I just realized I haven't posted any updates about what's going on with the adoption.
Last Thursday Eddie went to apply for baby Eddie's Vietnamese passport. Next Thursday we will get to pick it up and then take him to the international clinic for his Visa physical. Friday we will pick up the results from the physical and take them to the US embassy here to apply for his Visa. Monday (Oct 6) we should be able to pick it up and then leave for home that night! Yea!
Monday, September 29, 2008
A not-so-busy day!
Today we were all feeling yucky and so did not go on the overnight trip. 8 hours on a bus and sleeping in a strange bed on the boat just didn't sound appealing. I hate to throw the baby's schedule off....he's sleeping so well. Today we're just hanging around the hotel and napping and playing. Eddie and little Eddie went shopping in the carrier for a few minutes and got some presents for friends and family....and that's about it! Tonight we are going to walk to a restaurant on the lake and eat with some of the other parents in our group. Tomorrow we're going to go on a day trip to Tam Coc (beautiful caves and trip on the river in a boat) and Hoa Lu (ancient capital of Vietnam during 900-1000AD). I think we can handle that and we'll be happy to be in our "own" beds.
Here are some fun facts about baby Eddie:
1. He is the most easy-going baby I've ever seen! Want to give him medicine? He opens up like a little bird. Clip his nails? No problem. Change his diaper? Great....he loves to be naked!
2. He is shy! When we are alone in our room he is smily and giggly and plays and rolls all over the place. When we go out in public he will not smile for anyone! He just rides in the carrier and observes everything.
3. His favorite position is upside-down. We discoverd this by accident, and now he wants to do it all the time (lunge his body backwards and then be pulled up by mommy or daddy). You have to watch out because we might just be calmly eating dinner and he'll just lunge backwards!
4. His favorite toy is the sack of diapers wipes....it's very crinkly.
5. He isn't crawling or sitting up yet, but he's a champion roller! He can cover the entire bed by rolling and rolling and rolling. This also makes a giant mess when toys and other stuff are on the beds.
6. He's a great sleeper! Last night he slept 12 hours with only one wake-up.....and 10 hours the night before. I hope he keeps this up!
Guess that's all for today =)
Here are some fun facts about baby Eddie:
1. He is the most easy-going baby I've ever seen! Want to give him medicine? He opens up like a little bird. Clip his nails? No problem. Change his diaper? Great....he loves to be naked!
2. He is shy! When we are alone in our room he is smily and giggly and plays and rolls all over the place. When we go out in public he will not smile for anyone! He just rides in the carrier and observes everything.
3. His favorite position is upside-down. We discoverd this by accident, and now he wants to do it all the time (lunge his body backwards and then be pulled up by mommy or daddy). You have to watch out because we might just be calmly eating dinner and he'll just lunge backwards!
4. His favorite toy is the sack of diapers wipes....it's very crinkly.
5. He isn't crawling or sitting up yet, but he's a champion roller! He can cover the entire bed by rolling and rolling and rolling. This also makes a giant mess when toys and other stuff are on the beds.
6. He's a great sleeper! Last night he slept 12 hours with only one wake-up.....and 10 hours the night before. I hope he keeps this up!
Guess that's all for today =)
Sunday, September 28, 2008
A busy day.....
Baby Eddie is doing well! He's so good-natured. And cute! Everywhere we go people talk to him and try to hold him. One old lady even came over and told me to put his hat back on. He seems to be feeling somewhat better, but I don't think he's totally himself yet. He has slept almost all the way through the night for the past two nights.....only waking up once each night. He's had several baths, which he really likes! He also really likes looking at the board books I brought him....especially the one with the mirror and the one with the pictures of babies. He will study each page for a long time. It's so cute. He also enjoys walking around town in his carrier. He seems to get bored if we stay in the hotel room too much.
Today we went to the "Temple of Literature." It was really interesting....it was Vietnam's first national institution of learning and a good example of classic Vietnamese architecture. Then we ate dinner at KFC! It was so good....I've been dying for some real American food! Usually even if you order something Western on the menu, it still has odd flavors, but this was the real thing. Yum. Amazing how much something "normal" makes you feel better. We also watched a CNN show about the presidential election and I actually enjoyed it because it was just so familiar-feeling.
Tomorrow we leave for an overnight trip to Halong Bay....It is supposed to be just beautiful....the highlight of a trip to Vietnam.
http://www.e-travelvietnam.com/tourdetail.asp?iData=2098&nChannel=News#2-days
Here's the website for the boat we're taking.
Today we went to the "Temple of Literature." It was really interesting....it was Vietnam's first national institution of learning and a good example of classic Vietnamese architecture. Then we ate dinner at KFC! It was so good....I've been dying for some real American food! Usually even if you order something Western on the menu, it still has odd flavors, but this was the real thing. Yum. Amazing how much something "normal" makes you feel better. We also watched a CNN show about the presidential election and I actually enjoyed it because it was just so familiar-feeling.
Tomorrow we leave for an overnight trip to Halong Bay....It is supposed to be just beautiful....the highlight of a trip to Vietnam.
http://www.e-travelvietnam.com/tourdetail.asp?iData=2098&nChannel=News#2-days
Here's the website for the boat we're taking.
