BABY! – An American in Kerala

Our Baby’s First Birthday

Evelyn Grace, born January 18, 2014, at 1:12 pm.

You’re my honey bunch

Sugar plum

I read this great quote on motherhood the other day. I can’t remember the exact wording of it, but the woman said motherhood is like discovering a new room that you’ve never seen before in your own house. Really, that is just so spot on. I am the same person I always was, I still laugh at the same kind of jokes, I still like the same foods, I still like to go see new places. But before Evelyn came along, there were lots of things about myself that I never thought I needed to change. Now that she’s here, my self-examination has increased TO THE MAX, and I am trying so hard to become the best person I can be…for her. The kindest, the least selfish, the most joyful, the most forgiving, the strongest, the healthiest. I fail at many (all right, all of them) of these a lot of the time, but that’s okay. I’m improving each day. My darling husband likes to tell me that at least I know there are things about myself I can improve, most people never even get that far. It’s hard, and I think it’s been the hardest thing about being a parent, constantly wanting to improve yourself to be the best example to your child.

Pummy yummy yumpkin

You’re my sweetie pie

And, as for my husband, he and I both had our unspoken worries about our married life before Little Bean debuted. I don’t think either of us voiced our concerns until much later, when it was clear our marriage was stronger than ever. Sure things are different now. It’s hard for us to have normal conversations that we used to have all the time, our dinners out have decreased, our “us” time is just….less. And sometimes I miss the pre-baby marriage, the eating meals together, watching movies together uninterrupted, taking a weekend trip just to get away. I know those will all come back in due time. But you see the song lyrics I am posting on here, yes? Well, it’s Evelyn’s new favorite song that she has listened to approximately 3,572 times this week. And on one of the evenings, Zac sat with her and tried desperately to learn the lyrics as quickly as he could so he could sing it to her later on, and when the line “I want you to know/I’ll always be right here” he sang it and wrapped his arms around her, and oh my gosh, my throat tightened and my eyes filled up and nothing, NOTHING that made me fall in love with him in the first place compared to the intense rush of love I felt towards him at that moment. And it’s these moments that I hold on to and think of whenever the feeling of “Well, when have Zac and I had our last legitimate conversation?” gets me.

You’re my cuppy cake

Gum drop

Another thing I have caught myself remembering over the last year has been my own childhood. In fact, Zac and I have argued who had the better childhood. It was me, clearly. 😉 But I don’t have a single bad memory, not even when both of my parents had lost their jobs, they never let on that we were struggling for money. Never. Whenever I got sick of my parents, it was off to an exciting night at Gram and Gramp’s house or off to bother my cousin, Daniel, and my aunt, Deb, (who I still bother….a lot) for the day. My dad always took the time out of his week to take Daniel and me to a playground, or for a bike ride, or would just play a ball game with us. My mom always decorating for holidays and taking the time to build an atmosphere so special that I still get a warmth in my heart when I think of those days. The excitement building up in the days preceding a trip to Knoebel’s Amusement Park or just a day at Rickett’s Glen. Decorating sugar cookies at Christmas time. Blowing out candles on a birthday cake after hearing a waaay off-key “Happy Birthday” tune. I want Evelyn to have memories like I do; to be able to confidently think, “I had the best childhood. NO ONE had a better one than me.”

Snookums snookums

You’re the apple of my eye

And I’m really trying to give Evelyn the best childhood I can. So far, I have done things exactly the way I have wanted (labor and delivery excluded). I have breastfed for an entire year, something that, at times, I just didn’t think was going to be possible. I had no one knowledgeable about breastfeeding close to me, so I had to forge that path on my own. It was painful, confusing, tiring (especially in the first few weeks), and you would not believe how many variations of “Is your milk enough for her?” I heard. But I didn’t quit. My baby’s barely been sick in this first year of her life. Is that because of my milk? I’d like to think so, but I’m not totally sure. Something else I’ve done that people cautioned me against – I held my baby. Like, all the time. Because I wanted to, because she wanted me to, to stop her crying, etc. And ohhhh….there’s SO MUCH that people want to say about that! People are in such a rush for babies to become “independent” or so they “don’t trouble” the parents. I heard all the reasons – “She’ll get too used to your body heat,” “She’ll never learn to crawl/walk/be independent,” “Let her cry for a while, it’s okay.” Yeah, I never listened to any of that, and now she’s well on her way to walking, crawls around like Spiderman scales a building, and is so ridiculously independent sometimes that I even feel a little left out while she’s entertaining herself.

And I love you so

And I want you to know

The only time she’s not ridiculously independent is when she knows her daddy is nearby. Oh, is she a daddy’s girl. She always has been, ever since she was a tiny newborn. And she was so tiny. I remember, maybe when she was a month old, my husband asking me, with concern in his voice, how could we keep such a small thing alive? Now, here she is, a year old. A little girl whose wild hair won’t stay combed down, a little girl who says “Caw caw” whenever she sees an animal, a little girl who looks like she could burst from joy just from seeing me every morning she wakes, a little girl who gets excited, waves and blows kisses to her daddy when she sees him coming home from work, a little girl who prefers to crawl in dirt and play with dried leaves than any other toy she has, a little girl who has better rhythm than both her father and mother, a little girl who will try any new food at least once, a little girl who covers her eyes when you ask “Where’s Evelyn? Where’d she go?,” a little girl who hates the confinement of an airplane, a little girl who, when she’s standing at our gate on our front porch, looks like she wants to conquer the world…or at least the stairs.

That I’ll always be right here

And I love to sing sweet songs for you

And she’s conquered a lot in her short time here so far. We took her on a boat ride when she was less than two weeks old (Let’s not discuss the safety issues. It’s India, after all, just go with it.). She went to a US Embassy in Chennai to gain her US citizenship when she was three months old. She dipped her feet in the Arabian Sea when she was five months old. She’s bathed and touched an Asian elephant. She’s ridden a camel and has seen the Golden Temple. She went along for the ride, but not one of these things did she give two hoots about. All she wanted was her Daddy to hold her and play “choo choo” train or for her Mommy to nurse her to sleep.

