A New Baby
in
Clarice's Family

This book was created
especially for

Clarice Christine Brown
at the age of 2


With love from
Mommy and Daddy
December 25, 2003

Once there was a little girl named Clarice, age 2. She lived in Waukegan. One day, something very exciting happened at Clarice's home. A brand new baby boy came to stay.

 "This is our new baby," everyone said to Clarice. "His name is Richard." Clarice could hardly believe it. "Wow!" Clarice said out loud. "I'm Richard's big sister! I wonder what this is going to be like."

 From that day on, Clarice began to discover what it was like to have a new baby brother in her family. The first thing Clarice noticed was that everyone seemed very happy. Clarice also noticed that everyone seemed very busy.

 There was always a flurry of activity around Richard. Friends, relatives, and neighbors were dropping in all of the time. Everyone wanted to come for a visit, and everyone wanted to see the new baby.

 Richard was very nice to look at, but he wasn't able to talk, walk, or play! He wasn't even able to sit up by himself. There were only two things he could do! He could sleep, and he could cry. Little Richard was pretty good at sleeping, and he was very good at crying.

 Richard needed a lot of attention. He had to be washed in warm, soapy water; the water had to be just warm enough and just soapy enough. He had to be dried with a soft, fluffy towel; the towel had to be just soft enough and just fluffy enough. He had to be dressed in special clothes and fed special food. Everyone had to be very quiet, so that little Richard could get to sleep.

 It wasn't just friends, relatives, and neighbors who wanted to see Richard. There were doctors and nurses too. They wanted to have a look at him, just like everyone else. They even had special gadgets for listening to his heart, his lungs, and all of the other things inside him.

 Clarice wondered if Richard sometimes just wanted to be left alone. Everyone was always making such a fuss over him! Actually, Clarice sometimes wished that everyone would leave Richard alone. "Maybe they should make a fuss about me for a while," Clarice thought.

 Sometimes, Richard was taken for a walk. He was wrapped in a special little blanket, and there was a special little buggy for him to ride in. Wherever they went, it was baby Richard that the people wanted to see. "Oh, what rosy little cheeks!" they would say. "And, what pretty little eyes, and darling little fingers!" "People sure do like babies," Clarice thought to herself.

 Because Richard was a baby, he was given all sorts of special presents: beautiful flowers to brighten up the house, big fluffy teddy bears to watch him as he slept, and all kinds of toys! There were toys to shake, toys to stack, and toys to roll. Clarice's toys were mostly old ones that she had played with for years.

 It seemed that no one had much time for Clarice. "Let's go to the park and play," Clarice said.
"We're sorry, Clarice. We're busy with the baby."
"Will you read a book to me?" Clarice asked.
"Maybe later, since the baby needs me just now."
"Could we play a game together?" Clarice questioned.

 One morning as she was waking up, Clarice had an idea. "When I was a baby," she thought to herself, "everyone made a fuss over me." Clarice thought that maybe she should become a baby again. "If I were a baby," she said to herself, "Richard wouldn't be the only one they would fuss about!"

 Clarice thought about doing what baby Richard did. She thought about lying on her back and crying the way Richard did. "Would I get lots of hugs and kisses if I acted like that?" Clarice wondered. "I don't think so," she said to herself. "And I think that I would feel pretty silly."

 At play time, Clarice wondered about sitting in the middle of the floor and making funny little noises, the way babies sometimes do. But it was just too embarrassing for Clarice! After all, she was Richard's big sister! Instead, she picked out a few books and a few toys from the toy box. They weren't brand new, but they were her favorites. She still had lots of fun with them.

 "Being a baby is fine for Richard," Clarice said to herself. "But I'm happy being a big sister! When baby Richard gets a little older, we'll have lots of fun playing together. I think he's going to like having me for a big sister!"

 "There's a time to be a baby, and there's a time to be big. Every time can be happy in its own way," Clarice thought. "I'm glad that this is Richard's time to be a baby. I'm glad that he has come to live with us and that we will grow up together!"

Clarice Brown,

Hope you enjoy this gift.

Mommy and Daddy