We had our first false alarm!!!!

Picard and I were at the hospital until a little after 2 a.m. last night with our first real experience as first-time parents. Our birth mother had called us on Sunday (Father's Day) and said, "I think my water broke, but I'm not sure. I'll call you if I head to the hospital." Picard and I painstakingly waited from that first phone call to our second phone call the same day, which was about four hours later. When BM (birth mom, makes it shorter this way) called back she said, "I'm 99% sure my water broke, but I want to wait until I have more contractions to go the hospital. I promise to call as soon as I go, even if it's in the middle of the night." We didn't hear from her again until 9 p.m. yesterday, when our adoption coordinator called and asked us to take her to the hospital to get her checked out. We took her to the hospital and fortunately it was a false alarm. No broken water, minimal dilatation and minimal contractions. Whew.

Now, I know what you're all thinking, 'OMG Miss Dior, you totally freaked out, didn't you?' But you know what, I didn't. I didn't at all. Now Captain Picard, he had some moments. The cutest and most loving moments I have ever experienced with this man. The second we got the first call he went to the garage and immediately and started unpacking the crib. He hauled it up the stairs piece by piece and put it together, by himself, with only his left hand!!! (Not all of you know but Picard broke his right [dominant] hand three weeks ago and had to have surgery. He only has one functional hand for the time being.) Yes, he carried, drilled, hammered and screwed with only his left hand. You might think the crib came out all janky and lopsided, but it's not at all, it's beautiful and perfect! After the crib, he promptly started on the dresser. He dutifully asked questions like, when is the bedding coming? When can you pick out the color you want the room painted?

It could be that my own calmness comes from the fact that I'm not 100% better yet and I've just been too sick too freak out. But I really don't think so. I think I'm going to be admirably and perfectly calm until they hand us our wee one and say, you can take your baby home. That will be my freak out moment. Because outside of a few moments of forced reality (like watching the baby's heart rate on a monitor last night) this all just feels so surreal to me. The way things have happened are just so beautiful and so perfect, I just can't believe this is all really happening a lot of the time. So, until I gaze into our wee one's eyes and hold her in my arms for the first time, I'll be blissfully drifting through the most lovely and real dream I have ever dreamt in my life. I just hope a few more weeks pass until we meet her.

*will post pics later...can't locate camera for uploading right now.