The Story I Was Waiting All Day Friday to Write

Yesterday was an auspicious day in China. Not only did the Olympics begin, but the date 08/08/08 held meaning as well. Their word for the number eight is a homophone for their word for wealth, so many people felt it was a great day to get married.

Yesterday was an auspicious day in the US as well. At least in this little dot on the great map, it was. But our story begins back in January when my friend, Melissa, told me she would have to cut back seriously on drinking at Comfest as she would be having a baby in August. August 12 to be exact, as doctors think they are now.

Immediatly upon hearing the news (and lamenting with my drinking buddy that the burden of emptying bottles of wine would be shifting to me alone), I began a campaign for an 08/08/08 baby. It wasn't because I knew anything about the Chinese language, it was because I thought it would be cool and easy to remember his birthday.

At first she resisted my idea. This is the first baby and the doctor must be listened to. She said August 12, so August 12 it would be. I told her the doctor was only practicing- why believe her?

The campaign went into full swing at Comfest where many people stopped by the booth and asked for a due date. Melissa would answer August 12, but she decided it was not worth the bruise she was going to have on her upper arm from my punching her and correcting the day to August 8. Thus the idea took hold...

By mid-July, the baby's due date had changed from August 12 (or 8th) to "get this damn kid out of me!" - a popular choice among women in the final weeks of pregnancy. It was time to step up the August Eight campaign.

Melissa lamented that August 12th was just about the time she and her hubby would need to start picking the tomatoes on their farm. They are organic farmers and sell to local restaurants, so the joke was the baby would have to be born picking produce. Cleverly, I pointed out that if she had the baby on August the Eighth, she could rest up all weekend and be in the field by Monday afternoon, at the latest.

Who says kids these days don't listen? Last night, at 8:19 PM, Tosh was born. He and his mum are resting in room E08 this morning at a local hospital. I will forgive him for not appearing at 8:08 (the second part of my challenge), because he is a baby after all.
I will love him, though his parents wouldn't name him Octavius. No matter what, he's always going to be Auntie M's little Eight Ball.


Tosh at Comfest, June 2008.