Pär and I have a twenty dollar bet going, on the date when the baby will be born. It's due on January 6th. I began by betting on the 9th; Pär bet on the 7th. Then we decided that whoever's guess is closest will win, even if they didn't get the actual day right, so we closed in on the 8th as our mid-point. Pär is now betting for one minute before noon on the 8th, and I am betting on one minute after noon on the 8th. So a baby at any date before noon of that day means he wins, and a baby after noon of that day means I win.

"Payable at the moment of birth," he added.

"What, like 'It's a boy!' 'Oooh, my baby! Hang on a sec... here's that twenty bucks I owe you.'"

"That's exactly the scene I envision," he said.

"Only if you win the bet," I said. "Otherwise you can pay me at 12:01 on the eighth."

"If you win, I'll pay up at that time. If the baby comes earlier and I win, though, you've got to pay up as soon as you give birth." He paused. "What I'm wondering is where you're going to hold your wallet."