Learning As We Go

Thursday Nov 6 - Saturday Nov 8

We are still alive! We got home on Wed the 5th (a week ago today), and it has been a hard week. We had planned to stay at Grandmommie and Papa's house from Wednesday to Friday and then go to our house, but things did not go that way. I'm the one who usually has a plan, a to do list, structure. My life has changed :) I'm also wondering why there aren't 24 hours in every day anymore - what happened? My brothers and sister are laughing at me right now. They've been telling me for a while that my life was going to change. Of course I knew it would, and now it has!

We had such a hard trip home from Viet Nam - the flight was difficult and all I could think of was that Lucie was totally exhausted. Lucie also had a cold from the day we picked her up from the orphanage so I know she did not feel good because of her cold. Grandmommie started getting sick with an upper respiratory infection the day before we left Hanoi. I started getting sick the day after we got back to the states. So we all felt awful, and we weren't sure what Lucie might have so last Friday we took her to the world's best pediatrician (we love you Dr. L). We found out that Lucie had a terrible ear infection. Well, I felt like the world's worst mother. (I'm sure I have many more of those times coming.) Of course I thought about all the signs I'd overlooked, how I should have known that my little baby girl was so sick and in so much pain. This also helps explain why she had such a hard time on the airplane from Hong Kong to LA. I'm sure she was exhausted but I can't imagine being on that plane with a terrible ear infection. I certainly have a lot to learn, and I'm sure I'll be learning new things every day.

We started Lucie on antibiotics on Friday, as well as ear drops and motrin to help the pain. The antibiotics resulted in other issues that have been uncomfortable. She is also teething and her gums are very uncomfortable. She has jet lag and the days here are her night time and vice versa. Her last good sleep was the night before we left Hanoi to come home - that's a long time without enough sleep. On top of all this, add in a totally new environment - new smells, new sounds, new people, new diet, etc. She lived for 10 months in a small room at the orphanage, and in two weeks she has left that safe environment and lived in a hotel room in Ho Chi Minh Ciy for several days, flown two hours to Hanoi, lived in a hotel room in Hanoi for a week, flown 30 hours to the US, lived at Grandmommie and Papa's for four days, and finally came to our home. That's four new homes in two weeks. The kid's life has been turned completely upside down. I really feel for her. She is such a trooper, and under the circumstances has done amazingly well. My goal now is to give her as much stability and routine as I possibly can - make her feel safe and secure.

New things about Lucie:
She has a hearty laugh and when she feels like it just laughs and laughs from her belly.
She loves her Grandmommie and Papa, aunties, uncles and cousins. She has really taken to them.
She is extremely strong - the kid has a grip like you would not believe.
She likes to imitate things - like wrinkling her nose, blinking her eyes, shaking her head back and forth like a little monkey.
She seems to understand things we tell her like chew, swallow, lie down, jump.
She has definitely called me Mama, at very appropriate times like when she is very angry or when she is patting me on the face.
She seems to be a quick learner.
She can throw a world class tantrum - but for now I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt on that since she has been so sick :)

She is ready to walk with this car, but it moves just a little too fast for her.

Asleep in Cousin M's arms.

My sister, Lucie's Auntie L spent the night.

Snuggling with Cousin Big Red.

Lucie can rock herself.

Walking with Cousin M.

A nice afternoon swing with Grandmommie.

Visiting with Mommy's friend and her granddaughter.

Meeting Auntie P.

First stroller ride (she fell asleep).

Snuggling with Papa.

Little Miss Georgia

Have you ever gotten on an airplane, and you see a little baby and you think to yourself - oh boy, I hope my seat isn't near that baby? And then when the baby proceeds to scream you think - why can't those people get that baby to quiet down? Well, meet little Miss Lucie! Last week on our flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi she did great. When we began our journey home on Tuesday, on the leg from Hanoi to Hong Kong, she did great. We got on the plane in Hong Kong for the leg from HK to LA and she was not happy! She let us know that even before we took off, so it was not her ears. I really am not sure that the pressure bothered her. I think she was just totally exhausted and she got upset and just did not know how to calm down. We had a bassinet which was nice, but it was not the big crib she is used to rolling around in. Lucie is a restless sleeper and needs her space. At one point she was sleeping comfortably in the bassinet and we hit some turbulence, and the stewardess made us wake her up and hold her - which led to another bout of being upset. Whew! Long long flight from HK to LA! Everyone on that plane knew little Miss Lucie! In Los Angeles when we were waiting for our flight to Atlanta she was once again Miss Perfect Baby, and then on the flight from LA to Atlanta she was fussy again. Poor little thing. I just keep thinking of everything she has been through in the past 10 days and really she has been amazing through all of it. Yippee - we made it home and although we are all very tired and totally turned upside down timewise, we did make it home safely and all in one piece :)

So, meet our newest US citizen - upon touching down in Los Angeles, Lucie became an American. Exciting, isn't it??

