19 pounds, 15 ounces (1st-3rd %tile), 29.5 inches long (10th %tile). He's not growing much, but he's healthy as a horse. Everything was just fine and he did really well with his shots. He's so tiny, he's wearing 3-6 month clothes. We had to go buy some new summer clothes because all the ones we had were too big! Everything is going fine, and I have tons of new pictures and videos to share. I'll have to get them uploaded later. He's getting cuter by the day (if that's even possible!).
Oh, and we got our 171 (adoption approval) this weekend. It's a big deal for most, but since our old one wasn't expired yet, it doesn't change anything for us. We already had our dossier done, so we just have to hold onto this one in case we travel after the old one expires, or if we get twins. We're still hoping for a referral around September/October.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
Six months!
Friday marked 6 months since Dylan became part of our family. So much has changed in 6 months, as it always does with new babies. He's so amazing. I love rocking him to sleep every night. He is so calm when I'm singing to him. It always settles him down, no matter how hyper he is. I usually sing "Lullaby" by the Dixie Chicks. It's the second song on our video montage I posted.
We did have a small setback last weekend. We went to a hotel in Knoxville and apparently, it brought back memories of his last hotel stay (in Vietnam, with strangers-us). He really freaked out and screamed for 1.5 hours the first night. He screamed for an hour the second night, so we went home. It was just too much for him and we were all exhausted. Poor guy was just SO scared. You could hear how terrified he was in his voice.
We talked to an adoption therapist and will be going to see her next week. She'll be able to give us some pointers and advice on how to deal with adoption issues. Even though he won't cognitively remember the first year of his life, he will have implicit memories, stored in his body. Certain things will set it off and we will have to work through those. We know we have to handle some things differently due to his history, like discipline (e.g., we can't isolate him in time-out because of his abandonment issues).
We had our 6-month post-placement homestudy done and that went well. We also had to write our own report and submit pictures to send to Vietnam. I plan on sending it all to our agency this week.
We're still #9 on the girl list, though we're ok if it goes slower than planned, since we have the hotel issue to work on. We couldn't handle that every night for 3 weeks in Vietnam, plus a new baby! We'll have to visit a couple local hotels for practice and to reassure him that we'll be there with him all night and when he wakes up.
As always, here's a couple pictures.
At the jungle gym at the zoo:
In the hotel pool:
In his new stroller:
Sleeping with his sick mommy:
Playing at the Splash Pad:
At the water park:
We did have a small setback last weekend. We went to a hotel in Knoxville and apparently, it brought back memories of his last hotel stay (in Vietnam, with strangers-us). He really freaked out and screamed for 1.5 hours the first night. He screamed for an hour the second night, so we went home. It was just too much for him and we were all exhausted. Poor guy was just SO scared. You could hear how terrified he was in his voice.
We talked to an adoption therapist and will be going to see her next week. She'll be able to give us some pointers and advice on how to deal with adoption issues. Even though he won't cognitively remember the first year of his life, he will have implicit memories, stored in his body. Certain things will set it off and we will have to work through those. We know we have to handle some things differently due to his history, like discipline (e.g., we can't isolate him in time-out because of his abandonment issues).
We had our 6-month post-placement homestudy done and that went well. We also had to write our own report and submit pictures to send to Vietnam. I plan on sending it all to our agency this week.
We're still #9 on the girl list, though we're ok if it goes slower than planned, since we have the hotel issue to work on. We couldn't handle that every night for 3 weeks in Vietnam, plus a new baby! We'll have to visit a couple local hotels for practice and to reassure him that we'll be there with him all night and when he wakes up.
As always, here's a couple pictures.
At the jungle gym at the zoo:
In the hotel pool:
In his new stroller:
Sleeping with his sick mommy:
Playing at the Splash Pad:
At the water park:
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
DTV!!
We're officially DTV (dossier to Vietnam). Our dossier was authenticated and sent to Hanoi yesterday. Once it's translated and logged in, we'll be officially able to receive a referral.
I had a weird feeling the other day. I'm not one to have premonitions or things like that, but I got a strong feeling last week (around May 15) that we're getting twins. Crazy, huh? Yes, we're approved for twins, and we'd love to have them (as scary as it sounds), but it's quite rare in Vietnam. In fact, our agency has been placing children for 1.5 years and has never placed a set of twins. We are open to a girl, or boy/girl twins, or girl/girl twins. As long we get at least one girl. Most likely we'll get our one girl, but I just thought I'd throw that out there.
No change in the referral estimation. It will probably be around September (unless we get twins-that could happen earlier because we'd skip ahead of people on the list that are not approved for 2 babies).
I had a weird feeling the other day. I'm not one to have premonitions or things like that, but I got a strong feeling last week (around May 15) that we're getting twins. Crazy, huh? Yes, we're approved for twins, and we'd love to have them (as scary as it sounds), but it's quite rare in Vietnam. In fact, our agency has been placing children for 1.5 years and has never placed a set of twins. We are open to a girl, or boy/girl twins, or girl/girl twins. As long we get at least one girl. Most likely we'll get our one girl, but I just thought I'd throw that out there.
No change in the referral estimation. It will probably be around September (unless we get twins-that could happen earlier because we'd skip ahead of people on the list that are not approved for 2 babies).
It's just a phase
That's what I keep telling myself. Dylan has become a complete Daddy's boy. If I'm the only one around, he loves me to death. But if Daddy is there, he wants nothing to do with me. He will actually CRY if Chris hands him to me! I know he loves me and it's completely normal for babies to alternately prefer one parent over another. But dangit, I'm jealous!
He's also having bad separation anxiety. Anytime we leave him at daycare, or in the church nursery, he freaks out. Screaming, crying, sounding like he's scared to death. It's so sad. I've made it a point to hang out at daycare every day for about half an hour or so until he warms up a little to the toys and teachers.
He won't even let anyone else hold him. I'm talking family! He won't go to Nana, Papa, Grandma, anyone. If we try to hand him to someone, he starts whimpering, then full-out crying. He's also forming an attachment to his sippy cup. If it's empty and he acts like he wants more, we take it to refill it. He acts like we just hurt him or something. He seriously does NOT want that cup out of his hand for a second. He'll take it outside to play and everything.
He's such an awesome little man. He's got a great personality and he's so funny. He knows what he's not supposed to do, and he'll test us by pretending like he's going to do something and looking at us with this sly grin. As cute as it is, we know not to encourage him, so we just frown and shake our heads. He stops. He loves playing outside in his new playhouse/swingset, which we worked on this weekend. We added wood timbers to form a large area around it and filled it in with wood fiber like you see on playgrounds. It was a LOT of work, but it looks great.
