Just More Photos

 
 
 

Just some more photos of Vietnam. Van was pretty wild this weekend. He didn't want to take his nap yesterday, he had taken off his socks, his pants and then pulled off the crib sheet and then ripped the crib mattress (which already had a small rip). He is much calmer today, I don't know what got over him yesterday. We are going to go and see Noah soon, the 8 year old adopted from Van's orphanage.

Ben Thanh Market

 

 

 

Here are a few items that you could purchase at the Ben Thanh Market. They sell almost anything that you can imagine. The meat market would get really rank in the afternoon. It was neat to look at the buckets and bowls of fish, crabs, and other miscellaneous seafood items.

Van is having a problem with yelling and being very loud. We have tried several things, but he continues to be really loud when he doesn't get his way.

We are headed to Grandma's House next week and Van will get to meet some family that he hasn't met yet. I wonder how he'll do on the car ride. I think he'll be o.k. as long as we have plenty of snacks to keep his mouth busy.

You name it and he's exploring it

This child is one busy little guy. If he's not trying to play with the telephone cord, he's in the toilet, the book shelf and the silverware drawer just to name a few. He is exploring his surroundings. He fell on the hardwood floor yesterday and busted his lip, but not too bad, he only wanted consoling for a few minutes and then he was ready to go about his way.

Van continues to adjust well, seems like he is a little stubborn though. He will still try to grab things he has been told not to bother. It has been a nice few days and the boys have been playing outside a lot and running off some energy.

We had a great Christmas on Chrimtmas Eve since Keith had to work on Christmas day. We tried to camp out in the living room the night before, but the floor was too hard for Keith and the couch was just not my bed. We all ended up getting into bed and sleeping before the night was up. Race got a football uniform for Christmas and I think he has worn it everyday since.

Soon I will put a password on the blog, because I received a comment from someone that seems to be a salesperson or the like. I will pass along the password to those of you who keep up with the blog.

Julie

HCMC Scenery

 
 

Race and Van got haircuts today, they both look very handsome. We finished up our Christmas shopping. We actually saw three guys running out of the Target entrance with what it looked like to be merchandise under one guy's shirt. We had just entered the store as they were running out, but nobody was chasing after them, so I assume they got off this time. Van is learning some words and he can also point to his nose, tummy, etc. I was telling him no about something this morning and he kept pointing to his nose, so we still have work to do. He has also learned how to get off of the couch by himself. Keith is now teaching him how to climb off of the bed. Keith bought himself some Andy Griffith episodes for his birthday, so that has become our nightly ritual to watch one before going to bed. Tonight, I think we'll try to find the Christmas episode and watch it.

War Remnant Museum, Ho Chi Minh City

 

 

 

Baby Shower

Some friends from my previous work place threw a baby shower for Van. We had a very nice time and Van received some really great gifts. Race enjoyed playing with the tub toys. Race was excited to look through everything and see what Van got. The cake had a photo of Van wearing his Vietnamese outfit, that was real neat. We brought home the remainder of the cake, which is of Van's face. Van liked the cats, but the cats didn't seem real fond of a 2 year old yelling at them. Van enjoyed sampling the food off other people's plates. Van played with his new toys for a while and then went off to bed in his new pajamas. Thanks everyone for a great time!

The meeting with the social worker on Monday went great. The meeting was only for about an hour, a previous one lasted 4 hours. Van seems to be behind on some of his motor skills, so we now know what areas we should focus on, besides his language skills. Van learned to climb up the stairs this week, but is still afraid to go down them.

Van went out to get the mail with me today and did not want to come back inside. He just wanted to walk around on the sidewalk, but I had to eventually take him inside, but he didn't like it much.

The previous photos were taken in Hanoi. This lake was a nice getaway from the hustle and bustle of all the people and the noise. There was a sidewalk all the way around the lake, we only went around the whole lake once. The water was pretty green, so I wouldn't have wanted to fallen into it, but the view was great. There were a few pushy book vendors that haggled us a few times though. The weather was so much nicer in Hanoi than HCMC.

Things I do not miss about Vietnam:

1. doing laundry in the tub and wearing super wrinkled clothes or clothes that I had previously worn a few times already

2. wearing a backpack everywhere that was very heavy and hot

3. rice and phu soup

4. people nagging for me to purchase something

5. the crowds and noise from the street

6. speaking for Race, people patting his head and saying "handsome boy"

7. trying to find somewhere to eat

8. trying to cross the street and make it across alive


Things I do miss about Vietnam:

1. no cooking for a month

2. no cleaning, thanks to the great hotel staff

3. walking to the grocery store

4. friendly smiles

5. cheap prices

6. one on one time with my family (no work, no busy schedules)

7. no telephone calls with telemarketers on the other end