Home Sweet Home!

We made it back to MN safe and sound last Friday night. The two of us were greeted by a bunch of wonderful friends at the aiport. It was better than I could have ever imagined.

So now we are getting settled. Trying to help Trey learn how to sleep in a room all alone. After 11+ months of always having others around this is no small feat. But we are both working hard at it! We have been seeing some friends and getting out as much as you can when the windchill is -500. Ok, that may be an exaggeration but it sure feels like it.

I have a few favorite moments since I have returned home. One is introducing my niece's little boy to Trey. They are 2 months apart and we live just across the alley from each other. We are convinced that these two are going to own the alley! I popped over there tonight to let the boys play for a few minutes before bedtime. What a wonderful treat. Another is that my parents just couldnt stand it and hopped a flight home from Florida to meet Trey (thier 15th grandchild).

I am humbled by the love and generosity of my family and friends throughout this journey. It has continued as I have returned and I have been brought to tears on many occassions (i am not one to cry a lot!).

So thank you once again. Trey and I are starting a new life here in MN. I am so in love with him. I have no doubt that he will be loved and spoiled - by me and many, many others!

Cindy and Trey

Goodbye Vietnam

After all this time in Vietnam it is finally time to head home. When I left MN 7 weeks ago I never imagined the journey I was starting - the things I would do and see, the people I would meet or the roller coaster of emotions I would feel. I think back to the first day at the care center and meeting Trey for that first time, it feels like a lifetime ago. In some ways it was.

There is a lot I will miss. The people I have been with during this journey are amazing. You just cannot go through what we did together and not feel a very special bond. I will miss some of the little gestures here like always handing things over with 2 hands. I have loved walking the streets. I love my runs in front of Uncle Ho's mausoleum. The food of course and getting to know the most unusual country I have ever been to.

There are other things I definitely will not miss....horns honking, woman tugging at Trey, haggling on prices, government ridiculousness and scooters on the sidewalks!

If you take away the stress of the past few weeks it has been wonderful. I have seen a lot and been to many different parts of Vietnam. It has been a great chance to get to know my son's birth country.

Now it is time to start the next chapter. I am so excited to introduce Trey to my family and friends. I have been blessed with such wonderful people in my life, these past few months (well, years) have proven that over and over.

Trey and I took a cyclo ride home tonight and loved it! That is a great way to get around town. Plus it bodes well for Trey in a burley next summer! The other picture is just Trey hanging out playing while I pack. He has no idea what he is in for when he gets home!

So thanks for following along on my journey. I have loved all the responses and emails I have received, thank you so much!

All the best,
Cindy and Trey

Coming home!

It finally happened! Today we got our I600 approval that will allow Trey and I to finally to come home. We have our visa interview tomorrow morning. Unfortunately flights have us not leaving until Friday, arriving at home Saturday morning. It is a really long flight plan as we have a 12 hour layover in LA, but it gets us home!

I will write more later. Thank you for all of your prayers and support, it made a tough situation that much easier.

Cindy

Not a thing

That is pretty much what we did today! It was rainy all day so it is tough to get out. My day started with a skype call with two of my best buds, amazing what a friendly voice from home can do to lift your spirits!

We won't hear anything on our approval until at least Tuesday, more likely Wed or Thurs so that has us hanging in a bit of limbo. Everyone pretty did whatever felt good today. Beata watched the Packers (although that didn't feel so good at the end). Betsy and Barbie took the kids to a mall for shopping and letting the kids run. I got a good run in - I thought people stared when I was walking around with Trey. Running over here isn't very common anyways, but certainly not in the rain and cold! This afternoon we let the kids play while the moms at chips and salsa. All the very normal things you could do anywhere.

The highlight of today was the 3 kids in the tub together! It was hysterical, they have so much fun together. Trey has a bit of hero worship going with Jonah and a big old crush on Julia!

Today's pictures...Trey looking cute as he convinces me he doesn't need an afternoon nap (seriously, how do you refuse that? I didn't, so I got him up!). The second is Trey with his co-conspirators. These three get into so much trouble. The last one, it is just cute so I thought I would post it!

