When I was little, I hated having brothers.  I looked at friends who had sisters with envy wishing it would have panned out for me that way.  I remember when my family found out Conor, my youngest brother, was going to be a boy.  I was eight at the time and my other brother 6.  I cried the entire way to school as my six year old brother skipped and screamed with joy at the top of his lungs.

But oh how times have changed.  For me, I think having brothers has given me an easier understanding of the male mind.  I grew up in a household where we all had laser tag birthday parties, watched Predator and Karate Kid on weekends and spent evenings watching each others baseball games.  And I’m always right there with their ridiculous, albeit disgusting humor.  Truth be told, I never even knew girly girls were real until high school.  I thought they only existed in movies.  Until Cora, I’d never played with a Barbie.  And I think it was college when I watched my first “chic flick.”  Don’t get me wrong, I could be girly when I wanted to.  But being overtly emotional, feminine and well, pink didn’t really float in my house as a kid (though my Mom did what she could to create that space for me).

But now I’m so thankful for my bros.  We had a little family gathering this past weekend and I swear one of my favorite things in the world is to see my brothers with our kids.  It makes perfect sense that among a family where boys rule, I would have given birth to a girl.  And now SHE rules.  It’s like every man in my house will do anything to make her happy.

My youngest brother, Conor, impresses her with his ridiculous faces, voices and dance moves.  Other than mine and Luke’s parents, Conor was Cora’s first regular babysitter when he was in college.  Wha?  A college boy?  Amazing.

And my other brother Jeremy and his girlfriend built Cora a spaceship out of boxes that they presented to Cora this weekend.  She ’bout shat her little pants.  It had a swing door, windows, peep holes and even a storage unit for Cora’s snacks and animal friends.  We could hardly get her out of there to come and eat she was so excited.  I never would have thought in a million years…

Anyway, I imagine if I’d have had sisters, I would go on thinking that’s the best thing in the world.  But man, I’m glad to have me some brothers.  That’s for sure..

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