Coincidentally........?

I've decided it's done to me on purpose. As a fairly quiet, easy-going, okey-dokey type of girl, I really do just want the simple things in life to be that, but alas, it didn't quite work out like that. It's the past 15 years that the little idiosyncrasies have arisen. I'll start with my children.

Of my three gorgeous offspring, their arrival dates in the world were as follows: St.Valentine's Day, St.Andrew's Day and Hogmanay! Now being Scottish, 2 out of 3 ain't bad, but the buck don't stop there. They are so fitting to these dates.

Kerri, my oldest, born on Dec 31st (Hogmanay in Scotland) is still a party animal. Despite her 11 years in London, she still makes it up with her hubby, James, on her birthday for the Edinburgh Street Party. Kerri turned 18 on the last day of the old millenium and THAT was the party of her milestone-turning life. Not bad planning if I really tried, but it wasn't until she turned a teenager that I realised this. Kerri arrived slap bang in the middle of the two due dates I was given! That's my girl!

Next come my two Saints:

Ross (full Christian name Peter-Ross with a hyphen but not many mates know that!) was born on St.Valentines Day. Now, I hate to admit it (because he is the vainest git I know - but a git with a huge heart) he is an extremely handsome young man. Genetically, he took more from his dad's side than mine and with a snout like mine, I am thankful! But the girls have been falling at his feet since primary school. Mother's telling me how their daughter's adore him and one even said that her girl had carved his name inside their new kitchen cupboards! Cards, gifts and phone calls have flooded in over the years but more so on Valentines' Days. One who didn't have to lie about the amount of cards he got. And on HIS birthday, too! Did he brag? The little shit gave it laldy. At least when it did come to girlfriends he settled for a bit. Hopefully his now girlfriend will be the one. I adore her scatty head and inability to tell the time! Ross came bang on his due date!

Now, Adam was born on St.Andrews Day (November 30th). My little mite. The one the nurses told me at 7am wouldn't be born until the afternoon, and who arrived at 7.30am amid a whammy of unprepared staff and unprepared vaginas. Born with bruising to the face and black eyes because of the quick compression. He had this mass of golden hair with distinctive red through it. The only baby in the ward among the vast amount of dark or hairless miracles, he was named the Golden Child by the nurses. Was something of a show piece in his incubator for both the bruises and the napper. That wasn't his only party-piece. Born two weeks early, he arrived on his Grandpa Frank's birthday, too! Sadly he never got to meet his father's father (who was English) but took his name, as was planned, in his full title of Adam Frank Thomas. He kept the hair only it went more ginger as he grew. Oh, those true Scots with their red hair. I've a picture of him in a kilt I'll need to post soon. These days he's dark haired no thanks to music and hairdye but only this morning he said he wanted to get back to natch. Gingers just look like they're balding when the roots grow in.

So, if you're not already bored, let me add a little more to the run of things. Not only did I remarry after my daughter, I also married taking on a surname that was the same (in pronunciation anyhow) as my daughter's Christian name! Oh, how I joyed telling her on our wedding day that she was to be called Kerri Kerry henceforth. Even at 8 she knew we were bluffing, but it was worth a shot! I also ended up with the same name as my mother-in-law as we shared first-names. The story of the nurse and the enema may surface one of these days!

So to say that I've had a bit of explaining over the phone and so forth goes without doubt. But there was one last bit of coincidence that almost topped the lot. In the below pictures are my daughter holding my 6 month old niece, Rachel Kerri, and one of Kerri herself at 6 months. Taking the pictures and putting the faces together I cannot believe how astonishingly similar the ' 6 months' cousins are. And if only my little sis had refused the morphine which slows birth down, they'd have shared the same birthday, too. Rachel Kerri was born in the early hours of New Years' Day! I'm happy to report that it's been 5 years since any other birth or name has popped up on days of significance or just out of pure coincidence. Oh, and I almost forgot, I'm an identical twin, too! I've some stories I could tell you, of how we've fooled people - but a long time ago!