The Affect of the Vietnam War

We truly enjoyed the Vietnamese people...it was a very enlightening trip... true culture shock. You can't help but think about the Vietnam War (or, as they call it, the "American War") and its repercusions on their people. The War has a drastic impact on their people even today. First thing you notice is its a very "young" country...there aren't many "old" people there.... that's b/c most of them were wiped out by the war. Over 2 million Vietnamese died during the war- a large portion were civilians. Another thing we noticed was the disproportionate number of people with physical handicaps/ missing parts... because of unexploded mines and Agent Orange. Saw lots of people with missing legs/feet/eyes/arms, physical deformities, etc.... We even visited a disabled persons factory where some of them worked. We bought some beautiful handmade items they made (proceeds go to support them). There is still underlying animosity between the North and South. The Northern Vietnamese didn't talk about the War (they won). However, many of the South Vietnamese (allies to the Americans during the war) openly brought up the subject and wanted to discuss it with us. We had already decided not to talk about 3 subjects while in VN... war, politics and religon. However, many South Vietnamese wanted to talk about it with us and brought up the subject. They all would say they didn't like the North Vietnamese and thought they were rude and unfriendly and did not trust them. They still call Ho Chi Minh City ... Saigon. One Vietnamese-American we met in the airport was bringing his family back to visit relatives. He was in the war and worked with the Americans. When the war was over, they would not allow his children to get a good education. He really wanted his sons to get a college education and slowly brought his family to the US to achieve that.

The area where Kyle lived was very poor. That area is just below the DMZ line and hard hit by the war. They are still very poor b/c the war wrecked the countryside they live in. They have not had the money to rebuild it like we do. The average house in the country is 2-3 rooms. Most of them don't have doors or windows (just door frames and window frames) and sparse furniture... if at all. I said before the average income is $55/ week in the country... I misquoted... its $55 per month in the country and about $250 in the city. POOR!!! You can still see many rice field with 100's of markers where unexploded mines or metal fragments lie. They mark them with a stick and plastic bag. They go through each rice field with a metal detector and mark these spots.

In the big cities, most of the monuments and museums all pertain to the war. We did not go to these as we wanted to focus on positive things while in Vietnam. Plus, we had 2 children under 4 yrs old... and we all know how little kids love to go to Museums... NOT.

My 40th Birthday

Well... it's finally here. My 40th Birthday. I am officially middle- age. Weird. Remember when you were a teenager and 40 year olds were considered "so old!". Sometimes I feel it when I'm taking care of a baby and a toddler. The sleep deprivation is just a little harder now than even 4 years ago. Well, Kyle is finally feeling better and settling in. He still does not sleep great at night and wakes up multiple times. Boy is he grumpy when he wakes up.... he is half asleep/ half awake and really mad that he woke up. One of his new nicknames is "Grumpy Bear" (same one I had when I was young.. just not a happy camper when he first wakes up). We mostly are sleeping on the floor with him in his room... have tried all the tricks and that seems to work the best. Although, I have been able to get him to sleep in his crib during his afternoon nap. We are fully transitioned over to US time now. It was a rough first week. Thank God for the Olympics playing late at night... gave us something to watch when we couldn't sleep. He is finally almost c0mpletely well. He got really sick last week... fevers, occasional vomiting, cough, snotty nose, and of course... still diarrhea. So, it was a lot of fun... NOT! Made the time transition even worse. Finally get home to enjoy my family at home and Kyle was just miserable (and me too b/c he was!). I got vomited on several times... no cottage cheese for me, thank you. He ran fevers for 6 days.. had to keep him on ibuprofen every 6 hours and Benadryl 2-3x per day.

I took him back to pediatrician last Wednesday.. I thought he had an ear infection b/c he had white waxy stuff coming out of his left ear. Well, it ended up he just had really funky ear wax and a lot of it... they had to flush out his ears to see his tympanic membrane. That was a lot of fun... NOT! Ear plugs, anyone?! He did not have an ear infection...just the flu and vaccine reaction on top of it. He was coughing so bad all week- it made him choke and then vomit. Plus, his appetite wasn't good last week. He finally broke his fevers on Sunday and feeling better. Devin got his cough too... but no fevers.