Because you are sooo dear

For the past few days, I’ve been reminded of some song lyrics – I think it’s a song by The Killers – that I used to think of a lot when she was first born: “But don’t you let them tame you/You’re far too pure and bold.” I’m pretty sure the song it comes from has nothing whatsoever to do with raising a child, but I love these lines for Evelyn. I want her to not be affected by what our cultures, both Indian and American, expect for females. I want her to create her own path, to be bold and unafraid, in family, in love, in forgiveness, in confrontation, in pursuing her dreams. And even if she is afraid, which is totally okay, I want her to have the courage to do it afraid. So I encourage her to explore as much as possible, to see that the big world out there isn’t so scary, and it’s fine if she gets bumps or scratches or gets dirty along the way. Those things are temporary, but what she can discover about herself while exploring can last a lifetime. She’s our strong little girl, who I am so, so proud of already. I wish that I could truly express the joy and happiness that I have in my heart, but I can’t seem to do it to my satisfaction. So, I’ll end with this – Happy Birthday to our sweet Little Bean. God has blessed us so much by letting us be your parents.

Where Is the Time Going? AKA Why I’m a Terrible Housewife

Oh my word, I haven’t written since when….May? I see over the past 4 months or so, I’ve started three posts and never finished any. I just haven’t had time or the desire, honestly. Haven’t really had the time because of baby, but I also had the bright idea to fire our maid to save us money (and also because she stole some things). WHAT the hell was I thinking? I could barely take care of my musty old apartment in Johnson City, NY. In fact, I’m sure my parents will tell you, I could barely take care of my own room when I lived with them. And also – THIS IS INDIA where life, in general, is about five times more difficult than in the United States. And I’m a spoiled white lady – why did I think I could handle it with a baby on top of it? I’m a complete domestic failure! I skip sweeping for one day, and you should see the amount of dirt and bugs that show up. It’s unreal. And I can’t figure out why I’m so bad at it – there’s not all that much work to do. We have a smaller apartment. Is it because I didn’t have any practice with it before and after Evelyn was born? Is it because I’m just naturally messy and lazy, so it’s going to be a struggle forever? Because I totally thought I could do all the housework, the cooking, take care of Evelyn, maybe throw in a workout and once in a while, a blog entry. Yeah, I really thought that. And then the other day, “Sex and the City 2” was on, and it was a scene with two of the women (sorry, I don’t know their names) taking swigs from their cocktails while confessing things like “Being a mom is soooo hard! And it’s even harder without help!” And I am so ashamed to admit that I nodded in agreement. The thing is I know there are plenty of women who can handle it. My mom did, and she had a full time job then too. I am just not one of those women, at least not in India. It’s already tough enough living in a non-Western culture. So about two or three weeks ago, after caring for a sick hubby and baby and letting the house go to pot, I cried to my hubby and told him to hire a new maid. There’s going to come a time when I won’t be able to have a maid anymore, so I’m going to try and enjoy the help while I can.

And I haven’t really had a desire to write anything because how much can I write about parenting that hasn’t been said? I had started a post about differences between US and Indian parenting, from my perspective, but it was really just turning into me complaining about the aspects of US parenting that I felt were too cold and scientific and complaining about the aspects of Indian parenting that I felt were too based on old wives’ tales and superstitions. So I’ve decided to wait to write that post until I’m maybe a little less….ummm….emotional. Also – I’ve been soooo tired forever. Whoever said babies start sleeping longer once they’re on solids was a liar. Evelyn wakes more frequently now than she ever did. My baby went backwards – slept awesome in the beginning, not so much now.

That being said, failed housewife or not, I love being a mom. I think I have written something similar in every blog post since she was born. But it gets truer all the time. Evelyn is so much fun. As I am writing this, I have to keep grabbing hold of her diaper so she doesn’t somersault off her blankets and bonk her head on the tile floor, which she’s done a few times. She laughs hysterically at clothes pins and our terrace lamp post, waves hello and goodbye, loves to eat chicken and bananas and toast, wants to maul my husband’s mathematics books whenever she gets the chance, bounces up and down when “All About That Bass” is playing, and smiles and laughs when she looks at photos of herself. She’s becoming more of a person right before my eyes. For the last week or so, it feels like every night, when my husband and I are in the bedroom watching her sleep, one of us always says to other, “She is such a sweet baby.” I am so impressed with her. And I am pretty impressed with myself, quite frankly. I have learned how to master several tasks using only one hand and a baby in the other- cooking pretty much anything, loading and unloading the washing machine, carrying the laundry to the terrace to dry, showering, washing my face, brushing my teeth, sweeping the floor. I’ve also done some things that I’m sure I would be scolded for. Do I let her chew on the TV remote so I can drink my first cup of coffee in peace in the morning? ABSOLUTELY. Let her press buttons on my cellphone so I can get dressed in the morning? YES.

And I’ve been getting very homesick lately. It’s going on a year since I came back to India, and I will be going to the US at the end of March 2015. My dear husband is keeping a countdown for me, so I know there’s six months left. It’ll go by so fast, I know, and once I’m there, I’ll miss my husband terribly. But it’s little things that help cure my homesickness while I’m here. Like, we went out to eat at a European style cafe this weekend, and they were playing classic rock. I rocked out to Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain.” And, this was my favorite thing about the whole place, they served me iced tea in a tiny mason jar. It was the best thing and totally what I needed. That’ll have to hold me over until I go home where I’ve made my mom save ridiculous recipes like “buffalo chicken lasagna” and “s’mores pizza rollups.” I’ve also requested her to buy and save as many pumpkin flavored foods as she can. And I plan on eating bacon EVERY SINGLE MORNING and taking Evelyn outside to toddle around my parents’ yard EVERY SINGLE DAY. Maybe all day. Because I can. Yes, I’m excited to go home for a visit, but at the same time, I want this year to slow the heck down. Evelyn will be well over a year old when I take her. I’m not ready for that! So for as much as I am looking forward to my trip home I do not want to wish this time away. It’s such an awesome privilege to be her mother. And, for as much as perhaps I’ve complained (?) in this post, it’s such a privilege to have this experience here in India, sharing it with my husband and Evelyn, in all its frustrating (at times) glory. I wouldn’t change a thing….except maybe I wouldn’t have fired our maid. 😉

Hmmm...what is that delicious thing you're drinking, Mom? — Hmmm…what is that delicious thing you’re drinking, Mom?

