New Year's Rockin Eve

We are on the countdown to 2008 over on this side of the world. It is 8:15 so just a few hours to go. The horns outside are honking making it feel very festive (oops, I guess they always do that).

Today we had to go renew our visas. Our current visas expire next weekend so we had more paperwork and waiting in line to get them extended - we are very good at that now. We asked for a 90 day extension instead of the 30 just to be safe. Don't tell anyone but if it comes anywhere close to that timeline I will need to be locked up after safely getting Trey home to MN! The government official said to our agency contact that we were all very loud (it was 3 families with 3 boys). We thought maybe we should go camp out at the Consulate - if she was willing to do anything to get us out of there after 35 minutes, maybe we would finally get our approval! About that - no word today.

So not a great way to spend NYE day, but this evening made up for it. 13 of us went out for a great dinner. It was traditional Vietnamese, not really sure what I had but it was noodles and beef I think - what is not to love there! The company was excellent as always. Then back to the hotel where a few of the boys played until it was time to crash. Once I am sure Trey is asleep I am going to go across the hall to hang with some friends. It is actually more social that my past NYEs!

No big plans tomorrow. Rumor has it that the sun may come out - that is a reason to celebrate as we have not seen the sun since we left Saigon. We are doing the baby coop thing so we can all have time to do what we want to do every few days. A great way to keep sane!

Trey and I were talking about New Year's resolutions. Here are some of his:

Trey:
no more puking (at least not direct hits on mom)
sleep through the night
Learn to crawl (but not until after the 30 hours of flying)
Learn to sit patiently for no more than an hour at a time in a running stroller.

Sounds easy enough right? Trey, you have some serious work to do!

This picture was at our dinner tonight. It was an outdoor table which I wasn't quite prepared for - just one of the many, many time I have been scolded over here because "baby cold".

Have a safe and wonderful New Year's Eve!

Oh what a day!

Hi all

As I mentioned in yesterday's post today 5 families decided to go to the Perfume Pagoda. The guide books made it sound incredible. Our agency contact here had not been before but we decided it sounded like the perfect day trip. And it was...almost!

We left the hotel bright and early this morning for the 2+ hour drive. We had 8 adults and 6 kids. The drive was beautiful. We see so much driving through the countryside. It is very different from what we saw driving in the south to the beach. There is a lot more farming, everything is very spread out. What is similar is the ability to have a beautiful, obviously expensive home mixed amongst pure poverty. It is all incredible.

We get to the starting point at a little before 10. We knew we had a boat trip ahead of us but no one realized this trip would be in very small metal canoes. Seriously! We got 3 boats, they technically hold 8 people but YOU try that with kids. The trip was about an hour. With a 10 month old. In a little boat. How do you think that went? Yep, fine as long as I gave him crackers! The cruise was one of the most beautiful, magical hours of my life. For the millionth time since I have been here I wished Brady (my amazing photog friend) was here so someone could capture this extreme beauty. It was beyond belief. The river ran through lush mountains, with pagodas perched throughout.

When we got to the other side we were thrilled to find out that they put in a cable car to take us to the top. Those of you who know me know that I would love an hour (or two) hike up a beautiful mountain. But with a front pack and a backpack, not so much!! So into the cable car we went. At the top was a cave that you walked down a ton of steps to get to. Inside were about 7 different alters, all for different things. Our guide made it a point to light incense to give to me for the alter that can help me get married! There was also one point where I stood for a few minutes with my hand on top of a large stone hoping for a drop of water to land in my hand. It did and I was instructed to rub it on both Trey and I. I think that guarantees us a very lucky life (like we need help in that department!!).

From there it was back down the cable car to a few more incredible pagodas. Again, pictures do not do it justice. Then a lunch (which is a long story in itself, but we were totally getting taken to the cleaners on a bunch of things here...in the grand scheme of things though no biggie). Another hour boat ride back (and a few more crackers) and the longest drive back due to livestock traffic jams followed by baby melt down and no dinner.

I have to go back to the store tomorrow as I just ate all of Trey's crackers while typing this!

Tomorrow is a working day here, Tuesday the Embassy and Consulate are closed. Keeping sending prayers, juju, mojo - whatever - that we get our approval in the next few days. That would put is back home early next week.

