Home at last

It is good to be home. We landed on Saturday morning around 9:30 and it took 2 hours to get through the customs & immigrations checks so we didn't arrive home until around 12:00 noon. We were exhausted and hungry. Fortunately, one of my wonderful friends, Pam, had stocked my refrigerator with food so all I had to do is warm up lunch for everyone. Also, my sister flew up from FL to help me adjust with life at home with 2 children and also to help us all adjust to the time zone.

The past few days have been hard for us all as we adjust to the time. Both Isabel and Evan have been tag-teaming me with their needs so I have had little sleep, but I believe we've turned a corner today. Other than their regular naps, both children have been awake and active all day. I've also been able to get Evan back to his regular schedule, which he desperately needed. Isabel will go back to daycare tomorrow and see all her friends that she has been missing and Evan and I will work on getting his room organized. My sister kept everything else going as I attended to the children, which was a huge help. My hope is that we all have a regular 8 - 10 hour sleep tonight and are refreshed tomorrow morning.

Overall, I think this trip and the adoption went very well. My adoption agency, Adoption Center of Washington [www.adoptioncenter.com] did a great job managing the adoption process. Their in-country coordinator, Thao, is a terrific person and anticipated every issue and need we had. I met several families in Vietnam who were amazed at how smooth and organized my process has been. Also, my travel agency, Professional Travel in Hagerstown, booked us great flights and made sure we had the best seats available. We had no complications or issues with any of our flights.

Vietnam is a beautiful country and the people are very friendly. Someday I hope to take Evan back to see the country in which he was born. The culture was established long before the Americas were discovered. Yet, I am amazed at how much US influence there is. Obama and US politics are everywhere. Kentucky Fried Chicken is very popular, as well as, many western foods. The US dollar is accepted almost everywhere and almost everyone knows English. If it wasn't for the "ant-like" motorbikes, Pho noodles sold on every corner, the thin people, and thick smog, one might think they were in a US city.

So, now, a new chapter in our lives begins. Based on the past 2 weeks, I think we're going to have a blast.

We're on our way home

Dec 5 12:24 pm

Well, our long trip is almost over. We depart at 11:50 tonight about 11 hours from now. My dad is doing better and the rest of us are healthy. Thank goodness.

Evan has been doing really well in the past week. He is a happy baby with a streak of determination when it comes to eating and sleeping. He loves Isabel and usually giggles when she is around. My parents tell me he watches me when I come and go from the room and fusses when I leave.

On the flight from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi he was fussy because it was his nap time and he wanted to lay down. I'm hoping we'll get bulkhead seats on the flights home so I can lay him down on the plane. If not, well, I guess I'll be walking a lot during the flight.

So, this is the last post until we return home. We'll arrive on Saturday morning. It will be good to be back in our own place.

Staying until Friday

Wednesday, Dec 3 4:10 pm

We decided to stay until Friday, which is our original departure date. My father isn't feeling well and although the cost to change the flights was nominal, he thought he wouldn't be able to travel until Friday. I think he caught what Isabel had on the trip over. Otherwise, everyone else feels well and I hope no one gets sick before we leave. So, since we have a few extra days we are doing some sightseeing. Today, we went to the Hanoi Hilton, and then we walked around Hoan Kiem Lake, which is in the center of Hanoi.

The Hanoi Hilton or Hoa Lo Prison is now a museum. The prison was originally built by the French in the late 1800's and was intended to hold Vietnamese prisoners. Since then it was used by multiple warring factions to imprison people who opposed the ruling government. Most of the information in the museum was about the French dominance of the Vietnamese and there was a small section about the American pilots captured in the Vietnam War.

I found it interesting that the information and photos presented were very positive about the treatment of the American prisoners held there. It showed them celebrating Christmas, playing volleyball, getting medical treatment, and other "luxuries" like tooth brushes. There was no mention of any of the torture we hear about in the US from the priosoners. John McCain was prominent in the photos and had a display of his personal items while he was a prisoner. There was also a large display showing the protests in America against the war.

Only part of the prison is still standing and the hotel we are staying in was built on the remaining site of the complex.

The Tortoise Temple is built on a little island in the center of the Hoan Kien Lake. The photos below are from another temple built on the northern edge of the lake. I thought the red doors were brilliant against the grey stone building.

This lady below is in a garden along the lake filled with statues that all seem to represent mothers and children. I thought her face was beautiful and calming in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city. Just like in Ho Chi Minh City, the traffic noise in Hanoi is very loud. Every driver must honk their horns at least 100 times a day. I'm not a fan of the traffic noise and the dust & smog.

