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.