"It's My Party & I'll Cry if I Want To..."

My October 25th birthday celebrations started early - a few weeks early, to be exact.

Why? Well, only God knew if I would have made it to this day without going into labor. And a few weeks ago, we had our first false alarm in labor and delivery. Went to the hospital with regular contractions every two to three minutes for over an hour, only to be sent home with the thought that our baby boy could come any time. The doctor even said, "We'll probably see you later tonight."

But that night came and went, and here I am 12 days later sans baby boy.

My girlfriends planned my birthday dinner at Disneyland for months so that we could celebrate my 33rd birthday at the exclusive and elusive Club 33, a few weeks before my actual birthday - just in case I should go into labor early. And thanks to KW & TW and their magical friends, we not only had reservations but we also were able to get into the park for free!

So off we went, contractions and all, to the happiest place on earth!

Thanks to my loving husband, he rented some wheels for me that day and worked out his muscles by navigating me through the crowds of people.

Now, because of my delicate state, we were able to bypass some of the lines - such as the parking trams and a couple of rides and shows which was pretty great. Captain EO was a blast from the past, and the dance moves that shook the house made me a little nervous that Baby S would make his appearance early that day.

But we were all clear by dinner time and rang the buzzer for the not so conspicuous 33 entrance. With all the construction in New Orleans Plaza, the usually mysterious and beautifully decorated 33 door was buried, but once inside, we were all transported to another world and another time.

You forgot that you were in an amusement park, full of families and tourists from around the world. You forgot that there were lines and crowds, churros and popcorn. And all of sudden, it's quiet and refined - and everything just slows down a bit and you're relaxed and at peace.

The chef sent out a lobster amuse bouche that was light and delicious, a great way to start our dinner. Now, the one thing I didn't mention was that we devoured the all-you-can-eat Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue ribs and chicken for lunch in Frontierland earlier that day. So all of us were feeling a bit heavy from all the red meat we had for lunch.

So MS and I ordered the seafood appetizers to start our meal - the Viking Village Day Boat Scallops with corn, caramelized watermelon, bay scallops and haricot vert [above right] and the Atlantic Coast Crab Cake with asparagus, apple and fennel with fingerling potatoes in a citrus mousseline [below].

Decadent and delicious, they were a great compliment for our dinner entree choice of the evening: the Australian Lobster Tail with a champagne risotto, bell pepper coulis and baby bok choy. So much so that half our table ordered the lobster dish.

Executive Chef Marcel St. Pierre did not disappoint, and everything on our plates was devoured. The lobster was sweet with a side of butter, and well - as Paula Deen would say, butter makes everything better.

It was a special treat to finish the dinner with the lime cheesecake, caramelized bananas foster milkshake and fruit, and to blow out my birthday candle and make a wish [first pictured].

Absolutely divine!

And since neither MS nor I had ever seen the World of Color at California Adventure before, our group made the walk over to see the fantastic water show before calling it a night.

Awe inspiring and amazing, I found myself singing to all the Disney tunes from Little Mermaid to Beauty and the Beast and more!

So home we went, only to have our SECOND false alarm that same morning at 3am. Had contractions that entire day at Disneyland, but they were much more intense and much more regular at about a minute apart for over an hour.

The diagnosis?

Dehydration and only about one centimeter dilated.

So now, I'm drinking water like a camel, I'm trying to walk as much as I can stand, and I'm trying to rest all other times. I'm swearing not to go back to the hospital for a third time until I'm in tears and am for SURE in active labor.

We'll see when that happens... and as I type, I can feel my belly contract and retract, but I know it's still my birthday and he's not quite ready to come into the world.