Tuesday-Thursday July 10-12

Well, this has been a busy week, and a tiring one too. For starters, we aren't sleeping well. Baby E has a cold still and is cutting teeth so he has a fever too. Last night wasn't too bad, we managed to get 8pm - 4am...that's the best we've had in awhile. Tuesday - we had hoped to apply for the Vietnamese passport for baby E today, however, our rep was waiting for paperwork to arrive from Ba Ria. The judge wasn't available to stamp our documents on Monday so it had to get bussed to us on Tuesday. So, we enjoyed a day of R&R by the pool. We thought we might go out for dinner with the other family tonight, but our rep had to come and do paperwork with all of us, so it was too late by the time we finished up and the babies were getting tired and cranky. For some reason, I felt really nauscious, so had a gravel, and that helped quite quickly. Wednesday, the men took the two babies, along with our adoption rep and headed to apply for the Vietnamese passport. We anticipated they would be gone two hours, and it was exactly that. The Mom's stayed back with the three older boys and enjoyed some more relaxing pool time. After the babies napped in the afternoon, the two families decided to head out by taxi to the Diamond Shopping centre and then the tax centre. The first stop was a beautiful, high end mall. We actually ate at pizza hut first, which was a welcome comfort from home. Then we headed in to the mall. It has the store called the pet shop. This is a nice place to get pillows, blankets, purses, etc. all kid related. We also found the baby Gap and bought a cute outfit for baby E. Near the food court, there is a wonderful bakery full of pastries, donuts, pizza bread, french bread, etc. Then we headed to the tax centre. This mall had a section full of toys, strollers, baby gear etc. the older boys each picked out a Pokemon figure. On one of the floors, we found about 5 or more small shops side by side, where we were able to purchase ceremonial outfits for our babies. I'm sure we could find somewhere to make them much cheaper, but I am happy to have at least two outfits now for Tet. Thursday - today we met our representative and headed to the Canadian Consulate to do the paperwork for the temporary Canadian passport. We were a little slow to get going at 9:30am, and our rep asked us to hurry as the office closed soon. This surprised us, but we figured it was because they were on Canadian time! Right beside the Canadian consulate, is the HSBC...the only place, we learned, that we can exchange our travelers cheques. Ray had exchanged his on Wednesday, so I was able to exchange mine today. Afterwards, the other family headed to the coop for some more groceries, and we walked to the Diamond plaza for more pizza, and to purchase some items from the bakery. Okay, for those traveling soon...here are my thoughts... 1) I wouldn't bother bringing formula. We have decided to keep E on what he is used to and will slowly convert when back home. 2) Thankfully, E likes the cereal recommended by our rep...he does not like any of the baby food I brought for him. I managed to get some prunes into him, but that's it so far. The other family struggled more as their daughter doesn't like most of the cereal. But luckily she loves the beef congee the hotel makes for breakfast, and yogurt. Our guy doesn't like the yogurt. 3). Baby Mum Mums, graduates and Cheerios have been a hit for our son. 4). I wish I had brought instant oatmeal and granola bars. I very quickly am tired of the hotel breakfasts, and most of the cereals you can buy here are all sugar cereals. In fact, most things are sweet, I think that's why my stomach feels off...that and the heat, I'm sure. 5). I am happy we brought a box of borax and lavender oil and tea tree oil to wash our clothes in after visiting the orphanage. 6). All the adult and baby cough and cold mess/homeopathics have come in handy, especially the eucalyptus oil. 7). I am also happy to have brought two boxes of Aveeno bath powder. I have bathed him in that every morning and used calendula cream on his itchy spots, as well as Benadryl cream when really needed in the beginning. His skin is looking much better and he rarely itches anymore. 8). Some spare batteries for our older sons toys would have been good. That's all for now. We are all up very early tomorrow morning to head to the train station to take us to Mui Ne. We are very happy to have been invited by the other couple to share in this beach excursion. We willbe there for 5 night. When we get back, our passports should be ready nd then we can fly home! Vietnam has been great, but really looking forward to coming home :). We miss our family and friends, and very much miss our dog! Not much longer now.

It's Official!!!