He's also having bad separation anxiety. Anytime we leave him at daycare, or in the church nursery, he freaks out. Screaming, crying, sounding like he's scared to death. It's so sad. I've made it a point to hang out at daycare every day for about half an hour or so until he warms up a little to the toys and teachers.
He won't even let anyone else hold him. I'm talking family! He won't go to Nana, Papa, Grandma, anyone. If we try to hand him to someone, he starts whimpering, then full-out crying. He's also forming an attachment to his sippy cup. If it's empty and he acts like he wants more, we take it to refill it. He acts like we just hurt him or something. He seriously does NOT want that cup out of his hand for a second. He'll take it outside to play and everything.
He's such an awesome little man. He's got a great personality and he's so funny. He knows what he's not supposed to do, and he'll test us by pretending like he's going to do something and looking at us with this sly grin. As cute as it is, we know not to encourage him, so we just frown and shake our heads. He stops. He loves playing outside in his new playhouse/swingset, which we worked on this weekend. We added wood timbers to form a large area around it and filled it in with wood fiber like you see on playgrounds. It was a LOT of work, but it looks great.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Dossier is complete
We got our dossier done and sent to our agency. After a little hiccup with our homestudy (after it was certified and with our agency), we had to go back today and certify a new copy. So it should be on its way to the embassy for authentication next week.
Also, we got fingerprinted today. Ours are good for a few more months, but we know they (and our 171) will expire before traveling, since we've had them since last summer, so we went ahead and applied for a new 171. Which meant new fingerprints (you know, because fingerprints can change SO much in 12 months-lol). That's all the news for today!
Oh, have I mentioned the issue we've been dealing with over Dylan getting bit at daycare? He was bit 7 times in one month (6 by the same kid) and they were not doing anything about it. So we switched daycares. There's a lot more to it, but I don't feel like going into it. Anyway, he started the new daycare last Wednesday. Thursday, he got bit 3 times. Monday, once. Today, once. What in the world?!? I've talked to lots of other moms and no one gets bit this much. It's just not normal. It's normal to get one or two bites while in this age range, but 2-3/week?? Really?? My poor baby. Even the no-chew bitter apple puppy spray isn't working to keep the vampires off of him.
Also, we got fingerprinted today. Ours are good for a few more months, but we know they (and our 171) will expire before traveling, since we've had them since last summer, so we went ahead and applied for a new 171. Which meant new fingerprints (you know, because fingerprints can change SO much in 12 months-lol). That's all the news for today!
Oh, have I mentioned the issue we've been dealing with over Dylan getting bit at daycare? He was bit 7 times in one month (6 by the same kid) and they were not doing anything about it. So we switched daycares. There's a lot more to it, but I don't feel like going into it. Anyway, he started the new daycare last Wednesday. Thursday, he got bit 3 times. Monday, once. Today, once. What in the world?!? I've talked to lots of other moms and no one gets bit this much. It's just not normal. It's normal to get one or two bites while in this age range, but 2-3/week?? Really?? My poor baby. Even the no-chew bitter apple puppy spray isn't working to keep the vampires off of him.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Homestudy is complete, clothes and sprinkler fun!
We got the final, notarized copies of our homestudy Saturday. We should get the notarized copies of the rest of our dossier back today or tomorrow from our notary. Chris is taking a half day this week to take everything to the Sec. of State for certification. Then it's on its way to VORF, then to the embassy for authentication, then to Vietnam!!
They're still projecting a referral around September.
We cleaned out Madison's room and put up her crib this weekend. We also went through Dylan's clothes. He had so many, we couldn't get to them all. We found some cute new outfits for the summer. He's not gaining much weight (19 pounds at 13 months old), so he's still in 6-9mo clothes! We boxed up all the 18+ month clothing since it's just taking up room. Even the 12mo stuff is too big, but he'll be into that soon, we hope. Anyway, we used big diaper cases for the clothes. He has 1 case of 24mo clothes and 2 cases of 18mo clothes. Then a whole 4-drawer dresser full of 12mo clothes (I counted 18 pair of JEANS!) and 2 huge drawers of 6-9mo clothes. Needless to say, we no longer need more clothes for the boy. Oh, and all overalls, outfits and button-up shirts are hanging. The drawers are just for pants, t-shirts, onesies and rompers. Yikes. Most of you know, we go yard sale-ing almost every weekend in the spring and summer. That's where we get all of his clothes. I've never bought a brand-new outfit for him. He has a few new ones from baby showers, Christmas and birthday. But the majority of his clothes are really nice, second-hand clothes. I never pay more than $1 for any one piece, and he has some really nice stuff.
We've been doing the same for Madison. She has about the same amount of clothes. A dresser, 2 huge drawers, a closet FULL of dresses and right now, her crib is piled high with clothes just from this weekend. I think I'm addicted to baby clothes. Is there a support group for baby clothes addicts??
Dylan is cutting his top incisors and having a rough time of it. He cries in his sleep. He has trouble going to sleep. He wakes up early. He's not eating much because it hurts, then cries because he's hungry. I feel so bad for my little man. I wish I could take away his pain. He gets Tylenol before bed, but I don't want him to be on it all day, too.
Saturday, it was in the '80s here, so we broke out the swim diapers and sprinkler. He wasn't too impressed. I do have to admit, the water was really cold. Afterwards, we let him run around naked in the backyard. He enjoyed that. LOL.
They're still projecting a referral around September.
We cleaned out Madison's room and put up her crib this weekend. We also went through Dylan's clothes. He had so many, we couldn't get to them all. We found some cute new outfits for the summer. He's not gaining much weight (19 pounds at 13 months old), so he's still in 6-9mo clothes! We boxed up all the 18+ month clothing since it's just taking up room. Even the 12mo stuff is too big, but he'll be into that soon, we hope. Anyway, we used big diaper cases for the clothes. He has 1 case of 24mo clothes and 2 cases of 18mo clothes. Then a whole 4-drawer dresser full of 12mo clothes (I counted 18 pair of JEANS!) and 2 huge drawers of 6-9mo clothes. Needless to say, we no longer need more clothes for the boy. Oh, and all overalls, outfits and button-up shirts are hanging. The drawers are just for pants, t-shirts, onesies and rompers. Yikes. Most of you know, we go yard sale-ing almost every weekend in the spring and summer. That's where we get all of his clothes. I've never bought a brand-new outfit for him. He has a few new ones from baby showers, Christmas and birthday. But the majority of his clothes are really nice, second-hand clothes. I never pay more than $1 for any one piece, and he has some really nice stuff.
