"She’ll be here soon, insha’Allah. Come on, eat up, and then you can take a bath."

Reluctantly, Ahmed tasted half a bite of the scrambled eggs Grandma had made for him. He was pleasantly surprised that the eggs were soft and juicy; they tasted good, even though his mom hadn’t made them.

When Ahmed finished his eggs, Grandma filled the bathtub with water. "Ahmed," she called. "Are you ready for a bath?"

Ahmed ran into the bathroom with a big grin on his face. He loved sitting under the bubbles in the warm water. But when Ahmed saw the water, his face dropped. "This isn’t how Mom prepares my bath!" he complained. "Where are all the bubbles?" Ahmed frowned and put his hands on his hips.

"That’s no problem, honey. We’ll just put in some bubble bath," Grandma said with a smile on her face.

"Why can’t Mom do it?" he asked.

"She’s with your baby sister. She’ll be home soon ins ha Allah," Grandma replied.

She took the bear-shaped bottle off the counter and handed it to Ahmed. His frown changed into concentration as he took off the cap and carefully poured the liquid into the cap and then into the water.

"Isn’t that better?" Grandma asked, still smiling as she took the bottle.

"A little," he smiled.

When Ahmed finished his bath, the doorbell rang. Ahmed ran to the door as his grandmother was opening it. His mom and dad stood in the doorway, and his mom held a pink bundle in her arms.

"Asalamu alaikum," they said as they smiled at Ahmed.

Ahmed couldn’t wipe the grin off his face. His parents were finally home.

"Wa alaikum asalaam! I missed you SO much!" Ahmed said as he ran toward his mom to give her a big hug.

"Gently, sweetie," Mom said. "You don’t want to hurt your baby sister."

Ahmed frowned. What was with this new baby? Why did it seem like the world revolved around her?

"May I?" Grandma asked as she took the pink bundle from Mom. "Oh, she’s so precious," Grandma said as she looked at the baby’s face. She took the baby inside and put her in her crib.

I don’t get what the big deal is, Ahmed thought. He was sick of this baby sister that was taking up all his time with his parents. Why did she need so much attention?

Ahmed walked to his baby sister’s room and looked down at her. She looked small and helpless in the crib with her arms bundled up inside the sheet. Her eyes were closed as she slept peacefully. She’s so tiny, he thought.

As he was watching, her face scrunched up as her lower lip stuck out in a pout and started quivering.

Before he knew it, his baby sister opened her mouth wide and cried, "WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

How could such a big cry come out of such a small baby? Ahmed panicked. He ran to his mom, out of breath. "Mom … she’s … the baby … she’s crying!"

"OK, I’ll get her, sweetie. Thank you," she smiled at Ahmed.

His mom took the baby and rocked her gently. "There, there," she said. "Shhhhhh."

Ahmed watched his mom intently. This tiny creature was completely dependent on his mom.

No wonder she was so busy! "Mom," Ahmed said. "I’m going to do more things by myself. I’m going to help you. You need to take care of my baby sister," he said as he smiled at the pink bundle.