Friday, September 26, 2008
We've got him!
He's so precious and adorable and cute!
I just want to let everyone know that a lot of my emails have been bouncing back....I have written everyone =) So just check the blog if you're not getting anything.
Our estimated return date is now Tues Oct 5! I can't wait to get home and show this baby off.
Here's what happened!
Wednesday at 3:00 we got a call at our hotel from Ninh (our agency representative). He said "the driver is at the hotel now....check out and leave immediately.") We didn't think we had to be packed, so we ran around like crazy throwing things in our suitcase and getting ready. I didn't even get to fix my hair the way I wanted to. We were told that people's committee office would close at 4:30 so we really had to hurry (it's a 1 hr 15 min drive). We were running so late that the Ninh got the nannies and the babies in his car and met us at the people's committee office. We didn't even have time to change him into his famcy outfit! He had on an orange shirt, and then pee-peed in his yellow pants so he put on his OU pants. It was such a funny outfit for the special occasion. I have pictures, of course. Hope I'll get to upload them soon.
When we got to the office, the nannies were there and they were all so sad! One was even sobbing. We can tell the babies were really loved and well taken care of. The ceremony was brief....each family was called up and given a certificate of adoption and handed their baby. Then the head official gave us a little talk about taking care of the babies and bringing them back to visit someday. It was very nice. Then we were asked if we'd like to say a few words! After a brief moment of panic, one of the other dads got up and said some really nice things (we appreciate getting to adopt babies, we'll love them and bring them back for a visit, etc). Then we went back to the orphanage to visit with the nannies and ask questions. We asked about his feeding and sleeping schedules, etc. We gave the orphanage a gift of some clothes and towels and blankets.
Then we were out of there! We had a 1.5 hour drive back to the airport at Da Nang. The flight was delayed an hour and a half so we ate a big communal "authentic" Vietnamese dinner....it was interesting and fun but we were all so exhausted! Then we took the hour flight back to Hanoi. After the ride to the hotel it was midnight. Baby Eddie slept for about two hours and was then up every twenty mintues after that. I can definitely understand why....he's out of his orphanage for the first time with strange people....away from his nanny and familiar surroundings.
Next morning we were up at 5:30....we went to breakfast and baby went on a long walk with daddy in the carrier. Then we played on the bed and he giggled and cooed and it was sooooo cute! He loves to look in the mirror....we "read" a board book with mirrors in it and he was fascinated.
We were starting to realize that he didn't feel very well. He was a little more subdued and fussy than the other babies and kept pulling at his ears and coughing.
Daddy picked us lunch up from a restaurant next door (pretty good...a cheese/cucumber sandwich) and then we were too tired to go out for dinner.
On Friday we took him to the doctor....he has an ear infection, slight bronchitis, and is teething! He is taking an antibiotic, some tylenol, and teething gel. Hopefull he will be feeling better soon! We went out to a fancy dinner at "Bobby Chin's." He is apparently a famous chef with a show on the Discovery channel. Our food was so good....it was so nice because almost everything I've been eating here hasn't been sitting right with me and it's just not what I'm used to.
Last night he slept all night from 8:00PM to 6:00 AM with only one brief crying spell....Eddie just patted him and he went back to sleep! Let's hope this is a pattern. We felt so much better with a full-night's sleep. Of course I kept waking up and looking at him because I was worried about him NOT waking up!
Today we're about to go out for a walk....baby Eddie loves being out and about and gets bored after being in the room for a while.
I have to go....they're waiting on me but next time I will tell the funny "Happy Buddha"-Eddie story!
J
I just want to let everyone know that a lot of my emails have been bouncing back....I have written everyone =) So just check the blog if you're not getting anything.
Our estimated return date is now Tues Oct 5! I can't wait to get home and show this baby off.
Here's what happened!
Wednesday at 3:00 we got a call at our hotel from Ninh (our agency representative). He said "the driver is at the hotel now....check out and leave immediately.") We didn't think we had to be packed, so we ran around like crazy throwing things in our suitcase and getting ready. I didn't even get to fix my hair the way I wanted to. We were told that people's committee office would close at 4:30 so we really had to hurry (it's a 1 hr 15 min drive). We were running so late that the Ninh got the nannies and the babies in his car and met us at the people's committee office. We didn't even have time to change him into his famcy outfit! He had on an orange shirt, and then pee-peed in his yellow pants so he put on his OU pants. It was such a funny outfit for the special occasion. I have pictures, of course. Hope I'll get to upload them soon.
When we got to the office, the nannies were there and they were all so sad! One was even sobbing. We can tell the babies were really loved and well taken care of. The ceremony was brief....each family was called up and given a certificate of adoption and handed their baby. Then the head official gave us a little talk about taking care of the babies and bringing them back to visit someday. It was very nice. Then we were asked if we'd like to say a few words! After a brief moment of panic, one of the other dads got up and said some really nice things (we appreciate getting to adopt babies, we'll love them and bring them back for a visit, etc). Then we went back to the orphanage to visit with the nannies and ask questions. We asked about his feeding and sleeping schedules, etc. We gave the orphanage a gift of some clothes and towels and blankets.
