We're home!!

We FINALLY made it home! You can see in the pictures here that we did actually make the successful 29 hour journey from Vietnam via Tokyo and Chicago. The first picture is Logan is his OWN crib, not a hotel crib for the first time and the second picture is him LOVING his excersaucer.

I'll try to summarize the trip without using too many expletives. We'll just say that we had 3 flights and Logan did great on two of them. He slept from Hanoi to Tokyo and generally had a decent trip. We got to Tokyo around 7:00am local time and had a 7 (yes, SEVEN) hour layover. It was made worse by the fact that Tokyo Narita airport SUCKS. Nothing was open and there were almost no people there except for Dallas, Logan, the Hicks family, and me. We wandered around for a while and eventually McDonald's opened and we had a little breakfast. We had no idea which gate we were supposed to go to because it wasn't listed on the big boards and United's Customer Service desk didn't open until NOON! So we ended up paying $50 each to spend the day in United's Red Carpet lounge. We were able to catch a bit of sleep and I guess compared to what was to come, it wasn't too bad of a day. We boarded the flight for Chicago, got to our bulkhead row in the "Economy" section (Economy Plus was full but the Hicks were lucky enough to get the bulkhead up there). They gave us a bassinet but it was really just a bag that was too small for Logan. He was MISERABLE on the flight! It was an 11-hour flight and he cried, hard, for about 8 of those hours. The people around us were very supportive and no one complained at all (at least not that we know of). It was without a doubt the longest flight EVER. We just thought it would never end, but it eventually did and we landed in Chicago. As soon as we landed, Logan calmed down and we headed for Immigration and Customs. We went through Immigration without a hitch and we went to get our bags from baggage claim so we could enter Customs and then get the luggage rechecked for our flight home. It took about 50 minutes for the luggage to come out! We only had a 2-hour window until our flight to Pittsburgh was leaving so we were getting anxious. We eventually got the bags, went through Customs pretty quickly (thanks to some skillful line maneuvering by Dallas and Michael). By this time it was 12:50ish - keep in mind that our flight to PIT was leaving at 1:30 and the Hicks' flight to Philly was leaving at 1:15. We got to the area where we were to recheck our bags and the agent told the Hicks that they'll need to get in another line because they didn't have time to get to their plane. We said our goodbyes and hightailed it off to Concourse C, Gate 31. We went the wrong way and ended up in the security area where all the people entering the airport from Chicago were going through check-in. We found a quick security line, got through without much fuss and entered Concourse B. If you're familiar with O'Hare, you know that the only way to get from B to C is to go down a big escalator, walk through a long hall and go back up another big escalator. We did this but we ran through the hall. Of course our gate was the FARTHEST one and we again ran, pushing Logan quickly in his stroller and dragging our carry-ons. We made it just in time but when we got to the gate, they told us that the agent in Tokyo gave us seat assignments for a row that doesn't exist on the 737 we were trying to board. (We had 3D and 3E but first class was row 1 and 2 and the first row of Coach was 4.) She gave us 12B and 12C which was upsetting because I had paid for Economy Plus. I have to get in touch with United for a refund. So after all this, we sat down, I gave Logan a bottle and he proceeded to sleep the whole way to Pittsburgh. It was a wonderful feeling to be home AND to have had an hour's peace.

The Grandparents and Aunt Ronda were waiting at the airport for us and it was great to see them. They immediately fell in love with Logan because he was back to his old, lovable self (not the demon we traveled with from Tokyo). We made it to baggage claim but only got 2 out of 3 of our bags. I filled out a claim for the 3rd (it was the one that contained all the presents for everyone) and we headed for home. Logan enjoyed the car ride, played for a while when we got home and then went to sleep around 7:00. He slept until 2:30am. Luckily for us, his Grandma Linda was there to take care of him and give us a bit more sleep. He went back to sleep around 4:00 and slept until 9:00 when we woke him up. He's sleeping now again and it's almost 10:00pm. From what I've heard from the other families, we've been lucky because their kids are having a harder time adjusting to the time difference. I think he's sleeping so well now because he totally wore himself out on the Tokyo trip and is just now recovering.

We took him on his first trip to Costco and for burritos tonight and he did OK. We're not sure how he's going to do with sleeping tonight but we're hopeful. We were zombies yesterday and still are kinda that way. I had gotten about 3 hours of sleep in 29 hours and Dallas got less than that. We slept last night and I took a 2 hour nap this afternoon so we're almost back to normal. We're going to take Logan to the softball fields tomorrow for our doubleheader but we're not sure if we'll be able to stay for both games. We may be tired and he may get bored. We'll see.

So that was our journey home. We're THRILLED to be back in good old Pittsburgh, PA and are looking forward to having lots of visitors. Take care everyone and see you soon!

Tuesday, July 24th

Well, today is the day we've been waiting for. Actually, tomorrow is the REAL day we've been waiting for but this will be my last blog posting from Vietnam. We're leaving for the airport tomorrow evening at 8:30 and our flight for Tokyo is scheduled to leave at 11:30pm.

Today we again had the buffet breakfast at the hotel. Then we got a couple taxis and went to the "Old Quarter." It was very busy with people everywhere. The street vendors are a bit more aggressive here in Hanoi than they were in HCMC (not to say that they were passive in HCMC!). It's not a scary situation at all, there are just a ton of people trying to sell you caps, hand-held fans, fruit or postcards. We made our way to a nice lake area where there weren't many street vendors and kind of just strolled around the lake. There was an island in the middle, connected by a bridge and we went there to look around. It contained some sort of temple along with a building that housed a huge dead turtle. No idea of the significance of the turtle or what, really, the temple was for but it was interesting none the less.

It was H-O-T while we were walking. I checked weather.com before we left and the high for today was expected to be 95 with a heat index of 105 and we were feeling every one of those degrees. We found a restaurant called Bobby Chinn and went inside for some air conditioning and to have a little lunch. It was a very nice place and the food was fine. The air conditioning was fantastic! Then we were off again. We did a little more shopping and then headed back to the hotel to wait for Mr. Binh. He was bringing the babies' passports and Visas at 4:00. We waited for him in the lobby and we were all thrilled when he brought everything to us. Basically, the kids are all ours now and we can head home! We ate an average dinner at the hotel's restaurant this evening and called it a day.