We Have A New US Citizen in the Family

Never underestimate your baby. Or would it be overestimate? Either way, I thought for sure after we were done with our little jaunt to Chennai I would have a load of tales about what an absolute nightmare it is to fly with a small baby (almost four months to be exact). My husband and I were preparing ourselves for the worst; we even discussed it before bedtime in the days preceding the flight. “She’s going to scream the whole time, you know.” “If she cries on this flight, imagine a longer one.” Cue the shudders. And then those two days came and went, and now I have sat down to write this, and I realized something. I have nothing to say about it. It was completely uneventful. I packed a gazillion diapers in the carry-on because I thought for sure she would have a huge poop blowout even though it was only an hour long flight. Didn’t happen. Thought she would scream and cry in the hotel room because it wasn’t home. Didn’t happen. Thought she would be miserable during our dinner out with Zac’s cousins. She was only a little miserable. Thought she would cause a ruckus at the US Embassy. She only caused a little ruckus until a nice lady pointed me in the direction of the nursing room. So, yeah, here’s another realization: We have a good baby. She put up with a lot of crap for those two days. Having to be covered while she’s eating, sleeping in a strange bed, waiting in the hot and humid Chennai weather because Mommy and Daddy went to wrong entrance first at the Embassy, having people, a lot of them, she doesn’t know come up and touch her. Or maybe that last one just made me feel weird.

The whole reason we went to Chennai was to get Evelyn’s US Citizenship, and that went off without a hitch too. I don’t know what US Embassies are like in other countries, but this one was impressive, and I’m not sure in a good way. It had high prison-like walls with a spiked fence on top of them. Indian security EVERYWHERE outside. Road blockades so people can’t park in front of the embassy. And in front of the blockades was curled barbed wire. There are two entrances, one for Indians and one for Americans. Zac’s cousins had warned us about the Indian entrance, telling us about the incredibly long queue and the people waiting in the heat and the sun. When we reached the embassy that morning at 8:30 am, there was already a long line of people waiting for their morning appointments, wearing their Sunday best and completely and totally soaked with sweat. They don’t have any shade to hide under; we don’t even provide them with some cheap chairs to sit on. I felt awful for those people. And then I felt worse once we got to the American entrance because there was plenty of shade on that side and several chairs.

They ushered us through security – I had packed three toys for Evelyn and was only allowed one. Actual words from the Indian security guy: “Do you really need all these?” By this time, I had a hungry, screaming baby, so when we entered the American Citizen Services office, I immediately received sympathetic looks from all the women, both American and Indian, behind the windows (everyone in there is behind walls and windows). I met a sweet little boy named Tarun, who loved dinosaurs and coloring. We discussed both of these at length. He told me his fave dino is the Spinosaurus; I told him mine is the Brachiosaurus. I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up; he said “a dino specialist.” He showed me all the crayons he brought, and I asked him his fave color; he pointed to black. I told him my favorite is purple, and he looked at me with the saddest eyes ever and said, “I left the purple one at home.” Meanwhile, during all this, my poor husband was the one who straightening out the paperwork with one of the consulate workers.

I had felt both over-prepared and under-prepared for this whole thing. I had to prove I was physically present in the United States for at least five years, two of which had to be after I was sixteen. Well, everybody who knows me knows that I NEVER left the country until I went to India to be married (unless you count the time I spent 45 minutes in Quebec looking for a place to eat….long story).

Throwback Thursday/Flashback Friday/Sweet Memory Sunday? From our wedding in India. — Throwback Thursday/Flashback Friday/Magical Memory Monday? From our wedding in India.

They had asked for originals of all documents and paperwork, and we had originals for most things except for the extra proof of my presence in the US – my tax returns. I was soooooo worried about this. I was also worried that they weren’t going to believe Evelyn was ours, and that our marriage was a sham, so I made Zac print photos of us together from when I was still pregnant. I didn’t need any of the photos; they didn’t even ask. They didn’t seem to care that my tax returns were printed PDF files either. In fact, our “interview” with the consulate officer, who looked like he was my age, was just him having us sign the paperwork and telling us how long it would be to receive her passport and Consular Report of a Birth Abroad. I had been worrying and fretting for nothing. It was so much easier than I thought it was going to be. I had read horror stories online of people getting rejected or getting the third degree about their marriage/relationship. Maybe they’re the only people who write about their experiences.

And now our daughter is a US citizen. I thought I would feel very relieved because of this; I’m not sure why. I don’t really feel any differently. It’s not like being an Indian citizen is a bad thing; after all, I married one. It’s going to make things easier for us as far as moving back to United States and traveling around. We weren’t planning on getting her CRBA until a little later this year, but an unexpected trip has come up, and we needed a passport for her for next month. Maybe she’ll be well practiced at this flying thing pretty soon. Who am I kidding? Every parent knows that as soon as you think you have your kid figured out she goes and changes it all up. And that’s totally fine with me. It’s a new adventure in parenthood each day, even if the adventure is her screaming because she’s an overtired mess, and we have to come up with some new way to bounce her to sleep. Zac and I are learning so much from this little girl, including more about each other. Our marriage, I feel, is only stronger now after becoming parents. We’re four months into this thing, and I think we’re doing okay. Evelyn is dearly loved by us and many other people, that’s for certain.

And since it was Mother’s Day yesterday, here are my feelings lately on motherhood. Right now, I am in the throes of postpartum hair loss and realizing that, no, breastfeeding is NOT going to get rid of the rest of my baby weight, so I’ve been feeling a little self-conscious about my physical appearance. But when Evelyn looks at me, she looks at me like I am her entire world. She looks to me to teach her, feed her, comfort her, and her only gift she can give me is a smile and giggle, and it’s the most wondrous gift in the world. I am simply in awe of her capability of learning new things each day, of her tiny body getting stronger all the time. I have a feeling she’ll be an explorer when she can start moving because her favorite thing is to be carried over my shoulder so she can look at her new world. I hope she can sense how much I love her. Because sometimes it’s so overwhelming that it actually makes my heart hurt.

I’m an American Mom in Kerala

I am going to talk a little about giving birth in this post, and if you think you may be bothered by it, stop reading now.

I’m totally bragging when I say this, but she is the best thing ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER. I love her smell, I love her little squeaks, her scowls, her gurgles, her smiles, her toes, her nose, her lips, her chin. I love the way she cuddles up when lying next to me. I love the way the back of her head looks when Zac is holding her. I love absolutely everything about her. She’s completely stolen our hearts.

She was born two days after her due date and one day after I was supposed to be induced. I had gone to see my doctor on January 17, and she sent me home saying I wasn’t nearly ready to be induced. Fast forward to 2 am on January 18 – I woke up with very mild contractions, but I was TOTALLY convinced it was false labor, so I went back to sleep. Fast forward again to 6 am – I was jolted awake by much stronger, much more frequent contractions. I woke Zac and told him, and he blearily said, “Should we go to the hospital?” And I was like, “Ummmm…..I dunno.” So, I Skyped my mom and she, of course, told me to get going to have her granddaughter.

