Every Tribe, Every Nation . . .

Merry Christmas!!!

2007-12-18T10:06:00.000-08:00

Emma at the Hoh River.

Emma and her little friend Anna, who came home from China just 2 months after Emma arrived from Vietnam.

Ken and Emma at the Hoh River.

Emma turns one!!!
Camping in the Hoh Rain Forest.

Capernwray 2007

Amie - she has watched Jalena, Alysha and Becca since they were babies at Capernwray - we love her!!!

Mt. Baker from Mallahat Drive heading north on Vancouver Island on the way to Capernwary.

Brenna and Michaela on the Blackball Ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria.

Goofing off at the Fountain Park in downtown Bremerton.

For the first time in 3 years I was able to get Christmas cards out!! I wasn't too happy with how dark the picture turned out. I'm going to post it here again and see if it will come out lighter - it's of the girls at Capernwray this past summer. As you can imagine, it's hard to get a picture of all 6 girls smiling and this one mangaged to capture all of them smiling. I'm also adding some more of some things we've done over the past few months (mostly this summer).

We had some great trips to the beach, a wonderful camping trip to the Hoh Rain Forest on the Olympic Peninsula, a crazy camping trip down to the Columbia River Gorge (let's just say that Emma doesn't like the car). But this horrific camping trip ended at the PLAN picnic in McMinnville, OR where we were able to meet all the wonderful people at the agency that placed Emma in our family. Of course, the highlight of the summer is always our week spent at family camp at Capernwray Harbour on Thetis Island.

A Heartfelt Thank You!!

2007-05-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

I want to thank everyone for your prayers for our journey to Emma . . . God's faithfulness was evident during our entire trip . . . everything from our flights to Hanoi, our quick and seamless paperwork process in Vietnam (one of the quickest ever), our health (a few minor ailments, but nothing major), our absolutely enjoyable time meeting other adoptive families and sightseeing to our easy trip home was a testimony to God's participation in this whole process. I know that many of you were praying during our trip and I want you to know that your prayers were heard and answered and meant the world to us. Your comments on the blog and the encouraging emails I received while in Vietnam were a huge blessing to me so even if I was not able to answer you please know I appreciated each and every one.

Emma is adjusting very well to being home. She almost has her days and nights figured out and has almost made it through the last two nights - just a quick waking up and right back to sleep. She had her first doctors appointment yesterday and Dr. Chow was quite impressed by her development and her personality. She is right on target (or ahead) in all developmental areas and her doctor had no concerns at all. She weighs 16 #s 9 oz so is only in the 10th %ile for weight but 50th %ile for length. She had 3 immunizations since they have to start at square one for babies from Vietnam. She tolerated the injections OK, but was not happy about the blood draw. They run a myriad of tests on new adoptees and they took 5 vials of blood. As soon as it was over she was back to her normal, happy self.

All the girls are doing well with Emma - they love her!! I am especially happy with how well Becca is doing. She had a rough weekend which was to be expected but has adjusted quite well to having a baby sister. Yesterday she told Ken, "I like Emma!!"

We have laid low this week and not done anything as Michaela and I both

got some horrible cold/flu upon arriving home . . . forgot to take our Airborne before the flight home. Hopefully as we start to feel better I'll have more pictures to post.

Emma is HOME!!!

2007-04-29T09:44:00.000-07:00

We had a very uneventful trip home - exactly what we hoped for!! Both flights were on time and Emma did great during both take-offs and landings - not a peep about her ears or anything. She cried a little after about an hour on the first flight and then slept the rest of the way. At the Taipei airport we let her crawl around and get her wiggles out. She also had 2 poopy diapers which was great because then I didn't have to deal with it on the plane. We had the best seats on the plane for our long leg - Taipei to Seattle - 10 1/2 hours. Shortly after take-off Emma fell asleep and I was able to lay her in the bassinet (took about 4 tries but she finally went in it) and she slept the entire way to Seattle. I had to wake her up about 30 minutes before landing to get her dressed and give a bottle for the descent.

In Seattle we were the only ones in the new immigrant line and the officer processed Emma's visa papers very quickly. Once downstairs we had to wait forever for our luggage - must have been one of the last ones to come out - funny how things can go sooooo slowly when you're dying to be somewhere else. All I could think about was the crowd of people waiting for us in another part of the airport. Straight through customs - no questions - and then an officer was nice enough to let us get a picture of Emma next to the American flag. She is now officially a US Citizen!! Since Ken came to Vietnam for the first part of the adoption Emma was able to come home on an IR3 Visa which grants her immediate citizenship upon hitting US soil.

A quick ride on the subway and we were ready to head up the escalator to the waiting crowd. I spotted Becca first and thought she must have grown a foot while I was gone. It was such a joy to introduce Emma to her sisters and I can't describe the feeling of having my girls in my arms again. Poor things, they are all sick with something - coughing, Jalena has double ear infections, etc. I woke up this morning with a horrible sore throat (forgot to take my Airborne on the plane) so we're laying low for a while to get Emma transitioned and everyone healthy and back to our normal routine.

The girls think the world of Emma. They cannot keep their hands off her, but Emma needs her space so she only puts up with it for a few minutes at a time. I think Emma is still a bit overwhelmed by all her sisters but I'm sure in a few days she'll be laughing like crazy with them.

She has done great sleep-wise . . . She feel asleep at 10 on the way home from the aiport and didn't even wake up when we got home and slept till about 2 AM and was only up for an hour and then slept till 8 or so. We let her take 2 naps but woke her up after 2 hours each time. Last night she went to bed at 7 and slept till 9 this morning waking at 1:30 for a bottle. She's had one short and one long nap today and we were only able to hold her off till 7:30 tonight for bed. I'm just so happy that she seems to have her days and nights switched around already.

Emma is still quite congested though I'm sure the pneumonia is gone since her lungs sounded clear at her visa check-up. She has her first check-up here on Wednesday so it will be interesting to see how she checks out. I'm sure her doctor will be quite impressed with her development. She is right on target or ahead in all areas as far as I can tell.

We're Coming HOME!!!

