Johnson & Johnson

by Haley Reinecker
(York, PA, USA)

The smell of babies is what I love most; or better yet, my baby brother. This has been such a frequent smell since December 17th of 2010.
I got to take off school that day. I was so excited for my sibling to finally arrive. I laughed with jitters as my mom wobbled to the front desk. I don’t think I was aware of how much my life was going to change that day. She had a planned c-section, so we all knew we were going to be sitting in the waiting room for a while. I sat and waited as my grandma read her gossip magazines, and my sister went through my grandma’s purse digging for candy. As time flew by, more and more family members started showing up, all awaiting the arrival of the baby. We were all so anxious. When suddenly we heard a gentle cry coming out of the hallway. My step dad’s face peered into the waiting room, covered in tears, and a big smile. I ran into the hallway, and finally smelled love. It was my baby brother, Kellan James Lane. I will never forget those big blue eyes and swollen cheeks as he still had guts in his hair. After the nurses cleaned him up, and my mom came out of getting stitches, we all gathered in her hospital room and just looked at him. When it was time for him to eat, my mom made my step dad do it because he needed practice. He was clueless when it came to feeding a baby, nonetheless holding one, so I adjusted his arms to fit the baby just right. After Kellan was done eating, it was my turn to hold him. He was wide-awake, sticking his tongue out at me, and cooing constantly. He instantly became the love of my life. The smell of Johnson & Johnson baby soap will forever take me back to that day. The day I met my best friend, and my brother.