Thats my boy!

Everyone loves a baby, and especially a cute little boy.  Who can resist those beautiful blue eyes and that bald head? He's already a chick magnet, thank you son!! As most of you are aware, we are staying at the VITS hotel, and included with our 1 bedroom suite is a full buffet breakfast and also a full buffet supper.  If the 3 of us are not out on the town enjoying what Mumbai has to offer, we head down to the buffet for supper.  Tonight during supper, we had the opportunity to meet 2 beautiful young women who are from the Republic of Georgia, and are both in Medical Tourism.  They are aware of surrogacy and were fascinated with the ups and downs of our journey to have Blaze. They each had to have a turn at holding our precious little bundle of joy and marveled at how his features look just like his Dad.

As our son reaches 12 days old, we see him growing and changing each day, he is awesome in each and every way.  Rhonda and I often just sit and look at him as he sleeps and think how truly blessed we are.  Our journey hasn't always been a smooth road, as we know first hand the devastating feelings that a negative causes, and now looking back that seems so long ago.  But if we can offer any advice, it would be to never, never, never, give up.  It will happen!!

Tomorrow is a big day for our Blaze, he returns once again to the place of his birth, Hiranadani hospital.  He is having his circumcision surgery at 3 pm, which will be performed by a very highly recommended pediatric surgeon, Dr. Nanavati.  We are a little nervous for our little guy, but know that he is in great hands, and Dr. Yash and Dr. Sudhir will be there as well with us for support.

The onsie says it all!!!

We The People....

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

excerpt from the Declaration of Independence

As my beautiful wife Rhonda promised, I am going to try and paint a picture of what it was like for us to take our son Blaze to the US Consulate to receive his citizenship and passport. This is an all important and momentous time in the life of your child, and it's grandeur is a bit lost in the myriad of things that are required to do in order to get your child home. This almost gets to become just another checkoff on your list, but if you can, take just a moment to savor what it all means. Many, many lives have been laid down over time, so that we can enjoy our freedoms and the rights that come with that great honor, of being a United States Citizen.

I guess I will start from the beginning. In our particular case, we were told by Dr. Yash and Dr. Soni when we should arrive in Mumbai for the birth since it was their intention to remove KT's cervical stitch and then either allow her to go into labor naturally or to induce her, but bottom line was that we had a date that our child was to be born on. So with this, I called the US Consulate in Mumbai and spoke with Rachel Crawford, of the Citizen Services Unit, who has taken over from Marissa, whom others that have come before us are surely familiar with.

Her contact number from the US is 001 91 22 23633611, ext 4237. To call from Mumbai it would be 022 23633611. The Citizen Services Unit number is ext 4306.

I explained to her our situation, that we were having a child born in Mumbai via surrogacy and that I would like to schedule an appointment for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA). I told her the approximate date of birth and was able to get an appointment at the end of the same week. The Consulate only has availability for CRBA appointments from 9 am to 12 pm, Monday to Thursday. And don't forget that it is closed during US holidays and some Indian holidays. A couple we know recently had to wait over a month and a half for an appointment, so that is the reason, if at all possible to get an appointment early. You don't want to wait that long!!! This may take some coordination with the Docs, and in the end you may not be able to know when the child will be born, but in that case, once your child arrives, call for an appointment ASAP.

So once you are given an appointment, the American Citizen Services Unit emails you a letter explaining the process and what documents are required. It also gives you the links to the various forms that need to be completed. Most of the information on the forms can be completed prior to the birth, and then once the sex of your child is known (and the all important name that you have been keeping a secret for so long!) and the date and time of birth as well, can all then be filled in the appropriate spots. Ensure that the date in the top right corner of each of the forms is still valid. The link to the passport form the Consulate sent me, had the form expired, but luckily the forms are available online.

So we were given a Thursday, 9 am appointment. Luckily for us it was the last day of the Ganesh Festival and the final immersions, so traffic at that hour of the morning was relatively light. But ensure that you plan ahead, you definitely don't want to be late and miss your appointment. The Consulate is in Breech Candy area in South Mumbai and very easy to get to, again ensure your driver knows exactly where to go. The building in itself is very unassuming and blends in with the other surrounding buildings. Space is at a premium in Mumbai, so it is not a stand alone structure that I definitely expected.