Then we were out of there! We had a 1.5 hour drive back to the airport at Da Nang. The flight was delayed an hour and a half so we ate a big communal "authentic" Vietnamese dinner....it was interesting and fun but we were all so exhausted! Then we took the hour flight back to Hanoi. After the ride to the hotel it was midnight. Baby Eddie slept for about two hours and was then up every twenty mintues after that. I can definitely understand why....he's out of his orphanage for the first time with strange people....away from his nanny and familiar surroundings.
Next morning we were up at 5:30....we went to breakfast and baby went on a long walk with daddy in the carrier. Then we played on the bed and he giggled and cooed and it was sooooo cute! He loves to look in the mirror....we "read" a board book with mirrors in it and he was fascinated.
We were starting to realize that he didn't feel very well. He was a little more subdued and fussy than the other babies and kept pulling at his ears and coughing.
Daddy picked us lunch up from a restaurant next door (pretty good...a cheese/cucumber sandwich) and then we were too tired to go out for dinner.
On Friday we took him to the doctor....he has an ear infection, slight bronchitis, and is teething! He is taking an antibiotic, some tylenol, and teething gel. Hopefull he will be feeling better soon! We went out to a fancy dinner at "Bobby Chin's." He is apparently a famous chef with a show on the Discovery channel. Our food was so good....it was so nice because almost everything I've been eating here hasn't been sitting right with me and it's just not what I'm used to.
Last night he slept all night from 8:00PM to 6:00 AM with only one brief crying spell....Eddie just patted him and he went back to sleep! Let's hope this is a pattern. We felt so much better with a full-night's sleep. Of course I kept waking up and looking at him because I was worried about him NOT waking up!
Today we're about to go out for a walk....baby Eddie loves being out and about and gets bored after being in the room for a while.
I have to go....they're waiting on me but next time I will tell the funny "Happy Buddha"-Eddie story!
J
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Finally, pictures!
Finally, some pictures! One of the other moms here took these pictures and emailed them to me so I could post them on the blog. They're so cute! The first one is just after we arrived and he's sleepy and grumpy. The second one is closer to the end of our visit and he's much more smiley!
We met the baby!
Hi! We are in Da Nang at the Sandy Beach Hotel. I just came down to the lobby to update the blog and add pictures. When I plugged my camera in to the computer I got a giant shock! I guess they are not compatable, so no pictures today. My next thought is to take them to a photo shop I saw and have them put on to a CD (or maybe borrow someone's laptop!). Then maye I can upload them from there. Hopefully I'll have time to do that late this week.
Let me get everyone caught up on what's been going on! So much has happened since my last post. On Saturday, as I mentioned, we went shopping and managed not to get run over by any motorbikes. We went to a small grocery store and had real difficulty finding stuff to buy....our plan is to eat at least one meal a day in our room. We finally got a strange combination of things like ritz crackers and oreos (we're supposed to only eat prepackaged things....and there was hardly anything we recognized!). They also had formula, so we'll know where to go when we need it. After shopping, we went back to the hotel. We decided just to take a little nap around 4:00 PM and then go out to dinner for some real Vietnamese food. But then we woke up at 9:00 PM....so we just decided to go back to sleep and skip dinner! So tired....
But since we went to bed so early, we woke up really early! Like 1:30 AM! We had to get up at 3:00 AM anyway to meet our group for the flight, so we just stayed up. We took a taxi to the hotel where we were meeting the group at 4:00 AM. Then we went to the airport and took the 6:05 flight to Da Nang. We were so happy to have CAS's representitive with us to take care of everything....so much less stessful than doing it ourselves. We were then driven to the beautiful hotel....the Sandy Beach Resort! It is so lovely here.....like something you'd see in a movie. There are flowers and gardens everywhere....two swimming pools and beautiful ocean and mountain views. I can't wait to show pictures! It's so relaxing.
On Monday afternoon we decided to take a trip to the town of Hoi An (about 20 minutes away)....it's sortof the cultural "epicenter" of Vietnam and has lots of shopping. We saw a beautiful Japanese covered bridge and some old restored Chinese merchant houses.....we really needed another day to tour some of them! We also shopped a bunch...the market was so interesting! I bought some beautiful silk which Mom is going to sew up in to different things for us. We also got a really cute bamboo hat for the baby, some very interesting fruit, and a few gifts for friends & family. Then we came back to the hotel (extremely hot and sweaty). We swam and looked out over the ocean and ate dinner in the little open air cafe at our hotel. So much fun.
We managed to stay up until 8:30 PM on Monday night....yea! Then we woke up at 5:00 AM on Tuesday morning, which is really good because early morning is the only time it's (sortof) cool in Vietnam. At 8:00 we left for the orphanage. It is about an hour drive....an amazing drive. We went through countryside and saw people harvesting rice in the paddies with water buffalo and ducks everywhere. We went through small villages with thatched huts and bicycles everywhere.
