The Journey to a New World

Today was devoted to buying the last rounds of presents and packing. The blooper of the day occurred in our favorite ice cream hangout. Cindi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" was playing and C was sitting in his chair, dancing along, spoon in hand, arms waving. Well the scoop of ice cream landed in his hair. Ordinarily, life would stop until the misplaced spot of food was cleaned off of him, the table, the floor, etc. This time, he didn't notice--he kept dancing along as the ice cream ran down his hair towards his face. He seemed only mildly concerned about Ba vigorously wiping his head with a napkin. Party on, little dude!

At dinner, C started flirting with the pretty waitresses. He has consistently perked up and noticed when pretty women come into view. Tonight, he was calling out to them. We'd love to know what he was saying. Probably something along the lines of, "Hey baby, I'm year of the Rooster! What's your sign?" Look out Mallard Creek Elementary, the Vietnamese Valentino is on his way!

Tomorrow at this time, we'll be somewhere on the Asian side of the Pacific Ocean. Then the adventure really begins as C will enter a world where everything is new. During the past two weeks, he has been hanging out with a couple of strange people who he can't understand, but other than the people they eat dinner with every so often, everyone else is understandable. Soon, no one will be understandable and everyone will be strange. And then he'll start meeting people other than those related to E.

Our review of VN:

• We won't miss the broadcasting of the singing lady and the reading of propaganda (we assume) every morning and evening.
• We won't miss the near-death experience of walking to dinner or shopping.
• We won't miss the constant honking of horns by scooters, cars, taxis, etc.
• We won't miss having great variety in our diets. We need to stick to hamburgers, pizza, and real ice cream for a while. Many restraunts in Hanoi have "European food" sections to their menus, but its a pale imitation of the real thing. We both liked the food better than we expected, given that neither of us are big eaters of Asian food (T demands an exemption for the Thai House), but sometimes the food didn't like us, and three weeks of it is a lot.
• We will miss the fact that meals seem to have about 11 courses. So if you don't an entree you like, there soon will be several others to choose from. Of course, there is also the risk that the next course will be stewed pidgeon or monkey or eel, etc.
• We won't miss seeing our dinner in cages before we eat it. T won't miss the amount of fish served here, shellfish being only a part of the total fish diet.
• We will miss the fact that it costs about 2/3 less to eat out compared to the US. Sodas for 50 cents, anyone? It is expensive for the plane tickets to get here, but once you're here, it is a very cheap to stay.
• We will miss all the new fruits we've experienced and enjoyed: chom-choms, VN grapefruit especially.
• T will miss all the bargain shopping. E believes there is no such thing as "bargain shopping". It is a trap to get you to buy more crap you don't need. E does appreciate the assertion that our Xmas shopping is done before Thanksgiving (not that he believes the assertion that it is done).
• E won't miss writing names in code, particularly since our names are listed elsewhere on the blog. Oops, maybe you hadn't noticed...
• We will miss the fact that C already seems to have outgrown his fascination with bubbles. How quickly they grow...

High points of the trip:

• Having C as part of the family.
• The excitement and anticipation of first seeing C on the stairs of the care center (OK, he started bawling the moment he saw us). The heart-wrenching experience of giving him back to the nannies at the end of day when he wanted to stay with us.
• Watching C be "big brother" to the other kids in the care center. Watching him continue to be big brother to H, who was adopted by another family traveling with us.
• Rocking C to sleep the first night in the hotel in Saigon. All 453 repetitions of "Lullaby."
• C's cooing in excitement when he sees something new or interesting--which is a lot. Discovering what C's discoveries of the day will be. Hopefully, his reaction to all the new things he's about to see in the US also will be the same.
• C smiling and waving hello or goodbye. And sometimes blowing kisses.
• Seeing both rural and urban areas of the country.
• The economy of VN is booming, especially Saigon. Lots of construction is going on. We asked one of the native adoption agency workers who was building all the big new houses were seeing in both rural and urban areas of the country. He replied: "Capitalists."
• Making new friends from VN and the US. One great example was our boat tour in Ben Tre. We intended to visit a catfish farm, but they wouldn't let us stop. The adoption agency rep said to the tour guide, "Find something. We need to give these people something to see on this trip." He called people he knew who lived along the river, we pulled up to the bank of the river at their property (no dock), disembarked, and had a wonderful visit with refreshments of pineapple coconut juice, hot jasmine tea, grapefruit, pineapple and candy.
• Never knowing what the next day would bring.

Finally, we will miss the friendliness of the people and their genuine interest in C. Many local people went out of their way to help us have a memorable experience in VN. There is a book that says it takes a village to raise a child. How fitting this statement is in describing our journey to parenthood up to this point (and moving forward in the next chapter of our lives). During our preparation and paperwork, we've read stories of other families not having such support. Over the past 1 1/2 years, we've received incredible support from our family and friends. You've been with us during both the highs and the lows, during the celebrations of milestones achieved and the long waits between these celebrations where we wondered if we'd ever reach our final destination. We know we can never truly express how greatful we are for your support.

Now, here we are...a family. Let the next chapter begin...

C being a "big brother" to his VL buddy H in the hotel lobby

C with the hotel staffer who dubbed him, "Happy Boy."

C and "Uncle"

The Rewards of Fatherhood

Today (Friday) has ended up being such a good day, that you get two posts to read. (As people roll their eyes thinking, "Great! E thinks being in a good mood is license to wax verbose...") Actually, since the initial post was done prior to dinner, we have evening news to report. So if you haven't read "Cue the Fat Lady" yet, read it first.

On the way back from dinner. we stopped at an art shop that T really liked. Yesterday, when it appeared we would be in Hanoi into next week, we had converted addition US dollars to VN dong; now we have extra dong to spend, as carrying dong back to the US would be pointless. So, we stopped at the art shop to buy a few more gifts. T had made a very nice purchase there last week (and the store clerk had remembered her from T's previous visit, when she had complemented T about her knowledge of VN geography). While E was looking at the artwork, T and C reached for a ceramic knick-knack simultaneously. The result was the knick-knack taking a swan dive and shattering on the floor. After paying for the "oopsie," we also made real purchases, so with one stop we almost entirely depleted our supply of dong and now have to get through tomorrow and pay for the taxi ride to the airport on Sunday. Why did I worry about having too many dong to spend? Oh...T then informed me of three other people we need to buy gifts for.

We then went to a nearby bakery to celebrate our big day with dessert. I ordered two scoops; one for me, one for C. He loved vanilla the other day; tonight he refused to eat it. (T notes that Ba didn't give C his own bowl). But he would feed ice cream to Ba. T didn't want ice cream so got a piece of chocolate torte. She took one bite of it and declared that it was "too chocolately." !!!??? What? Too Chocolately? Inconcievable! My Father always set the example at the dinner table: if others don't clean their plates, Dad does it for them. To honor that tradition, I got to eat all the ice cream AND the cake. To be clear, I did not plan this when I suggested we stop for ice cream. Ah, the rewards of fatherhood...