We've had a great time here in Vietnam but we're ready to come home! This has been an amazing experience. It's been eye-opening to see how people on the other side of the world live. It's been humbling at times to be completely out of your element, not being able to communicate and just relying on strangers to help you get where or what you need. I think it would be good for all Americans to have a similar adventure in a country where English is not the first language. I have a new appreciation for the good ol' U.S. of A. We have our faults, no doubt, but I've come away from this trip realizing that we are very lucky to be Americans. We have anything we need at our fingertips. We go where we want, when we want. We take our blessings for granted I think and it took traveling thousands miles to be reminded of that.

If everything goes as scheduled we'll be back in Pittsburgh at 4:00pm on Thursday. Thank you to everyone who left comments on the blog, sent emails or just thought good thoughts for us. You've all been so amazingly supportive of us and we're very grateful. We've got the best family and friends imaginable and we can't wait to see you all and to have you meet little Logan. He's a really great kid and I know you're going to fall in love with him the way we have. Good night everyone. See you soon!

Oh, by the way, hope you like the picture of Logan. :-) We took it today near the lake. He loves to sleep in his stroller while we're walking. Can't wait for him to see his HUGE stroller waiting for him at his new home in PA.

Monday, July 23rd

We had another good day today. It started out a little rough because Logan was up at 3:50am but he took a bottle and went right back to sleep. We got up and after getting ready, we went downstairs to the hotel's fantastic buffet breakfast. They have all kinds of food from different parts of the world, including the US! Our hotel is the official hotel of the Asia Cup so we were at breakfast with the Australian and Japanese "Football" (soccer) Teams. I hear that tomorrow, the Saudi Arabian team will be here. It really is a great hotel. The grounds are beautiful and the room, while just a little crowded with the crib is very nice.

Around 1:00pm we left for the interview with the US Embassy. We got there and they took us in immediately. We paid the $380 Visa fee and then each family went into the interview room separately. Logan and I went second, after Jeff and Karen. The whole "interview" took maybe 4 minutes. The lady just basically looked through the paperwork, asked if I had any problems while being here and that was it. We're supposed to get his Visa tomorrow afternoon. So, that's the last hurdle before we can head home.

We went swimming in the hotel's pool after getting back from the Embassy. The water was warmer than bathwater but it didn't matter. Logan is still loving the water and his floaty raft. He had a great time splashing around.

We may take a tour of the city tomorrow or just go and visit a couple places we've read about. Hanoi is a nice city. The streets don't really seem to be teeming with people and scooters and cars the way Ho Chi Minh City is. It's still very busy, but just not as much. We ate at a great mainly-Italian restaurant tonight. The whole group went and had a nice time just talking and eating and sampling various wines. Of course it's still very hot here but we're kind of used to it by now.

That's about it for today. We're all really looking forward to going home but we're going to try to make the most of the time that we're here. We'll have lots of pictures! Oh, speaking of pictures, hope you like the one posted here. Logan loves to stick out his tongue and give the raspberry. :-)

Good night everyone.

Sunday, July 22

Today, all the families flew to Hanoi to start the second leg of our journey. Before we left, we met 3 famililes from Adoptions From the Heart who had just arrived the night before. They'll be picking up their kids tomorrow.

We flew Vietnam Airlines, business class and it was really a nice flight. Logan was GREAT the whole time. He ate, played a little and just pretty much had a nice trip. He loves to be moving. Max, one of the other kids, had a screaming attack as we were descending but he was OK. All in all, it was definitely a much better trip than I had expected. The flight was delayed almost an hour but we were in the Business Class lounge and weren't really in any hurry so it was no problem at all. The flight took about an hour and a half.

We're at the Sheraton Hanoi now. It's a very nice hotel. We're told that the President stayed here when he was in Hanoi a few months ago. I'm sure he was on a higher floor. :-) We walked to a little restaurant that had all different kinds of food. Most of us got Mexican and everyone seemed to like it.

Tomorrow we have the US Embassy interview which is the last hurdle on the trip. I'm nervous about it the same way I was nervous about the other meetings. Wish me luck!

That's about it for today. Oh, except for one thing. Our facilitator/escort told us that Hanoi in the summer doesn't have "nice weather like in Ho Chi Minh City". It's hotter and rainier! How about that?!? We'll let you know if that holds true.

Good night everyone.

Saturday, July 21st

Today was our last full day in Ho Chi Minh City, so to celebrate we went to lunch at Pizza Hut. hahaha. I (Scott) was just hungry for normal, American-style food and Pizza Hut did the trick. We then went shopping and got some great things at a store called Vietnam Quilts. It's a co-op through which rural Vietnamese women can sell handmade items. They're offered training and a fair wage. So, we supported a good cause and got some really nice things.

We went to dinner this evening with most of the group. Along for the ride was an American couple who are living in Singapore. They are looking into adoption and just came to town to explore our agency's program. Not sure if we helped them or not, but they seemed nice.

It's now 8:30 PM and we're just about ready to call it a day. Logan has been, as usual, sleeping since about 7:00.

So long Saigon! We're leaving for the airport tomorrow at noon for our 2:00 flight to Hanoi. This will be all the children's first time on an airplane. Wish us luck!

Friday, July 20th

Not too much to report today. This morning we bought a small stroller to use in Hanoi and to help us navigate the airports. We walked back and found a store that was kind of like what you find in a mall in the US, except the prices were VERY cheap. The only problem was that they stocked Vietnamese sizes so Dallas was pretty much out of luck. It was nice going to a store and being able to just browse without people coming up to you telling to buy 2 or 3.

In the afternoon, Dallas went back to the Ben Thanh Market with Monique to do some more bargaining/shopping and Scott and Logan stayed at the apartment. We had play time and nap time and took a couple of walks with the stroller. It was a nice afternoon. Logan also got his first turn on the swing in the pool area (sort of like what you'd see on a front porch on Main St, USA) and he enjoyed it.

