A rose by any other name...

I can remember the day my baby sister, Paula, was born.

I cannot say that about any of my other siblings -- but I was almost five when Paula made her grand entrance -- and I remember the day fairly well, considering all the other childhood memories I've lost over the years -- mostly to make room for PIN numbers, users names and passwords.

What's funny is that the thing I recall most about that day is an argument I got into with my Dad.

You see, I had very specific ideas about what the new baby's name should be.

For some reason, I was convinced that new baby should be called "Julia" if it was a girl. I conceded that if it was a boy, Dad could finally have his junior and name the baby "Paul."

For days leading up to her birth, I danced around and told everyone I came into contact with that my new baby sister - Julia - would soon be here!

I was very excited.

When my Dad called home from the hospital to tell us that it was a girl -- I was ecstatic -- even to the point of making a big sign: "Welcome Home Julia!"

You can imagine my dismay when Dad came home later that night and announced that my baby sister's name was going to be "Paula."

This simply did not compute with me.

"But she already has a name -- Julia!"

"No honey -- we decided to name her Paula."

"But I already named her!"

This same conversation was repeated for two days, until she came home from the hospital. I had not yet resigned myself to the fact that her name was NOT Julia until Daddy settled me on the sofa and let me hold the new baby.

"Oh!" -- he recalled me saying, "she isn't a Julia after all -- she's a Paula!"

Dad said later, that he had no idea what I'd meant by that statement - but was relieved that I seemed to have accepted the baby's actual name.

Some years later, Dad mentioned that, at the time, there had been a popular TV show called "Julia" -- and the character's full name was "Julia Baker" -- and that was the reason I got out-voted. To this day, I've never seen the show.

Ah well...she IS so clearly a "Paula!"

And today IS her birthday.

Happy Birthday Julia ... err ... Paula!