When we got to the orphanage, the babies were brought out one by one. They all looked really healthy and sweet. Ours was last! They had to wake him up from his nap and he was so sleepy that he went right back to sleep on my chest! So sweet. He slept for about half an hour and I just snuggled him. Then he woke up and looked around.....he was a little grumpy and wondering who were these strange people holding him! At first he was very somber and quiet....he'd looke me in the eye and then look away.....After a while he got more comfortable with us and became more animated. Eddie "flew" him up in the air and he started giving us the most adorable open mouth smiles! By the time we left, he was looking me in the eye more and smiling a little. He's very interested in his hands and feet! He'll hold them up and look at them all the time. I think he'll really enjoy having some toys to hold and look at....I don't think he's ever had any! I sooooo wish I could post pictures for you all. We got some really good video, too.
We're hoping to have the Giving and Receiving Ceremony tomorrow and then fly back to Hanoi to get started on the paperwork....but we're not sure wha'ts going to happen. Our agency representative is going to visit the people's committee members and find out if we can do it Wednesday, or if we have to wait until Thursday. This last minute stuff seems weird to me, but I guess it will all work out! I really hope it's tomorrow.....otherwise we'll have to wait until Thursday to see the babies again!
I'll probably post again when we get back to Hanoi.....Thursday or Friday.
Let me get everyone caught up on what's been going on! So much has happened since my last post. On Saturday, as I mentioned, we went shopping and managed not to get run over by any motorbikes. We went to a small grocery store and had real difficulty finding stuff to buy....our plan is to eat at least one meal a day in our room. We finally got a strange combination of things like ritz crackers and oreos (we're supposed to only eat prepackaged things....and there was hardly anything we recognized!). They also had formula, so we'll know where to go when we need it. After shopping, we went back to the hotel. We decided just to take a little nap around 4:00 PM and then go out to dinner for some real Vietnamese food. But then we woke up at 9:00 PM....so we just decided to go back to sleep and skip dinner! So tired....
But since we went to bed so early, we woke up really early! Like 1:30 AM! We had to get up at 3:00 AM anyway to meet our group for the flight, so we just stayed up. We took a taxi to the hotel where we were meeting the group at 4:00 AM. Then we went to the airport and took the 6:05 flight to Da Nang. We were so happy to have CAS's representitive with us to take care of everything....so much less stessful than doing it ourselves. We were then driven to the beautiful hotel....the Sandy Beach Resort! It is so lovely here.....like something you'd see in a movie. There are flowers and gardens everywhere....two swimming pools and beautiful ocean and mountain views. I can't wait to show pictures! It's so relaxing.
On Monday afternoon we decided to take a trip to the town of Hoi An (about 20 minutes away)....it's sortof the cultural "epicenter" of Vietnam and has lots of shopping. We saw a beautiful Japanese covered bridge and some old restored Chinese merchant houses.....we really needed another day to tour some of them! We also shopped a bunch...the market was so interesting! I bought some beautiful silk which Mom is going to sew up in to different things for us. We also got a really cute bamboo hat for the baby, some very interesting fruit, and a few gifts for friends & family. Then we came back to the hotel (extremely hot and sweaty). We swam and looked out over the ocean and ate dinner in the little open air cafe at our hotel. So much fun.
We managed to stay up until 8:30 PM on Monday night....yea! Then we woke up at 5:00 AM on Tuesday morning, which is really good because early morning is the only time it's (sortof) cool in Vietnam. At 8:00 we left for the orphanage. It is about an hour drive....an amazing drive. We went through countryside and saw people harvesting rice in the paddies with water buffalo and ducks everywhere. We went through small villages with thatched huts and bicycles everywhere.
When we got to the orphanage, the babies were brought out one by one. They all looked really healthy and sweet. Ours was last! They had to wake him up from his nap and he was so sleepy that he went right back to sleep on my chest! So sweet. He slept for about half an hour and I just snuggled him. Then he woke up and looked around.....he was a little grumpy and wondering who were these strange people holding him! At first he was very somber and quiet....he'd looke me in the eye and then look away.....After a while he got more comfortable with us and became more animated. Eddie "flew" him up in the air and he started giving us the most adorable open mouth smiles! By the time we left, he was looking me in the eye more and smiling a little. He's very interested in his hands and feet! He'll hold them up and look at them all the time. I think he'll really enjoy having some toys to hold and look at....I don't think he's ever had any! I sooooo wish I could post pictures for you all. We got some really good video, too.
We're hoping to have the Giving and Receiving Ceremony tomorrow and then fly back to Hanoi to get started on the paperwork....but we're not sure wha'ts going to happen. Our agency representative is going to visit the people's committee members and find out if we can do it Wednesday, or if we have to wait until Thursday. This last minute stuff seems weird to me, but I guess it will all work out! I really hope it's tomorrow.....otherwise we'll have to wait until Thursday to see the babies again!
I'll probably post again when we get back to Hanoi.....Thursday or Friday.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
We're in Hanoi!
Hi! I have no pictures now but I will try to come down later and post them. Not sure if this computer will be able to do it or not. =) I can't believe we're here. This is just not the sort of thing we usually do. Usually we're watching movies at home, eating at On the Border
Wow is the main thing I've been saying since we got here! Everything is so amazing and different and chaotic and interesting. We just discovered our hotel has free computers to use so I can post on the blog and check email a lot (though maybe not for the next few days when we're getting the baby). Let me see if I can start at the beginning....