We've been doing the same for Madison. She has about the same amount of clothes. A dresser, 2 huge drawers, a closet FULL of dresses and right now, her crib is piled high with clothes just from this weekend. I think I'm addicted to baby clothes. Is there a support group for baby clothes addicts??
Dylan is cutting his top incisors and having a rough time of it. He cries in his sleep. He has trouble going to sleep. He wakes up early. He's not eating much because it hurts, then cries because he's hungry. I feel so bad for my little man. I wish I could take away his pain. He gets Tylenol before bed, but I don't want him to be on it all day, too.
Saturday, it was in the '80s here, so we broke out the swim diapers and sprinkler. He wasn't too impressed. I do have to admit, the water was really cold. Afterwards, we let him run around naked in the backyard. He enjoyed that. LOL.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
One year ago today...
...our initial application for adoption was approved by the agency. We had just begun the journey. Now we're home, raising our wonderful son, and working hard on the second adoption. Amazing how much our lives have changed, for the better, in just a year. We love Dylan SO much, and just gaze at him, knowing how incredibly lucky we are to have him. And sad about the huge sacrifice his birthmom had to make. And the fact that she will never see what a wonderful little boy he's become. I really just can't get over how awesome he is.
He said his first word (other than mama, dada, baba, etc.) the day after his birthday, at his doctor's appointment. It was SNACK. I don't remember if I already mentioned that. Oh, and his updated stats at 1 year-18 pounds, 14oz (only up 7oz in 2 months-3rd %tile), 29.5" tall (50th %tile). The doc isn't worried, though. All the extra activity now that he's walking has kept him from gaining much. He eats like a champ, too. We went out to dinner one night and he had ribs, corn on the cob, fries, chicken, and a corn muffin! He gets this little pot belly after he eats that's so cute. We call it his Buddha belly.
He's doing really well in school. Although one of his classmates is a biter. He's been bitten 4 times now-twice on the arm, once on the back of neck (broke the skin and bled), and once on his back. All 4 left teeth marks. I think they daycare is threatening the parents to kick out their kid. I just hope Dylan doesn't pick up on that behaviour.
We had our final homestudy Tuesday. It was delayed because we had to switch HS agencies. Our original one decided (after the first visit, and signing the papers) that they would no longer do homestudies/updates for clients not using them for the adoption. So we had to start over with a new agency. Hopefully, we'll have it back next week and can proceed with getting our dossier sent to Vietnam. We're still hoping for a September referral and Dec/Jan travel. We're anxious to go back to that beautiful country and add a daughter to our wonderful family.
You know that saying that you're supposed to make a wish when you look at the clock and it's all the same digits? I got up the other night at 11:11 and thought, "Oh, I need to make a wish." Then I just stood there, not able to think of anything to wish for. My life is perfect right now. Sure, I could use a few million bucks, or instant weight loss, but as I stood there looking at the clock, I thought about how great my life was. Perfect marriage, perfect son, great life. I really couldn't ask for anything better. And so different from the misery I was feeling a year ago today.
He said his first word (other than mama, dada, baba, etc.) the day after his birthday, at his doctor's appointment. It was SNACK. I don't remember if I already mentioned that. Oh, and his updated stats at 1 year-18 pounds, 14oz (only up 7oz in 2 months-3rd %tile), 29.5" tall (50th %tile). The doc isn't worried, though. All the extra activity now that he's walking has kept him from gaining much. He eats like a champ, too. We went out to dinner one night and he had ribs, corn on the cob, fries, chicken, and a corn muffin! He gets this little pot belly after he eats that's so cute. We call it his Buddha belly.
He's doing really well in school. Although one of his classmates is a biter. He's been bitten 4 times now-twice on the arm, once on the back of neck (broke the skin and bled), and once on his back. All 4 left teeth marks. I think they daycare is threatening the parents to kick out their kid. I just hope Dylan doesn't pick up on that behaviour.
We had our final homestudy Tuesday. It was delayed because we had to switch HS agencies. Our original one decided (after the first visit, and signing the papers) that they would no longer do homestudies/updates for clients not using them for the adoption. So we had to start over with a new agency. Hopefully, we'll have it back next week and can proceed with getting our dossier sent to Vietnam. We're still hoping for a September referral and Dec/Jan travel. We're anxious to go back to that beautiful country and add a daughter to our wonderful family.
You know that saying that you're supposed to make a wish when you look at the clock and it's all the same digits? I got up the other night at 11:11 and thought, "Oh, I need to make a wish." Then I just stood there, not able to think of anything to wish for. My life is perfect right now. Sure, I could use a few million bucks, or instant weight loss, but as I stood there looking at the clock, I thought about how great my life was. Perfect marriage, perfect son, great life. I really couldn't ask for anything better. And so different from the misery I was feeling a year ago today.
Monday, April 09, 2007
First Easter with Dylan
Things are going wonderfully. Dylan is such an awesome little boy. I gave him his first haircut last week. He had a great Easter, although busy. He had an egg hunt at Nana and Papa's and loved that. He doesn't even care what's IN the eggs-he just likes putting them in the basket. He also got a new swingset/slide playhouse for the backyard for his birthday. Here are some pics.
Swinging:
Before haircut:
During:
After:
Easter:
Swinging:
Before haircut:
During:
After:
Easter:
Monday, March 19, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
Almost 1 year old!!
Dylan will be a year old in 10 days. It's crazy how fast it goes. He's such a big boy now. He has the best personality and I love him more and more every day. He's off the bottle now, and on a sippy cup. We're going to start working on a regular cup soon. He's walking and sometimes running a little. He loves swinging at the park. He's in the toddler room at daycare. His one-year checkup is the day after his birthday, and I'm anxious to see how he's doing with his weight and head circumference.
We have our first homestudy interview for the second adoption this afternoon. The in-home visit is next week. It's a combination of a post-placement report for Dylan and an update for our dossier for Madison. We hope to get a referral around Sept. and travel in Jan. 2008. We're really excited about going back. We're taking Chris' sister with us to help with Dylan. I can't wait to see Vietnam again. It's such a beautiful country. I'm NOT looking forward to the flight there or back, or the first couple weeks home (jetlag, grieving baby, no sleep). We're excited to add a baby girl to our family, though.
We have our first homestudy interview for the second adoption this afternoon. The in-home visit is next week. It's a combination of a post-placement report for Dylan and an update for our dossier for Madison. We hope to get a referral around Sept. and travel in Jan. 2008. We're really excited about going back. We're taking Chris' sister with us to help with Dylan. I can't wait to see Vietnam again. It's such a beautiful country. I'm NOT looking forward to the flight there or back, or the first couple weeks home (jetlag, grieving baby, no sleep). We're excited to add a baby girl to our family, though.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Things are great!
