Dinner & Tickets Home

We had a great dinner last night at Al Fresco's in Hanoi. Their onion rings & garlic bread are awesome! They had great Mexican food as well. I'm going to try & post a couple of pictures of dinner with our travel buddies....Kelly O & Katharine with her son & mom and Marvin & Christina with Hadassah.

This morning we will go to the Cathay Pacific office to confirm our new flight schedule & get seat assignments. As of now, we fly out at 7:10 pm tomorrow (Thursday) night & arrive on Friday morning at 5:45 AM July 4th. ( No welcome party necessary LOL! That's EARLY!!!!) We'll see you all in the next week or two I'm sure! Just pray little girl does well on the flights & is able to get some sleep on the long 13 hour flight from Hong Kong to LA.

For those of you waiting on pictures of your little ones in CanTho, I have sent everything to Mary Anne (last night), so you should be getting them soon. They're all so precious!

Have Tickets! Hope to Travel!!! Well, we have changed our flights & have our new tickets in hand for Thursday night. Hopefully the U.S. Embassy will issue our Visa for Caleigh tomorrow afternoon right after our interview & we will make our flight...If you don't hear from us for a couple of days, you'll know we made it. If I'm posting tomorrow, that's not a good sign!

In Hanoi!

Oh, these eyes get me every time!
Hey! What's up everybody?
My Smile! :)

Hi! We're in Hanoi...we flew in last night & got settled in around 9:00 pm. Caleigh slept on the plane for most of the 2 hour flight. She seemed to do really well...she just kinda goes with the flow for the most part. The Somerset is nice but pricey....We have a Visa Interview scheduled for 1:30 on Thursday afternoon. Our guide here in Hanoi with Dillon Staff said they usually issue the Visa the same day unless their machine is broken...yikes! So, hoping the machine is working & we have e-mailed our travel agent to work on flights out for Thursday night or Friday. We'll see what he comes up with. Hoping to be home soon. All of the children are doing great...very healthy & loving. They have all adjusted really well to all of these changes being sent their way. I'm so impressed! Here are a few pictures from yesterday morning while we were waiting to fly out to Hanoi & a couple from right before dinner out.

Free Day....

Silkworm Wine at a Dress Shop in the Mall
A man sitting across the street from the Rex with his 2 pet rabbits.
Caleigh studying a toy.
Thank you for my bracelet Julie! It fits perfectly!

We've had a free day today. Did some local shopping & checked out the Kentucky Fried Chicken in the Mall across the street...the french fries were to die for! The ladies at the mall went GaGa over Caleigh....James & Marvin bought a gazillion DVD movies there for like 88 cents each! It was crazy! I haven't found any shops that hand-make dresses yet, but I'm going to look in Hanoi. Anyone remember one in Hanoi??? We should have 2 free days there waiting for our Visa Appt. unless we get lucky & get in quickly for our interview.... Here are a few pictures from today.....Caleigh's great. She slept all night last night from 8:30 until 6:30!

Just a to few things & some pics....

We are all doing great! Caleigh is doing great & pretty much goes with the flow. She cries if she's hungry or tired & that's about it....Wanted to tell you future travelers before I forget a few things. The White Horse Saloon is a great restaurant. They have excellent steak (U.S.D.A. Certified), french fries, baked potatos, grilled fish to die for & hot apple pie with ice-cream that is so yummy!!! I had been living on garlic bread, pastry, fried rice with veggies up until today....it was so nice to EAT!!!! Shopping is excellent all around the Rex. Beautiful things & many are in nice air-conditioned malls.

We fly out at 4 PM on Monday for Hanoi to file the paperwork for Caleigh's Visa into the U.S. Please pray that the U.S. Embassy processes our paperwork quickly & that we don't get delayed due to the 4th of July Holiday coming up. That could mean we will be in country at least an additional 5 days. We are so ready to come home to see Blake & Bryce. They're doing great....but Mommy's ready to see them!!

Here are a few pictures from the last few days...Caleigh in her GNR Outfit the nannies dressed her in...all new clothes...so sweet. Her sleeping in the crib the first night, and after we gave her a bath for the first time. Also playing on the bed which she enjoys most. Until next time.....

She's Our Girl!

Well, according to the Vietnamese Government, Caleigh's our daughter! Our Giving & Receiving Ceremony was yesterday morning in CanTho. It was short & sweet. The nannies had her all dressed up in new clothes for the day & her hair fixed up. After our G & R, we all loaded up the van for the 4 + hour ride back to HCMC. We got in around 2:00 and got settled in our rooms. We went to the Tax Center across the street & bought some cute outfits & Gifts. Caleigh is doing great. She's eating well & sleeping well. She's very happy & easy going. Rarely cries...only if she's hungry or tired (or trying really hard to go to the bathroom...eeek!) Today we went for Passport pictures for the babies, their medical checks and then the men went to pick up the passports & make our flight arrangements to Hanoi. We leave out at 4:00 on Monday afternoon to fly to Hanoi. Well, I'll be short & to the point because as I type I am sitting on the 3rd floor hallway, on the floor, under the WIFI box so I can get a connection that will last more than 2 minutes!!! Take Care & hope to see you all soon!