This afternoon, we are relaxing and taking naps. We'll probably go out again before we turn in for the night. Tomorrow we will go shopping and see some more sights.

Evan has a visa

Tuesday Dec 2 7:15 pm

A quick update. The interview with the Immigration Officer went well. Evan's visa was issued today at 4:00 so, if we can, we can leave early. We'll look into flights and see if it is possible. If not, Hanoi has many interesting things to see ... and great shopping!!!

We're in Hanoi now

Tuesday, Dec 2 11:35 am

We spent Saturday and Sunday relaxing in Ho Chi Minh City before we left for Hanoi early Monday morning. I've copied a short video of Isabel and Evan playing together the night before we left Ho Chi Minh. They really get along very well and they are so cute together. I hope the video works for you to see.

I took this picture of Isabel at the Marriott because she had discovered all the bowls of candy the hotel had in the lobby. Every time we went by one she would say, "Mom, wait a minute, I'll be right back." She would go over to a bowl of candy and take one, and then come back to show me what she had found. Then she would say, "I'll save it for later." However, within 5 minutes, she'd pull it out of her pocket and eat it.

I'm glad my mom is with us because Evan really likes her. She is able to care for him so I can get some things done or look after Isabel. He likes Grandpa, too, but he doesn't like grandpa's beard ... neither does Isabel. She says it scratches her.

We went to see this temple on Sunday afternoon. It is called the Jade Pagoda and is very old. I don't remember how old. Typical to other temples I visited in China, there are beggars outside the gates looking for money or food. Once you pass into the gates, there are various statues and symbols of the religion. Inside, it is dark and the air is filled with the smell of incense. There are people praying to their gods in the different chambers. I'm not sure what gods were in this pagoda but there were many people praying to them.



On Monday morning, we arrived in Hanoi. We are staying in a resident type hotel on the edge of the older Hoan Kiem district. When we arrived, the Hanoi Hilton was pointed out to us next door to the hotel. From my bedroom, I can see part of the complex from the window. I took a picture of it, but it's not the best. My window has some sort of dark film on it and the picture looks dark. Hopefully, we will go and see it later today.


But, before we go anywhere, I have an appointment at the US Embassy with the Immigration Officer. He/She will interview me for Evan's immigration visa. I was told the interview should be routine, but I'm still a little nervous because the Immigration Officer is the person who approves the visa. Since he was abandoned, I don't have any information on his birth mother or family. The interview should be pretty short.


Once Evan's visa is issued, we are free to return to the US. It is possible we could get the visa this afternoon. If we do, we may try and see if we can return on Wednesday or Thursday. It would be nice to get home early.

While I've been writing this post, Isabel has been telling me (1000 times) she needs scissors and tape so she can make something. So, we are off to the grocery store next door to find them before we can do anything else. My sanity depends on me finding scissors and tape!!

Scenes from Vietnam

November 28 4:43 pm

We left Phan Thiet very early on Thursday morning to drive back to Ho Chi Minh City, which is about a 3.5 hour drive. The photo above is Evan playing with Grandma's buttons. He and Isabel did great on the drive. The other family with us got a crash course of Dora the Explorer and Diego the Animal Rescuer. But, before I tell you about our trip, let me tell you about my mommy time on Wednesday afternoon.

Grandma & Grandpa watched the kids (the kids ... I love saying that), and I had a 60 min massage, had my hair colored and cut, manicure, pedicure & a facial. You won't believe how much it all ended up being ... about $46.00. Unbelieveable !!!! I love Vietnam. If it wasn't for the 31 hours of travel, I'd come here all the time. Of course, the place I went wasn't Elizabeth Arden ... it was more like a barbar shop.

Anyhow, on the trip back, I took some pictures of homes along the road. The homes in the photos are the norm. I did see a some very nice and modern homes, but they were few and far in between. Many of the homes had mom & pop shops in the front and the back were their living areas. You can see in the last shot, there are people eating food in the front of the home. Dogs, chickens and cows are typical animals each family owns.

This morning my parents, Isabel, Evan and I walked around Ho Chi Minh City. We saw the Saigon Opera House, the Notre-Dame Basilica, and the Reunification Palace.

This is the Saigon Opera House. What I love the most about this photo is the guy on the moped with the pipes. This is actually a typical scene here. Yesterday, I saw a man with about 4 times more of a load of pipes. Anyhow, the opera house is an example of french colonial architecture in the city.