We were up at 5:30am for a 6:30am departure. After a bit of a delay in getting started, due to students writing exams to get in to the local University (thus the streets were packed), we were off. We travelled from Ho Chi Minh city to Bau Ria (sp?) to the department of justice to get paperwork for the adoption, then travelled to Vung Tau to have the Director sign, then had lunch, then back to Bau Ria tO sign the official paperwork, take pictures and that was it. Around 2:30pm today, baby E officially became our son. We then headed back to Ho Chi Minh ci. It is just after 6pm and we just got back to the hotel. We are all exhausted as we spent the majority of the day in the car. We will post pictures soon, I promise!

The honeymoon is over!

Well, of course, we are stil in love with our little guy, but day 2 overnight was definitely NOT like day 1. Day 1 baby E slept from 6pm-4am and from 5:15am-6:15am. Last night, on the other hand, he went to bed beautifully, at 7pm...no crying, I just put him in the crib and he zonked right out. This gave us some time alone with M before he went to bed around 8 pm. Baby E slept until 1am, then was up again at 2am and multiple times after 4am. Ray was wonderful and was up with him most of the time. I got up around 4am and finally realized, he couldn't sleep or drink his bottle because of his cold. So we sprayed his nose with saline and suctioned his nose (for all of you who have done this before, you will know how much babies hate that!). Then we gave him some infant Tylenol and put him back to bed. Finally, he had another good stretch of sleep, and woke up around 7:15am. Oh, we gave him his treatment for scabies last night too, so finally we can relax a bit with the laundry, and not worry so much about bagging everything. We haven't had time to do much else, other than eat, sleep, take care of baby and swim in the pool. I have been thrilled to find some Canadian type food...even just spaghetti, cereal, bread, jam and peanut butter and bananas are welcome. I have been starving but getting tired of rice and noodles. I think I had sweet and sour chicken 3 or 4 lunch/dinner meals in a row. Tonight, I had peanut butter and banana sandwich. I know, sad but true. It was delicious!!! For those traveling after us...DO NOT bring travelers cheques. There's no point as no one will cash them. We brought a bunch and it's a total waste. The only way we can cash them is to open a bank account, turn in our cheques, wait a few days and then go back for the money. Not so convenient!!! Cash and ATM's are the way to go and you can use credit cards at the hotel and in certain stores. But mostly, cash is the way to go. Well, cross our fingers...one more day until the new ceremony date, scheduled now for Monday, July 9th (or for those in Canada...July 8th). As our new friends sharing our adoption journey said, a small part of you holds back from loving this child completely, for fear he might be taken away still. We will all breathe easier on Monday, once the ceremony is complete. Baby is has adapted so well...he loves his big brother, M, and laughs at his funny faces. M is so good with him, and even said he wanted to change his poopy diaper, as he felt that was his responsibility. We decided not to let him do that one, but will let him try just a pee diaper. As often as he can, M asks to hold or carry baby E. We are so happy to see both boys bonding already. That was my biggest concern, but I needn't have worried!!! No plans for tomorrow yet...I would love to find someone to make a special Vietnamese outfit for the adoption ceremony on Monday, however, that might be pushing it. I haven't seen anywhere to get that done. Maybe we will ask the front desk in the morning, and see if it will be possible. Baby E is soooo small...lucily some of the outfits we brought fit him, but others are too big. From the coop today, we bought some pants and tops for him that are a really light weight cotton. When ordering lunch today, the young lady asked if he was Vietnamese, we nodded and said yes. She even said he is very small for his age. But he is eating really well...he had two bowls of cereal this afternoon and is starting to drink more of his milk. He loves to eat food with his hands and enjoyed some watermelon and toast crust at breakfast. I tried feeding him a bit of yogurt and mashed banana but he wasn't too impressed with that. I forgot to mention, the first day we had him, he had some rice for dinner, and of course, loved it (they feed them rice congee at the orphanage)...but he had to get his hands in there. It was sticky rice and, well, you can imagine the mess he made! He also loves Cheerios (kindly donated by our friends) and sweet potato graduates. I hadn't planned on giving him so much new food just yet, but he seems really hungry for it. So, we are going with the flow. Everything they get from the orphanage is warm...the formula, rice conger and even the water. And by warm, I mean really hot! So, he hasn't been impressed with the baby food we brought for him. But who know, maybe he will eat it eventually. It's 7:30pm now...I'm thinking it's getting close to bed time, especially if we are going to get woken up again. Let's hope the Tylenol kicks in and he gets a good nights sleep. Oh, at leat we know M is not bothered by the noise. E cried alot last night, and M barely stirred!! Good night all!

