Merry Christmas!!!!

We just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!!!

I'm back to blogging on our other blog. If you would like an invite please drop me an e-mail at stouder 95 at aol dot com.

We Crossed The Finish Line

We made it home event free. Bennett did really well on all four flights - yes I said four. On the flight from Hong Kong to LAX he slept 10 of the 12 hours. I was prepared for the flight from LAX to Chicago to be a nightmare since he had slept so long but he was really good. He didn't sleep but didn't scream. Just played on our laps. Then the last flight from Chicago to Dayton he slept. We have a great little traveler which is a good thing since we do like to take vacations. But that won't be happening for a while since we are bunking down here for a bit.

We were greeted by most of the grandparents at the airport. It felt wonderful to finally be home. We were exhausted but happy to see everyone.

Little guy did pretty good for his first night home. He woke up twice but I was able to get him settled in a few minutes and he was back to sleep. All of us are just dealing with jet lag. Hopefully in a few days we will feel normal.

I'm going to make a book out of this blog for Bennett to have. We would love for everyone to leave a comment to end this journey. So many people have been there to support us along the way and we want to share that with Bennett.

We Got The Fast Forward!!!!!

We were able to get our flights changed. We leave this evening and will get home on Friday morning. Yeah!!!!!

Yesterday felt like we were literally in an episode of the Amazing Race. In the morning we headed down to the airlines office to get our tickets changed. Dealing with the airlines is always a comedy in itself but throw in a toddler who really isn't interested in waiting and it turns into a really fun morning. After that was completed, we got ready to head over to the embassy. We were all a bit nervous not knowing what to expect. I think it took longer to get through security than the actual interview. Piece of cake! The fun part was the taxi ride back to the hotel. Loc told the driver where to go but then it turned out he didn't know where he was going. We ended up stopping to get directions more than once. But we did make it back to the hotel in one piece. You have to maintain a sense of humor or you would lose your mind. No point in getting upset over things that are out of our control. We just roll with it each day.

Bennett seems a little better today. I think keeping him inside has made a big difference. Hopefully he does ok on the flights. We are just amazed by how well he has adjusted in such a short time. He doesn't cry anymore when we change his diaper and doesn't freak out when I go to the bathroom. Once we got to Hanoi we moved him into the crib and he's doing really well. For only being 20 pounds little guy was hogging the whole bed and I wasn't getting any sleep. Mommy needs at least a few hours.

This has been a wonderful trip and we have so enjoyed ourselves. Vietnam is an amazing country and the people have been so gracious. We can't wait to bring Bennett back when he is older.

And we are so grateful to have the one on one time with Bennett before we head home. I think it had made the transition for him a little easier. Thank you all for the kind words of support.

Visa Interview Completed

Our visa interview is completed. We are just waiting for Loc to pick up Bennett's passport later today. So glad that part is done. Woo Hoo!!!

The plan is to fly out of Hanoi on Thursday evening. We just need to link up our airline tickets in the morning. To our family, we will send you an e-mail with the new schedule once everything has been set.

We haven't been able to get out and see Hanoi as we would have liked. After walking around Hoan Kiem Lake yesterday Bennett's cold got a lot worse. The pollution is really bad here and I think that just aggravated his cold even more. So we've been staying in the room. The kid comes first. We'll see Hanoi on another trip.

And a big Happy Birthday to our nephew Zach. He turned the big "2" today.

Hanging Out

As always posting pictures first. These were taken over the last few days.

This afternoon we walked over to Hoan Kiem Lake. Took a nice stroll and ate at a cafe by the lake. It is much cooler here in Hanoi but the air quality is awful. We were only out for a short time as Bennett is not feeling very well. Little guy has a tooth coming in and a cold.

Today is also our 13th anniversary and we were going to go out to dinner tonight to celebrate but decided to order in since the little guy has been cranky today.

We have our embassy appointment Wednesday afternoon and should get Bennett's visa the same day. We are hoping to be able to head home Thursday. Waiting to hear back from the travel agent. Keep your fingers crossed we can come home early.

Hello From Hanoi

We're in Hanoi now. Bennett did great on the flight. He only fussed when we landed and that's because he was asleep. We were thrilled. Hopefully he does well on the flights home.

