This morning, we went to work after a decadent few days in Las Vegas. We had had tickets to see Elton John and his red piano at Caesar's Palace since September, and celebrated the one-year anniversary of our San Francisco wedding in high style. We dropped a wad of money at a luxurious french restaurant on the 56th floor of the Palms casino. It didn't matter that we don't gamble...Las Vegas still claimed a chunk of our pocket change at the shi-shi shops in the mall.

Given the bigger-than-life and louder-than-life surreality of Las Vegas, we happily went to work this Tuesday morning, eager to get through a four-day work week with out much suffering. How little did we know. How our lives would upended and enriched beyond measure by the coming events of this short week.

At about 11am on this morning, Tuesday, February 15th, I got The Call. Karen Seeback, our social worker from Lilliput, called to say that a county adoption social worker had selected our profile as a potential adoptive family for Jeremy. We learned that Jeremy was born on November 25, 2004, that he was in a foster home, that the court had ordered that an adoptive home be found for him immediately. Karen arranged for us to meet with Susan Hanusek, the county worker, on Thursday, March 17th.

Barb & I had begun actively trying to start a family four years ago. Through the fertility -- and infertility -- and not just one but two different adoption agencies, we had been hopeful so often only to have those hopes disintegrate for one reason or another. So, as of late, we had really learned to minimize any feelings of hope. However, something about this tidbit of information about Jeremy seemed so real, so true. We have yet to articulate what it was, but, in retrospect, we both knew intuitively that Jeremy would be ours. Based on The Call alone, our fate was sealed. And we swung into action.

Somehow, our inner guide led us immediately to Caprice. We called in her offer of a co-sleeper and other gently used baby gear. So we trekked out to Loomis after work, and Cappie and Tom gave us some of the best advice any new parent could ask for. The Ten Things You Need Every Day To Take Care Of A Baby. It doesn't matter which parenting book you follow -- just pick one and stick with it. Keep communicating with each other. And love your baby. We came away from our short visit with Cappie and Tom (and Remini and Devan) with exponentially more information about taking care of a baby than we arrived with, and, best of all, feeling so supported by these special people. Little did we know how this would be the first wave of love, generosity and support that would happily flood our new family over the next days, weeks and months.

The remainder of the evening was spent in conversation with each other and with friends and family about Jeremy. Topics ranged from the mundane -- do we need a wipes warmer? -- to spiritual -- how can two white women create the best opportunities for a multi-ethnic boy to become a strong and compassionate man? We would fall asleep late, exhausted, exhillerated and with a billion questions about might lie ahead for us, but unmistakably certain that Jeremy would be joining our life adventure.