I guess I'll start with my last post from Taiwan! I don't know what happened....everything was fine and then it started typing in Chinese characters....then back to English and not sure how those boxes got there....but basically what I was saying is that the "People's Committee" (of the Communist Party of the district where the baby lives) has important meetings and is moving back our adoption day to Wednesday or Thursday. We will still leave tomorrow for Da Nang (at 4:15 AM). We should be able to visit with the baby every day at the orphanage until we get to adopt him. I hate that it's been pushed back, but it will allow us to stay on the beach for a few days longer so that will be really fun!
I think I am so overwhlemed and so much is happening that this entry will probably be really rambling.
On Thursday at about 5:20, my cousin Emily and her fiance Guarav picked us up and took us to the hotel. As we were checking in, Eddie realized he had forgotten his wallet! We were freaking out.....thank goodness for Mom who raced to the airport and brought it to us. We made it in plenty of time. The American flight from DFW to LAX was the worst one! We were squished in those seats next to other people. The LAX airport was really amazing to me! The American Airlines terminal was really pretty and had lots of restaurants and lovely air conditioning. Then we walked over to the international terminal and it was totally different. The line for EVA airlines (the Taiwan based airline we flew to Taiwan and Hanoi) was hundreds of people long....stretched through a giant maze and then outside for about a block. I think we heard at lesat 5 or 6 different langauges spoken. My carryon weighed more than 7 kilos, so we had to check it! We put lots of stuff in my giant purse (thanks mom). I know it weighed more than 7 kilos but they didn't weigh it....strange! Finally we got through to our gate.....with minimal AC, restaurants, etc. Strangely different. The flight from LAX to Tawain was actually pretty nice. The seats were bigger, and there was no one sitting beside us so we could stretch out. There was a big entertainment system in front of every chair--you could watch movies, several different TV shows, play games (I played sudoku and a strange version of pong), listen to music, etc. The flight was about 13 hours and had two interesting meals (there were usually two choices....one western and one asian--fish with rice or chicken and pasta, for example)....I really couldn't sleep much but it was pretty comfortable. Then we got to Taiwan....had a four hour layover there. We found the airport interesting....it had about 15 shops and 1 restaurant. I figured in the US we'd have about 15 restaurants and 15 shops....maybe that's why they're so skinny and we're not.....
When we were waiting in Taiwan, we had to eat Chinese food, of course, at the one restaurant. We ate "Chinese noodle in spicy beef stew" with chopsticks and a spoon. Apparently the thing to do is eat the noodles with chopsticks and then follow with a spoonful of broth. It was really pretty good....very spicy! Eddie also had a "Taiwan Beer" that was only 80 cents!
Then we flew to Hanoi....the flight was about 2 hours and 45 minutes. Flying into the city was amazing.....we flew over the delta (I think) where there was really as much or more water than land. Everything is crisscrossed with dozens of rivers and ponds and rice patties....it was so green and beautiful.
When we got to the Hanoi airport, (as in Taiwan), everything seemed very controlled---I guess you can really tell it is a communist country. People don't just walk everywhere like they do in our airports--we all had to get in an orderly line and go through security and then go through imigration--lots of uniformed military everywhere. I got nervous as we went through immigration.....I suddenly realized they could deny us entry if they wanted to. They looked very stern and took my picture (but not Eddie's....why?) But obviously they didn't. Someone from our hotel came and got us in a very nice car....I was so glad to see them! We were so tired and overwhelmed and they just whisked us away to our hotel....about a 40 minute drive.
The traffic in Hanoi is insane! I read about it in a travel book, so I knew it would be, but it was really much worse than I could have imagined! I think we almost got in about 10 wrecks on the way to the hotel. Lanes are optional--people just honk and then go! They drive within inches of motorcycles and people walking and on bikes. I let out one little scream and the driver laughed so I tried to be quiet after that!
Our hotel is interesting. Most people in our group are staying at expensive westernized hotels. We didn't want to pay over $150 a night for 20 nights so we chose to stay in a more inexpensive but "real Vietnamese" hotel right in the middle of everything. It's neat because everything is so close by....restaurants, sight-seeing, etc. But it's also really loud! The honking outside our window is constant! But the hotel gave us a fan and it really helps block out the noise. The room is really small, the beds are hard, and there are no drawers for all our stuff! But is really pretty....lots of hardwood floors, crown mouldings, a tiny balcony....At first I was a little freaked out and thought about moving to the other hotel with our group but then figured it would cost about $200o more so....no go! I felt better this morning....the entire restaurant at our hotel (interesting free breakfast--eggs, noodles, strange lemon chicken, something green, toast, watermelon juice) was filled with adopted babies and families.....they were soooo cute.
