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