He is actually happy the last few days. It is good to see... snorting when he laughs (we also call his "Snort"), playing, crawling all over the house and getting into everything, and very opinionated. The boy has got a temper... Krista says welcome to the world of boys! Very active and keeping me on my toes. We also call him "Stink Bug" b/c he sleeps with his but in the air and had some stinky poop. Although, the D bombs are getting better... I switched him to Soy formula (for now) and cut back his food to a 2-3 items and we are treating him with Flagyl. The last few days his poop is getting more solid and less stinky... don't know which one worked. But, we will see... So far, haven't gotten any test results back except neg TB.

Some interesting things about him... I mentioned this before.... he is SO flexible. Seriously. He can touch his earlobes with his feet, clap his feet, practically do a split, bend over with legs straight and put the top of his head on the ground. I think I will put him in karate and/or gymnastics when he is older! Trust me... Devin is not flexible at all. Devin is doing a little better... the first few days back she was on "home turf" and very jealous of all the attention he was getting. Especially when he got sick b/c we really couldn't put him down... she was not a happy camper. But, she is doing better now. She truly loves being a big sister and showing him off. But, she also likes to boss him around and tell him what to do.

Sleep deprivation, vaccines & illness

Well, I took Kyle to Phoenix Children's Hospital on Monday for routine exam. He appeared healthy and has gained 1/2 lb since we got him. He is around 50% for height~ 71cm and 25% for weight 17 lbs 6 oz. We discussed running some blood work and fecal exams since we have no history on him. He has had chronic diarrhea which stinks bad since we got him... we like to call it the toxic bomb. Devin says " Mom- Kyle did a bomb again!". Kyle got HiB and Pneumococcal vaccines on Monday. They also are running tests for lead, CBC, repeat HIV & Hep (said that > 6 mos can give false neg), and fecal tests (for chronic diarrhea). They did not repeat the DTV vaccines he already had. Poor guy got high fevers (102.6) afterwards. But, coincidentally, also got sick with either a cold or flu the afternoon after being at the doctors office. I'm sure from all the traveling and plane rides. So, needless to say... we are doubly sleep deprived. He has not been sleeping well since bringing him home. He slept pretty good in VN--- but since flipping around his schedule and not feeling well... its been rough. We are taking shifts and pulling out all our tricks to get him to sleep. Last night was Jack's night to take him.. I was just too tired. No REM sleep hardly for days.... so I got a pretty good night's sleep last night. He is in swing right now. Just gave him some ibuprofen & bendadryl about an hour ago - it should start kicking in soon.

He's had fevers, snotty nose, coughing since Monday. Took him back to doctor yesterday. I thought he had an ear infection too b/c he had some white drainage from his left ear. Well, his ears were full of whitish wax (weird) and gunk.. so they had to flush his ears out first just to check his tympanic membrane. He loved that... NOT! No ear infection... just a virus and vaccine reaction at same time. By the way, his ears were REALLY dirty on the outside when we got him.. .took days to get them clean... but I did not clean ear canals. Wish we would have waited on those vaccines... but who knew he would start to get sick a few hours after dr appt?! Can't take it back now. Anyway, she gave me scripts for Flagyl for diarrhea and hydrocortisone for face rash. Says he may be reacting to all new foods since he really wasn't on anything when we got him. Says sometimes it can take a month for his body to work things out.... but if it doesn't ... we will have to go from there. Personally, I think he may have lactose intolerance. He has many of same symptoms as my nephew who had lactose intolerance... diarrhea, moning when sleeping, vomiting after a bottle.... course you could chalk that up to being sick too. None of the other babies in our group have had diarrhea...He has had it since I got him. Since I got no history on him... I don't know how long this has been going on. No antibiotics right now... she didn't want to mess up his GI tract more than it already is... Have an appt to reck him in 1 month to see how he is adjusting.

On a good note, he is bonding to us very well (despite me holding him when getting vaccines, blood drawn and ears flushed). Yesterday, when he was feeling pretty good (all drugs kicked in)... he was crawling all over the place and exploring (the first time he's done that since being home). He was creating a lot of havoc and I realized I have to re-baby proof my house. My daughter is 4- so it's partially baby proofed with electric plug covers (which he is very attracted to outlets) and move all things low.... he pulled a fake plant and some other light things on top of him.... So, we put baby gates up (had to find them in storage).

Well, I have to go pick up his script soon... he is up.

Back in the USA

Kyle is very flexible and likes to hang upside down... over and over again. Also, can hold his bottle with his feet and suck on is toes... maybe he will be a gymnast?!