It's feeding time

While we are trying to follow the schedule given to us by the nannies, and had planned to also treat him for scabies before bed time, baby E fell asleep at 6pm, missed a feeding and didn't wake up until 4am!! Ray is feeding him his bottle right now and finally, he is drinking it hungrily. Normally, he just pushes it away. Now that he is almost done, he is grunting at Ray...it's very cute. I wonder, after 10 hours of sleep in a row, will he go back to sleep? The schedule says wake up time is 6 am...we will see!

Good news, bad news

Well, we received good news and bad news today. The good news is, we and the other family get to take our babies back to the hotel with us today. The bad news is, our adoption ceremony has been delayed until Monday. We are frustrated with this, but try to focus on the happiness of bringing our babies "home" today. After the call from our adoption rep to verify this is what we want, it is a short amount of time before the nou nou's hand us a bag each with formula, diapers, a bottle of milk, a bottle of water, a face cloth, a toy and a cloth in the shape of an animal with his name stitched into it. The other mother and I cried..it was an emotional moment to be allowed to leave with our babies, but it was emotional also as we think of the nounou's, and the bonds they have formed. It is sad for them and for our babies to say goodbye. Back at the hotel, we tried to extend our stay at the hotel, with some difficulty with a language barrier. So, we called our rep to help us out. For now, we wait until the hotel sees what rooms are available for us to stay now until Monday. We also requested a cot/crib for the room and headed back for his afternoon snack and milk. After some crying, we settled him down. I managed to get him to have some sweet potato graduate stars, some yogurt, a little baby fruit, a nite of a baby rice cracker and a sip of milk. Luckily, he had rice congee before we left the orphanage so hopefully his tummy is full. Ray rocked him to sleep and successfully transferred him to the crib. We will treat him for scabies tonight and then, thankfully, will be free from having to bag and wash all of our clothes. Ray and M have headed off to the pool while baby E sleeps to some Vietnamese music we bought for him yesterday. Now, time for some reading for me! Wish us luck with sleep for tonight!

Day 5 at the orphanage - July 4, 2012

What a day we had today...first thing this morning, after breakfast, we headed over to get a taxi with the other family and, while we were talking a bird got hit by a car!  When safe, I ran out into the road, picked it up and placed it in a flower pot.  Hoping it would rest and be okay.  I'm not sure if it broke it's wing or not.  I pray that it is okay.  Later in the afternoon, I went back and was going to give it water, but it was not there.  I'm hoping that is a good sign.

Like yesterday, when we arrived at the orphanage first thing, Baby E was sleeping.  So we visited with the other babies and waited for him to wake up.  Finally, close to 10pm, he woke up.  I definitely think he is getting used to us...he doesn't cry at all when he sees us or when we pick him up.  We have successfully given him a bottle of water and also two bottles of formula.  It seems we have another small eater though.  He really has to be encouraged to eat.  M was the same but he just nursed on demand, which seemed to be every hour!  One of the younger ladies that works at the orphanage, was kind enough to go out and buy some Vietnamese CD's for us.  We paid her back and thanked her kindly.  What a special thing for Baby E to have to listen to as he grows up.  When we go back to Ho Chi Minh City, I would like to buy some more things for him.  Maybe we will have a bit of time to look around in Vung Tau tomorrow.  The days just go by so quickly.  Going to the orphanage twice a day, rest and eat in between...there's not time for much else.  It doesn't help that we are still going to bed so early.  Today, I observed a bit more how they make the rice congee they feed the babies.  They make the rice in a big rice maker and add very finely chopped vegetables, including spinach and garlic and meat...sometimes fish, sometimes chicken and sometimes pork.  It cooks for a long time and makes "rice soup"...the consistency is really nice for the babies.  I wonder if our rice cooker can make something similar.