Hope everyone is enjoying a long weekend. If you are one of the few who need to work on Monday, call in sick!
Cindy

Saturday in the park...

Well that was the plan anyways! It is Saturday night and Trey is crashed early. He has his blanket pulled over his face, an empty bottle on his chest. Life is good.

After a morning of a long, casual breakfast and even longer nap we finally got out of the hotel close to 1. Betsy, Beata and I were going to take the boys for a nice long walk to the Botanical Gardens. We heard they were just a few turns away and really beautiful, so off we went. After walking a ways we were pretty sure we had found them. We couldn't get in from the street we were on so we walked the perimeter. Turns out we were not at the Botanical Gardens but at the Presidential Palace instead! Great news as I had wanted to see that! So we toured around where Uncle Ho used to live and work, and of course where he is laid to rest. We didn't go into the mausoleum - it is not open in the afternoons. Fine by me, I don't need to see THAT! But it was a great afternoon even with the wrong turn. We only got whistled at once (by the guard when I got too close to a display, not a "you are so hot" type of whistle") and did not do any damage to international relations. Always good news!

A little bragging on the boy. He has changed so much in these 2+ weeks we have been together. He is definitely fattening up (compare the cheeks today to a few weeks ago) and is learning all kinds of things. His biggest accomplishment to date is he can now sit up for long periods of time with no help. I even fed him that way this afternoon. I know that isn't unusual for a 10 month old, but when I first got him he couldn't sit up on his own at all. Plus he is now sleeping so much better. He still needs 2 bottles during the night which is nuts, but he doesn't scream out in his sleep like he used to (just ask Sandra, this boy would SCREAM!).

We have an early day tomorrow - we leave the hotel at 7am for the Perfume Pagoda. My Lonely Planet says it is "a complex of pagodas and Buddhist shrines built into the limestone cliffs of Huong Tich Mountain". All I know for sure is it entails a bus ride, boat ride and 4K hike up a mountain. I will give all the details tomorrow!

Tonight's picture is Trey being very proud of his newest talent! Check out the awesome outfit my friend Candace sent him for Christmas! I want one in my size too!

Have a good weekend all!

the group is getting smaller

Hi all

It was kind of a sad Friday today. Katie left this morning to head back to the states. I am so sad to see her go, and not just because she carried my stuff for me! Then this afternoon Ryan and Olivia caught their flight. They are the dad and sister of one of the boys. It is going to be so weird to not have them around - Olivia kept me totally entertained (and Trey loves her) and Ryan is just simply the best. I hope all 3 have very easy trips home.

We moved to our new setup this morning. It will work just fine - it is quieter than my other room which is great, but it has almost no window so its pretty dark in here. Maybe that will help with the sleeping!

We did some street shopping this afternoon - in search of a belt. For a country full of smaller people they sure only seem to carry huge belts! I decided to just let the pants hang a while longer! Dinner was at a great Indian restaurant where I ate way too much. Guess I shouldn't ask for a highchair, I don't eat as much when Trey is on my lap!

No word on the approvals. Looks like it will be at least another week, probably longer before we can head stateside. We have some good outings planned so the time will go fast. I am trying to change my attitude to be less of a tourist and more of a local - get down to more of a routine. Find a way to get a run in. Get Trey on a schedule. Organizes my photos. I wish I had my Christmas cards here, it would be a great time to get those done too (although who am I kidding, I am so not sending them out this year. Maybe I will get some announcements out though!). The support I have received from families and friends have made this journey possible. thank you. Please keeps the posts and emails coming, it makes me feel not so far away!

No pictures tonight...harder to take them when Trey is in the front pack pulling at the strap!

Love to all,
Cindy

the days are cruising by...

Hi all

It is Thursday evening here in Hanoi. The past two days have been pretty fun! The weather has not cooperated and it rained most of yesterday and part of today causing us to redo our plans. Yesterday morning we found the local supermarket. That may not sound too exciting to most (including me!) but when I can have a little control over what Trey eats I feel a bit better. Plus it allowed me to stock up on crackers giving me freedom to roam with my boy without him screaming! In the afternoon we went to the Water Puppet Show. It is very cool and has a long history in Vietnamese tradition. Trey thought it was ok but really preferred the entire package of crackers it took to keep him quiet so I could watch it - good thing we found the market!