We are back! It was a long flight but we survived it with 2 kids. We were fortunate to get 2 bulk head seats with a bassinet for Kyle to sleep in... but no thanks to the travel agency HwaHwa that our adoption agency had us use. They did not do a good job for us getting seats. On the way over, Devin & I sat separate from Jack. I tried to get this mean old bitty lady next to me to change seats with him but she said she had to use the bathroom a lot and wouldn't switch. Scrooge. On the way back, the travel agent didn't even book Kyle's seat nor booked us seats together. They had separate seats in different sections for all of us.. say what?! I have 4 year old daughter - no way she's sitting by herself on a 13 hour flight. So, we did some major whining at EVA and they got 2 seats together... and then we did some major begging to other passengers.. and one man was willing to switch.. hope good karma comes his way. So, Jack sat right behind us.

Kyle checks out his new Dad... he can really stare us down!

We flew into LAX and stayed overnight in a motel. Went to a fast food restaurant for dinner.. never tasted so good. Lots of ice cubes!! :) No heads or feet on my food- yea! Loved the fact we could put Kyle in a high chair while we ate (none in Vietnam, nor do they have any kids "menus" or cups for kids- just glass... scary with a 4 year old!) I lost both my sippy cups, my sunglasses and my watch on our trip. I would like to say we had a good night's rest.. but it wasn't so. We were all up from 12-4am... I wrote emails, Jack &Kyle played on the floor and Devin played on her Leapfrog game. We drove back to Phoenix on Friday. Kyle did pretty good in his carseat....only whined a little when we first put him in. It did help that Devin was sitting right next to him so he could see her. On Friday night, I was up till 3am with Kyle. He has been clingy, more tempermental and more cranky since we have been back to the USA (3 days). I am tossing it up to switching time zones and completely flipping our schedule upside down... he is having harder time adjusting than we are. Its a 14 hour time difference....so basically flipping night and day completely. He has had diarrhea since we got him too. Diaper changes, cleaning his face, and changing clothes are still a challenge. I don't think these things were done much before. He gets REALLY mad... shows his temper to me. Screams, turns red and clenches his fists and flails around. On the flip side, he is happier today than last 2 days... a little less clingy and starting to explore a little and laugh/ play again.

Devin hanging out with her little brother in the hotel.

We tentatively have a doctor's appt tomorrow at Phoenix Children's Hospital with Dr. Sara Bode. I got her name from another adoptive parent who uses her. She is supposed to be more experienced with international children and their health issues. However, we have not added on Kyle yet to our insurance... can't do it till adoption is complete. Since we were out of country... I couldn't do till we got back. Faxed over everything tonight... but won't receive till tomorrow morning. Our insurance company says he will be covered retroactively from his adoption date (just like you would when you give birth). So, I will call in morning to see if we are still on. Some issues I will bring up... diarrhea, Mongolian spot (Asian children birthmark that looks yellow/green), blood tests, fecal analysis, and vaccinations. He does have a large Mongolian spot on his buttocks... looks like a large bruise. At first I thought his poop stained his behind... but other adoptive parents say it is a birthmark. They also said for me to be sure to get it documented by my pediatrician b/c it looks like a large bruise and wouldn't want to be accused of child abuse. One of the other adoptive parents used to be a cop and said he has seen them on Asian children and was called to check out possible abuse... ended up being a birthmark.

Devin is all smiles on our way to HaLong Bay.

We are all doing a little better today... slowly feeling normal... they say it will take at least a week to get through the time changes and jet lag. Love my Diet Coke with ice cubes and had some popcorn for dinner (for me- not the kids)... my favorite American snack. Yum. Jack lost about 8-10 lbs while in Vietnam... partly b/c he didn't like a lot of the food (very conservative meat & potatoes kind of guy) and partly b/c we missed lunch many times b/c of traveling and appointments. Snacks can only get you so far. I probably lost a few but gained them back with my pigging out these last couple days!!! Speaking of weight, there is not one overweight person in Vietnam. Seriously...I am considered a large person compared to them. I had to buy XL shirts and they just barely fit. Jack bought XXL shirts and they just barely fit. Now that we've been there we know why... no junk food, no fast food, no refrigerators and everyone is very active. We had small refrigerators in our rooms, but the majority of Vietnamese don't and buy food daily. Even the milk is not cold. Everything there tastes different than here...even the basics... coffee,milk, eggs, juice, Coke Light (not Diet Coke), cheese, etc.. it all tastes different. They eat a lot of soup, noodles, rice, seafood. They usually eat pho for breakfast... pronounced "fa" and it is a noodle and meat soup.It is very tasty...but I did not want it for breakfast. I'm not a soup for breakfast kind of girl.