To end the day, we went to Sandy and Paul's apartment building where they were having a "Fruit Festival." They brought in farmers from the Mekong Delta who brought all kinds of fruits for people to sample and buy. We tried a few different kinds and also sampled some "New Zealand Natural" ice cream. It was very good. Then we all went to the Rex Hotel again and had a nice dinner. There was a show afterwards featuring traditional Vietnamese music and dancers.

Logan fell asleep at the restaurant which is pretty typical. We usually get him home, get him dressed for bed and he's down for the night (last night he slept from 7:00 until 5:00am). Tonight, however, we witnessed our first complete meltdown. As we were changing him, I apparently startled him and he began to cry. Then the cry became a wail that we've never heard before. It lasted for what seemed like forever and ended in him falling back asleep. I hope he doesn't remember what he was so angry about when he wakes up! Lesson learned - always speak softly around the baby, especially when he's sleeping!

We're preparing for our last full day in Ho Chi Minh City. Our flight to Hanoi is scheduled for Sunday at 2:00PM. We're really looking forward to getting on with the next steps. Three new families are arriving tomorrow night and we may get a chance to meet them before we leave on Sunday. That's about it for now. Good night.

Scott's Cyclo and Driver

They really are quite comfortable. It's just a little unnerving weaving through traffic but it was fun. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone planning a trip to Ho Chi Minh City.

Thursday, July 19th

After another morning of lounging around the apartment, we did something pretty fun. At 1:00 we all went over to Sandy and Paul's place where they had arranged a Cyclo (pronounced SEE-klo) tour of the city for us. A cyclo is sort of a bicycle with a carrier in the front for one person. I will post a picture later. Each cyclo holds just one person (or one person and a baby). Scott and Dallas each had good cyclo drivers - very courteous and respectful. When it started to rain, there was a roof that they pulled over our heads and a sort-of curtain that hung over our feet and legs. We were each almost totally protected from the rain. Mary Beth wasn't so lucky. Her driver did pull up the cover but she and Max got wet because their lower half was sticking out.

Anyway, we rode through HCMC traffic on these open-air cyclos; pretty amazing but we felt pretty safe. Cars and scooters just drive around you. Some of the bigger members of our group felt bad for the small Vietnamese drivers having to haul them around but none complained. We rode for about 45 minutes and then arrived at the oldest pagoda in HCMC. It's around 300 years old. We went inside (just before the afternoon monsoon hit - perfect timing) and were able to witness a service that I believe was Buddhist. They let us take pictures which I wasn't all together comfortable doing but they really didn't seem to mind. Logan really liked riding in they cyclo but he got a little bit hot in the Baby Bjorn. When we got into the pagoda, we discovered that he needed changing so Dallas and I took him out into the vestibule area where we changed him on the blessed table. It wasn't really "blessed," we just thought that sounded funnier than saying the "table by the door." Just as we got the diaper off, Logan christened the blessed table with a little holy water of his own! OK, that's enough sacrilegious humor, promise. It really was a beautiful temple and we were very much welcomed by the people there.

The rain stopped and we left to return to the cyclos. On the way back to the apartments, we stopped at a lacquer shop. Vietnam is famous for its lacquerware and this shop made some very beautiful pieces. Of course, everything was for sale but Dallas and I didn't buy anything. We found most of the same things at the Ben Thanh market for MUCH less money (hey, we're on vacation but we're not stupid). This was the end of the line for the cyclos so we said goodbye and taxi'ed it back to the apartments.

We all went up to Jeff and Karen's apartment on the 17th floor for wine and cheese before dinner. It was nice to just sit around and talk in an informal environment. The group of families is really getting along great. We're really enjoying spending time with them. We've heard stories of other adoption groups in the past not getting along and we just can't imagine that. It's so nice to be able to share these experiences with others. We can't say enough nice things about these folks.

We all went and had Vietnamese food for dinner at a place downtown (I say "downtown" but really, the whole city seems like it's "downtown" - it's endless!). I had Pineapple Fried Rice and it was, indeed, fried rice served inside a pineapple. Very original and also very good. Dallas and Mary Beth both had some sort of cauliflower dish they enjoyed though we all struggled a bit with the chop sticks. Logan fell asleep at the restaurant and has been asleep pretty much ever since. We're back now and calling it a day. Not sure what's on the schedule for tomorrow but we'll post whatever we end up doing.

Good night.

Dallas and the Cyclo

You can also see what an entire cyclo, with driver and passenger, looks like in the background.

At the Alamo

The picture everyone is required to take in any "Texas Bar BQ" worth its salt.

Dallas and Logan at the Roadhouse

Hanging out together, having dinner and drinks

At Dinner

Just relaxing in his favorite borrowed, Vietnamese stroller. He loves to put his feet up.

Tu Du Hospital

Here are Scott and Logan at the hospital where Logan was born.

Wednesday, July 18th

We had a very good today. It started out fairly normal - Logan woke up around 2:30am and was a little hungry. He ate and then went back to sleep until around 6:00. We hung around the apartment and took a walk about mid-morning. The weather was actually bearable today; cloudy with a breeze and no rain. Then at 1:00pm all the families piled into a van and went to our offical government doctor visit. The hospital was pretty run down and there were people already waiting when we got there. But, as always, being the American rock stars that we are, we butted right ahead of them. They took us to an air-conditioned room (everyone else waited in plastic chairs outside in the heat) to wait for not very long. We paid our 800,000 Dong ($50 U.S.) and then they took us to another air-conditioned room to have the babies examined. It didn't amount to much of an examination. The doctor asked a few questions, listened the babies' breathing, gave them the once-over and that was pretty much it. No fuss no muss.

We were a bit afraid of how Logan was going to be after his performance at Immigration on Monday, but it turned out just fine. He was great! He laughed and smiled and totally turned on the charm the whole time we were there. I guess that talking-to I gave him on Monday evening worked afterall. :-) The trip couldn't have been smoother.

