We meet at last

We left Saigon around 8 this morning for the 3 hour drive to Ben Tre. I was surprised that we didn't pass through any completely uninhabited areas during our drive; maybe the buildings just were gathered around the highway, but it felt like we were always in a "suburb" of HCMC. Isaac loved the ride and spent most of it looking out the window and talking. The only way to get to Ben Tre is by ferry over the Mekong River. They are currently working on a bridge which they hope to have done by February.

Arriving in Ben Tre, we checked into our hotel and had a wonderful meal--likely the best yet in Vietnam. Mr. Tham, who is the agency driver, ordered local specialities that we all shared family style. Most of the dishes were fish based, although the fried tofu was very good as well. Then it was off to the moment we were all waiting for.

The kids were all just getting up from their naps when we got there. I was happy to see that he was sleeping with the blanket that we had sent over for him in December. It was clear within moments of meeting Wyatt that he is definitely Isaac's brother! I swear he did not sit still for more than a few minutes of the 3 hours we were there. The kids were all fascinated by the bubbles and it was a good way to break the ice. Eventually Wyatt showed us how he can kick a soccer ball, and throw as well. He has quite an arm! I do think that he may be the center bully--he is a pretty solid kid and was pushing kids around to get toys. All the kids play pretty rough and seem to fight over a lot of the toys. Wyatt seemed drawn to Isaac and followed him around quite a bit. To my surprise, some of the interaction was mutual and I hope that Isaac eventually develops social skills with Isaac. For today, he did teach Wyatt (as well as a few other kids) how to crawl in and out of the cribs. We spent a lot of time playing with Wyatt, running after him, throwing him up in the air, doing peek-a-boo. He did let me pick him up and hold him for a short bit of time too, although his nannies acknowledge that he is not much of a cuddler. When he was most content to sit with us was when he wanted to drink out of our water bottle. This, in fact, seemed to be a big hit with all the kids (and kind of a fight, too). Wyatt seemed impressed that if he sat by us, we would give him most of the water. I felt kind of bad not sharing much with the other kids, but in the same sense I wanted him to know that we were putting him first.

Ben Tre families, I have lots of photos for you. The care center is clean and the nannies very affectionate. I believe that your kids are being well taken care of until you are able to come for them. Kellan is quite chunky, but short. Josiah has an adorable smile, and since he weighs less than Wyatt I fear that he may be pushed around some! Mia made eye-contact, turning her head to look at me, and rolled over in her bouncer. I am told that the hope is to have everyone traveling by November, so I hope your wait is not far off.

I was hoping to head out to explore Ben Tre a bit tonight. Our hotel is right on the river, which has a nice path along it. There are some neat looking buildings, and it is clear that things here move at a much slower pace than in Saigon. Isaac, however, was too busy running around with all the kids and didn't take a nap, so it may be an evening of laying around in our awesome hotel room (which I'm told will be about $30) and watching lots of the Wiggles.

Tomorrow morning we had back to the care center to spend some additional time with Wyatt. After lunch is our giving and receiving ceremony and then he is ours! This is a huge transition for him, and I hope that it goes okay. I'm not expecting hugs and kisses, but I hope that in some way we may be able to comfort him as he mourns the loss of all he has known his whole life.