Stopping off at Lourdes on our way to Santiago de Compostela ~ May, 1996. 
September 8, 1996One more quick tangent … while Seamus and Ian have special bonds with Mary through their patron saints, Noah has a unique tie to Mary as well. Noah was due in mid-September, 1996. Very early on September 7, I started having contractions and woke Chad up so he could help me time them. In between contractions, I mentioned that if the baby could wait one more day, he would be born on Mary’s birthday. Chad said, “September 8 is Mary’s birthday?” I replied, “Yes, it is.” Chad said, “He’s going to be born on Mary’s birthday.” He then rolled over and went back to sleep … like nothing had happened! The contractions subsided and Noah was born one day later, on September 8 … the same date the church uses to honor Mary's birthday.
