I am in love with another man...

He may be a little man, but none the less MY little man.  I am so in love!  In love with my adorable bald headed boy!  I can't help but stare into those big brown eyes at every chance I get, and tell myself how much I truly adore him.  We are blessed beyond belief.  I promised myself and continue everyday, to not take one day, one hour, one single minute with my little guy for granted! We are so very fortunate to have been given this amazing gift from God.  So many years of heartbreak and disappointment and now we have this sweet little angel to call our own.  We know how lucky we are.  So, many others are still waiting or still trying and I know their pain all to well.  I won't for one minute forget all that we have gone through to make our dreams come true and I remember ever time I stare down at my little wonder that he is my little miracle.  He seems to change daily.  I see it in his face.  He is constantly making funny faces and he makes us laugh all the time.  He is absolutely precious and perfect in every way.  He is the BEST!  Mommy's little Monkey... and so the change for our blog layout and newest chapter in our journey.

 Today he went back for a follow up with Dr. Gentile.  Blaze has some drainage from his left eye that started just before we left India and continues to be a nuisance, but the Doc says it is probably caused by a bend in the tear duct and as he grows, it will straighten out.  It is quite common in newborns.  His own daughter had the same thing, and at 4 months it was totally cleared up.  So to help clear up the drainage he prescribed some drops.

Blaze is now a whopping 8.13 lbs and 21 inches long.  He gained over a pound in 2 weeks.  WOW!  He continues to thrive and the Doc is very pleased with his progress.  Next visit is in one month for the start of his vaccines.  UGH!  Poor little guy.  At least we have a month until that sure to be unhappy, but very important day.  He has been sleeping in his own room for about a week now in his big boy bed (aka crib).  He looks so tiny in this big crib compared to the playard.  Our baby monitor (after much deliberation and research, we decided on the Sony 900mhz 27 channel, and it works really great) is a Godsend now, as we are able to move about the house and not worry about not hearing him stir. 

This weekend my sister and 2 nieces are arriving for a visit to meet our newest family member.  This will be his first family visitors, and they are coming all the way from Canada.  They can't wait to see him and I can't wait for them to see his beautiful little face.

We chatted with both the SI Docs last night.  We try and keep them updated personally on their growing Godson and send photos as well.  KT had been into the clinic last week and is doing well and often asks about the 3 of us. She saw the pictures of Blaze that are up in the SI office.  It is so nice to be able to have that contact and to know that she and her family are well.

In the mean time I have been occupying my time with some crafts.  I like to scrapbook and have been really bad at keeping up with it.  So, along the same line I decided to make some closet dividers for Blaze's closet, as I went a little crazy with buying and thought it would be easier to organize the closet with them.  They are fairly expensive for just cheap, plastic dividers, so I thought to save a few dollars and to keep me busy I would try and make my own.

They are certainly not professional by any means, but they have my personal touch, and the best part is, I had fun making them.

Bottom line, they will serve their purpose and organize my buying baby clothes obsession.  I think I have got it under control now though...I can finally enter a store and come out empty handed! or with just one cute little outfit!!  Now that's progress, can you imagine if I had a girl????

We Have A Water Baby!!

It's hard to believe, but our son Blaze is now 1 month old.  As each day passes, we both get to enjoy our beautiful boy more and more. We made the rounds to Rhonda's work this past week to introduce Blaze as everyone was chomping at the bit to see our newest family addition.  We stopped at Rhonda's current job and then headed over to her previous employer where she was the Director.  Everyone was so surprised and happy to see her...well maybe not her, but certainly Blaze!

Yesterday we met with the lady who will be Blaze's Nanny a couple of days a week when I am on shift.  We REALLY liked her and if things work out as planned she will hopefully be able to make a long term commitment until Blaze starts school in a few years.  We just really love the idea of him being able to stay in the comforts of his own home.

Blaze has his follow-up with the Pediatrician this week and we can't wait to see how much he has grown.  He is eating up to 5oz with each feeding and changing each day.

