Laughing All The Way To The Bank

And in the bank too as I soon realized that my ATM card expired at the end of June. Doh! Of course being over 10,000 miles away from home doesn't lend ease to cash withdrawal without the new card... nor does it help that it's a 3 day weekend and the bank can't send out a new card until Monday.

I can't make this stuff up people!!

All I can do right now is laugh... and I'm doing a heck of a lot of it lately. Especially yesterday at the OB's office. I mean, what can I really do EXCEPT laugh, right? It's nobody's fault. And it's just extra time... despite it being a hot commodity lately. As I re-read yesterday's update, it sure took on a Debbie-Downer tone. But honestly? I wasn't upset about it. I actually appreciated the doctor's integrity for not going through with something he wasn't comfortable with.

We're set to go on our trip to Indianapolis tomorrow. All 3 kids and me on a "trial run" for our BIG trip back to Chennai next Thursday. As much of a pain in the tush it is to organize and pack up our stuff for this weekend, I'm super excited that for the first time in a very, very long time, all of my 1st cousins and their families will be together. I look forward to meeting new munchkins and introducing my kids to cousins they've never met. What a great photo opportunity too!

We get back late Monday night, and I'm scheduled to be at Hoag Hospital at 5 am on Tuesday morning (no rest for the weary). So if I don't get a chance to post photos before I'm finally 'fixed', I wish you all a wonderful 4th of July celebration!

No truer words have I spoken this year... G-d Bless America!

Left: Visiting with my girlfriend Cheryl ... Right: Hanging with my girlies

I'm Fit To Be Tied... Or Not...

I had a bevy of witty euphemisms all ready and waiting to use this afternoon ...

~ Let's Just Call A 'Spayed' A 'Spayed'

~ Tied And True

~ I'm Fixed - Though I Never Knew I Was Broken

~ Oh Baby, Oh Baby, NO!

... though after this morning's debacle, I no longer need them.


I went in this morning at just shy of 7 weeks post baby to get my tubes tied, and left the doctor's office with them still intact. Can't this girly ever catch a break? Seriously??

When my OB/GYN came to check on me in the hospital the day after I had Grady, we discussed all future birth control options. With only one that really suited our needs, we decided that I would undergo a uber cool in-office tubal ligation procedure. Hey, we've filled our kid quota for the family. No more munchkins from us! So I called the office manager and booked my procedure for today.

The idea of an in-office procedure was far more appealing than an outpatient surgery as I really didn't want to go under general anesthesia, nor deal with the additional recovery time. From everything I've researched, Essure seemed the best way for me to go.

After minor preparations, I went in to my OB's office today ready to walk out future-kid free. They gave me a local anesthetic, and after a few short minutes we were ready to rock and roll. The whole procedure should have taken less than 15 minutes from start to finish... that is if everything went as planned. All the doctor needed to do was verify that he could clearly see into each fallopian tube, and if so, insert the Essure micro-insert that blocks each fallopian tube. The body naturally builds scar tissue over the inserts, thus permanently blocking the fallopian tube and preventing unplanned pregnancy.

Sounds easy right?

It should have been. It was also virtually painless. Though it didn't work. It failed. I'm a failure. I'm broken.

All kidding aside, the doctor saw that one of my fallopian tubes was blocked. Hey, we're halfway there already, right? Unfortunately no. As the FDA requires that the coils go into the entrance to the fallopian tube, if one is blocked, the doctor can't be sure it's inserted correctly, and could potentially lead to an "Oops!". And if I had an Oops... well, let's just say that everyone should watch out... because I'd go postal!

So where does that leave me? Well... doing the craziest thing I know. Having the Essure procedure done in the Hoag Hospital operating room under a general anesthesia where the OB can use more advanced equipment and ensure that he doesn't hurt me or cause any discomfort. If it works great. If not, then he'd take the final steps and do a traditional tubal ligation where he cuts and ties off the tubes. Nothing like leaving it all until the last minute before I head back to India, eh?

Now I have already been asked why Matthew doesn't just get a little snip, snip himself. Well... would you trust your ball-sac to the medical system in Chennai? He may get a little more snipped than we bargained for.

Whatever. It's not like I don't have enough to do next week...