I checked - it is above 0 right now in MN! Whew, get out the shorts right? Enjoy your Monday.

When the going gets tough...

We play!

Today was a pretty funny day, not really funny ha ha, more funny strange (but fun). We gals were still reeling a bit from the news yesterday and no one slept a whole lot last night. At breakfast we laughed about some of the dumbest things you can imagine. But we laughed a lot! We did the usual routine, play time then nap time and lunch. This afternoon we headed out to the "Western Can Goods" store. It is weird what gets you excited when you are away from the things you are used to. Barbie was phyched to find Dr Pepper. For Betsy it was Doritos. I was thrilled with chips and salsa. All these things and more are available at the Western Can Goods store. Check it out next time you are stuck here.

From there we went over to our new friends home for the afternoon. This is the couple I met through Ryan and Betsy - they live here in Vietnam with their 2 girls. Once again it was a great few hours of playing, being outside, being normal and a wonderfully comforting home cooked meal complete with fresh bread and salad...just like home (except I never cook!).

After dinner we swung by the old hotel to say goodbye to one of our families. Brian, Caroline and Ryan have been with us since day 1. I am so thrilled that they are heading out tonight. They will be an important part of our life forever and i am lucky to have them as friends. David and Ben leave tomorrow evening - they have been here since thanksgiving so I know they can't wait to hop that flight and see mom and big brother.

The pictures are of Trey having some great play time - first playing ball with me in the room (I realize he is filthy but it is from an orange this time, not crackers!), then riding the airplane outside (I did not make him do the safety demo first!).

When I logged in I saw it was -14 in Mpls. Maybe I am glad this got dragged out another week! THAT IS CRAZY COLD!!!! So bundle up and pour another cup of coffee, it is going to be a long weekend in MN.

Not what we hoped for...

Just a quick update...we did not receive the approval we were hoping for today. The government would like more time for investigation. We will not hear anything before next Wed or so, so it doesn't look like I will make it home next week as hoped.

Please keep the prayers coming, we could use it right now.

Cindy and Trey.

Crawling along...

That is how our time seems sometimes! Trey is starting to get the hang of the crawling thing. It is harder since he is now on hardwood, but every once in a while he will crawl for a bit. Then it is right back to scooting!

The past few days have been pretty quiet. It is usually afternoon before we get out of the hotel due to naps, but then we try to do something fun. Yesterday was the Art Museum. Trey dug it, he is very advanced that way. I am not all that into art museums but this one was really beautiful. Unfortunately we got there pretty late so we were not able to spend as much time as I would have liked.

Today I didn't get out of the hotel until 5pm (except for a quick, cold run!). I woke Trey out of his morning nap by talking on the phone so he made up for it this afternoon! But we did get out for a nice dinner, a quick shop-about then pick up the laundry and home.

No real update on the I600. We hit day 60 since submission on Friday (the supposed max time for approval), and CIS has told us we can expect to get our approval "by Friday". I am assuming that means on Friday but hoping against hope we hear tomorrow. If we do we can possibly get out this weekend. If it is Friday I won't be able to fly out until next Thursday due to the holiday. So send out the good juju, karma and prayers over the next 12-20 hours!

If we are staying here until next week we are considering heading to Halong Bay. My only worry is that the tour we set up has us staying overnight on a boat. Trey isn't too into sleeping at night so I have a feeling it would be an all night party for everyone on board. Oh well, that is the risk they all take!

That is all from here! The best part of tomorrow is we will finally know when we are coming home. Assuming of course our government doesn't pull a fast one and not approve us until next week. With all the pestering we are doing I hope they want us out of here almost as much as we want to be gone!

A normal day...

I am not sure what a "normal day" is anymore. For me, here, right now it consists of not doing any sightseeing or touristy things. It consists of the normal stuff we do every day - grocery shopping, taking walks, time with friends, maybe a run. I have had a handful of days like that here and they are wonderful - today was one of those.

We didn't "do" anything really, but it was such a nice day. Trey and I walked through the market for a while. I went to my favorite bakery. We walked the streets trying to find stores we saw previously but hadn't been in to. We had happy hour with our friends which flowed over into dinner.

What isn't normal is that I am doing these things in Vietnam. I realized as I walked home tonight how my life will never be the same. Not just in bringing Trey into my life, but these past weeks have changed me. I don't think I will look at my life at home in the same way anymore. Little things. I was walking home by myself tonight and Trey is sleeping on my shoulder. Just how you cross an intersection is different (look 4 ways). How you walk on a sidewalk (or in this case NOT walk on the sidewalk because of the scooters parked there). I looked down at my son about a block away and just had to stop. He is so peaceful in the middle of all the noise and chaos. He absolutely amazes me.

So, the huge disservice our government is doing to us has a definite upside. When I have the energy maybe I will blog about just what crap our government has pulled in keeping us here - it is incredibly petty. Join in my protest by not paying taxes this year if you like! I know in the long run I am lucky to have this time with my son in his country. I will likely never have this time again. I hope if we do he is old enough to understand it.

The first picture is my best defense! The weather has turned a bit cold again and I was determined to not get scolded by the woman on the street. Dig the rapper hat (thanks Molly!!)? The second is when I got home tonight, he was so beautifully asleep I wanted to catch it. It won't last long!

Another Sunday night

It is hard to believe this is our 6th Sunday in Vietnam. Time flys when you are having fun??!

We had a great weekend. It started with happy hour on Friday. The usual gang got together (minus one who took off on a weekend adventure) for some wine and play time. The boys love it and well, the adults do even more! We headed across the street to a little Italian place. There is never anyone else in there so the boys pretty much take over.

On Saturday we went to a HOUSE for lunch. I know that doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you have eaten nothing except restaurant food (and crackers, baguettes, ramen and m&m) for this long nothing could sound better than a home cooked meal. One of the dads of the group grew up in Hong Kong. A buddy of his from then now lives and works in Hanoi (still following?). The dad isn't here any longer, but his wife and mother in law are so the 3 of us plus our two boys went there for lunch. The family has 2 girls and invited another expat family with 2 boys over as well. A great lunch of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and salad was the menu. I was so excited to have salad I couldn't even put dressing on it! Great conversation and play time and we passed most of the day.

Today - Sunday - we did the Red River boat tour. It is an all day event that started with us being picked up at 7 this morning. The boat leaves a little before 8 - I think there were maybe 20 people on board including our 3 families. We sat up on top in the fresh air, it was a very nice temp for boating! We cruised down river for quite a while. There wasn't a ton to see - the area around the river is not very built up once you got about 15 minutes or so into it. There were a lot of small boats doing some sort of work but we could not figure it out. It looked like they were pulling water into the boat and the dumping out black water. Who knows, but they looked very busy! We stopped at two different temples that were pretty cool. Part of me is now feeling "hey, you have seen one temple you have seen them all" but they really are very beautiful. The last stop was at Bat Trang, which has a huge ceramic market. They had tons of bowls, vases, tiles, knickknacks - in all sizes and shapes - for very good prices. I held off buying as my arms are pretty full for flying and I am not sure how the items would survive being checked in. We got back to the dock a little after 4, a long but very fun day.

Trey pretty much melted down once we got back - I guess up early, no nap and little lunch (but lots of crackers and oranges) aren't the best combo for a little one. Live and learn - it was totally worth it (I will let you know if I still think so after how he sleeps tonight!).

Fingers crossed that we will finally get our approval and be able to head home this week.

Enjoy the weekend!

Boys eat dirt

It is what they do. These pictures were taken about 3 minutes apart. They really don't do him justice as he was covered in dirt when I looked down! Where was I while Trey was happily scarfing down some good dirt? Right next to him, obviously not paying much attention.

Enjoy your coffee and happy Friday!