The Somerset is great. Nice little apartment. Wonderful to have a couch to sit on instead of a bed. Of course the minute we entered Chris and I started moving everything around. The kitchen chairs are in the second bedroom. Bennett took one look at those and thought they would be great to climb on. Last thing we need at this point is a trip to the emergency room. And who in the world thought it would be great idea to put switches for the outlets on the floor. Bennett made a bee line for those. Basically we've shut every door in here to keep him out of everything. He's such a little stinker.

Room service was wonderful tonight but we were so hungry and tired I think we would have both ate a roll of paper towels. We also hit the little grocery store that is on the first floor now that we have a fridge.

Tomorrow our paperwork is submitted to the US Embassy. We are hoping for a Wednesday appointment so we can try and get out of here on Thursday. We're ready to come home. We have loved our time in Vietnam but just need to get on some sort of normal schedule.

I'll post pictures tomorrow. Too tired to dig the camera out tonight.

And I have to wish my friend Rachael a Happy Birthday. Can't wait for you to meet Bennett. Hope you have a great birthday!!!

Shopping

As always posting pictures first to keep the family happy. And don't be fooled by the angelic sleeping boy. He's a little monkey :-)

Saturday we hit some of the shopping areas. First stop was the Ben Thanh Market. This place we crazy. We only lasted about 45 minutes. It is not air conditioned and the placed was packed with people. All of the vendors asking you to come into their booths. We picked up a few things and headed out of there. We didn't even make it over to the food area. I thought Chris was going to get sick. The heat just made it miserable and way too many people to deal with. At least we can say we were there. We then headed over to the Diamond Department Store. Lots of neat little areas to look at. We're going to go back there tonight for dinner. They have KFC!!! After shopping we went back to the hotel. It was time for Bennett to take a nap. In the evening we did some more shopping at the Tax Center. Much more pleasant place to shop plus they have air conditioning.

This morning we went over to the Saigon mall. The place was packed. Sunday must be the day people go out. It was quiet earlier in the week. After doing some shopping there we found an ice cream place across the street. Tasted wonderful!!!!

Tomorrow afternoon we leave for Hanoi. Tuesday our paperwork is submitted and we will have our Embassy interview on Wednesday of Thursday. We are hoping to be able to get a flight home on Thursday. We're ready to come home. It's been a wonderful trip but we need to get Bennett on a schedule and we're both tired of trying to figure where to eat each day. I miss being able to just cook something.

Little guy is doing well. He has a tooth coming in so he's been kind of cranky when it's nap time. The rest of the day he is fine but when it's time to lay down he throws a fit. He's getting better about changing his diaper and has the biggest belly laugh and the cheesiest smile. And it goes without saying he has us wrapped around his little fingers. We've only had a few days with him but he's already filled our lives so much. So happy to finally have our boy with us.

Busy Day

Friday was a very busy day. Chris went to get Bennett's passport in the morning and in the afternoon we had Bennett's health check. That was our first opportunity to meet the other two families. It's nice to be able to have someone else along for the ride. I think it helps to not make it so overwhelming. In the evening we had dinner with the Dillon staff. We were finally able to thank Thomas in person for all of his hard work. He drove all over Vietnam looking for Bennett's birthmom. I don't think there are enough thank you's to even express our gratitude for his help.

Bennett is doing great. To be honest I can't believe how good he is doing. We had another good night of sleep and he really seems to be coming out of his shell. We've just had a few issues but nothing major. He is still getting upset when we change his diaper and of course screamed bloody murder when the nurse at the medical center took his clothes off. It took the two of us to get his diaper and clothes back on. Kid definitely has a good set of lungs. The only other times he seems to get upset is when we first get back into the room. I have to sit on the bed with him for a few minutes. If I just set him down and start to walk away he freaks out like I'm leaving him. And for some odd reason he gets really upset when I go into the bathroom. Not sure what that is all about. This morning we gave him a bath and he did great. I just hopped in the tub with him and he was content. Sure wish we had a big giant tub at our house like they do here at the Rex. Bennett also started talking up a storm this morning. He loves to say uh-oh. I'll try to get it on video today.