We returned to the hotel room and had just finished the splash-a-thon with C (a.k.a. a bath), when the phone rang and the hotel staff told me that we had a visitor in the lobby. I went down to find the sales clerk from the art store. First, she handed me the item that we had broken earlier in the evening. She had taped it back together. Then, she said the amount we had spent was a "lucky number" in VN and the manager of the store wanted us to have a gift. She pulled a beautiful ceramic turtle from a box. She then told me how much our story of adopting C had moved her. I have been blessed throughout my life and have always been surrounded by generous people, but I have never been so profoundly touched by a gift. This woman is a retail clerk in a poor country, and I have had every advantage in life, and she seeks us out in our hotel and gives us a gift! I'm not one who believes that God has everything scripted out for us, but there have been several times in my life--and this moment certainly counts--when divine inspiration is at work. I don't think you need to copy this story in an email and send it to seven friends within 30 seconds to have good luck, but I did think hearing this story would make your day a bit better. And you better enjoy it because tomorrow I go back to being a cynical curmudgeon-wanna-be.

Cue the Fat Lady!

Phew! The last 48 hours have been real emotional roller coaster. Yesterday, we reported the likely delay in our return travel due to the fact that we would have to pick up C's visa on Monday (and our original plans were to leave on Sunday). Of course, we noted that this was contigent on finding plane flights. Our travel agent worked diligently yesterday (overnight for us) to tell us that we really needed to find a way to get on the originally scheduled flights, as it was going to be extremely difficulty to find seats available on domestic flights once we were back in the US (Something about all those selfish Thanksgiving travelers hogging up seats to see their families). If we couldn't get on our original flights, it would probably be sometime after Thanksgiving that we'd be able to return. Argh!

We knew that the State Dept sometimes rushed processing visas and did it in the same day as the visa interview, but knew the probability would be low as there would most likely be many other families making the same request.

So this morning, things did not look good. To make matters worse, T wasn't feeling well this morning (perhaps due to staying up most of the night examining flight availability & feeling more than a bit stressed out since our visas would expire on the 24th). We were stuck in the room all morning worrying and brooding about being stuck in Hanoi for another week. So, to extend yesterday's Broadway analogy, if Thurs was the upbeat ending of Act 1, Friday morning contained the plot twist of Act 2 in which everything seemed to fall apart.

Our visa interview at the Embassy was at 2 pm; since visas are issued at 4, the margin for error would be very small, even if they were willing to speed issuance of the visa. At the end of our interview, we pleaded our case. The official checked with her co-workers who said they could do it--but no more--and she said, "We'll do our best; come back at 3:45." And she physically rewrote the yellow "ticket" to state that our pick up time would be 3:45 on Nov. 16, rather than 4 pm on Nov. 19. This was a lot better than receiving Willa Wonka's Golden Ticket! Three cheers for the employees of the State Dept! It's a good thing that the State Dept is full of softies who are willing to be bend to pity cases (such as us) rather sticking to the bureaucratic rules. In most melodramas, there is always some hero always that comes through and saves the day in Act 3 but no decent writer (or at least who wants to make money) would make the bureaucrats to be the heroes. We'll take what we get...

We know a lot of people have been praying for us while we've been here and over the previous months. I hereby let you know that we have just cashed them in! But keep praying for us anyway, as we still have 3 flights to deal with (this time w/ toddler in tow...).

What an immense relief! Or, as aptly put by the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz, "Oh joy! Rapture!" After 3 weeks, we understand Dorothy's desire just to go home. But we better not end up in Kansas...

The Sun Also Rises

If this were a Broadway musical, this would be the part where the main characters randomly breakout in an up-tempo song. Oops, there goes T (little need to give her a cue)! The CIS (US Immigration) finally approved C's paperwork. This allows us to complete the final visa interview tomorrow with the State Dept. Then we can pick up C's visa on Monday and head for home.

Yesterday's Broadway song would have been a lament or perhaps a downbeat version of "Something's Coming..." (Tony from West Side Story). We needed CIS approval yesterday to come home on Sunday as planned. CIS hadn't approved anyone all week (though Monday was a US holiday), so everyone was concerned about the hold up. So we won't get home exactly when we planned, but, pending finding flights during the Thanksgiving travel week, we should make it home mid-week. Some days are dark, but, as Hemingway noted, The Sun Also Rises. In fact, it rises here before y'all go to bed on the previous day. (Translation for the Pennsylvanians in the audience: The sun rises here before yous guys go to bed.)

Our photo for the day is C brushing his teeth. For those of you keeping score, this was the final of three objectives. We have completed all three of our parental goals in two weeks (bathing and shampooing being the other two). Aren't we good? (And E hasn't exposed C to vermin, caused him to puke, or thrown any of his personal effects into the sewer in several days.) Ok, we still need to get him to use toothpaste when he brushes his teeth. But he should do that shortly and then we have 16 years or so to rest on our laurels.

Look Ba, I can brush my teeth!

The Hanoi Hilton

We decided to travel to Hao Lo this morning, the prison where US aviators who were shot down in NVN during the war were held as POWs. The US POWs had derivisely nicknamed the prison, the Hanoi Hilton. Our first taxi driver, however, clearly did not know where it was (since the street address was not clearly listed in the tourist guide), despite his assertions to the contrary. He took us on a circuitous route to Hao Lu street, which was about as far from Hao Lo prison as our hotel. So we found a second cab to get us to the right place.

The prison has mostly been torn down to make room for a high rise hotel complex--the Somerset, not the Hilton. The main entrance, a couple buildings, and a courtyard remain. The complex has been turned into a museum, mostly dedicated to the VN communists and fighters for independence imprisoned there by the French (who had built the prison). A couple of rooms are devoted to US POWs and contain John McCain's flight suit and gear.

From the prison, we walked to St. Joseph's church, which is known for its gothic architecture. We arrived at noon, which is when it closes for siesta until 2. C usually takes his nap at noon, so we taxied back to the hotel and will try the church at a later time.

Upon waking from his nap, we found C to have been inspired by the prison. He was consistently a walking example of the terrible twos today, pushing the limits at every opportunity and inspired to more creative mischieviousness by the word "no." For his revolutionary behavior, he earned his first "time out." Specifically, he started throwing things after being repremanded for running through the room with an empty glass. T believes it was the longest 2 minutes of her life; E says "bring it on; I can outplay, outwit, and outlast a two year old." After the time out, he was happy boy again and remained on good behavior for his longest period of the day. Hopefully, he will stay out of his Hanoi Hilton for the rest of the trip.

And as a treat for your good behavior as loyal readers, you get to enjoy some photos from the past few days:

Ba and C at Hoan Kiem Lake (Ngoc Son Temple in background)

Mama and C at dinner, having a good time!

The Ice (cream) Man Cometh

Here is C's first bite of ice cream. He had refused to try it twice earlier this week. He refused to try it again today when it was offered on a spoon. But once the dish was pushed in front of him and he could serve himself, Mama never got her ice cream back. And even once his vanilla milk shake arrived, he tried it, shook his head and stuck with the good stuff. Mama would have to drink the shake and be content with letting C have the better end of the deal. E ordered chocolate mint, which neither C or T like, so he didn't have to share. A dominant strategy that he will now stick with for at least the next 20 years! Thankfully, chocolate mint is my favorite, though after eating it exclusively for 20 years, who knows...