Tomorrow will be a month since we've been home. Time flies! Today is the beginning of my 3rd week back at work. Most days, he goes to daycare after a few hours. I keep him home with me for breakfast (he has oatmeal), his bottle, and sometimes his nap.
I think he likes daycare. He gets to play with other babies his age. He's wearing shoes for the first time in his life today. We went out last night and bought some, so he'll get used to walking in shoes. He's taking up to 5-6 steps at a time now. It's so cute. He gets really excited and throws his head back, loses his balance and falls. It's funny. He has such a great personality. He's happy most of the time, laughs a lot, and makes the cutest noises. We're just SO happy to have him and we love him so much. The initial week or two was rough, but now that we're settled in to a good routine, it's been nice.
Here are a couple new pictures of my little man.
I think he likes daycare. He gets to play with other babies his age. He's wearing shoes for the first time in his life today. We went out last night and bought some, so he'll get used to walking in shoes. He's taking up to 5-6 steps at a time now. It's so cute. He gets really excited and throws his head back, loses his balance and falls. It's funny. He has such a great personality. He's happy most of the time, laughs a lot, and makes the cutest noises. We're just SO happy to have him and we love him so much. The initial week or two was rough, but now that we're settled in to a good routine, it's been nice.
Here are a couple new pictures of my little man.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Settling in
We've been home 2 weeks now. Things are much calmer. Dylan started sleeping on a regular schedule a couple nights ago, and just in time-we're going back to work Monday. I'm going to try working from home and keeping him here for a while, but I have daycare on standby if it doesn't work out.
He took his first steps on Monday! It was great. He's done it several times since, but never more than 2 steps. He'll be walking in no time. He's an amazing little boy and I'm so thankful he came into our lives.
He took his first steps on Monday! It was great. He's done it several times since, but never more than 2 steps. He'll be walking in no time. He's an amazing little boy and I'm so thankful he came into our lives.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Home, Sweet Home
We made it! We got in around 11:30pm Saturday, after 28 hours of flying, layovers, and running through the airport (we almost missed our LAST leg from Dallas to Nashville, but ran on the plane with about 3 minutes to spare). We had a large group (about 15) cheering us on as we left security. It was awesome.
The flight was not fun. He did fine on the first leg (2 hours). Then we got on the big plane (12.5 hours). We had the bulkhead seats with a bassinet, which was just a little basket not tall enough to contain him unless he was sleeping. He cried the first 3 hours. I don't think anyone could understand how long 3 hours can last until you're stuck on an airplane with a screaming baby. He would drift off to sleep, then we'd try to put him in the bassinet and he'd start screaming again. The seats were uncomfortable, but at least we had some leg room. We got about 2-3 hours of sleep on that leg (not near enough). The next leg was 3 hours and he slept for most of it. The rest of that leg he was fine. The last leg was hard. It was only 1.5 hours, but he was wide awake and very active. He wanted to jump and play, which is difficult in an airplane seat. Luckily, the flight wasn't full and the person next to us moved so we could have the row. All in all, it wasn't the worst experience of my life, but I'm definitely not ready to do it again anytime soon.
We're trying to get settled in. I'm completely overwhelmed by the amount of stuff we have to unpack, and coupled with no sleep, we're having a rough time adjusting. There are suitcases everywhere, dirty bottles, clothes, toys, and I really really want a nap! Last night we had Chris' mom stay the night to help us with him so we could sleep. That didn't work. He didn't want to be held by anyone other than Mommy or Daddy. Which is a great sign for attachment purposes, but it makes it very difficult. I ended up sleeping on the couch with him on my chest for 3-4 hours. We both got some sleep, and so did Daddy and Grandma, so it worked. Now we just need a few more hours...and then we can think about unpacking...and then there's Christmas tomorrow...I need some sleep!
The flight was not fun. He did fine on the first leg (2 hours). Then we got on the big plane (12.5 hours). We had the bulkhead seats with a bassinet, which was just a little basket not tall enough to contain him unless he was sleeping. He cried the first 3 hours. I don't think anyone could understand how long 3 hours can last until you're stuck on an airplane with a screaming baby. He would drift off to sleep, then we'd try to put him in the bassinet and he'd start screaming again. The seats were uncomfortable, but at least we had some leg room. We got about 2-3 hours of sleep on that leg (not near enough). The next leg was 3 hours and he slept for most of it. The rest of that leg he was fine. The last leg was hard. It was only 1.5 hours, but he was wide awake and very active. He wanted to jump and play, which is difficult in an airplane seat. Luckily, the flight wasn't full and the person next to us moved so we could have the row. All in all, it wasn't the worst experience of my life, but I'm definitely not ready to do it again anytime soon.
We're trying to get settled in. I'm completely overwhelmed by the amount of stuff we have to unpack, and coupled with no sleep, we're having a rough time adjusting. There are suitcases everywhere, dirty bottles, clothes, toys, and I really really want a nap! Last night we had Chris' mom stay the night to help us with him so we could sleep. That didn't work. He didn't want to be held by anyone other than Mommy or Daddy. Which is a great sign for attachment purposes, but it makes it very difficult. I ended up sleeping on the couch with him on my chest for 3-4 hours. We both got some sleep, and so did Daddy and Grandma, so it worked. Now we just need a few more hours...and then we can think about unpacking...and then there's Christmas tomorrow...I need some sleep!
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Interview is done!
And we were worried about THAT?? We went in the interview room, which looked like one of those rooms you use to talk to someone in jail, with the bulletproof glass and a microphone. We had to raise our right hand and swear that everything in the file was correct to the best of our knowledge. Then he asked if the child was healthy, we said yes, he said ok, that will be $380. Our facilitator will go back tomorrow at 4 to pick up Dylan's visa and we'll be flying home on Saturday!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Wednesday-new pictures
I've finally caught up on the pictures. Everything is uploaded to http://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q71/DylanAVWright/
Today was uneventful. We stayed in the hotel all day because of my knee. It's pretty painful, but not swollen or bruised. I've been keeping ice on it, which helps.
We did talk to our facilitator. He said we'll be home for Christmas!! Yay!! Our appointment is Thursday at 3pm (Thursday 2am at home, so it will be over by the time everyone gets up on Thursday). Dylan's passport is done and we got to see it. It's a Vietnamese passport. We should get Dylan's visa by 4pm Friday and leave for home at 11am Saturday. We'll be home at 11pm Saturday night, which is 25 hours of traveling. We're quite nervous about the longest leg of the flight (13 hours) and the 4.5 hour layover in LA. But by then the worst will be over. Until we get home and try to get over jetlag, that is.