2007-04-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

It's now 1:40 AM, I just finished the last post and I need to try to get some sleep before our journey home. We have a lot to finish up tomorrow - we need to buy a stroller to use in the airports, visit one more museum, finish packing and have lunch with some of the other PLAN families here and be headed to the airport by 2:30. Even with 3 weeks in country we didn't see and do anywhere near what I wanted to. But we are ready to come home, I can't wait to hold my girls and best of all introduce Emma to them.

So, I will sign off for now and the next post you see will be of Emma meeting her sisters!!

Thank you to all who have followed along on our journey and for the encouraging comments and emails!!

Finally . . . about Emma's Gotcha Day

2007-04-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

It's 12:30 AM, I can't sleep because I am so excited about coming home tomorrow so I figured it was about time I wrote more about the day we picked up Emma . . .

We left our hotel at 9 AM with the one other family who was staying here and Katie and Lily Loncar and Cherie's granddaughter. We picked up the other 2 families at the Somerset and were on our way. The ride out to Ba Vi was beautiful . . . lots of rice fields (which are beautiful this time of year because it is harvest time) and then we passed through many small villages.

When we arrived at Ba Vi we were ushered into a conference room (furnished with beautiful wood furniture that is made by the older children at Ba Vi who are apprenticed in town by a wood carver) and were met by the director of the orphanage. He offered us tea but we all politely declined as we wanted to meet our babies. He spoke to us (through a translator - Dr. Hong's nephew) about how happy he was that we came to adopt babies, etc. Apparently not all orphanage directors are as visible as he is and most parents don't get the opportunity to meet the director - he was obviously very involved an stayed with us the entire time we were there. He led us to the 5 rooms where the babies are and told each of us which room our baby was in. Emma was in the last room with Jack. As we walked in Emma was laying on the floor with one of her nannies. As soon as they saw us they stripped her down, ran into the back room and plunked her in a little tub of water and bathed her. This surprised us as we were told the babies are only sponged bathed. It was a quick washing but she spent the whole time craning her neck to see us . . . this was my first clue that Emma is similar to Becca. Then they brought her back in the room and proceeded to put an orphanage diaper and clothing back on her - this was strange since we had brought clothes for her. Her nanny picked her up and would not let me have her. Her nanny was crying and I realized this was going to be very difficult for her to let Emma go. She finally let me have her and she let me hold her close while I cried. Then it was Ken's turn to hold her before they took her back and asked for her new clothes . . . we're still not sure why the quick bath - maybe the other babies had already been bathed and Emma hadn't? They got her all dressed in her new clothes and let us take the clothes she had been wearing - I am so thankful for that as it will be the only tie she has to Ba Vi. Now it was Michaela and then Sarah's turn to hold her. Her nanny kept taking her back and holding her close - this was obviously very hard for her. Two other nannies then came around and they kept holding her also. I finally decided that I would get to hold her for the rest of my life and these women who had loved and cared for her only had a very short time left with her. It was very apparent that Emma had been a favorite - for the 1 1/2 hours we were there I think I actually held her for 5 minutes - the rest of the time these 3 nannies were holding here. We finally found out through the interpreter that the one gal who was having the hardest time was the one who had picked Emma up at the hospital where she was abandoned. We were able to go around and see the babies in all the rooms, hold them and take pictures. Michaela and Sarah passed out some balloons and gave the lollipops to the nannies that they had brought for the older children.

When it was time to go we were all getting in the bus to leave and Ken was talking to the director and the one nanny came back out to the bus to say good-bye to Emma one last time. It just broke my heart. I had been told over and over again how much the babies are loved and cared for at Ba Vi, but I was not prepared for my baby to be such a favorite - I felt like I was ripping her away from her family. It was heart wrenching.

Through all of this Emma never made a peep. All the other babies screamed at some point during the visit . . . Emma just took it all in, smiled at everyone and feel asleep in my arms before we left. She woke up part way back to Hanoi and was all smiles again!

She continues to be happy, alert and engaging - she attracts attention everywhere and the Vietnamese love babies so much that it's very hard to walk down the street - everyone wants to kiss her and talk about her and ask "Vietnam baby?"

Developmentally she couldn't be more on track - she has incredible eye contact, great gross motor skills and can even pick up Cheerios and get them in her mouth - no delays whatsoever.

Myers' Baby Alert . . . yes, I have another baby who sleeps through the night!! They were used to being fed twice a night at Ba Vi, but she has quickly given up the night feedings and sleeps from 8 till 7:30 or so!! I know the trip home could throw that all off, but it has been wonderful not to do night feedings since that first week.

Emma only has 2 faults - she can cry louder than any baby I've ever heard and she hates to fall asleep - usually the screaming happens when I decide that she needs a nap and we have an all out batttle till she falls asleep. Have to work on that one!!

More Halong Bay

2007-04-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

The craft workshop where we stopped on the way. This is where they make the embroidered pictures.

Cruising, Spelunking, Kayaking, Thunder and Lightening

2007-04-25T16:54:00.000-07:00

Halong Bay is the natural wonder in Vietnam. There are over 3000 limestone islands is this bay and it is absolutely spectacular. It doesn't seem to matter where we go on this earth . . . I am always amazed at the splendor and diversity of what God has created for us to enjoy!

During the 3 hour bus ride from Hanoi we stopped at a craft workshop where they employ handicap people to make jewelry, embroidery, laquerware, stone carvings, etc. We were most impressed by the embroidery these young people were doing. They sat at rows and rows of tables with a picture to copy. You can see in the pictures their incredible work.

Shortly after arriving at the harbor we were taken to our boat - I don't know that paying $70 for our overnight cruise got us any better of a boat than the $48 we were going to pay - but our crew and our guide were fantastic and I can't even begin to describe the food we were served - it just kept coming and coming and coming! There were 2 crew in particular who simply could not get enough of Emma - they kept holding her and playing with her - she has quite an engaging personality!

Michaela was able to go in both of the caves we stopped at but Emma was sleeping for the first stop so I only made it into the second one. I will let the pictures speak for themselves rather than bore you with my lack of descriptive writing.

