Lucky Number 14

This, according to folklore, will be one lucky kid. Grandchild number 14, Breckin Wayne, born April 26, emerged inside an unbroken amniotic sac. Being born “en caul” this way is extremely rare (about one in 80,000, apparently) and is supposed to be extremely lucky.

It may seem that Breckin will need that luck. He’s the third child in his family, joining an athletic and competitive six-year-old brother and a three-year-old sister who is a young lady of strong opinions. A loving, loud, and energetic duo, they could easily overwhelm a brand-new little boy, even one with lots of dark hair and Elvis-wannabe sideburns.

In his first six days of life, Breckin has shown himself to be the quiet, thoughtful type. But in his own small way, he does seem to have ideas of his own. (Perhaps we should keep in mind that his middle name commemorates a grandfather who had some strong—and sometimes loud—opinions himself.) For example, several busy people rearranged their schedules around his due date of April 15. He made them all wait another 11 days until he was good and ready to show up.

Behavior like that might be considered a bit passive/aggressive. But then, quiet manipulation might be a good strategy for coping with his assertive older siblings.

Who already love him with great enthusiasm. His brother holds him with great patience, and his sister, whose pronouns are not as certain as her opinions, keeps asking for another turn to “hold he.” They will annoy him, tease him, teach him to sleep through a lot of noise, love him aggressively, and defend him fiercely.

Yep, Breckin Wayne is one lucky kid.