A perfect ten

You could call Elijah Perry a perfect 10.

He has an unforgettable birthday: he was born on 10/10/10 at exactly 10 a.m., weighing 10 pounds, with all 10 fingers and 10 toes, to Mom Melanie Perry (whose birthday is September 10).

Melanie, a 31-year-old nurse, lives in Crowley with her 29-year-old husband Michael, a math teacher at Temple Christian High School in Fort Worth.

"I never expected to have a 10 pound baby, let alone a baby with so many 10s!" Melanie said. "It's been a really special day."

Melanie was scheduled for a Cesarean section on the morning of 10/10/10 for 9:30 a.m. with Dr. Stacy Colombo at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth. Setting up for the operation took a little longer than expected, and lo and behold, "The incision was made at exactly 9:59 a.m. this morning, and Elijah came out at exactly 10:00 a.m." Dr. Colombo said.

And the 10 pound weight?

"We knew he was going to be big, but we didn't know he was going to be SO big!" Melanie said. "Ten pounds was just a lucky coincidence."

"We need to go buy a lottery ticket today," joked Michael, who also coaches the school's track team and says Elijah's arrival being sandwiched in between state and local meets makes it "perfect timing all around."

"We're just glad he's here and healthy, the 10s are just icing on the cake," Michael said.

The couple's two other children, seven-year-old Nathan and three-year-old Katie, have also been anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new baby brother. Melanie said Nathan is very mathematical and will find all the 10s very fascinating.

And big brother isn't the only one fascinated -- the Perry family's lucky coincidence was also a hit on the local news.

They were featured on NBC ch. 5, WFAA ch. 8, CBS ch. 11, FOX ch. 4, CW ch. 33, and the Star-Telegram.

"It's nice to have a good story on the news, something happy!" said Melanie.

Dr. Colombo agreed that it's a special story: "This is definitely a fun delivery I'll never forget!"