Shortly after bedding down for the night we were hit with an incredible thunder and lightening storm. We were anchored safely in a sheltered cover but the thought did cross my mind that Ken would not be very happy with me if we were struck by lightening while cruising the South China Sea with two of his daughters. We got drenched before we closed our windows, but it did make our adventure all that more memorable!!!

Right after breakfast we were given the choice to kayak or go by small boat to a little museum dedicated to the small fishing village we anchored in. Michaela opted for the kayak and Emma and I for the small boat. 600 people live in these 120 floating houses (shacks) where they fish for a living.

We then headed back to the harbor while being served one more lunch on the way back. As soon as we drove off it started pouring rain - perfect timing!

Today is our last full day in Hanoi so we plan to finish up some shopping and take some more pictures out on the street.

Ken, Breann, Jalena, Alysha and Becca - we are counting the hours till we get on that plane to come home to you . . . we can't wait for you to meet Emma and I can't wait to hold my girls close - we have missed you so much!!!

A Word About This Blog - I hope everyone has enjoyed reading this . . . it's hard to write for such a diverse audience . . . . I have gotten emails asking for more about Emma, I have gotten emails asking for more about Vietnam . . . I have tried to do both. Part of the frustration comes with the internet connection and my fatigue - we go all day long and when I sit down to write I can barely put 2 words together let alone 2 sentences so I know my writing has probably been rather boring. At times the internet connection is so slow it takes 4 minutes to upload each of the pictures I put on here. Last night there was no connection at all so I could not even access the blog to write about Halong Bay. This morning the connection is fast so I have been able to upload a lot of pictures.

For other PLAN Families - Recently a member of my travel group posted on her blog some extremely negative things about PLAN and how unhappy she was with her process here in Vietnam. All I can say is that we were part of the same group of 4 families (they stayed at the $130/night Somerset, we stayed at the $40/night Lucky Star) and my perception of our experience could not be more opposite hers. PLAN has done an incredible job here in Vietnam and it is NOT by chance that our cases were approved so quickly (the next group has finished just as fast). This is because of PLAN's dedication to place these babies in families and make the process go as smoothly as possible. Their hard work and dedication is very evident to me.

A Hot, Hot Day in Hanoi

2007-04-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

Today was beastly hot and humid!! We needed a quiet day after being gone the last two days and before taking off for Halong Bay so we stayed in and let Emma have her naps. We went out to get some lunch and finish our shopping on Silk Street. Michaela was able to find some shoes to go with her Ah Dai. She worked so hard to earn all her spending money (babysitting, dog sitting, dog walking, walking the neighbor boy to the bus, etc.) and she has spent her money so carefully and thoughtfully. It's been fun to see what she likes picking out and to see her so thoughtfully buy gifts for her friends. I know I keep saying it, but she has done tremendously on this trip . . . who would have thought five years ago that I could have taken this sensory challenged child who would only eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches half way around the world and she would thrive?!?!? It's been amazing.

Kelly, Abe and Maeve left tonight so we were very sad to see them go. We are the only ones left from our travel group but there are 8 other PLAN families in our little hotel so it's like being with one big happy family. Really, it's been one of the best parts of this trip. So we have plenty of people to hang around with until we leave on Friday.

I will post as soon as we get back from Halong Bay - Wed. AM for you West coast folks.

Staying till Friday . . . and having a blast!!

2007-04-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

We have officially given up on trying to get on a flight before Friday. We have reconfirmed our Friday flights and will arrive in Seattle on EVA Air flight 26 at 6:20 PM Seattle time. I would imagine by the time we get thru customs and immigrations we should be heading up the escalator by 7 PM. We would love anyone to be there who would like to welcome Emma to US soil and I'm sure she will award you with one of her beautiful smiles!!!

Today we are going to finish up some shopping on Hang Gai (Silk Street) and tomorrow we leave for an overnight trip to Halong Bay where we will spend the night on a luxury Chinese junk boat. I'm sure we'll have a boatload of pictures to share when we return.

Everyone's Got a Water Buffalo . . .

2007-04-22T05:37:00.000-07:00

This is Michaela writing tonight:

Today Kelly,Abram,Maeve and we went to Ba Vi national park. It was a two hour ride through the country.There were ricefields with water buffaloes and cows... There is construction every where. We had a nice taxi driver who took us up the mountain. Down in the valleys there were rice feilds and rivers and lakes. The hills were terraced with rice fields. It was all jungly wth trees and vines. We saw some pretty flowers. We stopped halfway up where some buildings were. We saw a hut thing in some trees. It looked like someone lived there but maybe it was for camping. It was very misty and foggy. We coudn't see anything in the distance.We drove up to the top. It was swervy turns all the way up. The top was nice and it wasn't foggy.There was a little area with tables and a souvenir shop.It was all shady by the jungle trees.There were 1,229 steps leading up to a temple. We did not go. On the way down we saw lots of people walking their groups of cows and water buffaloes. We saw a baby water buffaloe with its mom.We had fun today.

To Go Where No White Man has Gone Before

2007-04-21T07:34:00.000-07:00

I truly believe we were the first white people to set foot in this village . . . Today was our trip out to Giang's home (about 40 km out of Hanoi) and from the moment we arrived we treated like royalty. When we arrived at her home we met her father who immediately took Emma - it was very obvious he loves babies. While we were sitting there having some water (yes, bottled!) the entire neighborhood and all her relatives started to show up. They would come in, sit down, say "hi" (their extent of the English language) and then sit there and say things about us. Some of them would ask questions through Giang but most were even too shy or overwhelmed or whatever to even do that.

After a couple of hours Giang's mother cooked us a Vietnamese meal, served Vietnamese style on the floor on a bamboo mat. We had some beef, chicken, fried fish, pork, and noodles. I am so proud of Micheala for trying everything. They kept adding food to our little bowls and even offered us ice for our pop which we tactfully declined, along with the beer. They kept telling me I wasn't eating enough and I was able to tell the truth that I had been sick the past two days so was not eating much. I didn't tell the whole truth in that I was terrified of what bacteria we might be ingesting!! I wasn't worried about the meat - it was fully cooked - more worried about the knife that was cutting the fruit and what the dishes might have been washed (or not washed) in!! I pray God will honor our intent to be respectful of our hosts and spare our intestines any repercussions from any food we ate today!!

