Although it's my birthday, I don't remember much about the actual birth day, although I imagine it was a dramatic experience. Mom remembers. She brought me into this world after creating and nurturing me for more than 40 weeks. I was stubbornly not coming out into the world and it was her third trip across Tokyo to get to St. Luke's Hospital in Tsukiji from our house in Suginami-ku.
By the time I came out I was already looking like a baby, no longer a red and wrinkly newborn. My feet were so big the footprint didn't fit inside the box on my birth certificate. I was her third and last child and first and only son. I think she only spoiled me a little though my sisters might disagree. I was happy with mom when I was a baby and forever after. She's the best mom I ever had-- I mean, the best mom anyone ever had! And we're still here together after so many birthdays, each one a chance to thank her for the gift of life.