We roamed the Old Quarter for a while after the show which is amazingly beautiful. Makes me want to strap on the running shoes and do a loop or two. We had dinner down there and then back to the hotel to crash.

Today we spent the morning re-doing our hotel situation. We were being way over charged and so had to make some changes. All taken care of but we lost the morning as we switched things around. We more than made up for it this afternoon! Back down to the Old Quarter where we had a great lunch of ice cream. Then we hit the shopping area. Seriously - anything you want is there. One street was just silk. One was shoes. It is really cool - and this from a gal who does not like to shop!

Tonight we had dinner with 3 other families. It is Katie's last night. I am so sorry to see her go. What an amazing friend to fly across the world just to meet my son and help me out. Although she would not change a poopy diaper for the entire 2 weeks she was here she was still a great help! Things are going to change a lot tomorrow as I am more on my own. I still have the other families to help - and they are all wonderful people. But it will be different to not to have the help I am used to. Between Sandy and Katie I have been well taken care of.

Hope all is well at home and the snow is lightening up. If it isnt I hope you are getting out to enjoy it! I wish I was there to do a bit of snowshoeing!

Christmas night

Merry Christmas everyone!

It is Christmas night in Hanoi and all is well. It was a very different Christmas but one I will never forget. It started with a phone call (via Skype) with my family. They were celebrating at my brother's home so I got to talk to all of them. It was so fun to hear all the voices from home. As they all headed out to skate on the lake we got on with our Christmas day.

We went up for breakfast - seems most hotels have top floor restaurants over here. After about 7 cups of coffee it was time to figure out what to do with our rooms. Seems using a travel agent for rooms over here isn't the best way to go. Unfortunately there is also a 48 hour cancellation needed to get out of your room. So round and round we went....unfortunately Ryan (one of the dads) got stuck doing most of the negotiating. We still don't have things where we want it, but the price came down and we will have to figure out what to do tomorrow. What a big huge waste of time!

Katie, Trey and I headed out to try to get a feel for the city. It is so different from Saigon. For one thing it is cloudy and cool compared to the hot and sunny south. It is just as loud but not nearly as many scooters. You do not have to dodge moving scooters on the sidewalks here, but they just park them there so you end up having to walk in the streets a lot. There is also the "news" (read propoganda) over the town loudspeaker at 7:30 am and again at 4:30 pm. Weird! I don't think we made it to the part of town we were looking for. We stopped for our Christmas lunch (see picture) and then Trey was crashing so we headed back to the hotel for the afternoon nap.

This evening was our Christmas party with all 6 families here from our agency. One of the dads organized a big buffet at their hotel. It was so fun to meet all the kids and see all the newly formed families. The older kids ran wild and the younger ones stole toys from each other. It was a very fun night.

Now the wait for the I600 really starts. It is hard as (we think) we will be notified via email so you just want to keep hitting refresh on the computer. Good thing we are back at the hotel for nap time so we can keep checking. Unfortunately it limits us on excursions, but maybe we will do something over the weekend to get out of town.

That is all from here. Hope Santa gave you what you were hoping for, I know he sure came through for me!

First Class baby!

Hello from Hanoi

Trey had his first plane ride today and of course he did it in style! We flew from Saigon to Hanoi - it is about a 2 hour plane ride. We took a cab to the airport, quick threw security (you don't even have to take off your shoes here!) and then took over the Business Class lounge. It is pretty much the same thing as the World Club - food, beverages, papers. The boys all had a great time and ate their weight in crackers. We boarded our flight and grabbed our seats in First Class. It was so nice - now if only we could have that on our long flight home!

So now we are in Hanoi. We didn't get to see anything since it was dark when we arrived. Our hotel room is teeny tiny and we will probably check out tomorrow since the price is not right - especially if we are here a week or more. We made Trey a bed on the floor and he is sound asleep hoping Santa knows where to find him.

I saw a church on the drive in, maybe a few blocks from here. Realizing it is probably a crazy idea I am going to at least try to get to mass in the morning. Trey has a great singing voice, they will love him!

The first picture is the dancing Santa in our hotel's entryway - Trey loved it. And don't you dig his Santa hat and socks?! The second picture is Trey and his buddy enjoying the lounge at the airport.

Merry Christmas!

Is it Christmas?

Merry Christmas everyone! It is really weird being here for Christmas. Except for the scooter Christmas parade last night and tonight it just doesn't feel like it is here. There are decorations up. Our hotel has a dancing Santa at the entry way and a jeweled tree in the lobby. We have heard a great Vietnamese "Jingle Bells" about 6 kazillion times. All the little kids have their Santa outfits. But it is 90+ outside and we haven't done anything Christmas-y, although I don't even know what that would be over here!

One very thoughtful friend of mine gave me a Christmas mix cd before I left. We have listened to it every day here and that has been a great reminder that Christmas is here and get us in the holiday mood.

Today Trey and I went to the zoo with one of the other families (Katie shopped). It was surprisingly a pretty cool zoo. It had most of the usual animals - elephants, lots of snakes, monkeys, etc. It also had a beautiful bonsai garden, acrobats/performers and museum. Olivia (the other family's 4 year old) insisted we take a train ride and it was a great way to see the grounds. It was a very fun way to spend the morning.

We hit the main shopping drag this evening so Katie could pick up a few more things (the girl can shop!) then had dinner at a Thai restaurant before joining the craziness that we have dubbed the Scooter parade.

Tomorrow we head to Hanoi. There are 3 more families already there so I am sure we will do something fun for Christmas day. I have heard mixed results on Internet there so I will post as I am able.

I hope the snowstorm in the Midwest didn't prevent anyone from getting to where they want to be.

Song playing now...Baby it's cold outside!

Welcome to Saturday

Hi all

It is Saturday night as I write this and we just got back from an amazing experience. The 3 families went to dinner down in the happening part of town. We had a great meal and the boys were all well behaved (well, for 3 boys under 2!). As we came out we looked to the right which is one of the main drags. What a spectacle! It looked like a parade. There were a ton of scooters out, most with little kids dressed in Santa costumes. Christmas music blaring. Horns honking. Cameras flashing. I just can't describe how cool it was, totally amazing.

Today was fun. Trey was up way too early and so was I. By the time we were done with breakfast he was ready for his morning nap, and so was I! We both woke up much happier. We then headed down to the Ben Thanh market which is huge. It contains just about everything you would ever need. The woman working it grab you as you walk through and "madame, madame what do you need?". It was a bit overwhelming but very cool. We then just walked and shopped and had some lunch. The heat during the middle of the day totally kicks your butt so back to the hotel for a nap for Trey. That was most of the day.

A big deal today was the oldest of three boys (at 18 months) said his first English words today! It was "oh yea"! If you knew his older sister you would know how appropriate it is, she says it all the time.

That is all from here. We didn't take a single picture today so I will post one that is a few days old. My sister bought Trey some silk pajamas when we were in Ben Tre - they are HOT!

TGIF and passports!

Hi all

Big day here in Saigon. We started by saying goodbye to Sandra. I am so sorry to see her go. Actually everyone has commented today how sad they are to see her leave. She was a major member of the group. I look forward to hearing any adventures she has doing the long travel back!

We went and picked up Trey's passport this morning - so smooth. This afternoon was the medical check. Not quite as easy! Let's just say I don't think I want to get sick here. But in we went and after about a 30 minute wait Trey was up. He did great for about a minute and as soon as the stethoscope touched his chest you would think they were killing the poor kid. All they do is weigh, measure and listen to their chest...gee, what a baby.

After that it was an almost 3 hour wait for the documentation needed. Waiting in 90+ heat, no AC during nap time wasn't very fun. But in the end mission accomplished and we have 3 boys with medical clearance.

We all celebrated tonight at an awesome restaurant. I know every post seems to at least touch on the food but come on, it is just too good to not mention.

Tomorrow and Sunday are total tourist days. It seems weird to have been here 2 weeks and we have not really seen much of the city. So that is the plan.

No word on the I600 approval except that they have our application. I guess that is a good place to start, but we are all now anticipating a delay on the departure date. If Trey and I fly out next Friday we will be thrilled and shocked.

