Cookie is in Vietnam!

One year ago today!

2008-10-02T22:27:00.015-04:00

October 2, 2007 - the day we first met and fell in love with the 4 1/2 month old baby girl named Nguyen Thi Lai, now known as Emelia Anne Lai - our daughter, Jimmy's little baby sister. We cannot believe it's 1 year ago already although sometimes it seems like a lifetime ago. It feels like we have always had Emelia in our lives, just like it feels like we have always had Jimmy in our lives. We are so lucky to have Emelia in our family. She is a perfect fit for us. How God could have picked such a perfect baby for us - only he knows.

A few of you (you know who you are) asked me to update the blog. It is very time consuming and so that's why I haven't done it, but I thought it was worth doing it now. It is also much easier than emailing everyone with pictures or videos.

Emelia has grown into a very happy and bright baby. She has always been happy since the day we met her. She has also been a very easy baby. She eats well, sleeps great - 12 hours every night with at least a 2-4 hour nap every day. We tell her it's time for sleepies or a nap and we just bring her up to her crib, put her in and walk out of the room and she goes to sleep. That's easy!

Emelia is very determined and independent as well. She feeds herself most of the time and has been for a while now. She is such a smart little 16 month old. We can't believe how smart she is.

Emelia is now officially Emelia Anne Lai too! We received her U.S. passport and she is ready to go to Ireland on 12/26 for the first time.

We keep in touch with our Vietnam travel mates by email and exchange pictures and stories. I love that we keep in touch. I think it's a very special relationship that will be very important for all our girls when they are older.

Below are recent pictures and video of Emelia.

Here's video of Emelia and Jimmy

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Here is a video montage of Emelia dancing at a Christening we went to in August. She didn't get off the dance floor all night. It was so funny.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We have been thinking about Vietnam so much lately. We all cannot wait to go back. We went for Vietnamese to celebrate our one year adoption anniversary. It was delicious!

Referral and updated pictures

2008-04-11T09:01:00.015-04:00

When we first received our referral on 7/5/07, we were told not to post her pictures on our blog. So I am posting them now so that they will be a part of this blog. I plan on printing it out.

This pictures was taken on 5/29/07, at Emelia's medical. The below pictures were taken on 7/1/07, days before our referral.

These next pictures were taken by a fellow adopting mother who was able to take pictures of Emelia for us when she was picking up her daughter on 7/11/07.

This picture includes one of her caretakers.

This was an updated picture of Emelia sent to us on 9/7/07.

Scroll down for updated pictures and video. I'm not sure why it's posting so far down the page.

You can see how much Emelia has changed since the above pictures were taken. She is almost 11 months old and is such a joy.

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Belated Happy St. Patrick's Day, Happy Easter

2008-03-25T09:32:00.007-04:00

I haven't posted in a while. Don't know if anyone even checks the blog anymore. Emelia is getting so big. She is so funny and smart! She knows where her belly is, she says ruh ruh when you ask her what a doggies says, she waves bye bye, she's crawling like crazy and pulls herself up easily. She is still a very happy girl too. Jimmy is still crazy about her and she is about him. She follows him around a lot, but also will play by herself too.

Poor baby had an ear infection in both ears and she never even complained. Our daycare was very aware that she was not herself and suggested we take her to the doctor and that's how we found out. We have a great daycare, don't we? By the way, her ear infections are all clear now.

So here are a few pictures of Emelia. By the way, she's almost 11 months old!

Note the t-shirt.

These are from Easter Sunday.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year

2007-12-18T10:01:00.000-05:00

Here are some random pictures from Christmas. Note the gorgeous outfit that Emelia is wearing! She looked adorable!

Emelia is clapping hands now and she is so proud of herself.

This was her Christmas Eve outfit. It also was adorable.

We had brunch with Santa Claus a few weeks ago. Jimmy loved having so much one-on-one time with Santa. He kept thinking of questions for him and he'd just go over and ask whatever it was he thought of. Santa said he won the prize for most questions and the best questions! Too funny!

This was the best of the pictures that I took of Jimmy and Emelia on Santa's lap. Miss Emelia was not too happy, but Jimmy sure was!

Emelia's Christening

2007-11-28T16:43:00.001-05:00

Emelia's Christening was on Sunday, 11/25. Ray's mother, sister and husband came from Ireland. It was the first time Ray's mother came to visit. Emelia is her 50th grandchild and so she thought that was a great reason to come. They were here for Thanksgiving too. Ray's sister, Margaret, is her Godmother and my brother, Stephen, is her Godfather. We had a family party in a restaurant near our house and everything was great. The food was delicious. It was a really nice day.

Emelia is sleeping through the night all the time now. She's is eating very well, she has 2 teeth. She has her 2nd pediatrician's appointment on Tuesday, 12/4. I start back at work next Wednesday. I can't even believe it. My time at home has gone so fast.

A few people asked me to post pictures from the Christening, so here they are.
Father Jude presenting Emelia Anne Lai for the first time!
Pictured below is my father, Ray's mother, the 4 of us, and the Godparents - Ray's sister and my brother.

Six months old

2007-11-15T21:59:00.000-05:00

Emelia is now 6 months old. She is doing great. She cut her first tooth on 11/9/07. We were all very excited! She is eating cereal now and she's tried peas too.

Emelia sometimes sleeps all night long. When we do have to get up with her, she is not looking for a bottle. She just needs some comfort and then goes back to sleep.

She has such a little personality now too. She is talking so much more. It's adorable.

She has also started daycare, sort of. I have taken her there 2 different days for 2 hours and she did great. I wanted to introduce her slowly so that she is okay with it by the time I go back to work. So far, so good.

