Overview: I had to take my son's hamster to the vet. Here's what happened:

Just after dinner one night, my son came up to tell me there was "something
wrong" with one of the two hamsters he holds prisoner in his room. "He's
just lying there looking sick," he told me. I'm serious, Dad. Can you
help?"

I put my best hamster-healer statement on my face and followed him into his
bedroom. One of the little rodents was indeed lying on his back, looking
stressed. I immediately knew what to do. "Honey," called, "Come look at
the hamster!"

"Oh, my gosh," my wife diagnosed after a minute. "She's having babies."

"What?" my son demanded. "But their names are Bert and Ernie, Mom!"

I was equally outraged. "Hey, how can that be? I thought we said we
didn't want them to reproduce," I accused my wife.

"Well, what do you want me to do, post a sign in their cage?" she inquired.
(I actually think she said this sarcastically!)

"No, but you were supposed to get two boys!" I reminded her, (in my most
loving, calm, sweet voice, while gritting my teeth together). "Yeah, Bert
and Ernie!" my son agreed.

"Well, it's just a little hard to tell on some guys, ya know," she informed
me. (Again with the sarcasm, ya think?)

By now the rest of the family had gathered to see what was going on. I
shrugged, deciding to make the best of it. "Kids, this is going to be a
wondrous experience," I announced. "We're about to witness the miracle of
birth."

"OH, Gross!", they shrieked.

Well, isn't THAT just Great!; what are we going to do with a litter of tiny
little hamster babies?" my wife wanted to know. (I really do think she was
being snotty here, too. Don't you?)

We peered at the patient. After much struggling, what looked like a tiny
foot would appear briefly, vanishing a scant second later. "We don't
appear to be making much progress," I noted.

"It's breech," my wife whispered, horrified.

"Do something, Dad!" my son urged.

"Okay, okay." Squeamishly, I reached in and grabbed the foot when it next
appeared, giving it a gingerly tug. It disappeared. I tried several
more times with the same results.

"Should I call 911?" my eldest daughter wanted to know. "Maybe they could
talk us through the trauma." (You see a pattern here with the females in my
house?)

"Let's get Ernie to the vet," I said grimly. We drove to the vet with my
son holding the cage in his lap. Breathe, Ernie, breathe," he urged.

"I don't think hamsters do Lamaze," his mother noted to him. (Women can
be so cruel to their own young. I mean what she does to me is one thing,
but this boy is of her womb, for God's sake.) The vet took Ernie back to
the examining room and peered at the little animal through a magnifying
glass. What do you think, Doc, a c-section?" I suggested scientifically.

"Oh, very interesting," he murmured. "Mr. and Mrs. Cameron, may I speak to
you privately for a moment?" I gulped, nodding for my son to step outside.

"Is Ernie going to be okay?" my wife asked.

"Oh, perfectly," the vet assured us. "This hamster is not in labor. In
fact, that isn't EVER going to happen... Ernie is boy."

"What!?"

"You see, Ernie is a young male. And occasionally, as they come into
maturity, like most male species, they um.... er....masturbate. Just the
way he did, lying on his back." He blushed, glancing at my wife. "Well,
you know what I'm saying, Mr. Cameron."

We were silent, absorbing this. "So Ernie's just...... Excited?" my wife
offered.

"Exactly," the vet replied, relieved that we understood.

More silence. Then my viscous, cruel wife started to giggle. And giggle.
And then even laugh loudly. What's so funny?" I demanded, knowing, but not
believing that the woman I married would commit the upcoming affront to my
flawless manliness.

Tears were now running down her face. "It's just...that...I'm picturing
you pulling on its...its...teeny little..." she gasped for more air to
bellow in laughter once more.

"That's enough," I warned. We thanked the Veterinarian and hurriedly
bundled the hamsters and our son back into the car. He was glad everything
was going to be okay.

"I know Ernie's really thankful for what you've done, Dad," he told me.