The Baby, Part I.

At 2 p.m. on On July 10, 2005 our lives changed. I was sitting at my desk when I picked up the phone. It was MHW. "OHEL just called. They need to place a ten week old baby girl and they are desperate. They have no one else. What do you think?"

I told MHW pretty much what I tell her every time OHEL calls with a placement. Basically, since she bears most of the burden, I always say, if it's ok with you, it's ok with me. This time, however, after discussing it for a few minutes I said, "This is totally nuts, but if it's ok with you, it's ok with me." She said, "Good, 'cause I already told them yes".

We knew virtually nothing about the baby or her parents except that she was 10 weeks old and healthy. (The truth is, 5 months later, we don't know all that much more).

We were told that the baby would be brought over later that afternoon. We had no carriage, no car seat, no diapers, no clothes, no formula, no bottles, no baby bath. MHW made one phone call to one of the women from the shul and by later that afternoon we had everything we needed, and more. A week later we received a suitcase full of clothes from one of our friends who has a baby about a year older.

I left work early, figuring MHW would need some help and because our younger son was leaving to Israel that night. No baby. And no one called. MHW stayed up all night. Still no baby.

OHEL called in the morning. "How is the baby doing?" Oh boy.