Last week I had my official swearing in/pinning ceremony with the Fire Dept.  We brought Blaze along and I had SO much fun showing him off to all my co-workers.  He definitely was the life of the party. 

Growing up as a child, I had a great love for the water.  I enjoyed swimming anytime I got the chance, and it continued on into my adult life.  My parents never had a swimming pool, which meant many trips to the public pool or to the lake at my Grandparents house.  Rhonda's family had a pool in their backyard and they enjoyed swimming as a family most every weekend in the summer. 

When Rhonda and I moved to Arizona from Florida and were looking for a house, one essential requirement was that we had to have a pool.  If you have ever been in Arizona in the summer you would definitely understand why.  We are relatively homebodies, and getting to spend the day around our pool cooling off and enjoying ourselves is our type of day.  So I couldn't wait to get Blaze home from India and into the pool to see if he would also enjoy it, and he sure did!! He just loves the water.  Right now he limits himself to floating around in the pool in Mommy or Daddy's arms, and occasionally splashing his feet or arms.  But I am certain that as we continue to expose him to the pool, it won't be long before he begins to take little steps (baby steps, I couldn't resist the pun!) towards learning how to swim, and Daddy will be there right beside him helping all the way.

Now, even though I have a love for the water, I am not a big fan of baths, too much work.  I am a shower guy.  I find it more enjoyable and relaxing having a nice hot shower and it is the best part of my day.  In India, we used an inflatable bath cradle to give Blaze his baths each day.  It was great and came in very handy.  When we got home we had a Primo Infant Bath waiting for our little guy.  We chose this particular one, after once again doing my homework and researching what was available and had good reviews.

A couple of nights ago after having Blaze in the pool, I thought it would be a great time to see if my boy enjoyed the shower as well.  Well, you know what they say "Like Father, Like son." He just loved it.  I held him tightly in my arms and let the water flow on his body and he just looked so relaxed.  I truly think that we have a water baby on our hands.

We Just Want To Go Home

A special thank you to everyone who has sent us the multitude of kind words concerning the passing of my best friend, my Frankie.  This past week has been such a mix of emotions, with the celebration of a new life, our beautiful baby boy Blaze, and at the same time the mourning of the loss of our amazing companion of over 13 1/2 years.

I hope that my previous post concerning what to bring for your baby to Mumbai was or will be of some assistance. This post will go over our experience with the FRRO.  Your own experience may be similar or totally different, but this will give you some idea of what to expect.  Be prepared, it's a bit long.

The FRRO is all about paperwork. They are by far the least customer-service oriented department that we have had to deal with so far. The building is located in South Mumbai, near the VT Station. The traffic can be horrendous at times in that area, so definitely plan ahead and leave before the morning rush is in full swing. The office is located on the 3rd floor of the Police Headquarters and Administration building, directly behind Xavier College. Parking is at a premium around the building, so it is probably wise to use a taxi and then get the drivers number so that you can call them to be picked up once you are completed. Or if you are an SI client, Agit or Vikas will drive you to your appointment and then wait and pick you up to take you back to your hotel, this definitely helps to alleviate the stress of finding a taxi on your own, and trusting that they will get you there on time.

The FRRO office opens officially at 10 am, but if you are at the building at 930 am they will let you proceed up to the 3rd floor to get in line. There is a small, cramped elevator that you can take to the 3rd floor, or just take the stairs. A suggestion would be if at all possible be there early, it gets busy fast!! We didn't realize that there are that many foreigners in Mumbai. Officially, if you are staying longer than 14 days you are required to report to the FRRO. Fortunately this is done for most people by the security department at the hotel you are staying at, that is why they require a copy of your passport when you check in.

Ensure that you have all of the required paperwork ready prior to going to the FRRO. They want copies, not originals, so again if at all possible have them done prior to arriving. They do provide photocopying in the building, but it is on a different floor and the lineups can be quite long, which translates to a longer wait for you.