One of the relatives we met was Giang's older sister and husband who have a baby just a bit younger than Emma. She was an absolute doll. Of course, since the Vietnamese don't believe in diapers we watched her pee all over the floor right next to our food right before we ate lunch.

After lunch Giang's brother-in-law, who is a taxi driver drove us up to a beautiful lake. It was very pretty, with lots of people around, a lovely refreshing breeze and more people to stare at the white Americans.

Later it was off to her uncle's wedding party . . . this was the groom's party for his side of the family the day before the wedding. We were an immediate hit the moment we arrived. We were ushered through the tent area where the food was being served to a little sitting room where we were offered chairs and some tea. Only out of politeness would I drink hot tea on a hot and humid day like today. As soon as we sat down the room filled with people - men came in a sat on chairs, women on the other side of the room on a bamboo mat and ooed and ahed over Emma and Michaela. Again, we were a novelty. I finally asked Giang if any of them had seen foreigners before and she said no. They must not come into Hanoi because this place is crawling with Americans, Europeans and Australians. Michaela received her first marriage proposal from one of the grandmas who wanted her to marry her grandson. She politely declined the offer. It was most fun to watch the children - they loved having their pictures taken and then being shown the image on the camera. When we left they all followed us for quite a while.

We were served another meal similar to lunch but this time it included pork kidney and octopus and some other unidentifiable items that Giang could not translate.

After leaving the party we walked to the Catholic church - they started rebuilding it but ran out of money so it just sits unfinished. They introduced us to the priest who served us tea again. Mom, the picture with the Vietnamese priest is just for you!! He put his collar on just for the photo. He wanted to know if we would come back to mass in the morning but I had to tell him we had other plans.

It was an absolutley incredible day and we are so grateful that we had the experience and were able to meet a real family in their own home and village. Their hospitality was wonderful and we feel like we have now experienced the "real" Vietnam. Emma was a perfect angel all day, which was a huge blessing - she can be quite demanding at times.

I am feeling 100% better - I really think I was dehydrated - thank you everyone for your prayers. Still praying for a flight on Tuesday but am about ready (and Ken is encouraging us) to leave it on Friday and do an overnight trip to Halong Bay. We are building memories and experiencing Emma's birthcountry and having a marvelous time doing it!!!

The very last picture is of Giang's mother's "kitchen."

A Few More Pictures

2007-04-20T03:31:00.000-07:00

This is Gian who took us shopping for a camera. She has invited us out to her home in the country tomorrow to meet her family and see where she lives. I understand this is a high compliment from the Vietnamese - to be invited to their home. She has really enjoyed Michaela and she is the one who took her shopping for her dress.

I've also added some pictures of our hotel, the Lucky Star and the views from our windows.

Michaela and Sarah's Cyclo Tour

2007-04-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

While I was out running to appointments on Wednesday Michaela and Sarah took a cyclo around to see some sights. They saw the Temple of Literature, ate lunch at KOTO (Know One, Teach One) where they take street orphans and teach them culinary skills, the Fine Arts Museum and the Hanoi Prison. Here's some pictures of their day.

Passport, Medical, Visa Approved, Sick Mama, Have Visa, Can't Travel

2007-04-19T05:54:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry I have not been able to post ... the internet was down last night and most of today.

Yesterday was a very busy day . . . we picked up the babies' passports at 10 and then went straight to the SOS clinic for their visa medical check up. Emma's lungs sounded clear, although she is still quite congested. Everything else checked out fine . . . she weight 17#s with all her clothes and wet diaper on. It was so nice to get that stamp on her medical papers!!

Later in the afternoon it was off to the embassy again to pay for the visa and have our second interview - basically a formality telling us that we are all approved and baring any system problems we would have her visa today at 4:00. Again, nothing like the site and sound of that stamp approving our papers!

I then went straight to the EVA ticket office. We cannot get a flight from Hanoi to Taipei early. Todd is trying to work on it from his end but all seats are full for that leg of the trip.

Later in the evening Ghian (hotel staff) took us out to find some bottle nipples for someone at home and then we took her to dinner. After dinner we tried to find a camera but there is nothing under $250 so I am just going to use Sarah's. No one here can believe my camera got stolen - Hanoi is one of the safest cities in the world.

After returning home I started feeling very ill. Chills, nausea, dizzy, weak - no vomiting or anything. Bless Emma's heart - she slept 10 hours last night and then took a 3 hour nap this morning so I was able to get a lot of rest. It dawned on me that maybe I am simply dehydrated (even though I've been guzzling water) so I've been forcing the water down and took some pedialyte.

We received Emma's visa today and I called Vietnam Airlines again and this time they were willing to put me on a waiting list for Sunday and Tuesdays flights. Please pray that I will be up and about again tomorrow so I can get Michaela out to see more. Sarah was down with tummy problems again today so Michaela hung out with our friends the Kniseleys for a while.

I would really like to get to Halong Bay but cannot make the long trip (3 hours) unless I'm feeling 100%.

Sorry no pictures as I've only taken a few and don't have the energy to download them right now.

2nd Embassy Appointment and Healthy Kids

2007-04-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read that correctly. Yesterday we had our first embassy appointment . . . less than 24 hours later we got called for our second appointment. It is tomorrow at 3:30. To our agency's knowledge that has never happened before. Families usually wait about a week between appointments. I had just put Emma down for a nap when the phone rang . . . it was Cherie, the family coordinator for our agency. First she told me I was in trouble . . . oh great, what did I do now? She told me my cell phone was not on (which it should be at all times in case they need to get a hold of us for any reason - especially things like embassy appointments). It had died and I forgot to put it on the charger. Then she tells me that we're getting our visa. I told her she was calling the wrong person. This woman is working so hard to do so much for so many families and has 20 different things going on at once that I thought she had finally gone cookoo. She told me that we were picking up the babies' passports and going to their medical appointment (which I knew) and then to our second appointment. Again, I told her she must have something mixed up because that was impossible - we'd just been there yesterday. She was laughing - told me we had prayed ourselves right out of Vietnam. She was actually kind of disappointed because our travel group has done so well, has loved Hanoi and has been so determined to just go with the flow - even if it took 3 weeks. I was in complete shock. She was on a bus with the next group of families on their way to pick up their babies so they were all celebrating for us.