We got to the hospital around 8 am, and I was shuffled to the delivery room, which had three other miserable looking women in it, at about 8:30. Now this is where the fun starts – I had a fast and furious labor and delivery. It was horrible, agonizing, and humiliating, and anyone who says that the process of giving birth is a beautiful experience is a big fat liar. It’s not at all pretty until that baby comes out. And then you realize that you would go through that pain a million more times to keep seeing your baby. But, really, for me, labor was horrible. They hooked me up to a pitocin drip as soon as they could, and that resulted in there being ZERO breaks in between my contractions and me vomiting several times. I thrashed my head back and forth on the pillow so much that my hair was an afro. I had no reprieve for a good 3 hours. I kept begging the nurses for something, anything, to dull the pain just a little bit, but they had to wait for my doctor to come back. When my doc got there and checked me, she said I was too far along for any sort of pain medication – anything would slow down my labor, which, at that time, was almost over. But that didn’t stop me from almost crying and begging her to please just give me an epidural, PLEASE, for the love of God. Speaking of God, I even prayed to Him to just let me pass out until it was time push.

And, bless my doctor, it was around that same time that she asked if I wanted to see my husband. I’m almost positive I gave her the most pathetic, puppy dog look I could while nodding my head. Ten minutes later, Zac comes into the labor room wearing hospital scrubs and looking nervous. Even though I was so thankful for him being allowed in there, I can only vaguely remember him rubbing my head and telling me everything was okay, and I was doing great. I was doing so great, in fact, that it was only four hours into my hospital stay, and it was time for me to start pushing. The nurses rushed me into what they called the labor court and set me up in the stirrups and all. A big contraction hit, they told me to push, and I pushed while screaming really loud (I recall my thought at the time: “I’m either going to push her out or die, and I’m okay with either right now”). The nurse who was standing closest to my head told me, essentially, to shut up and use all that energy to give a good, strong push. And on the next contraction, with all nurses yelling “Pushpushpushpush!”, and with one nurse pushing down on my stomach, and a doctor waiting and pulling on the baby, out came Evelyn. And everything was worth it. All I did was stare at her purplish, yuck covered body as a nurse carried her out of the room to be cleaned; I had never loved anything or anyone more in one moment than I did her.

A nurse brought her back to me while I was getting stitched up. Her eyes were opened, and I touched her little face and said, “Hi, sweetie, I’m your mommy.” And her eyes went all wonky for a second before she finally, I’m not kidding, focused on me with recognition. It was beautiful.

We've been told this is our Prince William and Kate Middleton photo. I think that's my most favorite compliment ever. — We’ve been told this is our Prince William and Kate Middleton photo. I think that’s my most favorite compliment ever.

Now, she’s almost six weeks old. She’s already gotten her first piece of Indian gold (from Zac’s parents…lucky duck), she’s been on a boat (I was terrified the whole boat ride), she’s been massaged and bathed by a Keralite woman (Me too. It was weird), and she’ll probably be a world traveler by the time she’s a year old. She has started smiling and cooing regularly, and she imitates Zac whenever he makes funny faces at her. She’s amazing. I hold her as much and as often as possible, and if she cries, I am scooping her up in an instant. I know she’s not going to be this small forever – I cherish every second that I can kiss her head and still breathe in the newborn smell. As for Zac, well, I already knew he was going to be a fantastic father, but he’s even better than I thought. I’ll just let this photo sum it up.

Best Photo Ever. — Best Photo of All Time.

One of my favorite things is when I hear him singing “Jesus Loves Me” to her. The first time that happened was while I was showering while we were still in the hospital, and I almost cried. It was so sweet. When she gets fussy and is crying, his newest trick is to hold her over his shoulder and bounce around in a way I can only describe as a drunk chicken, and she stops crying. BONUS: her little head bobs around while he’s doing it, and it’s adorable.

We are totally smitten with this little gal and will gladly make jackasses out of ourselves to keep her happy. Whenever she starts cooing, Zac and I spend a good 5 minutes (or until she gets annoyed) cooing, gurgling, and making assorted baby noises back at her just so we can see her smile one more time. Right at this moment, she is sprawled across my Boppy pillow on my lap, sound asleep, after just getting done overdosing on mom’s milk. How lucky am I to be allowed to have this time with her?

Christmas 2013!

It’s December 29, 2013, here in Kerala, which means in three days, it will be 2014. And in 2014, I will be, God-willing, giving birth to a screaming, crying, pooping, sleeping, eating non-stop baby girl. I don’t know how it is for most women in my situation (LOL), but the fact that I will be a Mom in less than three weeks is way more exciting and terrifying than packing up and moving to India ever was. So, yeah, if you think these baby blog posts are ever going to stop now, you may as well just stop following my blog.

Since we have spent much of my husband’s hard-earned money on baby things, we had little money left over to do any big pre-baby vacations/trips/who-even-cares. Not that I really felt like it anyway because I feel like I’m carrying a small pony around inside me. But we did decide to do something “fun” on Christmas Day – we went to Varkala Beach and then had a five-course dinner at our favorite Trivandrum restaurant, Villa Maya.

,I am here to set the story straight about this beach trip lest you think it was something glamorous. Now, don’t get me wrong, Varkala Beach is beautiful. Probably the most beautiful beach in Kerala, if not the rest of India. It’s 98 percent clean (which is a huge deal; many beaches have loads of garbage), the water was gorgeous, and it’s absolutely not commercialized, meaning you don’t have to worry about people coming up and harassing you to take a speed boat ride (Zac and I have done this on Kovalam Beach, and it’s terrifying and dangerous and don’t do it). So, yes, Varkala is beautiful, and if you’re coming to Kerala for any reason, make a brief stop here. However, if you’re 8.5 months pregnant, don’t go thinking you can traipse through hot sand and climb up a cliff in the middle of a hot, sunny, tropical day, with no issues. Because there will be issues.

This beach is about an hour away from our house, so we left a little before 10 am and reached there around 11. After Zac courageously figured out the parking situation and I braved the “Pay & Use” bathroom, we were all set to explore.

One of the things we absolutely wanted to do was eat at Little Tibet, a tiny beach restaurant that was located somewhere on Papanasam Cliff. We asked a nice police officer where it was located, and he motioned for us to keep walking down the beach. Little did I know that he meant walk through two beaches and climb oodles of stairs.