Anyway, enjoy the pictures!
Today was uneventful. We stayed in the hotel all day because of my knee. It's pretty painful, but not swollen or bruised. I've been keeping ice on it, which helps.
We did talk to our facilitator. He said we'll be home for Christmas!! Yay!! Our appointment is Thursday at 3pm (Thursday 2am at home, so it will be over by the time everyone gets up on Thursday). Dylan's passport is done and we got to see it. It's a Vietnamese passport. We should get Dylan's visa by 4pm Friday and leave for home at 11am Saturday. We'll be home at 11pm Saturday night, which is 25 hours of traveling. We're quite nervous about the longest leg of the flight (13 hours) and the 4.5 hour layover in LA. But by then the worst will be over. Until we get home and try to get over jetlag, that is.
Anyway, enjoy the pictures!
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Perfume Pagoda
We had quite the adventure today! We signed up for a private tour of Perfume Pagoda. All we knew is we would ride in a car for a couple hours, in a boat for an hour, then visit a pagoda. We left out at 8:30am today (Tuesday) and just got back to the hotel at 5pm! It was our longest outing with Dylan and we were definitely not prepared. We almost ran out of formula and forgot to bring any toys! But we made it and we're all happy now.
The car ride there was interesting. We rode out of the city and into the countryside. We saw lots of cattle and everyone had a dog (as a pet). There were cemetaries in the middle of crop fields. They were growing rice, corn, squash, and peanuts. You would see rows of squash, then a grave (above ground, like New Orleans), then more squash. And a cow walking around in it all. It was very odd. They also had some cemetaries with lots of graves, but they were all facing different directions and almost piled on top of each other. Our guide said they bury the dead in wooden coffins for 3 years, then dig it up, collect the bones, place them in a small concrete coffin and worship it. We saw lots of these concrete coffins in shops along the way and they looked like baby coffins.
We ran over and killed a dog on the way, which was very upsetting. The traffic isn't as bad in the country, but they drive the same way. One of the roads was under construction, so it was all torn up and gravel-covered. It was a very bumpy ride. Dylan slept most of the way. He loves movement.
We got to our stop and were pointed to the restrooms. This was not a great experience. Their public restrooms are just holes in the floor that you squat over. Enough said.
We went a few yards and saw our boat. At this point, I was ready to go back to the hotel! It was a small metal boat with a little wooden bench in the middle. Big enough for half a butt cheek. Now, imagine riding this way, with a baby strapped to you, screaming the whole way, your legs falling asleep, for an hour. Yeah, it was not a great time. But Chris was wearing Dylan on the way there (I wore him on the way back). The scenery was beautiful. We were on a small river among some beautiful limestone mountains. I'll try to get pictures posted today or tomorrow (I did get caught up on posting pictures this morning, so there are lots of new ones).
We came to the island where the pagoda was and I was so glad to get out of that boat! I won't go into little details, but we walked and walked and walked and finally got to a temple. This wasn't THE pagoda, but just a small one along the way. It was beautiful. The pictures don't do it justice. Then we walked up a LOT of stairs, some very steep sandy, rocky slopes, and more stairs. And when I say stairs, I'm not talking about like the ones in your house. I'm talking about big slabs of rock that really work your thighs. We will not be able to walk tomorrow. Then we got to the foot of the trail. It was gruesome and we were just now at the foot of the trail?!? It was incredibly steep and I don't see how ANYone climbs it. It honestly would've been a hard workout for the most physically fit person, which I am not! So we hopped on the cable car and rode to the top. We had planned to do this all along, so all the walking and climbing prior to this was a shock.
The cable car ride was incredible. We were hundreds of feet in the air, over mountains and valleys. It was scary, but beautiful. Again, the pictures do not do it justice. We got to the top and found out this pagoda is actually a huge cave! I love caves, so I was excited. It was 120 steps (slabs of rock) down to the entrance. Had I known this adventure would have been so strenuous, I probably wouldn't have gone for it! But we're glad we did it, now that it's over. Anyway, there were worship areas around stalagmites and stalactites in the cave. There was a pure green marble Buddha statue from the 14th century. This pagoda was from that time, and the statue was the original. Our guide was Buddhist (as are 80% of Vietnamese people), so he stopped to pray to the statue. Then we had to climb back up the 120 stairs. I had to stop every 20 steps (yes, I counted them ALL) to breathe. My legs were quivering with exhaustion.
We made it back out and it was all downhill from there. The cable car ride back was full. We had another family in the car with us and I'm sure we were pushing the weight limit on that thing. Dylan was wet by this point and his diaper leaked, so Chris' lap got wet. We got to the bottom and had no where to change him, so I had to use my portable changing pad on the GROUND to change my son's diaper. Hopefully that's the last time I'll have to do that. Poor baby had wet clothes and a wet carrier, and Chris looked like he wet his pants. Then we had to begin the many steps, slopes, and sandy trek back down. It was so slippery and we kept slipping. This is when the 'accident' happened. Luckily, Chris was wearing Dylan, so he was fine. My foot slipped out from under me on one of the steep slopes and I went down hard. My right foot stayed in place, so I came down on my knee, which hyperextended, then fell over on my hip. I thought I had broken my leg. My first thought was, "Oh no! We can't get hurt or we'll have to stay here longer!" Luckily, I was back up and limping down the mountain within 5 minutes. I'm still limping and it's hurting, but I can walk and I'll be fine. I think I gave Chris a heart attack, though!
The boat ride back went much like the ride there. Dylan crying, our legs cramped up (except now my knee was hurting), and the wind whipping harder than we expected. We didn't have enough clothes on our son-just a romper. He's ok, though.
The ride back in the car was uneventful and Dylan slept most of the way. Now we're back safely in our hotel room, hoping for a full night of sleep because we're exhausted!
The car ride there was interesting. We rode out of the city and into the countryside. We saw lots of cattle and everyone had a dog (as a pet). There were cemetaries in the middle of crop fields. They were growing rice, corn, squash, and peanuts. You would see rows of squash, then a grave (above ground, like New Orleans), then more squash. And a cow walking around in it all. It was very odd. They also had some cemetaries with lots of graves, but they were all facing different directions and almost piled on top of each other. Our guide said they bury the dead in wooden coffins for 3 years, then dig it up, collect the bones, place them in a small concrete coffin and worship it. We saw lots of these concrete coffins in shops along the way and they looked like baby coffins.
We ran over and killed a dog on the way, which was very upsetting. The traffic isn't as bad in the country, but they drive the same way. One of the roads was under construction, so it was all torn up and gravel-covered. It was a very bumpy ride. Dylan slept most of the way. He loves movement.