This morning we woke up early (mostly because we went to bed so early) at about 5:00 AM. We came down to the hotel lobby and the clerk was sleeping all covered up on a cot. I thought it was a dead body in a bodybag on a guerney! It scared me to death. I thought someone had died in our hotel overnight or something! We looked at the map in our hotel book and walked down to a lake that is just a couple of blocks away. There are hundreds of tiny shops selling everything you can imagine. I will try to post pictures soon. At this lake were hundreds of people doing their morning exercise. Some walking, some running, some doing tai chi alone or with a class, some playing badminton, some stretching....everything you can imagine! After that we came back to the hotel for breakfast. It was nice to meet the other families.. ...they filled us in on where to go shopping for baby formula and good restaurants, etc. We even found a few places that deliver (including KFC= Gai Ron Kentucky).
On our walk we met another couple from the US.....Ed and Karen. They were from NY and had visited Cambodia and Thailand already.....very interesting. They were having coffee so Eddie had some, too. It was really good.....hot with condensed milk. They brought it to us on a motorbike (not sure why!).
Now we're off to go shopping....and then in the morning leaving for DaNang at 4:15! It really hit me this morning when we saw all the babies that we're actually going to get ours, too!
I may have to come back and edit this rambling thing later! We miss you all....
Wow is the main thing I've been saying since we got here! Everything is so amazing and different and chaotic and interesting. We just discovered our hotel has free computers to use so I can post on the blog and check email a lot (though maybe not for the next few days when we're getting the baby). Let me see if I can start at the beginning....
I guess I'll start with my last post from Taiwan! I don't know what happened....everything was fine and then it started typing in Chinese characters....then back to English and not sure how those boxes got there....but basically what I was saying is that the "People's Committee" (of the Communist Party of the district where the baby lives) has important meetings and is moving back our adoption day to Wednesday or Thursday. We will still leave tomorrow for Da Nang (at 4:15 AM). We should be able to visit with the baby every day at the orphanage until we get to adopt him. I hate that it's been pushed back, but it will allow us to stay on the beach for a few days longer so that will be really fun!
I think I am so overwhlemed and so much is happening that this entry will probably be really rambling.
On Thursday at about 5:20, my cousin Emily and her fiance Guarav picked us up and took us to the hotel. As we were checking in, Eddie realized he had forgotten his wallet! We were freaking out.....thank goodness for Mom who raced to the airport and brought it to us. We made it in plenty of time. The American flight from DFW to LAX was the worst one! We were squished in those seats next to other people. The LAX airport was really amazing to me! The American Airlines terminal was really pretty and had lots of restaurants and lovely air conditioning. Then we walked over to the international terminal and it was totally different. The line for EVA airlines (the Taiwan based airline we flew to Taiwan and Hanoi) was hundreds of people long....stretched through a giant maze and then outside for about a block. I think we heard at lesat 5 or 6 different langauges spoken. My carryon weighed more than 7 kilos, so we had to check it! We put lots of stuff in my giant purse (thanks mom). I know it weighed more than 7 kilos but they didn't weigh it....strange! Finally we got through to our gate.....with minimal AC, restaurants, etc. Strangely different. The flight from LAX to Tawain was actually pretty nice. The seats were bigger, and there was no one sitting beside us so we could stretch out. There was a big entertainment system in front of every chair--you could watch movies, several different TV shows, play games (I played sudoku and a strange version of pong), listen to music, etc. The flight was about 13 hours and had two interesting meals (there were usually two choices....one western and one asian--fish with rice or chicken and pasta, for example)....I really couldn't sleep much but it was pretty comfortable. Then we got to Taiwan....had a four hour layover there. We found the airport interesting....it had about 15 shops and 1 restaurant. I figured in the US we'd have about 15 restaurants and 15 shops....maybe that's why they're so skinny and we're not.....
When we were waiting in Taiwan, we had to eat Chinese food, of course, at the one restaurant. We ate "Chinese noodle in spicy beef stew" with chopsticks and a spoon. Apparently the thing to do is eat the noodles with chopsticks and then follow with a spoonful of broth. It was really pretty good....very spicy! Eddie also had a "Taiwan Beer" that was only 80 cents!
Then we flew to Hanoi....the flight was about 2 hours and 45 minutes. Flying into the city was amazing.....we flew over the delta (I think) where there was really as much or more water than land. Everything is crisscrossed with dozens of rivers and ponds and rice patties....it was so green and beautiful.
When we got to the Hanoi airport, (as in Taiwan), everything seemed very controlled---I guess you can really tell it is a communist country. People don't just walk everywhere like they do in our airports--we all had to get in an orderly line and go through security and then go through imigration--lots of uniformed military everywhere. I got nervous as we went through immigration.....I suddenly realized they could deny us entry if they wanted to. They looked very stern and took my picture (but not Eddie's....why?) But obviously they didn't. Someone from our hotel came and got us in a very nice car....I was so glad to see them! We were so tired and overwhelmed and they just whisked us away to our hotel....about a 40 minute drive.
The traffic in Hanoi is insane! I read about it in a travel book, so I knew it would be, but it was really much worse than I could have imagined! I think we almost got in about 10 wrecks on the way to the hotel. Lanes are optional--people just honk and then go! They drive within inches of motorcycles and people walking and on bikes. I let out one little scream and the driver laughed so I tried to be quiet after that!