US Weekly - Hanoi edition

I love US Weekly - it is a total Hollywood trash magazine! My favorite section is always the part called "They are just like us" where they show Hollywood's elite doing "normal things" like picking up laundry or eating ice cream. So here is the Hanoi edition for you....

Trey J, he is just like us. He loves bath time


Trey enjoys a good book


and like all good Vietnamese, Trey rides a scooter!


Not much news here. We are just hanging out enjoying our time. We went to a great park this afternoon, absolutely beautiful. The older kids are able to run around and burn off some energy. The park is already getting ready for Tet (New Year), which is next month. It is a huge country-wide celebration that I really hope I don't get to see!

Still no word on our approval. We spend a lot of time trying to ask our govt agencies over here to start the process - all this time and they really have not yet begun. Unbelievable!

Brother Bill is stepping in as the General Contractor to my house put back together. To thank him how about you all go buy a new car from him?! Let me know if you are in the market, I will hook you up! (thanks billy!!!!).

That is all for now. Have a good day!

If it weren't for bad luck...

I would have no luck at all! At least that is how I feel some days. This morning started with getting some news about the water damage to my home. The house is still standing and all, but really not what you want to deal with when you are on the other side of the world. If you see either of my sisters or my niece please stop and give them a hug for me. They are stepping in and getting things done for me, I cannot thank them enough.

One of the guys here with me called the Embassy today. He was told we would hear nothing until next week. That may or may not be true, but again - not what I want to hear.

So instead of a pity party (which sounded like a great idea at the moment) off we went. We hit the Museum of Ethnology this afternoon. It was very cool. It has outdoor exhibits that show the houses that people of different tribes live in. The picture of Trey and I is in front of the "Long House" (I know, they really strained the brain on that one). The inside exhibits showed artifacts, agriculture, clothing etc of the different tribes. All in all a very worthwhile way to spend the afternoon. From there was a bit of paperwork followed by happy hour with the others, including betting on the NH Primary (we did it on the Iowa caucus too, I won that pot!). Dinner was at a place called Highway 4 to celebrate one of our families’ last night here in Vietnam. They came over with their I600 approval as their daughter is from a different province. The food was only so-so, but the atmosphere was fantastic and the black bee liquor, well not so tasty. I really need I stick to the wine I know and love! Trey liked his dinner - and contrary to the picture I really do feed him more than just crackers.

I am amazed at how Trey can just roll with things. I drag this kid all over the place most every day here. I try to make sure he gets at least one of his naps in his crib - but the second one is usually in the front pack if it happens at all. Tonight he crashed for about 40 minutes at dinner but woke up happy and ready to play. I know I may have jinxed it by saying it out loud (or in this case, in print), but with where we are, man oh man am I lucky!!!

So tomorrow - I am keeping things crossed that we will get some better news. You do the same. With all the prayers and thought I have coming my way right now I figure we are due the good news we are hoping for!

Thanks for following along. And seriously - if you see my sisters or niece - hug them, take them for a run, buy them some wine, something!!!!!!

It only looks like red wine...

More on that in a moment. Today's itinerary was planned out by Chad - one of the dad's here with us. We rented a bus, driver and tour guide and hit the road a little after 8 this morning. The first stop was a furniture village. We stopped on the main street in this town about 30 minutes outside of Hanoi. Here they hand make an amazing type of furniture. The stuff is made out of different woods brought in mainly from Malaysia and Laos. It takes 3 months to make a small table, a year or longer for some of the big pieces. The craftsmanship is absolutely outstanding.