Telling Michaela didn't go over so well. She was very upset - I had convinced everyone that we would have to stay the 3 weeks that she never for a minute thought her world adventure would be cut short.

I have contacted our travel agent to see if our tickets can be changed to come home Sunday instead of Friday. Flights out of Hanoi are booked solid so he might not have any luck and we might have to stay the entire time anyway. I would love to come home Sunday - that would give me 3 1/2 days to let Michaela see and do more - but would get us home 5 days early. So, please pray that he can get our flights changed for us.

Thank you to everyone who prayed when I sent that email in the middle of the night about Emma's fever and Michaela and Sarah's "bug." I tried to send out a "thank you" but my email is having lots of problems today. Emma slept till almost 8 and woke fever free and happy! Who knows what it was? Michaela was still vomiting this morning so we could not go to HaLong Bay, but will try to go on Thursday or Friday. By 1:00 this afternoon both big girls perked up and got out of bed and dressed, etc. They looked like new people!! I am so glad their bug is over and they can continue to enjoy themselves.

WE are loving Hanoi!! It is loud and crowded and the traffic is something else. There are millions of scooters and no one obeys any kind of traffic signals, lanes, etc. Crossing the street is an adventure in and of itself. The Vietnamese are wonderful, friendly, kind people. And they love babies!!! Everyone stops us to ooh and ah over the babies and touch them and kiss them and ask questions about them. A couple of times when I've been shopping they throw and extra item in the bag as a present for Emma.

We love the Lucky Star Hotel . . . we couldn't have asked for a better experience with our hotel. Many people have complained about this place. It is a 2 star hotel - it is not fancy, but it is clean, there are no bugs, the A/C works great, and best of all the staff is most accommodating. I asked one of the gals at the front desk(Gian for those of you who have stayed here) the best place for Michaela to buy her Ah Dai. Instead of telling us where to go she said she'd take Michaela shopping. It was the day Emma had been to the clinic so I didn't want to take her out again and asked Michaela if she was OK if I didn't go. She said,"I don't want you to come." So this woman took her out walking around and when they couldn't find anything close by she took Michaela around on her scooter till they found a shop. She helped Michaela pick out her fabric and have her dress tailor made. How many hotel staff would do that for you? When M tired to tip her she absolutely refused.

Our only bad experience so far is that my camera was stolen today. I did not discover it until we were getting ready to go to dinner. I had noticed that the outside zipper on my backpack was undone when I came back from shopping and thought that was strange because I have been so careful. Well, now I know why. I think I know exactly when it happened. A man was tyring to get me to buy postcards - he spoke very good English and was asking all about Emma so I was talking to him. He offered to help me cross the street. I am fine crossing the street but he was being so nice that I let him. I am not happy with myself because I should know better. He led me with one arm and had the other arm on my back. He probably just unzipped it and took out the camera. Fortunately I have downloaded pictures each night so I did not lose any pictures, but now I either have to buy a new one or borrow Sarah's for the rest of the trip.

I am trying not to let this one incident ruin my wonderful opinion of Hanoi because we really are having a marvelous time and love the people here.

Since I have no camera I have no pictures to share of today, but it was a very low-key day anyway.

First US Embassy Interview and Sick Girls

2007-04-16T09:13:00.000-07:00

Well, today we were going to get out and try to see the Temple of Literature and Ho Chi Minh but Michaela and Sarah's bodies had other plans. Both girls have some type of bug - don't know if they have a virus or traveler's sickness but they both just had to stay in bed all day. Poor things - really hard to be sick away from home. Please pray that they will wake in the morning feeling much better. Micahela and I are supposed to go to Halong Bay with our travel group - we hired a bus to take us there and one of the other families can't go either so we're really hoping we can go.

At 2:00 we had our first interview at the US Embassy. It went perfectly. We were happy to be interviewed by Greg who seems to be a little nicer than the other guy. He just asked me lots of questions about our process our household, etc. and we were on our way. We now wait to be called back for our second interview - the soonest that would be is on Friday.

Emma and I went out for a bit of shopping with Kelly and Maeve and then we all went to dinner with 2 other PLAN families. They are picking up their babies tomorrow so they were all in high spirits!!

Emma is doing better although she is still quite congested. She will have her visa medical check up on Wed. or Thur. so they will be able to take a listen to here then.

I'm having problems with my internet connection tonight so have only been able to upload 2 pictures. I think Emma misses her daddy - Samuel has made a good stand-in for a couple of days. I have a feeling after tomorrow he may be a little distracted though.

Good night from Hanoi and thank you to everyone who has left comments - I really do read them all and they have been a great encouragement. Same with emails. I'd love to hear from you, but cannot promise that I will respond.

maryjeane@wavecable.com

All About Emma

2007-04-15T02:31:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to write about our Gotcha moment but need a little more brain power than what is available at 11 PM. I've also been wanting to post about Emma - I think I can manage that right now.

Emma is the only baby (out of our group of 4) that did not cry when handed to us. She seems to have a very outgoing, adventurous personality (hmm, where have I noticed that before???) Here's are some things we've noticed about her in our first week together:

She smiles a lot!
She can have quite a temper . . . translated: if my bottle is not ready when I want it I will pitch a fit
She can move very quickly
She can do the combat crawl
She is completey hoarse from her cold
She wants to hold her own bottle - she will let me hold it about 50% of the time
She already prefers being rocked to sleep (I don't imagine the nannies had time to do that at the orphanage)
She can now crawl on all fours - this just happened this morning
She does not always want to take her nap in her crib - Mom's arms are the best place
She can pull up to a standing position
She can sit on her own
She can get from crawling to sitting and vice versa
She has a wonderful laugh
She loves Michaela and Sarah
She has no problem with men
She will go to anybody but will look for me
She has a smile for everyone
She has her first two bottom teeth
She wears 6-9 months size clothing (she looks bigger in pictures)
She can babble - ba, ba, ba is her favorite - a univeral first sound, I believe

She is perfect beyond measure and we are truly blessed by God that He has chosen us to be her family!!!