This is another typical scene ... families on a moped. I even saw women holding infants smaller than Evan and driving their mopeds with one hand.

The Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica was also built by the French colonist in the late 1800's. It is a beautiful building.

The Reunification Palace is a symbol of the fall of Siagon in the Vietnam War history. There are some famous photos of tanks coming through the front gates in 1975 to end the war.

Here's grandma and grandpa taking a break with my little son.

The Christmas decorations are coming our everywhere as the city prepares for the holiday. Our hotel has Christmas trees everywhere. Isabel knows what they represent, but Evan doesn't. He just likes the light.

My dad just came buy to tell me that Evan is hungrey so I need to go. Tomorrow I have some paper work to complete, and then the rest of the day is for shopping. I saw a Louis Vuitton shop around the corner and I want to check it out to see if the prices are better here. syke!

Phan Thiet, Vietnam

Wednesday, 11-26-08 12:00 noon

I don't have a lot of time to write today. So, I'll just comment on the photos. As you can see, the 3 of us are in 1 king bed. I get the top right corner ... they don't get who's paying the bills on this trip. There is a crib in the room, but we all sleep better when Evan's in the bed with us. I'll work on separate sleeping when we get home for both Isabel and Evan.

Evan is adjusting to us very well. He is eating, sleeping and doing his business with no issues. Those are all good signs. I do think he misses his caretaker because he is always looking at women who look like her. He watches them like a hawk to see if they are her.

This is a view from our hotel room. We have an ocean view at the Ocean Dunes Hotel in Phan Thiet, Vietnam. The hotel has everything we need onsite. Fortunately, we have one of the larger rooms so we can spread out.

This is the sunrise from our balcony. Every morning, the fishing boats are out and scattered along the horizon. The photo is nice, but it doesn't do justice to the real thing.

The fishing boats here are very colorful. This scene is what you see when you enter the town. They are all lined up along the little harbor and the people are working all around them.

The coast of Binh Thuan province is noted for the it's sand dunes. My parents and the other family we are with went early this morning to slide down the dunes. There are children waiting for the tourist to rent boards to slide down the dunes. You have to watch them because they are street smart. My father was taken for 100,000 dung, which is about $6.25, by a very smart little boy.

It's noon here and I have a 1:00 appointment for a massage - yeah!!!! Then we are going out to dinner this evening at a local seafood restaurant, which I have heard is excellent. Tomorrow morning, very early, we drive back to Ho Chi Minh City to have Evan's medical exam and apply for his passport. Then, we'll have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to see the city. I'm looking forward for that.

Tomorrow is also Thanksgiving ... I don't think we'll find any turkey around here.

Change of plans ... the adoption is today

Monday, 11-24-08 7:50 PM

This morning, our group was planning to drive to the orphanage to spend a few hours with the babies and hoping our Giving and Receiveing Ceremony (G&R) could be scheduled for tomorrow. Well, the agency called us in the morning and said the G & R was scheduled for 3:30 this afternoon. The babies will arrive at the hotel around 2:30 and we will leave for the local government office around 3:15.

The babies and their caregivers arrive a little early so we were able to spend some additional time with them to get information on the babies. Evan's caregiver was clearly torn with the upcoming events. I think she thought I would be a good parent for him, but she had cared for him for 6+ months (since the day he was abandoned) and was bonded with him.

Evan's caretaker played with him before the ceremony. She wept many tears during the afternoon and even more when she said her final goodbye. With no doubt, she loved him. [Isabel took the picture above.]

We left to do the G&R on time. The ceremony was not in the formal government chamber because the room was in use. We held the ceremony in the office of one of the government officials. It was a little tight, but that didn't bother us. The ceremony was short but meaningful. It was the event when the adoption was signed and finalized. I was declared the new parent of Even and he was handed over to me.

The farewell of Evan's caregiver was emotional. My heart went out to her as she saw him drive away with Isabel and I. While I know she understood he would someday be adopted, handing him over to me was difficult. She blew kisses and waved goodbye as we pulled away.

On the short drive back to the hotel, Evan fell asleep. He did not fuss or cry. When I layed him down, he opened his eyes for a moment, and then rolled himself onto his belly and went back to sleep. I hope that is a good sign that he is able to fall asleep by himself.