Well for the FRRO, both parents and the baby are required to attend. So this means packing a baby bag with all of the essentials to get your little one through 5 or 6 hours, while you are sitting around and waiting. Another of my recommendations would be to bring some snacks and a few drinks since there is nothing available. Oh yea, while I am thinking of it, bring some toilet paper and wet wipes for the bathroom, you will thank me for this. I am puzzled at why both parents and the baby are required to attend, since during our process, I handed in all of the paperwork, completed the online form, met with the interviewer, paid for the exit visa and then finally picked up the exit visa. At no time did Rhonda have to do anything and no one ever came and actually looked at Blaze in person. Just wondering...

Ok, so we arrived at the FRRO building at 945 am, a bit later than I wanted to due to the traffic. We signed in at the desk on the ground floor and then we proceeded to the 3rd floor. When you get off of the elevator, the area is very small. There is a large desk in front of you and on either side there are 4 chairs and you line up in the middle between the ropes, just like at the airport. Rhonda and Blaze went and sat down and I got in line and waited my turn. There was already 3 or 4 people in line ahead of me and it wasn't even 10 am.

Now to set the stage on our particular situation. It was Thursday, 10 am, we have tickets booked for our flight to Goa, leaving Thursday late afternoon and returning on Sunday afternoon, and our plane tickets for home are for Monday evening. So we need our exit visa today and as fast as possible so that we can get back to the hotel, checkout, get our bags and get to the airport. At least that's what I was hoping for.

So now I'm at the front of the line and it's my turn. I have all of my papers with me in my trusty binder and wait to hand them in. The girl behind the desk sticks her hand out to me without saying a thing. Not knowing what she wants, I ask. Well, I expected a bit of customer service, but that's where I went wrong. She abruptly asked "what are you here for?" and I said that I needed an exit visa for my baby that was recently born. She then wanted my documents: Letter from the US Consulate, copy of the Consular Report of Birth Abroad, copy of My Passport and Visa, copy of Rhonda's Passport and Visa, copy of Blaze's Passport, copy of our Return Airline Ticket Confirmation for Both Parents and Child, copy of the Letter from the Clinic, and a copy of the Letter from Hiranandani Hospital Confirming the Birth. I handed them to her one by one and she looked over each of them without saying a word. She then asked if my wife gave birth and I said that we used a surrogate. Well that's when it started to go downhill. The girls demeanor changed. She wanted a copy of the Surrogacy Agreement which I handed to her. I also explained to her that we have a flight to catch in the afternoon and were hoping that if at all possible we would greatly appreciate it of we could get the exit visa relatively quickly. She then, without batting an eye said that it would take at least a couple of days to review the paperwork and at the soonest we would get the exit visa would be the next day in the afternoon, but it could possibly be Monday. Well that's not what I wanted to hear. I knew that the visa could be issued the same day. Peter, whom we met at the hospital, just went to the FRRO the previous week and received the exit visa for his baby in only a few hours. I requested to speak with a supervisor. Another girl came over and the 2 spoke in Hindi and then she said to me that I should cancel my tickets since the paperwork needs to be reviewed and it will take time, so I need to make a decision. So I took back my paperwork and went and sat down with Rhonda who was unaware of what had happened. I explained it to her and then gave Parashar a call. He is very familiar with the FRRO process and said to give him a call if I needed his help (he has helped many others in the past). I explained to him what had transpired and he said that he was out of town but that there would be an associate of his coming to the FRRO shortly to help us, and also that he would contact an interviewer that he knew at the FRRO to help us try and get the visa quickly. And so we wait.........