We are officially "that family" who has a toddler that isn't even remotely interested in sitting to eat. Yesterday for lunch we found a great little Mexican restaurant around the corner from the Saigon Mall. We sat down at a booth and of course Bennett did not want to sit. Chris cut up my food so I could eat. And at our dinner Friday evening the restaurant gave us a high chair which was actually just a small chair. No restraints or tray on it. That lasted all of five mintues. Bennett would much rather crawl all over me and of course pull everything off the table. I'm sure by now my sister Jenny is laughing hysterically telling me "I told you so".

And I have to say a big congrats to my little sister, Michelle. She had her baby today, she was a month early. So much for keeping her promise to not have him until we got home. Welcome to the world, Baby Alex!!!! We can't wait to meet you.

Giving & Receiving Ceremony

Yesterday was our G&R. As many of you are already aware, December 4th of last year was when we received Bennett's referral and this year we became a forever family. This was a very special day for us.

We started out at the center and met the director. A wonderful man who cares very much about the children. After spending some time with him we then went up to see Bennett. It was such a happy day for us but we knew it was sad for the nannies. Bennett had a special nanny that he was very attached to and she was attached to him as well. There we were, me crying, her crying as she handed him over to us. We will be forever grateful to these women who loved Bennett. After leaving the center we headed to the Justice Department. Here is where he became "offically" our son.

After our G&R we headed back to the hotel to get some lunch. Once in the hotel room he had a total meltdown. No matter what we would do we just couldn't console him. Poor little guy was in shock. I can't even begin to imagine what it is like to be ripped from the only home you knew. We decided just to pack up everything and head to the lobby. Once I put him in the Mei Tai he seemed content. We loaded up the van and headed back to HCMC. The ride back seemed to take forever. We were all tired but never heard a word out of Bennett. He slept for about half the time and just sat our on laps the rest looking out the window.

Once we arrived at the Rex we checked in and headed to our room. The three of us were exhausted. Chris ordered room service and I got Bennett changed. He HATES to have his diaper or his clothes changed. It seems to cause him a lot of stress. Right now it's a two person process but hopefully over time he will settle down a bit. He really goes to me right now for comfort but doesn't mind Chris holding him or playing with him. Chris did have to bring him in the bathroom with me last night so I could get ready for bed. He wasn't having any part of me not being in the room with me.

We were able to get him to sleep around 9pm and he slept until 4:30am. No night terrors at all. We were really thinking it would be a nightmare of a night based on what had happened earlier in the day. This morning he woke up in a great mood, at least after we changed his diaper and clothes. Bennett and Chris played while I took a shower. We've been getting lots of smiles out of him this morning. Right now he is asleep on the bed taking a much needed nap.




Today we will apply for Bennett's passport and do his medical check. We have rest days tomorrow and Sunday. Then Monday we will head to Hanoi. We are really hoping to head home by next Thursday but we will see.

Days 1 & 2 in Ninh Thuan

Figured I better post a few pictures first because I know that's why you are really logging on. Internet is limited here but we seem to be getting a better connection this afternoon so wanted to give everyone a run down of our last two days.

Yesterday we met Phuong in the lobby at the Rex to go to Ninh Thuan. I'll admit I was nervous about the long ride but it was not a bad drive with the exception of the last 45 minutes where the roads were really bumpy. Traffic is crazy. Scooters everywhere and you just drive around them. Then add in people crossing the road wherever they choose to do so and cows on the side of the road. We even saw oxen on carts. Chris noticed the wheels on the carts were old military vehicle wheels. The scenery was beautiful. Workers working in the rice fields and mountains. It really was an enjoyable ride.

Once we arrived in Ninh Thuan we checked into the hotel and then met Phuong again to head to the center. Chris and I were very quiet. We both wanted to just soak it up as we were heading to meet Bennett for the first time. We arrived at the center and saw the staircase that we've seen so many times in pictures. We walked up the staircase and walked directly into the babies room. There we saw our precious little boy that we have dreamed about seeing for such a long time. The nannies handed him to us. Such a happy day to finally get to hold him. There aren't enough words to describe meeting your child for the first time. I think pure joy sums it up. We spent about 90 minutes with Bennett and the other kids. The older girls just love on the little ones. And you can really tell the nannies love these kids. They loved the toys we brought. Hot Wheels were a big hit.

After leaving the center we headed back to the hotel. I know 90 minutes doesn't seems like a long time but all of the emotion of traveling and meeting your child for the first time takes a lot out of you. We were both exhausted but in a good way.

