One month later...

One month ago today we were heading to the orphanage to meet Lucas for the first time. Hard to believe how much changes in a month.

A month ago he was getting 6 bottles of formula a day and some rice porridge (congee). He didn't know how to chew solids, even a Cheerio, he spit up (copious amounts - just ask Brett who was usually the victim!) after almost everything he ate or drank, he didn't have any kind of fine-motor/grasping skills, and he couldn't feed himself finger foods.

After a month of being together, and 1 week of being home, he has learned how to do the sign for "more" (well, his version of it - it's more of a wild clap and a "ba" as you can see in the video, but it's consistent and it's better than screaming!), he LOVES to eat finger foods which he can feed himself, he is eating pretty much everything we put in front of him and would eat constantly if we let him, and while he doesn't quite have a consistent/accurate pincer grip with his finger and thumb, it is coming along and he has a good raking grasp which he didn't even have before. He rarely spits up any more although he has some pretty good burps happening! As you can see in the video, he is eating gourmet home-cooking (hey - I was jetlagged and Kraft Dinner was the closest thing to cooking that was going to happen!).

The jetlag is pretty much gone, although Lucas has had a couple nights where he's woken up around 4ish and has a hard time getting back to sleep. For the most part he sleeps from 8pm until 6-7 am, so it's pretty great. He hasn't quite decided how he is going to coordinate his naps so we are still figuring that out!

He can wave "bye bye" now. He crawls everywhere, pulls up on anyone and anything he can, and today decided he would climb up 3 stairs in the 2 seconds I turned my back. Looks like we may have to invest in a baby gate for the bottom of the stairs now too! Since we've been home he likes to be held alot more, so that makes it a bit tough on the back, especially with how big he's getting. He was close to 20 lbs when we were in Vietnam and I'm sure he's gained a pound or two since. He will weigh more than Maiya by this time next year if he keeps it up!

And then there's the battle of the contact lenses. The contact lens guardian angels that we must have watching over us have allowed us to keep the original pair so far, which is great. We are desperately trying to hold on to them until we can have an update on his prescription (which will likely be different than the prescription he has now), but not sure they will last that long. At this point we can't get into Sick Kids until November. We are now trying for Hamilton in hopes that we can get in sooner. We are disappointed that we are having to wait this long to get help as he needs to have his left eye patched as soon as possible to allow his right eye to start working harder. (not that I'm looking forward to dealing with patches on top of dealing with the contacts!).

The good news is that we have found a method of insertion/removal for the lenses which is working great for now. It is not ideal, as it requires both of us and it would be best if we had a way worked out to both be able to do it individually, but for now at least we are getting them in and out in under 30 seconds per eye (this morning was about 5 seconds per eye to insert) and there is no screaming and no holding him down. The magic trick? Doing it while he is drinking his bottle. Apparently he loves his food so much that it is more important to keep drinking than put up a fuss. We tried to do it with a sippy cup today (which he hasn't quite mastered) and he was having none of it. So he may be having 2 bottles a day for a long time! Hopefully this at least gets us through until he is more settled in and until we can see the specialists.

We have had a couple close calls with losing them though - after lots of searching and pretty much giving up we found one between the seat cushion and the arm of the living room chair when Brett sat down, ready to give up. We found one in his crib after nap too. To give you an idea of what we are searching for here's a picture - the case is a contact lens case to give you a comparison (each part of the case is about the size of a quarter). This was what the lens looked like when I found it in the corner of the crib after alot of searching!

So we are settling into a routine. Maiya is loving Gr. 1 French Immersion (she says she "prefers the French half of her day since she already knows alot of words in English so it's good to be learning in French") and is doing great dealing with the contact lens stuff for Lucas. This was her on her first day (which was really the 2nd week of school).

We have a couple appointments at KidsAbility coming up this week so hopefully I will see a few familiar faces over there - it will feel VERY strange to be entering the building as a parent instead of as a teacher!

Here are some pictures from our first week and a half at home:

First breakfast at home.

Playing with Maiya.

Daddy may be pretty smart, but apparently he misunderstood the expression "we all put our pants on one leg at a time" when he was dressing Lucas...and no, he didn't even realize what was wrong until it was pointed out to him!

Awesome diaper cake from the staff at ConAgra Foods where Brett works! Apparently the blog had quite a following at ConAgra and their thoughtful and generous gifts were amazing and so appreciated. The actual cake (that they ate) said "I didn't do it, Daddy - she did!" They had cut out pictures from the blog and even had a "big sister" gift for Maiya. Thanks everyone!!

I will try to do a post soon that explains some of the issues with his eyes and contacts, etc. Lots of people ask questions about why contacts vs. glasses, etc. and what can he see so I will do my best to share the limited amount I know!