We had a couple of long walks today. The first to the grocery store, the second around the nearby lake, with side trips to look at book stores. The ice cream stop was during the afternoon hike. The forecast was for 70s and cloudy but it was hot and very humid, so long walks with a sweaty baby were quite hot. A good day for ice cream!

C generally is a restless sleeper and was again last night. He rolls around alot and seems to prefer sleeping perpendicularly to Mama or Ba. E's Uncle Joe now can rest easily knowing that all the nights E kicked him out of bed are being repaid. What goes around comes around... (Actually, Uncle Joe just refused to sleep with little E after getting kicked out of bed the first time, as did just about everyone but Dad, who had no choice.) Normally, when C wakes up, he is willing to be consoled by whomever is present. Not last night; he wanted nothing to do with Ba who had C duty. Each time over the next 2 hours (starting at 4:30) that Mama tried to return to her bed or to go to the bathroom, C's alarms were set off. I guess the parent who becomes the favorite in putting C to bed also becomes the favorite night pal. T claims that it is due to her "magic touch" in putting him to sleep. Guess she'll get to practice using that magic touch at lot at all hours of the morning. Sucks to be T!

Two Out of Three Ain't Bad

The main event today was a visit to the clinic for C's medical clearance to enter the US. Despite the reassurances of our in-family health care professional, C would have none of it, hitting decible levels and octaves only rumored to exist. Such feats have not been accomplished since E's legendary bad baby days. E, however, according to folklore, could produce such Pavrottian sounds at whim and did not need the threat of doctors and nurses (although, I'm sure that they encouraged me too). Perhaps he will become the opera singer that I never did. Of course, his list potential accomplishments will be staggeringly long if he sets out to achieve the things I never did. The bottom line for today, however, is that C passed the exam and drew chuckles from the nurses in the waiting room for his blood curdling screaming, followed by smiling, cheerily waving, and w/o prompting saying, "bye-bye," to the doctor as C left the office. One would have thought they were best friends!

We also took a walking tour of the old section of Hanoi. The sections we entered today were very similar to the sections we've already been in: busy, crowded, lots of food vendors on the streets--selling raw or cooked food, ordinary and exotic items, lots of traffic zagging every which way including where you are trying to walk. It was a relatively short walk, but I was saturated with sweat due to the humidity, carrying a two year old, and most importantly, the stress of dodging the traffic for an hour.

We have a major victory to declare on the bathing front. After raging bath battles, anguish, and near histrionics from our son for the past 12 days, tonight we achieved victories in two of the three major fields of battle: bathing and hair washing. Taking our cues from his enjoyment of the sink/bathtub splashing (and after receiving a squeaky rabbit toy from Ms. H today) we decided to try the tub thing again. Strategic planning by the Admiral and her second in command led to the drawing of the bath while the target was playing w/ a butterfly balloon given to him by M (the mom of the twin girls). After the battle lines were drawn, the plan of attack was executed. T got into the tub w/ C's new comb (to replace the guided missle of the previous comb that landed behind the tub and never able to be rescued by recon), his two spoons, and the rabbit. E led C into the bathroom & the plan was implemented. Eureka! We have splash off (after C started playing w/ the toys and the diaper came off). Well, strike one: mission accomplished. Strike two: diversionary tactics. C started splashing around & water landed on his face w/o complaints. T started squeezing the bunny (who leaked water) on C's hair to wet it. Oh, step back for a second. C looked at his soap, T, and the rabbit. T, thinking quickly, began lathering up the rabbit, so C was okay w/ T lathering him up and rinsing him off w/ her hands. So, back to phase 2: suds n' such. C pointed to his shampoo & T started washing the rabbit's "hair." Return in kind was allowed & another mission was successfully accomplished.

With apologies to Meatloaf, indeed two out of three ain't bad. Step three: brushing teeth...maybe tomorrow? Only time (and C) will tell!

The Re-Reeducation of Water Puppets

The literature on VN we've read over the past year consistently highlighted "water puppets" as a unique entertainment in VN. Yet the readings never clearly explained how they worked. I can't do any better. The human puppets look like they are molded out of bowling pin material (and are approx the size of bowling pins), but have movable arms and legs, depending on their roles. And there are lots of animals. The puppets are not controlled by strings or by the puppeteer's hand, but by underwater sticks. The pool of water in which this performance occurred was hip-deep, so there was likely alot going on underwater that the audience couldn't see. There was music throughout. The singing and speaking parts were all in VN, but we could get the idea of the story anyway. Indeed most of the audience appeared to be foreign tourists. And we attended on Sunday morning when there were least likely to be foreign bus tour groups in attendance. Also on Sundays, photos/videos recordings are free, so we taped most of it. Thus, if you really care, we can show it to you and I don't need to try to continue to explain it. Ha. Money and time well spent.

We had front row seats. C therefore did not have the challenge of trying to see over anyone (come to think of it, I didn't have that usual problem either!). He ooed and squealed throughout and would grab either of our arms to make sure we saw what was happening. (I recall doing this to my parents too. I don't think it occurred to me that if my mother shelled out $ for tickets, she darned well would be watching intently!)

Dinner was a real treat as the hotel staff took us and another adoptive family, as long-term guests, out to dinner. It's a new hotel and they like the idea of building relationships with our adoption agency who can supply them with the steady stream of long-term guests. The food was delicious, C ate 2 bowls of chicken corn soup and a fried mini-banana, and the hotel staff were genuinely interested in what they were doing well and how they could improve.

T went shopping, again. She had so many bags, she had to take a cyclo ride home. Therefore, a fantastic day!

On that note, it is time to report on re-reeducation. When the liberation forces overthrew the US imperialists and their puppet government, they sent capitalists and those sympathetic to the puppet gov to be reeducated. (Part of reeducation is learning the correct terminology. E notes, however, that much of the stuff the imperialist US government is blamed for here actually occurred before the US was deeply involved here or before the S VN gov could reasonably be called a puppet gov. But let's not let historical evidence interrupt a good story...) Now that the VN are avid capitalists, perhaps a re-reeducation is in order. Thus, the following are the results of E's on-going re-reeducation:

1) Goods bought from poor, developing countries in the US take advantage of exploitative labor and hurt US jobs. Goods bought in poor, developing countries are good deals.

2) Purchases that might cause one's significant other to raise his eyebrows or groan are in reality "great bargains."

3) The purchases of many great bargains do not aggregate into costly sums.

4) Many great bargains do not fill up additional space in luggage or weigh any more to carry.

5) Many great bargains do not necessitate the purchase of additional furniture (or rooms) at home to display.

6) Confucious say, "Children need formal attire for yearly bar mitzvahs." "Children should have many knick-knacks to display and enjoy meditating on the joy the knick-knacks bring to the universe. Children will not want to play with them or crush them to separate the ying from the yang."