Today we headed to the center in the morning. The older kids were at school so we had more of a chance to spend one on one time with Bennett. We brought more toys, cookies and candy. Goodies are always a big hit with the kids. Bennett let us hold him and we played with him most of the time. He loved our camera. He really likes things that have buttons. And loved anything that plays music. The nannies were playing music on their cell phones. He was having a field day with those until you took the phone away. Big tears our little guy has. He knows how to work the room. He definitely has a favorite nanny. He runs to her and gives her kisses. We know tomorrow is going to be a tough day for him but we'll be there to console him.

Tomorrow is our G&R. After that is completed we will head back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Thank you all for the wonderful messages. Means a lot to both of us.

He's Perfect!!!!

Here are a few pictures from today. We will write more when we can get better internet service. An amazing day for us!!!!

Toto.... We're Not In Kansas Anymore

We made it to the Rex without any drama yesterday. We arrived and crashed. Normally we have enough energy after traveling to at least get out but after spending 24+ hours traveling we both just wanted to sleep.

Here's a rundown of the last two days.

Flight: First two flights were a piece of cake. But then the 14 hour flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong was BRUTAL! I took two Tylenol PM thinking it would knock me out for a while but I was only out for about three hours. The directions on the bottle should say if you are flying to the other side of the world take half the bottle. Once we arrived in Hong Kong I had a good laugh as they were playing Christmas music throughout the airport. Here we were on the moving sidewalks and Hark the Herald is being blasted through the airport. On our last flight from Hong Kong to HCMC I think we had a new pilot who wanted to land on one wheel instead of three. I thought Chris was going to have a stroke. He wanted to ask the pilot if we were shot down but figured that wouldn't be a good idea.

HCMC Airport: Jynger wasn't kidding when she said it would be a mob scene. I've never seen so many people waiting for family/friends to arrive. Total chaos!!! However we found Minh right away and we on our way to the Rex.

Driving in HCMC: I don't know if driving is the word to use. I have never seen traffic like this before. It makes driving in NYC like a Sunday afternoon drive. There are motor scooters everywhere. What's really crazy is you will see a family of four on one scooter. And crossing the road is an adventure like none we have ever experienced. Basically you just need to step and hope nobody runs you over. We did pretty good on our first walk this morning. I'm sure by the end of the week we will be pro's.

Hotel: The Rex is wonderful. Bed was nice and comfy but I'll admit we would have slept on a pile of rocks by the time we arrived as we were exhausted. But of course our bodies were still on East Coast time so at 4am this morning we were both wide awake. We hit the restaurant as soon as it opened for breakfast. Both of us were starving. Plenty of yummy food to eat but watch out for the toaster. I managed to get a piece of bread stuck and it started burning. Took two people to get it wedged out. And of course we already fried the power strip. Chris plugged it into the converter and it about blew up. Good thing I brought extra converters. Hopefully we don't blow up anything else. This morning we met a couple in the hotel lobby who are from Kansas City. They are also adopting a child. We hope to meet up with them again later in the week.

Shopping: We hit the Saigon Center and the Tax Center this morning. Just wanted to get a feel for the land. Chris bought a belt at the Tax Center. The sales lady called Chris "big and giant". We also hit some of the shops around our hotel. The embroidary is beautiful here. I know I'm going to do some damage in some of these shops when we get back from Ninh Thuan.

I'm so glad we arrived early. Just to feel human for a day before heading to Ninh Thuan I think will make a big difference. Tomorrow is the big day. We meet Bennett for the first time.

Leavin On A Jet Plane!!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We stuffed ourselves full of yummy food yesterday. And if you are wondering did I get up early to shop that would be yes. I was standing in line at 5:45 am at Target. Picked up what I wanted and headed home. It's just not the holidays until you've hit at least one Black Friday sale.

This will be our last post from this side of the pond. We leave later this afternoon. Next post will be in Vietnam.

Adios!!!

Three Days Until Lift Off

I can't believe in three days we are leaving for Vietnam. I think it's finally starting to sink in. My mind seems to race at lightning speed and of course my to do list seems like a mile long. I'm sure by the time we actually get the airport I'll be glad to sit back and relax a bit.