We got to our stop and were pointed to the restrooms. This was not a great experience. Their public restrooms are just holes in the floor that you squat over. Enough said.
We went a few yards and saw our boat. At this point, I was ready to go back to the hotel! It was a small metal boat with a little wooden bench in the middle. Big enough for half a butt cheek. Now, imagine riding this way, with a baby strapped to you, screaming the whole way, your legs falling asleep, for an hour. Yeah, it was not a great time. But Chris was wearing Dylan on the way there (I wore him on the way back). The scenery was beautiful. We were on a small river among some beautiful limestone mountains. I'll try to get pictures posted today or tomorrow (I did get caught up on posting pictures this morning, so there are lots of new ones).
We came to the island where the pagoda was and I was so glad to get out of that boat! I won't go into little details, but we walked and walked and walked and finally got to a temple. This wasn't THE pagoda, but just a small one along the way. It was beautiful. The pictures don't do it justice. Then we walked up a LOT of stairs, some very steep sandy, rocky slopes, and more stairs. And when I say stairs, I'm not talking about like the ones in your house. I'm talking about big slabs of rock that really work your thighs. We will not be able to walk tomorrow. Then we got to the foot of the trail. It was gruesome and we were just now at the foot of the trail?!? It was incredibly steep and I don't see how ANYone climbs it. It honestly would've been a hard workout for the most physically fit person, which I am not! So we hopped on the cable car and rode to the top. We had planned to do this all along, so all the walking and climbing prior to this was a shock.
The cable car ride was incredible. We were hundreds of feet in the air, over mountains and valleys. It was scary, but beautiful. Again, the pictures do not do it justice. We got to the top and found out this pagoda is actually a huge cave! I love caves, so I was excited. It was 120 steps (slabs of rock) down to the entrance. Had I known this adventure would have been so strenuous, I probably wouldn't have gone for it! But we're glad we did it, now that it's over. Anyway, there were worship areas around stalagmites and stalactites in the cave. There was a pure green marble Buddha statue from the 14th century. This pagoda was from that time, and the statue was the original. Our guide was Buddhist (as are 80% of Vietnamese people), so he stopped to pray to the statue. Then we had to climb back up the 120 stairs. I had to stop every 20 steps (yes, I counted them ALL) to breathe. My legs were quivering with exhaustion.
We made it back out and it was all downhill from there. The cable car ride back was full. We had another family in the car with us and I'm sure we were pushing the weight limit on that thing. Dylan was wet by this point and his diaper leaked, so Chris' lap got wet. We got to the bottom and had no where to change him, so I had to use my portable changing pad on the GROUND to change my son's diaper. Hopefully that's the last time I'll have to do that. Poor baby had wet clothes and a wet carrier, and Chris looked like he wet his pants. Then we had to begin the many steps, slopes, and sandy trek back down. It was so slippery and we kept slipping. This is when the 'accident' happened. Luckily, Chris was wearing Dylan, so he was fine. My foot slipped out from under me on one of the steep slopes and I went down hard. My right foot stayed in place, so I came down on my knee, which hyperextended, then fell over on my hip. I thought I had broken my leg. My first thought was, "Oh no! We can't get hurt or we'll have to stay here longer!" Luckily, I was back up and limping down the mountain within 5 minutes. I'm still limping and it's hurting, but I can walk and I'll be fine. I think I gave Chris a heart attack, though!
The boat ride back went much like the ride there. Dylan crying, our legs cramped up (except now my knee was hurting), and the wind whipping harder than we expected. We didn't have enough clothes on our son-just a romper. He's ok, though.
The ride back in the car was uneventful and Dylan slept most of the way. Now we're back safely in our hotel room, hoping for a full night of sleep because we're exhausted!
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Sunday's update and random details
We're in Hanoi! This hotel is 100x nicer and the room is 3x bigger. Literally. We have a mini-suite, which is good since we'll be here at least a week. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but it looks like there's a small chance we'll be back on schedule to come home on the 23rd. We may not know until the 22nd, but keep sending up prayers and thoughts for a speedy process!
I'm still feeling much better. The antibiotics must have done the trick. I still have some stomach issues, but with my history (Crohn's), that doesn't surprise me. I can deal with that-it was the constant nausea that was killing me.
Dylan is doing SO well. He was a real trooper on the 2-hour flight up here. He's such a happy, adjusted baby. He'll say mama and dada and reach up for us. He likes to sleep laying on my chest. He doesn't like for us to feed him, though. He has to be laying flat on the bed or in his crib to drink his bottle. He'll let us hold the bottle, and he'll play with our fingernails. He's teething and likes to chew on his thumb. He doesn't suck it, just chews. I think his 9th tooth is coming in. Other than being fussy when he's sleepy or hungry, he's always happy. He has the funniest laugh and I can't wait for you all to hear it.
I'm going to work on uploading our Cu Chi Tunnel pictures today.
We got his abandonment report a couple days ago. He was found outside the gate of the orphanage on 3/26. They estimated him to be about 3 days old, but we're keeping 3/26 as his birthdate, as that's what his birth certificate says. He weighed 6.5 pounds when they found him. They posted a notice in the paper for any family to claim him and no one did. So we'll never be able to get any information on his birth family. We knew that was a good possibility going into this, so we're ok with it.
We're in the homestretch now and can't wait to come home and see everyone! We decided to extend our work leave until the 3rd or 4th week of January, so we'll have time to get him on a schedule, visit with everyone, and get him used to being in his crib. He seems to adjust really well to new surroundings, so we're hopeful about that. We're really worried about the 13-hour leg of our flight and we wish we were in business class. But we've made it through all this, we'll make it through that!
Have I mentioned the traffic here? It's unbelievable. 90% of people drive scooters, or small motorcycles. The rest drive bicycles or cars. There are lines on the road and for the most part, people drive on the right side, but they completely ignore the lines. It's total chaos. I've never seen anything like it. Crossing the road is a nightmare. They just part around you-there's never a break in the flow. You can't get scared and stop, or you'll get hit. They anticipate where you'll be by your pace and base their driving on that. We did see one accident, after the fact. It was horrible. Big truck with a bicycle under the front tire. I saw a flip flop. The driver was already gone. I have a feeling he/she didn't make it.
They don't have carseats here. One of the pictures I have is from the ride home from Cu Chi. Dylan was sleeping on the seat between Chris and me. No seatbelts, no carseats. I bet he won't care much for the carseat when we get home.
I wish there was some way to show the traffic flow. It's truly incredible. Very scary. And there are no stop signs. A few major streets have stop lights, which count down until they turn green (wouldn't that be nice?), but most streets are just open and you have to cross when you can.
