We've Got a Floater

Mama's Log - 10 minutes ago.

Ba and C had settled into the nightly routine of bath time (complete w/ all of the following: 2 toy ducks, 1 blue boat, 1 green boat, 1 green rabbit, 1 orange plastic stick, 1 Dora/Diego Dixie cup, and the shark...all of which must be catapulted into the tub before commencement of the faucet and tepid water). A few minutes into bathtime, I hear Ba call my name & "uh-oh" being emitted from the mouth of the Di Man.

Not knowing what to expect, I enter into C's bathroom to find Ba and Colin looking at me while C was squatting in the tub (rather than his usual stance of sitting). In a scene reminiscent of the great cinematic classic, "The Sandlot," C had (shall we say) an "accident" in the tub...and yes, you guessed it...two (correction from E...three) small "floaters" (think Baby Ruth if you don't get the movie reference).

SuperMama to the rescue... Mama scoops the Di Man out of the tub, trying to avoid laughing hysterically b/c the little guy was quite clingy (and giving the cutest, saddest boo-boo face I've ever seen) and the last thing Mama wants to do is re-traumatize him about bathing (refer to bathing blog entries) and tells him that he didn't do anything wrong (C apparently started saying "uh-oh" in the tub before the big event & Ba thought he was talking about the "shark attack" game that Ba had been playing w/ him).

So, Mama and Ba use cups to "scoop the poop" into Ba & Mama's (to differentiate between the regular toilet & the small potty chair we have for him in the room when he begins potty training sometime next year) potty, ask Ba to drain the water from the tub (note...need to clean said toys) and convinces the Di Man that it is truly safe to go back into the water (cue "Jaws" music), after telling him the "poop is in the potty."

C reluctantly allows Mama to sit him into the tub after fresh water is drawn and a new Dixie cup ceremoniously dives in. Mama again saves the day with a new game of "Dive Bomb Ducks," in which the Dixie cup is half-filled with water, C throws one duck (then two) into the cup & Mama proceeds to turn the cup over, resulting in the ducks dive bombing into the tub.

Ah, the joys of parenthood!

Oh, yes...for our loyal readers we present updated pics of the Di Man. The first is from Saturday night at an adoption shower so wonderfully thrown for us by E's colleagues (Aunt S and M (G & Z's mom)). Here, without further adieu is our favorite Little Dude kissing M's cat Thomas (enter sound cue of "awwww" - or according to "Auntie" D..."OMG can that kid get ANY cuter? I tell ya"…:D ).



So, one of my closest friends from Charlotte Mommies (CM) and her family came to our house last night to "stork" us. "Storking" (or "The Stork Club) is a tradition on CM when a mom delivers a new baby (or brings a new bundle of joy into the home through the miracle of adoption), her friends in the the CM community gather together to feed her and her family! Usually this involves delivery of food every other day for 7 days (and believe you me...we've had some very YUMMY meals over the past two weeks).

But I digress...(focus, focus, focus). So M "kicks it up a notch" and brings the family over for dinner at our house (alterior motive...it was time for W and C to finally have a playdate). M, B, and W arrive...C looks up at B (who is VERY tall btw) and immediately raises his arms and wants B to hold him (the view must be better up there :D). Very cool indeed.

Side note...I found it hilarious that by the end of the evening (and after a delicious meal) that each little guy ended up sitting beside or on the lap of the other little guy's father. So, here we have C & B playing toss (C throwing the "boms" to W & E).

Yes, that is two balls in my son's hands...

Return of the Vamp

Okay, so jet lag is SO officially over and I'm back to my normal pattern of not being able to fall asleep before midnight (a stark contrast to the nights when we first returned when I crashed before 9 pm). Those years of working evenings & nights (the "vamp" shift as I like to call it) have created this Vamp you all (hmmp...I mean y'all) know and love so well.

Having a toddler who wakes up during the night to sobs and/or wails, only to immediately quieten when Ba or Mama pick him up is fascinating. It's amazing to see this little guy blossom. He's quite the resilient little fellow (and a natural born charmer, as many of my Charlotte Mommies friends will attest).