We arrived in plenty of time. There is no parking in front of the consulate on either side of the road, but luckily our taxi driver Hassan, found an open spot right next to the consulate in front of a few small shops. Since it was raining, and raining heavily I might add!, I went over to find out where the entrance was. There was a very long lineup of people waiting outside, and I hoped in my mind that this wasn't our line. I spoke with one of the Consulate security guards, they wear light blue uniforms that are very close to my air force uniform. He spoke English very well and directed me to the door just down from the one with the long lineup. I proceeded to that door and it is an entrance where you enter and come to a window with another of the Consulate security guards. I spoke with him and explained that I had an appointment for 9 am. I was instructed that they begin to allow people in at 845 am. Awesome, I was in the right place, and given a time that we could go in. I went back to our taxi and told Rhonda what I had found out. When it was time to head over to the Consulate, Hassan had an umbrella waiting for us, how nice was that. So a word to the wise, if you are in Mumbai during the Monsoon season, bring an umbrella, we didn't!

Once in front of the window, you hand them your passports and they fill in a small white slip of paper that they hand you back after reviewing your passports. The slip is then given to another security guard who opens the door to allow you into a screening area. No electronics are allowed, so we had to give up our cell phone which was logged onto that small piece of paper and he then placed the cell phone in a cabinet and locked it. Just like at the airport, everything out of your pockets, and our baby bag and bags containing our files was xray'd. We had 3 small baby bottles prefilled with water for feeding and they didn't have us remove them. Others have said that they weren't allowed to bring in any liquids, so be prepared. I think though that you will be safe with the small amounts that are in the baby bottles if you chose to follow our lead, your choice.

Now was the fun part, you pass through a large metal turnstile and then have to go from this building, across a courtyard to the main building, did I mention that now it was really, really, raining? Rhonda and Blaze took the umbrella, and I just ran trying to avoid getting totally soaked. We made it!! In through 2 big glass windowed wooden doors we went, through another metal detector and hand in that small piece of paper to the person sitting at the desk. They take it and you are directed to a small room on the right. As you enter this small, plain looking (DMVish looking room) there are rows of chairs and we went right up to the front row and sat down.

Deep breath! I make sure that all of my paperwork that I have brought with me is still intact. And we wait. There are 2 windows at the front of the room, just in front of where we are, and 2 women sitting at desks just behind them. to our surprise, the one lady called me up, early!! Wow, I like this place already. I told her that I had an appointment with Rachel for a CRBA. She then asked for my documents.

All originals are required, which they copy and return. She asked for: Doctors letter from the clinic, Marriage Certificate, Divorce Certificate if applicable, Baby's Birth Certificate, completed CRBA Application (if both parents are US Citizens, section 12, Precise Periods of Physical Presence in the United States can be left blank), completed Passport Application (photos can be taken at the Consulate for a fee of RS 200, and are ready in 10 minutes) we chose to do this, and you get 3, 2x2 photos, 1 for the Passport Application and 2 for the FFRO, completed Social Security Application, Surrogate Agreement (and 2 copies which we made beforehand to save time).

She took all of these documents and then collected the fee. You can pay in either Rupees or US dollars, but if paying in dollars you must have exact change. The total for us was RS 7500 or $150.00. If you use the in-house photographer, they will bring you the photos once they are printed and remember to save RS 200 to pay him. One photo is then given to the woman for your Passport application. You then take a seat and wait for your documents to be reviewed.

After a brief wait, a younger woman came to the window with all of our documents and introduced herself, we finally got to meet Rachel. She is a very nice lady and very eager to learn all about surrogacy. As a side note, something I am quite proud of, the US Consulate has requested and set up a meeting with Dr. Yash and Dr. Sudhir and will visit the SI clinic, Hiranandani hospital and as well Lilaviti hospital. They want to see the entire process of surrogacy from start to finish, since it is becoming so popular in India for American couples. This is quite an honor for SI, since the only other clinic in Mumbai to do this was Rotunda. Now back to where I was. Rachel then asked to see the paperwork from Rhonda's stimulation, EPU, Transfers, Medical Tests, Sperm Freezing and Testing and also the Surrogates Medical Tests (which SI ensures are downloaded to the Internet for each IP). Luckily I am very meticulous about all of this and had everything in order. I guess that's my military training kicking in, or is it just being a bit anal? Rhonda don't answer that!