We got back from the doctor visit and decided to all go to dinner together. We went to a Texas Roadhouse! It's owned by a Vietamese-American woman who once lived in Texas. The food was very good and it was nice to have a little touch of food that we're used to. Logan continued his almost-perfect behavior at the restaurant. He actually let us eat our entire meal while he sat quietly in his stroller. The waitress took him and one of the other babies on a little stroll around the patio area and everyone ooh'ed and ah'ed over him. We capped off the night with a great taxi ride by an honest driver who actually didn't take the long way! On our way out of the cab, the driver said, "Lucky baby, good luck with baby." He got a nice tip.

It's now almost 8:00 and we're back at the apartment. We've got no more official meetings until next Monday afternoon in Hanoi. Our flight leaves HCMC for Hanoi on Sunday so we have 3 full days to do whatever we want here. We'll keep you posted.

Good night.

Logan in One of His Favorite Spots

You can't really tell in this picture, but he loves the bouncy seat!

Tuesday, July 17th

So, not too much to report today. You're probably noticing that we've been doing fewer activities as the days go on. I think there are a few reasons for that. One is that we've already done a lot of the touristy kind of stuff. Another is the fact that it's hard to go places with a baby. He gets bored very quickly and if he isn't moving or doing something while we're out, he gets fussy. Also, a big reason for not doing much outside is the heat. Or should I say the H-E-A-T!!! It's hotter here than you can possibly imagine. It's in the upper 90s everyday and the humidity has to be close to that range too. Add in all the scooters and the pollution they make and you've got one hot stew. There's just no way to properly describe how hot it is. And, just for the kicker, it rains everyday. Hard rain. Not all day but for an hour or so off and on everyday.

Scott picked up a cold from somewhere this week and today had a really bad sinus headache. We did a bit of shopping in the morning but Scott's headache was just getting worse so we came back and Dallas decided he'd take Logan to the pool. They got to the pool area and sat down on one of the white plastic chaise lounges. They weren't sitting long because the chair completely fell apart (down will come baby, chaise lounge and all). Dallas was holding Logan so no one was hurt but they were both startled. Logan didn't cry but he was obviously not himself after the incident. Dallas got him into the pool but Logan just wasn't interested. He barely splashed and just wasn't having fun so they came back inside. That's when we discovered that the fall had, literally, scared the poop out of Logan! No wonder he wasn't having fun in the pool!

The rest of the day was spent inside in the air conditioning watching old sitcoms and bad movies. We have HBO, ESPN and CNN here but they're not the versions we're used to. HBO shows only old movies, ESPN shows nothing but golf, soccer (aka football) and today, women's basktball (USA vs Austrailia I believe).

It's almost 8:00pm and Logan is now sleeping. We just can't keep him up at night. He's a morning person!! Tomorrow we're going to a state-run hospital for his official government check-up. We can't leave Ho Chi Minh City without having him pass his physical. Good news on the Dallas fingerprint issue - everything is OK. If everything goes well tomorrow, we'll be leaving for Hanoi on Saturday or Sunday and hopefully leaving for home a week from tomorrow. Keep those prayers and good thoughts coming!

Good night everyone.

Monday, July 16th

We had a good night last night, Logan slept the whole night through - well, his version of the whole night through (8:00pm - 5:00am). We had a minimal-activity morning; just went for a walk. At 11:30, Scott and Logan went to the US Immigration Office for an interview. Logan was great on the trip there and in the waiting room. Then, almost on cue, just as the lady called our names he started to cry. And cry. And cry some more. He cried through the entire interview which I'm sure made it shorter. Basically they just wanted to know if anything had changed from my homestudy and whether we had any troubles with the orphanage or the adoption agency. It took about 5 minutes. There was a slight problem in that they lost Dallas' fingerprint information, but hopefully that has been taken care of. We can't leave with him until they find it.

As soon as we left her office and were back in the waiting room, Logan stopped crying. He was cooing and giggling and just in a really good mood. It was kind of like he was very proud of himself.

Dallas used the free time to go back to the Ben Thanh Market for some more haggling. He found some items and squeezed some ladies for every penny he could. While he was there, a Vietnamese man came up to him and started talking to him. He told Dallas about his sister who lives in Atlanta and how nice it would be to have American friends (Americans are like rock stars here!). He put his phone number in his cell phone and wants Dallas to come and have dinner with his wife and kids. If you want to come to a place where they LOVE Americans, take a trip to Ho Chi Minh City.

After we got back to the apartment, Logan and Scott took a nap. We hung around the apartment the rest of the afternoon and then went to dinner with the group. We're back now and Logan just got a bath. Now he's sitting in his bouncy chair having a good time kicking (he's a big fan of kicking) by himself.

Some good news - Allison (one of the other children from our group) is back from the hospital. I'm sure her parents are very relieved. It looks like she's going to make a full recovery. Her parents are very nice people and we wish them the best.

So that was our day today. Talk to you tomorrow.

Dinner at the Rex Hotel

Sunday, July 15th

After an okay night on Friday, Logan woke up about three times last night and then at 4:00 AM we were all up and then we laid back down for another hour or so. Then we got up and played and had breakfast. We tried to give Logan some cereal (baby cereal) but he is still not interested at all, he becomes very fussy when I try to feed it to him. I swear that we are buying stock in Huggies, before 11:00 AM we had changed like six or seven of them, the cleaning people hate us!

We finally got ourselves together and decide to walk down to the Reunification Palace where the end of the Vietnam War occurred on April 30th, 1975. Scott wanted to get a picture of him in front of the Palace for his Pitt Alumni Magazine. We didn’t go into the Palace but we would like to maybe next week if we can. Scott was getting positioned in front of the gates to the palace when these young Vietnamese guys asked to be photographed with him in front of the gates. The young guy put his arm around Scott and held his thumbs up for what we thought was that he was happy to have his photo taken with an American. It was very cool to see that the Vietnamese still like Americans. I was able to get the photo of Scott in front of the Palace and then we became hungry.