Last Friday, C had his sutures (stitches) removed & his first flu shot (for which he was rewarded w/ a sticker...C absolutely LOVES stickers of any shape or form). That afternoon, the Heb clan headed off to see the fabulous "Auntie" Donamari for our first family photo session at a nearby park. Guess because Mama was the baddie who helped the mean ole' people give him a 'boo-boo' on his leg, the afternoon photo session began as a "Ba day." Fortunately for Mama, C quickly forgot about the boo-boos when allowed to run about the park. He was a man on a mission to have fun and, oh boy, was the mission accomplished! C even found a friend to play w/ at the park...another little boy who shared his Matchbox-sized toy car & bus w/ the "Di Man." C returned the favor by sharing his blue "bom" that he received from family friends in PA.
We had a chance to see proofs of the photo shoot & can I say again how "fabulous" Donamari is? She is one of my favorite people. "C's Crazy Italian Aunt," as she calls herself. She began her family through adoption and has a special place in her heart for adoptive families. Many of you will soon be able to see the beauty of her work in the holiday/adoption announcement card that will be heading out via Snail Mail. http://www.capturefotography.com/ (little shout out to ya' d.)
This week has been quite fun for the Heb clan but overwhelming at times for C, especially when 60+ of my nursing students (okay, okay...technically former students since they finished NURS 228, practicum, and graduate tomorrow - CONGRATS btw, December Class of 2007 & good luck w/ boards) were sitting in the student commons area & greeted him w/ lots of oohs and aahs when we stopped by my campus to visit my coworkers. But, like the trooper he is, he didn't cry...simply uttered one of his favorite toddler words, "NO."

E had finals this week, so has been busily grading papers (one of those profs who give essays exams...guffaw - me, personally I've been the multiple choice queen). But not so busy that he doesn't find time for C. Just the opposite, in fact. E always has time for C if C is in a "Ba mood." You know, nothing beats having a toddler come to you, give you a hug, then pucker up those "pouty lips that would make Angelina Jolie jealous" and plop a big wet one on you. Ah, the joys of Motherhood (the rewards far outweight the mini-meltdowns that sometime occur). Although my niece H may want her "two front teeth" for Christmas, Santa came early to our home this year & gave us a wonderful gift that keeps on giving!

So, we had some more playdates this week. I find it interesting that b/c of C, I now know more of my neighbors than I ever did BC (Before Colin) and definitely more of the neighborhood kids. C is well-loved by the J's (3 adorable siblings who's first names all start w/ the letter J). The older two J's stopped by after being dropped off by the school bus (which C finds really fascinating btw) and brought two additional friends (S & P....very cute girls, not of the stock market variety) to meet C. Of course, C played the "shy boy" role...which resulted in the girls agreeing that he was definitely cute (hmm...has C already learned the fine art of wooing the ladies - I am so in trouble come preschool).

Well, C is waking up (one of several tonight), so we'll bring this entry to an end. Enjoy the most recent photos of your favorite Little Dude and ours...the Di Man!

C & "Winston Doggie" (thanks Aunt Suzy!)


Discovering the fascination of seeing yourself in the mirror

Adjusting Made Easy

One of the first steps of the adoption process was to take an on-line course on parenting a child from another culture. Several friends remarked at the time that they would have rather taken such a course than just being handed a newborn at the hospital and essentially told, "OK, it's yours. Go home and raise it." My thinking (after chapter 16 or so) was that our method of conception was completely the opposite of the usual process: many people conceive as a result of a lack of planning, we were having a child after an excess of planning.

Part of our educational process was to read books on toddler adoption. After reading the horror stories on the difficulty of attachment for toddlers, any sane person would have rethought their plan and requested an infant. (Perhaps this is a reason why most people request infants.) The challenges of helping a toddler adjust to a new family in a new culture seemed immense. So when T & I (hmm... a new abbreviation...who could the mysterious "I" be?) received a referral for a toddler, there was some trepidation once the excitement wore off. Adoption professionals apparently understand this completely and therefore give you more paperwork to do to keep you from worrying. Our attitude was that we were prepared for the worst and could still hope for the best.