Here are a few photos....mine from yesterday have yet to be downloaded! I forget how much time a baby takes!!!

Finally!! Here's KellyO & Katharine

Kelly O & Katharine

Day 2 In CanTho

Today we went to visit the Red Cross Office & then we were off to visit the babies! We were able to stay & play for a couple of hours. They were all so relaxed & wide awake for us. Our travel group met up for lunch in CanTho close to the Golf Hotel. We got to visit with the other two couples who arrived last night. In the morning, we will load up the van by 8 AM & head to the orphanage...we will pick up our children and make the short drive to the Giving & Receiving Ceremony in CanTho. Back to the hotel for about an hour...then we load up everyone in the van & make the 4 hour drive to Ho Chi Minh City. Well, it's 4 hours if you don't have to wait in line for the ferry, so pray that there's no line!!! Here are a couple of pictures. Kelly O. said that I could post a couple of pictures for all of her friends who are dying to see her daughter! Well, I've been trying to upload the pics...will do as soon as the computer will let me!!!

A couple more pics...

Here are a couple more pictures from yesterday. We leave for the baby home in a couple of hours. Not sure what the rest of our day holds. We will meet up with the rest of our travel group this morning for breakfast at 8:30. James & I are staying at The Victoria Resort which is very close to the Golf CanTho Hotel where some other families are staying. We stayed here during our last trip to VN & loved it. It is even better this trip & I must say I love it here. They have added a Spa area outdoors in little 'houses' with netting that is amazing. I felt like I was on the winning team on Survivor & we won a challenge!!! Awesome & I totally recommend it!

Meeting Caleigh

We drove to CanTho today & arrived at our hotel around 2:00. At 3:30, we departed to meet our daughter. The nannies had the children all dressed & ready to see us! Here are some pictures for you....Caleigh is so sweet. She can hold her bottle by herself. She likes to suck her thumb & play with her toes! She was very alert & watching everything...this kiddo doesn't miss a movement! Love, love, love her chubby cheeks and legs. Her big brown eyes are bigger in person & yes, she smiles! She doesn't give them away quickly yet, but we'll work on that! All of the children look wonderful! It was just Kelly O. & us here today...two more families arrive tonight & we will all go visit again in the morning. More later....we just came back from an hour massage & I'm ready for a shower and bed...ZZZZZZZ....been up a while. :)

Here's Caleigh! Blake & Bryce, your little sister is going to love you! She likes to be where the action is!!!

Good Morning! It's 4 AM & All is Well

James & I crashed around 6:30 PM last night. Slept through until about 3:00 or so. Wide awake, but rested. Here are a few pictures (I hope) from yesterday. Blake & Bryce, here's Mommy & Daddy's Hotel Room like you wanted to see! Also, there were people made of Legos outside a shop! You would have loved it. We leave for CanTho at 9:00 this morning. Today we meet our girl!!!

A few notes for upcoming travelers: The Rex is $165 per night. If you are traveling with another child over 5 who will be in your room, add another $40. This happened to one of our travel buddies. Everything you need is within walking distance. Very Nice. Air Conditioned Malls with tons of shopping & grocery.

Hello from HCMC !

After many, many hours of traveling, we've made it safely to Ho Chi Minh City! We were able to meet up with KellyO & her mom & son in LAX & traveled all the way to HCMC together! When we arrived, we met up with Tricia, Paula, Shelley, Mai & Betsy who were flying out this afternoon with their children heading for Hanoi. Everyone looks great. Of course, all of the babies are so sweet. We leave out tomorrow around noon for CanTho. I will try to upload some photos in a little while and see if it works. Fingers crossed! I've been warned that internet is very fickle in CanTho, however, we are staying at The Victoria, so I am hopeful that we will be able to post from there...we'll see! Tomorrow we meet Caleigh!

One More Thing Before We Go...

I did want to mention one more thing before we go. Most of you know, but some may not, that Caleigh's little feet were not formed quite right while she was in the womb. They turn inward, one more than the other. So, on photos posted during our visits to the orphanage and our GNR Ceremony, you may notice splints or bandages on her legs/feet. Our pediatrician has told us that we can take them off once she is in our care. I just didn't want anyone to worry....of course, we have known about everything from the beginning. I would like to brag on our agency for a minute because I am so thankful for all of the medical photographs they were able to get, even X-Rays all the way from CanTho! They have been faithful with updates and a doctor has been visiting & treating Caleigh every two weeks in CanTho. She will be going to Scottish Rite Children's Hospital in Dallas upon our return for an evaluation & a treatment plan....she's our girl! We can't wait to see her!!!