Rachel then flipped through the stack of documents and asked us questions concerning the process. She was not asking questions in a dis-believing manner, but to truly understand surrogacy. She asked questions like 'what is the name of your surrogate?", "how did you find the clinic?" , "tell me a bit about the process", "how did you pick your surrogate?", "did you know if you were having a boy or a girl?" and she even looked at the dates of transfer and the corresponding Beta numbers to see if they went together. She even took the time to look at Blaze. All in all, she really liked the paper trail that we had created, which laid out the pregnancy from the start to the finish. So definitely keep copies of everything relating to the pregnancy including the medical reports from the Stimulation, EPU and Transfer. The more prepared that you are ahead of time, the faster you will get completed.

After she was satisfied with all of our submitted paperwork, she stamped and signed them and then had us both raise our right hands and swear that all of the information given was correct. And with that, Blaze Xennon Wile was a United States Citizen, YAY!!!

Since we did not need an Emergency Passport, and yes if you request it, you need to have a good reason, not just because you want to leave to go home early. Blaze's passport will be ready in 5 days which will be Tuesday morning. Monday is a holiday in the US, it's Labor Day so the Consulate is closed or we could have had his passport then, but Tuesday will do. We know when we are leaving to go home, we don't want to rush out of here just yet and don't plan on leaving any earlier. In order to pick up the passport, you do not all have to go in, just one of you will suffice. I will just need to call at 830 am to ensure that it is ready and then go down to the Consulate, show them the receipt that I received after payment and his passport is all mine, process complete.

At the same time that you pick up your child's passport, the Citizen Services Unit will also give you a letter that is required to be taken to the FFRO when you go to get your child's exit visa, which is another hurdle that everyone in this journey faces. We had the opportunity to meet Peter, who is a US Citizen living in Singapore. He just went to the FFRO and in a few short hours he had the exit visa with relatively little headaches. He passed on what he did during that process and I will do the same when I go through it this week. The Consulate recommends that you go to the FFRO as soon as you get your child's passport, to ensure that there are no hang-ups, which only makes sense.

So I am hoping that this lengthy post (sorry) will be possibly of some assistance to you. That truly was Rhonda and my goal throughout this whole journey, to be able to help others and to have others help us as well. I am also planning on an upcoming blog entry, a review of the good, the bad and the ugly of baby stuff that we have bought, brought, or forgot. Please stay tuned for that one.

And now some random pictures of cuteness brought to you by Blaze Xennon...

He was too cute to resist...

Time flies when you're having fun...

So much happens on a daily basis its hard to wrap our heads around it all. We have a whole weeks worth of catching up to do. So we better get started...

Blaze continues to amaze us on a daily basis. There is very little he doesn't like. At the top of that list would be injections and then a close, second might be gas. He is such a wonderful child, and we tell ourselves everyday, we hope that he continues with such a good temperament like this and just how very lucky we are to have such a 'great' baby.

Last Sunday was his first day out on the town. Just one day after his discharge from the hospital. We headed from the hotel back to Hiranandani (where Blaze got his final injection of antibiotic) and then to Lilavati hospital to pick up Dr. Yash who was finishing up for the day after an embryo transfer.

"Not another injection?!"

Once we arrived, we headed straight up to the second floor to surprise Dr. Pai (the doctor who did Blaze's embryo transfer). He was so happy to see us and couldn't believe his eyes. We told him we had a small gift of appreciation for him that we brought from the U.S and he looked at Blaze and said, 'This is gift enough.'

The five of us headed out for lunch in South Mumbai, Blaze in his Eddie Bauer sling was a huge hit. It appears he's a hit wherever we go. No one it seems is used to seeing a baby that young out and about on the streets. As usual Blaze didn't make a peep through the entire lunch.

With it being a joyous time of celebration, we had again been invited to a Ganpati celebration. This time to Amit's (SI lawyer). During the celebrations, we learned while the Ganpati is at home the family leaves their door open for anyone to come in and visit. It usually means a steady stream of traffic, which we quickly learned after visiting Dr. Soni's and now Amit's home. No one is a stranger, all are welcome. It was so nice to see all the beautiful Ganpati's and how happy and welcoming people are to have so many people parade through their homes. Prior to leaving, Amit's father gives us a coin with a Ganesha on it to commemorate the day with Blaze.

Blaze loves the car. He sleeps through the entire ride usually, which is still amazing to us since the roads in Mumbai, especially this time of year during the monsoons are not too kind to vehicles with potholes and loads of bumps. He just bounces along and doesn't skip a beat. Daddy holds on tight to him and all of the SI drivers are extra careful.