After about 30 minutes, a young guy arrived and sat down next to Rhonda and I. He said that Parashar had sent him to help us. He went up to the desk and spoke with the girl. Being able to speak the language was a definite plus. After several minutes, he came back and asked for our paperwork. He then waited by the door that leads into the waiting area and a very tall gentleman came out and they briefly spoke and he took a look at our paperwork. The young guy then returned to us and gave me a token and said that the tall gentleman would see what he could do to get our visa processed quickly. Rhonda and Blaze continued to sit in the entrance area and I went into the waiting area to complete the online Exit Visa Application. Pretty simple to fill out, just one page. The form is completed as if you were the baby. Print it, and take the form and then proceed to the interviewer. The token you were given has a number on it and on the wall above the entrance door to the waiting room is an electronic board that lets you know what desk to go to. In my case, I disregarded the number and went directly to the desk of the tall gentleman that our assistant had spoken with. He took the form and all of my paperwork, including 1, 2x2 photo of Blaze and then said he would do his best. I then went and got Rhonda and Blaze from the congested and hot entrance area and brought them to the somewhat comfort of the air conditioned waiting room. And we wait.......

A half hour passed and the tall gentleman came out and said that we would get the exit visa by 1 pm. What a relief!!! It was now 11 am and he asked if we were going to leave and come back. If so, only one of us needed to come back with Blaze's Passport to get the visa. We said that we were going to wait since it was such a long way back to our hotel. As time passed, the number of people waiting also grew, and grew, and the waiting room became quite congested now too. About an hour passed, and I decided to go downstairs to speak with the young guy that was assisting us. he told me that some people look negatively at surrogacy and that is why I received such unfriendly treatment. This is also when I learned that the tall gentleman's help came with a price, RS 1500. Well, I guess it was worth it, we needed the exit visa and we needed it today, and that was a small price to pay to reduce our stress. So back up to the waiting room I went to sit with Rhonda and Blaze. At 1245, the tall gentleman called me in and asked for 2 more photos, this time 1x1. He then filled out a receipt for $80.00 USD for the exit visa and told me to go out and pay the cashier and return to him once I have paid. I paid the cashier. You have to pay in Rupies, and the rate was RS 50 to 1 USD which was very good. I returned with the paid receipt and a stamped yellow receipt and the tall gentleman collected the yellow receipt and completed the exit visa form and stuck on both 1x1 pictures of Blaze. He also took Blaze's passport and told me to go back out and wait in the waiting room. And we wait.....

Thankfully we only had to wait about 10 minutes. The tall gentleman came out and handed me Blaze's passport and the exit visa, WE WERE DONE!!

Next post, making it through the airport, the flights home and finally Home Sweet Home.  Stay tuned.........

HOME SWEET HOME!

It is always nice to come home no matter where you go. We missed our beautiful house, sunny and hot Arizona, our wonderful friends and most of all our incredible Frankie girl.

We are trying to get Blaze into a routine. Over 26 hours in airports and planes doesn't help much. He has been trying out all his new toys, his Rainforest vibrating chair, his Precious Planet travel swing, new Dutailer glider-rocking chair, change table, Peg Perego car seat and stroller and most of all his play yard for sleeping, located in Mommy and Daddy's room.

We are introducing him to the whole house. Room by room so he knows his surroundings (at least that's what the book says). He even has got to enjoy his big swimming pool in the backyard.

He did truly amazing the entire 2 flights. People barely knew we had an infant with us. We tried to give him his bottle during take off and landing, but he pretty much slept through it all. He had NO problems with the change in air pressure and continued to sleep.

I was extremely sad when I saw Frankie. It is just so darn hard. I feel like my heart is broke into a million pieces. I never knew it possible till Frankie to love an animal as much as I did her. She was like a human to me and such a huge part of our family. She had been apart of my every day for the last 13 years, and together we had been through so much (our miscarriage, surgeries, Gerry's deployment for 10 months) happy times and sad, she was always by my side to lick away my tears. I know that she is always here with us and she is watching over her little brother as his Guardian Angel and that comforts me. So, although I am very happy to be home and loving life with our new little fella. I am very, very sad about my Frankie girl and wish I could turn back time or have dogs live to be one hundred years old (not in dog years, but people years!). Thank you all for your outpouring of condolences Frankie touched every one she met and even some that only heard about what a special girl she was. She will forever be in our hearts.