I think that we are home sick now. We went to the Diamond Plaza which is an upscale mall in HCMC. It was packed with people, mostly young kids and teenagers, who by all looked very American. They had cell phones, Abercrombie & Fitch clothing and magazines. We had decided that we wanted to eat at Kentucky Fried Chicken, can you imagine? It had begun to rain while we were in KFC so we were glad that we had stopped in to get a bite. We had decided to do a little shopping at the grocery store in the mall; we needed more baby wipes and floss. While Scott was looking for wipes I had decided to look for floss. I asked a female clerk if they had floss and she was rather rude and said “No” and waved me away, I was a bit miffed. I told Scott I didn’t like this store and that we should go, besides we were out of Dong and would need to exchange more dollars later. I wanted to leave the mall. On our way home it began to downpour!! I hate getting wet. We were soaked, head to toe almost. Logan loved it and giggled with delight but Scott and I were not happy at all. We arrived at the Apartment and in the lounge were two of the other families. When they saw us they laughed out loud, we must have been a sight; Logan was still giggling, he loves water. We were exhausted, so we all napped until it was time to go to dinner.

We went to the Rex Hotel – a Ho Chi Minh City landmark. They have a rooftop restaurant but it was raining so hard that we couldn’t eat there. We went to their indoor restaurant instead. It was beautiful inside with a beamed ceiling and ornate wall decorations. Logan was pretty good most of the time. We had him in his stroller, which he loves and he only got a little fussy towards the end. He ended up falling asleep and slept until we got him back to the apartment. This ended a rainy, very low-key day. Tomorrow we have our meeting with US Immigration. Sleep is a necessity tonight…

New Favorite Picture

This picture was taken last night before we went to dinner. Logan was loving the T-shirt Catherine bought for him!

Dallas and Logan on the Canoe

Scott and Logan Before the Tour

Saturday, July 14

The day started this morning around 6:00am. The great news is that Logan slept the whole night. We were all able to get a whole night's sleep which made everyone feel better.

We packed up around 8:00 AM and got ready for our journey to the Mekong Delta. It took a little less than 2 hours to get there. We went with 2 of the other families in a big air-conditioned van which was pretty comfortable.

When we got there, we immediately went to our boat and headed off. The water was muddy and choppy. The picture is the view from out the front of our boat. It shows other boats that look exactly like the one we were in. It didn't take long to reach the island which was our destination. We were able to see how they collect honey from "friendly bees" and the many uses of coconut milk. We saw how they mix it with sugar and create candy. They served us delicious tea and some homemade whiskey in a small shot glass. We also had peanut candy and dried ginger. We left and followed a narrow pathway through a kind of jungle-like environment. There were little shops selling various items (like everywhere else in the Ho Chi Minh City area). Our next stop was a covered pavilion where they served us local fruit (pineapple, papaya, "jackfruit" and dragon fruit). There was a musical show which featured 1 male and 2 female vocalists and a quartet of musicians. Logan really seemed to like the music. After the show we were on way to our next stop.

They took us to some skinny, canoe-like boats. We piled into 2 of them. In each one, a Vietnamese driver sat in the front and one sat in the back. They paddled us through winding waterways thick with brush overhead. The waterway was very narrow and boats were passing each other in both directions very close together (kind of like the traffic in Ho Chi Minh City). Logan got very hot and started to get fussy so we took turns fanning him with those triangular hats you see all over Vietnam.

We arrived at our next destination and toured some of that island and then stopped for lunch. There were hammocks that the babies layed in. Logan fell fast asleep while our tour guide rocked him and sung to him while the rest of us had Elephant Ear Fish as the main course. They place the whole fish in a stand on your table and then servers remove the meat and make a spring roll for you. We also had pork spring rolls, fried sweet potatoes and fried pancake batter along with Mekong Delta rice which is supposed to be lighter than traditional rice. Dessert was watermelon.

By this time the kids (and their parents) were starting to get pretty hot and it was time to head back. We got back on the river boat and headed for the van. On the way back to the apartment, we did what can best be described as,

"Something We Never Imagined We'd be Doing"...

Changing a dirty diaper on a moving bus while traveling down Highway 1 outside Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. There are many parts to that previous sentence and each one is a different adventure. :-)

We had a good day. It's now 8:15 PM and Logan has been zonked out for about 2 hours already. I'm betting he's going to be up pretty early in the morning so it's time to wrap up this posting for today. We will put up a couple more picutres though because that's really what you want to see anyway!

Logan's first trip in his Baby Bjorn

This picture was taken a couple days ago but I forgot to post it. It was Logan's first trip in the Baby Bjorn. He loved it right away and normally falls asleep when Dallas takes him in it.

Ben Thanh Market

Here's a picture taken inside Ben Thanh Market. It doesn't do it real justice because normally there are wall to wall people to go along with all the vendors - but it still shows a sample of how close everything and everyone is to each other. This is a HUGE building filled with all kinds of things.

Day 5

Here is Scott and Logan getting ready to go to the store. We had breakfast and then most of the group headed over to the grocery store at the indoor mall. We cabbed it over and then walked back. We did a little shopping at one of the small stores on the way back. Everywhere we go, people stare and smile.

As you can see in the picture, Logan had his first visit to the pool after we got back to the apartment. He wasn't sure about it at first as the water was a bit colder than we thought it was going to be, but then he really started enjoying himself. He splashed around and had fun moving quickly through the water. It was great seeing that he's going to like going to the beach (well, at least to the pool). Maybe Aunt Becky can give us information on swimming lessons at the Y!

After all the excitement, we came back to the room and Logan crashed for about 2 hours. We got him up just before going to dinner with the group. We went to a place called "Lemongrass Cafe." Dinner was excellent! We all agreed that this was the best dinner we've had since being here. We all ate with chopsticks (even the steamed rice) and everyone actually got food into their mouths. Logan wasn't too happy about being out of the spotlight (where does he get that??) so he got a bit fussy. Dallas took him to the restroom for a changing and then Logan was better... until the overnight.

He went down for the night around 8:30 and we figured that judging by the past few nights, he'd be out til morning. Well he made it until 2:30 and then started crying. Or should I say CRYING! He did need a change and then he wanted a bottle. This is something we've learned - when he's hungry, it seems to come on all of a sudden and then it's an EMERGENCY that he RIGHT NOW! After eating he played for about 15 minutes or so and then went back to sleep. OK, nothing major right? Only about an hour of lost sleep. Until 4:10 when he woke up crying again (or, again, CRYING). After another partial bottle and some more playing, he went back to sleep until 6:30. It was the first night we've had like that and hopefully tonight will be better.

