A family of five

When we picked up Isaac from the orphanage it was emotional and crazy and instant love. I loved him from just having his picture, but holding this child was pure joy for me- it was instant and total. It makes absolutely no sense- I know nothing about him yet. Is he quiet, loud, energetic, calm?......but really, none of that matters. He is my son. And I love him. Walking around Vietnam with him was a treat- watching him slowly trust us with a few things (we are still working on this and will be for quite some time) and hearing his laugh all just felt right- like we belonged. But the feeling of walking into the airport and seeing our daughters run for us and their brother... well that was in another catagory. We were family, complete. I remember when Emily came into the hospital room when her sister was a few hours old. It's a similar feeling. I loved Audrey instantly, but until we were all together it still felt slightly off. Now we can get on with being a family. And I am loving it!!


One of the surest signs he loves the girls- he let us put him in the carseat!! He watched them buckle up and didn't even cry when it was his turn!! In Vietnam he'd cry if we got to close to an open car door-- he HATES car rides! Of course, car rides there are a close brush with death! But he just looked at his sisters and smiled for much of the drive. And when we got to the house we saw the decorations put up by my mom and Emily and Audrey. What a neat thing for Isaac to come home to. The girls are constantly with him and fighting over who gets to sit beside him. I know this will pass into a more normal sibling relationship, but it's beautiful to watch now. And it's wonderful to be a family of five!!

We're Home!

Well, it's been a little over a week since we've been home- but life is suddenly so busy!! And I would rather play with the three kids (that's right- THREE) than anything else. So, the house is a disaster, we're eating an odd hodge-podge of food, but we are happy!! We've even almost got a routine! Of course, when Branden goes back to work Monday all that is out the window again. But for now, it's working. I wanted to post a few pictures of our trip home before I forget the details.

This is Isaacs' last picture in Vietnam (other than the airport). We'd had dinner with John and Anne and Nicholas at Bobby Chins. Let me just say- that family is so sweet! We loved hanging out with them! I wish our trips would have overlapped a bit more, but am not complaining too much. We had a much shorter than average time in country and they are record- holders! This picture was right after Isaac gave Daddy his first kiss!! What a sweet moment- and of course he wouldn't do it again for the camera, but look how pleased he is with himself!

Then, on to the airport. Our flight didn't leave until midnight, so me and Isaac crashed. I wonder what the other travelers thought of us? But it felt so good to rest- I was worried it would make Isaac wide awake for the flights, but he actually slept almost the whole time we were in a plane- I love purple medicine!

The airport in Korea has a little indoor playground- I was so excited to try it out. Isaac, however, was terrified! He backed away and made me hold him. We eventually tried the little slide together and he decided it was OK, but not by himself. The little rocking horse was avoided completely. And it made me se sad! This child will be 2 in a few weeks and was afraid of a rocking horse and slide. He had no idea how to play on a playground! So I sat up in the climbing frame with him and we watched the other children. He actually started to enjoy himself toward the end- but it looks like we are going to be spending a bit of time at the playground teaching him how to play!

This is the window seat at the Korean Air terminal. It completely freaked out my poor husband (who gets dizzy on the 3rd floor!) but Isaac thought it was amazing to watch all the cars moving under him!



And this is the bassinets Korean Air gives you- we had to fudge a little on his height, but needed that cot! We'd tried letting him sleep on the floor on the previous flight, but the stewardesses were not pleased. Isaac loved it, but they were worried about turbulance. Now, I am a safety NUT! My dad trained me well! But there were people laying accross whole rows in the back of the plane with no seatbelt and I just couldn't see the difference. But they made us hold him and he woke up and cried for the last half hour of the ride. Poor baby- I wanted to go hold him up to the flight attendants ear! But I realized I was too tired to make compassionate decisions so stayed put. But on the next leg of the trip- the long one- we made sure we got a cot. Oh, and those don't have seat belts, either, so tell me again how that's safer than the floor? Plus, on the floor, we could lay out several blankets and coats for cushioning, but had no room on the cot for padding. OK, really, I'm going to let it go now.

Hanoi!