This place looked like a backpacker's paradise. — This place looked like a backpacker’s paradise.

I was all nervous about taking a photo of these guys, and then I noticed a foreign couple standing directly in front of them, taking their photos.

At some point, we arrived at the northern end of the beach and holy foreigners! It was pasty skin as far as thee eye could see. Bikinis and speedos everywhere! Part of me felt relieved to see so many people who look just like me and another part was a little repulsed by all the display of skin. Personally, I was even a little uncomfortable removing my thin cardigan while we were there because I’m not used to showing off that much arm in public anymore. What’s happened to me??? Another thing I noticed about all the white people – they looked like they hadn’t showered in days. This was the first time I have realized how awful white people look when they come to India. No wonder we get stared at. I was so floored by my revelation that at one point I asked Zac if I looked like these people. And my dear, sweet husband stared at me in all my sweaty, pregnant splendor and said, “Well, you do a little right now.” Lesson learned.

To get to Little Tibet, we had to climb a bunch of stairs up a cliff.

Climbing those stairs was not my best idea. It was a really bad idea. Really, really bad. By the time we reached the top of the first set, my abdomen had tightened, I was short of breath, my knees were shot, my back was hurting. However, I am very stubborn, and I wasn’t going to let stairs get the best of me. So, we kept climbing despite Zac’s and Guram’s, his friend, protests. When we reached the top of the cliff, I was in such agony that I seriously felt like the dumbest person in the universe. But, hey, we had found Little Tibet! And we walked inside the entrance only to realize we had to go up one more flight of stairs.

The restaurant itself was okay. We had breakfast, which we didn’t think was anything too special. The juice I had was amazing, and the view from the top of the cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea was spectacular. Again, this place was all white people. Zac was the only Indian there.

Zac was also the only person that this cat slept on. Coincidence?

I don't want to exaggerate, but I'm pretty sure this lemon mint juice saved my life that day. — I don’t want to exaggerate, but I’m pretty sure this lemon mint juice saved my life that day.

After breakfast, we climbed back down the stairs, which was only slightly less painful for me. And then we made our way back to the car, stopping only so Zac could take some Baywatch photos of me in the water.

The water was so nice; I wanted so badly to just lie down in it.

And that was our trip to Varkala Beach. Next time, we decided to come either super early in the morning or in the evening because we hate the noontime sun. Lesson learned.

Christmas evening, we had booked a table at Villa Maya for their special Christmas dinner. Not just any table, but one of these:

I feel so fancy eating at this place. — We feel so fancy eating at this place.

Eating at Villa Maya is a totally different experience than what I am used to. I’ll start with the history – it’s an old palace that had been built for the maharaja’s wives. It had been empty for years before someone came along and thought it would be a great place to restore and turn into a restaurant. Sorry, a “fabled kitchen” (it’s their slogan). They have kept much of the history in tact, and on our first time there, we were given a tour of the place, explaining the historical significance of rooms and artifacts.

This pic is from our first time there. I was trying out maharaja-style dining, where you recline on the bed and the table is brought to you.

The little statues that are on the table were kept from the original palace.

In all of the little pools of water at Villa Maya, you can find tiny fish and frogs just hanging out.

The dining experience at Villa Maya is unbelievable as well. For the Christmas dinner, they had a five course meal planned. That wasn’t even counting the starter they bring out at the beginning which is usually some type of tiny hors d’oeuvre paired with an Ayurvedic drink, which I swear is designed to make you hungrier. For my Christmas dinner, I had the most Western style meal I could get – pumpkin bisque, roasted turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce, and Christmas pudding. We also ate a bunch of appetizers (they were unlimited); I think some prawns, chicken tikka, and some fried mozzarella were included in there somewhere. The chefs and servers here seem to know how to give you just enough food and space it out just enough so that you can remain hungry for the whole meal. I’m getting hungry now just thinking about the food there!

I think I forgot to mention that they flambéed the Christmas pudding in front of us.

It was paired with ice cream. So incredibly good.

And that was our Christmas Day 2013. We also squeezed in a nap because 1.) We’re an old married couple now, and we like naps, and 2.) We know in a few weeks, naps and sleeping will be scarce. Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and will have a wonderful New Year!

Back in Kerala!

I’ve been back in Trivandrum for almost three weeks now. So far, I’ve readjusted to the humidity and heat and the fact that I will never be able to do anything with my hair here besides just letting it be a poofball. And it’s great to be able to relish South Indian food again. Thank goodness the repulsion didn’t last. Speaking of food, I don’t have to cook much anymore either. My husband hired a maid/cook for me so I can just live the life of (pregnant) Reilly. And it’s a good thing there was someone here to cook for the first several days especially because I was out of commission with jet lag. I blame that on Little Bean.

And I think Lil’ Bean has grown quite a bit. At least, I hope SHE has because my stomach has ballooned over the past couple weeks. So much so that Zac will sometimes look at my stomach in concern and say, “You still have a few months to go. Are you sure it’s not going to burst?” Personally, I think she had a growth spurt because I stopped eating bacon and macaroni & cheese and started eating fresh fish, veggies, and fruits again. Thanks, Indian food! My burgeoning belly has also caused me to start waddling a bit, especially at night when I’ve just given up for the day. I feel like I’m a little pathetic looking sometimes, but it’s all worth knowing she’s growing like a weed. And she kicks like a maniac now too. I am beginning to think she rarely sleeps, or hopefully, she sleeps when I do. When she is quiet during the day, our new favorite thing to do is lightly tap or talk into my stomach until she starts kicking in response. Love it!

Zac and I haven’t done much since I’ve been back. That’s partly because we don’t have car yet (next month!), I get tired too easily, and it’s just so convenient to stay home now that we have someone doing our cooking. However, there is a lot of stuff to do in Trivandrum, and I want to see and do as much as possible before Lil’ Bean comes around. I mean, I know I’ll still be able to do things once she’s here, but I have a hard enough time hauling my own self around India. I may just want to be under house arrest with her for a month or so. Who knows? Anyway, our new favorite place to go outside our house is Veli Lake and Tourist Village and Shankumugham Beach. It’s only fifteen minutes from our house. We discovered it thanks to one of Zac’s cousins, who we took there two weeks ago. It’s simply a picnic area that has lovely gardens, boating, a kiddie park, and a floating restaurant. We loved it so much we went back this week.