Home Sweet Home!

Well, the last week has been a bit of a blur but yes, we did arrive home at the end of last week, safe and sound. A few of Lucas's fans have been hoping for the arrival post so thought I'd better get to it!

The checkout at the hotel went very smoothly, despite the fact that our wake-up call was at 3 a.m.! We were checked out by 3:30 a.m. and on our way to the airport. It was worth the early morning departure (almost!) to see HMC when it's sleeping. The streets are empty except for the large trucks, which are only allowed in the downtown during certain hours to help with traffic congestion (not to mention the flow of traffic with all the motorcycles would likely not quite work the same with transport trucks in the mix!). With no traffic, the drive to the airport was quick and we were ready to check in.

It was much nicer flying in and out of the new international airport, which wasn't opened yet when we were here with Maiya. We had the same trouble initially with Lucas's ticket that we did with Maiya's when she was a baby, likely since it is a one-way. It was worked out quickly and we were through security quickly as well. Unfortunately since it was so early in the morning nothing was open inside the airport, and it seemed like the air conditioning hadn't been turned on yet either!

The first flight was a bit tough. Lucas cried for the first hour or so (although it felt much longer!) and I finally strapped him into the baby carrier which calmed him down and he fell asleep. The worst part though was the heat - it was unbelievably hot on the flight, and we were all more than happy to get off the plane and into some air conditioning!

Unfortunately it seems the Tokyo airport is supporting power-saving measures (maybe to do with power shortages following the earthquake last year?) so we had a brief interlude of coolness walking down the hallway to the escalators and were then back to the heat. It was still better than the plane though! By the time we had cleared security again and got to our gate, we thought we'd have time to look around and get a bite to eat. Unfortunately Brett realized that we had to go check in at the Air Canada desk - the one with the long lineup of course! - and we all had to be there. The flight was full so we weren't able to change our seating assignments, which were across the aisle from each other with people on either side. By the time we finished that we had enough time to grab a drink and a muffin to eat at the gate, get Lucas changed and bottles made, and then board the flight home.

The Air Canada flights were excellent both ways though. As soon as we boarded they came to our seats and talked to us about anything we might need for Lucas. Maiya got the kids meal this time which was so much better for her (our travel agent forgot to request it on the way over) and they brought jars of baby food too. Lucas was much better on the flight and slept a fair amount, although the rest of us didn't get much sleep.

About 24 hours of travel time after we left we finally landed back in Toronto. Maiya was more and more excited the closer we got, knowing it was bringing her one step closer to seeing her "Buddy" - she missed her puppy so much while we were away! Immigration was lined up but moved quickly and we didn't have any issues, although the girl at the desk was confused about Lucas's Canadian passport at first. We explained the process is different than it used to be and everything was fine. (Maiya arrived in Canada as a landed immigrant and obtained citizenship almost a year later, while Lucas arrived as a Canadian citizen already - the laws around this changed a few months after we traveled with Maiya).

Luggage was slow but finally we were piled up and heading out the door.

We were surprised to see a few of my aunts and uncles (my dad's sisters) there waiting for us, along with my dad, Brett's parents, my sister and my niece. Everyone was waving and taking pictures and there were lots of hugs to go around once we were out. I got a few shots but it was too hard to maneuver Lucas and the camera both so hopefully we will get some shots from some of the others who were there! It was definitely good to be home (and I think my dad was especially to have mom home again too!).

Tired travelers - looking a little bleary-eyed but happy to be home!

Poppa (my dad) and Lucas

Grandpa Ron (Brett's dad) and Lucas

My niece, Cassidy, with her newest cousin!

Maiya was SO excited to see her cousin!

Brett's parents were driving us home, so after grabbing some cold drinks at Tim Horton's (we were too hot to have coffee!), we all fell asleep for most of the drive - Maiya was out cold and didn't wake up until about midnight! My brother Craig and his family came to pick up my niece, Cassidy, and then Brett's parents headed home too. They kept Buddy for a couple extra days for us to give us time to adjust, which was a big help!

Grandma Trish (Brett's mom) finally gets to hang out with Lucas back at the house.

Jetlag kicked in and we were up through the night, but it was still good to be home! Will continue to try to catch up in the next post about the first few days back.

Blood, Sweat, and Tears...

Okay, so not really any blood, unless you count bloodshot eyes from lack of sleep, but lots of sweat courtesy of the hottest flight I think I've ever been on followed by a very hot Narita airport on power saving measures (so minimal air conditioning), and tears from our crying baby for the first part of the 6 hour flight (although not too many on the 12 hour flight) - but we're home!

I will try to backtrack to the last couple of days of the trip and catch up to the first few days home, which are a bit of a blur!

