In case anybody wonders where I've been...

Sunday before last, about 5:30 AM, my beautiful wife Dixie woke me at 5:30 saying she "felt funny", and "something was happening" about every 3 minutes.

"Are you in Labor?" "Well, I don't *think* so, but I think I want to go to the hospital." "Right".

Grabbed the suitcases, we got in the car, and drove to the hospital. As we're driving, Dixie is starting to second-guess herself. It's probably nothing. They'll send us home.

We walked up to the Labor and Delivery, and called on the phone outside. The nurse who answered was ecstatic - we were the first people in all night! - and unlocked the door and led us into a room (#4! Not the #3 they'd put us into for observation 3 times. Not a big deal, but it was reversed from #3, and we'd gotten used to it.)

So they hooked Dixie up to the monitors and said "It's probably nothing, this is a little early, but we'll make sure and keep you here for a couple of hours." So we're waiting in the darkened room, and I'm trying not to yawn, when she tells me to just take a nap.. then her eyes get wide, "I think my water just broke!"

So I hit the call button and the nurse hustled in and she said "Oh, that's probably not it, the jelly probably warmed up." She got the litmus paper, and tested - and it didn't turn either positive or negative. "Huh. Cough. OH YEAH, WE'RE HAVING A BABY!"

And away we went. I'll write more later, the doctor was abysmal. The nurses were sublime. Dixie was amazing, and a real trooper.


But that night: