Passport and doctor's visit

Today we got Alex's Vietnamese passport. We took a quick look at it, before the Holt staff member took it for safe keeping. He has a good picture. It took about 15 minutes in the passport office to pick it up. We then headed over to the international hospital for a health check. This did not go so well. Alex wanted nothing to do with the nurse who wanted to weigh him and see how tall he was, take his temperature, etc. He threw quite the fit. We got him calmed down after the fact and then went across the hall for the doctor's visit. It went just as well! We did have a nice French doctor, but Alex did not want to be detached from Mom. We survived the exam and Alex is in good health!
As a group, (with the other families) we went to the zoo and had lunch together. Alex went to sleep and missed the zoo, but woke up for lunch.
This afternoon we walked down to the lake and Alex took a nap while we did some people watching. We went to the 4 pm Water Puppet show. It is a traditional puppet show from northern Vietnam and the puppets are in the water. It was a good show and lasted about 45 minutes. Alex did very well, considering we were in a pretty tight space and the music was a bit loud. Mom and Dad liked the show. We headed off to eat and now it is time for bed. Tomorrow is our I-600 interview at the US Embassy.

Halong Bay

Today we went to Halong Bay. The van picked us up around 8:15 and we head out. It was about a 3.5 hour drive to Halong City. We did have one stop on the way for a restroom break and a chance to buy souvenirs. Once we got to Halong City, we hopped right on our boat and headed out. It was just the nine of us from the states: Thomas, Cathy and Emma, and Jack, Johanna, and Sam and us. We had a very nice boat. It was a boat that was usually used for overnight stays on the bay. The day was great. It was overcast, but cool and breezy. We headed out into the bay with all the neat rock formations in sight. We stopped at a floating village and looked at a fish farm. I don't think I would want to live on the water all my life! We then had a good meal with lots of seafood: crabs, shrimp, fish, and squid. It was quite tasty.
The boat then headed off around the rocks and we headed for a cave. It was quite a sight to see 40 boats all lined up to unload passengers to get into this cave. We hiked up some stairs and walked through the cave. It was pretty amazing. We then headed back to the city and hopped in the van for the ride home. Alex did a pretty good job on the way home. He sat on Mommy's lap the whole way and slept a bit and played. For being almost two, he did pretty well being in confined space for three plus hours. We got back to the hotel in time to eat supper and do our bedtime routine. We had a very good day and Halong Bay was beautiful.

A day at the zoo

Wow, what difference a good night's sleep makes for Alex and his parents. Alex had another good night last night. Mom and Dad are holding steady on our sleep. This morning we took a taxi to the zoo. The zoo is in the middle of a park with a lake. It was very calm and cool with the many trees to provide lots of shade. We walked around and saw some tigers, monkeys, birds and an animal called a Binturong, or Asian Bearcat. It sure is a funny looking creature. They also had a pen with a bunch of sheep and Alex was brave enough to pet one for half a second. We had a snack in front of the peacocks and you can tell that Alex likes Oreos! After a short walk around the inland in the lake, and a quick look at some sleeping crocodiles, Alex settled in for a short nap.
After lunch we headed out from our hotel to the toy section of the Old Quarter of Hanoi. The streets here have shops in groups. Just down from us are a bunch of silk shops. That way you can easily see all the competition because they are all in the same area. We bought Alex and some blocks to play with. We'll find out if he likes them after after he wakes from his nap.
Alex seems to be adjusting pretty well. Out in public he likes to be close to Mom at all times, but in the room he will play with Dad and even let Dad feed him. Dad has yet to take a turn with the baby carrier, but someday he might get a chance.

Alex in motion

Alex has a lot of energy and we've taken to calling him, "Alex in motion!" He loves to play with toys and likes to look at himself in the mirror. He runs back and forth in the room chasing the beach ball. Or he rolls around on the bed if you tickle. So far he seems to be adjusting as well as can be expected.
Last night we had a good night. He went to sleep with little fussing and was out until about 6:30 this morning. He woke up for a few minutes around 5 pm, but then went back to sleep. Today we went back to the Somerset Westlake for another play date with Sam and Emma. We started outside, but decide the playroom inside would be cooler. They played well together. They played with Legos, blocks and a ball pit. Alex even went down the slide a couple times! Right now Alex and hopefully, Mommy, are taking a much needed nap.
We also wanted to share a picture of the traffic in the neighborhood. You can see the scooters in the intersection all trying go at the same time. No such thing as 4 way stops or roundabouts here.