Here she is trying cereal for the first time.The different faces of Emelia eating.

She curls up her nose now when she smiles and it is just the cutest thing. Just look for yourself.
Jimmy is just the best big brother. He helps with her a lot. He looks forward to seeing her all the time. He has adjusted so well.

One month anniversary

2007-11-05T21:15:00.001-05:00

On November 2nd, it was one month since we received Emelia. We can't believe how the time has flown by. It's 11 days since Emelia and I got home. I am just about over the jet lag. Emelia is almost there. She is not getting up for a bottle during the night, but she is waking up and when we get her, she just goes back to sleep. We're not sure what it's all about, but when we do get up, at least it's not for long.

Emelia has a cold again and is a bit congested. Her first appointment with the pediatrician is on Wednesday. The last week in Hanoi I started coughing and on Thursday I finally went to the doctor and he told me I had a sinus infection. I just finished the Zithromax today and am finally feeling better.

Here are a few pictures since we got back.

Emelia loves the bath
Her first trick or treating.
Jimmy reading to Emelia. She loves books and she especially loves Jimmy reading to her.

Adjusting after a few days

2007-10-30T09:45:00.001-04:00

I'm not sure if anyone is checking the blog any more since we are back, but I thought I'd update it just in case.

We (Emelia and I) are still jet lagged. We are trying to switch over her days/nights. It's been a little hard, but she's getting better. She's still a happy girl!

Some pictures from my last day in Hanoi.

Emelia and Sadie - both were "Worth the Wait" as noted on their t-shirts.

Miss Em and Mom on our last day in HanoiWaking up in the bassinet on the airplane.
Here is a video of her waking up in the bassinet. She was so cute, because she kept popping her head up.

Emelia and her Pop.
Jimmy continues to be a great big brother.

Dressed up for the halloween parade - a Ninja and a Ladybug.

We are home!

2007-10-25T19:54:00.000-04:00

Emelia and I arrived safely and on time this morning. Emelia was great on the plane. She slept for a total of about 14 or so hours. The guy next to me said she's "a great baby." (I know that, thank you very much sir!) He was very impressed with her. I didn't sleep too much. I was able to lay down a little, as the plane wasn't crowded. Ray, my father and Anne met us at the airport. Emelia did NOT like the car seat. It was the first time she was restrained in a car seat. We had to take her out on the way to my father's house. On our way to my house we had to let her cry it out. We felt bad, but she has to get used to the seat. We're in America now, not Vietnam! I can't have her on my lap when I'm driving!

We were met at the house by Natalie, Marty & Rita on the porch. They had balloons on our mailbox. It was a really nice welcome home. Thanks! My father came up this afternoon to help too. Emelia fell asleep on him tonight. I slept a little this afternoon and so did Emelia. Jimmy and his friend Sean came running home off the bus to greet her. She was asleep so they had to wait just a little bit until she woke up. Rita brought her kids over as well. All this time was I sleeping, so I missed it all. Anyway, all the kids agreed that she's the cutest baby! So there, that's it, you didn't hear it from me!

My last night

2007-10-23T09:24:00.000-04:00

This is my last night in Vietnam. It feels a little weird that it's finally over. I will be glad to get home. I received Emelia's passport and US Visa today and all sorts of papers on the adoption. I had not received any papers before that. It was a little strange taking her places when we didn't have a single piece of paper to prove she was ours. It feels good to have it all now.

We went shopping again today. My back is killing me. I walked with her in the carrier for about 3 hours again. Two days in a row now and I am feeling it. We also relaxed by the pool for a while. It was really hot today, but not much sun. Miss Emelia didn't sleep enough today and so now she is asleep since about 6:30 pm and so I'll probably be up at 3:00 am with her. Oh well. She did the same thing last night - went to bed around 7:30 and then I was up with her at 4 am, but she went right back to sleep until about 7:30.

The many happy faces of Miss Emelia

Those could be the last pictures I post. And here is probably the last video.

Good night, from Vietnam!

Two more nights

2007-10-22T10:23:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately, I could not get on tomorrow's flight. It is full on the Hanoi to Bangkok flight. I am confirmed on Wednesday's flight. So at least now I know for sure and there is no more wondering. We will finally be home on Thursday morning.

I had the 2nd "interview" today. It's not an interview at all. I paid the visa fee and then waited to be called and just looked over some paperwork and signed it. That was it, but it took 2 hours! There were 5 families ahead of us on what was I think their 1st interviews. So, that took time. After that I had to go to Thai Air to confirm my flights.

How much does Jimmy love his sister? This much!

Emelia is probably not having as much fun since her daddy and brother were here, as you can tell from these videos.

They're home

2007-10-21T10:25:00.002-04:00

Ray and Jimmy arrived safely at home this morning (some of you may already know this).

Emelia and I had a nice first day alone. She slept most of the morning actually. We didn't get out until the afternoon. I went looking at jewelry - there is so much it is a little overwhelming. Especially since this is the first day I really looked at any jewelry. I did see something nice I may go back for tomorrow or Tuesday. I also want to look downstairs in the hotel to see what they have. I walked for about 3 hours with Emelia in the baby bjorn carrier. Those things are great, but my back was bothering me after that.

Emelia and I went to Little Hanoi for lunch. I met another Irish couple - this one happened to be from Tipperary. Of course as soon as Ray leaves I meet someone from Tipperary - Nenagh. There were 5 families from Ireland in our hotel when we first arrived and another 9 arrived last week. All adopting. After that I went by the pool and just read some magazines while Emelia napped. I ordered room service for dinner. It's so easy and it only cost $10.