Maybe starting next month, we’ll venture outside more, but right now, we’re enjoying our new home and relaxing together. And don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted on any exciting stuff we do try!

One of the many coconut trees in our yard.

BABY COCONUTS! Aren't they cute? — BABY COCONUTS! Aren’t they cute?

Temple that is just up the street from us. It was awesomely decorated for the Dussehra festival, but we didn't get any photos of that. :( — Temple that is just up the street from us. It was awesomely decorated for the Dussehra festival, but we didn’t get any photos of that. 😦

Along almost every road in India, you will see these hand painted advertisements, political announcements, etc. It's always been one of my favorite things to see here even though it's common. This sign is in Malayalam. — Along almost every road in India, you will see these hand painted advertisements, political announcements, etc. It’s always been one of my favorite things to see here even though it’s common. This sign is in Malayalam, the language of Kerala.

I love this photo. This house is HUGE and really fancy, and this stray dog parked himself on the stoop and was going to town on cleaning himself. The many dualities of India. :) — I love this photo. This house is HUGE and really fancy, and this stray dog parked himself on the stoop and was going to town cleaning himself. The many dualities of India. 🙂

Lovely scenic view on one of our evening walks. It’s even prettier when the sun is setting.

Who let the land manatee pose for this photo? ;) — Who let the land manatee pose for this photo? 😉

More of the incredible views we see each evening.

They have tons of flowers in their gardens!

Posing on the floating bridge that leads to the beach.

View looking from the beach back to the lake. There is a passage of water that connects the Arabian Sea to Veli Lake.

Don't I look like I'm not sweating? — Don’t I look like I’m not sweating?

Zac's relatives that we took to the village. — Zac’s relatives that we took to the village.

Forest-themed restaurant where we went on a date

We clean up nice :) — We clean up nice 🙂

By the way, did I happen to mention we bought a new camera? We’ve been on photo overload for the past several days!

One Week To Go

Well, I head back to India on October 1, which leaves me with one week to enjoy and soak in as much of my Pennsylvania home as I can. I’ve already said my good-byes to some, and the travel anxiety is beginning to set in. I haven’t had a bad experience flying to or from India yet, but it’s just soooooooooooooo long. And I really don’t even think about how long the flights are once I’m on the plane, but it’s the idea of it. Three six-hour (approximately) flights, trudging through security at JFK, London Heathrow, and Kuwait, and then, my personal favorite, the immigration queue once I reach Trivandrum. But it’ll be 4:30 am when I land, so I’m hoping there won’t be much of a wait. And it’ll be all so worth it when I push my luggage cart out the doors and see Zac waiting for me, slightly fretting over my whereabouts.

The good-byes have been much less painful this time around. Last time, I had no idea when I would come back, and we all didn’t know how the Skype situation would work for keeping in touch. The tears and sorrows were for nothing because, honestly, I think I keep in better touch with people from India than when I am here. I am so thankful for the time I have been able to spend here. It’s been so nice to see those who I haven’t seen in a very long time.

I was able to see some of those people yesterday at the baby shower. I had a lot of fun, and I think everyone else did too. 🙂 I went with a rubber ducky theme, and my mom’s craftiness took off and left me with a super cute shower. Little Bean made out like a bandit with adorable outfits, toys, quilts, blankets, and money that will eventually be exchanged for a crib, a car seat, baby monitors, diaper bags, and other fun baby stuff. Here are my favorite pics from the day:

I think this was one of my favorite gifts. It made me giggle.

The jelly bean jar was my mom's idea, but I did the duck and counted the jelly beans (my brother helped count too). — The jelly bean jar was my mom’s idea, but I did the duck and counted the jelly beans (my brother helped count too).

Ducky sugar cookies! We started with 80 - now there's about 8 left! — Ducky sugar cookies! We started with 80 – now there’s about 8 left!

This Bon Jovi shirt has been passed through so many children in the Serafini clan, it's unbelievable it's still in one piece. — This Bon Jovi shirt has been passed through so many children in the Serafini clan, it’s unbelievable it’s still in one piece.

I asked everyone to fill these out, and then after the shower, I strung them all together with ribbon to make a little booklet for myself. :) — I asked everyone to fill these out, and then after the shower, I strung them all together with ribbon to make a little booklet for myself. 🙂

Some were very poignant, others were downright hilarious.

1274863_742066147054_146414178_o — Mommy to be!

A bag of Hershey Kisses given to "Princess Bean," but we all know who is really going to eat them. Hint: it's me. — A bag of Hershey Kisses given to “Princess Bean,” but we all know who is really going to eat them. Hint: it’s me.

An absolutely gorgeous quilt made by my mom's friend. It has little elephants on it. — An absolutely gorgeous quilt made by my mom’s friend. It has little elephants on it.

Some of the...ahem....male guests. — Some of the…ahem….male guests.

Had to give a shout-out to the shower photographer. ;) — Had to give a shout-out to the shower photographer. 😉

The cake that was almost too pretty to eat.

It’s exciting to think that the next time I update this, I’ll be back in India. I’m totally ready!

From the Hills of PA

I have been having a great time in Pennsylvania. I’ve enjoyed a visit to Allentown, the Outhouse Races, visiting family, and eating all my fave foods. I need to put in a plug for Dushore – if you’ve never seen an outhouse race, do yourself a favor. Next August, go to Dushore Founder’s Day and witness the spectacle that is racing outdoor toilets.

I love it, which is funny because I hate sports.

I have a little less than a month left here, and I still have some things to get done, plus go to my baby shower. As much as I will miss being here, I am so excited to see Zac again. And I’m also pretty excited for Part II of Living in India, especially now that we’re having A BABY GIRL!!!!

"Daddy's Little Angel" — “Daddy’s Little Angel”

I just found out today that Baby Bean is a girl, and she has the cutest buttcheeks ever! And I’m gonna try not to brag, but I totally had a feeling that she was a girl. No idea why I had that notion – all the “myths” about how I’m carrying should have pointed to a boy – I haven’t gained too much weight so far, and I’m carrying very low. So low that it seems like I’m running for the bathroom every 30 minutes.

I feel like I have learned things about her already, mostly about her movements. She likes to party the most while I’m getting ready for bed and when I get up in the morning. She also responds to The Beach Boys’ music. And only them. I listen to all kinds of stuff, but I only get kicks when I play “California Girls” or “Good Vibrations.” I haven’t figured out if that means anything, or if it’s just a coincidence. And another thing – I think she really responds to my stress levels. One night, about a week ago, I got really upset about something, and she was bouncing around for the rest of the night.

