I'm back from my trip around the world! But, um, y'all wrote a lot while I was gone (shocking, really. So unexpected.) So, hi!

if there's any spare health~ma lying around, could you direct it my mom's way? she went in for a mammogram about a week and a half ago. they called her yesterday and want her to come back in because they saw a "shadow" on the x-ray.

x-post w/Bitches

I just placed an order on Cafe Press, and can send $5-off coupons to my friends. Anyone interested? Shoot me an email (or just say it in Bitches) in the next hour or so (looks like up to 5 friends).

(Health-ma to your Mom, tiggy. Peace-ma for you).

The first half of my pictures are up! Sadly, Flickr told me I can't upload anymore just now. So no pictures of Fay, yet. But Billytea! And pretty mountains! Australia and New Zealand, right here. Vietnam and Egypt still to come.

Well, apparently, Bats Likes Babies.

I mentioned in Bitches a while back that friends had hired me as their birth assistant. My first live and in person birth!

Our due date is June 28. Last night I said,"Let's go see Batman Begins."

At just about the part where the Tumbler makes its debut, major contractions set in.

From first pangs to baby in the arms...4 hours. For a first baby? That's pretty incredible.

Moishe Ben was born at home, in the comfort of his parent's bed. Mom took not one grain of any medication at all. She was so strong and so brave. (Helped in no small part by laboring in a hot tub and having the world's most wonderful, practical, realistic and knowledgable midwives)

Dad exceeded every expectation of valor and strength and good humor I could have hoped for him.

The baby is wide-eyed and beyond gorgeous. Seriously. No grossness at all. I was surprised.

After two hours of fitfull sleep, I'm back on the job, cleaning, cooking and in-general, admiring.

No ~ma needed. Just a huge prayer of gratitude and thanks offered up.

By the way, as we were racing home from the theatre, we all agreed that what we saw of BB was the best Bats movie any of us had ever seen. (Guess I'm gonna have to head back to the theatre next week. Hee.)

asking for the ma~~ . My BIL - the one who broke his heels- tripped over a hose this am and did some thing to his left knee and right elbow. bad enough that he missed our behind the scene zoo tour. W e would like to come under the bruise, twist, strain category and a fast heal. no surgery.

Update

My father in law is stable, is able to sit up and is asking for his knitting. Downside is he requires a double bypass operation, and because it is merely a double, they keep on putting it off. They estimate at the moment Wednesday or Thursday, but they seem to keep on moving it two days into the future...

Keep the 'ma coming. Will inform on how the surgery goes (and when it goes.)

Woohoo!

Just got a voicemail from Mom (can't believe I missed the call while taking out the trash, and she's not picking up on the cell phone now). The tests Dad had week before last show no cancer in his brain or lungs. They're going to give him three more chemo treatments (which I think means the three he's having this week, not three of the monthly rounds he's been doing), radiate his lungs once more, and call it good.

My dad is the toughest man in the world. And maybe he'll live to see my first book, my as-yet-100%-hypothetical second child, and Annabel old enough to remember him after all.

I'm going to be in Israel until the end of the month, and probably without much computer access, so I'll be pretty much dark for awhile.

We put in a bid on the townhouse we saw this weekend. As this market is insane, some house~ma would be much appreciated.