So that's about it for Day 5. Pretty low key and not a lot of sleeping.

Picasso Orphanage

This is the entrance to the Picasso Orphanage. Its official name is Thu Duc Youth Village and it was founded by Pablo Picasso's granddaughter. It seems much larger than Tam Binh (although, not really sure about that) and it's definitely more formal. From what the adoption agency has said though, the kids at Picasso get very good care. We're just happy to have him out of there, no matter how good they were to him (although we're very grateful that they took such good care of him).

Some folks at Picasso Orphanage

Here's a picture of the director, assistant directors, Miss Chi and a lady who must have been Logan's caregiver. He just loved her and she was both sad and happy to see him leave. She's the one on the left in brown.

Tam Binh Orphanage

This is the Tam Binh Orphanage. Two of the families in our group picked up their daughters here. It's also where Angelina came to pick up her son a couple months ago. There are newspaper articles about it posted everywhere. It seemed to be a friendly, less formal orphange than Picasso (where Logan was).

Logan's First Trip to the Pool

He wasn't sure about it at first but after he got used to the water, he REALLY loved it.

Day 4 Recap

Day 4 (Wednesday) was the first time we struggled with a cranky, fussy baby. He started out fine. He slept through the night, got up and took his bottle, got a bath and had some play time. We decided we were going to go to the Ben Thanh Market with a couple of the other families.

Ben Thanh Market is this amazing, sort of flea market with row after row after row of people selling anything you can think of. There are T-shirts, shoes, hats, sunglasses, meat, veggies, dried fish, etc etc etc. Every step of the way you are bombarded by "Sir, buy this shirt!" "Sir, buy this. You need this!" "Sir, how much you pay? You love this!" There are two different kinds of vendors - fixed price and not-fixed price. Let me tell you that you had better have your negotiation skills honed because the people working the non-fixed price booths are TOUGH. Dallas did a pretty good job squeezing one older lady on an "Abercrombie and Fitch" collared shirt. He ended up getting it for about $6 and she wasn't happy about it... or at least that's how she acted. She probably paid 50 cents for it. We bought some other shirts, including two "Hard Rock Cafe Saigon" T-shirts. The funny thing about them? There's no Hard Rock Cafe in Saigon! At least not an official one.

Everywhere we went, people (mostly the women) would come up to Logan and rub his legs, ask his name, smile and just basically talk endlessly. Most know some English and you kind of just smile and say "Yes, yes" and hope you get out of there in a reasonable amount of time. They all mean well, it's just a little disconcerting having all those people touching your child. It's a custom here though so you kind of just go with it. I don't know many parents in the U.S. who would go for it.

Anyway, on the taxi ride to the market, Logan was a little cranky but nothing too major. We should've known something was wrong because he usually likes car trips. Walking around the neighborhood and through the market he would be OK, then fussy, then OK, then cranky. This went on for the 2 hours we were out. By the time we got back to the apartment, he just got fussier as the hours went on. He wasn't hungry, sleepy, dirty... he was just cranky and noisy. It wasn't until later in the evening that we found out what the problem was... the dreaded G-A-S! After he, um, released it he was fine. I think this was a big lesson learned.

Here's the bigger news... the agency gave us paperwork on Logan's beginnings. We have information on his mother and a bit of her circumstances. She was 21 when she had him and she abandoned him at the hospital where he was born. In Vietnam, everyone knows that the government will place abandoned children in orphanages with no questions asked so she knew he'd be taken care of. I hope you'll understand that this is all the information that we're going to share right now. It's important that Logan decide for himself how he wants to handle it someday. It's also important that he learn the information before all of the people in his life do. I think he'll appreciate it someday.

Otherwise, I (Scott) just had some paperwork to fill out at a meeting with all the other families and we pretty much called it a day. Dinner was uneventful at the Cafe in the lobby (other than the waiter, waitress and manager all coming over and spending a lot of time with Logan and asking a lot of questions). It's all just a day in the life in Vietnam.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Play time before napping

A little play time...

First Bath

Here's a picture of Logan getting his first bath in the sink.

Already loving the coffee shop

Here's a picture of Logan at a coffee shop outside the Ben Thanh Market. It was a rare smiley moment for him yesterday. He was cranky most of the day but by evening he was back to his old, happy self.

Tuesday Night Dinner

by Dallas...

I am sitting here right now at 5:00 PM on wed….. Last night we met Sandy, Paul & family and the other three families for dinner. We had decided that we were going to try out the stroller with Logan. We had been using the Bjorn all this time….it’s been me mostly with the Bjorn…..I am selfish like that, I just like having him close to me. Anyway, all seemed fine until we got to the restaurant. The restaurant was in a busy part of town and we had decided to take taxicabs just in case it would rain (it rains every day). The ride was crazy just like everyday here but we arrived safely (there are no child restraint systems in any of the taxicabs). We had reservations and went up to the third floor of this restaurant, it reminded me of a restaurant in little Italy in New York. We had a bunch of tables pushed together and I had decided to take the end so that we would have room for the stroller. I put Logan into the stroller, he didn’t seemed all that impressed but wiggled around a little and I thought he was fine….well he wasn’t. I was able to order but not eat my dinner.

I guess this was the pay back we were getting for having a very good night last night. Logan did not want to be in the stroller nor did he want me to eat that evening. I felt helpless walking around trying to calm him and smile at the other people in the restaurant. NOW!! I know how it feels to have people staring at you and threatening to call the authorities on you like you’re pinching your child or abusing them some how. Just so you know Logan wasn’t the only child acting up; Max, the other boy, decided to eat the paper table cloth…..

We came back to the apartment after a fairly uneventful taxi ride back. We finally got Logan all settled in his crib around 8:00 PM. We crashed at 9:00 PM – we were exhausted!!