The weather in Hanoi is much milder than HCMC. It was in the 60's last night. It felt GREAT.
There are lots of people on the street trying to sell stuff. They carry these sticks across their back with a basket on each side, full of fruit or souveniers or coconut milk. Some disabled people sit on the sidewalk and hold out their hats for money. Everywhere you walk, you hear, "Sir! Ma'am! Come in, come in and look." They all want you to come in their stores. Sometimes they get rather pushy, but overall it's ok.
The waitresses in the restaurants like to hold your baby while you eat. It's actually really nice. I never thought I'd be comfortable with it, but they always keep them in your sight, and it makes it possible to eat. Anyone who has gone out to eat with an infant knows how difficult it is. That's how EVERY meal is here! Ha!
You'd be amazed at the things people carry on their scooters. We've seen up to 4 people (2 adults, 2 kids) on ONE scooter. We saw someone carrying a desk and office chair strapped to their scooter. We saw two scooters driving side-by-side carrying a plate glass window!! If you could see the traffic here, you'd know how amazing this was! Oh, yesterday I saw someone with a ladder strapped to their scooter. The babies on scooters usually have mosquito net-type things over them and the adults all wear cloths over their nose and mouth. But we rarely see helmets. We asked our facilitator if there are ever any accidents and he said all the time. The morning news tells how many deaths and injuries there were the previous day from traffic accidents. It's really crazy.
I'm still feeling much better. The antibiotics must have done the trick. I still have some stomach issues, but with my history (Crohn's), that doesn't surprise me. I can deal with that-it was the constant nausea that was killing me.
Dylan is doing SO well. He was a real trooper on the 2-hour flight up here. He's such a happy, adjusted baby. He'll say mama and dada and reach up for us. He likes to sleep laying on my chest. He doesn't like for us to feed him, though. He has to be laying flat on the bed or in his crib to drink his bottle. He'll let us hold the bottle, and he'll play with our fingernails. He's teething and likes to chew on his thumb. He doesn't suck it, just chews. I think his 9th tooth is coming in. Other than being fussy when he's sleepy or hungry, he's always happy. He has the funniest laugh and I can't wait for you all to hear it.
I'm going to work on uploading our Cu Chi Tunnel pictures today.
We got his abandonment report a couple days ago. He was found outside the gate of the orphanage on 3/26. They estimated him to be about 3 days old, but we're keeping 3/26 as his birthdate, as that's what his birth certificate says. He weighed 6.5 pounds when they found him. They posted a notice in the paper for any family to claim him and no one did. So we'll never be able to get any information on his birth family. We knew that was a good possibility going into this, so we're ok with it.
We're in the homestretch now and can't wait to come home and see everyone! We decided to extend our work leave until the 3rd or 4th week of January, so we'll have time to get him on a schedule, visit with everyone, and get him used to being in his crib. He seems to adjust really well to new surroundings, so we're hopeful about that. We're really worried about the 13-hour leg of our flight and we wish we were in business class. But we've made it through all this, we'll make it through that!
Have I mentioned the traffic here? It's unbelievable. 90% of people drive scooters, or small motorcycles. The rest drive bicycles or cars. There are lines on the road and for the most part, people drive on the right side, but they completely ignore the lines. It's total chaos. I've never seen anything like it. Crossing the road is a nightmare. They just part around you-there's never a break in the flow. You can't get scared and stop, or you'll get hit. They anticipate where you'll be by your pace and base their driving on that. We did see one accident, after the fact. It was horrible. Big truck with a bicycle under the front tire. I saw a flip flop. The driver was already gone. I have a feeling he/she didn't make it.
They don't have carseats here. One of the pictures I have is from the ride home from Cu Chi. Dylan was sleeping on the seat between Chris and me. No seatbelts, no carseats. I bet he won't care much for the carseat when we get home.
I wish there was some way to show the traffic flow. It's truly incredible. Very scary. And there are no stop signs. A few major streets have stop lights, which count down until they turn green (wouldn't that be nice?), but most streets are just open and you have to cross when you can.
The weather in Hanoi is much milder than HCMC. It was in the 60's last night. It felt GREAT.
There are lots of people on the street trying to sell stuff. They carry these sticks across their back with a basket on each side, full of fruit or souveniers or coconut milk. Some disabled people sit on the sidewalk and hold out their hats for money. Everywhere you walk, you hear, "Sir! Ma'am! Come in, come in and look." They all want you to come in their stores. Sometimes they get rather pushy, but overall it's ok.
The waitresses in the restaurants like to hold your baby while you eat. It's actually really nice. I never thought I'd be comfortable with it, but they always keep them in your sight, and it makes it possible to eat. Anyone who has gone out to eat with an infant knows how difficult it is. That's how EVERY meal is here! Ha!
You'd be amazed at the things people carry on their scooters. We've seen up to 4 people (2 adults, 2 kids) on ONE scooter. We saw someone carrying a desk and office chair strapped to their scooter. We saw two scooters driving side-by-side carrying a plate glass window!! If you could see the traffic here, you'd know how amazing this was! Oh, yesterday I saw someone with a ladder strapped to their scooter. The babies on scooters usually have mosquito net-type things over them and the adults all wear cloths over their nose and mouth. But we rarely see helmets. We asked our facilitator if there are ever any accidents and he said all the time. The morning news tells how many deaths and injuries there were the previous day from traffic accidents. It's really crazy.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Friday
Sorry I haven't updated in a couple days. We don't have an internet signal in our room here in HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City-same as Saigon), so I have to sit in the lobby to email. I haven't felt like doing that, or anything else for that matter. I've been incredibly sick. So sick that I started my emergency antibiotics yesterday. I don't think I've been that sick in years. I couldn't eat anything until lunch today. I'm finally feeling better, though. It sure was making the trip miserable. Chris is being an awesome daddy, taking Dylan out so I could rest. I guess the antibiotics worked because I'm feeling 110% better.
We're leaving tomorrow to head to Hanoi. I'm ready for a new hotel (and hopefully a bigger room). But that room wasn't quite so small once I was feeling better.
Today, we went to the Cu Chi Tunnels. That was an amazing experience and I'm SO glad we did it. I almost didn't go because I was still sick this morning, but it passed by the time we got there. Cu Chi tunnels were used during the Vietnam War for the guerillas and the Cu Chi people to hide from American soldiers. It was so weird walking the ground where US bombs were dropped and soldiers were killed. Very spooky. We went in one of the tunnels and I can say that I do NOT want to do that again. You had to crawl through this dirt tunnel and your back and both hips were rubbing against walls. That's how narrow it was. Poor Chris was carrying Dylan, so he had a really hard time. Luckily, it was a pretty short tunnel. They had longer ones we could go through if we wanted, but we really didn't feel the need. Ha! We got lots of pictures, but I don't have time right now to get them on the site. Hopefully, we'll have internet in our room at the next hotel and we can update more often.