A Little Bit of This... A Little Bit of That

Our Consumables shipment weighed in at a WHOPPING 1620 pounds. Holy heavy batman! I was completely caught off guard and couldn't believe that our stuff actually weighed this much (considering I had no idea since they didn't bring along their scale). So I told the moving company that I wouldn't approve the paperwork until I physically saw them weigh the boxes. So guess who schlepped the 45 minutes up to their warehouse last Saturday morning to watch them open up the crate and re-weigh the boxes? And who had the General Manager personally come in on his day off to escort me through the building. And who left a stinky diaper in the ladies bathroom - though that was just an added bonus.

Oh yeah... the boxes really did weigh 1620 pounds. Wowsers.



(Photo taken at the mover's warehouse)

After 88 days, the kids and I checked out of our hotel and moved into my in-laws house. Our government per diem had come to an end and it was time to gather, organize, and cram all of our "stuff" into their home until we head back to Chennai next week.

It has been a frustrating 3 weeks dealing with Matt's incompetent and apathetic HR technician in DC, but late this afternoon I finally received the amended travel orders that added officially Grady as another family member, and authorized him to fly back with the girls and me in business class. Without disclosing the upsetting and inane e-mail exchange I had with WAY too many people in the HR department, I ultimately got fed up and sent an e-mail to the State Department Executive Director detailing my plight. Amazingly, within 20 minutes I received a response from him, and less than 30 minutes later I had my amended orders. While the process is far from finished (of course there's more ridiculous paperwork that has to be completed in order to get Grady's ticket), we're at least one BIG step closer to heading back to Chennai.

Amidst the craziness, I had an opportunity to leave the kiddos with my in-laws and go to dinner with a gaggle of Sorority sisters I probably haven't seen in over 10 years. What a hoot to see them, catch up on the past several years, and reminisce about the good old days.

Left: Photo of us from last night.
Right: Photo taken in 1992 with most of the girlies (courtesy of Facebook)

The Credit Card Melted Just In Time

It's that time of year again folks. When the Perlman's spend a fortune stocking up on every conceivable consumable that we think we may need for the next year. This summer was no exception. After last year's shipment, I thankfully had a much better idea of what we needed, and how long the items would last in our pantry (due to consumption or expiration).

The moving company came today, though not without incident. Shocker, eh? See, the State Department uses a 3rd party carrier who contracts out and organizes the shipments via local moving companies. Unfortunately, with too many cooks in the kitchen, there was a complete lack of communication that led to a handful of issues. While I detailed all my needs with the contracting company, the moving company had their own agenda... that CLEARLY did not gel with mine. Not a great idea to mess with a post partum woman who has little patience for incompetence to begin with...

Not only did the moving company NOT call me yesterday to let me know what time they were going to arrive (I finally called them at 3pm), I was only then told that my request for a morning move would not be honored, and that they'd be there between 12 - 2 pm... which was a problem because I had to pick up the girls from camp). They called me at 10:45 am today and said they were on time and they'd be there around noon .... though they really didn't make it there until 2:55 pm!! The dispatcher didn't call 1/2 hour prior to arrival (or any time for that matter) to let me know the crew were on their way. When they DID arrive the crew told me that they didn't have my phone number to let me know they were running late. AND they forgot the most important item for the pack-out... the scale.

Our weight limits are a little different this year than last year. With our newborn munchkin, we are allotted 250 pounds to send via UAB (air shipment), and approximately 1800 pounds to send via sea freight (though we don't want to use it all up because we'll need the remaining weight for next summer's shipment). Obviously a scale is rather important with our air shipment because if we go over the 250 pounds, it costs us $4.72 PER additional pound. So, I spent a lot of time guesstimating how much everything weighed. I sorted out the air shipment into piles of "needs to get there immediately" vs. "would be nice to be sent via air shipment rather than schlepping on the airplane". But all the planning and organizing went out the window when I was told they couldn't weigh my stuff right there. Ummm... I lost it.

Without boring you with the details of my stern, yet calm phone call to the contracting company and then the moving company, let's just say that any additional air shipment weight will be paid for by the moving company. End of story.

The pack-out took just under two hours today, with three guys there to wrap up all the stuff. When they started working they were really quite efficient. In all, I shipped 16 boxes via air and 30 boxes of consumables.

Tomorrow I'll find out the weight of everything we shipped, and if you're interested in knowing what we shipped this year compared to last year, let me know and I'll do another list.

Here's a photo from today. Here's the link to see the photo from last year...