The last couple days in HMC were pretty quiet. We ventured out to the History Museum by the Zoo, hoping to finally see a traditional Vietnamese water puppet performance. When we arrived at 2pm, the ticket booth staff told us we had to wait until 3pm for the next show. So we bought our tickets and wandered around the museum for an hour. We were actually surprised at how large it is and enjoyed seeing many of the ancient artifacts that are housed there. It is always mind-boggling to see cultural artifacts that are thousands of years old when we live in a country that is so young.

As 3pm approached we waited with some others by the entrance to the show, after being reassured several times through elaborate gestures from the security guard that the show would indeed be happening. After waiting for about 20 minutes a girl opened the door and said in English - "Can I help you?" - we all looked at each other and rolled our eyes, knowing what was about to happen - sure enough, no show and a suggestion to come back the next day. Unfortunately that was our last opportunity so we were out of luck. One lonely shot of a discarded puppet was the closest we could get - disappointing but will add it to the agenda for our next trip.

Mom was finally able to get back to the money exchange place where she made her millions. It had been weighing on her but with the national holiday we couldn't get back to it for a few days. Brett walked over with her and as they came into view of the window, Mom recognized the girl right away to be the same one who had accidentally given her the extra cash. The girl looked up and her face lit up as she rushed through the customers already in line while maintaining as much eye contact as possible with Mom! As soon as they got to the window the girl said, "I know why you're here!! I made such a big mistake and lost so much money!" She thanked Mom over and over and they even hugged before Mom and Brett left. Unfortunately they didn't have a camera to capture the moment but it definitely made Mom's day to be able to return the money and know the girl would not get in trouble or have to pay the money back herself.

Brett headed off to pick up a couple souvenirs we had been wanting and Mom walked back to the hotel on her own - pretty proud of the fact that she was walking around in HMC on her own!

On Wednesday, our last day, Mom stayed with the kids and Brett and I headed out in search of some artwork to add to our collection. It was a good chance to get some shots of the typical sights around the city that have become so familiar over the last 3 weeks.

Small intersection - I think you can see 8 lines of traffic in the shot!

Safety measures on most construction sites around the city were pretty tough to spot!

One of the many street vendors around the city.

Canadians get their coffee to go as they rush off to work in the morning - the Vietnamese pull up a stool at their regular street vendor, read the paper, chat with friends, and share the experience of a steaming bowl of pho or a strong Vietnamese coffee. A testament to the community feel that is achieved in a city of millions.

Really amazing that electricity actually functions anywhere! The collision of wires at any given junction is still amazing to see!

And my favourite HMC activity - seeing what all can be transported on a scooter/motorcycle/moped/bicycle/cart! Love the "carseat"!

We found some art shops and were able to purchase a few pieces. The best part was the fact that the one place where we bought several canvases was also a motorcycle "parking garage" - note the ramp - so we had to jump out of the way several times after incoming motorcycles beeped at us as we were admiring the art!

We finished off our last day with a couple hours at the pool, visiting with the Alberta mom and her very cute little girl, ordering room service, and packing. Our 3 a.m. wake up call on Thursday morning came all too soon and we started the long journey home. Will post more about that and our arrival back in the next post!

Goodbye for now,Vietnam!

Well, our bags are stuffed and hopefully not overweight! Did some final shopping today, final swim, Coffee Bean and room service with our neighbours and wrestled with Lucas for half an hour to get the contacts out with no luck. So everyone is off to bed ready for our 3 a.m. wakeup call and we will once again say goodbye to Vietnam. Can't wait for our next visit when we can see more of the country and experience it with the kids. (and who knows, my mom had such a good time maybe we can convince her to join us again! )

A little clip of Lucas attacking Maiya - next post will be from home and will give more details about the last couple days.

Fingers crossed for a sleepy baby for the next two days!

Another quiet day

Not much new today again. Met another parent from Alberta who arrived on the weekend and her beautiful little girl who has been with her for a day or two now. They are right across the hall from us which is nice!

Headed out to the Tax Center for some souvenir shopping and got a few things. After that headed to the Family Medical Clinic to take Lucas in for a rash he's had on his face that is getting worse. Visited there 3 times with Maiya when she was a baby and thought we were going to make it through without a visit this time, but glad it is there when needed. Was nice for Maiya to see where we had taken her. Dr. Jonathan, the pediatrician who did both of their initial medicals is not working there right now so that was too bad, but had another nice doctor and great service. He gave us a prescription so hopefully it is cleared up by the end of the week.

After that grabbed a bite to eat and stopped back at the post office. Got chased down by a girl because we forgot to pay 2000 dong for using the washroom so that was fun. By then we were hot and tired so back to the hotel to chill out and swim.

Likely will be a low key couple of days before we head home. Would have liked to get out and see a little more but a bit hard with 5 of us and trying to keep track of the contacts. Will have to see more on our next visit.

