And then there were four...

Yesterday was our giving and receiving ceremony, meaning we are officially Wyatt's parents! In the morning we again visited him at the care center for a few hours. You could tell he was starting to warm up to us, as he showed us he can blow kisses and let me carry him around outside. We left for lunch and then met him and his nannies at the Department of Justice for our g&r ceremony. The translator was very poor, so we basically smiled and nodded, signed paperwork and were handed our son by the care center director. Wyatt was fine until we got in the van, when he started to cry. He obviously knew that something major was happening in his life. He cried for about half an hour, but eventually feel asleep. Back at the hotel in HCMC, Isaac and Wyatt played a bit, with minimal fighting.

This morning we applied for Wyatt's Vietnamese passport and had his visa medical exam, which was a piece of cake. We had thought that we were going to leave this afternoon for the beach resort, but I guess the adoption agency didn't set that up until tomorrow. I feel like we've seen basically all we've wanted to here in HCMC and was looking forward to some serious relaxing at the ocean, but I guess that will have to wait until tomorrow.

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.

It's not the heat; it's the humidity...

Unlike Bill, who likes winter, I am usually a fan of warm weather. Even I have to admit that this is like nothing I have experienced! It really isn't that uncomfortable, but you get drenched in sweat just moving. We go out in the morning and come back to our hotel around noon to cool off and let Isaac nap.

This morning we headed to the History Museum, with the main purpose being the water puppet show. The show is performed in a pool of water using wooden marionettes controlled from below on long sticks. Even though the narrative was all in Vietnamese, it was very impressive. Isaac, of course, only likes activities that involve movement so he got a little antsy.

Afterwards we walked back to our hotel, stopping to see Notre Dame (no, not the one in France). While Bill fed Isaac and got him to sleep, I ventured out alone to finish our shopping. Isaac was not a fan of the market (truthfully, I'm not sure if Bill was either). It is very crowded and stuffy and likely doesn't involve enough walking around for him. Today I got most of my stuff at one large store near the front of the market rather than wander through the maze while all the sales ladies shout out, "Madame, madame..." I know that bargaining is part of the culture here, but I'm not really getting into that. To me, it seems kind of silly to argue over 10,000 dong--honestly, we're talking less than $1. It's not worth my time and I figure the $1 means more to them than it does to me. Even with my lack of bargaining skills, I found that I paid considerably less for today's t-shirts than I did for last night's when I worked really hard to strike a good deal.

Today is our last day in Saigon, as tomorrow we head to Ben Tre to meet Wyatt. I'm not sure what type of internet access they have in that rural province, so it may be a few days before we are able to post. Just know that we are doing well, and excited to meet our new son.

Out and About

In the past day, we’ve tried to get familiar with Saigon. After our much needed naps yesterday we ventured out to the market. This extremely large building has mazes of tiny stalls. The market is hard to describe as they sell everything there—from fresh meat to shoes. We were there looking for souvenirs; there are tons of stalls selling each particular item and it is hard to even know where to start. We did buy some Vietnamese clothes for the kids, and tried our hand at bargaining. One US dollar is worth 16,000 Vietnamese Dong so while you may think there is a big difference between 90,000 and 100,000 VND there really isn’t. Even Isaac found the trip to the market exhausting, as it was very hot and stuffy. Overall, it was an early night for everyone.

This morning we went to the Jade Emperor Pagoda. The building was beautiful with detailed carvings everywhere. I was impressed as well with how many people were there praying. The temples seem to get much more spiritual use than a church in the US. From the pagoda, we ventured across the wide and very busy Dien Ben Phu street. I’ve read that crossing the street in Vietnam is like a human version of Frogger; this experience verified what a true analogy that is.

We walked to the botanical gardens and zoo, visiting another temple. We didn’t really pay much attention to the animals, but it was a nice place to let Isaac walk without fear of scooters. Upon returning to the hotel, we went out for lunch with our agency representative and another family who was just united with their handsome 7 year old son. They have been together only since Tuesday, but I am amazed at how well he seems to be adjusting to them as well as the sights and sounds of a big city. Overall, the strength and resiliency of all these kids is just incredible.

