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. :)

G & R pictures

Giving & Receiving ceremony...

Proud Daddy & Kyle

Devin, Kyle, & Jack

Me, Devin & Kyle
Nanny saying good-bye to Grace (Bryce's daughter)... so sad. She was sobbing.

At the end of the day... sacked out in our bungalow...

Giving & Receiving Ceremony

We had our Giving & Receiving ceremony yesterday morning. This is the official court ceremony where Vietnam "gives" you your child and you "receive" them. It is in a court building and you have to sign all the papers to officially adopt your child. The nannies from the orphanage bring your child to the court building. I gave them an outfit for Kyle yesterday for him to wear. He did very well and didn't cry too much at the ceremony. Jack felt very emotional at this event -as we have been waiting 1 1/2 years to get him. It was very sad seeing the nannies cry when they had to say good-bye to the babies.

On our way back to the resort, Kyle had a complete breakdown... cried and was inconsolable for an hour and a half in the van. Didn't want us touching him, holding him or talkin to him. If we tried to touch him too much- he pulled his arms away or over his head and would not look at us and arched his back and screamed bloody murder. Poor little guy.. scared to death. Finally, he fell asleep from exhaustion. We got back and ate in our bungalow the rest of the day. He did better later in the afternoon... we took him to the beach and walked around and he actually wrapped his legs around me and held on to me with his hands! Before that, he had his hands clenched in fists to his body so he wouldn't touch us. Progress already! :) We ate a little that day - likes to suck on his baby bottle for comfort... kinda like a binky but a bottle. I think he sucked on his bottle in his crib at the orphanage for self-soothing.

He fell asleep in Jack's arms last night (after fighting it for an hour) and slept 8 hours straight. We couldn't believe it... may not happen again, but it was nice to get some sleep b/c I'm still a little off schedule. This morning, he let me hold him when I gave him his bottle and is doing a little better with us...not crying as much and more receptive to our touch. He just fell asleep again... sleeping more than usual.. .but I think all the emotional stress is wearing him out.

Ok- the internet won't let me download pictures right now... will try again later...

Kyle!

We finally met Kyle for the first time yesterday at the orphanage. There are 5 families traveling together... the most this orphanage has ever seen. We had to take 2 vans to the orphanage about an hour an 1/2 away. Very poor rural province. Jack says the minimum wage here is $55/week (6 working days). Let me tell you ---it is a scary thing riding in a vehicle in Vietnam. We think our NASCAR drivers are whimps compared to these drivers. Its basically a big game of chicken on the road and the biggest vehicle with the loudest horn wins. People drive on both sides of the road constantly and dodge in/out of cars, trucks, mopeds, pedestrians, and bicycles. SCARY. I think an "Oh Shit" was yelled by many of the passengers at least a few times.

Well, we finally arrived alive to the orphanage somehow. I think our big group overwhelmed everyone. There were 16 babies there. I didn't recognize Kyle at first and walked right by him. Jack says, "Isn't this him?" I said "No, that's a little girl." OOPS. Anyway, there were so many people coming into the room and Kyle freaked out. PURE TERROR in his eyes. Seeing all these white people with light hair & light eyes speaking a funny language and taking his picture scared him to death. He wanted nothing to do with me for at least 1/2-1 hour. Didn't want me touching him or holding him. We were only there for 2 hours - he warmed up a little by the end. It's not going to be easy. He looks healthy and well cared for. The nannies there were sweet but a little pushy and took Kyle from us at least 1/2 the time. I didn't really fight it b/c I figured we will have him the rest of our lives--- and they have been taking care of him for the last 9 months and only have him one more day. Some typical Vietnam houses near the orphanage..

Kids who live outside the orphanage when the adoptive parents gave out some candy. They seemed to come out of no where...

Some workers in the rice fields with their water buffalo...

On our way back, we stopped at a store similar to our Walmart. Very weird experience. There were security guards at the front of the store and everywhere in the store. You can't take any purses or bags into the store andthey follow you around and watch you like a hawk. Then they check your receipt and bags when you come out. Not sure if its because of Communism or theft or both. Kinda an eary feeling to me. It was hard to shope b/c I can't read any of the signs... so just walked around till I found what I was looking for. In the back of the store was the seafood section... the worst stink I have ever smelled. Thought I was going to hurl. Truly smelled like death/ rotting corpses. This is the food section. Completely grossed me out and I ran away from that section. Another weird thing is everyone is enamored with Devin - blond hair and blue eyes. Lots of people wanted to touch or squeeze her and touch her hair. Jack & Devin were waiting for me outside the store and everyone was touching her as they went by. One of the guys in our group says its good luck for them to do that. Devin didn't seem to mind.... just stared back at them.