We've had a bit of trouble getting blogger to load in our hotel. We switched hotels today (they kept saying they were getting us a baby bed and, 2 nights later- no bed)and now can give you our great update.. Isaac had his medical appointment Monday. The doctor was originally from Lexington, Kentucky (near where I grew up and went to college) and we had the best time together talking about the great state of Kentucky!! Isaac sailed through, he is very healthy, and we got a visa appointment Wednesday at 2:30. We had one for Tuesday, but they have a new rule that you can't book an appointment with less than 48 hours notice. That makes no sense to anyone, and the Holt guy was clearly upset for us, but it still means we should be out of here by the end of the week if we can find a flight. We are waiting to hear back from the travel agent- so there is a real opportunity for prayer if anyone feels so led. Hanoi is nice and cool- cold, even. And lots of shopping opportunities!! Still, I don't like it nearly so much as Ho Chi Minh City. Or maybe I'm just really ready to see Emily and Audrey and to get Isaac into his new house (read: not a hotel room!). We've been using Skype- it's so nice to see the girls and have them tell about their days, yet it makes me sad, too. I miss them- and am just so grateful to my mother for taking such great care of them. They might not be ready for me to come home, what with all the new toys and visits to Chuck E. Cheese's!! What are grandmothers for, though, if not to spoil grandchildren? Anyway, no new pictures as I'm afraid to overload the system at this hotel until I know what it can handle. But before I finish, I simply must brag on Holt Vietnam! Seriously- our guy has called to check on us at least twice a day and worked late getting our hotels switched and making sure we were now satisfied! At our current hotel there are several families completing their adoptions and it really does show the high standard of Holt- I spoke with one family who was shocked to hear we'd been driven to the SOS clinic by our agency and all the help given to change hotels. I'm sure there are lots of great agencies out there, but I know we chose the best and I look at Isaac and am so glad we can focus our energy on him, not scheduling appointments and such. Anyway, enough on that-- I'll try to post more pictures tomorow.

I thought this was just precious- he falls asleep with his middle two fingers in his mouth- I'm not sure why, but I think it's cute!!

And I just had to show the market- although there is no way to really capture what it's like. It's so crowded and, yet, really bright- and there is always at least one person asking you to buy their things! You'll hear, "excuse me, madame (madame!), you like my silk shirt? I give you good price! HOw much you pay? I got many colors, many sizes." And before you get past that stall, the next one has started in. It's VERY fun, but also exhausting! And the best deals are to be found on the small rows where they will pack more stuff into a 3ft.x 4ft. stall than I thought possible-- of course, they stack stuff 15 feet high! You have to walk sideways to get through (at least I do!).

And here's us at the Lemongrass- we really liked the Vietnamese food here- well, it was the best we've had so far, anyway! We've been noticing Isaac does much better with his left hand-- we may have a little right brained artist-type on our hands! I'd told Branden before, we have two girls who really love sports, you just know our son is going to play the violin!! It kind of balances the family a bit. Anyway, we are off to meet our good friends from the Holt BB. They just arrived last night and we're meeting for lunch before our flight to Hanoi. I can't wait to see them- they are the family who shared our dates through almost the whole process. We've spent so much time on the phone and over email, it'll be so nice to actually see them!

Food- for Dad and Nathan

Well, you guys wanted to know what we had for breakfast- so here goes.... I actually ate cereal with what I would swear was goats milk and toast every morning. But I made myself try most of these things, and they weren't aweful. Just not good, either! Very, very bland- the waitress suggested fish sauce for flavor, but I declined! It's so nice to eat at the top of the Rex every morning. We're still not completely used to the time, so we usually get to breakfast by 7 while it's still cool enough to think! You can see the streets going wild with traffic below and yet be surrounded by the nicest waiters and tropical flowers everywhere. I really enjoy breakfast- even if it is cold cereal with odd milk!!



And here is a before and after picture of pho. You point to what you want and its' steamed in the broth. Then the guy pours noodles, your things, and lots of broth into a bowl. Everywhere you look you can see people eating this stuff--any time of day. And again, it's not bad, just not my favorite!

The day we went to the Presidential Palace (reunification hall) must have been field trip day for all of southers Vietnanam!! There were hundreds of children there and , without fail, every time they caught our eye they would shout 'Hello'. It was so sweet- I occassionally offered back a Xin Chao, but my Vietnamese was nowhere near as good as their English! And all the locals do a double take when they see us together! You can see them staring from accross the road- it's really fun. Every once in awhile they will try to talk to him and he just stares. But twice someone has tried to hold him and he just freaked out! I hated that he was sad, but took it as a good sign that he would rather be with me!! And today he actualy walked the whole 6 or so blocks to the palace. This is still such a big deal- he often throws fits when we don't carry him or, heaven forbid, try to sit down! It's all geting better day by day, but I had to post this milestone!