We don’t have specific plans for the afternoon. I’d like to finish as much shopping here in HCMC, as I’ve been told it is cheaper. Also, I figure that everything is easier when the adults still outnumber the kids.

And now the moral of the converter story. I had read in travel books and internet forums that hair dryers don’t work in Vietnam. Being as hair care accessories are not high on my list of priorities, I paid little attention to that. Turns out that nebulizers fall into that same category. The new converter didn’t provide enough power for Isaac’s nebulizer, and the sparks we saw may indicate that it’s not going to work too well when we return home either. Normally we don’t do daily nebulizers and Isaac does just fine. We planned to do them regularly here, just as prevention. So far Isaac is doing well, but we are debating taking him to the doctor in order to get a new machine—just in case we need it.

We've Arrived

Last night at 10 Vietnam time, we landed in Ho Chi Minh City. The flight was long, to say the least. Isaac was a super traveler! He got a bit restless towards the end of the flight to Seoul, but, honestly I was restless too. Nothing a bit of running in the aisle and reading "Green Eggs and Ham" (not in a box, not with a fox...) won't fix.

We all slept well and had a good breakfast. Here that means noodles and spring rolls--no bacon and eggs for them. We then met with our adoption agency rep to discuss our plans here.

Then we were ready to venture out! I must admit with the amount of adoption blogs I've read, I was a bit fearful of crossing the street. On the taxi ride from the airport, it became apparent that lane markers on the road are purely suggestions and horns are absolutely necessary. Scooters are everywhere (even the sidewalks) and unlike the US, pedestrians do not have the right of way. Despite these frightening stories from others, we put Isaac in his carrier and headed out--without any problem. We stuck close to locals when crossing the street and had no near death experiences. Isaac enjoyed the busy sights and sounds and babbled non-stop. He is happy and full of energy. We went to the "supermarket" to buy water and other snacks, and are back for a nap (although, frankly, I feel like I may be more ready for it than Isaac.)

The people here are all very friendly and helpful. A hotel porter just went shopping for us to buy a new converter. The one my sister lent me blew a fuse twice (Jen, there may be a reason it was in that desk drawer.) Now we are all sent to charge up Isaac's dvd player. We can't last a day without the Wiggles!

Later we are going to head to the market to buy some souvenirs. We haven't planned much beyond that, but will post any excitement we meet.

Here's The Plan

Hard to believe that we are leaving in 2 days! For the most part, I feel pretty well organized but I'm sure I'll think of more things I need to do.

Here is the general outline of our trip:
We leave MSP Wednesday morning and fly to Chicago. From there comes the 13 hour flight to Seoul, South Korea, followed by another 5 hours to Saigon or HCMC. It will be 10PM Thursday when we arrive. We will spend the weekend shopping and seeing the sights in HCMC. We hope it will give us some time to adjust to the jet lag.

On Monday we travel about 3 hours by car to Ben Tre--Wyatt's province! We'll be able to meet him at the care center and talk with his nannies about his history and likes. On Tuesday 9/16 is our giving and receiving ceremony, when Vietnam recognizes us as his parents! From there, all FOUR of us return to HCMC to get his passport.

We have decided that we are not going to rush our trip and are going to spend the next weekend enjoying Vietnam's beautiful beach. We plan to stay at the Bamboo Village, a resort recommended to us by other adoptive parents.

Early the next week, we will fly to Hanoi. It is there that we meet with the US embassy to get Wyatt's visa. We will spend a few days there and if the boys are up to it, plan to do an overnight trip out to Halong Bay. Isaac loves boat rides, so I'm sure this would be a treat for him.

We leave Hanoi to fly home on September 29--just after midnight so in our mind's we are leaving Sunday. We'll arrive back home on Monday afternoon, likely tired, with bags full of souvenirs, and a little boy who was worth a trip around the world for!

We've got tickets!

We received word this morning that our g&r date has finally been confirmed for Tuesday September 16! We just bought tickets to leave next Wednesday--September 10. We're glad to have a bit of extra time to do some sight-seeing and shopping in Saigon before we head to meet Wyatt on September 15. I will post more details of our plan later.