Day 3 - Free Day

Today is Tuesday, July 10th. Logan had an OK night last night. He fell asleep around 6:00pm, then woke up around 7:30. He had part of a bottle of formula then just couldn't keep his eyes open and we put him in his crib. Everything was fine until 2:00am. Logan woke up and wasn't happy. He wasn't screaming but he was crying and wouldn't stop. He wanted to be picked up and held. The orphanage had given us a little biography on him yesterday and in it they mentioned that he likes to be held. That's an understatement! So, Dallas picked him up and walked around with him for a while. He ended up falling asleep around 3:30 and then slept until around 8:00. He would've slept longer but we wanted to get him up and try to get him on some sort of schedule. He was REALLY hungry when he woke up and quickly downed almost a whole bottle of formula.

We're finding that he's very, um, regular. For the record, Scott changed TWO diapers today (both very messy and not fragrant) and did just fine. For all of you who thought I couldn't/wouldn't do it - you were wrong, just like I said you were. It's not fun but it's manage-able. The other parents are all reporting constipation issues, but not Logan. So far he's doing just fine in that department. For all you non-parents reading this, I apologize. I know poop stories are not what you're looking for.

We went shopping this morning with the group of families. We kind of got a little lost but ended up finding our way. They had a pretty nice grocery store. It's of course not as huge as our Robinson Giant Eagle but it had more than enough of what we needed, especially formula. So far we haven't given Logan anything but formula and he seems fine. The pediatrician in Pittsburgh told us that if he wasn't already on it when we got here, we should just not introduce food to him until he's in the U.S. A very good thing is that he's totally comfortable drinking the formula at room temperature. I just mix it up and he takes it.

We ate lunch at Highlands Coffee. It's Vietnam's version of Starbucks - they're everywhere. Both the food and the drinks were very good. We're kind of relaxing at the apartment now. We're going to meet the group for dinner at 6:00. The other families that are here with us couldn't be better. They're each fun and just very good people. It's nice to have others going through the same things to be there to support each other. I've enjoyed spending time with all of them.

One final quick note. Dallas has tried using the combination washer/dryer in the apartment. Not sure how it's going to turn out but we'll put in a report tomorrow. As you can see, today was a very low-key day. It was exactly what we needed after the hectic day yesterday. Until tomorrow...

This is Dallas and Logan on the ride back from the orphanage.

Scott and Logan at the G&R Ceremony

Day 2 - Gotcha Day (cont.)

Just to continue with what we did yesterday. After we got back from the orphange, we came to the room for a while. Around 2:00 we left to go to the Giving and Receiving Ceremony. This is where the orphanage gives up custody of him and we, well, receive it. The name is far more official sounding than the actual process. Basically, you sign about 6 pieces of paper, all written in Vietnamese. Then they take your picture with the group of officials and send you on your way. It took all of maybe 5 minutes.

After the G&R, it was back to the apartment for Dallas, the Moms and the babies while the rest of the Dads and I went to apply for the kids' passports. They'll all receive Vietnamese passports written with their Vietamese names. We walked into a big room that looks very similar to the DMV back home. There were people everywhere applying for passports, visas, etc. We learned at this time what a luxury it is to be an American in Vietnam. The four of us, along with Miss Chi and Sandy waltzed to the front of the line and were processed almost immediately. The people sitting in the chairs kind of just looked at us but no one said anything. Sandy told us it happens all the time here. So, at any rate, we're supposed to go back on Friday to pick them up.

We then returned to the apartment and waited for the doctor to come and have a look at Logan. It's an optional $30 American to have a local doctor examine your baby - small price to pay! You might notice in the pictures that there's a little rash under his right eye. The doc said it's eczema and gave us a prescription. He also had some mosquito bites (the orphanage has no a/c and had the windows open all the time) that he had scratched and a few other little rashy-kind of bumps. The doc told us to put the scabies lotion on him, just as a precaution. So we did that without incident. Logan also has a little case of the sniffles (his lungs are apparently clear) but he sometimes has trouble breathing through his nose and coughs a bit. We have some other medicine for that but it's oral and he doesn't seem to like the "kid friendly cherry taste" AT ALL. So, all in all, it seems like he's a pretty healthy kid. He's definitely sturdy and his legs are really strong. He's a big-time kicker. I don't mean the place-kicking kind, I mean the martial arts kind.

After all of this, we were pretty exhausted and just stayed in the rest of the night. I watched Independence Day while Dallas wrote his blog and Logan slept. A nice ending to a really busy, overwhelmingly exhausting, exhilerating, day.

Day 2 - Gotcha Day

Written by Dallas...
Today is July 9th and I can’t even explain my joy. It started today at 8:15 AM we were to be downstairs to meet Sandy and Ms.Chi to go to the orphanage to get Logan. We had no idea if we would be the first group or if it would be the others. Ms Chi was late so we had to all stand around and visit (we were all way too nervous and excited to sit). Finally Ms Chi arrived and we were split into two different taxi cabs. We were in one cab with Ms Chi and the rest of the families were with Sandy in the other cab. Our fist stop would be the Tam Binh orphanage (Logan was not at this one - he was at Picasso Orphanage).

It was quite a site going in a cab through the streets of Ho Chi Minh City; there are so many people on scooters. The traffic was unbelievable, it’s too hard to explain it but it’s best to say its like ants going into their ant hill, every which way. We finally arrive at the Tam Binh Orphanage (by the way this is the one that Angelina adopted from) and we all pile out into the little conference room in the orphanage. The two families with us are Mike & Monique and Jeff & Karen; they were both getting little girls. It was so exciting to see and feel the excitement with these families. Then they brought in the babies, it was so amazing!! Now we are even more excited to get Logan. It was a very short little ceremony of sorts and then the families were going back to the apartments. Our facilitator was going with them so we would be on our own with Ms Chi.

