Num8ers

I have a thing with numbers. Not an obsession, but more or less a situation. Especially with birthdays. There are good number days and not so good number days on which to be born.

Take me, for instance. I was born on the 3rd day of the 3rd month at 3:42 PM and was 3 lbs., 3 oz., my mother's 3rd child. Good number, that 3. As long as my kids don't have a preference, they are team player #3 if I have a say about it.

When I was pregnant, I hoped and prayed my kids would be born on a good number day. First was Tommy. He was due December 17. Seventeen is not a good number. It's just blah. Like 19, 21, 23, 26, 27, 29. Just ho-hum numbers. Thankfully, he came 2 weeks early and on the 3rd day of the month, no less! And at 20 past 3 in the afternoon. He did good. Three is a great number.

Then there was Christopher. By now, it had been decided I wouldn't be allowed to go into labor, because my babies would have to be born via cesarean section, so Christopher had a scheduled date to be born, April 18. Okay, not my most favorite number, but it would due. I just prayed I'd get to that day before the 17th. Everything went as planned.

Joey was next. I could have his birth scheduled for June 24 or July 2. Even though I'd have to take a chance on those 2-digit numbers in the upper 20s to try to get to the July date, I decided to go for it because I liked fate to decide when the boys would have a birthday and not the doctor's surgery priveleged days. So I passed on the 24th and early on July 2, went into labor. Joey would be born on the scheduled day after all. Good day.

Jeffrey was last. He was due at the end of March. The only thing he had going for him was that it was the 3rd month. I could have the 23rd or the 30th. Well, if I had to choose, I'd rather try for the 30th. It has a 3 in it, as does 23, but it just sounds better. My only dilemma would be the following month of February and deciding which day I'd take his 11 month picture.*

But Jeffrey decided to be born on the 25th day. A good day, and my February monthly photo would be solved!

I know, you think I'm really out there. But I don't care. Really, I don't. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go out and collect more blue rocks for my blue stone wall.

*For the 12 months of their lives, I have taken the boys' photos on the anniversary day and month of their birthdays, followed by annually, which I do up until age 5. Each child had his photo taken in the same place with some kind of unique signage indicating the day and his age. We were on vacation at the end of July when Jeffrey was 4 months old, but I had planned it out in advance. His photos were taken on the sofa, but he always sat on the same pale yellow throw blanket, and he held a magna-doodle that indicated the date and age. Both transportable, so I brought them along on vacation and you would never know we weren't home when the photo was taken. Honestly, I was really worried about Jeffrey if he was going to be born on the 30th day of March, because there is not that number of days in February, and it just would not be right. Would I have taken his picture on February 28 or March 1? Or none at all that month? I didn't have to find out, thankfully.

Uh-oh, I have a dilemma. This year we will be in Florida on Joey's birthday. I can take along the little chalkboard used for his photos, but the sofa background won't be the same. Oh well. I'm not perfect. We'll improvise. But you can bet he'll have his photo taken that day, even if it's in the van while we are traveling to Florida for vacation!