7) Confucious say, "Beware of yanking your wife's chain in blog, esp. when she is looking over your shoulder and tends to edit the blog when you are done to include such non-Confucian sayings like 'happy, happy, joy, joy' or 'happy Snoopy dance.'"

8) -------------------- [The Committee on Re-Reeducation now brings you songs by happy, patriotic children...]

Happy Boy Pictures

Some pictures from last night of the Happy Boy to share w/ our friends & family!

More lemons, please!!! (actually, more like mangos and M&Ms)

Mama tricked me into smiling for the camera...

Alright Mama, I'm telling you one more time...drop the camera or else

Saturday in the Park With George

Okay, okay...so there is no George and their is no park but the three of us spent the afternoon by the lake. After C's afternoon nap, we decided to go out for a late lunch (you know it's amazing how your schedule is altered dramatically with the needs/wants/whims of a toddler). Ba was very happy to discover that C likes tuna (looks like I might finally be outnumbered in the 'what's for dinner' department...E's doing the happy Snoopy dance that he might actually be able to make his tuna casserole more often & have someone other than himself to eat it).

So, after lunch, we went to Fanny's Ice Cream. C wasn't exactly enthralled w/ the ice cream (more interested in the fun 'toys' that were decorative on the bowls - a tiny conical hat & something somewhat resembling a rooster). He did try the cone but refused to eat the ice cream in that toddler sort of way...a head shake side-to-side and puckered lips).

After Fanny's, we traveled to the market to pick up necessities for the "Di" man: mango juice, yoghurt, and snacks (gotta keep our guy in his routine after all)! C actually spent a few steps walking on the sidewalk (before Mama had to pick him up to avoid a big mud puddle). After crossing the street, C decided that Mama holding him was much better - able to see more scooters!

So, the most important news is that we now have C's passport. Apparently, the passport office in VN is open on Saturdays. That's how we spent our morning (well, part of it anyway...after Mama got to sleep in until 0830...yes, I've officially adjusted to VN time - I'm back on my normal sleep pattern of not waking up at 0'dark thirty...unless it's due to a crying toddler). The great thing about going on a Saturday is the lack of craziness or lines (well, guess there really aren't lines - see E's post earlier about the passport process).

E notes the irony of VN gov offices being open on Sat while the US consulate is closed Sat, Sun, and Monday (due to Veteran's Day). In a similar vein, our I-600 interview on Wed occured 45 minutes late as the US workers at the consulate did not return from their lunch breaks until 30 minutes after our interview was scheduled. Perhaps they were taking their siestas. Meanwhile the State Dept's traditional message to poor developing countries is that they need to work harder and stop asking for handouts. In fairness, the Dept of Homeland Security supposedly has one person in the entire country to handle all immigration paperwork and investigations. Given the difficulty of traveling in a timely manner, methinks that person does little investigating or he/she would get nothing done. I admit, however, that I've never thought, "Gee, the State Dept/INS needs to hire more people." If only we contracted this out to Halliburton...that assuredly would fix it!

Tonight, we made great strides in the bathing department. Of course, we only did a sponge bath (or something equivalent - a warm towel washing w/ the ritual lotion application) but after the sponge bath and brushing of Mama's teeth, I ran some warm water in the bathroom sink. C slowly opened up and began splashing one, then both hands in the water. I grabbed his comb & two spoons and C then started playing in the water. While his attention was diverted, I drew up a bath for myself, sat down, and invited him to stand w/ Ba on the outside of the tub and play w/ his "toys". Before you jump too far ahead, we aren't miracle workers. C was nowhere near getting into the tub, but he did play w/ his comb and spoons using both hands. We did pretty well, until C managed to throw his comb behind and one spoon under the tub. That pretty much signaled playtime being over.

Tomorrow, we are excited about going to the water puppet show. It's at 0930, so we're hopeful our little guy will enjoy the show before his midmorning nap.

Waiting for Godot

In any journey, there are days where one seems to tread water at best. Today was one of those days. Our major task for the day was supposed to be picking up C's passport from the VN gov. However, the agency staff person assigned to take us never showed. There was a series of phone calls to other staff members members that briefly held out the possibility that we might yet make it, but the bottom line is that it didn't happen. Now, the plan is to pick up the passport on Monday morning. It really must occur then because C's appointment at the International Health Clinic for his health clearance to travel (i.e., showing he doesn't have mad cow disease) occurs Monday afternoon and the passport must be in-hand for him to be seen by the health clinic staff. In short, today's hiccup hopefully does not impact the schedule but is aggravating nonetheless. Additionally, a perfectly beautiful day was spent in the hotel rather than out and about.

But all is not lost... T went shopping! She went shopping w/ another family (while E & C were going stir crazy in the hotel) and used some mad bargaining skills that would make her sister K proud. While in VN, it is important for us to pick up things we can give to C as we have two celebrations each year (his birthday in August & his "gotcha day" on Nov 1st). Now, T has a good idea how the Brits feels right now when they shop in the US (w/ the Euro/Dollar conversion tipping against the Yanks). Since "Di" Man has begun showing his musical talents w/ banging chopsticks & utensils against the table, Mama decided to purchase a small drum & xylophone to bring home for later "gotcha days".

While E was downstairs later this afternoon, T was on "Di" Man patrol. E called up to the room & C was fascinated by the phone ringing & Mama picking up the phone and talking. He quickly responded by taking the phone away from Mama and listening. T told E to talk to C & C was perplexed but fascinated. T isn't sure what E said to C but C's end of the one-way conversation ended when C kissed the phone.

Since "Di" Man had a good day, we decided to forgo the usual bath torture & give him a sponge bath. Well, as you can imagine, that was alright in his book. No screams of bloody murder...actually smiles were seen for miles. C loves to have lotion put on his body (but to do so, T must put a dallop in each palm, then take the lotion and rub it into different body parts). He brushed T's teeth (or at least made an attempt) but didn't allow Mama to return the favor in kind.

Oh, yeah...he also discovered the fun and giggles of Mama giving him the raspberry on his tummy (but Ba is NOT allowed to do so). Mama also took him on a field trip to see his buddy D taking a fun splish-splash bath (so hopefully, if D likes the bath, so will the "Di" Man - we hope...otherwise nights will be interesting in the Heberlig house).

Happy Boy

One of the hotel staff dubbed C, "Happy Boy," tonight. That's an accurate assessment. The hotel staff--the majority young males--have been very friendly and attentive to C and he now waves at them upon seeing them. For most other people, we must ask him to wave "Hi" or "Bye-Bye" at them. Generally, his responses range from indifferent to suspicious of others. Which is to say, he seems to have some standards in hanging out with Ba & Mama, rather than everyone else. You are not invited to speculate on what those standards might be.

Yesterday morning, Mama spent time taking pictures of the C Man, when he looked up at Mama w/ this mischevious grin, held up one finger, and began pointing it at her. He definitely wasn't saying Mama was #1. At the care center where he grew up, the nannies would hold up their index finger and begin shaking the finger at the children when they were doing something bad. So, Mama was apparently getting into trouble and the camera police came out to issue a warning citation...