Left: Consumables, toiletries, paper products. Right: Baby stuff for the layette shipment

Ahhhh... the good stuff!

Left: The Air shipment. Right: The Consumables Shipment

The Price Of Sanity ... $592

TGFMC ... otherwise known as Thank Goodness For Mini Camp ... starts tomorrow at the JCC.

I enrolled both girls for the 3/4 day mini camp program this week, which gives me exactly 6 1/2 hours each day to get as much done before I'm back to schlepping around three kids instead of just one. See, in my quest to hemorrhage as much money as possible this summer, sanity presented itself for the low, low price of $266 per week / per child for camp. And I bought it. Along with lunch for $6 per day / per child. Which I bought as well. It's all about the convenience. Isn't kid-free shopping worth almost any amount of money?

This weekend the girls were troopers as I dragged them to two different Trader Joe's stores, Starbucks (a given), Ikea, and Babies 'R Us. I was so frantic to get everything done that by the time we got into our last store, I didn't care that they were singing on the top of their lungs the All American Rejects song "Give You Hell" ... with the correct lyrics! Whatevah!

Monday I'll be spending a majority of my morning finalizing the organization of our layette and consumables shipment that will be packed up and moved out on Tuesday. I need to finish sealing up all the liquids in Ziploc bags that may potentially leak and ruin other items in the box, which happened last year with my Swiffer Wet packages. I don't want a repeat performance this year!

By Tuesday afternoon I'll feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. While I could have shopped when I first arrived and shipped the consumables out much earlier, we decided to wait towards the end of our visit to ensure that we bought most everything we needed to survive the next year. We also knew that it would take approximately three weeks to receive our layette shipment in India, and that we'd want it to arrive there around the same time we did. This way we weren't waiting for the necessities (like the stroller, more formula, diapers, clothes, etc) on the other side, nor were we inconvenienced too badly when we shipped out stuff we were using here (like the bouncy seat and bath tub). And let's be honest - who wants the movers to come twice?

While I continue my shopping excursions, deal with the movers, and go to three separate doctor's appointments later this week, the girls will be having a blast at Gymnastics and Cheer camp. They'll enjoy being with other kids learning cheers, tumbling, swimming, and burning off excess energy. Which means they won't be shopping with me.

Though sanity may be highly overpriced, it certainly isn't over rated.

So Long Daddy... See You In A Few Weeks!

Matt arrived back in India today after traveling a grueling 29 hours. I dropped him off at the airport yesterday around 6 am, and after two layovers and three plane changes, he made it to Chennai safe and sound... with a 14 pound Butterball Turkey for Thanksgiving, and 6 pounds of sausage in his bag.

It's hard to believe that the last 5 1/2 weeks passed so quickly. So much happened during his trip here... We had a baby. He had 2 gum surgeries. He got sick... twice. We schlepped around buying everything, including the kitchen sink, for our consumables and layette shipment. He became Mr. Mom... and did a great job.

This definitely wasn't a vacation for Matt. He had little time to himself and had to pick up exactly where I left off. He had to step in and completely take care of the girls... including everything school related, after school related, and all the schlepping in between. He made breakfast, he made lunches, he picked out school clothes, and he did hair do's (and many times hair don'ts). He was amazing. And most importantly, he now has a greater appreciation for me and everything I do for the kids and family.

Of course now that Matt is gone I am left here by myself with the 3 kidlets. Yikes. Our first night alone was just OK... with only a few minor meltdowns. We managed to do baths, dinner, and bedtime in a relatively timely manner, followed up this morning with the daily routine and getting Riley to her last day of school with a few minutes to spare (which hasn't always happened...).

We have a little shy of 3 weeks left before we head back to India to join him. There's so much to do and so little time. The girls have mini camp at the JCC next week. I have our big consumables and layette pack-out and shipment. We have a wedding in Indianapolis.

Wish me luck these next few weeks that I make it through each day with some semblance of sanity - and a bottle of wine always available.

Father's Day Came Early This Year

My in-laws threw an early Father's Day bash last Sunday since Matt isn't going to be with us next Sunday to share in the festivities. This is the second year in a row that we've celebrated early, although this time my dad flew down from northern California to join us.

The weather had been horrible all week. Luckily, last Sunday was a spectacular day. The kids enjoyed the sand and sun at the beach, while the rest of the adults hung out at the house, passed Grady around, and noshed on all the homemade goodies.