Tomorrow morning I have to go to Thai Airways to see if I can get on the Tuesday night flight. I have my appointment at the US Embassy at 1:30 pm. Since Ray left prior to this interview, he had to give me power of attorney, which we actually took care of at the 1st interview.

For those of you who may be coming to Hanoi soon - we highly recommend Thai Air. The service was great, leg room is great. We have no complaints. The flight here did not feel like it was 16 hours and I never thought I would say that. Now the flight home is a different story - with a baby it could actually feel like 40 hours!

We also recommend the Somerset Grand Hotel. This place is great. We had a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a kitchen and washer/dryer, pool, gym. We always felt at home here, which I nice when you have a baby. We were always very comfortable. Jaspa's restaurant has very good food and they are the restaurant that delivers to the rooms. Downstairs in the mall there is a Citimart (small supermarket) that has food, diapers, wipes, formula. We recommend it highly.

Anyway, I didn't take any pictures today! That's because I didn't have my helpers with me!

Here are 2 videos of Emelia from tonight. The 2nd one might not come up right away, but it will eventually.

Flights

2007-10-20T23:27:00.000-04:00

Ray and Jimmy are now on the plane about 10 hours with 7 1/2 hours to go! They will arrive JFK at 7:10 am on Sunday morning.

I hope to find out tomorrow when I will be leaving. I am on the priority wait list for Tuesday and confirmed for Wednesday. If I cannot get on the Tuesday flight, I will definitely leave on Wednesday. The problem is with the Hanoi to Bangkok flight - it's full. The fact that Jimmy and Ray left yesterday, gives me a better chance of getting on the Tuesday flight, because I'm only 1 person instead of 3 of us trying to get on that flight. So, even though I didn't want them to go and they didn't want to go, it was the best thing for all of us. I will go the Thai Air office tomorrow morning first thing to check on it.

Emelia did great again last night - she sleeps all night. I hope that continues at home! She woke up this morning around 7:15 and had her bottle and was back asleep about 8:30. It is now almost 11:00 and she is starting to wake up. I've been organizing myself a bit here to get ready to leave. Ray and Jimmy took all the stuff home that we bought, so I don't have to worry about all of that. It's just my stuff and the baby's stuff I have to worry about and anything I might buy over the next few days!

Friday & Saturday

2007-10-20T08:04:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we received the good news. We had a celebration dinner with the 5 other families who also received the good news. We were all so relieved. We had dinner in our favorite restaurant - Le Cyclo. They have such delicious food - Vietnamese & French. And it was so cheap - anytime we went there it was never more than $50 (including drinks). This was our 4th time there. It was everyone else's 1st time. They all seemed to like it too.

Jimmy and Ray's last day in Hanoi

We had a great time while in Vietnam. We really enjoyed every day. A lot of families adopting that we have met here - and we met A LOT - really just concentrate on how fast they can get home instead of enjoying themselves. We really made a point of enjoying ourselves while we were here and we are so glad we did. We loved Vietnam and we will miss it.

Now I have a few days on my own. I plan on looking at some jewelry to buy for Emelia and give to her when she is older. I am going to look at some pearls and jade, both of which are very popular here and not expensive. I haven't looked yet, so I'll let you all know if I get any bargains. We found an embroidery shop today which had beautiful little summer dresses for $10. I didn't buy anything today but I am going there tomorrow. We at lunch at another restaurant that we liked a lot - Little Hanoi. Very good food, very cheap.

Emelia and I took a cyclo ride, while Jimmy and Ray took ...
A motorbike ride
We finally gave in to Jimmy. This was actually his 3rd motorbike ride. Thursday night Ray went with him, Friday night I went with him; and Ray went with him again today. It was a lot of fun and I'm sorry I didn't go more than once. After all, it only cost $1.
Last day in the pool
She's a happy girl.
We really took advantage of the pool. We were at the pool just about every day.Jimmy and his friend from New Zealand. Jimmy met kids from all over the world and had a ball.
The best big brother ever!!!!!!!!!
Pictures just before they left for the airport. It was very sad to see them go.

Ray and Jimmy - Emelia finished the bottle after you left and fell asleep just before 7 pm. It is now 9 pm and she is still asleep! Just thought you'd like to know that. Emelia will miss her Daddy and big brother, but we'll see you in a few days!

A few pictures from a night out at Le Cyclo Restaurant

Not unusual sights in Hanoi

GREAT NEWS!!!

2007-10-18T23:17:00.000-04:00

We heard from our agency today that our case has been approved and we will have our 2nd interview on Monday! We should get Emelia's Visa on Tuesday and will be able to go home.

We are now working on getting flights home on Tuesday night. If we can get them, Ray and Jimmy will stay here and come home with me and the baby on Tuesday. If not, they may leave either tonight or tomorrow night. We're just not sure yet. We will post more when I find out.

Lots of talk

2007-10-17T12:23:00.000-04:00

Emelia is talking so much now, it is so cute. Here is a sample.

No news

2007-10-16T07:52:00.000-04:00

It looks like we are not going home tomorrow night on our original flight. We did not hear from the Embassy yet as to when our 2^nd interview will be. We had our 1^st interview last Wednesday, Oct. 10^th. They told us they would contact us within 10-14 days, and it is only day 4. They usually contact people in 4-6 days. So we are waiting until Friday, which would be day 7 and then we are going to contact the embassy if they have not contacted us by then. And I think Ray and Jimmy may go home on Friday night. I would stay until we get the Visa. I am not the only one here whose husband has gone home, so I am not worried. So I hope none of you worry either. I feel very safe here. Remember, they did say to plan for 3 weeks and it'll be 3 weeks that we are here on Saturday.

Here are a few pictures.

