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NORTH ATTLEBORO

The present that Leigh Pierson was anticipating the most this year wasn't something she found under the Christmas tree - it was a hug from the younger brother she had never met before.

Pierson, 20, got that hug Friday when she greeted her 18-year-old brother Ryan Maxwell for the very first time at T.F. Green Airport when he flew in for a visit.

All it took was a little determination and some help from Facebook, the Internet social networking service.

Pierson and Maxwell are biological siblings who were adopted by different families - with Leigh living in North Attleboro with her adoptive parents Michelle and Raymond Pierson, and Ryan living in Naperville, Ill. Both Pierson and Maxwell grew up knowing they had a sibling, but they never had the chance to meet.

"I was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and was adopted when I was four days old," Pierson said. "I have lived with my family in North Attleboro ever since, and love my parents and my adopted brother with my whole heart. However, I have always felt like something is missing."

With big grins on their faces, the pair described their first meeting, their sentences weaving together as they recounted their first shared in-person memory.

"Up until yesterday, I was just excited. But I woke up today feeling really nervous and thinking, "This is huge,'" Pierson said.

"I got off the plane and my legs felt like rubber. The only think holding me up was the hug," Maxwell said. "We both thought we were going to cry when we met but we didn't.

"I was on the brink of tears but I was too overcome with emotions - anticipation, happiness, nervousness and anxiety."

"When we were leaving the airport, I kept looking back to see if he was still in the back seat," Pierson said. "Ryan knew what I was doing and said, 'Yes, I'm still here.'"

The meeting had been 65 days in the making - when Maxwell went and reserved his plane tickets - and came after countless hours talking on the phone and e-mailing each other.

The were able to connect for the first time through Facebook, the online social networking site.

"I've known about Ryan practically since he was born, when the adoption agency let my parents know I had a brother," Pierson said. "Our moms tried writing letters to one another. But as time went on, and lives got busier, they lost touch. "Last summer, I was thinking that Ryan's got to be a senior in high school now, I'll bet he's on Facebook or Myspace, so I decided to look for him."

Pierson found a profile for Maxwell that fit what she knew about him - he was the right age and living in Illinois - so she sent him a friend request asking "This might be a weird question, but are you adopted?"

Knowing some basic information about his sister - her name was Leigh and she lived in Massachusetts- Maxwell responded saying, "I am 99 percent sure I know who you are."

The siblings struck up an online correspondence, initially thinking they would put off hearing each other's voices until meeting in person. However, they soon decided to start talking on the phone, too.

During their talks, they've found various connections - from their favorite color to their favorite flavor of ice cream - cookie dough.

"And we're both stubborn," Pierson said.

"Stubborn as mules," Maxwell agreed.

They talk frequently, and about everything under the sun - from what has happened during a particular day to their futures.

Pierson is a junior at Worcester State College, where she is majoring in English and education, with plans to become a high school English teacher.

Maxwell is a freshman at the University of Illinois, where he is majoring in political science, with plans to attend law school.

Maxwell will be in town for four days - when he will have a whirlwind tour of Boston. Pierson said she would like to visit Maxwell's home in Illinois at some point, too.

"I'd love to show her around and give her a taste of the windy city," Maxwell said.

Both Pierson and Maxwell say they have no plans to search for their birth parents - but are thrilled to have found each other.

"It's wonderful," Maxwell said. "When I was a kid in school, they'd do these projects where you'd have to share your family tree with the class. I'd always say, well, this isn't really my family tree. I love my family - but you look back over their heritage and know it isn't yours. It's wonderful to meet someone from my family tree."

Pierson agreed, saying, "There is no better present than family on Christmas."