Oh My Goodness!!!

WE LEAVE TOMORROW!

They're Here!

10:30 am: The missing piece of the puzzle came this morning... Our Passports/Visas arrived! Yeah!! We're good to go! What a relief!

2:30 pm: Homestudy update for Texas Requirements done! I think we've actually got everything together now!! God is In Control!!! Thank goodness!

5:30 pm: Our International Cell Phone has arrived! Yeah! I can talk to my boys any time! Peace of Mind! :)

Oh, Did I mention...she's totally worth it all!!!

Thanks Julie!

Thanks Julie for the sweet silver baby bracelet that you brought over for Caleigh! I know you'll read the blog & I've already packed up the digital camera or I would take a picture of it. It's adorable...her very first piece of jewelry! I hope the Birthday Party goes great on Saturday!!! We'll have to get him a belated gift...you'll have to fill me in on what he wants! :) Thanks for being such a great friend & you know I'll be praying for you guys while we're in Vietnam!! Love Ya! Oh, and I put the bouncy seat together & it's perfect!

Tickets are Here!

Our Airline Tickets arrived today! So exciting! The Embassy said our Visas were sent to us yesterday....our mail runs very early, so I'm hoping they're in our mail box tomorrow morning.

Our homestudy update is tomorrow at 12:30, so I'm trying to keep our house clean & together while running around like a chicken with my head cut off!

I'm just about done with the packing. Fun to watch Tricia's blog since she's in CanTho with our little girl! Hard to believe we will meet her in just 8 days! I can hardly wait!

It's Coming Together....

Things are starting to come together. Airline tickets are on their way to arrive on Thursday. We ordered an international cell phone & it will arrive Thursday as well. God willing, our passports/visas will be here Thursday or Friday morning. We have our "travel call" with our agency tomorrow afternoon. We have money (that's kinda important!) I've packed all of my things & Caleigh's things. We bought our converters & adapters this evening for our electronics. We've made boarding arrangements for the dogs & the boys will be situated as well (lists in tow!) So, am I forgetting anything major??? Oh, and while we were at the Mall buying converters, I hit a 70% off sale at Gymboree!!! Whoo Hoo!!!

Whirlwind of a Day!

Oh my! This day has been a blur! Got our G & R Date this morning around 10:00. It's next Thursday!! June 26th!! Yeah! So excited. Then, got to work on our plane tickets & by 5:00 today I can say....bought & paid for (ouch!) and they're on their way to our house. We leave on Saturday...yes, in 5 days. Can you say STRESS!!! Now, we just need those darn Passports with our Visa stamped in them. They should be here no later than Friday. Oh, I hope they're here on Thursday so I don't have to worry! More later!

Where Caleigh Lives

A couple who traveled for their little boy last year sent me this photo. This is the CanTho Red Cross Home for the Aged & Orphans. This is where Caleigh is! It's the same home where our boys were, but it looks much different. All of the trees have been trimmed way back (It looked like it was in the middle of the jungle when we went 6 years ago) and it's been painted a pretty yellow. (It was a washed out gray). It really looks like they have done a lot of work on it over the years. I'm excited to go back. There are three families that I know who will be there next week! Tricia, Mai & Betsy...all traveling for their little boys! I can't wait to hear their stories & hopefully a bit about our little girl too! They've promised to love on her as much as they can! Thanks girls!!!

Visas, Lily, Dresses & A Baby Doll

Well, most important first....we got our Visa Applications sent to the U.S. Embassy of Vietnam in Washington DC this morning. They should receive them first thing Monday & I will begin stalking the Mail-Lady promptly on Thursday morning.

The pictures are:

The first Lily of the season in the front flower bed. It was open the morning we got approval to travel for Caleigh.

Then, the dresses...oh, I'm a sucker for pretty dresses. She's so tiny, I just hope she'll fit into a few of them! Most are size 6-12 months or a size 1. I've packed the 3-6 m ones for the trip.

A Baby Doll...Just had to make a run to Babies 'R Us. The boys each picked out a gift for me to give Caleigh when we go to Vietnam. We also picked out a 1st baby doll. It's so soft & machine washable. The boys think she'll like the purple! It's pretty small & I think it will fit her size well.

Also.....Got an Email from our agency & it looks like we will not hear about confirmation of the date for our Giving & Receiving Ceremony until the first of next week. I'll post when we hear!

Caleigh....HERE WE COME!!!