Well, we put Kyle down 2 hours ago and he has waken up about 10 times already... I just gave him another bottle... he drank part of it and likes to suck on the bottle to soothe himself. Won't take a binky.. darn! He is half awake/ half asleep...don't know if he is having nightmares or what... he's kinda out of it...but can get quite hysterical. This has been happening more last 3 days... so I'm hoping part of it is the time change thing... I HOPE!

Hanoi & Halong Bay

We are on our last day here in Vietnam. It has been a great trip. Kyle is just awesome and everything we could hope for. He has really become a part of the family and his personality is starting to shine. He smiles when he gets up in the mornings for the last 2 days and is taking all the sight-seeing and shopping in stride. He is eating food like crazy. I really expected him only to be taking a bottle... but he is REALLY hungry! Formula only is not cutting it... I figured that out on day 2. Now, he starts yelling at Jack when he sees us eatings something... like "Hey... I want some too!". He is very flexible and can bend practically in a U shape and hold his bottle with his feet. He likes to make funny faces... fish face and blowing bubbles with his mouth. He also likes to rub his forhead to mine in a loving gesture. He is very ticklish and likes to be tickled.Also, he has birth mark on his back/buttocks called a Mongolian spot which is green/blue in color. Looks like a large bruise. I asked other parents about this and they said these are common in Asian children and to be sure to get pediatrician to write in notes b/c people will think we are bruising him! He is crawling and pulling up all over the place and is definately ALL BOY. I will have my hands full. He is getting better at me changing his diaper and does not give me much fuss anymore. He is sleeping pretty well too. We leave for the States tomorrow--- so we will see how 16 hours on a plane goes!



We are enjoying Hanoi and did some fun shopping yesterday and had some ice cream by the beautiful Hoam Kiem Lake. I find the people here are friendly but not as aggressive/ overbearing when shopping as Saigon. We have eaten at some nice restaurants... but I'm ready to eat at home and not worry about Kyle pulling everything off the tables. Last night we tried to stroll around Hoam Kiem lake, but pick-pocketers kept following us... so we left. Today, a group of us went to Halong Bay... truly a beautiful place. Its a day long tour and you get a boat ride, guide, lunch, and transport to/from the bay.. plus see a beautiful cave. We had a seafood lunch... which is always interesting here... good seafood... but I wish they would remove the head/ tail and fins/ feet.... it freaks me out that my food is still looking at me! We finally figured out the taxi cabs...many of them will try to rip us off... so we figured out which ones are the good ones (with only 2 days left!)



Tomorrow, we fly out of here in the morning. It is a mixed feeling.. we have loved our time in Vietnam and had a lot of fun. But, we are also ready to be home in our own house, with "dry heat", ice cubes, meals at home, not living in a suitcase. Here are a few pictures from the last few days... a mix of beautiful, cute and some weird stuff too...


These are some brides at a park/resort where we had lunch with Joanne from our agency...

Traditional bride & groom...

This is sticky rice.... I was like "What is that?!" Then, the waiter pops it & cuts it up...

Ben Thanh Market in Saigon.

Meat market at back of Ben Thanh Market in Saigon... had to take pictures of this.. too weird not to... and yes, those are intestines and pig ears!

And pig brains!!!! Reminds me of anatomy class in Vet school... except these are to eat!

Devin the Diva getting haircut/pampered in Saigon.

Kyle having a great time in the tub... he's a wild man in the tub.

Hoam Kiem Lake in Hanoi.

Halong Bay & the kids...

My lunch... weird.

Halong Bay.

Cave tour on one the islands in Halong Bay.