C's ease of adjusting so far exceeds even the most hopeful expectations I had. The first week, the most significant issue was adjusting to the time change. He wanted to sleep most the day and stay awake most of the night (he gets that from T). He also wasn't eating as much as he was in VN. We thought this was a time issue too--he thought we we trying to feed him at midnight and 6 a.m. In about a week, he had adjusted his sleeping patterns and his eating increased simultaneously. We took a chance taking him to church the first Sunday. Given his desire to be on the go constantly, we feared he wouldn't tolerate an hour long service very well. (OK, Pastor D was preaching, so it probably was somewhat longer...) Yet he stayed quiet throughout the service, clapped along to some of the songs, had a snack during the sermon, and drifted off to sleep by the end. And he did the same the second Sunday as well. He is still a bit overwhelmed by all the people coming up and talking to him.

He is almost always in good moods. T has taken him to play with several other children and he has done really well. He has stayed in his own room through the night once. (Neither T nor E slept well that night as we kept wondering why he wasn't crying and demanding that we bring him to our room. T got up at least once to make sure he was still breathing.)

Our only glitches were a second puking incident (the first was in Hanoi). It occurred when T was chasing him around for a diaper change. This incident was still E's fault as he gave C "too much" mango juice to drink. E is demanding the FDA require warnings be placed on the labels of mango juice containers: "Chasing your child after 1.3 cups of mango juice or greater may result in expulsion of contents." The second glitch--the run in with the fireplace hearth--has already been reported. C survived this incident with his considerable level of resiliance. In fact, he is now quite proud of his "boo-boos" and points them out to any female who might be willing to kiss it to make it better. He also continues to point to his hand to display a boo-boo that has since healed. Hey, if you can get additional sympathy (or extra kisses), why not?

C had his first doctor's appointment on Tuesday. He had blood drawn, so came home with 2 more boo-boos. When Ba got home, C showed off his band-aides immediately. C is in the 75th percentile for height (he gets that from E!!!) and 50th percentile for weight. In addition to blood tests, C also has to have a poop scan (or something like that). T has been putting on her surgical gloves and scooping poop into "specimen containers" (not "viles" for you dunces out there--she's still behind me to correct my appaling ignorance of simple medical terminology...). I'm told the poop scan will reveal the presence of critters (back to E's terminology since he didn't understand the last 5 things that were said to him. Perhaps this is why all the males in my family have lost their ability to hear high range voices...or at least familiar ones.) We go back to the doctor's office on Friday to have stitches removed (E eagerly looks forward to being enlightened by a 2 way medical conversation between T and Dr. D. E knows half the conversation will occur primarily to show off their extensive vocabularies of words that are too obscure even for the SAT.)

E is happy to make a reappearance on this blog after finally finishing the grading of exams and papers that were waiting for him when he returned from VN. Finals are next week, so it may be a cameo. My students wondered how I could be in a tropical region, with temps in the mid-80s most days, and return without a tan. The pale man also avoided malaria, so my German and Irish blood tells me that ditching the tan was worth it.

Bowling, Boo-Boos, and Bandaids

With apologies to Dr. Seuss, with a toddler in tow, you never know the places you'll go...

Saturday was my niece's (H) 6th birthday and H had a birthday bowling party. We packed up the Di Man after he awoke from a VERY short 45 minute nap to take him to his first birthday party. Very exciting times were had by C. He tried his first bites of birthday cake (and, like his Ba, very much likes cake but not the icing) and (more importantly) discovered the joys of intentionally knocking things over with a very heavy ball.

I wasn't sure if he'd like to bowl (silly Mama - boys, balls, and the ability to crash said ball into things) but he had a blast. The kids had bumper bowling & a ramp to roll the ball down the lane. So, the first time I took C up to the ramp he looked a bit perplexed but after being told it was okay to push the ball, he squealed with delight & clapped for himself when the pins were knocked over. Using sign language, C immediately looked at me and said, "more." It was quite amusing trying to explain to him that he would have to "wait his turn" before he could do it again.