Here are a few photos from the day:

Left: The girls with their cousins Justin and Andrew

Right: Four Generations of Perlmans ...

The kids with my dad

Grady and my dad comparing their hairlines... or lack thereof!

I'll Take Colic With A Side Of Reflux Please

It's not for me, it's for my son. And neither of us really asked for it, though he got it (and I'm dealing with it) nonetheless. For the past few weeks, little baby Gray has been fussing uncontrollably every single night from around 6 pm - 8:30 pm. It's not horrible, but it isn't fun either. At first we thought it may be his food ... or gas ... or both. But after paying closer attention to his demeanor, what sets him off, and how long it lasts, we realized that it wasn't anything that we were doing. It's just him. Thankfully he's somewhat consolable, and will calm down if he's picked up and rocked... it's just not realistic to be carrying him around all evening.

We've never had a colicky baby. Nor have we dealt with one who had reflux. But we hit the jackpot and got a two'fer. So not only is Grady fussy in the evenings before bedtime, but he also has reflux which keep him sniffling, snorting, and wheezing all night long. Apparently, the gases from his stomach go up into his nasal cavity, burn the back of his throat, and cause the congestion. Poor baby. We're trying the non-medicated route first where we are elevating his crib and keeping him propped up as much as possible during the evening so he doesn't accumulate gasses. However, if it doesn't show significant improvement we will probably put him on Zantac.

Last Friday we went to the pediatrician for Grady's 4 week appointment to complete the State Department's medical clearance. At one month old he is 9 lbs 10 oz and 22 inches. After giving him a once-over, the doctor filled out all of the paperwork, and agreed that he is healthy enough to accompany us overseas. Perfect timing as he now has his passport. Woo hoo! Now we just need to get his Indian Visa. If only it were that easy....

It's My Birthday and I'll Vacuum Seal Sugar and Flour If I Want To...

Well actually my birthday was yesterday, but as it's just a day that now puts me closer to 40 than to 30, we're not making a huge deal of it, OK? I spent most of the afternoon organizing our consumables shipment... separating out the food items from the cleaning supplies. We don't want the movers to pack them all in the same boxes (which they did last year and ruined several items). Now I don't care if they want to box up the toilet paper or paper towels with the snicky snack foods, but packing up soap items with chips is a horrible idea. As we know from previous experience, soap tasting chips are NOT that yummy. Blech! I also stole a fabulous idea from a friend in Chennai (hi Edith!) and after purchasing 50 pounds of flour and 40 pounds of sugar, I individually vacuum sealed each bag. Vacuum sealing serves two purposes... to keep them somewhat fresh, and to protect them from the bugs.

Many of you have asked me how much we spend on consumables each year. While we do buy in bulk and try to save as much money as we can, items like medication, alcohol, and now baby items are very pricey (one week of formula alone is $23 a can). We hit the $3000 mark last week, and we still have several items to purchase.... holy expensive batman!

Matt's closest childhood friend Dave was here visiting on Friday and Saturday, so he spent the weekend catching up on the past 6 years since we last saw him and his family. It was great seeing him again and look forward to getting the families (along with Matt's other Stamford friends) together sometime next summer. Hint-Hint!!

Things That Make You Say "Oye Vay"

After a super fun weekend with our friends (which was action packed with multiple park trips, the swap meet, and the beach), we're rushing around again... hoping that we can get everything accomplished before Matt heads back to India in two short weeks.

There's a heck of a lot that needs to be done in order to get Grady cleared to travel back to Chennai with us in mid-July. Such as... getting our orders amended to add a layette shipment (which allows us to ship 250 pounds of baby stuff to India on the U.S. Government's dime), getting his medical clearance, his Diplomatic Passport, his Indian Visa, and officially adding him on Matt's orders, which one would think would be easy... though they'd be very, very wrong. Once the above is taken care of, we can take the final steps to get Grady's airline ticket, which will be at the last possible minute. Oye Vay!

In addition to Grady's never ending paperwork, Matt and I have also been shopping 'til we drop for our consumables shipment. We've spent several hours each day in Target, Smart & Final, Pavilions, and Costco... and we STILL need to go to Trader Joe's and make another run or two to Costco. Our pocket book is not happy with us and our purchases have even set off an "fraud alarm" within our credit card company... which you KNOW thrilled me to no end when our card was denied twice due to suspicious activity. Give me another Oye Vay!

