You'll all laugh at this ...

Today is July 30th, and my youngest child turns 16. She was born on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand after I left the family. I went into labor around 9 p.m. on the 30th and as I was travelling to the little clinic on the island, it suddenly dawned on me that her birthday was going to be July 31st.

Well, that was Maria's birthday and I was bound and determined that NEVER, EVER, EVER was one of my children going to share a birthday with a witch like Maria. When I got to the clinic, two other island women were in labor and the Thai mid-wives ordered me to wait! They said I should just try not to have the baby until later when they could deal with me.

But I plonked myself down on an empty delivery table and started pushing with all my might because I refused to have that baby on July 31st. With my eyes on the clock the whole time, I pushed and pushed for two hours. I didn't care whether I was fully dilated or not and there was no one to check anyway.

And at one minute to midnight, I pushed her out, and all I could think of was, is her birthday July 30th? Is her birthday July 30th? Did I make it in time? Was the clock slow? And I was assured that her birthday was was July 30th.

The midwives were so mad at me for not cooperating that they refused to help until the very last minute. It was quite a night but I got what I wanted.