A Welcomed Addition

We have a son!!!!

Just a brief post to reassure everyone that everything went according to plan today. We picked up the kids at the care center 1st thing this morning. The nannies who primarily cared for the kids came with us as welcomed comforters.

We had the G&R ceremony a little bit later than anticipated d/t a wedding ceremony. A short delay but all went smoothly. The officials gave a short speech about the importance of raising the children to be good citizens, to appreciate their VN heritage, and to bring the children back to VN at some point in the future. We were also asked to give a brief speech (E provided our words - very touching & heartfelt).

It was quite an emotional experience. After the ceremony, the nannies did not come on the van w/ us. We could tell the day was just as emotional for them as it was for us.

So, now the important stuff. Our son is w/ us 24-7! According to VN, he is our son & soon, he will be according to the US government.

We drove back to HCMC via van & our little guy was sacked out for most of the trip. He mostly is a daddy's boy (E is now officially called "Ba") but comes to me as well (I'm "Mama" - we thought about using "Me" but that is what the kids at the care center call the nannies - don't want to confuse the little guy).

We'll get great workouts lifting & carrying 30 lbs of weight (I might actually develop biceps after all...). CN (using his VN name for now - or at least hoping the way we say it is something he understands) LOVES bubbles (grandpa will have fun w/ that!). But his favorite activity is being carried around by Ba and Mama. That little guy doesn't want to walk.

CN adjusted much better than expected (or at least as well as we can expect). The only difficulty tonight was getting him to fall asleep, as he was in a strange place, with strange people, and totally out of his routine. Ba stood and rocked CN to sleep (guess Ba's name should be Nhan as well, as patient as he is!). I got to hear "Lullaby and Sleep Tight" hummed for about 40 minutes straight and joined in for some harmony.

So, CN finally fell asleep & here we are, Ba & Mama. (and yes, lots of pictures taken today - we'll try to post later!!!)

Oh, a big debt of gratitude to Melinda for giving us the ball (that came from the adoption shower at work). CN absolutely smiled and giggled when Ba threw the ball very high in the air (we learned the VN word for up but don't know how to spell it). Yes, and Marla, thanks for the bubbles idea - the bubbles keep him giggling & entertained for many, many minutes.

We're leaving tomorrow for Hanoi (his 1st plane ride) - wish us luck! We'll fill you in about our adventures and travel in Ben Tre & Vinh Long as we have more time (well, as much as can be expected anyway).

Ba & Mama!