His first day out on the town was a long one and Mommy and Daddy were tuckered out, but Blaze was again a trooper and just enjoyed the whole day.

Monday we spent just relaxing at the hotel, catching up on emails and blog postings and just enjoying time with our son. We headed down for breakfast and (we learned a new trick from Dr. Yash the day before) since we don't have a carrier for Blaze like we would in the US, Daddy lies him on his lap and that way he has both hands to eat.

Not that our meals are ever without interruption from staff and strangers wanting to see, hold and ask questions about Blaze. Our many friends at the VITS hotel visit all 3 of us every morning to see how Blaze is doing.

This particular morning as we were finishing up, one of the waiters brought over a piece of cake with a candle and all the staff stood around and they clapped and played a 'Congratulations song'. It was so nice. Just one of the many reasons why we love staying at the VITS.

While we sat at breakfast that morning the music played overhead and much to our surprise 'our song' (From this Moment by Shania Twain) came on. It seemed so fitting for the moment and both Gerry and I had tears in our eyes as we looked down at our precious Angel in our arms.

Blaze changes so much each day. His hair is growing longer and his nails need to be filed almost every other day. He is getting SO strong. He pushes with his little legs against our chests, he lifts his head right off Gerry's shoulder when he is burping and already is turning side to side on his own. His eyes and ears seem to be great too. He follows the lights and sounds of his Baby Einstein toy curiously as it plays and lights up.

He makes us laugh all the time. When we unwrap him from his snugly to feed him, he grunts and stretches like an old man waking up in the morning. He makes SO many funny faces. He is quite the character.

I have officially nicknamed Blaze, 'Mommy's little monkey.' His legs and arms are long and his fingers and toes are long too. He is just SO darn cute...I can't get enough of him.

He is now on a 2 to 4 hour feeding schedule. Usually falling somewhere around the 3 hour mark and is eating up to 90 mls. Gripe Water has been a BIG help for his frequent hiccups and gas problems. But once he burps and gets it all out of his system from one end or the other, he sleeps right through till his next feeding.

Everyone comments how much he looks like Gerry. They look at Blaze and then at Gerry and say, 'same.'

Going out with Blaze is like being with a star. I thought our white skin and my blond highlights got a lot of stares, but there is no comparison. People everywhere stop in their tracks to stare at the little bundle we carry about. They always want to know how old he is and there eyes get really wide when we tell them he is only just a few days old.

He has now been to many restaurants and cafes, shopping for souvenirs, the photo shop, grocery store and I am sure I am missing a few other places too. He will certainly be a well traveled baby, and not a stranger for future baby sitters I am sure.

We had some last minute forms and our birth certificate to pick up, (The same 'rude' nurse from Hiranandani NICU, helped me to fill out the big book for the birth certificate, only to find out that there were SO many missed areas and mistakes, the SI Docs had to jump through hoops to get it all straightened out...a mere coincidence...I wonder?!) so Blaze made his first visit to the SI clinic on Wednesday. All the SI staff were so excited to see him. He got passed around for feedings and pictures and we barely saw him the whole day.

Jaya and Blaze

Ravi and Blaze

Auntie, Gopa and Blaze

Dr. Sudhir's home is just a stones throw away and so we went for a short visit there as well. We had met his family our last visit to Mumbai and it only seemed fitting now, to come back with the newest addition to our family. Dr. Sudhir's Mom didn't stop smiling the whole time. She held Blaze and rocked him and talked to him the entire time beaming with delight.

Much to our surprise as we were leaving, they presented us with a gold chain as a gift to Blaze. We were both so touched at their thoughtfulness.

KT who had been resting at home since her discharge from the hospital, met up with us at the SI clinic with her family so we could say our final good-byes and give them the small gifts we had brought from the US. We had really taken the time our last visit to try and get to know the entire family so we could get stuff that each of them might like. KT looked beautiful in her dark red and gold sari. She said she felt good and was happy to be home with her family. Her boys just smiled with joy at all the little Power Ranger and Marvel Hero toys, hats, t-shirts and candy. They all got a good laugh over the Power Ranger under pants.

We got J a few shirts with USA stuff on them and for KT, we bought some make-up sets for her and her sisters, a purse, some earrings and of course her leopard print throw that she asked us if we could find for her. Such small, insignificant gifts compared to the gift she has given us. It was a bitter sweet good-bye. KT kept giving us both hugs and smiling and saying, 'bye.' She grabbed my hand and didn't want to let go. We again told her that she had made all our dreams come true and we could never thank her enough for all she has done.