We ate at a great Vietnamese restaurant last night called Quan An Ngon. There’s a big outdoor area under huge tarps and it s set up with long tables that you share with other people. The kitchen was right next to us – open and all outdoors. The food was really good – there were 4 adults and Jimmy – we had 8 beers, and lots of good food and the bill came to $34. We plan on going back maybe for lunch.

Yesterday, Jimmy got his massage. Kris bought it for him for his birthday. He loved it. It cost $10 for about 25 minutes. How funny is that! A 7 year old getting a massage - only in Vietnam!

The weekly food shopping trip.

Pretty girl at the pool

I bought a bunch of DVDs the other day – all new ones – Music & Lyrics, The Queen, the Pursuit of Happyness, The Simpson’s Movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Evan Almighty – all for less than $6.00.

Today we went to a village called Van Phuc – it is known as the Silk village. It is a big silk production village. It was not as interesting as we thought it might be. We went on a tour and paid $63 and all the guy did was take us to stores and get a cut if we bought something. The selection in Hanoi is much better and nicer. We were disappointed and do not recommend doing a tour, instead get a taxi – I would say it wouldn’t cost more than $10. Oh well, live and learn.

Sunday

2007-10-14T11:30:00.000-04:00

We didn't do much today. Emelia is definitely feeling better although she still had a cold and cough. She is not on the nebulizer any more. Hopefully we won't need it again.

We went shopping in the morning and had lunch at a small cafe called Little Hanoi. Very good food.

Jimmy and I had a cyclo race with Ray and Emelia. They won.

Cab ride

2007-10-13T12:51:00.000-04:00

Here's a video of a cab ride with Emelia in a Vietnamese car seat - non-existent! It's a little dark, but you'll get the gist of it. Check out how the cab driver has to dodge an oncoming motorbike. It's just a typical cab ride here in Hanoi. Pretty funny.

Jimmy's birthday

2007-10-13T10:57:00.001-04:00

Jimmy turned 7 in Vietnam. He had a great birthday and he got lots of emails, comments and birthday wishes. Thanks! First Ray and Jimmy went out looking for Nintendo DS games and finally found them with the help of an interpreter. I bought a cake and ice cream and surprised him with it after lunch. The cake was $5.00. It looks like she wrote "Mappy Birthday Jimmy." Kris and Joanne came over for cake.

Jimmy teaching Emelia Nintendo DS. She was staring at it while he was playing.

She is starting to love bath time. Look at that smile!
We went to dinner with the other 5 families who adopted with us. We're at the end of the table.
The other families bought Jimmy a b'day present. How nice is that?

Kris and Joanne gave Jimmy $10 for a massage for his birthday! That's what he said he wanted, so he is going tomorrow. A 1 hour massage costs $23 here.

A Vietnamese car seat!

Some pictures

2007-10-12T11:45:00.001-04:00

I brought Emelia to the doctor today and he said she sounded better. We think she is much better. Let's hope we're right.

These were taken yesterday. And none of Emelia. I can't even believe it. Sorry! I didn't take any pictures today.
They will carry anything and everything on those motorbikes.

Jimmy and i went into a Vietnamese market. It was pretty cool, but it didn't have the snakes and bugs we thought we might see.

These dragonflies balance on almost anything. Very cool.Again, thanks for all the emails and comments. I am trying to answer them all, but I know I haven't.

Video

2007-10-10T12:25:00.000-04:00

I am having a hard time uploading video, but this one worked. Jimmy navigating the sidewalks of Hanoi while playing the flute. A regular Pied Piper!

1st interview

2007-10-10T10:05:00.000-04:00

We had our 1st interview today at the US Consulate and it went fine. It took about 10 minutes. He asked us a few simple questions that we were able to answer, no problem. We were told, however, that because of a back log at USCIS (Immigration) in Ho Chi Minh City (that is where our paperwork goes), that we will probably not hear from them for 2 weeks from today (or 10 business days) instead of the usual 4-6 days. AAHH! Our return date of 10/17 is not looking too good right now. We asked if Ray had to be present at the 2nd interview and he does not. But he had to give me power of attorney, which he did then and there. Ray and Jimmy may go home earlier than planned. We are thinking it over. We may email our travel agent and see what the options are for them. Of course, Jimmy does not want to leave. He's having a great time. So if it is 2 weeks like they say, then I probably wouldn't be home until the weekend of 10/27 or so. Actually my visa expires 10/27, so I'm supposed to be out by then. We'll see what happens. Wish us luck.

I had to take Emelia to the SOS Clinic again today as her cold got worse, she had a terrible cough and we thought she was having some trouble breathing. Turns out she has an upper respiratory infection - bronchiolitis - it's viral. I had to rent a nebulizer (I'm sure that's spelled wrong). Actually I just had to give them a $50 security deposit and when I return it I get the $50 back. The doctor wants to see her the next 2 days. We had an appt. for tomorrow morning anyway, as it is the medical for her visa. She seems to be a little bit better since she had the nebulizer twice today now. She was not her happy self at all earlier in the day. Here are very few pictures from today.

Emelia asleep with the beautiful blanket her Nana made for her.

Yes, I bought her a cone hat.
She still manages to smile even when she doesn't feel good.

Wednesday and more Ha Long Bay pictures

2007-10-10T00:01:00.000-04:00

Ray went to the police station this morning to pick up Emelia's Vietnamese passport. We have our first interview at the US Embassy today (Wednesday) at 1:30 pm for Emelia's Visa to enter the US. She needs a visa to get into the States, just like we needed a Visa to get into Vietnam. If all goes well with today's interview, we will hear from the Embassy in 4-6 days for our 2nd interview. I believe we would then get her Visa the following day and then we are able to go home. Tomorrow (Thursday) we have the medical for her Visa. This clears her to go to the US.

Here is a link to the rest of the pictures from Ha Long Bay. I took a lot!

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8CbtWzdq5ZNCw

Ha Long Bay

2007-10-09T12:04:00.000-04:00

It is an amazing place and it was so relaxing on the boat. We were not sure if we should go or not, but we are glad now that we did. Mainly because of the 4 hour drive.

We were spoiled as the girls on the boat loved Emelia and took her every chance they got. We really did get to enjoy ourselves, thanks to them. When we got on the boat, they served us lunch. The just brought out food and we ate it. We never even asked what everything was. After that we visited a cave and then Ray and Jimmy went kayaking. We then parked the boat for the night in the bay - with dozens of other boats around us. You can see the lights from all the boats - it was very cool. After we anchored the boat you were able to go swimming. In the dark! Ray and Jimmy and a few others did. After that dinner was served the same way lunch was. Then we just hung out and had some drinks. We had 2 rooms - each with a double bed. The rooms were next to each other - Ray and Jimmy in one room and Emelia and I in the other. When we woke up this morning, they served us breakfast and then we went to an island with a beach - TiTop Island. We climbed to the top of the island first and then went swimming. It was so nice. Then we went back to the harbor and took a bus to another island which is the only island that people live on and we went to a restaurant and again they brought us out lunch. After that, we went back to Hanoi - which I think I mentioned is a rough 4 hour ride with the way they drive. Mostly on the wrong side of the road! No seat belts - no car seats. It is an adventure. Here are some pictures from Ha Long Bay. I need to go to bed! I will put more pictures on shutterfly. For some reason I am having trouble uploading them.

There are over 400 boats (called junks) in the harbor that go out for the day, or overnight trips.

The dining area in the boat.

This is one of a few floating villages in Ha Long Bay. It is amazing how they live.
Beautiful views everywhere you look.

Captain Hogan on the Huy Hoang (the name of the boat).
There are over 1900 islands in Ha Long Bay. There are only 2 caves on all of those islands. We visited one of those caves.
Views just outside the cave. Gorgeous view.

Happy Miss Emelia!
The view from atop TiTop Island. We only had to climb 400 steps!
Jim and I swimming at TiTop Beach.Worker harvesting the rice. These rice fields are everywhere.
"Thit cho " is Vietnamese for dog meat (bon apetit).

Last post for a few days

2007-10-07T09:12:00.000-04:00

We went to brunch today at the Hotel Horison. We had heard that there was a children's area and that the food was good. Jimmy didn't know anything about it so it was a nice surprise. It was probably a little young for him, but he still had a ball. They had all sorts of kids stuff, including movies, playstation and Vietnamese clowns. Jimmy got a kick out of them. They also had women working in there sort of as babysitters. So when Emelia woke up, she was taken around the place while we were able to eat. There were 2 beds in there also, we are assuming for naps (?). The food was real good.

Emelia seems to know what "kisses" are. Anytime we say "kisses" she opens her mouth and lets you kiss her on the mouth. It's the funniest thing. Of course, we take advantage of that. She even kisses herself in the mirror. Here are a bunch of pictures of kisses.

I have some video that doesn't seem to want to post. I will hopefully be able to post it in a few days as we are going away tomorrow and will not be back again until Tuesday late afternoon (Vietnam time). Hopefully it will work then.

Sunday morning pictures

2007-10-06T23:29:00.001-04:00

Here are some pictures from this morning. Jimmy has on Emelia's cone hat. Emelia woke up a few times last night probably because we had to cover her hands with mittens because we had the scabies medicine on them. She sucks her thumb a lot, so she really missed it last night. She is now napping almost 3 hours this morning. Then we are going to brunch at another hotel which is catered to children. Supposedly a lot of fun for them, so Jimmy should enjoy it. We were going to save it until next Sunday for Jimmy's birthday but figured we'd try it today. We can go again on his birthday if he likes it.

Last night we went to dinner downstairs in our hotel after being at the pool all afternoon. Jimmy was so tired, he was laying on my lap. Emelia was not feeling the best so we asked our waitress to send our dinner up to our room. No more peaceful dinners!

Comments and E-mails

2007-10-06T08:06:00.000-04:00

By the way, thanks for all the comments and emails. We are reading them and appreciate them. We feel like we are a little closer to home when we read them. So, keep 'em coming!

Pictures from Saturday

2007-10-06T07:33:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pictures from today. Emelia is not feeling the best. Poor baby. She looks happy though, doesn't she? She's too cute. We are headed downstairs to play some pool and eat dinner. This may be all I'll post today. I had a video, but youtube is telling me it's too long to upload.

Saturday

2007-10-06T02:06:00.000-04:00

Today is finally a nice day. The sun is out. It is HOT! We took Emelia to the SOS clinic this morning because she had a bit of diarrhea, has a few marks on her that we thought might be scabies, she has a bit of a cold and we wanted him to check her ears. We thought she was rubbing one of them a bit. She didn't have a temperature, her ears are clear and her chest is clear. She does have a runny nose so he gave us Actifed and he also gave us something for the diarrhea. We found out that she is about 25.5 inches long and about 13 lbs. 2 oz. That cost us $93 today. She will have her Visa medical next Thursday (we hope). The SOS Clinic is a 24/7 international clinic with doctors from all over the world. Our doctor was French and very nice. He said that Emelia is a very healthy and strong baby. We do have to treat her for the scabies again. The first time we did it we did not do her hands because she sticks them in her mouth. He said we need to do it again, put the cream on her hands and cover her hands.

We are glad we took her there this morning because we wanted to book a trip to Ha Long Bay. It is a beautiful area about 3 hours north of here. We are going to go on Monday morning and then we'll be back on Tuesday about 4 pm. They will pick us up in a van or bus at 8:00 am and then we will get on a boat (actually called a junk boat similar to one of these: http://www.cruiseshalong.com/content/hai+long+junk_boats/3/842) and cruise in to the bay and stay overnight on it. The price of $155 total for all of us includes all transport, 2 rooms (we need 2 because they are small) and all meals.

So after we went to the clinic we went out walking/shopping. I take Emelia in the Baby Bjorn baby carrier. It's great and she's quite happy in it. We bought a few things for Jimmy's class room today. I hope his teacher and classmates will like what we bought. Ray and Jimmy are at the pool right now. It's been a few days since we've been to the pool. Miss Emelia fell asleep when we got back, so that is why I am here updating the blog. Here are a few pictures I took on our walk this morning. Did you notice the baby chairs in one of them?

2007-10-05T11:34:00.001-04:00

We went to the Water Puppet Theatre tonight with another family. It was very nice. Jimmy thought it wasn't going to be cool, but he changed his mind. Emelia was so good during the show. After that we went to Cyclo Restaurant. It was Vietnamese/French cuisine. Very delicious food for a good price - $34 including 3 beers. Below are lots of pictures from the water puppets and the restaurant.

Friday

2007-10-05T02:40:00.000-04:00

Typhoon #2 is here today. Very heavy rain. There is not much to do in Hanoi on rainy day, especially with small kids. Jimmy and I went out in the rain and bought tickets to the Water Puppet Show for tonight at 5:15. Jeremy and Grayson's family are going to go as well.

Emelia just woke up from a 3 hour nap and so we are going to go out for a little while now. Here are a few pictures from this morning. Hopefully I will have more to post later.

2007-10-04T10:07:00.000-04:00

We didn't do too much today. We met with the other Thai Nguyen families that are still here. They are having some problems and are not too happy right now (I won't get into it). We're hoping it gets cleared up and they go home when they want to. And then hopefully our process moves along smoothly too. Jimmy had a long playdate this morning. After that we went walking around window shopping. Jimmy got the Nintendo DS that he wanted for his birthday. He was very happy about that. Tonight we went to dinner at a place called Bobby Chin's with Kris, Joanne and Sadie and Ruth, Tom and Sydney. The food was very good. Emelia fell asleep at the restaurant so we were able to eat. She is still a very good baby and still seems healthy. Jimmy is still doing great with her. He just loves kissing her and talking to her. That's it for now.

Friends

2007-10-04T02:16:00.001-04:00

This is Emelia with her little friend Sadie, Kris's daughter. She is adorable too! Sadie has an ear infection but is feeling much better.

Emelia slept for 11 hours last night! We were shocked and happy! She is doing so great, let's hope it stays that way. I have read in the past that sometimes the babies get constipated. So we figured it would be a few more days until Emelia pooped - but no, she already did 2 times today. We were very excited! It was very funny. Jimmy didn't know what we were so excited about. Yes, we are back to that!

Oh, and Jimmy and Emelia say happy 5th birthday to their cousin Johnny and happy birthday to Crazy Aunt Connie! Jimmy is having a play date at the moment upstairs with Julie's boys - Jeremy and Grayson. They are getting along great and he was so happy. I will try to post again later.

Technical Difficulties

2007-10-03T11:28:00.000-04:00

I posted that last video before it was ready to be posted. This should work now.

Videos

2007-10-03T10:57:00.000-04:00

Here are videos of Emelia and Jimmy and then a video of Jimmy and I on a cyclo around Hanoi. Again, check out the traffic. They drive every and any way they want, beep constantly, drive on the wrong side of the road. It is just nuts!

Today's pictures

2007-10-03T10:13:00.000-04:00

We didn't do too much today. It's raining (a typhoon is in the area and so we are getting heavy rain from that). Jimmy and I went out shopping today - he got loads some toys for a total of about $3 and it probably would have cost $15 at home and I bought a stroller for $18. I'm sure I'll post a picture of it eventually.

We ate dinner tonight with 4 families who have been here a few weeks now. They are all still here and fear they will not get out on the dates that they have booked. It seems some of their paperwork was not delivered on the day they thought it would be. They told us to be vigilant with following up and so we will make a few phone calls tomorrow.

Emelia has been really good, not crying unless she needs something and really it's only been for a minute or two. She's very sweet and happy. She rolls over and scoots a little. She follows Jimmy around wherever he moves! So far she's very easy. Let's hope she stays that way. Jimmy has been playing with 2 boys, Jeremy and Grayson, who are 6 and 4, and are very nice boys.

Here are a few pictures from today. I will try to post video too.

This morning. And yesterday - G&R!

2007-10-02T21:05:00.000-04:00

Here is video and a picture from this morning. Cookie is just so sweet. She slept last night from about 9:45 until almost 6 am this morning. Not too bad, right? This video is from this morning and she fell asleep just about 15 minutes ago. The picture is from when she fell asleep. We already see a pattern for when she's tired. She just rubs her face all over, sticks her thumb in her mouth and her other hand sort of over her face. So cute! Just check out the picture. So, she's napping now.

Ray is gone to the police station to apply for her passport. We got passport pictures taken last night of all the babies on the way back from the Orphanage. The passport will take about a week to get back.

So to backtrack, yesterday we were picked up around 11:30 at our hotel. We picked up the 5 other families and drove to the orphanage. It took about 2 hours to get there. The scenery pictures on shutterfly from yesterday were from the drive to the orphanage. When we got there we waited about a 1/2 hour for the babies to come out. Like I said in my other post, I was just about to take video when a caregiver came out with a baby and said "Lai" and I said "Lai, that's me!" It was very cool and so exciting. To be the first family to get their baby! Then they just kept coming out. One baby after the next. I think Kris's baby was next - Sadie. She is gorgeous too.

