"So how long ya been married?' The woman I just met asks. (Insert life character of random importance) I say, "Actually my wife and I just celebrated our 9th year married and our 10th year together" "Wow, thats great!" the LCRI says whether or not she is feigning enthusiasm. "Yep", I say. The logical next question asked from the book of social normality is, "Have any children, yet?" "As a matter of fact we have three". The LCRI waits anxiously for me to clue her in on my offspring's "vital" statistics such as gender and age. I break the silence with, "My Daughter, Mairi, *(Mar' ee)* is just about 6 and my Son, Elijah, is 20 months". Sometimes I give out Catriana's "vitals" as well, but never the less, without even so much as a twinkling of an eye the automatic response is "Oh! Then your done. You have a boy and a girl". "Hold on there a minute sister...the wife and I were thinking that it might be nice to have a hermaphrodite or fraternal twins, one boy and one girl, just to keep the balance" Seriously who governs the reproductive prowess of another. I picture in my mind a futuristic hospital. A baby boy is just birthed to a loving mother. Then the nurse walks in with the newest technological advance. The machine resembles an ultrasound wand that the nurse now rolls over the mothers abdomen. The motion resembles someone scanning a UPC symbol, coupled with that resounding beep. Hushed whispers in the corner, nurse between doctor. "Doctor she has had a girl, and now, this boy" The doctor replies, "Oh then she is...done". "Okay ma'am, it time to get you up to the OR." "Is it anything serious Doc?" The now alarmed mother asks. "No, no, no" the doctor chuckles, "Its just that you have a girl at home, and this is a boy, so you're done". The nurse whisks away the new mother to have her "lady parts" removed. I am not a fan of the domino fallaciousness I may be implying, but there are aspects of our life dictated by social influence. Before our first was born, I was praying for a "Great Nation". So 3 down, 9 to go. 
*phonetic pronunciation of Mairi