After he woke up, he recognized that I wasn't his caregiver and she wasn't around. He let his emotions all out - I'm sure it was a mix of fear, confusion, loss and others. He cried for a good half hour before he settled down. Then for a few hours he played with a teething toy I brought for him.

He and Isabel are now both asleep and grandma is with them as I update the blog. Tomorrow is an off day for us so I'm going to try and get out and see Vietnam outside of the hotel.

Meeting Evan

Sunday 11-23-08 11:03 pm

Here he is ... our little guy. We met him this afternoon at the Ham Tan orphanage after a 3.5 hour drive from Ho Chi Minh City. All went well between he, Isabel and I. We were able to be with him for about 1.5 hours. He is a very nice boy and I can't wait to have him full time, which should be starting Wednesday.

When we arrived, he was just finishing he bottle, so he was ready to go to sleep. But, he stayed awake for us a little while before he took a short nap. He and Isabel interacted very well immediately. She wanted to take him home right away. I'll remind her of that when he is going after her toys in a few months.

The room the babies are in is simple and clean. Considering this is a tropical environment, it does show some wear, just like you would see in Florida. There is no air conditioning and the room is warm ... I would say 80 - 85 degrees. The nannies have fans running, but for a pampered American, I was sweating a lot. The babies didn't seem to mind.

Evan was a little fussy right before he took his nap, otherwise, he was very pleasant. He is able to roll and is trying to crawl. His crawling attempts only result in him going backwards so he rolls to grap toys and see things that interest him. He is the oldest infant in the orphanage and was 6 months last Friday.

Below are a few more pictures from our meeting. We will go back to the orphange tomorrow to visit for a few hours.

Isabel has fallen asleep on my lap so it's time to go to bed. We still haven't adjusted to the time change completely. Isabel is feeling much better and has been such a good girl during the trip. I am so blessed!!

More tomorrow ....

Good thing mommy thought to bring a toy.

Evan's crib ... note the straw mat - no mattress - he's going to love his crib at home!

Isabel took this pic of us ... nice job.

Ho Chi Minh day 1

Saturday, Nov 22 2:43 PM

So far, we haven't done much but try to re-coup from our trip. During the trip Isabel came down with a fever about 8 hours into our day. That made for a very long day for her. She was pretty miserable. Fortunately, I had brought along some Motrin and was able to make her a little more comfortable. Today, she still has a fever, but at least she is able to take a nap in a bed. She seems to be getting better.

We took a few pictures from the hotel room and my parents went out around noon to walk around. They said it was 88 degrees and humid. The hotel is located in District 1, which is where many of the tourist stay. The traffic is crazy with all the motor bikes and mopeds dodging in and out of the cars and trucks. Our taxi driver from the airport actually did the same thing with a van. If someone wasn't going through a light fast enough, he'd make his own lane to pass them ... a few time with oncoming traffic coming towards us. .

If Isabel is feeling a little better after her nap, she and I may venture out. Otherwise, we're going to stay close to the hotel. I want her to try to get over this bug as much as possible by tomorrow. We leave at 8:00 AM to drive 3 hours to the orphanage. That's when we meet Evan aka Nguyen Minh Hien. It's very exciting for all of us.

We arrived ... 31 hours later

We'll we're here we're exhausted and we look nasty. No pics for now. I can't wait to take a shower and lay down in a bed. Tomorrow is our day to re-coup from our trip. If we feel like it, we'll go out to see the city.

By the way, if you see any misspellings, it's because the spell check is based on Vietnamese and not English so it's not going to do any good for me.

We're on our way

Finally, we are on our way. It seemed like to took forever for me to get everything ready and packed for us to leave, but I got it done. I've stuffed two weeks of living for Isabel, Evan and myself into 2 checked bags and 1 carry-on.

Grandma and grandpa arrived around 7:00 pm last evening and helped me get the house ready for the time we are gone. They will be going with us and are looking forward to spending time with Isabel and their new grandson.

Isabel is sleeping now and will get a rude awakening at 4:45 AM when I wake her up to get dressed and leave. The taxi will pick us up at 5:15, and then we are off. It's going to be a long day for us all. From the time we leave the house until the time we get to the hotel, we will have traveled about 30 hours.

Quoting from our recent presidential candidates, "my friends", "yes, we can", we will succeed in this test of endurance. Okay, the lack of sleep and the early hour is getting to me ... time to log off. You'll hear from us next when we are on the other side of the world.