After our visit at the orphanage this morning, we went make to the hotel for lunch and a swim.  Then it was a quick change and back to the orphanage.  But not before coming across a baby gecko that was partially squished.  The poor thing...it's head and front feet were okay but back legs and tail were not.  Again, I moved him over to a flower pot where I thought he might find food easier.  10 minutes later when we went to check on him, his head was down and he was covered in ants.  I guess that's nature...it just makes me so sad.  Things like this don't usually happen to me...it just makes me wonder why two precious animals got hurt today.  I know it happens every day but still, twice in one day...really?!

This afternoon was very nice...Baby E was awake, but when we arrived he was whisked off to the back.  I decided to follow and we were excited to see he was getting a bath.  It is so neat to see...the kids don't sit in the water...they stand them up against the wall and scrub them down from head to toe.  He was clenching his little bum tight and didn't seem to want to be cleaned there, LOL!  Then he was dabbed with eucalyptus oil on his chest and put in to a fresh, clean onesie.  I noticed it was made by the Gap so I checked the tag for size....if you can believe it, he's size newborn!!!  The tag says 7-9 kg's or 12-17 pounds!!! Yikes...I think I only brought a few really small items...most of what I brought was 6-12 months size!  Oh well, that's okay.  If I'm desperate for outfits, I can buy something here.  But I'm sure some of what I brought will work.  M was able to walk around with Baby E a bit more today, and they interacted and played more together.  It was very cute to see.

When finished, we headed back to the hotel.  Ray & M have headed off to the pool again, and I decided to check email and blog.  Might even read a little.  I would like to try to stay awake longer tonight.  Today is the first day I am really starting to feel more myself.  The heat still takes a lot out of you, but the pool and cold showers are nice.  I will, however, be glad to have E with us.  We can treat him for scabies and then stop bagging and washing our clothes.  Every morning and afternoon, the routine is to take our clothes off and put them in a plastic bag and tie it up.  We leave it for a few hours, or overnight.  Then, I soak it in hot water in the bathtub with borax and lavender oil.  It takes a long time for our clothes to dry though, and we are running out of places to hang them up.  We have one more bag to wash tonight, and then we plan to send one more load of clothes out to be laundered.  One more day at the orphanage and then, hopefully, the G&R ceremony.  Very excited to finalize the adoption...especially now that we see he is doing so well with us.

View of the baby floor from the orphanage courtyard.

Day 4 at the Orphanage - July 3, 2012

Okay, my body seems to think that 3:30am is the time to get up...will I ever adjust to the time?  Yes, probably when it is time to go home!!!

After breakfast, we met with the other family adopting from the orphanage and our adoption rep and headed for the orphanage to see baby E again, and for them to meet their daughter for the first time.  The Director and Vice Director weren't there when we arrived, so we all went straight to the babies room for a visit.  Baby E was sleeping.   Everyone took lots of pictures, including ones of the nannies.  Now, I would like to ask their names today and write them down.  The other family was called in to see the Director and soon, M was called in too for more chocolates :)  We slowly followed after and we all visited for a little bit.  Then headed back to see the babies.  Baby E was awake so we had a short visit with him, before it was time to go.

Our adoption rep took myself and the other Mom shopping for baby formula, cereal, yoghurt, diapers, etc.  The Dad's and boys all went back to the hotel for a nice swim.  By the time we got back to the hotel, we were quite hungry and M seemed tired and hungry too.  I considered not going back to the orphanage that afternoon, as I felt M needed a rest, and I had been up for almost 12 hours by then too.  But when M heard that only Dad would be going, he got quite upset and said "we are supposed to go two times, and I want to go.  If I don't, I will miss baby E".  Awwww, okay then.  I said we could go but on promises he would be good, which he did.  The afternoon visit was nice...Ray fed him a bottle before we left and M was able to hold him for a few minutes without him crying.  Every day we make "baby steps" and accomplish new things together, which is nice.

Okay...now I will try to load some pictures.  Oh...the ceremony is to be on July 6th, all going well.  Then we can post a pic of our new family.

This is a picture of the street, with the orphanage at our back.

View from the beach near where we are staying