The day became even more fun when H opened her presents. C wasn't quite interested UNTIL he saw that H received a pack of cars (for her race car track to "race to the mall"...teach them young the joys of shopping - gotta love America, eh?). H was a doll (and not to mention too cute now that she's lost her two front teeth). She offered to share her cars w/ C at Mawmaw's house (my mom). So, after the party, we drive to my Mom's house & C has even more fun fun fun as he watches the cars go around the track & sometimes crash into one another).

Sunday, started out fine. Went to church & C has his first spaghetti lunch after the service (and more giggles as he made a game out of kicking a balloon back and forth between the three of us & whoever else decided it would be fun). After arriving home, E was talking to Grandma and Grandpa H, while I was on Di Man patrol.

We were having fun playing when C lost his balance and tumbled, head first, onto the brick hearth around the fireplace. OMG, it was like watching a horror movie in slow motion & there was nothing I could do about it. So, poor little guy ended up with a laceration above his right eye just below his hairline. The Mama and Nurse in me instantly collided with the power of a Category 5 hurricane. Nurse T jumping into action to assess the severity of the injury, note that C immediately started crying (i.e., no loss of consciousness) and didn't vomit (no serious head injury), and take measures to stop bleeding (head wounds bleed worse than a stuck pig). But Mama felt this big lump come into her throat, tears well, and a horse kick her in the gut. The only words out of my mouth to E were, "ER NOW." So, E immediately hangs up on the grandparents and away to the ER we go. E did a great job at remaining calm (which helped me calm down...because Mama crying & sobbing made C cry more - once I stopped crying, C went from screams to sobs).

I will say the ER staff at the local hospital were great and C was a real trooper. He was such a brave boy. So, 2 1/2 hours later, C has 6 sutures (stitches) and a bandaid over his big boo-boo. Fortunately (strange word to use), C had a small scratch on his hand last week & Mama taught him about using a Bandaid for his boo-boo. So, now C understands he has a boo-boo on his head & a Bandaid to make it better. And, E called his parents back to let him know that everything was okay.

Even more fortunate, total blood loss was kept at a bare minimum. There were two tiny spots on the kitchen floor (none on the carpet) and two small spots on my shirt.

Today, C and I went to pick up bumper covers for the hearth and now that big, bad fireplace can't hurt C anymore! Tomorrow is our 1st pediatrician visit & I get the pleasure of telling Dr. D how C already has sutures...

C's having a blast bowling w/ Mama's help!

C's looking forward to sharing the cars with the birthday girl!

Fun with cars!!!

What a brave little guy with his Boo-boo and Bandaid...still our Happy Boy!

Misadventures in Parenting

Well, as I've told my friends (and support network) at Charlotte Mommies, I'm chronicling our (mis)adventures in parenting through "Mama's Log" for "The Ongoing Saga of the Di Man." It's been an interesting 11 days since we arrived home in NC. The weather has been typical for NC this time of year...goofy. When we first arrived, temps were in the 70s then quickly took a nosedive to the 40s. Of course, this meant that I had to take C to purchase a "real" winter coat (no comment from the Yankees in the audience, please).

Here are the past "Mama's Log(s)" from my posts at Charlotte Mommies:

Thursday, 11/29/2007
Mama's log...Day 11

Two days of recap coming your way and oh, the places we go.

So, Wednesday morning, C and I are having loads of fun playing with his toys when he decides it's time for Mama to chase him around the house (that boy can create a game with anything...or nothing at all). So, we run around & I decide to go the opposite direction to "catch him." Plan successful...sort of. When grabbing him, I pick him up and spin around in a circle...Based on my blog entry from Hanoi, you can guess what comes next (yes, the return of the regurgitator). Fortunately, quick thinking on my part lands said contents on me, his clothes, and the kitchen floor (instead of the living room carpet) to which he looks up at me and says, "Uh-oh." So, off to bath he goes (with squeals of delight knowing he was getting ready to have fun times in the bathtub).