Blaze did amazing post-circumcision. We had anticipated being up most of the night, but he slept like an angel. He is such a little Trooper! We applied the cream the Surgeon ordered with each diaper change. They had placed a tincture bandage around the base of his penis (kind of a gauze wrap with betadine solution) that fell off about 4 days post-op. After 24 hours he could resume baths and so we did them every night for comfort and cleansing as we really couldn't clean the area quite well. He sure likes bath-time. He really enjoys having the water poured on his body and looks so relaxed. The area is now completely healed, YAY!. On Thursday, Blaze saw his Pediatrician, Dr. Gentile here in AZ and he said the Surgeon did a great job.

The Pediatrician was VERY pleased with Blaze. He commented on how he acts and appears much older then 3 weeks old. His weight is now up to 7.10 lbs and he is eating a good 4 oz every 3 hours or so. He kept saying, what a beautiful boy you have. He gave Blaze a thorough check-up, went through the papers that we received when Blaze was discharged from Hiranandani hospital and asked a bunch of questions. He was extremely pleased with Blaze's appearance, activity, weight, eating habits, output, etc. He told us we couldn't have ordered a better baby even if we tried. I joked that every time I say how perfect he is in every way, that I touch wood. We have another appointment scheduled for 2 weeks time, and we can't wait to see how much more he has grown.

Gerry was back to work this week. After 22 days straight with his little boy Blaze, it was hard to go. He came to the Pediatrician appointment and then headed to work from there. He works for 48 hours straight at the fire house, so I promised that I would send pictures of his boy while he is at work. I got the low down before he left of 'are you sure you know how to work everything? and is there anything you need?' My heart goes out to Gerry, as I know I am going to hate it when its my turn in a month or so when I will return to work.

Did I mention that Goa was fantastic!! We stayed in the North, about 30 minutes from the capital on Baga Beach. Lots and lots of Sun, beach, shopping, and pure relaxation. It was just what the Doctor ordered. We highly recommend going if you get a chance, its only an hour flight from Mumbai, and not expensive at all. I promise that I will do a full post on the details of the flight, our beautiful hotel, all of the sightseeing, shopping and the wonderful restaurants, complete with pictures.

Today Dog Heaven Got Another Angel

Sadly we must announce that our beloved dog Frankie passed away quietly this morning in the shade of a tree in our backyard, she was 13 years, 8 months old.

She had been noticeably declining for the last few months. She slowed down and was not eating like she used to and started having 'episodes' suddenly. During the 3 weeks that we were in India to pick up our beautiful son Blaze, we were so blessed to have our wonderful neighbors Jack and Winnie and their Grand-Daughter Lauren take incredible care of her. She had been doing well, but then we received a phone call a few days before retuning home that Frankie had taken a turn for the worse, she had to be fed by hand in order to eat and appeared more lethargic. Rhonda couldn't get home fast enough to her girl. When we returned home from India on Tuesday, it was very noticeable that she was not herself. She had lost weight, she was having difficulty walking since her back legs were weak due to previous injuries, her breathing was a bit labored, and she was just laying around not doing much. But in her eyes I could see the spark. I knew that she was happy that we were home, I just knew it!! Rhonda spent the rest of the day laying beside her on the floor comforting her, telling her how much she was loved.

We took her to the vet the very next morning and she was checked out from head to toe. Everything seemed to be normal and the vet said her heart was strong. They thought that she may benefit from some pain medication for her legs and also suggested cooking her eggs, rice and boiled chicken to help her gain back some weight and some energy. When we got her home she seemed to pep up a bit and even more during the next few days. She was walking a bit better and even ate the cooked food we prepared for her. But she still wasn't herself. She was content with just laying around and we were just happy to have her with us.

