Introducing Darin

My dad called me and told me that next time I came to visit, my stepmom, Nancy, would look different.  Did I mention I was 9 when he called me?  Anyway, he told me that Nancy was pregnant, and that she would have a big belly when I saw her next. 

I don't remember the big belly as well as the time I got to see my new baby brother.  He was sleeping in his little carrier on the couch.  Dad told me that his eyes were blue now, but they weren't sure if they would stay that color.  I just hovered over the baby until his eyes opened.  His name was Darin.  He looked at me for a minute, and fell back asleep. 

Darin was the cutest, squishiest little guy I had ever met.  And we hit it off right away.  I was totally into his bizarre four-year-old stories about aliens and helicopters.  We both liked to color and swim.  I was also guilty of laughing at his bad behavior.  He was funny at a very young age, and I was his best audience.  Darin was also a huge ham, and would pose for hours as long as I pointed a camera in his direction.

I guess I could do a top five memories about Darin, here:

5.  He used to save time by greeting us all at one time.  Instead of "Hi Mommy, hi Daddy, hi Cotty, hi Donnie," he would scootch all the names together, like "Hi mommydaddycottydonnie."  The day we corrected his mispronunciation of our names was a sad day. 

4. My video of Darin harmonizing "I Will" with me.  I think I will watch that tonight.  He was probably 8, and I was a college student.  We are sitting on the couch, just jamming.  8-year olds are cool to jam with.

3. Halloween circa 1994.  I was a little too old to be dressing up.  When I asked him if he was embarrassed about his big sister looking like a 5'3" candy corn, he offered me these words of wisdom with a shoulder shrug: "Well, big sisters are big sisters, candy corns are candy corns."

2. Our shared love of The Tick and The Monkees.  My dad often marveled at our ability to bond over cartoons and silly music, despite our age difference. 

1. My favorite memory of Darin was when he was just a little guy.  He, Dad, and Nancy were seeing us off at the airport.  We would spend a few days a couple times a year in El Paso, and Darin, the baby, would hardly blink an eye when we left.  One year, we gave all the hugs, and said our goodbyes, and for the first time, Darin began to cry.  We all looked at him, stunned, and he blubbered, "I'm gonna miss you guys!"  I get a little teary thinking about it.  What a sweet kid.

Chris (our older brother) and I have an unusual kinship with Darin.  We didn't grow up in the same city, but we are all still just crazy about him.  It's fun seeing him reach the milestones we have already passed, for better or worse.  Even though we don't have an entirely traditional brother/sister relationship, I like giving him a hard time for making the same mistakes I did.  It's my birthright.