We sure are ready to come home, but things aren't so bad now that I'm not sick. We ate at a pizzeria today and it was really good. Well, we have to go to the market for more diapers, so that's all for now. Love to all and thanks again for all the emails!
We're leaving tomorrow to head to Hanoi. I'm ready for a new hotel (and hopefully a bigger room). But that room wasn't quite so small once I was feeling better.
Today, we went to the Cu Chi Tunnels. That was an amazing experience and I'm SO glad we did it. I almost didn't go because I was still sick this morning, but it passed by the time we got there. Cu Chi tunnels were used during the Vietnam War for the guerillas and the Cu Chi people to hide from American soldiers. It was so weird walking the ground where US bombs were dropped and soldiers were killed. Very spooky. We went in one of the tunnels and I can say that I do NOT want to do that again. You had to crawl through this dirt tunnel and your back and both hips were rubbing against walls. That's how narrow it was. Poor Chris was carrying Dylan, so he had a really hard time. Luckily, it was a pretty short tunnel. They had longer ones we could go through if we wanted, but we really didn't feel the need. Ha! We got lots of pictures, but I don't have time right now to get them on the site. Hopefully, we'll have internet in our room at the next hotel and we can update more often.
We sure are ready to come home, but things aren't so bad now that I'm not sick. We ate at a pizzeria today and it was really good. Well, we have to go to the market for more diapers, so that's all for now. Love to all and thanks again for all the emails!
Wednesday
(This is from Wednesday)
We're in HCMC! And we already had our immigration appointment and got Dylan's picture taken for his visa. Tomorrow morning he has his medical exam (required for the visa) and we're leaving on Saturday for Hanoi. We'll wait there the rest of the time for our final immigration interview and then we'll get Dylan's visa so we can come home!! Still no word on when that might be, but it shouldn't be too long after Christmas.
Dylan had his first airplane ride today. It went really well. He drank a lot of his bottle during take-off and landing, so he had no ear problems. He slept most of the flight (it was only an hour). We kept him awake from then until our CIS (Citizenship and Immigration Services) appointment at 3:30, so he would nap through that. It worked! Now he's wide awake, playing with Daddy, and having a ball.
We had a really hard time when we first got here at the Rex Hotel. Our room was the size of our bedroom (not very big) and had two twin beds and no crib. I called our facilitator and he talked to the front desk to get them to change it. Now we're in an even smaller room, but we have a king size bed at least. And a crib. The cribs here would NEVER pass US inspections. It's crazy. We'll be lucky if he doesn't hurt himself in these things before we get home. Anyway, we got to the second room, I was feeling extremely sick (as I have for 3 days now...uh oh), and our internet wasn't working well, so I couldn't even talk to anyone online. I just about lost it. I think it would all be better if I weren't so sick. It comes and goes. If I don't eat, I'm fine. I went with a 'safe' lunch of mac and cheese, and felt like I was going to die afterwards. We didn't realize how good we had it in Danang. I was sick there, but the room was a suite, and it was easier to be sick in.
We are SO ready to come home. We're trying hard to enjoy the country, but we really miss everyone so much. We miss our pets. We miss McDonald's! No, they don't have one in this country. We just miss home. I can't wait to be able to drink water without boiling it, letting it cool, bottling it, refrigerating it, etc. And brush my teeth with tap water! What a novel idea.
I hope everyone enjoyed the Christmas card. Dylan and I were wearing our traditional Vietnamese outfits that I had made and Chris was wearing a hand-embroidered shirt. You can't see the details in the picture, but it's beautiful.
We are looking forward to going to Hanoi. We may be there a week or two, so I hope we like it. It will be cooler, so maybe that will help with the nausea. And if we have a small room, I will be upgrading! We tried here, but they're booked solid. We've run into lots of adoptive families here. It's pretty cool.
Thanks everyone for all the emails. It really does help hearing from people back home, even with the mundane day-to-day details. It's those little things you miss.
We're in HCMC! And we already had our immigration appointment and got Dylan's picture taken for his visa. Tomorrow morning he has his medical exam (required for the visa) and we're leaving on Saturday for Hanoi. We'll wait there the rest of the time for our final immigration interview and then we'll get Dylan's visa so we can come home!! Still no word on when that might be, but it shouldn't be too long after Christmas.
Dylan had his first airplane ride today. It went really well. He drank a lot of his bottle during take-off and landing, so he had no ear problems. He slept most of the flight (it was only an hour). We kept him awake from then until our CIS (Citizenship and Immigration Services) appointment at 3:30, so he would nap through that. It worked! Now he's wide awake, playing with Daddy, and having a ball.
We had a really hard time when we first got here at the Rex Hotel. Our room was the size of our bedroom (not very big) and had two twin beds and no crib. I called our facilitator and he talked to the front desk to get them to change it. Now we're in an even smaller room, but we have a king size bed at least. And a crib. The cribs here would NEVER pass US inspections. It's crazy. We'll be lucky if he doesn't hurt himself in these things before we get home. Anyway, we got to the second room, I was feeling extremely sick (as I have for 3 days now...uh oh), and our internet wasn't working well, so I couldn't even talk to anyone online. I just about lost it. I think it would all be better if I weren't so sick. It comes and goes. If I don't eat, I'm fine. I went with a 'safe' lunch of mac and cheese, and felt like I was going to die afterwards. We didn't realize how good we had it in Danang. I was sick there, but the room was a suite, and it was easier to be sick in.
We are SO ready to come home. We're trying hard to enjoy the country, but we really miss everyone so much. We miss our pets. We miss McDonald's! No, they don't have one in this country. We just miss home. I can't wait to be able to drink water without boiling it, letting it cool, bottling it, refrigerating it, etc. And brush my teeth with tap water! What a novel idea.
I hope everyone enjoyed the Christmas card. Dylan and I were wearing our traditional Vietnamese outfits that I had made and Chris was wearing a hand-embroidered shirt. You can't see the details in the picture, but it's beautiful.
We are looking forward to going to Hanoi. We may be there a week or two, so I hope we like it. It will be cooler, so maybe that will help with the nausea. And if we have a small room, I will be upgrading! We tried here, but they're booked solid. We've run into lots of adoptive families here. It's pretty cool.
Thanks everyone for all the emails. It really does help hearing from people back home, even with the mundane day-to-day details. It's those little things you miss.
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