On Monday I had an appointment with a new endocrinologist who both my OB and my Hematologist recommended. I wanted to switch over from the thyroid medication I first got in Israel to one they use here in the States. My appointment was at 11 am. I got there ten minutes early to fill out all the new patient paperwork. Then I waited. And waited. And waited some more. At 12:30 pm, I was finally called back into the exam room. As I made my way from the waiting room into the "other side" I thankfully asked THE tell tale question, "How long before the doctor sees me?" The answer? Somewhere between 20 - 30 minutes. I lost it. I grabbed my day planner and my medical files, walked up to the receptionist and told her I was leaving. However, I wasn't greeted with a very kind response. In fact, she was quick to bark at me and let me know that the doctor cares so much for her patients that she gives them all the time they need... and they forewarned me that she often runs behind. I could understand a thirty minute wait, and maybe go as far as 45 minutes. But 2 hours? I didn't even wait for her to check her appointment book, but rather I asked her to please call me when she could find a day when I would be the doctor's FIRST patient. I guess I shouldn't be very surprised that 3 days later I still haven't heard from them. Don't leave me hanging on the Oye Vay!

The worst part of the week was yesterday when Matt went back to the periodontist to have another gum grafting surgery on a tooth that just didn't take. This is his 4th surgery in the last 2 years. Let's hope this one takes because he's DONE! Oh yeah... Matt deserves a DOUBLE Oye Vay here!

On a much lighter note... here are a few photos from the weekend!

At the park. Grady was obviously a bit over bundled!

Before and after photos at the beach.
On the left the girls were dry... on the right is when they decided to play in the ocean
with all their clothes on!

The Gang

Another family portrait

Wishes Really DO Come True...

When Grady was born the girls received their first gift from Matt's cousin Ellen. They were silver wish necklaces. With directions stating that a wish should be made when putting on the necklaces, and they would fall off when their wish came true.

So my jewelry loving daughter Riley ripped open the bag, immediately put on her necklace, and told us her wish... that her friends would come and visit her here in California. She must have named 10 kids who she wanted to visit. Kids from her class in India. Kids from her class in Israel. She made lists.

But she always narrowed it down to two friends. The two friends she's known since she was nine months old.




When Riley got home from school yesterday I asked her if she wanted to put on her wish necklace (I normally don't let her wear any jewelry to school). Of course she did. And she told me her wish again too ... which she let me video tape.

So imagine her absolute surprise when about 20 minutes later the doorbell at our hotel rang... and the girlies waiting on the other side of the door were none other than her closest girlfriends ... Gabby and Kit. From Maryland. She was shell shocked and couldn't speak. She got teary eyed, she hugged her friends, she grinned from ear to ear.

Christine and I had been trying to figure out a way to get together while we were still here in California, but nothing seemed to be coming together. Until last Wednesday, when she came across inexpensive airline tickets, and within a few hours had bought the tickets, made reservations, and had booked her whirlwind 3 day trip out here to see us and get the girls together.

It was an AWESOME surprise, and we're so thankful they're here to spend the weekend. Gotta go now - the park is calling us!

Here We Go Again...

It's that time of year again... the never ending shopping sprees for our consumables shipment. Last year we sent approximately 1900 pounds to Chennai and we still have a fair amount of the basics left over. So this year we're only shipping around 900 pounds.

Today we went to Costco and WAY over-filled two carts, though I'm sure we'll be back there at least two or three more times before our pack-out.

Next stop... Smart & Final... and Pavillions... and Trader Joe's... and Target...

Snip, Snip ~ Let's Eat

Last Friday we celebrated Grady's first right of passage as a Jewish male ... the Brit Milah ... also known as a Bris or covenant of circumcision. The Bris is a religious ceremony within Judaism to welcome Jewish infant boys into a covenant between G-d and the Children of Israel on the eighth day of the child's life. The Bris is generally done by a Mohel or circumciser (unless the father chooses to do it... which was NOT happening in our case), and the one we chose for Grady was also a local pediatric urologist.

The Bris consists of both the circumcision and the baby naming, and thankfully the first part went rather quickly and without too much trauma to either Grady or myself. I couldn't watch the procedure, though Matt and other relatives did. It was over within two minutes, and after bandaging him and feeding him a few extra sips of Manishevitz, Grady was re-diapered and given back to me to comfort.