Today we spent half the day touring Hanoi: Ho Chi Minh's Masoleum and house, the one pillar pagoda, the Museum of Ethnology, and the Temple of Literature. The Masoleum is closed for two months every year, including Nov, for preservation work on the deceased. The lines usually are tremendously long and spending several hours w/ a two year old waiting to catch a 10 second glimpse of a guy who's been dead since the end of the 1960s is not my idea of a happy, happy, joy, joy experience. The Masoleum is on the "Mall" of the VN capitol, so we could see the parliament building, the headquarters of the Communist Party, the Foreign Affairs Dept, and the Presidential Palace. Most of the buildings were constructed by the French and repainted yellow and red by the VN. The Masoleum was built by the Soviets and is dark and foreboding even on a gorgeously sunny day as befits a Soviet Masoleum.



The property of the Presidential Palace contains a spartan building where HCM mostly lived when he was in town. Across a pond, he had a small house built on stilts for himself. The one pillar pagoda is right next door and is just that--a small pagoda on a concrete pillar in the middle of a small man made pond. Our adventure here consisted of E knocking C's hat into the pond, requiring E and the tour guide to fish it out. So (for those keeping track), in the past three days, I've has subjected him to mice-infested living quarters, a Superman-induced puking incident, and drowning his hat and main protection from skin cancer. Father of the year anyone? And I have 354 days to go!



The Ethnology Museum was devoted to illustrating the culture of the 54 ethic groups in VN. Each section contain examples of their art, ceremonial custumes, tools, living quarters, etc. Also, the Museum contained a large outdoor section (complete w/ VN versions of scarecrows and enough grooms & brides having wedding pictures taken in various gowns that would make Scarlett O'Hara proud) with reconstructions of the unique buildings--homes, community buildings, buildings to ceremonialize the dead--for major tribes. The building to ceremonialize the dead contained statute art devoted to celebrating the circle of life--but mostly the fertility (or more specifically, conception, part). The decor would have incited fire and damnation in the Bible Belt. Keep checking back for us to post those photos! (You'll need a credit card to access them however.) (T wants you to know that no photos will really be posted so as to spare you the disappointment--mainly due to her preoccupation w/ the C Man. Now go take a cold shower.)



The Temple of Literature is a series of pagodas dedicated to Confucious and served as the basis for the first university in VN. Like the pagodas we saw in Hoa Lu, they were very ornate. At both pagodas, one could rub the head of a stone turtle for good fortune. This is the VN version of the blarney stone but does not involved standing in hours-long lines, hiking up 3 flights of stairs built for leprechauns, nor hanging upside down to place one's mouth on rock covered by the saliva of thousands... Unfortunately, I am starting to react to pagodas the same way I reacted to European cathedrals in high school: another pagoda/cathedral! Despite their beauty, they only do so much for me and lots of them at once surpass my capacity.



In the afternoon, we went to Bat Tran, the ceramics village. We saw the ceramics being made at each stage of production. C cooed over some of the simple machines at work, but generally was on the edge as he had only half his normal nap during the bus ride from Hanoi to BT. Fortunately, he didn't kick or touch anything in the narrow aisles of the stores. T started buying presents for relatives and friends and by the end of the afternoon, I think, was making new friends and relatives to buy for. The ladies in the stores were very taken by C, though they kept insisting he had to be 3 or 4 because he's so big. C would admit nothing.

C demonstrated his capacity for strategic thinking tonight as only a toddler can. Our evening routine is for me to bathe after dinner and C to join me in the tub. We've tried numerous variations and all end in screams of bloody murder. Tonight, we allowed him to play in his diapers for a while before I went to the bathroom. C heard the water running into the tub and immediately indicated to T that he wanted to go straight to bed by laying down, grabbing his bear, and patting the bed, inviting Mama to join him. Clever, but no dice. Mama seems to be the preferred person to put him to bed. He repeated animal noises we'd make as we saw them from the bus. He walked briefly holding both our hands at the Enthology musuem. T reports that C is saying "something close to Mom, but he might be saying 'bom' (ball)." We'll work on clarifying that distinction...

Stand By Me

When I threatened to incorporate references to 11 American movies in my next post, I really wasn't serious. Nevertheless, it is really appropriate to get two out of the way at the outset. C was playing Superman tonight. After three flights around the room, the result was the projectile vomiting scene from Stand By Me. All over T. It's good it was on her--for the obvious reason that it wasn't on me and, as a nurse, she is capable of being barfed on w/o returning fire in kind. Plus, she was egging us on by yelling "again, again." I had long since forgotten my mother constantly telling my Dad to cool it with the Superman routine or we'd barf. Oh well. Score one for Mom. (Yes, I know she'll never let me forget I wrote that; nor will she ever let Grandpa play Superman w/ C. C's loss.)

BTW: For all you Weather Channel junkies out there: Yes, we know there is a typhoon off the coast of VN; rest assured (though you won't because you're watching the weather channel), that it is nowhere near us. Do not; I repeat, DO NOT, call the US consulate asking them to track us down as the mother of one of the other families did.

Today we visited the US consulate for our I-600 interview, to determine our legal eligibility to adopt C and bring him w/ us into the US. It largely went fine though, surprise, surprise, we need to get some minor paperwork attesting that we are capable of handling a 26 month old rather than merely a 24 month old. I've forgotten my Piaget (obviously, since Piaget would say that dates aren't terribly relevant in child development. But it's such cool name and I don't remember what any of the others said either, so I'm using it anyway for name dropping), so I don't know the critical difference between the two, but its really all about the paperwork. We were both pleasantly surprised that C sat quietly throughout the interview on T's lap w/o demanding to "go." On our way out of the consulate, I stopped by the bathroom. T was carrying C, and I could hear C yelling "Ba, Ba" (Dad) at me from the hallway. Touching.

T and I have been trading baby patrol days as our gastrointestinal fortitudes have been compromised. It hit me first, then hit T, then came back to me. At this writing, we're both good (though only for half of the day for E). Thankfully, it hasn't hit both of us simultaneously or C at all (since his puking was induced by Kryponite). The lack of a post yesterday was thus due to my health issues and T's exhaustion from full time C and E duty. Having a nurse in the family comes in handy--free labor! (I was made to write that--no offense to all nurses reading this post.)

Yesterday we traveled first to Hoa Lu, a 10th century capitol of VN. The main attraction was the pagodas. We're unsure if they are the originals or reconstructions on the original site. One gets a lot less out of a tour guide's presentation with a two year old in tow. Thanks to C, we know the VN word for "go" sounds like "dee." We heard it a lot. He was fascinated by the water buffalo.

Our next stop was Tam Coc, where we took a sampan ride (similar to a row boat) on a river, through three grottoes/tunnels. Two natives did the rowing; on some boats, the rear rower rowed w/ his/her feet. The scenery was fantastic and the ride relaxing until the rowers started pestering us to buy merchandise from them. Our tour guide forewarned us about this, so it was the repetitiveness that became annoying. E took a cue from the natives, however, and snapped a couple of pictures of another family in their boat, and then demanded $2 US for the pictures. C stayed quiet and enjoyed the views throughout, but didn't want Mama to loosen her grip! Among other things, he enjoyed seeing the mountain goats. (Goat was served as one of the courses for lunch; it tastes like lamb, not surprisingly. T refused to try it.) We'll try to include a couple of photos from this voyage on the blog.