We got our I600 Pre-Approval from the U.S. Embassy last night. So, we'll be on our way to Vietnam very soon! I will post when we have a G & R Date. Until then....thanks for all of your support & kind words & prayers over the past year and a half. It has been a long journey, but it has been so worth it. A baby girl that I have dreamed about for over 10 years is coming home! AMEN!

It's June 12th Somewhere...

Yes...in Vietnam! It's June 12th. HAPPY 8 Month Birthday Caleigh!
The boys & I saw the cutest little baby girl at the pool today. Her mommy said she is 9 months old. The boys informed her that "we are getting a baby soon!" It was so cute...They just love little babies; I can't wait until baby sister comes home! Hang in there Caleigh! Miss Tricia is coming next week to see you & I hope we'll be there before you turn 9 months old.

New Picture #2

Here's the other new picture of Caleigh that we got yesterday morning! She has such beautiful big eyes & her skin looks super soft! Those Cheeks! That Hair! Oh, I can't wait!!! Still with the open mouth look. Looks like she's thinking "huh? you want me to what? smile? I don't think so!"....don't see any teeth yet....the dot on her forehead is just from the lense. So, no worries....

I'm off today to meet up with three friends from High-School that I haven't seen in 20 years! Yes, this fall is our 20 year HS Reunion! We're having lunch at a local eatery. Recently found out that we live within 10 miles of each other. Should be fun! I'll try to post a pic or two later.

New Pictures of Our Girl

We got new pictures of Caleigh today! She is 7 1/2 months old here. Lovin' the overalls! Well, not really... I must go tickle her!!! Poor thing looks stunned! I also have to admit that I'm concerned. I have never received a picture of her smiling. Am I just being paranoid? I wonder why she doesn't smile. I hope & pray that she is doing ok, that she is allowed out of the crib to crawl & play with the other children. I hope that she is not too developmentally delayed. Oh, I could go on and on. I really need to go to VN! Maybe I can talk Tricia into trying to get a smile out of her!

Gotta.....

In The Power of.....

Mixed With Some .....

And Some....

The kids were at my Mom & Dad's this weekend. The quiet of the house took me back to our 6 years of marriage pre-kiddos. It is so quiet when the boys are gone; an eery quiet....I like it for a couple of hours, then I'm ready for them to come back. They spent the night Sat. & we woke up this morning at 8:00! 8:00 People! That's like 2 hours later than normal! But, the house was quiet, and we got ready for church in 1 hour! 1 hour I tell you!!! That's a miracle in itself. So the DH & I went and had breakfast out and talked for about another hour and we were still early for church!

Happy Birthday to Me

Happy Birthday to Me. Today I'm 38! Geez...that's getting very close to 40! Yikes! Oh, to be young again! No worries! Happy Day!

We got an update on Caleigh today. She now weighs 13.4 pounds & has had pneumonia. The note said that she has recovered. Wish I had a picture....maybe I should wish for that as well when I blow out the candles on the cake; Of course, you all know what my Big Wish will be :)

The Last Day of 1st Grade

Today is the last day of 1st Grade! It has really been a good year. I'm off to celebrate Summer Birthdays with cupcakes in tow to the school. I'll be taking the kids out early after parties & weather permitting (looks like rain), we're headed to the pool with friends to celebrate! SUMMER IS OFFICIALLY HERE! Thank Goodness. We are all ready for summer break! I've been so emotional this week. The mixture of the kids finishing up school and they'll be big 2nd graders next year along with the wait for travel approval for our daughter has gotten me all out of whack! I hope that next week I can settle.....Here's to a great summer.

Follow Our "Blogging Buddies" To Vietnam!

Three of my Dillon Forum Blogging Buddies have received a Giving & Receiving Date of June 19th!!! You can follow Shelley, Paula & Tricia on their trips to meet their children by using the list at the right of my blog. They're the ones with the big GOING TO VIETNAM!!!! beside their names. You can't miss it. Hoping we aren't far behind!

Step 11 Is Finished!

We just received an update that we have completed Step 11 on the VN side of the process. All that is left is to set the Giving & Receiving Ceremony Date which will happen after our pre-approval from the U.S.Consulate. Once we receive our I600 Pre-Approval, we are good to go!
Waiting on Pins & Needles and without much sleep....I hope the Golden E-Mail from HCMAdoptions Unit comes soon.

Getting Caleigh's things together:

Caleigh's Cross

One of my friends gave me this beautiful cross a couple of weeks ago for Caleigh's room. It's so sweet with the touch of pink & pink ribbon. I took a photo of it on top of her life book after I came home with it....I have since hung it on the wall right next to her closet. After church today I was just thinking that I am so glad God never gets tired of hearing from me, because I sure have been talking a lot lately!!!