You can still go up to the very top of the Palace and see where the helicopters evacuated the last of the South Vietnamese politicians- you can't see it from this picture, but the painted-on unit marker has been X-ed out on the back of the helicopter b/c it was from the US! And you can walk through the main gate that the Northern tanks rammed to get at the palace. It's very strange, actually, to be going to all these places I studied from the US perspective. A bit like when we lived in Hawaii and all the Japanese tourists would visit the USS Arizona memorial. I always wondered what that must have been like for them-- now I know.
And here's Branden in front of the Crypto room in the underground bunker at the Palace. They still had a lot of the stuff from that time there- and an ingenious pass-thru between offices. Basically a large hole drilled in the middle of each wall! In case you are wondering what kind of mother lets her son wander around with a bottle all day, we finally realized he can't create any suction to use a sippy cup with the cleft in his pallate, and it's too hot to not get water all the time. Plus, he likes to hold it- like a security blanket. He's going through entirely to much to ask him to give up that, too. And he knows the difference between feeding time and water time and loves to be held for his before-bed bottles. Those are some of my favorite times!
A picture of Branden mailing a letter to our girls- there is an absolutely beautiful post office downtown! And there is a giant ceramic pot of glue used to seal up the letters- I just had to get a picture of that!!

Who's been praying for us?

I know I have so many people praying for our family and it is amazing and humbling in so many ways. I have felt it so powerfully already! And today, a specific prayer request was answered. I'd asked for prayer that we'd get Isaacs passport issued early. Well, it can take up to 5 bussiness days, which would put us getting it Tuesday. But.....I just got a call from Mr.Binh (one of the nicest guys I know!) and it arrived today!!! He's driving in to our hotel in the morning to re-do our itenerary (it's 8 minutes until closing time here). We're off to Hanoi as soon as possible. They are going to reschedule our appointments in Hanoi for earlier- At the very least, this gets us home to our girls 4 days earlier. What a huge blessing for us! THANK YOU for all the prayers you have lifted for us! You are such a blessing to me! And now, more pictures of the reason we are here......

weird things

yesterday we had a series of things happen that seemed odd to us. Maybe it was the heat (the merciless, suffocating HEAT), maybe it was the straight- carb diet going to our head, but we laughed all day yesterday. Never a bad thing, of course. First was the room service lady. We were there when they rang our doorbell. Who knew we had a doorbell? We looked all around trying to figure out what to do-- in our defense, we had just woken up from a nap. But that got us tickled. Then she asked us if we had laundry. Branden asked, 'do you do laundrey?' She got this strange look and said, 'no' and walked off-- . That has to be one of the strangest conversations I've heard. Seriously, what was that about? Then we went out a different elevator than usual and had to wait. I was looking at the wood paneling around the elevator when I realized- it's contact paper!! So I started really looking at the facades closer-- and the big display they have set up in the heart of the city to celebrate the Vietnamese entry into the world trade org. (I think that's what they are celebrating) has these giant pillars holding huge photos. Well, those pillars are contact paper stone! Now, I'm not one to put down the judicious use of contact paper. In fact, I'm a big fan! But these seemed like such strange places! Then we took a cab to the Jade Emporor Pagoda. Our cab driver knew one phrase in American- 'USA first number country!!' We smiled and nodded, secretly amused but also amazed that so many people know even a few words in English- and lots of folks speak very well!! I know it's partly economic, but still amazing. So all in all, a fun day for us! Isaac is still learning to trust us- and still a champion eater and sleeper! I'll post more of us at naptime, but for now wanted to show these pictures of the Jade Emporors pagoda. When we asked the hotels receptionist if it was worth the drive, she said she'd never been because she's catholic. We that that was funny- we were just looking at it as a tourist stop. This is the god that brings about Tet, so we wanted to see. When we got there, it was clearly a church for these people. And it broke my heart. When you go in you can buy these coke bottles refilled with some sort of yellow liquid- a food offering for the gods. It's poured on the fountain while you pray and swirl incence in the air. We saw lots of people laying on the floor and praying. The building was beautiful- but the reality of what it meant was so sad. We took a few pictures of it and on the way home paid better attention to how many of the little stores had kitchen alters- and more than half did. Probably more, but those were in the front. So pray for these people- they are clearly looking for meaning and purpose, but are sadly looking in the wrong place. On a happier note, Emily and Audrey, we did get to see the turtles! They have all kinds and we thought about you girls as we took loads of pictures!!

And here's the picture of us walking through the hotel- seriously, it was such a big deal to go walking without having to carry him- I love holding him, but my arms just aren't made to do that all day!!