Our hotel is interesting. Most people in our group are staying at expensive westernized hotels. We didn't want to pay over $150 a night for 20 nights so we chose to stay in a more inexpensive but "real Vietnamese" hotel right in the middle of everything. It's neat because everything is so close by....restaurants, sight-seeing, etc. But it's also really loud! The honking outside our window is constant! But the hotel gave us a fan and it really helps block out the noise. The room is really small, the beds are hard, and there are no drawers for all our stuff! But is really pretty....lots of hardwood floors, crown mouldings, a tiny balcony....At first I was a little freaked out and thought about moving to the other hotel with our group but then figured it would cost about $200o more so....no go! I felt better this morning....the entire restaurant at our hotel (interesting free breakfast--eggs, noodles, strange lemon chicken, something green, toast, watermelon juice) was filled with adopted babies and families.....they were soooo cute.
This morning we woke up early (mostly because we went to bed so early) at about 5:00 AM. We came down to the hotel lobby and the clerk was sleeping all covered up on a cot. I thought it was a dead body in a bodybag on a guerney! It scared me to death. I thought someone had died in our hotel overnight or something! We looked at the map in our hotel book and walked down to a lake that is just a couple of blocks away. There are hundreds of tiny shops selling everything you can imagine. I will try to post pictures soon. At this lake were hundreds of people doing their morning exercise. Some walking, some running, some doing tai chi alone or with a class, some playing badminton, some stretching....everything you can imagine! After that we came back to the hotel for breakfast. It was nice to meet the other families.. ...they filled us in on where to go shopping for baby formula and good restaurants, etc. We even found a few places that deliver (including KFC= Gai Ron Kentucky).
On our walk we met another couple from the US.....Ed and Karen. They were from NY and had visited Cambodia and Thailand already.....very interesting. They were having coffee so Eddie had some, too. It was really good.....hot with condensed milk. They brought it to us on a motorbike (not sure why!).
Now we're off to go shopping....and then in the morning leaving for DaNang at 4:15! It really hit me this morning when we saw all the babies that we're actually going to get ours, too!
I may have to come back and edit this rambling thing later! We miss you all....
Friday, September 19, 2008
delay!
Oh, darn....I ｊｕｓｔ ｃｈｅｃｋｅｄ ｍｙ ｅｍａｉｌ． Ｏｕｒ ｇｉｖｉｎｇ ａｎｄ ｒｅｃｅｉｖｉｎｇ ｃｅｒｅｍｏｎｙ ｈａｓ ｂｅｅｎ ｄｅｌａｙｅｄ ２ ｄａｙｓ ｂｅｃａｕｓｅ ｔｈｅ ｐｅｏｐｌｅ’ｓ ｃｏｍｍｉｔｔｅｅ ｈａｓ ｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔ ｂｕｓｉｎｅｓｓ and moved us back a few days． I guess we'll be getting the baby on Thursday. Ｗｅ ｗｉｌｌ ｓｔｉｌｌ ｂｅ ｇｏｉｎｇ ｔｏ Ｄａｎａｎｇ ｏｎMonday and we'll get to visit with the baby but not take him away from the orphanage with us. At least we'll get to stay at the beach longer! I'm guessing now we won't be home until the 11th...maybe even longer.
J
J
We're in Taiwan!
During our four hour layover, we started walking around the airport and found this nifty free internet computer! I'm not able to upload any pictures, but just wanted to say "hi" and let everyone know we're almost there! At 10:00, we leave for Hanoi (a 3-hour flight) and arrive around noon. Our hotel is picking us up. We haven't slept much, but if we can, we're going to try to stay up until bedtime in Hanoi.
We've only had one mishap so far---when we got to the airport in DFW to check in, Eddie realized he had left his wallet sitting at home on the kitchen table! Thank goodness for Mom--she raced to the airport with it and we were able to make it in time.
I'll try to post again soon! With pictures!
3 days 'til we get the baby!
We've only had one mishap so far---when we got to the airport in DFW to check in, Eddie realized he had left his wallet sitting at home on the kitchen table! Thank goodness for Mom--she raced to the airport with it and we were able to make it in time.
I'll try to post again soon! With pictures!
3 days 'til we get the baby!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
And we're off!
We're almost done packing. Final document check is done. Eddie is mowing. I'm giving the dogs lots of hugs and kisses. Emily (cousin and friend) will be here in a few hours to take us to the airport! I guess it's really happening! Yea!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
We're packing!
We leave day after tomorrow! Yea! We started packing on Sunday. Thursday we'll do a last-minute Walmart trip and finish up.
Here's what our schedule should be like:
Thursday
8:20 PM Leave DFW for LAX (4 hour flight)
4 hour layover
1:50 AM Leave for Taipei (13 hour flight)
4 hour layover
11:50 AM Saturday Arrive in Hanoi
Our hotel is picking us up at the airport (free service for adopting couples).
Sunday: Rest, try to get acclimated to the new time zone, shop a little, sightsee if we feel like it
Monday: Fly to Da Nang (1 hour flight, I think). Go to beach?