He's a funny kid. Just thinking back to a mere 29 days ago, he was petrified of bathing in the tub. Now, I apparently cannot take his clothing off fast enough for him to get in the tub.
The afternoon (after Mama had a Chic-Fil-A fix & C discovered the joys of waffle fries) found us visiting Miss Monkey, Ash, and H & having a play date at the Monkey Mansion. Miss Monkey was in her prime, so proud to tell me all about her things. C, being the boy that he is, squeeled with delight when he met Brutus, the dog & had the opportunity to pet Brutus. The first "kiss" Brutus gave C has truly a histerical experience. He sort of jumped back, looked confused, then smiled and proceeded to pet Brutus.

C immediately warmed up to Ash right away & was not a shy boy for very long. We had a really fun afternoon then decided it was time to go out to eat. Can you guess where we ended up? Pho Real... C quite enjoyed his dinner (and especially his coconut juice...second favorite next to mango). My son's alter ego, the Vietnamese Valentino, decided to make a guest appearance when Colin saw a very pretty woman sitting in the booth behind him. He certainly turned on the charm & coyly played shy boy, peeking out to give her a very mischevious grin. During our meal, E unexpectedly shows up at the restaurant w/ some of his colleagues (taking a job candidate for his department out for a meal).

At the end of the night, C said "bye-bye" to Miss Monkey and her court & sent them off by blowing them a kiss (aww factor...+10).

I am proud to say that my son "got dirty" today. One of my friends (who works w/ E at the University) brought her two kids over for a playdate. Since it was so nice outside, we went to the backyard to play on the swing set & slide. Well, since Z & G (the kids) decided to go play in the pile of leaves, C decided to trot along behing them. The next thing I know, he's throwing leaves up in the air and sitting in a big pile of leaves, looking for acorns.

After his playdate, one of our neighbors was walking her three kids on the street. I introduced them to C & my little guy began voluntarily walking down the road. He held the hand of the oldest girl (who was 9). Well, she took to him like a little mother hen. She started naming things & asking C to say what she said (which he did w/ a great big smile). We then walked back to their house at the end of the cul-de-sac & my little guy stayed w/ her, playing w/ the leaves in their yard (hmm, do I hear babysitter in a few years? ).

I've also discovered that my son is a cleaning machine. He loves to sweep the floor & was so happy to help Mama put clothes in the laundry & dryer. Man, if I can keep these habits up when he's a teenager, I'll be set!

For those of you who remember the trauma of the great bath fiasco of November 1st, please note that now Mama cannot take his clothing off fast enough for him to get in the tub! Tonight, he discovered the joys of laying on his stomach and splashing his feet. Man, toddler discoveries are wonderful! Each day is an adventure. I never know the places we'll go!

Tuesday, 11/27/2007
Mama's Log...Day 9

Okay, so thank goodness for turning on the TV long enough to flip to the TV Channel...the only way I had any idea about the day or date of the week.

So, we've been home for 9 days (one minutes it seems like we just stepped off the plane, the next it seems like C has been with us forever). Maybe it's prolonged jet lag, or just the fog that has enveloped my head since I was silly enough to stay up until 11pm last night but (as I told Heather at Target yesterday evening) the MOMMY BRAIN has developed (to which I received a hilarious reply from my CM friend S that it's nice to know that no matter how motherhood comes to you, your brain turns to guacamole). Suddenly, I think I've forgotten everything I ever learned for the past 35 years (except maybe long division). But, as I seemed to have lost all cognitive and adult functions, the fun factor has definitely set in (and I think I've finally developed those eyes in the back of my head...Mama has developed this 6th sense to let her know when the Di Man is starting to become mischevious or test his limits - well, that and a certain grin he gets when he's getting ready to do something interesting).

Today's adventure...Trader Joes. I wasn't sure about how the crowds were going to be yesterday, so I decided to take little man out to TJ's today. Of course, he became exuberent and so excited when he saw all the "boms" (helium-filled balloons...well, to be honest, boms are basically anything round at this point, balls, balloons, etc.). The big event took place in the back of the store where they were giving out the free samples of coffee, cider, and foods (today was BBQ meatballs).

