The Longest Day

Yesterday was the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.  And it kinda felt like it too because my best friend was in labor all day!

We'd just finished the test-run from BHS to Heights Elementary in Sharon to see if I can make the drive between my morning job and my evening job (22 minutes bitches),  when Aaron got the text from Adam.  "We're at the hospital now.  It's baby time!"

He was so excited and overwhelmed that he couldn't even speak, he just held the phone out for me to read the screen.  He was so much more effected than he thought he'd be.  It was really very sweet to witness.

So we did our doggy god-parent duty and let the Chopsticks out in the afternoon.  Also we scooted over to BabiesRUs for a last minute item.  And we waited.

And waited.

And had wayy too much coffee.

And waited.

I was so nervous and worried and anxious I didn't know what to do with myself.

We went over in the PM and let Chops out again.  We watched some TV.  And waited.

Holy Moly.  And I know labor takes a long time, I understand that on an intellectual level, but on a gut-instinct level?  Every minute that dragged by without word of how she was doing made me increasingly nervous.

And it gave me alot of time to think.  Think about how absolutely and irrevocably life changing this event is in all our lives.  I mean, obviously theirs, but also for Me and Aaron too.  You wouldn't really think that, but it is.  Baby Pigeon is one hundred percent part of our family-- we weren't just waiting for our friends to have a baby, we were waiting for a new addition to our family; because I've decided, somewhere along the way, that family as I define it has nothing whatsoever to do with blood.  That's a starting off point and shouldn't be ignored, but real family is who you choose.  

In modern day we've moved well past the need for our tribe to be blood relatives.  And maybe I'm inclined to this line of thinking because I am a theatre person and we make our own tribes every time we begin a new project.  A cast and crew becomes as close as a family and you will often hear theatre people confess that their theatre troupe is, in fact, closer than their family at home.

In any case that's how I feel.  That we choose the members of our tribe.  And we are drawn to them for all kinds of reasons and there's fate involved and all kinds of beautiful magic, but we choose it.

Just as we choose our mates who become the cornerstone of our own small families.

And Adam and Danielle are most definitely as dear to me as my own brothers and sisters.  I love them.  I would do anything for them.  They are my tribe, my family, my dear friends.

Sometime after 2AM we got the first update we'd had in hours and hours.  It was a picture of a deleriously happy Pappa holding a baby girl.  

I called Aaron up to the loft and we just stared, grinning like fools, for several full minutes before either one of us could find words.  It was quite literally amazing to us.  It was real.  It happened.  Zoe Pigeon was now a real person in this world.  She's here!

Danielle is a mother.  Adam is a father.  

For whatever reason, and I really can't explain why, but for whatever reason this experience felt even more deeply moving and staggering than the birth of my blood nieces and nephews, (all of whom I love and adore!), and we were blown away by the impact of it.

Our friends are parents.  

Now it is morning and we've gotta go let Chops out again :)  And later?  We will meet this girl at last.  

Solstice Baby.  Born on the first day of summer.  How perfect for A&D!

I look forward to getting to know this incredible girl.