Tuesday: 1 hour drive to Tam Ky where the orphanage is--get the baby! Our Giving and Receiving Ceremony should be in the morning, and in the afternoon we will be able to spend time at the orphanage and visit with the nannies and other children
Wednesday: Fly back to Hanoi. Start paperwork for baby's passport, medical exam, and Visa.
Depending on how long everything takes, we should get to come home sometime between Oct 4 and Oct 11.
Here's what our schedule should be like:
Thursday
8:20 PM Leave DFW for LAX (4 hour flight)
4 hour layover
1:50 AM Leave for Taipei (13 hour flight)
4 hour layover
11:50 AM Saturday Arrive in Hanoi
Our hotel is picking us up at the airport (free service for adopting couples).
Sunday: Rest, try to get acclimated to the new time zone, shop a little, sightsee if we feel like it
Monday: Fly to Da Nang (1 hour flight, I think). Go to beach?
Tuesday: 1 hour drive to Tam Ky where the orphanage is--get the baby! Our Giving and Receiving Ceremony should be in the morning, and in the afternoon we will be able to spend time at the orphanage and visit with the nannies and other children
Wednesday: Fly back to Hanoi. Start paperwork for baby's passport, medical exam, and Visa.
Depending on how long everything takes, we should get to come home sometime between Oct 4 and Oct 11.
Here we've got baby Eddie's suitcase that's full-to-bursting! He's also filled up a back-pack carry-on (temporary diaper-bag).
Baby's Room is Finished!
Yea! We finished the baby's room. There are a few bare-looking spots, but I'm sure we'll fill them up really quickly.
More baby presents!
Cute sporty outfits from Dad and Jane...and cute bulldog outfit & rattle from sister Allie who is in veterinary school and of course, has a bulldog!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Visas
Our visas have arrived! That was our last bit of paperwork (until we get to Vietnam, of course). We're also pretty much done with shopping....now all we have to do is pack. 5 days 'til we leave!
Visa (in passport)
Baby gift! This adorable quilt was made by two friends at the library.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
More pictures!
Here are more pictures of the baby's orphanage I found online. There's also a video of the streets leading up to the orphanage! I'm ready to go now!
http://www.teresaandkids.com/weblog/2007/07/lunch-at-tam-ky-baby-orphanage.html
http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/1638952.html
http://childviet.blogspot.com/2007/03/tam-ky-newborn-orphanage.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2HY0nRaVwA
http://www.travelblogger.net/members/cherry-izzle/index.html?action=ViewTravelBlogs&tbid=1024
Here's a description of a volunteer who visited there. Heart-wrenching. It sounds like they're doing the best they can, but they need mommies and daddies!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessica12/sets/72157601965372263/
http://childviet.blogspot.com/2007/03/traveling-to-tam-ky.html
http://www.teresaandkids.com/weblog/2007/07/lunch-at-tam-ky-baby-orphanage.html
http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/1638952.html
http://childviet.blogspot.com/2007/03/tam-ky-newborn-orphanage.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2HY0nRaVwA
http://www.travelblogger.net/members/cherry-izzle/index.html?action=ViewTravelBlogs&tbid=1024
Here's a description of a volunteer who visited there. Heart-wrenching. It sounds like they're doing the best they can, but they need mommies and daddies!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessica12/sets/72157601965372263/
http://childviet.blogspot.com/2007/03/traveling-to-tam-ky.html
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
More pictures
These are from our agency's travel guide....I thought friends and family would enjoy seeing them.
This is the adoption book we will sign. Then the baby will be 'officially' ours.
Street vendor
This is the adoption book we will sign. Then the baby will be 'officially' ours.
Street vendor
Monday, September 8, 2008
Pictures of the baby's orphanage
Here are a few pictures of the baby's orphanage that I got from a "cyberfriend."
I think you can see more if you go to this website. You don't have to sign up--just click "View album."
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0QcsW7Rm4asWHF&emid=sharview&linkid=link5
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0QcsW7Rm4asWHF&emid=sharview&linkid=link5
A few pictures with my new camera
Sandy Beach Hotel
Oh my goodness! I just looked at the website of the hotel we'll be staying at for two nights when we pick up the baby. It's gorgeous--right on the ocean!
Check it out: http://www.sandybeachdanang.com/.
Check it out: http://www.sandybeachdanang.com/.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Travel Dates
Our travel dates have been set! We're leaving DFW at about 9:00 PM on Thursday, September 18. We will arrive in Hanoi at about noon on Saturday (but it will feel like midnight to us)!
We're probably staying at the Lucky Star Hotel: http://www.luckystarhotel.com/.
We will leave Hanoi on Monday and fly to Quang Nam, the province where the baby is now living. We will have the Giving and Receiving Ceremony that day (I hope) and then return to Hanoi on Wednesday. Then we'll wait on the rest of his paperwork (more details on that later).
We're probably staying at the Lucky Star Hotel: http://www.luckystarhotel.com/.
We will leave Hanoi on Monday and fly to Quang Nam, the province where the baby is now living. We will have the Giving and Receiving Ceremony that day (I hope) and then return to Hanoi on Wednesday. Then we'll wait on the rest of his paperwork (more details on that later).
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