C progress report:

He is operating a bit more independently from us, especially in the hotel room. Today for the first time, he walked/toddler-ran up and down the hotel cooridor rather than being carried. He began responding to us calling him C rather than N or CN. T had a VN version of a Hazelnut Frappacino; C didn't like the first sip, then proceeded to drink about half of it (on top of his own full glass of OJ). Before dinner, we visited another family. C started by feeding Cheerios to his friend D, but soon resorted to eating as many as possible before D could get them. (OK, let's do the math: 1/2 a Hazelnut Frappe, one OJ, 3 or 4 bowls worth of Cheerios. That's the real reason he puked! I'm feeling a lot better about it anyway! I suspect, however, that this will have no effect on Grandma's willingness to allow Grandpa to play Superman--though nothing ever stopped him in the past.)

Another Heberlig Musician in the Making?

Since we weren't able to blog last night, you get a double helping of Heberlig tonight!


Grandma will be happy to note that C is already beginning to express his musical gift (although it looks like he may want to become a drummer, rather than a trumpet player). C thought the "bom" (VN for ball) would be really fun to bat around. This picture shows him in action, after giving the bom a hearty beat. C also got a kick out of playing the gigantic ceremonial battle drum. (note that, yes, he does let Mama hold him....a lot!)

I really like this picture b/c you can see C starting to grin (rather than intense gazes he's provided in previous pictures)! Although you see me wearing a short sleeved shirt, note that like a good Mommy in VN, my child is wearing a long sleeved shirt, long pants, and a hat. Otherwise, women would be scolding me in the streets (other moms providing child-rearing advice for your kid is apparently universal).

Dr. Bill is going to have a field day w/ me when I come into the office for my 1st adjustment post-trip (egad...my students will have a field day that I'm not using proper body mechanics, as much as I've spoken to them about keeping their backs safe). I'm definitely not used to carrying the extra weight (especially weight that wants to shift from side to side). Moms w/ infants definitely have an advantage starting out w/ a newborn weighing < 10 lbs (get to build their way up to our little guy).

Unfortunately, our internet connection speed is quite slow, so I'll try to post the pictures to Snapfish & send a link for a slideshow presentation. Until then...off to bed we go to rest and prepare for another big day of sightseeing (and maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to listen to the tour guide this time...but I'm not holding my breath)...

Hen gap lie (See you later!)

Of Mice and Men

Some days are longer than others. Ours started at 12:30 a.m. when T found a mouse in her bed moussing her hair. (She notes her mother always called her hair a "rat's nest", but literalism here is not well received.) We had found that something had chewed on fruit the day before and shown the hotel staff, but the suspect clearly had not been apprehended. T turned on the light and saw the miscreant head into the bathroom. We called the hotel staff and they arrived immediately but were unable to find it. The night staff promised to move us to a room of similar size in the morning once one opened up, which they did. Kudos to the adoption agency staff for encouraging the hotel management to follow through on their commitment. We stayed up for a while repacking all of our stuff. CN slept through all of it, fortunately. I returned to bed with CN but T stayed up. Ironically, the Panthers/TN Titans football game was being broadcast live, but w/o the TV commercials. Yet the audio feed from the announcers stayed live and we could hear the announcers ripping the poor play of the Panthers QB during the breaks. The Panthers look as bad from the other side of the earth as they do up close. I finally was able to fall back asleep.

CN appears to be more comfortable with us as he woke up several times during the early morning hours, but just looked at me and went back to sleep, rather than sitting up in a bolt of panic and crying as he had done earlier nights.

We got him out of the hotel a couple of times today in car rides to various business meetings and shopping with yet another friend of the same friend. CN enjoys traveling (car, bus, plane) as he can watch all the action outside.

Our schedule for the next week is falling into place. Tomorrow we are traveling Hoa Lu, the 10th century capital of VN during the Dinh and Le dynasties. We'll also take a boat tour of three caves on the Hoang Long River. The typography in this area include the steep hills unique to SE Asia (think of Chinese art). Wed is our interview with the INS at the US consulate for CN's visa. Thurs, we'll spend half the day seeing the highlights of Hanoi and the other half traveling to the Bat Trang Ceramics village. Presumably, we see the natives make ceramic objects rather than see a village made of ceramics, though the later would be more unique. (There's a free idea for any entrepreneurs out there seeking to create the next tourist trap.) Come to think of it, the Chinese do have their ceramic army that has been dug up from the Mingh dynasty. (OK, I don't know if it was from the Mingh dynasty. I read more Steinbeck than Chinese history. Cool--a over-the-top, stretched link back to the title of the post and it happens to be true. If I could plan these things ahead of time, I might be a decent writer. Thus, I warn you not to reread the post looking for hidden symbolism. To paraphrase Freud, sometimes a mouse is really a mouse. I'm a teacher; I try to make everything completely obvious only to find that the obvious is less obvious than it appears. How's that for fortune cookie wisdom, speaking of China?) Nevertheless, the Chinese have a major tourist attraction in their ceramic army and a ceramic village would be even more lucrative, especially if placed in proximity to a casino. (Note that if I didn't go off on tangents about Steinbeck, I also might be a better writer. Oops, did it again.) Which reminds me, one of our VN guides today said that her favorite American pop star is Brittany Spears. Bad taste apparently knows no cultural limits. I should have told her to read more Steinbeck. Or, perhaps, since I'm clearly in stream of consciousness mode, I should have recommended Faulkner. But I never could understand him either... So good luck with this post!

Now that I've completed my tour of American literary references, tomorrow, I'll make references to 11 American movies without invoking Platoon, Apocolypse Now, Full Metal Jack, Born on the 4th of July, or Forrest Gump. Yea, there's something to look forward to!

The Hanoi Story - Part 2

Hope everyone enjoyed their extra hour of sleep in the US (they don't have Daylight Savings Time/time changes here). Of course, as I said in an earlier post (if E can cite, so can I...hehe), sleep is apparently overrated.

Ba just laid down to sleep (yes, before 9:30 pm, mind you - he's on baby patrol tonight).

I've discovered the wonders of hot ginger tea for an upset tummy/digestive system (although skipping dinner tonight and maintaining hydration probably also contributed to helping my fortitude). So, onward to the scoreboard...

Ba 1, Mama 1 (today is a virtual tie - CN is happy to go w/ whichever one of us is willing to carry him around). I think there will be a permanent groove in the hallway floor by the time we leave the hotel.

As E told you earlier, other guests have enjoyed coming up to him & asking about our little guy. VN people look at us any ask if he is VN. We're learning more and more about him everyday (and everyday somethings seem to get a little bit easier). He does NOT like his diaper changed, that's for sure. He likes his clothing, especially the new things we have bought for him here in VN. Last night when we came back from the mall, CN did not want to take off his new coat and hat (I have to get pictures of him in the gear...too adorable).