Well, seeing that I didn't have much time to eat (and the fact that Colin ate 1/4 of the top of my english muffin at breakfast & after that decided 2nd breakfast time was so over), I decided to try one of the meatballs. After my sampling, Colin used sign language to say "eat" (anh in VN) & proceeded to pop the entire meatball in his mouth. Five meatballs later, he gives me the "all done" sign (and puckering of the lips). I, shall we say, was impressed. This was the first time Colin voluntarily ate meat (which resulted in me buying the said package of meatballs and BBQ sauce, of course).

And, when all was said and done, the Di Man waved "bye-bye" to the TJ employees at the sample area & blew them a kiss. Gotta love a lip-puckering toddler blowing kisses. Who can resist?

Tuesday, 11/20/2007
When we last left our Mommy heroine, she had overcome the projectile forces of the gastric byway and the liquification of her newly cleansed shirt. As a new day dawns for Mama and her sidekick, "The Di Man" we find our heroes entering...the snot zone.

Yes, Mama has encountered fluids from another realm. Ones that find themselves shooting from the nares with lightning speed, reaching a target destination of the buccosal highway or long sleeve lane. With quick reflexes (faster than a speeding bullet), Mama is able to leap over a tower of 16 blocks to reach the Kleenex just in time to save the day.

But, like every superhero, Mama has her weakness. Superman has Kryptonite & Mama has...Kohl's gift boxes. "Di Man' increased his sidekick knowledge base by learning how to open gifts. Well, the box apparently drew this moth to his flame, resulting in wild laughter and giddy galloping around home base. In his moment of jubilance, "Di Man" suddenly went where no man has gone before, resulting in the box giving Mama a swell papercut between her left eyebrow & nose.

And that was just day one...

Gotta love Motherhood! I wouldn't trade it for the world. Today's festivites included self-medicating with Benadryl 50 mg, taking a trip to the doctor, and beginning a 5 day treatment with Prednisone for a wonderful case of hives...And when I realized that Ba (aka DH) didn't wake our little man this afternoon (his body is still on VN time and we need to get him transitioned to sleeping during the opposite times than he's used to). So, tonight should be really FUN, FUN, FUN (for Ba)

The Di Man was fascinated by birds and planes in the sky!

Tales from the Journey Home

Hmm...grading midterms and research papers that have piled up over the past 3 weeks or telling amusing stories on our blog...wonder which one I'll do? If you're reading this, we both know the answer.

C handled the long flights and long layovers well, overall. He handled the long layovers (4 hours in Tapei, 8 hours in San Fran) remarkably well. In Tapei, he walked the entire length of Terminal C (no, it really is Terminal C--it is not code for anything that I'm aware of) with me, by far the longest he has walked since he's been with us. And most of "people movers" weren't working, so we didn't cheat by riding them; though of course C was excited by moving along w/o having to walk on those that were working. He was especially enthralled by coming to an abrupt stop at the end of the automatic walk way. He couldn't get down the timing of taking that first step, but always kept his balance. We found areas with displays on native Taiwanese animals, over which he ooed and awed. We had to look at each photo twice (some three times). In a display area on Taiwanese culture, there was a display with many Chinese balloons. He had to touch each balloon on the bottom three rows (about two dozen balloons per row); then I had to lift him so that he could touch all the balloons on the fourth row. Even C noticed I was too short to be of much help in reaching the balloons in the fifth and sixth rows and didn't request that we try. We also found a play area with a sliding board. Of course, that was very exciting and it was interesting to see him gain confidence climbing and maneuvering around on the play equipment. T found another passage at our gate who was a nurse and, consumed with joy of discussing nursing for hours for the first time in 3 weeks, didn't seem to notice that C and my "short walks" took over an hour--twice.

C insisted on coming with me to the bathroom. But then he decided he didn't like being enclosed in the small stall, so opened the latch. I preferred to have the latch closed, for obvious reasons, and flipped it back. So C and I continued to go back and forth with the lock for several minutes. Then came a voice with an Indian accent: "Are you alright in there? Is the lock broken? Are you trapped? Should I call someone?" The questions kept coming as I'm trying to explain, through the stall door, and the incessant clicking of the latch, that everything is fine, it's just a toddler playing with a latch. Some conversations are wierd in any language, and some things are hard to communicate when the communicators primarily speak two different languages. This conversation would qualify as Exhibit A.

