The nines aligned for Henry Michael Berendes' birth.

The third child of Polly and Chuck Berendes arrived at 9:09 a.m. on 9/9/09, weighing 9 pounds, 9 ounces.

"I don't know how it happened, but it's pretty crazy," said Chuck, 29.

The La Crosse couple talked about the possibility of the triple-nine birthdate and chuckled when the doctor selected the date for Polly's C-section, Chuck said.

Chuck even brought up the possibility of nailing the time when the surgery was scheduled for 9 a.m. at Franciscan Skemp Medical Center.

"I told her the last one went pretty quick, what if it's 9:09?" he said. "She (Polly) said, 'Whatever, Chuck.'"

Delivery room staff watched the time for awhile, but Chuck said it slipped their mind until Henry was put on the scale.

"They measure in metric and the doctor did the math in his head but to be sure he had the nurse convert it," he said.

"When she said 9 pounds, 9 ounces, he started laughing and I started laughing," Chuck said.

For more on this story, see Thursday's Tribune or check back at www.lacrossetribune.com.