Saigon & Hanoi

Well, its been a busy few days.... lots of shopping and sight-seeing. Just when you think you got things figured out a little.... you travel to a new city and way of doing things. We had a lot of fun in Saigon (as the South Vietnamese still call it). There is definately still animosity between the North & South. The South Vietnamese still don't like the North and think they are rude and unfriendly. We went shopping at the famous Ben Thanh Market. That was a strange, fun and kinda overwhelming experience... especially with Devin (my little blond Britney Spears celebrity). The market is wall to wall vendors who are fiercely competitive for your attention and a sale.... "please Madam, you buy here...we give you good deal". You have to negotiate hard with them and they are hard bargainers. Jack says we need to take a sales training seminar from them on how not to take no for an answer. One aisle we were walking down... we were bombarded by sales women who started tugging at Devin and it scared her... I took her hand and pushed my way past them. Otherwise, it was a fairly good experience and we got a lot of fun items. Also, in the back of the market is the meat section.... I had to go there just for sake of morbid curiosity...kinda like rubber necker watching an accident... you can't help but want to see. Devin & Jack did not want to go. Well, I held my breathe and walked back to the meat section... brains, intestines, liver, kidneys, lungs, live crabs, legs... you name it. Right out there for sale! Devin said it smelled funky. We also learned you don't use those guys who bike peddler you in a little cart... they ripped off another guy in our group and Jack used them once and they tried to rip him off too.

One thing we did do which was just AMAZING was get massages at one of the local salons... I'm talking the best massages Jack & I ever had in our lives! This little tiny woman about 80 lbs contorted my body in all kinds of ways, walked on my back and was very strong! It was awesome. Devin & I also got our hair cut and she got her toenails painted. We got the whole thing (2 hour long massages, 2 hair cuts and toe nails done ) for $38 total. No kidding. Some places we ate at which were very good was Pho 24 (local Vietnamese), Momambo (good American food ... place was bamboo/ African decorations)... owner came up and talked to us for 30 minutes), Santa Lucia (Italian), and a street restaurant.

Kyle is doing great and bonding to us day by day. Devin is doing well and adapting very well to the travel and changes. She isn't big on Vietnamese food... but will eat some pho (pronounced fa) soup and spring rolls. It is a challenge to eat every meal at a restaurant with a 9 mos old ACTIVE boy and 4 year old who doesn't want to sit still. They do not have high chairs here. No plastic cups for kids...they always give you big glasses with straws for the kids. We are definately ready to have the kids eat at home. They don't have "kids meals" either. So, we mostly just share with Devin.

We are now in Hanoi. Flew up here on Monday. Ate at the Mediterraneo Italian restaurant yesterday and at Paris Deli (French/ American) tonight. Good food and good picks for the family. This morning we went shopping again and had a lot of fun on the streets in Hanoi. The people are friendly here (IMO) but not quite as overwhelming when shopping as Saigon. Got some yummy ice cream next to Hoam Kiem Lake afterwards. This afternoon , we went to American Embassy & got Kyle's visa & passport... so we are ready to travel home on Thursday. Tomorrow, we are going to Ha Long Bay... supposed to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. A big group of us from our agency are going together for a private tour on a boat. Should be fun. Then, we leave on Thursday.

Gotta go... only have limited time on internet today....

Danang, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh Pictures

A beautiful sunrise on the China Sea in Danang. We got up early (up anyway) and went to beach and watched the fisherman bring in their catch for the day. Then, they would weigh, barter and sell fish right there on the sand. Very cool.

Some smiles from Kyle!

Kyle's first bath.
Devin feeding her baby brother and loving it.
Jack & Kyle napping by the pool.

Sandy Beach Resort in Danang.... beautiful... right on the China Sea

Rice field on way to Hoi An- all the posts in fields with bags attached to them are metal fragments or unexploded mines from the war... all the fields look like this...they go through all the fields with metal sweepers and mark the mines...

Hoi An.. great place to shop- look at all the handmade purses... awesome...

At the Hoi An market...

Hard workers...

Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon by the locals)...

Family of four sedan... Vietnam style
Kyle smiles at his friend Grace & Devin while waiting for medical exams...

All is well. Jack is feeling better- had 1st breakfast already & we will all go down for 2nd breakfast soon. Joanne (our facilitators wife) is getting our laundry done and taking us out to eat on the river today. I think we will try to get massages later and do some shopping as well.

Kids are doing great and the relaxing day yesterday and this morning has done everyone some good.

Danang & Ho Chi Minh

Kyle & me at Marble Mountain!