For those of you at work today take it easy ok...you don't want to do too much as you go into a 4 day weekend (Kim G and Kelly A - this does not apply to you of course!!)!

Best,
Cindy

Back to reality?

We left the beach this afternoon and are now back in Saigon. What a great escape to be able to spend a few days at a beautiful beach. Everyone came back relaxed, tan and with pretty toes (at least some of us!).

Our last evening at the beach started with an impromptu happy hour at our bungalow. A security guard brought over a few mats for the boys to hang on and the other two families stopped by. Lots of laughs and storys. We had dinner on property as Sandra was dying for the Thai Hot Pot - and it was every bit as good as she dreamed! All in all it was a wonderful way to wrap up 5 days at the beach.

Tomorrow (Friday)is a big day. I will pick up Trey's passport in the morning. In the afternoon he has his medical check needed for his Visa. We also have everything crossed that we will hear on our I600 approval. If we don't get our approval tomorrow Trey and I will be delayed coming home. With the holidays hitting next week the Embassy will be closed a few days so it is hard to tell when we will hear.

Sandra heads back tomorrow and while I am so happy she will be home for Christmas I am sad to see her go. My little sister has been a wonderful teacher on how to do this parent thing. Plus she is always willing to help with a bottle or diaper! If you have not checked out her blog I have a link on the right nav - check it out as she has a very unique approach to what she is blogging!

Enjoy the pictures of Trey! And please send out all good juju, prayers and mojo that our approval will come through. As much as I am loving being in Vietnam I am getting a little antsy to come home and start out "real" life.

Life's a beach

We have settled into a great routine here at the beach. Trey has us up and moving pretty early. Today I got a run in but usually I just take the boy and head down to the beach and let the girls wake up a little more leisurely. We head over to a wonderful breakfast buffet served beachside. Lots of great fruit, pancakes, eggs, pho and even mac & cheese. We hang out there and drink way too much coffee for about an hour.

From there we put Trey into the front pack for a long walk on the beach. He sleeps the whole time and we get to enjoy the waves crashing. We get back and head to the pool for while. Trey is a fish!

Nap time for Trey means two of us go for a walk and one hangs back. A little shopping or outing of some sort and it is time to shower up for dinner. We have found some great food here, always fresh.

Then back to the bungalow, hang for a bit and to bed early. Sounds pretty nice, eh?!

Our internet is a bit funky so I can see there are comments but can't read them. I hear MN is getting more snow this weekend? How nice to have a very white Christmas! We have palm trees wrapped in red and green - a little different but it will do!

More later!

The trials of parenthood

It is about 3pm on Sunday afternoon. I am sitting at a beachside bar having a beer, watching the crazy kiteboarders fly around the ocean and updating the blog. Yep, tough life!

It has been a great couple of days. We drove about 5 hours from Saigon to get to a beautiful seaside resort. The foliage here is unbelievable. There are two pools, a spa and a bunch of beautiful little trails throughout the resort. Our bungalow has a view of the ocean. What a perfect place to relax and get to know my son.

Speaking of which, who is this kid?! My quiet, contemplative boy gets more and more outgoing every day. He laughs like crazy and is so easily amused. He loves the pool, any toy he can get his hands on and pretty much all food. He found his voice yesterday which is so cute...well, sort of! He has this really high pitched scream which he delights in letting rip. He is happy while doing it, but on the long bus ride it ceased to be funny to all but me! The only thing he doesn't really like is sleep. He only sleeps a few hours at a time (yep, just like me!) and needs a bottle in his mouth to fall asleep. A very bad habit that will be such fun to break once we are back home.

We are all happy and healthy and having a great time. I feel so lucky to be able to sneak in this little side journey during all the hurry and worry of finalizing the adoption.

We are getting some great pictures and I will post a few when I can. I hope you all are well and are enjoying the holiday season!

Another day another update

Hi all

Saturday morning here in Saigon and all is good! We are up and getting ready to head to the beach. Not sure how much I will be able to be online while there so I wanted to get one more update in!