You know, I was going to be one of those women who tried not to read too much about pregnancy stuff, but that didn’t work out at all. I made some decisions easily, like breastfeeding and cloth diapers, but others have been a real pain. Like where is the baby going to sleep? I have Western culture telling me to get the baby into her own room AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, but then I have Eastern culture telling me to let the baby sleep in our room for as long as needed – when she needs her own room, it’ll work out. Another problem – to have an epidural or not. I thought at the beginning that I was going to have an epidural, no questions asked, but yeah, then I started reading about it. Do I really want to risk the side effects of a spinal headache, slowed labor, needing a catheter? But then again, I want to be able to somewhat enjoy the labor and not be in so much pain that I want to throw myself out the hospital window. Perhaps I’ll make the decision that day – I don’t think they have silly things like birth plans in India.

Yep...these are our baby's cloth diapers. Cute, no? — Yep…these are our baby’s cloth diapers. Cute, no?

I have this image in my mind of Zac, Bean, and me all cuddling together on our bed. I know that’s not going to be the complete reality – she’ll scream and cry, wake us a million times during the night, poop and pee all the time, eat all the time, and cry some more. But who cares? What matters most to me is that image in my mind. It’s so sweet that sometimes when I think about it I’m almost moved to tears. I know that those moments will make all the times I am horrendously sleep-deprived worth it. This is going to be the greatest adventure. I really cannot wait for her to arrive.

Thiruvananthapuram – Our New Home

I suppose it’s time to post an update? These last few weeks have been pretty much a whirlwind. We have been trying to get things in order for my trip (successfully!), trying to find a place to live (another success!), desperately finding a new doctor for me and Little Bean (done and done!), and squeezing in one or two fun things before I leave (also, success!). I figured I’ll post my highlights of the new city, for us, so far.

The IISER Trivandrum Guesthouse

Our room may not be fancy at this place, but it has air conditioning, hot water, free wi-fi, our room gets cleaned a couple times a week, and we get three square meals a day. And Shashi, the cook/caretaker, has somehow managed to rekindle my appreciation for Indian food. I don’t know how he did it because I was still hating it all when we moved down here. EVERYTHING he makes tastes good, even if it looks gross to me. God bless him, for real. It also helps that we get to veg out three times a day on this nice balcony.

And here’s our room:

We’re allowed to stay for a month, which has turned into the biggest blessing of all, because then we were able to focus a lot of time on finding a place to live, and that brings me to my next highlight.

Our New Home

Just look at this place.

We’ll be living on the top floor, which has three bedrooms, a huge living room, two bathrooms, a dining room, and a lovely kitchen. I don’t know how new the whole place is, but the owner (who lives on the bottom floor with his family) is just finishing up our place. It’s in such a good location too. This was maybe the second or third place we looked at, and I think Zac and I both knew when we saw it that we weren’t really going to consider any place else (unless it was exceptional).

Thiruvananthapuram Zoo

This was our fun outing. Zac’s cousin, Arun, did us a gracious favor by taking us to the zoo. The zoo is apparently one of the oldest in India, and it is housed in the same complex as the Napier Museum, which we didn’t get to go to, but the building itself was lovely. The zoo was much larger than I expected, and it housed a lot of animals. The highlight was a lioness chowing down on her dinner; the biggest disappointment was the king cobra – we could barely see it through the bars on its cage. Here are some of the best pics.

Seal of Kerala in the front, Napier museum in the back

A one-horned rhino with no horn. I'm just hoping it was a rescue. — A one-horned rhino with no horn. I’m just hoping it was a rescue.

Unfortunately, since our visit there, I have read in the newspaper that the baby hippo was accidentally stepped on and killed by its mother, and two of the leopard cubs died of a virus. So sad. 😦

The Indian Coffee House

So, the Indian Coffee House is a chain of, you guessed it, coffee houses that was started pre-independence. The earliest one was opened in 1936 in Bombay. We stopped at one yesterday (because preggo was hungry) in the late afternoon. Let me tell you, they had the best masala dosa I have ever had.

So, if you’re visiting India on a budget and need a clean, cheap place to eat, PICK HERE. There’s about 400 of them across India. You won’t be disappointed.

And the biggest highlight of our move so far…

Credence Hospital and My Second Ultrasound

I’m going to be honest – Credence Hospital was my second choice for a place to see an obstetrician and deliver the baby. We went to the Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) first because we had heard that was the best hospital in Kerala. Well, it was super, super crowded both times we went, which is saying something because MIMS was regularly crowded as well. We both decided the crowds were something neither of us wanted to deal with, so I got online to find a different hospital. I discovered Credence and the chief obstetrician Dr. Santhamma Mathew, who, by the way, just won some 2013 Times of India health icon award. Yeah, she’s a big deal.

The outside and inside of Credence isn’t as nice and sparkling new as KIMS, but the caring and compassion of everyone I have dealt with so far surpasses any concern about a few stains on the wall. Dr. Mathew is great – she’s easy to talk to, and when I saw her today (in a room next to the big delivery room), she had already assisted in five births this morning. FIVE. And I saw her around 10:30 am! FIVE. And she was just as cool as a cucumber. She went over my ultrasound and my chart and gave me the total okay to go to the US. Woo! One more thing, as I was waiting next to the delivery room to see the doctor, I heard a woman in the midst of labor. Yeah, that wasn’t scary at all….

I think my favorite thing so far about Credence was the radiologist who did my ultrasound today. He was so jolly and cheerful, and he showed me everything! Our baby’s little face (eyes, nose, and mouth!), the little heart and heartbeat (“Ohhhh, the heart is beating so nicely” were his exact words), little fingers and hands, little spinal column, little legs – he went over it all and explained it step by step, which was a far cry from my first ultrasound at MIMS, where I didn’t know what was going on at all. And while he was showing me the baby, the baby let out a hiccup, floated to the top of the screen and then slowly floated back down. I had promised myself to try not to be a dork this time, but a tear or two leaked out as I watching.

This is the last time I’ll update, most likely, until after I return from the US. Unless something super exciting happens there, but I really just plan on eating. 🙂

I’m a PREGNANT American in Kerala!

Baby "Little Bean" Zachariah as of June 26, 2013. I have vowed not to post ultrasound pics on Facebook, but that doesn't mean I won't do it on here. — Baby “Little Bean” Zachariah as of June 26, 2013. I have vowed not to post ultrasound pics on Facebook, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do it on here.