We were in business class for the flight from Tapei to San Fran. Ordinarily, this would be great. C, however, isn't used to sleeping in an upright position, nor does he like sitting with a seat belt. The business class seats have large, permanent dividers between them, so he couldn't lay across the seats to sleep. So he wasn't sleeping well and was pretty fussy. Still, we had bulkhead seats at the front of the plane, which gave us extra floor space. T and I put blankets and pillows on the floor and layed him out there to sleep. But then the pilots threw the fasten seat belts switch and the flight attendants make us wake him up to get him off the floor. C was unimpressed with the safety requirements of the airlines and voiced his objections intemperately, leaving T to pace the aisle trying to calm C. To me, this was much more unsafe than leaving a child sleeping on the floor, but I just observe and caustically catalogue inane and inconsistent enforce of the rules, I don't make them. T did not get any sleep on that flight and thus did not have any sleep for the previous 24 hours. I am sure that point is very important for you to know because it was made to me numerous times during the ensuing 8 hour layover in San Fran. I was able to get some sleep on this flight and promise to feel guilty about it for the rest of my life.

At the San Fran airport, C discovered the wonders of water fountains and automatic bathrooms. Water fountains apparently are most enjoyable when water is running over your chin and down your shirt. Having had such a good time with Ba in the Tapei bathroom, C joined me again in the stall in San Fran. C has been pressing the lever/button to flush toilets for me for several days now, so he was quite startled when the loud flushing noise occurred before he had pressed anything. A stunned look crossed his face and he took several steps backwards, almost staggering away from this bizarre event. He then leaned sideways to look around me to try to see what was happening back there to set the toilet off on its own. I'm still trying to figure that out myself.

San Fran didn't have any play areas or display areas (at least not in our wing), so entertaining C was a bit more of a challenge, particularly since he wasn't as interested in walking as he had been in Tapei. We watched planes taxi, take off and land--a lot. We kicked around a ball a bit. We bought a small toy plane that has lights and makes takeoff noises. He didn't sleep until just before we boarded the flight to Charlotte, but didn't get too fussy either.

He slept for about half the flight to Charlotte. Being back in the cheap seats, we could raise the arm rests and allow him to sleep between us, one being the head pillow, the other the feet pillow. When he woke up, the mean plane authorities quickly required seat belts, again causing vociferous protestations. So E provided entertainment by turning off and on the overhead reading lights for a while. Then we stacked and unstacked dixie cups for a while. Then C mushed up dixie cups and E unmushed them for a while. And intermittantly, we dug deperately through C's bag looking for the non-existant items which would not require any space or a tray table to use. T slept for almost the entire flight, just, though entirely insufficient, compensation for the fact that she had not slept at all on the previous flight and had not slept for the previous 24 hours (a fact I'm sure I have not sufficiently or adequately stressed to this point). I admit that I also slept for almost the entire 2 hours that C slept on this flight, meaning that I maintained my egregious surplus in sleeping hours. For this, I promise to deprive myself of sleep the next time I fly in order to open myself to opportunities for insights that one gains from not sleeping. (Funny, my students subject me to the insights they gain from not sleeping all the time. This leads me to be somewhat skeptical that the benefits of sleep deprivation are greater than the costs.)

Despite sleeping most of yesterday afternoon (still thinking it was VN time), C got through the night pretty well last night. He also let grandma stay up with him and rock him for an extended period.

This morning, C got to play outside on our swings and sliding board. And he supervised grandpa fixing some loose nails on our back porch. C made sure the nails that were not loose also received equal attention. Good stuff.

C's first ride in the car seat!

Playing with his "bom" at home

Grandpa showing C how to use the hammer

C tackling those pesky nails...

Home at Last

We arrived at Charlotte Douglas Airport this morning (Monday) at 6:15 a.m. as scheduled. Everything went fine on all our flights. C is having a blast running around his new house and playing with grandma and grandpa. We will have stories of the trip home to share, but unpacking and laundry and chores will come first. Stay tuned...

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.)