We're better understanding some of the words he's saying (VN for car/scooter/taxi/basically any moving vehicle, ball, and most importantly Go! - complete w/ finger pointing in the direction he wants to move). The one time he will sit still are the few minutes we turn on Disney Asia (preschool version). He's fascinated by TV (apparently already Americanizing him) - loves Mickey (yep, see a trip to Disney a few years down the road), Noddy, Little Einsteins (Grandma and Grandpa will like the fact that he has been listening to classical music), and (bleh) Barney.

I have been using a comb & water to brush his hair. So, today, CN wanted to try it himself...complete w/ him sticking the comb under the running faucet, then brushing his hair (or at least making an effort...using the wrong side of the comb). Still haven't accomplished brushing his teeth. Tonight, he held the toothbrush and started trying to brush Mama's teeth.

Bath time is more than interesting. At least tonight's entertainment was only a sobbing cry (rather than the screams of bloody murder we had the first time we tried to bathe him). When bath time was done, CN raised his arms (well, he did this the entire time during the bath but after finishing the bath was the only time I responded) and I picked him up. Immediately, crying cessation. I sat with the towel wrapped around him and told him what a good boy he was and that he did a good job w/ his bath. He was okay w/ putting the baby lotion on his skin and definately was ready for his jammies.

After jammies were on, he made is clear that Ba was to make the sleep time walk. But tonight, for the first time, he held his teddy bear when Ba was walking him (bad mama, no camera at the ready). He fell asleep w/o too much difficulty. We decided to use the pillow from EVA for him, rather than the regular adult sized ones on the bed (that little travel pillow is the perfect size for a toddler).

Oh, guess I should talk about what we actually did today, eh?

CN was a good napper, slept for about 2 hours this afternoon. After he woke up, we headed to the market. Walking in this section of Hanoi w/ a clingy baby is quite interesting - strollers down these small streets are not a good idea. The streets are named based on what items are being sold (and, like Charlotte, change names at a moments' notice for no rhyme or reason). We had lunch at a restaurant located by the lake (yay, western foods were on the menu...one of the reasons I wanted to eat there). We sat inside b/c the winds were blowing & we didn't want CN to have to eat w/ his jacket on (found out he likes tuna salad - as long as he doesn't see the green stuff).

After our late lunch, we went to the market. Not quite the Wal-Mart that we've seen in the other provinces but interesting nonetheless. The 1st floor contained groceries and the top floor, everything else (from electronics to baby products). Yes, like a good mama, I brought a grocery list. We purchased our products and headed back to hotel.

Along the way, we stopped by the lake for a camcorder opportunity for Ba (and a much needed arm rest for Mama). Found out that CN LOVES M&M's (picked up a pack for Mama when her tummy feels better & have sacrificed them to the center of our universe). CN was fascinated by being outside. When he's really excited, he makes a type of cooing/ooh noise. He made that noise numerous times today.

Returned to the hotel around 5pm. Spent the rest of the evening indoors (a lot of pollution in the city - I understand now why, when we see pictures of outdoor news footage in Asian cities, many of the people are wearing masks). We took a field trip down to visit another family who adopted 3-year-old twin girls from another provinces.

Tomorrow is another big day for us. E will be going to submit the I-600 document (this is the US form to petition to adopt an orphan). So, CN and I will be finding lots of interesting things to do in the am while Ba is away...

Oh, and the most important word I learned: How to say "kiss" in Vietnamese. Now, our little guy gives Ba and Mama kisses!

The Hanoi Story--Part 1

Only parents of constipated children will understand our relief that CN finally pooped this morning. Even the non-medically informed writer of this post knew that 3+ days w/o pooping is worrisome. (Not that I'm asking for a poll or anyone to submit their own poop-related anecdotes).

Now that the important news of the day is, shall we say, disposed of, on to our activities in Hanoi. First, the weather reports were wrong. It is not sunny and in the low 80s. It is cool (though not unreasonable--from the perspective of a Pennsylvanian--for Nov.) and windy. Reminds me of Columbus in winter. HCMC, BT, and VL were sultry even with clouds and mild temps. So with help from more friends of the friend (see VL post--see I can do citations even while blogging), we went shopping last night to get CN a winter coat and hat. Hopefully we'll now be able to spend more time outdoors as he loves to watch all the action on the street.

We're staying in the "old town" district--a maze of narrow streets filled with shops. Until recently cars and scooters were not allowed--only rickshaws and pedestrians. They should have kept the old rules. European "old town" districts have boulevards compared to these streets. We thought the traffic in HCMC was choatic; here its the same amount of traffic but it's funneled through a straw. The noise also is considerable at night with everyone honking, music blaring, people eating their meals on the sidewalks--but we're new parents--we can sleep through anything except a crying child. Actually CN has been a great sleeper. He wakes up a couple of times a night and cries because he doesn't know where he is, but falls back to sleep within minutes after we comfort him.

The view is great from the balcony of our room. And a famous lake at the center of the city is only a few blocks away. We plan to walk down there this afternoon. We'll skip the ice cream once we arrive, I think...

We arrived in Hanoi on Friday afternoon. We were supposed to have arrived in the AM, but our flight was delayed twice in HCMC. No matter, we didn't have to catch a connecting flight. And we had business class tickets, which not only provided better seats and better service, but a posh waiting area in the airport. I wish business class tickets in the US cost $160 two days before the flight! The Hanoi airport is quite a distance from the city. (This seems the perfect place for a sarcastic observation, but I've got nothing at the moment. I'm losing it already!)

Once we arrived, E went to submit the passport application for CN. I expected the passport office to have long lines and much order and discipline. The lines weren't long, in part because there weren't lines. You just push your way to the front and try desparately to get an official to take your papers, make eye contact with you, and commit to doing something with the papers, while fending off others who are trying to nudge ahead of you. The stereotypical New Yorkers and Philadelphians are class acts compared to this this. Fortunately, our guide from the agency did the elbowing with petitioners and jawboning of officials for us, as I would have been way too cautious and polite for that environment.

Reflections on CN: I'm really impressed with how well he's doing. Fortunately, we were well prepared by other couples who have adopted toddlers regarding what to expect. He needs constant attention; he particularly likes to be carried constantly. We make lots of laps of the hallway outside our room. He seems a bit more willing to walk on his own yesterday and today. Let's hope that trend continues. I'm hoping that his desire to keep moving and seeing things means that he'll be a good hiker; but I'm clearly getting ahead of myself as that would actually require walking. He is good at helping us get him dressed. Getting him to sleep in his own room when we return to NC will be difficult. He's eating very well. He likes beef noodles, yogurt, rice, orange and mango juice, chom-choms, bananas, cantalopes, eggs, toast, and various kiddie snacks. Just about everything we've given him to try, in fact. But not formula, which, as T has indicated, was the staple of his diet in the care center. He demands any spills or pieces of stray food or random objects on the floor be cleaned up immediately before he continues with the task. (Argh, that sounds like a lot of housekeeping work!) I'm sure this comes from the nannies who cleaned up immediately because babies who don't wear diapers are creating lots of messes on the floor where others are playing. He only allows one type food on his plate at a time and does not alternate eating and drinking--the rule appears to be that he deals with one item at a time (perhaps casseroles are out the the question; I would starve! Perhaps this is an extreme version of T's unwillingness to eat any veggie other than peas.) He gets lots of attention in the lobby of the hotel, as many people--both Westerners and natives--ask about him. He doesn't seem to mind the attention, but prefers moving along to standing and gabbing (good boy!). Oh, and did I mention, he now poops!