Well, we made it back to the hotel and Devin fell asleep at the dinner table - literally. She has been such a trooper. She rocked all the babies at the orphanage and checked their diapers... she REALLY wanted to change a diaper. Speaking of that, I don't think they use diapers normally at the orphanage. They have metal cribs with bamboo mats in them and pans under the bed to catch urine. I saw a bunch of them drying outside. It makes sense- probably can't afford to buy diapers for 16 babies and then get rid of them (no trash service). Plus, I didn't see any diapers in the cabinets. So, I think they put diapers and clothes on them for our arrival.

I am feeling better now. Think I was just exhausted, not eating well, and jet lagged- made me feel like the worst hangover (but without the drinking). I am better adjusted now and feeling better. Well , I will post more later about our G&R...

We Made it to Vietnam!

Well. we made it. It's in the middle of the night in Sagion. Devin & Jack are sleeping. I can't. It's 11:50pm locally (9:50am Phoenix time). I will write this blog and then try to go back to sleep. We have to get up at 3am today--- meet in hotel foyer at 4am to catch a 6am plane to Danang. I'm feeling off right now... not sure if it's jet lag, exhaustion, time changes, food, or antibiotics. I just drank a 1/2 bottle water, advil, rolaids and ate 1/2 cereal bar... hope something works. Anyway, it's been pretty good so far. Devin has been an absolute trooper and is making friends with the other kids on the plane and in the airport. We met another VORF family,not on my chat group in the airport in Taipai. They are also adopting a little boy, 11mos old, from Que Son orphanage. The got their referral back in October--- so they have been waiting a long time. We have not met up with the other families... but 3 other families are traveling in our group. I guess we will meet them in the hotel lobby at 4am this morning--- we are now traveling to Danang. We will meet Kyle for the first time tomorrow-very exciting.

The plane ride was LONG... food not great - thank God Jack brought snacks!--but service and seats very nice. Met some nice Vietnamese-American families in the airports... interesting stories. Anyway, when we got to Vietnam, going through customs was survival of the fittest. We were trying to be polite and wait our turn - but you don't do that around here. The officials were encouraging us to barge our way through and just throw our luggage on the x-ray belt--- and if you didn't do it - they just grabbed suitcases and started throwing them on. It was total chaos. Jack and I were like "Holy Crap".- Devin watch out!!! We made it through with all our luggage and Quoc met us outside and took us to the airport. He is very nice and took care of everything. Gave us our itinerary for the trip and what is expected in the next few days.

So, the van ride was an experience. They really don't have driving rules here---first one there wins. A bizzillion mopeds everywhere- everyone honking their horns.. and bikes, cars, people and mopeds swerving all around you. It's crazy and a wonder people aren't having accidents all the time. Also, the phone, electric lines are crazy--- no wonder people lose their electricity all the time. It's an electricians nightmare.

So, we had some free time this afternoon.. took a taxi downtown and had lunch/dinner. Then, came back to hotel and showered and sacked out. Well, I'm back to bed. Next time I write- we will have seen Kyle!!

Vietnam here we come!

Well- we are leaving at an ungodly hour tonight on a red-eye flight. Our plane leaves LAX at 1:50am , fly 13 1/2 hours straight to Taipai, Taiwan on EVA airlines. Then , we have a 3 hour layover, then fly another 3 hours to Ho Chi Ming City, Vietnam. So, total travel time (excluding being at the airport before & after is 19-20 hours. Realistically, it will be a 24 hour trip + 14 hours ahead. So, we will arrive in Vietnam on Sat morning. From there, we will be in HCMC for 1 day. The next morning (I believe at the crack of dawn ie 4am) we will fly up to Danang. After arriving at Danang, we will go to the Que Son orphanage where Kyle is to visit him for the afternoon. We finally get to meet our son- we are very excited! We will be staying at the Sandy Beach Hotel in Danang until Thursday. Our G & R (Giving & Receiving Ceremony)- this is the ceremony/ courtdate where we officially get Kyle and adopt him will be on Monday August 4th. On Thursday, we fly back to HCMC and stay there for a few days. In HCMC, we need to get Kyle's passport photos & passport and his medical exam. Then, we will fly to Hanoi for a few days for Kyle's visa interviews and visa. We will fly out of Hanoi on Thursday, August 14th back to LAX. We arrive LAX Thursday afternoon and will stay overnight there before driving back to Phoenix on the 15th.

Here are a few pictures of Kyle's room that I got semi-ready before we left for our trip.