After that they made bottles for the babies and brought them out to us. Emelia sucked hers down in no time - 4 oz. After that we changed her into the outfit that we brought for her. We were able to keep the clothes she was in by giving them a replacement outfit. It was actually the pants she had on in the referral pictures that we received in July. Then she fell asleep for a little while after that. Actually all the babies did. We waited about an hour for the Giving & Receiving (G&R) ceremony to begin, which took about 30 minutes or so. After that we came back into Hanoi. The babies were excellent on the bus. We didn't know what to expect. Emelia slept again for almost an hour.

When we got into Hanoi we stopped to get the babies' passport pics taken and then we were first to be dropped off at our hotel. We were on our own after that! We made a bottle for Emelia and she drank a lot of it. We had bought the formula that we knew they were given at the orphanage on Monday. Then we gave her a little bath in the sink and I put a cream on her that would kill scabies (sort of like lice) in case she has it. If she has it it may not show up for 2 weeks. So this one time treatment will kill them all and prevent it too. We are not sure if she has it, but she has a few marks on her that could be it. We all had to put it on just in case, not a big deal. We slept with it on and then showered it off this morning.

So that was our day yesterday. It was long, but wonderful and so worth it.

Enjoy the video and pictures. And thanks for all the comments and emails! Keep them coming.

That didn't work

2007-10-02T14:14:00.000-04:00

That didn't work, try this:

When we first saw her

2007-10-02T14:06:00.000-04:00

I was shooting video when all of a sudden they said "Lai" and I said "Lai? That's me?" And it happened so fast and then another girl took my camera and didn't realize I was taking video and so she kept trying to take pictures. So that is why it cut off when it did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBhr4rfPqUg

The four of us

2007-10-02T13:06:00.001-04:00

More pictures from today

2007-10-02T12:48:00.000-04:00

Here are all the pictures from today. They start with on the way to the orphanage. I will try to post video later.

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8CbtWzdq5ZNB8

Here she is!

2007-10-02T09:31:00.000-04:00

A few more pictures from today

2007-10-01T09:24:00.000-04:00

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8CbtWzdq5ZNBe

Tomorrow is the day!

2007-10-01T07:52:00.000-04:00

We met with the agency rep tonight at our apartment. We are getting picked up tomorrow morning at 11:15 am to go to the orphanage in Thai Nguyen. There are 6 families going in one van. Our G&R ceremony is scheduled for 2:00.

After that we come back to Hanoi and get the baby's passport picture taken. On Wednesday morning we will apply for the baby's Vietnamese passport and that takes about a week to get back. We will also then wait for our first Consulate appt. which could be up to one week later. Next week we will take the baby for her medical.

I hope to have pictures and/or video up of Emelia on Tuesday evening (Vietnam time).

Tomorrow is the day!! Our next post will be of Emelia's G&R!

Video of traffic

2007-10-01T07:38:00.000-04:00

Here is the video of how crazy the traffic is. Watch how they just don't stop at the corner. Even the bus. This is normal traffic here!

Some video

2007-10-01T04:32:00.000-04:00

Pictures from our day

2007-09-30T05:38:00.000-04:00

We walked today for about 3 hours. It was so hot, we were melting. It is so tropical and sticky.

Here is a link to pictures from today: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8CbtWzdq5ZNA4

The traffic is nuts here. Mopeds are the main mode of transportation and are everywhere and they don't have traffic laws and red lights don't mean much to them at all. Crossing the street is an adventure to say the least. Once you start crossing the street, they just go around you and you have to keep moving. If you stop, you'll get hit. It's quite comical too. I will post video tomorrow.

The Hanoi Hilton

2007-09-29T20:11:00.000-04:00

Our hotel is on the grounds of a prison used in the Vietnam war called the Hanoi Hilton. This is the picture of it from our room. It's a museum now, so we will go there one day.

A few pictures

2007-09-29T20:02:00.001-04:00

The view from our room. The tall building is the Melia Hotel, where other families are staying. And an excited boy in front of the view!

We arrived in Vietnam!

2007-09-29T11:14:00.000-04:00

We are here in the hotel room eating pizza. It's 10:25 pm on Saturday night. We got to the hotel around 9:00. We arrived in Hanoi on time and our agency representative was there to meet us. Everything went very smooth. The flight was long, but not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Jimmy slept for 5 hours towards the end of the flight. I slept for about 2.5 hours and Ray didn't sleep at all. Jimmy also slept on our second flight.

We met Kris and her friend Joanne at JFK. Very nice ladies! They are at the Melia Hotel and we are staying at the Somerset. We'll probably meet up with them at some point tomorrow.

We'll be heading to bed very soon. Tomorrow we'll check out Hanoi.

1 more day!!!

2007-09-27T10:14:00.001-04:00

We leave tomorrow! We'll be leaving the house around 7:00 am. Our flight leaves at 11:35 am. When we arrive at the hotel in Vietnam, we will have been traveling for more than 24 hours!

Our next post will probably be when we arrive in Vietnam! Wish us luck!

3 more days!

2007-09-25T06:56:00.000-04:00

Jimmy says: "It's getting closer every day. We will be getting my sister 2 days after we get to Vietnam." Jimmy is very excited that his teacher and classmates will be following along on our blog.

We are booked into the hotel we wanted. It's called the Somerset Grand Hanoi and it's a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a full kitchen.

We'll check back before we go!

5 more days!