It seemed like forever for us to get to the Picasso Orphanage; we were winding through crowded side streets, packed highways and dirt roads. (When I say the roads are packed, I really mean it) Finally we hear the horn honk and we are at the gate to Picasso, I can feel the emotions starting to build. We get out of the car and take some pictures then we are led into this little board room. We are introduced to the people that run the orphanage but I couldn’t tell you their names. We are taking some pictures, drinking some tea with the director people and then Logan arrives. I can’t even tell you how it felt, it was so like I was going to pass out yet so wonderful. Scott has Logan in his arms and he is more handsome than any of his pictures ever revealed about him. He does look a little confused and grumpy but this only lasts for a few minutes. We do the ceremony and back into the cab, the ride back seemed shorter than the ride to. I am still in total amazement at how beautiful this little guy is and how I feel so bonded with him already, it’s really weird. He smells good and his skin is so soft. He wants to play a little bit and he finally smiles at us, my heart melts even more, by the end of the ride he knows he has us wrapped around his fingers. He falls asleep for the rest of the ride.

Back at the apartment we have the opportunity to change our first diaper. We waited a while because we were just in amazement that this was our son, plus the fact that neither one of us had ever changed a diaper. It turns out that it wasn’t so bad after all, just messy!!! The funny part was that we didn’t know how to put the diaper on him, they seemed a bit big. It all worked out, Logan was ready to play and we are now a family…WOW.

Day 1 Re-cap

We slept pretty well after we arrived at the apartment and got settled. We went downstairs to Cafe Ciau (sp?) and had breakfast. We both ordered an "American" breakfast. Mine was bacon and eggs and, like, a half loaf of french bread. Dallas ordered his with sausage instead of bacon. The waiter asked what kind of sausage (in his version of English). We didn't know how to answer so Dallas kind of just said, "Yes" and the waiter went away. What arrived was a hotdog! All was well because Dallas reports that the hotdog/sausage was good. We also had a version of orange juice that was tasty but warm. It was served in a festive champagne style flute though, so how can you complain? We're starting to get better with the currency conversion although we still use a calculator for the big math.

We met the group of other adoptive families and Sandy and Paul (Adoptions from the Heart facilitators) and their FOUR kids around 11:30. As of yesterday there were two other families with us (Monique and Michael from Reading, PA and Marybeth and Mark from Connecticut). We're still waiting on Karen and her husband Jeff from Chicago; they were scheduled to arrive last night. I think it would be hard to get up and pick up your new child after only a few hours sleep after a 26 hour trip. More power to them.

Sandy and Paul and the kids were great. They took us on a walking tour of the city - at least within in 10-15 block area. The thing that stands out the most about the city, aside from the oppressive heat, is the traffic. There are scooters with as many as 3 or 4 people on each one EVERYWHERE. Thousands of them, going in every direction along with busses, taxis and the occasional car. There are really no traffic laws to speak of so everything just kind of flows. When crossing the street as a pedestrian, you just walk off the curb and go. Magically, the scooters go around you. Everyone is constantly blowing their horns (which in Ho Chi Minh City, if you blow your horn, it's license to drive in any direction on any street at any time). It was truly amazing to be a part of that system. If you've driven in Boston or New Jersey, it's similar. :-) Just kidding, the Vietnamese drivers would eat the Americans for lunch.

We ate lunch at the New World Hotel which is where President Bush and his entourage stayed when they were here. They had a really interesting buffet, to say the least.

There are tiny shops on every street. Dallas bought a Polo (or "Polo") shirt on the street for $5 American. We learned about a half-block away that he could have gotten it for $3 at another shop. I think I'm being too generous when I use the word, "shop." They're very small and VERY full of merchandise. We also got a quick tour of the famous Ben Thanh Market. You'll just have to see the pictures to believe this place. Picture a flea market with endless rows of people selling absolutely anything you can think of.

A couple notes about our apartment... the shower curtain isn't big enough to go completely around the tub. The water pressure is amazing! It could knock you down. The shower is handheld so you have to be careful that you don't spray down the entire room. Also, the drain is S-L-O-W so you have to be quick or you'll fill the tub. We have lots of tv channels from all over the world and plenty of American ones (we have "Friends" on right now).

So, that's about it for Day 1. It's been a great trip so far. We really did enjoy our first whole day in Vietnam.

We're starting Day 2 now. We're leaving in 30 minutes to go to the orphanage to get Logan! We miss you all and can't wait to bring our boy home for you to meet. Talk soon.

we're here

Hello everyone,
We just got to the hotel (apartment really). We left at 10:00am on Friday and arrived at 2:00pm Eastern time on Saturday. It's a little after 1:00am Sunday morning here now. It was a really nice trip; will update more later. Just wanted to let you know that we made the long journey successfully.

NEW travel dates!

So I got a call this morning from the agency telling me to hold off on making travel plans. They messed up and we're actually going to be traveling TWO WEEKS EARLY! We're now planning on leaving the US on July 6th and returning sometime around July 28th.

Stay tuned!

Travel dates!!

Got the email today from the adoption agency. We'll be officially picking up Logan on July 23rd in Ho Chi Minh City! We'll probably be leaving on July 20th. It'll take about 25 hours to get there. Hopefully we'll get in Saturday night and then have all of Sunday to kind of get rested up for the big day. It's almost here!!

We got a little bit of bad news today. The agency is expecting that we're going to be waiting until at least the end of June before we hear anything about traveling. :-( They said that Vietnam is backed up. Very disappointing.

On the bright side, they did give us a new picture of him. It was taken last Friday (5/18). I may be biased but I think he's BEAUTIFUL!

newest picture

name translation

I checked out the Yahoo! Group for people adopting from Vietnam (a great resource really) and found a link to a site that shows the English translation of Vietnamese names. Our little guy's name (right now) is Huy, pronounced "WEE". It means "sending light out, brightness." Thought that was pretty nice.

Still no call but little things like this keep us going. Hoping for news soon.

Still Waiting

Today still no phone call, we hope that it'll come tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed.

Latest Picture - Logan Age 4 months

Still waiting

I just found out about this website from Michele K. Michele and her husband received their referral right around the same time that Dallas and I did - the difference now is that Michele has her plans for traveling to Vietnam to get her son and we're still waiting! I wish Michele and her husband all the best but I'm totally jealous!

Anyway, now we'll have a place to write our thoughts and feelings about all this and let you all share in it.

As soon as we figure out how to do everything, we'll post more, including pictures. Thank you all for the support so far and keep the good thoughts coming. We need 'em!