Our bags are packed and ready to go. I gave up trying to get everything packed into two suitcases so three it is. We have one suitcase packed full of donations for the kids. I'm so excited to be able to bring a lot of stuff to the kids at the center. It will definitely be a highlight of our trip.

And exactly a week from today we will have met Bennett for the first time. We are still trying to wrap our brains around that. I just hope I can focus enough to soak it all in and then write about. I don't want to forget a single second of our first meeting.

Getting Closer

We leave on Friday, November 28th and get into Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday, November 30th.

In exactly two weeks we will FINALLY be on our way. I never thought this day would come but now it's almost here. Kind of surreal at this point but I'm sure by the time we get off the plane it might actually sink in.

On Our Way Very Soon!!!!!

The above picture was just taken last week. Bennett will be 15 months on November 16th. We missed the first birthday so I guess we'll have to have a "half" birthday party for him after the first of the year.

Our Giving and Receiving Ceremony is set for December 4th. It was exactly one year ago on that day that we received Bennett's referral. Never in a million years did we think it would take this long to bring him home but we are almost there.

I am working on our travel arrangements right now. We will be leaving right after Thanksgiving and will return around the middle of December. We wanted to have a few extra days in Vietnam before we got to Bennett's province. Jet lag is no fun!!!

Our Amazing Race

Over the past eleven months I have had many dreams about our trip to Vietnam and often the dreams seem like they are out of an episode of “The Amazing Race”. We have wanted to be on the show but there always seems to be a challenge that involves heights of epic proportions. The idea of bungee jumping off a building is not exactly on the top of my "fun stuff" to do list. So unfortunately we won't be trying out for the show but instead we will be appearing on our own version of “The Amazing Race”.

Our race will consist of several parts and along the way we may encounter a road block, detour and even a fast forward. We are guaranteed several pit stops along the way. Pit stops are a must in the race! We need those to help keep us sane.

Here's a run down on what the race may look like but we all know Murphy likes to tag along with us, so this schedule is subject to change without notice.

• The flight to Vietnam - Now this should be an adventure since neither of us has been in a confined space for more than 6 hours. Total travel time is about 24 hours. A great way to test how much you really like your spouse.

• Ho Chi Minh City - This is our first pit stop. A much needed stop as I'm sure we will both be dying to take a shower and ready to get off that plane. We will be staying at the Rex Hotel. We will be there at least one night.

• Travel to Ninh Thuan - Big day for us. We will meet Bennett for the first time. But before we do, we have a 7 hour drive to Ninh Thuan. If you have never been to Vietnam then you won't have an appreciation for their traffic laws. Basically there aren’t any laws. It's every man/woman/animal for themself. This should be a lot of fun since I still get deathly car sick and add to the fact we are meeting our son for the first time. I better remember to load up on 7Up and crackers. It could be a long day.

• Ninh Thuan - This is our second pit stop. We will be in Bennett's province for several days and staying at the SaiGon NinhChu Hotel. We will get to visit the center at least once before we have our Giving and Receiving ceremony. We hope to have time to do some touring. This is very important for us to absorb as much of Bennett's province that we can. We want him to know about where he spent the first 15 months of his life.

• Travel back to Ho Chi Minh City - We will leave directly from our Giving & Receiving ceremony and head back to Ho Chi Minh City. If we thought the ride to Ninh Thuan was bad, the ride back could be more fun as Bennett has only been in a car once. Hopefully we can soothe the little guy and make him as comfortable as we can.

• Ho Chi Minh City - This is our third pit stop. We will be staying at the Rex again for the next few days. We will have several appointments during these few days. We should also have some down time to see the city. I plan to do lots of shopping here. Part of my shopping will include buying items for Bennett to give to him over the years. It's important that he keeps the connection to his birth country.

• Flight to Hanoi - Bennett's first plane ride. Another fun adventure. This will give us some practice to prepare for the big flight home.

• Hanoi - This is our fourth and final pit stop. We will be staying at the Somerset. In Hanoi we will have our Embassy interview and get Bennett's visa to come home. There are several sites we want to see when we are in Hanoi and of course more shopping.

• Flight Home - Our final leg of the race. This could be a very long flight but we're up for the challenge.

For us, we have already won the race. We just need to cross that finish line. We hope you all tune in to follow along. I promise it will be the adventure of a lifetime.