Next stop - the Snake Village. The village itself wasn't that cool except for the fact that it was a small, sleepy little village with narrow streets. It is nice to get away from all the sounds of the city once in awhile. We walked around a bit and stopped by the Snake Garden. For a few bucks he pulled out his live snakes - a few cobras and a few other ugly, slimy things. I watched from a distance, no need to get any closer, Trey stayed with me. Then we walked back to where we started. It was a restaurant but the main floor was all snakes (and a few other animals but again, I didn't get too close). A few of the guys wanted to try snake for lunch so they pulled out a live one and killed it in front of us. They literally cut his heart out (and some other organ) and then squeezed the blood into a glass. Lunch was served upstairs. There were a bunch of options for different kinds of snake wine (did you think I was kidding yesterday?). They took the "other organ" and squeezed some green bile out of it. They took this and mixed it with some rice wine. Some weird delicacy. Yep, I actually tried it. It was pretty nasty but tasted mostly like rubbing alcohol. They did the same with the blood - yes, that is what is in the picture. Tried that too (not as bad but the thought if it made me very queasy). I also tried the cooked snake (it was ok - pretty chewy) and snake soup (surprisingly very tasty!). We had a few other non-snake related items for lunch as well. One of the more memorable meals I think I will ever have.

Last stop was the Citadel - a Presidential area from the 13th century. Beautiful temples built on the grounds of an old citadel. Pretty interesting.

That was our day, hope you have a good Monday!

Aren't Sundays great?!

There is just something about Sundays. There just seems to be a different pace to that day every week. Today was so nice. Trey and I got a nice long walk in down through the Old Quarter. The streets weren't quite as crazy as they usually are, but the sidewalks are still full with scooters, people eating and people selling stuff. On the way back I swung by the bakery and grabbed a baguette for lunch - this bakery is awesome. Tons of beautiful cakes and pastries. And lunch for $.40?! Love it!

This afternoon Beata took Trey for another walk (that boy loves the front pack!) and I got another run in. I do get a lot of looks and comments running in shorts and a tank in conservative, Communist Hanoi but I am so used to people staring at me all the time with Trey that who cares. It was kind of funny when I thought about the fact that I am in shorts and everyone else I see is in long pants, long sleeves and a jacket. It was mid-70's today. They are weird!

After naps we hopped a cab and went to the Temple of Literature - Vietnam's first University - it is dedicated to Confucius. It was absolutely beautiful. It is right in the middle of the city but you feel like you are away - kind of like Lake Harriet!. Think Temple and not University to get a picture of it. Afterwards we had dinner at Koto. It is a place started by some Aussie's a few years back. It takes street kids and teaches them how to work in the restaurant industry, giving them a leg up and a chance for work. The food was great - one of the best meals I have had here so far (and that is saying a lot!).

Tomorrow we are all going to a Snake Village and a Furniture Village. I have no idea what a snake village is -- I do know I hate snakes. So why go you might ask? Why not! Plus they probably have snake wine and who doesn't love that!

The picture of Trey and I is from the Temple of Literature. The other is Trey enjoying his new digs. 5 minutes later he was totally crashed out!

Last thing - thanks for all the nice comments when Trey was sick. He woke this morning with no fever and my boy is definitely back! He was cracking me up all day long!

Hope your Sunday is just as good!

Room #9 please

No, that is not our room number but the number of rooms we have now "lived" in since arriving in Vietnam about a month ago! Today we moved to a different, less expensive hotel. The best part of it - it is a MUCH better place! Woo hoo for good karma! We are talking sweet digs - it even has a window! A few things this has vs our last home....a treadmill in the REAL workout center, a crib, an in-room safe that is bolted down, and shelves! Truly all things I never thought would be so important but now make me oh so happy. Now, if they only had a highchair for breakfast (they don't, but a girl can dream!).

Most of today was taken up with moving - how that can be so difficult I have no idea! Trey still isn't doing too well. Has a fever and hasn't puked but only because he hasn't really eaten except for the pizza crust at tonight's party (is that wrong to give a baby with the flu pizza? Sue me, I am a rookie here!). Tonight we had a big pizza party at the "old home". It was so much fun. All 6 families were there - pizza, wine, beer and juice boxes. Every base was covered. Friends of our agency contact's came over - a very cool couple who lives in Saigon but is here for a wedding. They grew up in California but recently moved back and they both used to live in Hanoi. They had a ton of ideas on where to eat, shop, tour...it was wonderful talking with them.

