the time it was infuriating.
It was eventually discovered that Evan had a medical problem. His ear wax was so thick, he couldn't hear, and it had to be surgically corrected. He went in for surgery and came back with tubes in his ears and a sense of hearing unlike anything he had experienced before. The clatter of a spoon dropping on the floor would make him jump.
After his surgery, he didn't get sick so much and his mood drastically improved. We began to actually tolerate each other. We started playing video games together and before long we became friends. I moved out of our mom's house when I was 16 but staying in touch was never hard or awkward. When I moved into my own house, he would come and stay for a week during the summers so we could reconnect.
Evan is about to graduate from high school and he has already started college. I am so proud of his achievements and his drive. I am lucky to be his big sister.
