Tuesday

The babies’ visas came today about 5pm. Their pictures look so cute in
their passports. We our officially done and allowed to leave the country.
However, it doesn’t look like we will be coming home early. Tomorrow’s
flights are full. Our travel agent is still looking into Thursday flights,
but I’m resigned to leaving early Friday morning as planned. Quoc will be
here 5am Friday morning to pick us up.

I’m so anxious to hug and kiss on Wyatt and Ellayna, but two days difference
is nothing to get upset about. The positive side is two more days to
explore Hanoi.

We had an extremely rough night with Eastin last night. He has always
gotten up often, but is always consolable. Last night was around 20 times.
It was several times an hour. Thankfully, Kyna doesn’t wake up from his
crying. I’m sure this is from being in the orphanage.

Today Eastin has a full blown cold with a cough and snotty nose. That was
one part of his problem last night. The other part Matt figured out. The
cribs here are ancient and would not meet cribs standards in the US. We
put the baby comforter supplied by the hotel on the mattress to make it
softer since it was just a hard surface. Apparantly, Eastin likes the hard
surface. He can flop around easier. I guess that’s what he is used to. At
the orphanage there were not mattresses, only a thin mat lying in a woven
cradle. He slept much better for his naps today lying on the hard bed with
a shot of Tylenol cold medicine. I’m hopeful that tonight will be better.
Kyna still gets up once for a bottle and goes right back to sleep.
Thankfully, we have one sleeper in the group.

Today, the girls went shopping. Matt decided after our sleepless night to
stay at the hotel with Eastin. Fortunately, they both slept the whole
morning while Kyna and I were gone. We went to the Old Quarter with Susan,
Lily Ana and Lela. We did a little shopping, walked by the lake, and
stopped for some ice cream at a restaurant on the lake. We had a really
nice time.

To be honest, we were all quite proud of ourselves for crossing traffic
several times by ourselves. Yesterday, when we were at the Old Quarter, I
waited for a local and then jumped along side an elderly women to get across
the street. For those of you who have been to Vietnam, I don’t have to say
any more. The rest of you picture, a stream of motorbikes, bicycles, taxis,
and buses, racing towards you in both directions, packed from side to side.
Then imagine this traffic weaving in and out of each other. Now step off
the curb with baby in stroller and walk to the other side. You can’t wait
for a break in traffic, because there isn’t one. The best thing to do is
walk steadily across, so the drivers can anticipate your move and weave
around you. Then breathe a sigh when reaching the other side.

We have people coming up to us all the time talking to the babies and of
course giving the steady stream of advice. At this point, we are all a bit
tired of it, but still are polite and do our share of smiling and nodding
our heads. Today, while walking on the crowded sidewalk (this is another
adventure. A person has to weave in and out of people selling fish,
veggies, fruit, trinkets, bread, fixing this and that, peeling this and
that, around the parked motorbikes….on and on…This is all happening in front
of the stores. Get the picture?) OK. Back to my story, an elderly man
passes by and asks,
“Viet Nam?” while looking at Kyna in the stroller. We get these questions
a lot. I said yes, and he pointed to me and said “American?” I said yes
and he smiled. I kept walking. Susan and LilyAna were right behind me.
He asked her the same questions and then he smiled and shook her hand. Many
people act very happy that these Vietnamese babies are going to America.

After a short rest back at the hotel, Matt and I walked around the block to
a book store that I spotted yesterday. Just walking there is an experience.
The side walk was full the whole way there, so we walked in the street
with the traffic. People are buzzing past us within inches. I try to think
that the locals do it this way everyday. Luckily, we made it there and back
in one piece. The book store is wonderful. I bought several books for the
kids, English/ Vietnamese, most cost between $1-2. I bought a few music
CD’s, a children’s DVD, a fashion magazine of Ao Dai’s, and a surprise
present for both Wyatt and Viet.

I wish books weren’t so heavy! I’m worried about our luggage weight. We’ll
be ok until we hit the US and the 50lb weight limit. I told Matt that if
we’re over than I’m going to open up the suitcase and put on all the clothes
that I brought, which at the moment doesn’t seem like a lot. My other
strategy is to pack all our heavy stuff in our roll carry on suitcase. The
bad part is we have to lug this around with two babies, the stuff they need
for 35 plus hours, a heavy laptop, two strollers, and a very huge bundle of
important documents. I’m really dreading the packing.

Oh, Viet surprise was a wooden box that says: For you a surprise. Made in
China. You slide the lid back and a rubber, wiggly insect jumps out. We
had dinner tonight at the hotel, ended up meeting Susan’s bunch on the way.
We took Viet’s present just incase he was there. Well, he was there and yes
he just about jumped out of his skin when he opened the box. He then opened
and closed it several times, grinning from ear to ear. Then he called the
wait staff over one by one and surprised them. I guess Matt is teaching him
the art of practical jokes. We’re really going to miss Viet.

Not sure what we’ll do tomorrow. We want to see the Hanoi Hilton, Ho Chi
Minh’s mausoleum and his residence. Depending on how Eastin feels, we may
catch a taxi and see this tomorrow. It’s not far away.