Last night while we were changing Blaze after giving him a bath, Frankie came in and laid down on the floor of his room. She always liked to be with us wherever we went. She hadn't paid much attention to Blaze since we introduced him to her on Tuesday. The occasional sniff and even a little lick, but that was about the extent of it. She did though, lay on the floor right next to his play yard in our room when he slept during the day and night. I believe that she was there to protect and watch over him.

When I got up early this morning to feed our son, Frankie was laying on the floor in the living room. She usually makes her way to our bedroom to sleep but I thought that maybe she got up early or just slept there last night. After feeding Blaze and he fell fast asleep, I placed him in his play yard in our bedroom and came back out to the living room. Frankie was still laying in the same spot. I reached down and rubbed the top of her head and she looked up at me and I said to her 'you're a good girl Frankie, I love you."

I couldn't go back to sleep now, so I played around on the computer in the living room. Frankie got up and went outside through her doggy door. After a few moments, Rhonda went outside to check on her and noticed that Frankie had gone to the grassy area in our backyard. After a while she wandered back in on her own and then got up again and went back outside. Rhonda had been in getting ready for the day and kept peeking out the window to check on her in the backyard. After a few moments, she noticed Frankie lay over on her side like she does when she has an episode and so she once again went out to check on her and yelled in to me "Gerry come outside something is wrong with Frankie". I rushed outside to find Frankie over by the tree in our backyard, lying on her side and Rhonda cradling her head in her arms. Frankie took 2 deep breaths and then was still.

We both just broke down in tears, our girl was gone. I went in the house and got some sheets to cradle her as I brought her inside the house. I laid her gently on the floor by her basket of toys. I was crying so hard, I couldn't think straight. I was in shock. Frankie was not just a dog, she was a part of our family, and everyone that knows us, knows how much we loved her and treasured her. Rhonda laid down on the floor next to her and gently stroked her fur, she looked so peaceful. Frankie was Rhonda's world, She had been in her life for 13 years and 8 months, she meant everything to her, and to see her now lying on the floor having to deal with the loss of her beloved Frankie, just tore me up inside.

I called the vets office to tell them what happened. I needed to tell someone. They knew Frankie for the last 3 or so years and it broke their hearts to hear of the news. I asked them what I should do, I wasn't thinking straight. They gave me the contact information of a pet cremation service that they highly recommended if we decided to go that route. After a bit, Rhonda and I both decided that we would have our Frankie cremated and that we wanted to have her ashes returned to us. So I called the cremation service and told them that I needed their assistance. I got directions to their office as Rhonda and I wanted to drive Frankie there ourselves. Frankie always enjoyed going for drives in our vehicles and it was only fitting to give our precious girl one last drive.

I placed several sheets in the back of my truck and laid Frankie in the back along with her favorite toy, Hedgehog and 2 photos of Rhonda and I with Frankie. I then buckled Blaze into his car seat. Rhonda wanted to ride in the back with her, so she sat next to her and continued to stroke her fur as we proceeded to the cremation service. It was a very sad drive, all of the memories of our times with Frankie through the years rushed around inside my head, so many emotions, I was just so devastated.

We arrived at the cremation service and I went in to speak with one of the representatives. Rhonda wanted a few more minutes alone with her beloved Frankie. After a few moments, I came out to see how Rhonda was doing and you could see that her heart was truly broken, she was a mess. Shortly after, the representative from the cremation service came out to pick up our girl. We weren't ready to let her go, but we knew that we had to. I said to him to "please take good care of our girl" which he replied "yes sir I will". We both gave Frankie one last kiss on the side of her head. It is a truly sad day, we have lost a member of our family. And those of you that have a bond and a love for your pet like we have with ours, will totally understand us.

I believe that Frankie waited for us to return from India, so that she could see us and that she could let us know that she wasn't suffering, that she was just old, and she needed a rest. Our precious Frankie is in heaven now, looking down on us. All of her aches and pains are gone and she is running and jumping. We love you Frankie, thank you for being a part of our lives. We will miss you, and we will never, ever forget you. You are forever in our hearts.