Tickets purchases & Visas issued

Only a 4 more days until we depart. I still have lots to get done before we leave so the mad rush is on. But, fortunately, the big tasks are done. I made the final arrangements with the adoption agency, our tickets have been purchased and the Vietnam visas have been issued.

We'll depart on 11/20 morning from the US and will arrive in Ho Chi Minh City on 11/21 in the evening. There are 3 flights, 2 layovers and a 24+ hours of travel. The longest segment will be from Atlanta to Seoul - 13 hours.

I can't say I'm looking forward to the flights, but I will definitely be prepared to entertain Isabel during the flights. We will have crayons, coloring books, DVDs, new toys, snacks, and books. Plus, according to the USA Today, our airline has one of the better in-flight entertainment systems. The movies they will be showing are: Hancock, The Forbidden City, Swing Vote, and Speed Racer. I haven't seen any of them so watching them will kill some time.

Once we arrive in Vietnam, we'll spend a day adjusting to the time before we meet Evan. Depending on how we feel, we may do a little sight seeing in Ho Chi Minh City. Otherwise, we probably do a little shopping for the things we didn't want to pack and things to take to the orphanage.

Evan we're coming soon

I spoke with the adoption agency today and it looks like we'll arrive in Vietnam on Nov 22. We'll get to meet Evan on Nov 23 and the adoption will be official on Nov 24. That's only 4 weeks from now. Oh, there is so much to get done at both work and home.

It will all be worth the effort because I'll be holding my little son before Thanksgiving. He and Isabel will be what I'll be most thankful of this year.

Little Fairy Isabel

Isabel decided to be a fairy this year for Halloween. Her costume consists of a set of wings, a tutu, a flower & ribbon crown, a butterfly wand, and face paint and glitter. She looks adorable.

We went to a local museum this afternoon to participate in their festivities. The event was really nice an Isabel loved it. Fortunately, we arrive early and were able to see everything before the crowds arrived ... and there were literally thousands of people. People waited for hours to get into the event.

I could tell Isabel felt like a princess walking around. So many people commented about how cute she looked and she would say to me, "Mommy, they like my costume?"

We met up with friends who all had children between the ages of 1.5 - 5 years old. Everyone had a good time and afterwards we went to the home of one of the families and had pizza and snack. What a great way to spend a Saturday evening.

I have I600 approval - 22 days

I can't believe it!! The US Embassy in Hanoi emailed the approval for me to adopt Evan at 3:39 AM our time. I can't believe how quickly this happened. What does this mean ... it means I could be going to Vietnam in a matter of weeks. I am no where close to being ready. Panic!

A few days ago, my agency sent me an email saying that the orphanage was contacted by the embassy and interviewed. They weren't sure how that was going to translate into an approval date, but neither of us were prepare for an approval this quick. WOW ... panic!!

Okay, I need to start thinking about what I need to do to go and get this little guy ... panic.

I600 received by US Embassy

Now, the countdown begins - 60 business days. I've been reading other people's posts and it looks like they are taking the entire 60 day period to complete the investigations. Uggggh.

I600 and update photo of Evan

The last approval letter from the Vietnam government was issued in the past week. That was the last letter I needed to make the referral official. I made it just in time because as of 9/1, no additional referrals will be made between the US and Vietnam. I think this is an unfortunate decision for the many orphaned children in Vietnam and the many parents in the US who would like to have children. I hope the 2 countries will come to a new agreement soon

Now, the next step is for the I600 needs to be filed with the US Embassy. As part of the paperwork, I need to send a photo of Evan. This photo was taken the last week of August so he is about 3 months old. I know my opinion is biased, but he really is a cutie. He looks like he is growing and doing well and he seems to be focusing on something outside the photos, which I think is a good sign.


The I600 will be filed with the US Embassy in a few days. Once the Embassy receives the paperwork, they will send me an email acknowledging its receipt. Then, they have 60 working days to complete their investigation of the baby and the abandonment circumstances. That translates into early December. The investigators will be looking for unusual circumstances that may indicate illegal activity.


Now, I'm settling down for another wait. I hope there are no complications that come out of this investigation because there is no confidence that I would get a replacement referral. It doesn't make any sense to worry about the unknown so I have to put that out of my mind.

Introducing Evan Minh Bundy

Here are the first pictures of Evan that were sent to me. What a cutie. He looks like he is doing well. In these pictures, he is about 1 month old.

Vietnamese Name: Nguyen Minh Hien

Abandoned: May 21, 2008

Age at abandonment: approximately 5 days old

Weight: 3.2 kg