Perspectives on Parenthood

Starting our 2nd full day as being parents, here are some small observations and insights I've gained:

1. Sorry Peace Corps but Parenthood is the toughest job you'll ever love.
2. Sleeping & Eating are apparently overrated
3. After spending a few hours by myself as E went to apply for CN's passport, I can say I've gained a new found appreciation for parents (and especially single parents who do that 24/7)
4. Remember that scheduled the care center nannies gave us? Throw it out the window. CN is recreating the wheel.
5. Bottles are really overrated - CN apparently drank a 250 mL bottle of formula (the nannies called it suoc - or milk) each night at the care center. He wants absolutely nothing to do w/ the suoc. It's a big boy cup w/ straw for him!
6. Note to future adoptive parents - Write down your questions (I thought I'd be fine w/o doing so - the emotions of the meetings left me unable to remember what I wanted to ask - especially developmental milestones).
7. CN, like all 2-year-old, is strongly opinionated. Despite the language barrier, he in no short terms tells you what he likes (AND especially what he doesn't like).
8. We have a clingy baby! If holding a toddler were an Olympic sport, we'd undoubtedly win the Gold Medal.
9. Day #2 (day 1 in Hanoi) scoreboard - Ba 0, Mama 1
10. Marla - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for the bubbles suggestion.
11. Bath time is most definitely not fun yet!
12. The first full day of caring for a toddler is not the most opportune time to acquire a GI bug...
13. Our little guy may be destined to be a ladies man - he most certainly likes the pretty girls (the first thing he ooed and awed about w/ our picture book was the picture of his cousin Ashley).
14. Temper tantrums are universal (like any toddler, doesn't like to be told not to do something but is more than happy to tell you NO - or khong in VN, complete with head shaking side to side and lips puckering up).
15. It is in the realm of human capacity to complete a diaper change w/ a toddler standing up.
16. Although the food in VN is really good, we'll be more than ready for good ole' American cuisine before coming home...so, when the CMers stork us, no Asian food please =D)
17. Going to bed was a bit easier last night.
18. EGAD - our child likes Barney! We are so going to have to get expanded cable w/ preschool Disney when we come home.

And, most importantly, despite the craziness we've experienced since Thursday, we wouldn't trade it for the world!

The Vinh Long Experience

We arrived in VL on Tuesday evening after spending most of the day in Ben Tre. The drive from BT to VL was the most rural of the drives we had. This trip was closer to what I expected the whole trip to be like. Most of the roads are surrounded by development--mostly small shops and surprisingly few farms, rice paddies, etc. Lots of people in BT/VL grow ornamental shrubs in their yards for sale, presumably at the markets or to wholesalers. T provided the entertainment during the ride by teaching the Vietnamese agency staff American kids songs, and later, Spanish.

We arrived in VL by ferry boat in the darkness of the evening. The town was larger than I expected, but similar to many respects to the other towns through which we traveled--lots of small shops, lots of people and scooters out and about. Our hotel was in the downtown business district, next to a modern "Wal-Mart" type establishment.

We had looked forward to Wed morning for a long time. It was our first visit to the care center to see CN. We were meeting with the head social worker of the care center when CN appeared on the stairs outside the room. We went out to greet him and he started to scream! Ideally, one hopes for hugs and kisses, but that's not terribly realistic in this situation. T brought along bubbles which, with coaxing from the nannies, helped to calm him down. T got out the camera to take "first pictures" and he wanted nothing to do with that. It took kicking and rolling a ball before he really started to warm up to us. Once we went outside to play on the sliding board and throw the ball high in the air, he started to laugh and giggle and hold onto us.

We also had a tour of the rest of the facility--a school for blind, deaf, and mute children. We had "treats" to distribute and thus were well received. One of the classes performed a song for us. T, always ready to perform, was ready to sing along but they made it difficult by singing an Asian tune in Vietnamese.

In the afternoon, T got details of CN's schedule from the nannies, while CN and E blew bubbles for hours. (There's a metaphor for something in that final clause...) When it was time to return to the hotel, CN held our hands as we walked to the bus. Apparently the nannies had told him that he would be leaving with us on a bus (but didn't mean Wed). So he was confused and started blawing when E tried to hand him back to a nanny. That was really rough.

Wed evening, we had dinner with a friend of a friend (who is a colleage roommate of the wife of one of E's colleagues) who lives in VL. Small world effect/Kevin Bacon effect or something along those lines. We rode from the hotel to his home on the backs of scooters--it isn't the death defying experience it appears to be when you're watching them do it from a van. (But I also think these drivers were driving especially gently, given the international norms that it is impolite to make one's guests crap their pants before dinner.) It was a very relaxing evening. Only our host spoke English, but he translated for his kids, wife, and parents in law. We had mini-bananas and chom-choms as appetizers. The father in law grew these on his farm and they were excellent--much better than the same fruits we had eaten from the local markets. The meal consistent of three courses: pork and veggie egg rolls (E forgot that if you clean your plate, the host refills it. And it took doing this three times before he finally wised up--slow learner!), beef and noodles, and fish (snake fish) wraps. A VN red wine from the central mountains also was served; T had sweetened, fresh squeezed OJ. Everything was excellent. We ate with the men in the front room, the women and youngest son stayed in the kitchen.

Thursday was the big day. We met the children at the care center; they and the nannies rode with us to the Ministry of Justice for the Giving and Receiving ceremony. We were quickly moved to another room so a wedding could be officiated. The wait was long and hot. The G&R ceremony itself was straightforward. We checked the paperwork for errors, thanked our hosts for allowing us the opportunity to adopt, accepted the charge from the officials to bring up our son to be a good citizen, to familiarize him with his VN heritage and to bring him back someday. Then, as befits this entire process, the VN adoption process ended with signing more paperwork! The nannies kept the children entertained at the table in the room as the ceremony progressed.

We then had to wait for a while as the legal documents were notarized and translated. By now, it was quite hot and uncomfortable and the children's patience (which really had been remarkable) was spent. The nannies continued to step in to help to calm them down but disappared just before it was time for us to board the bus. The most touching goodbyes occurred as we were waiting during the delay for the ceremony to begin.

We stopped for lunch before leaving VL. The restraunt had a play area and CN also was entertained by the fish, birds, bats and various exotic animals in cages or tanks who were waiting their turn to provide someone's dinner. CN slept most of the drive back to HCMC, but was fascinated by all the scooters, traffic, noise, etc.

All in all, it was an amazing experience and went as well as one could reasonably expect.

E's Travelogue (Vinh Long)

E is a pooped papa. He'll update you about our special day in VL tomorrow! (and we'll give you an update on our trip to Hanoi as well)