That is it for now. Sorry about no pictures - but we are doing some cool touring tomorrow and Monday so here's hoping for some good shots!

Rumor has it that it may rain in MN this weekend. Is this the same state that has posted crazy cold and snow since we left? Why am I in such a hurry to get back?

Bye for now!

What a drag....

As I mentioned in a previous post, I went to the Embassy today. I was the one to represent the five families currently waiting for our approvals. We were hoping that by explaining our extenuating circumstances they may make us a priority to finalize the approvals. Well, they are not expediting things on our behalf. His best estimate is that we will be here for 1-2 more weeks. UUUGH. There is a lot of details that I won't bore you with, but now I guess I just hope it is closer to one week than two. We aren't giving up and are still working other angles, but I am not very hopeful that our time will decrease.

On top of that...Trey was seeming a bit off. A little warm, didn't eat much at breakfast or lunch. I realized after his afternoon nap that his fever was going up. We got outside for a little while - fresh air could help. Once I got back to the hotel and tried to feed him this was one sick little boy. I think I cried more than he did as he was puking away. He rallied a bit tonight but has still eaten only a couple of crackers and fell asleep at 6:30. Seemed like a perfect ending to this day.

On a more positive note...you know the saying it takes a village? No where is that more true than in my life right now. The people I am here with are amazing. They are here for me unconditionally. Never more true that when Trey's puke was all over and Bets had it cleaned up while Beata hugged both Trey and I. David is always grabbing little toys for Trey. Brian and Caroline tag team watching him if I am grabbing something to eat. And yesterday Bets and Beata walked with him while I got a run in - my sanity was saved!!! And my friends and family at home are keeping me in touch and feeling not so far away. It makes such a difference.

So while things haven't turned out exactly the way I pictured them I still consider myself incredibly lucky. Now I am going to wash some pukey clothes then pour myself a big glass of wine and order some Pho from room service.

Keep the prayers coming, maybe the USCIS will surprise and delight us with an early approval!

Da Boys!

Hi all

Here is a picture of the 4 boys - there are also 2 girls but they are not staying at the same hotel. This picture was during yesterday's happy hour! The boys are all from the same care center, and are just one year apart in age. 3 are going to be living in MN, one in GA. How cute are they?! For those familiar with China adoptions this was our attempt at the Red Couch - we call it the fifth floor inmates!

Going to the Embassy shortly - fingers crossed to get someone there to advocate for us! I will post an update tonight.

Cindy

Happy New Year!

Every time I say "happy new year" Trey laughs. It absolutely cracks me up. I find myself saying it a lot because he thinks it is so funny. That and "oh oh" are the two funniest things I can say to him.

Not much to report from here. We have been pretty mellow the past few days but having so much fun. We finally found the real Botanical Gardens today. It is a very pretty area that once you walk in the honks subside and you feel yourself relaxing. There are 2 peacocks in there. Rumor has it 2 baboons too but I didn't see them. Nor did I see any flowers. But oh well, anyplace you can go and not hear constant honking is beautiful by me!

We seemed to have started a baby happy hour most afternoons. At about 4ish most days we all end up in our common area and pull out all the toys (thank goodness for the other families as Trey doesn't have very many toys to share!). They all play and run wild for about an hour. It is hysterical!

We had a big moment tonight. Trey crawled!!!!! He has been scooting since we met, and started getting up on all fours not long after but never tried to crawl. I could tell yesterday he was starting to think about it. I had vowed to kick his legs out if he tried it so I wouldnt have to worry about it on the plane ride back. So tonight we got back from dinner and he was playing on the bed. He kept getting up on all 4 and staring at the tv. All of a sudden wham, crawled! He made it just through two crawls (not sure how to phrase that) and tipped over. We will see how well he does tomorrow. Tonight's picture was taken just after the crawling celebration. As you can tell, he doesn't see what the big deal is!

Hope everyone had a wonderful new years. Cheers to a great 2008!