2007-09-23T13:10:00.000-04:00

And we're off to Vietnam. We are very excited.

Some of you have asked if Jimmy is coming with us and yes he is. We'll be getting some school work to bring with us. He'll probably miss 3 weeks of school, but he will have such a great experience that he'll never forget. We are so glad that he is coming with us and will be able to meet his baby sister when we do.

Our timeline in Vietnam

2007-09-20T15:16:00.001-04:00

This is our timeline in Vietnam. It is along the side of the blog too and I will update it as we go along. As long as everything moves along on schedule, we will leave to come home on 10/17 or sooner.

Our timeline in Vietnam
9/28 - Leave JFK at 11:35 am
9/29 - Arrive Hanoi, Vietnam at 7:40 pm
10/2 - Receive Emelia at the Thai Nguyen Orphanage
10/2 - Giving and Receiving (G&R) Ceremony
?? - Apply for passport with photo
?? - Have first embassy interview for Emelia's Visa
?? - Pick up passport
?? - Medical exam
?? - 2nd interview at the US embassy for Visa
?? - Pick up the Emelia's visa - 1 full business day after the 2nd interview
10/17 - Go home?

G&R is set!

2007-09-20T15:10:00.000-04:00

We got the call today. Our G&R is set for 10/2/07! We have to be in Hanoi by 9/30, but we will go on 9/28 because there are no seats on the 9/29 flight. Oh well, we'll get an extra day of rest before we receive Emelia. We are very excited and just relieved to finally have the date.

Orphanage Donations

2007-09-18T20:36:00.000-04:00

Here is a link to pictures I took of all the goodies I purchased and will bring to the Thai Nguyen Orphanage. Thanks to all those who donated money or goods.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8CbtWzdq5ZNAa&emid=sharshar&linkid=link5

Now for some good news

2007-09-11T16:50:00.000-04:00

We are going to Vietnam! We received our visa/travel call today! The tentative date for the Giving & Receiving Ceremony (G&R) in Vietnam is Monday, 10/1. So we will have to arrive by at least the Sunday, 9/30.

I will let you know when we have more news!

One year ago today ...

2007-09-11T13:30:00.001-04:00

my mother went into the hospital. Little did we know that she would not get out until after Thanksgiving. She was home for about 6 weeks when she had to go back in again. After that she did not come out. At least she was home for Christmas and her 71st birthday. Her birthday dinner was a great night out. We're thinking about you Mom. Always.

A baby shower!

2007-09-11T13:25:00.000-04:00

My family and friends threw me a surprise baby shower! I was shocked to say the least. I received beautiful gifts from everyone and had a great time! Thanks especially to my sister Anne and hubby Ray!

Here is a link to some pictures: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8CbtWzdq5ZM_Y

No news yet

2007-08-31T09:44:00.001-04:00

Some people who received their referrals to Thai Nguyen two days before we did, received Visa calls yesterday. They were told their date of entry into Vietnam will be 9/17.

Not us. We are hopeful that we are among the next travel group. We just don't know when that will be.

I'm testing how to post video

2007-08-07T21:47:00.001-04:00

I went on vacation in August with my family and we went fishing one day. This is video of my father feeding the birds. You'll see Ray & Jimmy in it also. (You'll probably have to click on it twice before it will play.)

So, then Jimmy had to try it too.

This is a test - Jimmy's show

2007-08-07T10:56:00.001-04:00

2007-07-26T12:53:00.000-04:00

If you click on this map it will enlarge. We will be staying in Hanoi (circled in red), but Emelia is in Thai Nguyen (circled and has arrow), which is just north of Hanoi on the map. I've heard it's about a 2 hour ride.

Cookie now has a name!

2007-07-24T21:41:00.001-04:00

We are calling her Emelia Anne (maybe Emelia Anne Lai-not sure though). So here are portions of a picture of Cookie (Emelia). You can kind of tell she's cute.

Announcing baby girl Hogan!!

2007-07-06T14:52:00.000-04:00

Announcing baby girl Hogan! We received our referral yesterday, 7/5/07. Her given name is Nguyen Thi Lai (her last name being Nguyen - which is equivalent to Smith in the U.S. - a very common last name and her first name being Lai). She was born on 5/14/07 and is in Thai Nguyen Province. We have not entirely agreed on her name yet. She is beautiful! She is "chubbed up" as our caseworker put it. She looks healthy, which is great!

We received pictures, but we are not allowed to post them online until she is ours. We are allowed to post small portions though. I will attempt to do this shortly.

We are just so excited! They are telling us that we may travel end of September, beginning of October. We'll keep you posted.

We miss you Mom

2007-05-30T11:58:00.000-04:00

My mother passed away on March 23, 2007. It was the worst time in my life and my family's life for sure. We all miss her very much and still cannot believe that she is gone. She will never get to meet our daughter and our daughter will never get to meet her grandmother and that's so sad - for both of them. She has lots of grandchildren that will miss growing up with her. She was a very special grandmother and she was the best mother & wife too.

We are going to Vietnam!

2007-05-30T11:49:00.000-04:00

We decided to go to Vietnam to adopt while we wait for China to move along ever so slowly.

I think we really decided when we met Julie in Ireland, Ray's cousin's daughter, who was adopted from Lang Son province in December 2006. She is soooo cute!

For those of you who are just getting their dossier together. Our dossier was received by our agency on 5/25/07 after it was authenticated at the SF Vietnam Consulate. It was then sent to Vietnam on 5/31/07. We then found out that it was translated and received at the Vietnam adoption office on 6/12/07. Also, our I-171H followed on.

Now we wait for our referral. We are not sure exactly how long we will wait, but we were initially told a few weeks. Let's see what happens.