Giggles

Lazy day today. Tried to get caught up on some sleep and get organized. We had planned on going to do some shopping but some typhoon-like weather blew in and we were glad we were safe inside! The rain was blowing sideways and the wind was so strong it was rattling the doors - on the inside of the apartment! So it was a stay in and relax kind of day. Will likely head out for some shopping tomorrow. I'm attaching a video of some of today's smiles - hopefully it works!

I have a feeling it is going to be upside down.

Money money money money!

The good news is Brett appears to be on the road to recovery. The bad news is the rest of us have to listen to him as he recovers. But since he was really quite sick I guess we will try to forgive the "woe is me" recovery process for now.

We started the day with a bit of a sleep in and tried skyping with Craig & Heather but the connection wasn't great. Will try again tomorrow with my dad too. After breakfast we decided Brett was mobile enough to take care of the kids, so mom and I decided to head out to do some shopping. As seems to be the case with us, we had an adventure or two along the way and never quite made it to our destination, but had a great 4 hours out anyway!

We started by stopping at a place to exchange money for mom. We didn't realize this was part of the adventure until tonight however. She was changing $89 U.S. to Vietnamese dong, and I hadn't done the calculation in my head beforehand. The girl counted the U.S. $ out, but seemed to keep the 9 $1 bills separate. Anyway, we seemed to get across that yes, we wanted $89 changed, and we double-checked the dong when we received it. I suggested she keep some smaller amounts out and put the larger amount away so she didn't have to pull it out all at once. I was trying to be discrete with the money I was holding for her and joked to mom that if we thought about it, we were "hiding"what amounted to about $5 Canadian - but seems like a lot more when it's $100 000 dong! We got organized and went on our way.

What we didn't realize, and hence the title of the post, was that there had been a slight error in the calculations. Before we went out for supper tonight, mom came into the room and was trying to figure out how much money she had. We are using $500 000 dong as a $25 Canadian approximation. She kept pulling out $500 000 dong bills and saying it wasn't adding up. I started counting and realized she had a lot more money than I thought, but couldn't figure out where it came from. I grabbed the receipt from the exchange place - and realized that we had been so focused on counting out the dong at the counter that we hadn't thought about how much it was. The receipt was for $809 dollars, rather than $89! So mom had a little roll around in her $16 million dong, and then being the good-hearted girl that she is, wrapped the extra $14 million dong back up to return to the exchange place next week when it is open again! If only the exchange rate was really that good!

We visited the post office, which is a huge colonial-style building and had beautiful architecture inside and out. After looking around at some of the little shops, we headed over to the Coffee Bean to cool off and have a drink, just in time to miss the daily downpour outside. By the time we finished it had cleared up so we decided to keep walking towards our shopping destination. We walked past the "art alley" where we had bought the 3 pictures for Maiya of the Vietnamese girls in their ao dai's (we wrote about it on her blog - where the woman wanted to give us money back towards to the cost of them because she was happy for us adopting Maiya). Much of the area has changed and many of the little art shops are shut down, waiting to be torn down for yet another big fancy building to go up. The little alley is still there though, and we bought some pictures for Lucas's room and a few for mom too.

We found a bookstore with some Vietnamese-English books (and a large cockroach that scurried out from under the shelves - I didn't tell mom about that one!) and picked up a few to add to the ones we got when we were here with Maiya last time.

We starting heading to the Tax Centre to do some more shopping but ended up taking a wrong turn and by the time we realized we were heading the wrong way we decided to just keep walking and go back to the hotel.

We found Brett and the kids down by the pool, and since Brett was looking a little on the white side (yes, more than his usual albino self) we took over and enjoyed the weekend "popcorn and ice cream party"by the pool that our hotel serves for free. Dinner at the food court at the VinCom Centre finished the day off (Maiya got to pick so she picked the Carl's Jr. so she could have "chicken stars"and a toy with her kids meal!).

Today's pics have some of the sights out and about in HMC today, mom with her millions, and Lucas with his new Canadian passport (white) and Vietnamese passport (green). The one with the cheesy grin shows the funny face he's been making lately when he's being goofy. He had a good day although the rash is back on his face after it seemed to be finally clearing up. Wondering if maybe it is a reaction to the detergent the hotel uses for the bedding or something, but hard to tell.

Maiya has been in the pool at least once a day since we've been here and is swimming like a fish. The pool in Vung Tau had a shallow end and she taught herself how to do a flip in the water so thought I'd include a video of that too.

National holiday tomorrow so will be interesting to see what happens out and around the city. It is kind of neat to be here for it since we are told that Lucas's Vietnamese name is tied to the Independence Day holiday - Quoc Khanh.