Yesterday was interesting- Isaac wouldn't let us put him down anywhere except the room. Man, did I get a workout!! We went out for a walk and looked for a carrier. All we could find were for younger babies. So, for now, my arms will just have to break- small price to pay to have a kid want me to hold him! Before lunch we tried the zoo. We thought the open space might be fun for him to run and play. Not so--he was perfectly fine to watch from our arms. We did get to feed carrots to the elephants-- they had people there to sell things, you just have to pay first or they will try to charge $7 for a bundle of carrots. So we all went back for a nap. He sleeps so well!! We just give him his bottle and lay him down when he's done. He watches us through the crib slats as he goes to sleep- it's really very sweet! And even the crazy loud street noise doesn't wake him! Then last night we went looking for food- we'd heard there was western food a few streets over. Well, no one said it was a Pizza Hut!! I almost cried for joy!! We've been eating pho (Branden likes it way more than me) and lots of bread products. The problem, for me, was the very first trip to the market. THe smell of all the raw meat and seafood was more than I could stand- and I have a pretty strong stomach. And now I remember that smell when I see meat. So- for those travelling later- you might want to avoid the fresh meat part of the markets for a few days! So I REALLY enjoyed that pizza!! Isaac ate minestrone- it was good, too. Then we let Isaac practice walking- showing him we would all stay together even if he walked! We lured him out of the room with a toy and held both of his hands. He let us go all around the hotel and outside to this park across the street to the giant statue of Uncle Ho (that guy is everywhere!). It might not seem much, but a huge milestone for us!

So I did the pictures wrong and can't remember how to edit. I'll try again:

He's Ours!

So much to say... I am so happy right now!! Isaac is officially ours! We got there right as the foster mother pulled into the drive on her motorbike- She was very emotional, which was hard to watch and, of course, made me cry! I think they believe that the best thing to do is to make the switch to us quickly. So she left him with the director, filled out her paperwork and left. Poor Isaac cried so hard when we tried to hold him after that. But the director is amazing and took us to this tree that has ridiculously sour little green fruit and, somehow, holding those calmed him. Then we drove to the MOJ office and it turns out the only thing Isaac is afraid of is cars! It actually said that on his paperwork! So, he screamed the whole ride- which was mercifully short-and the director took him. But when we got there, I was the one who rescued him from the van and he clung like crazy to me for the rest of the time. He didn't try to get away- and actually fell asleep while we waited...and waited! The actual Giving and Receiving took maybe 5 minutes and we didn't even have to say anything. That was good, because I don't think either of us could trust our voices! And, just like that, he was ours!! We went back to the orphanage and handed out some gifts- they seemed to like the ones they saw, and I was so releived! Then the tour.. it's so small! We saw Isaacs old bed there and met the lady who took care of him while he was there. And we got to see the two little boys our friends are adopting- it was so strange to look around this room and actually recognize these babies! And they are so cute! We took big chocolate bars for the older kids and that was a big hit! THen we drove to the hotel- it's about an hours ride, but it doesn't seem that you ever leave HCMC. I thought it would be more rural. Anyway, he cried at first, but the foster mom had prepared a bottle so he ate and watched our face very sneeky. Like he didn't want us to know he was studying us. But here's the amazing part- and I mean amazing!! We got to our room and Branden went to get the right kind of formula (an adventure unto itself as the directions are all in VNese!) and I lay down with Isaac. He let me cuddle for a little bit, then I got out some new toys. Withing a few minutes he was playing a little then HE SMILED AT ME!! Honestly, one of the highs of my life! What a brave child--so much in one day and yet he still is willing to give me a chance! Before long we even had a few laughs! I am so amazed and could feel everyone's prayers bringing me to that very moment. Seriously, there is no doubt that this is going so well because of all the prayers- and I can't thank you all enough!! Well, we are off to dinner. If this kids' sheet is right, he eats all the time!! I have so much more to share, but I've probably bored you all, so I'll go.
One more thing- if you gave me a package it was delivered and well received. For Vu's mom- they were so glad to have those pictures and immediately passed them around to everyone. And Anthony's mom- the boys were actually neighbors, but your sons' foster mom came to support Isaacs, so I got to meet her and take her picture and she looked through the things and smiled and told you thank you. The other packages were kept there to be delivered to the foster families later. And now- pictures!! With many more to follow!
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We're Here!!

We are officially on Vietnamese soil- our plane landed right before midnight local time. The streets were still pretty crazy with motorcycles! These people really have no fear! We're in the Rex- which is really nice for history nerds like me. They couldn't find our reservation for the longest time- it was under the travel agency that Holt used to book it. What was amazing was all the reservation information was on paper and crossed out with highlighter, not a computer. The lady that had picked us up at the airport was so sweet and stayed to be sure it was straightened out- I understand very few Vietnamese words it turns out! The clerk kept asking something about mats- I think he was saying draps because we found a card with that word in a mostly correct english sentence that makes sense if drap=bed. It all worked out somehow, because we got the right size room! We are so excited it's going to be hard to sleep- even for me, which is saying something!- but I'd like to get on the right time before we get Isaac Tuesday. I can't wait!! And for those in my family who hate to do the math- we'll get him at 8pm Monday night your time- the Giving and Receiving is around 9:30. On the plane in we were looking at all the rooftops wondering if any of those were his roof- We are so close now!!!!!