Silk Village, Lunch and a Swim

2007-04-15T02:22:00.000-07:00

Today PLAN arranged for a bus to come pick us all up at our hotels and take us to the Silk Village (about 30-40 minutes away) for some shopping. We all found some wonderful things - silk scarves, Ah Dais for the girls, etc. We were able to see the silk worms - they were just hanging on a wall outside the factory. We got to walk in and see the silk looms at work - amazing!!

On the way back PLAN treated us all to lunch at Al Fresco's. We had the whole upper room to ourselves - complete with a sitting area, a pool table and tables to eat at. It was fun to be with the 7 other PLAN families that are here and see all the babies together. We lined them all up on the pool table to take their picture - lots of fun!

The girls are over at the Somerset now for a dip in the pool. It's been hot here the last 2 days. Until yesterday it had only been in the 70s - very pleasant - but yesterday it warmed up quite a bit, so a swim was in order after a morning of shopping.

I didn't make it over to the pool with the girls - Emma slept till 5. We had a quiet evening - the girls were beat (it was quite hot and humid today). Emma and I ran out for a little bit of shopping but it was too hot. One gal said she gave me a good price on some scarves tonight because she saw my hot face!! Guess it pays to be hot and sweaty!!

Tomorrow is Monday so we have our first US Embassy interview!!

Ken has Re-Appeared and Meeting the Kniseleys

2007-04-15T01:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally found out when I woke up Saturday morning that Ken had materialized and was on his way home via Korea on Korean Airlines - change of airlines and change of route. What a mess. Our coordinator here, who flies out of Hanoi numerous times a year, has never had a flight delayed. Poor guy, it took them 7 hours to figure out what they were going to do with him and issue him a new ticket. He is home now with the girls, although I have not heard from them yet. Kari, Gretchen, does anyone know if they are all OK?

We had a quiet morning at the hotel and as soon as Emma woke up from her morning nap we walked up the street a couple blocks to find our friends, the Kniseleys, at their hotel. They had just flown in the night before. Hannah and I "met" online 3 1/2 years ago while we were adopting our babies from Taiwan. They started the process with Vietnam about a month after we did. We have prayed for, cried for and supported each other through two adoptions. Who would have ever thought we'd come half way around the world to meet each other?!?! God has some really wild plans sometimes. Being with Samuel and Hannah was like being with long lost friends - like we'd always known each other in person. We took them to Little Hanoi for lunch and them just came back and hung out in our room and then went to a little Italian place for dinner.

Emma did great the last 2 nights. She has only woken up for one bottle each night. She had a really hard time settling back down last night - guess we just have to get to know each other a little better and we'll figure it out. She wants to hold her own bottle which is killing me. I want to snuggle her and gaze into her eyes, but she has different ideas. We may have another little independent soul on our hands.

Friday Pictures

2007-04-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

Ken Has Vanished Into Thin Air

2007-04-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

I am so tired now that I don't think I can even post about our day . . . we're all doing great and loving Hanoi.

Ken left for the airport around 2:30 this afternoon for a 5:30 flight to Taipei. Well, the flight out of here was delayed and when he told them he would miss his connection in Taipei they took his ticket and destroyed it and spent the next 5 hours trying to decide what to do with him . . . I'm still not sure what exactly he is doing since he has to go to the business lounge with special permission to email me as things unfold (I have the VN cell phone). At this point I think he is leaving at midnight and flying Hanoi-Tokyo-LAX-Seattle but I don't even know what airline he is on. I hope he is taking this as well as I am - I think I am so tired it's striking me as rather funny . . . I know I will not be laughing if this happens to the girls and me with a baby in tow.

We had lunch with our travel group this afternoon so I'll post some pictures from that and turn in for the night.

Brenna - if you're reading this, please try to call the Skype # around 6 PM your time Friday night.

Sorry but something is wrong with the internet connection tonight and I can't upload pictures.

Sick Baby

2007-04-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

I finally decided that I really didn't like the sound of Emma's cough and asked to take her to the SOS clinic today. I guess my mother's intuition is still intact. They did a chest x-ray and she had spots in both lungs - not bad and we caught at the very beginning stages. $185 later we were out the door. After we got in the car and looked at the antibiotics they had given me we realized it was amoxicillin which is what I had brought from home. She was quite cranky today and had a hard time sleeping. She down for the night now so hopefully she'll get some good rest.

Ken and the girls did some shopping today an went to the water puppet show this afternoon. For dinner we found a wonderful Italian place - a bit pricey for our budget so we probably won't go there again, but it was very good.

The best news of the day was that we got called for our first US Embassy appointment on Monday!!! This is the first of two appointments that must take place in order to receive Emma's US visa to bring her home. Hopefully the second interview will be about a week after this one. We're very happy that the process here is moving along so well.

Pictures from Wednesday

2007-04-11T09:04:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Pictures

2007-04-11T08:53:00.000-07:00

Giving & Receiving, Passports and Getting Lost

2007-04-10T23:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had a relaxing morning and Emma and I just hung around the hotel for the morning. Ken and the girls walked around some and found the famous Fanny's Ice Cream -they say we have to go back again!! I met one of the other families here at the Lucky Star (the Lins) and their twin girls who are absolutely darling and perfect. I have to hand it to these first time parents adding twins to their families - that's a lot of work in a foreign country . . . to be first time parents is one thing, to have twins is another and to do both in a foreign country is remarkable.