Thursday was a BIG day all around. We had our very important trip to the US Consulate. That will be a separate post in itself coming up in the very near future, and I am letting Gerry give all of the details on that one. But overall, everything went very smoothly, less than an hour and 15 minutes in and out. So as of Thursday, Sept. 3rd, 2009, Blaze is our newest little US citizen.

Another big event that same day...Blaze's umbilical cord fell off!

So, he officially had his first bath in the big tub. We had put an inflatable bath cushion on our Baby Registry since we thought it may come in handy here and we got it as one of our shower gifts. It works great, thank you Kim! A huge space saver for traveling and nice and soft for Blaze's baths here in India.

He loves baths so far, but is not so keen about getting out in the cool air. So we tag team to get him wrapped up quick in his cute little hooded towels. Daddy is SO happy he loves the water as he can't wait till we get him home so we can take him in his big pool out back.

Then later that same evening Grandma and Papa got to see him on Skype for the very first time. My Mom was just SO excited and says he is even cuter then all the photos we have been sending her. Papa is worried that she isn't going to be able to hold out to see her newest Grandchild till the end of October when their flights are booked to return to Arizona for the winter.

Yesterday we headed back to Hiranandani to meet with the Pediatric Surgeon (or as Gerry refers to him, The Penis Cutter) who will perform Blaze's circumcision. Prior to his consultation we went for a quick check up with one of the on-staff Pediatrician, Dr. Bijal Shrivastava who we had met on one of our previous trips to Mumbai.

She weighed him and did a quick once over. He is up from his birth weight to 6.1 lbs and is 19.3 inches long . We were very happy and not at all surprised with that.

We also popped in to see Dr. Soni and she was happy to see Blaze and surprised at what a good natured baby Blaze is.

Dr. Nanavati, the Surgeon went over all the details with us and promises us that Blaze won't be in any pain afterwords (Mommy will be in more then him) and that it will heal quickly. My Mom gave me some reassurance as well with having 2 boys herself. After I watched a 40 year old man have it done in my nursing training years back, I knew if I had a little boy, I would have it done as soon as possible when he wouldn't remember. It is definitely something we had decided on well before (if Blaze was a Blaze that is) the birth, but that doesn't make it any easier. So the big day for that is next Tuesday. He has to be readmitted to Hiranandani and the Doctor says we should only be there for a few hours. I won't let them keep him longer than that this time, that's for sure.

We hope he is mostly healed for his first plane flight and trip (a dry run for his big flight back to the US). We are heading to Goa for a little getaway, a 4 day/3 night trip to a beautiful resort on the beach, to relax and finally take in some of Goa (something we have wanted to do since our first trip to India).

Blaze is our little miracle baby (or like the onesie says, our 'Miracle of Modern Science') and we love him more and more every day. It is so true, what people say, that once that baby is placed in your arms you will feel no other love like you have felt possible.

Our little miracle

Staring up at Mommy

A meeting of the minds

Day 3- So Long Hiranandani

Saturday August 29, 2009

We spent the rest of Friday just basking in Blaze's glory. We kept looking at each other and just smiling at the little life that was ours. Our whole life as we knew it was no longer (it was better!!!). We are now both responsible for this little fella. We have to keep pinching ourselves to make sure we aren't dreaming. He is really here, he is real, he is our dream come true.

We realized a bit too late that the Avent bottle sterilizer and warmer that we lugged all the way from Arizona, can't be used with out a grounding plug in the hospital due to reduced power to the rooms even with a voltage regulator. So to make our lives easier Gerry decided to go down to the little shop on the ground floor of the hospital and purchase a two-in-one set. The shopkeeper was very proud to open the box and show it all completely to Gerry, and oh so happy when he purchased it. RS 6200, money well spent!! We decided that we will leave it for the Docs to lend out to future IP's, compliments of Blaze, since we can use ours when we return to the States and certainly won't be needing two. He also was able to pick up a few goodies for the new Mom as well (diet coke, potato chips and cookies) and smuggle them up to our room by schmoozing the security guard. Hiranandani Hospital doesn't allow outside food into the hospital at all, but sells the snacks in the gift shop, who wouldn't be tempted?.

We woke every 2 hours to continue Blaze's feedings and he continues to increase by the day. He is now up to a whopping 40ml's. He sleeps in the hospital bassinet which is identical to the one they use in the NICU, minus all the bells, whistles and wires attached to him.