It's been a few days since I blogged... we are now in Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon). Kyle is doing much better now and is a part of the family. Devin & Kyle are sleeping now. We are taking it easy this afternoon... everyone needs a break. Since I last posted, Kyle is improving day by day and now reaches for me and doesn't want to let go or for me to put him down. He has figured out that if he cries... we will come and comfort him. He has experienced a lot of "firsts" these last few days and I think he is taking it quite well. First car ride, first airplane ride, first beach and pool experiences, climbing a mountain, shopping in crowded streets... He is taking it all in... Now, he pulls away from other stranger's touch but not ours. :) Devin LOVES being a big sister and wants to help hold him, feed him, change his diaper... They take a bath together and she loves holding him. She is doing awesome on this trip and loves Vietnam. However, she is getting tired of people touching her and told me in Hoi An that all the touching was starting to scare her. On the whole, she loves Vietnamese people and goes up and talks to them - doesn't know they can't understand her... they are thrilled that she is talking to them. We like to think of her as our local celebrity. As for Kyle, many people asked me what his Vietnamese name is... each name has a meaning here. Of course, depending how I pronounce it... I have gotten the meanings victory, win and green... but I think it means green.

This Vietnamese lady was enamored with Devin & picked her a flower.

Devin at Marble Mountain- she was a trooper and climbed it by herself!

Us & the Hull family at Marble Mountain--- they adopted too and are a lot of fun.
The above pictures are for Krista... a giant centipede... about 8" long--- just for perspective... that is him on the sidewalk in front of Jack & Devin!!!

Marble Mountain

After our G & R- we took it easy for the rest of the day to bond with Kyle. On Tuesday, we went to Marble Mountain with another family. It was a climb... hot & humid... but worth it. Put Kyle in the Bjorn and off we go.... he did great. Marble Mountain is both beautiful and historic architecture. At the bottom, we shopped a little and go bombarded with sellers. "You buy from me... she expensive .. I give you good deal!" Of course lots of statues and marble items for sale.

Family photo on Marble Mountain
More of Marble Mountain above & below.. The lower picture is in a cave... I thought it looked like God was looking down on them. :)

Statues, marble figures for sale at bottom of mountain

The next day, we took in easy in the morning and hung out by the pool (awesome- right on the beach).. Sandy Beach Resort was very tranquil and beautiful and we stayed in these cute little bungalows. Jack took care of Kyle and I swam with Devin in the ocean (China Sea) and in the pool. It was her birthday and the resort left a cake in her room and we bought her some ice cream. That afternoon, we went to Hoi An for shopping. It was very cool... great shops and Jack & I bought some handmade shoes and purses... they made them to order and brought them to our resort on their mopeds. The people and service here is amazing... Americans could learn a little from them about customer service. Sometimes even a little overwhelming. Hoi An is a smaller, more rural town and many people asked me about Kyle... don't understand what adoption means. Too hard to explain... wanted to know how much I paid for him.

Yesterday was spent traveling mostly. Flew back to Ho Chi Minh City. Long day for the kids and Jack did not eat enough- as we were busy in/out of airports. By dinner time, it was too late and Jack got very sick last night from not eating enough. He is not diabetic... but definately has issues with low blood sugar and has to eat a lot & frequently. Just snacks do not cut it. By the time we went to dinner- he felt very sick and had to run out of the restaurant. Me & the kids came back later...he was yackin' big time and it scared Devin. She was so sweet...patting him and trying to give him so water. He is doing better today and eating better.

We are staying at the Duxton in downtown Saigon. Very busy area--- lots of mopeds and traffic... kinda daunting to cross the street. I just picked out a Vietnamese person, walked right next to them--- they probably thought I was weird. Had to go to store for new baby bottles & nipples last night by myself b/c Kyle does not like the ones I brought. The lady at the store was standing over my shoulder watching me like a hawk for 15 minutes (I did not know what I was doing and trying to figure out what kind to buy). I kept turning to her, looking at her and smiling... no reaction. :) Love the coffee... its like Starbucks x 100... I'm going to be eating coffee grounds in the grocery store when I get back b/c of the addiction!

Kyle had his medical exam this morning (required for adoption) and visa photo taken. He is 17lbs (with clothes on), head ~43cm, length ~72 cm. Got his shot records too. Did I mention that changing his diaper is like trying to change a diaper on a wild cat?! He DOES NOT like his diaper changed and can flip himself over in all directions and scream bloody murder. Very difficult task and I'm an experienced mother! When they were trying to weigh him and measure him it was the same thing... the nurse was laughing... I'm like" Tell me about it... try to change a poopy diaper on this kid without it flying everywhere!"

For lunch, we went to Pho 24.. a Vietnamese chain restaurant.. had pho (pronounced "fa"- very yummy soup) and spring rolls- even Devin liked it. We are taking it easy for the rest of the day and tomorrow morning. Kyle smiled for the first time yesterday and is cruising all over the room and pulling up on everything. He seems very happy now and no more tears. :)