Traditionally Ashkenazi Jews have the custom of naming after the deceased. The immortalization of a close family member or friend is a beautiful tradition. Grady's Hebrew name is Yacov Mordecai. He was named after both of his paternal grandfathers.

As with all Jewish celebrations, they are immediately followed by a feast of mass proportions... and this one was no different. We spent the rest of the day eating the endless trays of catered food ordered for our simcha. We schmoozed with family and friends and celebrated Grady's big day.

As a side note... the worst part of the circumcision was changing the dressing the next day. Oh boy, I think I whimpered as much as Grady did. Thankfully all is well and he's healing perfectly.

Left: Tools for the Bris ... Right: Just before the procedure

Left: The Mohel performing the Bris ... Right: Our first family photo

Now Presenting... Grady Shaw Perlman

He was a long time coming, but oh-so worth the wait! It wasn't an easy road to get here, nor was it an easy pregnancy. But at 8:13 pm last Thursday night when I heard that high pitched shrill, and heard the doctor say, "It's a Boy!", I knew that all was right in our world.

On Thursday, May 14th, I was scheduled to go in to the hospital for my induction at 7 am. However, when I called at 6 am see if they had a bed available, they were busy with too many active labors, and asked me to call back in a few hours. As I was off all of my medication and had a short window to work with, the hospital (after receiving a stern call from my OB) realized that I needed to be there, quickly called me back and asked me to come in.

When I got to the hospital, I was whisked into a Labor & Delivery room, asked an hours worth of questions, had blood drawn, given an IV, Pitocin to start contractions, and settled into my bed. Unfortunately, all of the OB/Gyn's had gone back to their offices and I had to wait for one to come back in order for one of them to break my water. So I waited... and waited... and waited... while watching TV with Matt and staring at the gorgeous view of the harbor and the Pacific Ocean from my room. Around 12:30 pm, my doctor came to see me, checked my progress, and broke my water. After 3+ hours on Pitocin, I was still only 1 cm dilated, and not showing any signs of moving into active labor.

Three hours later, and now in enough pain to get my epidural, I was checked again and only at 2 cm. Lucky for me, my platelets had a smidgen of benefit from the WinRho infusion and had spiked just enough to get the epidural without needing the transfusion. Thank goodness!

By 6 pm, I was only at 2.5 cm. I was starting to get anxious that we weren't going to see a baby until the next day, so I encouraged Matt to get out of the hospital room and go down the street to his parent's house where he could have dinner with them and the girls. The nurse discouraged him from going, telling him that my body was going to start moving things along, and once it did, it was going to be a quick delivery. It sure didn't seem like anything was quick up until this point.

The nurses had their shift change at 7 pm, when our nurse did one final check and told me that I was between 3.5 - 4 cm and was about in active labor. Now we're getting somewhere.

Less than 45 minutes later our new nurse came back in to check me and shockingly enough, I was now fully dilated and the baby was ready to come out. I was asked to do one push, when the nurse immediately told me to stop and hold on. The doctor was paged, called, and paged again. Within minutes, what seemed like the slowest of days was suddenly moving at lightening speeds and my room was changed over from a labor room to a delivery room.

The doctor walked into the room at 8:08 pm, scrubbed up, put on his gown, his mask, and barely had his gloves on before the nurse had me starting to push. One long push and the the head was out. I was then told to slow down because the baby was coming out too fast. One slow push and the cord, which was wrapped around his hand was quickly unwrapped, and the rest of his body was slowly pulled out. At 8:13 pm, "It's a Boy" was all I heard, followed by the beautiful sounds of a newborn baby. I looked over and Matt was alternating between smiling from ear to ear and wiping away tears. I think I was just in shock that the 38 weeks and 4 days of growing this little munchkin were finally over, and the new stage of our lives was about to begin.

The baby was cleaned up, weighed, measured, checked out, and then passed back to me. I didn't even take the time to inspect him, I just held tight and didn't let go. Matt made the phone calls to the girls, his parents, and mine. We were both choked up when he told everyone he now had a son.

The rest of the night was a whirlwind. They unhooked my epidural, cleaned me up, and brought me a sandwich before moving me over into my post partum room around 10 pm. Once settled in, Matt left the hospital to go home and get a good night's sleep. Thankfully one of us got one.

