Not just what to buy, where to buy

We have bought all kinds of things these last two weeks, most of them intended as gifts.

We don't yet know who gets what.

But there are all kinds of small items that we still need to get--like Chairman Ho Chi Minh star hats, etc., and the pointed cone hats.

They sell them at hundreds of stalls and stores. How to choose?

Near one of the restaurants we like, we found one called Minh Tam, just like Maisie. That seems as good a way of picking a store as any.

Do you see anything you like? We can get you a good price....

These are just the bags. We'll get photos of some other things--hats, chop sticks, dolls, t-shirts....

Bia Hoi: This one is for Kelly and Jeff

They will know what Bia Hoi means....

Here is an article on beer drinking in Hanoi.

We've tried the Tiger, the Bia Hanoi, and the Anchor.

We prefer best the Red Beer. We visited the brew pub, and it turns out the Moca Cafe, where we ate dinner last night with the group, is owned by the Red Beer company--or vice versa.

The end game, or trapped in Hanoi

What to write about?

We had a few minutes last night after the babies were asleep, around 8:30 or so, and Peggy started to work on the blog. She had nothing to say or write about. Part of the reason is that life now is just about babies. People do talk about that. But people are usually more interested in the minute goings on of their own kids than in those of other people's children. Do you really need to know that Luc Au Su goes two days between bowel movements?

I kind of feel the same way, with nothing to say.

We have been doing this to some degree to try and answer some of the questions we had about this Hanoi adoption trip for people who might follow us here. We still have a little bit of blogging to do on that score, explaining this end game, which we kind of think about now as "Trapped in Hanoi." That will also let those of you waiting for us back at home when we might be returning.

We also need to write something about the giving and receiving day. As we've discussed it, there are aspects of it that need to be private, out of respect for the birth families of Luc Au Su and Maisie Minh Tam. But there are also things we can tell people which might help them be prepared. Still, we're not ready right now to do that.

So one idea when time was short was to write a blog with a list of topics that we could and should tell you about. That is a process idea, which can then help us to prioritize which topics we will get to.

But I had a moment to write now--and an inclination. It is 7:00 AM here; Maisie Minh Tam is still asleep and Peggy is giving Luc Au Su a bath.

Here is where we are now: When we returned from Lang Son after the G&R, we went to the "police station," as I think it is called, to apply for Vietnamese passports for the babies. It was pretty quick--just Marci for her kids, me, and Nancy from World Child. Take a number, fill out a form, stand in line. Nancy had passoport pictures for the babies. We submitted the papers at one window and got a reciept. Took that to another window and paid 200,000 VN dong for each baby. Got another reciept which says the passports will be done in one week--next Monday at 3:00 PM.

Just so you know, the babies return home to the US on Vietnamese passports.

Then Nancy said she would email the US embassy to set up our USCIS interview. That is an interview with a consulate official who will ask us questions about our adoption process, including, as we understand, our fees and costs. They will also review all our paperwork, US and Vietnamese. We have already recieved pre-approval from the US immigration services to adopt two orphan babies, and that approval is on file here in Hanoi and in Ho Chi Minh City. That form is the famous I171H that adopting families wait for like gold. We had a bit of excitement when we had to update ours from one to two babies, and Susan from World Child and the USCIS officers in Chicago were very helpful to us. But here in Hanoi we have to submit a new I600 form, I guess it is, for the final adoption. We also have to pay some fairly large fees.

On Tuesday, as I remember, Martin gave us the news that our first USCIS interview would be on Monday. So Vietnamese passport on Monday and US interview on Monday. We have nothing else we can do to get out of here until then.

But with the date we will receive the passports set, we can also set up a medical appointment which is required by the US government. You need the passports for the medical appointment. Martin called for that appointment at the SOS Clinic, and the date is Wednesday.

The final step in the process is an exit visa interview--the second US interview. That is a quick one; they just approve your paperwork. But you can't do that until you have everything else complete and your paperwork is reviewed after the first interview. They have your visa ready the next day.

Our deadline for all of this is a late Thursday night/early Friday April 6 1:00 AM flight to Seoul. We are very worried that it won't get done.