At 2:00 Loan took us to apply for the babies' passports but the computer system was down so we weren't able to complete the process. As soon as we got back to the hotel it was time to get ready for the Giving and Receiving Ceremony. This is the official portion on the Vietnamese side of the adoption where we sign papers and the babies are officially ours. It was a very simple, quick ceremony where they asked us to take good care of the babies, send updates till they are 18, etc. We signed papers, shook hands and were on our way.

There is only one other family in our travel group of 4 staying at our hotel so we have been spending a lot of time together. Herb is Irish and found the only Irish Pub in Hanoi for us to go eat dinner - Finnigans Pub. It was actually very good and some members of our party got their first taste of Vietnamese beer - Tiger beer. Ken says it was "ok." We had our first encounter with the Vietnam grandmothers on the way back from dinner. There were 3 older women sitting on the sidewalk and as we walked by they stopped us. First they looked at Maeve who was asleep in Kelly's arms and oo-ed and ah-ed over her then they wanted to see Emma who was in Sarah's arms. Sarah handed her over and the first thing they did was take her hat off and count her 2 cowlicks and exclaim how lucky she is. They fussed and fussed over her and passed her around till one of them just hung on to her and then they fought over who Emma liked the best. It was very sweet and funny. I only wish I had taken my camera with me.

Emma did not do as well last night. She had some angry moments before finally falling asleep last night and then woke a few times during the night. Hard to tell what is from grief, what is from transitioning and what is from her cold. She is quite congested and coughing quite a bit. She woke 2 time for a bottle - right on Ba Vi time - 12:30 and 4:30. During the second bottle she was coughing so bad she gagged and threw up her entire bottle all over the bed and me. Welcome to parenthood once again!! She was very angry again and screamed for about an hour before falling asleep again.

She has been happy today but a little more subdued and get very upset when she wants her bottle. She screams the entire time I'm trying to mix it up. Hmmm . . . we hope this doesn't last too long. Michaela and Sarah still can get the best smiles out of her.

We went once again to apply for the passports at 9 this morning. I had to do it since Ken will not be here when it's time to pick them up next week. I left Emma here with him and she did great and went back down for nap. Loan had already been to the passport office and taken a number so by the time we got back there with her we did not have to wait at all. We were in and out of there in about 15 minutes.

Sarah decided to venture out on her own today and as she was walking around found a girl on a scooter who took her around. She took her to get her nails done, to a market to buy some silk and then to a tailor to have an Ao Dai made. She was quite proud of herself and it was obvious she had a great time. She even had some fried noodles with vegetables - wow - what a change from french fries or spaghetti!!

Ken and Michaela did some wandering on their own while I stayed with the napping Emma. Later the 4 of us wandered to the lake and walked around a bit. We met a couple from Italy who had a baby from Viet Tri (one of PLAN's orphanages). I must have been asked 20 times today about Emma "Vietnam baby?"

After walking around the lake our fearless leader (Ken) got us lost. Michaela thought it was a great adventure. I on the other hand was hot and tired from carrying Emma and just wanted to get back to the hotel. We ended up walking down an alley market - very interesting.

After a very quick rest we were off again for dinner - just down the street at a little Italian place - very good pizza. They took the babies while we ate and walked around with them. There are no hichairs anywhere so I think it's a wonderful custom that they do this. I know it really bothers some parents but I think it's great. On our way back from dinner we passed the Lucky Hotel so we stopped in to check on Holly Ardito (first time single mom), she is doing great. As we were visiting with her another PLAN dad (Mr. Lyons) walked in with on of their twin daughters - these are children #11 and 12 for the Lyons family. And people think we are crazy!!!!

We're in Love!!!

2007-04-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

Emma is doing just wonderfully!! After arriving back at the hotel from the orphanage we walked down the street to Little Hanoi for lunch with on of the other families (Bush's). Emma thought it was great fun to try to grab my sandwich and eat it.

Emma has already figured out who I am . . . Ken was playing with her on the bed right after we got back and I stepped away and she cried. Ken and the girls went down on the street and left Emma and me alone. I gave her a bottle (she took the playtex just fine) and she took a nap. She cried a little - mostly because I had to put her down in order to make the bottle and she was not happy about that.

Later in the evening when Emma woke up Michaela and Sarah came in and we stripped Emma down to check her out. She's just perfect. No rashes, boils, scabbies or anything. When she saw the girls she came to life. Sarah had just washed her hair and got her giggling by hanging it in her face. We got so many laughs and giggles we were amazed. Becca didn't crack a smile for at least 24 hours and didn't laugh till the 4th day so I'd say Emma is doing fabulously!

She had another bottle at 9 and went down for the night. She cried out a couple of times in the night but I just patted her back and she settled right down. She woke up at 4 with a poopy diaper, had a bottle and went back to sleep till 6:30. A true Myers' baby!!! We'll see if she sleeps through tonight.

We've been united with Emma . . . She is perfect!!

2007-04-09T04:54:00.000-07:00

We are smitten and the feelings are mutual!! I'll just cut to the chase and upload pictures as I know that is what everyone wants to see. I'll post later about our morning . . . but it was perfect . . . Emma is beautiful, was more loved at Ba Vi than we ever could have imagined and will be loved by us more than she will ever know. I can't wait to introduce her to her sisters waiting at home. Girls, you are going to love her . . . she is just precious.

We Made It!!!

2007-04-08T16:42:00.000-07:00

We are in Hanoi! Our trip was perfect and uneventful! Ourfirst flight into Taipei was great - no turburlence or anything. We even arrived an hour ahead of time. We had about a 3 1/2 hour layover and it was great to get up and walk around and get our blood flowing again. Michaela and Sarah slept almost the entire flight and Ken and I got about 5-6 hours of sleep which is not bad. We had another quick layover in Bangkok and our flight from there was delayed a bit so we arrived in Hanoi just in time for a quick shower and then it was off to dinner next door at the Kiti with our travel group. It was so nice to meet all these people, and Cherie, who we have been corresponding with for so long.

We were all in bed by 8:30 or so and up at 6:30 so I think we should do OK today. Actually we haven't heard a peep out of Michaela and Sarah yet.