My stay at the hospital was quick, and fairly uneventful. We had several visitors on Friday including both of our parents, the girls, and my aunt and uncle. What a hoot it was to see the girls faces when they first met their little brother. We left the hospital by lunchtime on Saturday, which was not a minute too soon! While the nurses on the labor and delivery side were fantastic, I could go on a tirade about some of the nurses in the post partum side. I'll refrain as it would only frustrate me.

Now we're home. Adjusting to life with three kids. And boy parts. And sleepless nights. And feedings. And it's awesome. And oh-so worth the wait!

BTW - I returned home to over 175 comments and e-mails... and obviously can't get back to anyone right now. Please consider this my sincerest thank-you to all who sent us great wishes and wonderful notes.

Now come take a peek at our newest addition. Our swan song. Our son...

Late Night Addition - Take 2

This is Jill's Dad. She's having internet access trouble at the hospital but wanted to update her public with the vitals.

Without further ado

Let me introduce...



Their SON

Grady Shaw Perlman

Born at 8:13 PM

Weighing in at 7 lbs. 7 oz. and measuring 20 inches

He's practically perfect in every way!

Details and photos to follow on Saturday.

Late Night Addition

The Post Where I Show You My Stomach...

So if you don't like viewing pregnant, large, bare bellies, you may want to delete this before it burns holes in your eyes.

Here are the final photos I took of my ever growing belly. In total I've gained 32 pounds in 38 weeks 3 days. I'm hoping to leave the hospital at least 15 + pounds lighter... though I'll gladly take 20!

Eleven hours and counting!

Less Than 36 Hours Left...

before I head to the hospital to have baby Perlman. Oh we're so excited!

I had my last non-stress test and doctor's appointment on Monday, where we confirmed that the baby is still head down, though nowhere near dropping. We've been warned that Thursday will probably be a very long day. We asked my OB a lot of questions, and were given a plethora of instructions. We're ready... we're definitely ready.

Today I had my last blood test at the hematologist's, where I found out that the WinRho Infusion did not work. In fact, my platelets are even lower than they were on Friday. Darn It!! So, we now proceed with plan #2 and go into the hospital with the knowledge that I'll be doing a platelet infusion whenever I'm ready for the epidural.

Aside from the baby news, the girls are still reeling in the excitement of daddy being home. They've been introducing him to anyone who will listen, have enjoyed showing him everything they've been doing, and are just plain giddy to have him drop them off at school and pick them up at the JCC in the afternoon.

As for Matthew, he's doing okay with the time change now after not sleeping so well the first night. He also arrived with a horrible stomach bug that has plagued him for the past 2.5 days. All the help I thought I was going to be receiving somewhat went out the window, as I've been taking care of 3 people instead of 2. He's starting to improve, though not as quickly as either of us would like.

To add insult to injury, Matt has his final gum surgery tomorrow. He is not looking forward to it.

We have a busy last day tomorrow, so you probably won't hear from me. However, I understand that the hospital has Wi Fi, so we'll be in touch as soon as we can.

Until then...

Guess Who Made It To Dinner

Well lunch actually....

Matt arrived safe and sound (albeit tired and sticky) around 1 pm today from Chennai. The girls were so excited to see him that they immediately jumped into his arms and attached themselves to him with glue .... which they haven't undone the entire day. They filled him in on every single thing they've done since their arrival 6 weeks ago, despite the fact that they've talked to him every single morning before school. They are obviously over the moon that he is finally here.

We had a yummy lunch at In-N-Out, where Matt keenly observed the cleanliness of the restaurant, the parking lot, and even the bathrooms. I think he's in culture shock. Then when we sat down at the table he asked me to pass him the Purell. It just may take him a few days to get used to being back in the States.

We're all thrilled that Matt is with us for the next 6 weeks. Let the vacation begin!

What a GREAT Mother's Day Gift For Me!!

TMI From A 4 Year Old...

On Friday, I attended the Mother's Day event at Sheridan's preschool. The kids gave the moms tons of "gifts"... roses, cards, necklaces, and these beautiful posters that are all about their families. On the front of the poster is a family portrait and an answer to the question, "What do you like to do with your parents?" On the back is a small questionnaire that was asked to the kids and filled in by the teachers. How they kept a straight face while filling these in is beyond me.

My favorite? Question #4 ... because we RARELY watch TV...