Week 15: Year of the snake

Jubilant fails to describe how excited I was when I found out our baby was due in October. That is my favorite month, by far. The colorful foliage, the not-too-hot/not-too-cold weather, the impending slew of holidays one right after the other—I could wax on about the wonderfulness that is October, but I think you get the idea.
When my sisters, who are quite fond of astrology, found out Roo would most likely have an October birthday, they both squealed with delight over the fact that he or she would probably be a Libra. I can barely remember my own husband’s astrological sign, so the term “Libra” meant nothing to me. My youngest sister enlightened me by sharing some defining characteristics, including hardheaded, persistent, ambitious, image-focused, and responsible. A solid mix of positive and negative traits, but it’s hard to imagine our unborn baby inhabiting any of them yet.
To further learn what our baby’s potential birthday might mean about his or her character, I investigated The Secret Language of Birthdays book. It breaks everything down by the day of birth, so I looked up October 12—my estimated due date. A few distinguishing terms that stuck with me: selfish, dictatorial, egotistical, and exhibitionist. In an effort to highlight the good and not focus on just the bad, I’ll share the rare positive terms that popped out: giving, generous, and dependable. I can’t imagine how one could be selfish and giving at the same time, but so far, I’m not liking the potential personality joining our brood.
I turned to the Chinese calendar to conjure up more images of who this little person might become. Roo will be born in the Year of the Snake, and defining characteristics include vicious, egotistical (there it is again!), proud, conceited, and vain. Another similarity between people born under the Libra sign and in the Snake year is that they’re good with money. So at least my son or daughter will have that going for them.
I’m not sure how much weight I should put into these zodiacs. I’d like to think that they’re not very accurate, but I’d also hate to think of myself suffering in the future for ignoring the signs (bad pun not intended). At the end of the day, though, it’s my job to help Roo navigate the world and become the best version of him or herself possible. And I can’t wait to learn who that person is—warts and all!