Okay, soooo, I am starting to write this blog entry on May 31, 2013, in hopes that I won’t forget all of the things I want to write. First, let’s flashback to the beginning on May – I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome. In a shocking twist of fate, it also turns out I was already a couple weeks pregnant when I was diagnosed, but I certainly didn’t know then. I had an ultrasound done and everything. I was given medicine and told to come back in six weeks to see how the meds were helping. To sum it up, we were not expecting a pregnancy until my hormones and all that were straightened out, which could have taken months. Flash forward to a week and a half after my diagnosis, I was experiencing cramps and a slight nausea after eating heavy meals. Oh, and mood swings. Mood swings like you would not believe. Finally, the last week of May came around, and I still had no period. So, I did what any responsible adult would do – I googled my symptoms and the results showed that they were an early sign of pregnancy, but I was thinking, “LOL…yeah, right. What are the odds of that happening?” So, I asked Zac to buy some pregnancy tests for me. I tested in the morning, two days in a row, both were clearly positive.

Cue morning sickness. Or, for me, all day nausea. And exhaustion. And the thought of eating any Indian food completely repulsed me, even the smell of chicken biriyani (which was my favorite) totally grossed me out. And still does (at this point). But luckily, I have been able to buy and eat Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, salty crackers, ICEE pops, pasta, and Maggi noodles (the Indian equivalent of Ramen). These are good and all for my nausea, but what I WANT to eat is as follows: garlic breadsticks, mashed potatoes with gravy, macaroni and cheese, bacon, tacos, pancakes, a turkey sub with tons of pickles and Italian dressing, a bagel with cream cheese, sweet potato casserole, and maybe a chili dog or two. I WANT EVERYTHING I CAN’T HAVE. And it’s not just “Yeah, that stuff sounds pretty good right now.” It’s “Oh my goodness, I would hike up a giant mountain if there was a turkey sub at the top.” Like, for real, Zac could be taking me to the nicest Indian restaurants in Calicut, and I would be fantasizing about a Crunchwrap Supreme from Taco Bell.

Back to the story – I was whisked away to the Malabar Institute of Medical Science (MIMS) hospital once again to see my wonderful doc, Dr. Tajunnisa, who made me get a blood test for the absolute result. And after congratulating us and feeling my tummy to make sure things felt normal, Dr. Tajunnisa thankfully prescribed me some anti-nausea pills. My new best friends. I can now at least function close to what a human being should be.

And it’s already amazing how, in an instant, my priorities have absolutely changed. Every decision now is tinged with “Will this be good for baby?” Seriously, everything we buy that we don’t necessarily need, I am thinking “This money could be saved for baby.” I had been planning this trip for us to take in December to see the Taj Mahal and the Himalayas, and now, well, I just don’t care if we ever do it (although we still eventually will go, I’m sure). I’m having a baby, and that’s more wonderful and beautiful than 20,000 Taj Mahals combined. PLUS, now we have decided we should go to Pennsylvania during that time because, if given the choice between the Himalayas and shoving my mom’s Christmas cookies down my foodhole, I’m picking the cookies. Ok, that’s only part of the reason. I really, really, really want to see my family before I pop out baby.

And let’s talk for a minute about how wonderful my husband has been. He has been bringing me takeout food everyday because I am too useless to cook right now (our kitchen makes me gag). And it’s not easy finding stuff I like; I did like eating Indian breads and curry for a while, but now my stomach has started a mutiny against that as well. So, now this is how it usually goes: Zac – “What do you want me to get for lunch?” Me – “Macaroni and cheese.” Zac – “…..I’ll just bring you a veg burger.” And if I think I’m concerned about baby, he’s concerned times 1,000. And when I am jolted awake in the middle of the night by nausea pangs, he is right there awake with me and soothes me back into slumber. He’s the best man for the job, and I can’t wait to see him as a dad.

Update June 27, 2013 – I went for my first ultrasound yesterday. Having an ultrasound done here is a bit different than in the US, from what I can remember. Because there are so many people, the radiologists don’t have much time for bedside manner; they just have to keep the patients going in and out as quickly as possible. We left early yesterday in an attempt to beat the crowd (it didn’t work), and I was ushered in maybe about 40 minutes after we arrived. Zac had to go for an X-ray at the time of my ultrasound, so he didn’t go in (and don’t worry – it was just for a general check-up). This time, my radiologist was a woman, which made me a little more comfortable, but she still sat there stone-faced through much of the scan. I was so desperate to blurt out, “Is there even anything THERE? Say something!!” After about 5 minutes, she finally got a slight smile on her face, turned the screen towards me and said, “Here is the live fetus.” And there was our baby, swimming in and out of focus. I got a big, stupid grin on my face, a lump in my throat, and tears in my eyes, and all I managed to squeak was “So tiny!” This made the radiologist smile even wider, and she replied, “Yes, everything looks fine.”

After we got the results, and I cooed over the pic of Little Bean (my nickname is Bean), we went out for a celebratory lunch at one of our faves, M Grill in the Focus Mall. I had homemade primavera pasta, which was AWESOME and exactly something I had been craving, and Zac celebrated like any man’s man would – he ordered a steak. After this, we went back to the hospital for my appointment with Dr. Tajunnisa. I will be so sad to leave her because she worked abroad in the UK for quite some time, so she knows how fussy white people can be. And she’s okay with it. Anyway, she literally gave us a thumb’s up after reading the scan results, gave me my approximate due date (January 25, 2014), felt my tummy some more, and sent us on our merry way. Okay, so there was more involved in the appointment than what I wrote, but you get the point.

Since my due date is in January, it looks like I won’t get my wish of shoving Christmas cookies down my foodhole, but I am planning to go soon (Doc gave the okay on traveling after 4 months). I am excited for it, but I am sure Zac will be shocked at my size when I arrive back here.

And, just so everyone knows (or whoever reads this), I am delivering here in Kerala, and our kid will be able to be a US citizen. We just have to file lots paperwork and go for an appointment at the closest US Consulate.

One last thing – we are moving to Trivandrum/Thiruvananthapuram in about a week, so this may be my final post until we get settled down there.

Our kid's first Bon Jovi t-shirt. We bought this back in January. No lie. — Our kid’s first Bon Jovi t-shirt. We bought this back in January. No lie.

PS – My nausea is almost gone, I think. YAY!