Yesterday was good. Sandy and I walked over to the park with Trey in the Baby Bjorn (thanks BI!). He loves cruising around in that thing. There is a coffee festival going on so there were a lot of people milling around. My agency called and said that Katie had arrived and was on her way to the hotel so we headed back. A few minutes later the agency called again. They received a call from Immigration that we needed to resubmit Trey's passport paperwork. Yea, this could be trouble! So picked up what was submitted on Thursday and took it to a different office. Surprise surprise, it actually turned out much better - now his passport will be ready on 12.21!! Yippee! That means we will have his medical check that same afternoon, spend the weekend in Saigon and head to Hanoi on Monday. IF we get our I600 approval by the end of next week I am back on schedule. So fingers crossed!

The rest of the day was spent shopping and eating ice cream....a good day for all!

I head MN is really cold right now and that there may be a big storm hitting? Hope you all are surviving.

Next update from the beach!

An interesting day....

Hi all

We started today at the hotel breakfast...it is so funny, the staff here all goes crazy over the kids. When we walked in one of the servers came up and took Trey away from me. All the others crowded around - total rock star treatment!

Today was the day to apply for Trey's passport so the two dads and I (and of course our agency reps) headed over to the government building just a few blocks away. You take your life in your hands every time you go there as you have to cross a crazy intersection to get there. We went in and it is packed with people. We get the forms filled out then wait our turn to submit it all. The very official person behind the desk decided they didnt like the way the photos were attached and so we had to leave, go back to the hotel where we have access to a copier. Get that all done, back over to the Gov't building crossing the intersection of death for the 3rd time....nope, they are closed for lunch! Back to the hotel for lunch then back for the 3rd time to the big building. Third time was a charm! That was the good news. The not as great news is Trey's passport won't be ready until Dec 25th. That leaves only the slimmest of chances that I will catch my scheduled flight on the 28th. New Years Eve in Hanoi is looking like the plan.

The rest of the afternoon was spent planning our next week. We picked an incredible (hopefully) resort on the beach - about 3 or so hours from the city. We head out on Saturday.

Tonight a great dinner of Pho at a close restaurant and now Trey is once again crashed out.

That is the update from here. Tomorrow is pretty casual, probably some sightseeing and a bit of shopping plus Katie arrives.

And the crowd goes wild!

It is official - Trey and I are on big (small?) happy family! Here is how the day played out....

Up early as I was too excited to sleep (Sandy is getting sick of THAT!). We had breakfast at the hotel and left for the care center at 8. We got there and the kids are all playing on the floor - there is a bit pile of toys in the middle and the kids are mostly on their stomachs trying to grab something. They encouraged the 3 families to take their kids outside away from all the excitement. Trey and I walked around the compound for a while then hung out on a bench with one of the other families. It is really pretty there - flowering trees, a playground, a few of the older kids playing around. Trey is very content to hang out as long as someone is holding him (gee, tough job!). Once Trey crashed out we put him in his crib and played with the other kids. Yesterday afternoon I was able to spend time with his nanny and get his schedule, likes, dislikes etc so today we were just able to hang out. After a while most all of the kids were napping so back to the hotel we went.

At the hotel we packed up, big lunch (the food here is incredible! Every meal is a "THIS is my new favorite thing" type experience) and loaded back into the bus to drive over to the Ministry of Justice. It was a pretty amazing ceremony. Each family had their ceremony seperately with 4 representatives from the provincial government. Once we were all officially official we had to hang a bit longer for the paperwork. Then the 3+ hour drive back to Saigon began.

You would think that 3 kids all just tossed in with families and loaded into a bus would be a bit upset. I expected a chaotic ride back! Nope, kids were all perfect and mostly stared out the window in awe.

Now it is getting late. Trey is crashed out on the bed and looking pretty cute. Tomorrow I need to apply for his passport and start our journey home.

I will post some pics tomorrow!

Meet Trey

What a morning! We left the hotel for the 5 minute drive to the orphanage at 8:00am. Driving over we were all very chatty/animated/nervous. As we pulled up everyone on the bus got pretty quiet. Off the bus, to the front door, take off your shoes and walk in. Deep breath and there he is in a walker. One of my fears was that I wouldnt recognize him from all the pictures but I knew him right away. He is amazing. He cried a little at the beginning - it was so overwhelming for him (and me). His nanny took him after about 10 minutes and put him in his crib with a bottle. It was really hard to not just pick him up and feed him myself, but that is the way they do it and it is better to not interfere. Once he had the bottle he was a different kid. Quiet and curious. We walked away from the rest of the people and went in the doorway. From then on it felt like he kind of knew me. I am sure that is wishfull thinking but oh well!

