This Little Boy Finally Got the Baby Brother He's Been Waiting For — and the Photos Are Priceless

Six-year-old Mikey Marotta had been begging his parents, Jessica and Michael, for a sibling since he was just 3 years old. But after struggling with fertility and having a miscarriage in 2017, Jessica knew she couldn't make any promises.

"We would just tell him when it was time it would be time," Jessica told POPSUGAR. She quickly grew to rely on the phrase "someday, buddy" after fielding questions for a few years. According to Love What Matters, Jessica realized she could still be happy with a family of three after talking to her husband one evening.

But everything changed when Jessica found out she was pregnant with a boy again in the Summer of 2017. Although she and her husband were a mix of nervous and excited, no one was more amped about the news than their son Mikey.

"He was so thrilled he was finally getting his baby brother," said Jessica. "He could not wait for him to arrive and would talk about all the things he was going to do with him. He would pick out two things if we went shopping for a toy and say, 'This one is for me and this one is for my baby brother.'"

But unfortunately for the Marotta family, bringing their new bundle of joy home would take them longer than expected. Baby Jake was diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction — a rare condition where the baby doesn't grow to a normal weight during pregnancy — and needed to be delivered early via emergency C-section in March.

Because Jake was born premature, Mikey wasn't allowed to hold his baby brother until he was 11 days old. But the delay didn't prevent Mikey from being overjoyed — especially because Jake had red hair just like him. "He was very excited, but I think a little nervous," said Jessica. "He giggled the whole time."

Thankfully, after spending 60 long days in the NICU, it was finally time for Jake to come home. And unsurprisingly, Mikey has been teaching his little brother everything he knows ever since.

"They cuddle every morning and Mikey LOVES to hold Jake," said Jessica. "One of their other favorite things to do is lay on Jake's activity mat together."

Scroll through to see just how much fun Mikey's been having with his sweet little brother.