Niranjana, Melissa and Andy

Melissa is at book club (only about 40 yards away next door), and I have two little girls to take care of for the next two hours. Yes, I'm a little frightened.

I can handle either of them on their own, but they sure don't pay much attention to adults when they're together. Cate was over the other night while her parents went to the movies, and Melissa and I just barely handled them two on two.

I'm going to resort to Disney pretty quickly, I think.

It's easy to tell when Niranjana likes something we do because she says, "Do it again!" It might be something like holding her upside-down or throwing a ball up on a roof. It might simply be us tickling her.

If she is happy with the action, inevitably, she says, "Do it again!"

Eight months ago today, we arrived home from India with Niranjana. When I bragged about it this afternoon at Kiwanis, several folks could not believe how the time has flown by.

From my perspective, India is a distant memory. I think it's that way for Niranjana, too. Over the past several weeks, everything in our family has felt cohesive.

This will stun you all, but "Niranjana" did not make the list this year for most popular baby names in America.

We are reasonably certain Niranjana never saw horses in India. Since coming home with us nearly eight months ago, she has loved seeing them on television and on farms and ranches along the highway.

A Kiwanis friend of mine has a small farm and invited us to come by Saturday so Niranjana could see the horses.

Melissa was born on Mothers Day, so when her birthday falls on this holiday, it is a special occasion for the O'Neil clan.

Today was one of those birthdays. Toss in the fact that it is Melissa's first Mothers Day, and we have the makings of a wonderful day.

One of our roles as parents is to teach our children well. I am pretty sure Crosby, Stills & Nash sang that.

Many weeks ago, I was holding Niranjana as we watched TV and whispered into her ear: "Say, 'Mommy, you rock!' " She got it right on the second try, then she said it really loud so Melissa could hear it.

Melissa found it hilarious and gave out a "Woo-hoo! I rock!"

Today marks seven months home with Niranjana. In the past month, life has only progressed forward, as she becomes more comfortable in her new world and we continue to figure out this whole parenting gig.

In the past month, I have been taking Niranjana to school more often so Melissa can get to work earlier and tackle several projects. Ironically, I end up getting to the office earlier, even though it adds maybe 20 miles to my commute.

Few things in life are permanent. Family and tattoos are pretty close, though.

There are many reasons I'm not a physician. The main one is that Perdue men don't do well under stressful conditions that involve blood, cuts, broken bones, etc.

Legend has it my father passed out when he had to get a blood test prior to my parents getting married. My brother, Joe, is notorious for getting queasy, even to the point of unconsciousness, when he sees a needle. I faint at the sight of an X-ray, particularly my own.