This kid has a laugh that makes you fall over. He is so happy! He rolls around and sits up but isnt crawling yet. He is very cuddly.

Now it is still morning. We meet for lunch in about an hour so I think we may go hang by the pool for a few - it is hot today. We will go back to the orphanage at 2:30 this afternoon.

I can't put into words the emotions of this morning. There are so many ways to start a family and I am so humbled that this is mine. I am so lucky.

Ben Tre!

What a day! Let's start with the important stuff first...it is Tuesday morning and I have not yet met Trey yet. We are heading to the orphanage after breakfast. I was off on the schedule and we were not planning on leaving in time to get to the orphanage in time to see the boys. It was fine actually as we had a great day. We roamed around Saigon for the morning, what an amazing city! It seems totally chaotic and overwhelming at first but by Monday I was getting the hang of it. It is easy to see where the 7 million people are - all out on their scooters! I tried to get some pictures of it but it just doesnt do it justice. Brady - you could get some incredible shots over here!!

We had a great lunch at a Pho restaurant right across the street and headed to my agencys office. There we got to meet the people who are making happen over here for us. Great group of dedicated people. For any CHSFS family reading this there was no white board posted to get a picture of. After a 3 hour drive of watching this amazing life over here we hopped the ferry for a 20 minute ride across the Mekong River. Beautiful!

We had a buffett dinner at the hotel with the other familys and agency staff (there are 4 of them with us). Tons of great food - nothing too out there but a sweet/sour fish soup that was a little funky!

Now the good stuff starts! We will be at the orphanage about 8:15 and will have 2 hours to meet and get to know the boys. Then a break so they can nap and we come back this afternoon for a few more hours of getting to know each other. The G&R ceremony is tomorrow at 1:30.

I will try to post pictures tonight! Hope things are warming up in MN.

Hi from Vietnam

Hi all...we made safe and sound. The flights were surprisingly easy and we got here right on time. We were the only ones of the 3 familys to have all of our luggage make it.

We walked around a little this afternoon but the streets are crazy and we werent up for crossing them too often so we are back and hanging at the hotel. We will grab dinner with the other families tonight and make it an early night. We are heading to Ben Tre at noon tomorrow so hopefully we will get to meet Trey once we show up!

I will try to post again tomorrow with pictures - internet isnt working very well so no promises!

...and we're off!

Finally! Sandra and I hop a flight at 5:15 today. Our route is Minneapolis - LA - Taiwan - Saigon. We will arrive at about noon on Sunday (11:00 pm Saturday in Minneaplis).

Next update from Vietnam!

Travel - part 2

I really am traveling this time. The timeline is:

Depart for Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) - Dec 7
Arrive in HCMC - Dec 9
Meet my son - Dec 10
G&R ceremony - Dec 12

Those are the important dates! I will update and post pictures while I am there. Stay tuned.

So close!

Things got delayed this week, but just by a bit. I am currently waiting for my G&R date (the G&R is the ceremony where Vietnam officially recognizes me as the parent). It will likely be the week of Dec 10 or 17. So soon. I am hoping to have travel dates firmed up by the end of the month.

Travel!!!!

It looks like I will be heading to Vietnam on Nov 20. G&R on Nov 23. Details to be finalized in the next day or so.

Update - mid day change! Travel looking to be mid-December.....oh the drama!

Longest two weeks ever....

and still no word. Hoping to receive my travel dates in the next week or so. With all the changes in process and some funky government delays it could be longer. Fingers crossed!

2nd DIA notification!

Yea! Today I received word that I have the 2nd DIA notice needed to continue moving forward with the adoption. There is still more paperwork and waiting but now I at the moment I am more optimistic that I will be with Trey for Christmas. I think you will agree - the best Christmas gift ever!

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! Stay tuned for updates on my travels to meet my son Trey in Vietnam.