We have bumped into a lot of Americans with babies in Hanoi--a bunch of them in this hotel. There is talk about a backlog or at least a traffic jam at the US embassy. What seems to have happened: There was a big rush to get people to Vietnam and then out of Vietnam before Tet. We missed that window. But we are here now on the next window, the first adoptions after Tet.

We are not here in that window alone.

We don't really know at this point if our Friday April 6 return to ORD at 10:40 AM is even possible at this point.

Until then, we are here, trapped in Hanoi...

Maisie Minh Tam is awake. Bye again....

Yes, we have our hands full

We managed to get some photos out of the camera and online through Shutterfly for our families.

I've managed a few emails, some typed with one hand while I held a baby with another.

But we haven't been near the blog, we know, since Monday! And don't expect much now, as I steal a moment.

Peggy has the babies in the room next door playing on the bed. This is now a family ritual. There really isn't anywhere else to play.

We have established something of a routine. Morning feeding, diapers, bath, and shower. Then breakfast. Some kind of outing, then a return to the room for regrouping. More diapering and feeding. Then playtime on the bed. Another outing...

Last night Peggy and I actually ate a dinner meal together at Vine e Pane, an Italian restaurant, while a waitress and a server carried the babies around.

Bed is at about 8:00. We crash ourselves soon after. Nights aren't too bad, with one big late night feeding bash--last night at about 2:00 AM.

That's all for now. Here are some photos....

A moment to give you some photos

It's mid-morning, and between having one baby or the other down we've managed a shower and a few minutes to work on yesterday's photos. Earlier we ate breakfast in the hotel--with coffee--while Luc Au Su and Maisie Minh Tam hung out in teir Bjorns. We had Misie facing out, and she just watched; Luc slept, while Peggy ate carefully over his head. Then we took a slow walk around the block, and fed Luc again. We're about to take them out for walk.

We still have a lot to tell you about yesterday. But you are all asking for photos. Just so you know what kind of day it was, when we looked in the camera there wasn't much there. Here's one photo of our signing. Marci brought her Nikon D70--oh yes, you remember the lens shopping trip--and we think/hope that she documented the event for us. We assume Marci and her family are adjusting as dramatically as we are, so we don't know when we will get those from her. We never even got the video camera out. And I am not sure that Peggy or I took a single photo all day.

But here is what we have, photos of Maisie Minh Tam and Luc Au Su in the van, taken by Marci, while Katie, Robbie, and Betty held her two babies, Jamie and Mylie.

A new day

Okay, we have a lot to catch up on, obviously.

We're just waking up on Tuesday AM here. Luc Au Su, as we now call him, started stirring at 5:45. His diaper was wet, but he didn't seem to want a bottle. He just wants to play, and I hear him gurgling away with Peggy in the other room on the big bed.

Meanwhile, Maisie Minh Tam is still sleeping, despite our stirring about.

This makes sense to us. Luc basically conked out yesterday whenever he had a chance--especially while we walked around Hanoi on our regular rounds, now with the babies in Bjorns.

We had a challenging but wonderful day yesterday. Last night wasn't too bad. But generally I would say we don't yet have to listen to the "I told you so" crowd, but those of you who have been though baby life and have been waiting to see our adaptations, they have definitely begun.

But we are doing fine, which is most important. The babies are healthy and definitely happy, even with us. The both have some colds and congestion. Maisie Minh Tam had some coughs during the night--but it seems to be, as Forrest Gump would say, "cough due to cold." They are both a little stuffy. Peggy worried in the night and wondered about seeing the clinic today, but now it is morning. They are both sleeping, eating, and playing--probably not time yet for the doctor.

We have much to tell about yesterday. I'm not sure when we will have time. That should tell you something!

Thank you all for your support and comments. This is an entirely new part of the adventure.

Trying to eat breakfast with one hand should be interesting.

Going out the door!

So we're up at 5:15. I've actually been up since 4:00.

We've got our duffle bag full of gifts and our two baby backpacks with clothes, bottles, and diaper stuff. We put scoops of formula in the bottles last night, and for the trip today we will just add bottled water and shake it up.

We also have a bag with some soccer balls we bought yesterday.

Peggy bought a wrap around silk skirt and top for the G&R today, and I'm going with khaki pants and a white shirt.

Four more hours...