Mommy is officially christened during the night by her little boy. With a squirt as big as a fountain. This is truly going to get some getting used too. Any hints from Mommy's with boys, I will surely take them. There must be an art to this?! Daddy gets it from the other end when Blaze is full of gas and lets out a fart right in his face during his 0130 diaper change. We get a good laugh tonight as we are getting used to our little guy and he is getting used to us fumbling away as we learn.

He truly is a great baby. He sleeps, eats, poops, pees, farts, hiccups, burps, and let's out an occasional cry that may last all of 60 seconds, when he is full of gas or hungry or needs to be changed. We are learning his cries, and his needs.

I am referring to 2 books we picked up for quick reference. One called Secrets of The Baby Whisperer (thanks Carrie Jo) and the other, Baby 411 (a package deal with our Baby Bargains Book). They have both been very helpful in identifying facial grimaces, tongue and body movements, what to do if's, and what to look for when's.

We made it through our first night, and Blaze made it quite easy for us. The next morning he gets his first sponge bath from the pretty little nurse. Lucky boy, Daddy says!


He gets a needle in his thigh (an antibiotic used as a prophylactic twice a day for 3 days) He really cries with that and Mommy and Daddy feel so bad. I suppose this is just a dry run for when he gets his vaccines when we return home.

Blaze's second visitor comes today. Amit (our friend and travel guy extraordinaire) comes to meet him for the first time. He of course sleeps through the entire visit. Blaze that is, not Amit! Everyone comments on how cute he is and what a good baby we have.

Dr. Soni stops by for a visit to check on all of us. Its such a pleasure to see her. She asks if Daddy is happy now and says she doesn't blame Gerry one bit, she knows how he must feel to be without his child by his side. She tells us she helped in getting Blaze sprung from the NICU by telling the Doc that I am a nurse and can care for Blaze and know what to look for (she has more confidence in me then I do). We are so grateful for all of her support and help.

Dr. Soni also personally asked us to write this for her as another couple staying at the hospital who also had their child via surrogacy had mentioned rumors that Dr. Soni would not be working with SI clients any longer due to some very recent issues with one couple and their surrogate. She said that these rumors are not true and that she will continue and is currently working with SI clients and that will not change in any way.

Late morning Dr. Mehta makes rounds. He has the sister take Blaze over to the window and checks out his coloring in the direct sunlight.

I ask him (more like plead) if we could be discharged today. Blaze is eating great, tolerating his feedings without any vomiting and I am able to continue to give him his medication if need be. He hesitates and says that he really would like him to stay one more night, but if we promise to return in the morning for his last antibiotic injection, he will grant the discharge. I am so happy I could just hug him. Gerry and I both thank him dearly for all his care he has provided Blaze.

A few hours of waiting for the doctors and nurses to get everything in order. Several forms to take to the admitting desk on the ground floor. A quick trip to the PRO (public relations office, also on the ground floor behind the admitting desk) to pick up a letter confirming the birth at the hospital that is required for the FFRO and the all important exit visa. And finally, payment of our bill of $550.00 USD (yes that included Blaze's NICU stay) and we are ready to go.

Dr. Yash and Dr. Sudhir happen to be leaving the clinic and since the VITS hotel is on their way they offer to take Blaze for his very first car ride.

Amit managed to get us transferred to a 1 bedroom suite after we realized the extra room will come in handy with our newest addition. They are beautiful and fully equipped to meet all our needs for the rest of our stay in Mumbai.

Have I mentioned what a Godsend Amit is...he totally rocks and SI is fortunate to have him assisting their clients. We are going to hit him up later in the stay for a few days away for rest and relaxation (well as much as you can get with a newborn) outside of Mumbai, possibly Goa.

Blaze it appears LOVES the car. Daddy held him tight in his arms in the backseat, as car seats in India are few and far between, while Dr. Yash drove ever so careful with our precious cargo.

We had to laugh when fireworks for the Ganesha celebrations went off right next to the car and I jumped, but Blaze didn't even skip a beat. He slept through the whole thing. We all agreed he is a true Mumbai baby.

Back at the VITS the guys at the hotel (our friendly bellboys) helped Gerry and I move all of our stuff from the single room to our new suite, while the Docs baby sat. I suppose that's the job of God Parent's.

We said our good-byes to both the Docs as we got settled into our new place we will call home for the next 16 days.