Greetings from Hanoi, Vietnam!

"The more people have studied different methods of bringing up children the more they have come to the conclusion that what good mother and fathers instinctively feel like doing for their babies is the best after all."
- Benjamin Spock

Sorry for the day without a posting…We know you all our watching for more info and pictures…But we had a crazy and tiring day yesterday…..and a hectic morning today….

Greetings from Hanoi, Vietnam…Yes, yesterday we left Ho Chi Minh City and flew to Hanoi…Little Anthony did well on the plane considering he is a 16 month old toddler…He was actually very good, as long as he kept eating cheerios and his zwieback cookies. He was ornery, but so were we…The flight was only about an hour and half, we will see how it goes when we come home (which will take 24 hours of traveling).

So, how is it going! Still good….99% of the time he is toddler who is happy, lovable, laughing, playing, being mischievous, and everything else you would expect from a 16 month old baby. However, little Anthony has started the grieving / transition process that many adopted children go through…We were prepared for that… Monday night (night #1) he went from friendly, playful little man to a paniced, freeked out baby…He was tired, and in a strange place, and was not sure what to do…he fought sleeping but eventually cried himself to sleep with mommy and daddy… Just put yourself in his shoes (or sandals in this case), your 16 months old, these two strange white people who smell, look, talk, and act different…take you away from everything that is comfortable and normal to you..bring you to a hotel, take you on a plane, keep prodding, poking, and jamming food in your face…What would you do?

Basically, he is trying to figure if he should trust us…He has at this time decided to trust Daddy and latch on to him…Which can be common with children who were in foster care (some research points to the fact that the child has a strong bond with the foster mother, so latches to the adoptive father first as to not abandon that bond). So mommy and baby are working on that relationship…He will play with mommy, let her feed him (to a point, he is somewhat of an independent eater). Mommy is also trying to do some of the fun stuff, etc., etc…and use some other suggested bonding/comforting techniques…He also is pretty good with mommy on the go in the ergo (baby carrier)…But in times when he is upset, or tired, or whatever…he runs for daddy. Daddy must also be in his eye site…So we have to play some games so daddy can take a shower and go to the bathroom. This has been difficult for mommy since she wants to be a mommy and help him, but sometimes he wants only daddy…We will get through it, but it can be difficult for all three of us….The problems are usually only at night, at bedtime, when he has to relax, and does not know what to do in this new, strange situation he is in…So considering that he has only known us for about 48 hours, he is eating, pooping, peeing, napping, sleeping through the night (last night from 9PM until 7AM this morning), playing, taking baths, emotionally okay (99% of the time) and at least bonding well with one of us is a good sign…and not a cause for panic.

Oh by the way he is teething!!!! So that adds to the mix…He has 4 teeth breaking through at the same time!!! So that is not fun for him…so we give him baby orajel and baby Tylenol when it seems to be bothering him…

Today (WED) we applied for his passport and had his visa medical exam…We will have his passport within a week. We had his medical exam at the international medical clinic and he got a clean bill of health, no problems!! He actually cooperated with the nurses and doctors, he was an angel both in the passport office and with the doctor’s visit…

He is very active toddler, loves to play with all of his new toys, explore the hotel room, hotel lobby, etc…He walks good, although not completely steady, does a good job…He is a climber…he climbs on to the bed, into the tub, onto chairs, etc…He also is very inquisitive…he likes to play with caps, buttons, any thing he can manipulate…He will spend an hour…taking caps off and on bottles, opening cabinets, arranging his blocks, etc., etc…In our un-biased, objective, opinion he is one of the most clever children we have ever met!

He will eat anything…he loves (a lot) cheerios…He will eat them all the time if we let him…He loves to eat fruit, yogurt, and does not reject any food we give him. This morning for breakfast he some pancakes, fruit, juice,…He loves to eat, so he is going to fit into our families really well!!
We will comment later in a future post, since we know everyone wants to here about the baby…But Vietnam is a great place with very friendly, hard working people…it has been a great experience so far…now that we have nothing official to do for a while, we will be exploring more…

Now for some pictures….We will work on posting some videos later tonight or tomorrow..they are more of a technical project…and we need to take some time to do some laundry while little Anthony is taking a nap…Stay tuned for more from Vietnam…

"Okay I am ready to go home!"


Playing with his cheerios container in the Ho Chi Minh City Airport.


Taking a nap on the plane...


Having fun on the plane with mommy.


"Ain't I cute!"


Playing hide and seek.


Nap time with daddy.