NOW FOR THE REASON WE ARE HERE!!! At 9:15 we are to meet in the lobby where a van will pick us up to drive us out to Ba Vi to meet our new daughter. Her diaper bag is packed with a couple of outfits for the nannies to choose from (apparantly they love dressing the babies in fancy outfits). I think it is about a 2 hour drive to Ba Vi so we should see some beautiful countryside.

Our next post will include pictures of Emma Grace!!!

I will close with this . . . Ken just read our reading for the day . . . Psalm 66 . . .

"Bless our God, O peoples, and sound His praise abroad, who keeps usinlife, and does not allow our feet to slip. For Thou has tried us, O God; Thou has refined us as silver is refined. . . . Yet thou didst bring us out into a place of abundance . . ."

Yes, truly God has brought us into a place of abundance -He has blessed us beyond our immagination with our 6 beautiful daughters!!

And We're Off . . .

2007-04-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

This is it!! We're ready to go!! Going to go enjoy my last couple of hours with our girls and then we'll start delivering everybody. The suitcases are loaded, the house is clean (relatively speaking), the dog is boarded, I've written enough notes to write a novel. The only glitch is that Minnie (Brenna's new kitten) is stuck 30' up in a tree down by the creek. Ken tried to get her down but it was impossible. Some friends are going to keep coming and checking on her so hopefully she'll come down soon.

Please pray for safe travels, that we'd make our connections, that our luggage would not get lost, that Emma would make an easy transition to our family and that Michaela (our 12 year old) and Sarah (my niece) would adapt well to Vietnam.

We will arrive in Hanoi at 2 PM Sunday and hope to pick up Emma Monday morning. Check here for pictures Monday morning!!

One last outing with 5 girls

2007-04-05T23:16:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was a beautiful day and Brenna asked if we could drive out to see the mountains. So we headed to one of our favorite spots and let everyone run around on the beach for a while. I wanted to get some good pictures to take to Vietnam with me so I can show off my girls. So, here they are and also one last shot of them as a group of 5 - soon there will be 6 in that picture!!

Ba Vi Buddhas

2007-03-31T21:41:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of all the babies in our travel group. One of the dads nicknamed our group the "Ba Vi Buddhas" because all the babies seem to be so well-fed. One of the families found out last week that they actually won't be able to come as expected as there was a hold up with their baby's paperwork. We are all grieving for them as it is so hard to wait and we will miss them being part of our group.

5 Days to Go!!!!!

2007-03-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

Time is just zooming by! I simply cannot wrap my brain around the fact that we leave in 5 days. It's a good thing because I swear I think of "one more thing" each day that I need from Target. We're basically packed - have a few more things to add after I do some more laundry. Then I need to pack the girls.

Today we dyed Easter eggs and then went out to Noah's for dinner. It was our last time out as a family of 7. Strange to think about. We have done this with each child . . . gone out for one last time as a family of 3, 4, 5, 6 and now 7. Our family dynamics will never be the same again. We had a great time tonight and next time we go out we'll be 8!

We received new pictures this week from a woman who accompanied the families who were picking up their babies on Monday. Emma looks so happy and healthy!

10 Days!!! But who's counting?!?!?!

2007-03-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

Someone just informed me that we are no longer at 20 days and therefore it was time for an update. As of tomorrow we will be leaving in 9 days! Unbelievable. There is a reason that God has pregnancy last for 9 months - you really need that much time to get use to the idea of being a mom - again. This whole adoption has happened so quickly (less than 5 months) that I have hardly had time to wrap my brain around the fact that I will be mom again in just 10 short days. But I will be ready - if I close my eyes and dream I can already start to smell that sweet baby smell.

Preparations are in high gear. My goal was to be done with as much as possible by last Friday, and I made it. Today was Alysha's last day of kindergarten (conferences and spring break) and Jalena's last day is Wednesday. I wanted to be able to enjoy my last week and a half with them home w/o being distracted by packing. Our bags are packed except for a few items of clothing and all the arrangements for the girls have been made. Today I printed off and collated all the schedules, information and medical releases for all the different people that will be caring for the girls. Whew! Really, if we were millionaires it would be easier to take everyone with us.

Here's a picture we received of Emma last week. Aren't sleeping babies simply precious?

20 Days!!!

2007-03-17T22:27:00.000-07:00

The official countdown has begun! We leave in 20 days. The girls are crossing off the days on the calendar and Jalena has made a paper chain. In 20 short days we will be flying across the ocean to pick up our sweet little Emma. I think I am finally ready to pack. Seems like I spent the entire week going to the store for "just one more thing." Today Ken and I were able to get away for a bit and went to Macy's and purchased some luggage and then went and saw the movie "Amazing Grace." I highly recommend it - it was really good. It was nice to get away from all that has to be done and relax for a bit.

I thought I'd add a picture of Sarah so everyone can see my niece that will be coming with us.

Travel Dates

2007-02-13T15:56:00.000-08:00

We have firm travel dates. Ken, Michaela (our 12 year old), Sarah (my 20 year old niece) and I will be leaving for Vietnam in the wee hours of the morning of April 7. Ken will have to return on April 13 to get back to work but the rest of us will stay till approximately April 27. If our interviews at the US Embassy are completed before that we will try to return home sooner. Right now that seems so far away, but there is plenty to do before then to get ready to do . . . we have our plane reservations but now comes the packing, visas, more vaccines, shopping for gifts, packing, getting care arranged for the girls staying home, packing, etc. It's too overwhelming if I think about it all.

2007-02-02T20:35:00.000-08:00

New Pictures

2007-02-02T20:28:00.000-08:00

We got new pictures of Emma late last night. We are smitten! We think she is absolutely gorgeous! It's a good thing since all her sisters are too. What was amazing was when I put a picture of Emma and Becca side-by-side. I had seen the similarities with her referral pictures but others had not. Well, it really is amazing. We are wondering (our agency too) if maybe Emma is from one of the hill tribes in VN. Of course, Becca is aboriginal Taiwanese so that would be very special if they both are.

Trying this out

2007-02-02T20:13:00.000-08:00

OK, this is very new to me so I'm just playing with it for now.