A quiet Saturday

Friday night we found a cafe just around the corner from our hotel. Alex had some rice. You can tell he liked it because it is all over his face! We made it back to the hotel and went through our routine. We gave Alex a bath. He really likes the water. He will sit down and splash and splash and splash. We have a couple of water toys, but he wants nothing to do with them. As soon as we put them in the tub, he throws them right out. He definitely knows what he wants. We sat down and read a couple of books and fed him some yogurt. He still will not take his bottle. We keep working on him, but he's a bit stubborn. At this point we turn out the lights, 8 pm, and settle in for the night. Except Alex had other plans. He threw a fit and would not settle down. So after an hour and a half of walking and trying to lay him down, he finally went to sleep. Poor Mom had to do all the walking and she was exhausted too. He did manage to sleep until about 3 am and then again until 5:30, but then it was time to wake up! Daddy got to play with him while Mommy tried to sleep a bit, but I don't think she slept much.
This morning we went to the supermarket and found him a sippy cup with a straw. Since we have been feeding him from a bottle with a straw and it seemed like a good idea. Sure enough he took to it right away! Now he can get a drink whenever he wants.
After we put our stuff back in the hotel, we walked around our neighbor- hood and found a small market. Check out the meat selection. It all looks good, but the lack of refriger- ation makes me a bit leary. Alex was also checking out the fish in a fish tank. He really liked looking at them and was not happy when we decided to move on.
We found a French bakery and bought some pizza and bread for lunch. We decided to eat at the hotel today. Good for us, Alex likes bread and pizza. He has only 6 teeth, four on top and two on the bottom, so it takes him a bit to chew the bread.
This afternoon Mom took Alex for a walk while Daddy took a nap. It was a good nap. When they got back Alex had a snack of Ritz crackers and peanut butter. The peanut butter we brought with us, but the crackers we bought here. It is amazing how much stuff is here, both American and French. It sure makes it easy to go shopping.
We think Alex may be teething. He likes to chew on things and puts his finger in his mouth. Maybe that's why he did not sleep well last night. We hope tonight will be better!

History and a play date

Yesterday, we decided to visit Hoan Kiem Lake. We looked at the Ngoc Son Temple. It's the one with all 3 of us in the picture. We had to cross a wooden bridge to get the temple in the middle of the lake. It was a wet an rainy day, but in the afternoon we went to the Temple of Literature. It was founded in 1070 and was dedicated to Confucius. A university was found here in 1076 to educate the sons of mandarins. They still have some stones with the names of students who passed the exams between 1442 and 1778. It was a neat temple with 5 courtyards and was a quiet place for Alex to take a nap in the baby carrier.
On Friday, today, we wanted to take a day trip to Halong Bay. It is about a 3.5 hour trip one way from Hanoi. We got to the hotel where the other families were staying. We hopped in the van and then drove around Hanoi for an hour to pick up other passengers. Then we found out, the trip was cancelled due to the weather on the Bay! So back to the hotel we went. Turns out we got up early for no reason. :( However, we were able to play in the children's playroom in the Somerset Westlake Hotel. Sam and Alex got to play together. They were in the same foster home. They even had a little spat over a toy. Sam tried to bite Alex to get the toy and Alex wacked him on the head in response. Looks like Alex will be able to fend for himself just fine!
Emma was also there to help calm down the boys. She is such a cutie. The kids played for a couple hours together and then we headed back to our area to eat. We have found a good restaurant that serves all kinds of soup and noodles for a good price. A little more walking around the area put Alex to sleep for his afternoon nap. Alex had a good night last night. He pretty much slept through the whole night! We hope he keeps it up tonight.
Alex is a bundle of energy and always like to be in motion. He sits well in his baby carrier, but if Mom stops, he starts to get fussy. I guess he will keep us on our toes!

Some thoughts from Vietnam

Mom has a hard time updating the blog. Alex does not like it when she is out of sight for too long. You can see the reactions of Alex when is with Dad or with Mom!
So far Alex still does not drink any formula as he did with his foster mom. He also will not drink out of a bottle. Lucky for us, he is a quick learner and he will drink with a straw. He drinks water and juice like a big boy with the straw. Our next project will be to teach him how to use the sippy cup. He had a good breakfast again with noodles, banana, papaya and he loves yogurt!
The clothes we brought along all fit him well. Most are 6-9 months sizes. American clothes are just too big! We hope to shopping and buy him a Vietnamese outfit or two.
Alex is making mama sounds. It's hard to tell if it is just sounds or if he really means it. He is responding to his name, Alex. He is a happy boy most of the day and likes to be in the baby carrier. When we walk around he can look at see what is going on all around him. If we walk long enough, he will go to sleep in it too. He still has some trouble going to sleep at night. He is sleeping better, but Mom still is bit behind on her sleep.
We like our hotel and the neighborhood. There is a lot of action and things to see. We have also seen lots of French and American tourists here. Today it will probably rain all day, we will try to find something to do inside.