We got home mid-day yesterday and we are spending a couple of days at Grandmommie and Papa's house so that we can acclimate and hopefully get over jet lag. Yesterday when I put Lucie in her crib for a nap she was too cute - she put her little head down on the mattress, looked up at me with a huge smile and then patted the mattress with both hands and fell asleep. Too cute!

Here are some pictures of Lucie on the trip home, meeting her some of her very special family, and first bath at Grandmommie and Papa's house.


Packing in Hanoi.















Happy to be off the airplane in Los Angeles!














First time in a car seat - on the way to Grandmommie & Papa's















Yay - we're finally at Grandmommie and Papa's house!














Giving Papa some love














Meeting Uncle D














Meeting Auntie S














Love my cousin T!














Fun - new toys! I was already tired of my others...

What a Difference a Week Makes

Monday, Nov 3rd -
One week ago I went to the orphanage to get my precious little Lucie! It already seems like a lifetime ago. Mom and I agree that Lucie has really blossomed during this week. When we got her she was very quiet, now she talks up a storm and cries (screams?) when she wants something. We could feel her little ribs, now we cannot :) She has probably doubled the amount of formula and cereal she was eating a week ago. She would not put her feet on the ground the first few days. Now all she wants to do is walk, walk, walk. She's also pretty good at crawling - when she wants to. She was attentive and inquisitive a week ago, and even more so now, and she will imitate many things. Yesterday she found out that she could stick out her tounge and blow and it makes funny noises (and spit goes everywhere). She can also blow raspberries. She smiles and laughs much more than she would a week ago. I think she feels comfortable and safe with us. She likes to tap things with her hands - I think she is going to be a drummer. We will have to get her some drums when we get home. She likes her book that we brought with us, which is great. I know we will have many hours of enjoyment reading. In yesterday's bath she learned how to splash in the water and she loved it! I have lots of toys waiting for her in her bathtub at home. Well, we thought we were teaching her pretty well but she definitely has us trained to do exactly what she wants us to do :) Lucie is my blessing, my little miracle. I had given up on being a mother and now God has given me this chance by bringing us together.

We completed the final step in the process here in Viet Nam. We had our US Embassy interview and got Lucie's IR3 visa, which means that when our plane lands in LAX she will be a US citizen. We are ready to go home now!

Tuesday, Nov 4th -
Day #6 here in Hanoi and Day #6 of rain! We have had our last night here in Hanoi. Today we pack and rest up for the trip. We leave the hotel at 4pm this afternoon. It takes an hour to get the airport - maybe longer if the streets are still flooded. Our flight leaves just before 8pm tonight, or 8am EST. We fly from Hanoi to Hong Kong, have a quick turn around in Hong Kong, then the long flight to LA. Thankfully we have a basinette on that leg of our journey, and hopefully Lucie will get some sleep. When our plane lands at LA Lucie will be an American citizen. In LA we will get our bags, clear customs, go through a special immigration line for Lucie, and then we are on a red eye flight from LA to Atlanta. We will be home Wednesday morning - 2 1/2 days earlier than we planned. Please pray for us on this flight home - that it is a good and safe flight and that we make it with little Miss Lucie who has a mind of her own.

We are excited about heading home, and in about 40 hours or so we'll be saying Good Morning Georgia!

Good bye Viet Nam, for now. We will be back one day.

More Pictures From Sunday November 2

A Break in the Rain

On Sunday, Nov 2nd we finally got what we thought was a break in the rain. After breakfast we raced to get ready to go on a little outing from the hotel. Of course now it's not as easy as grabbing my purse and heading out the door. Bottle? Check. Diaper(s)? Check. Wipes? Check. Blankie? Check. Toy? Check. Snack? Check. Check...Check...Check.... I guess when I am at home and have a proper diaper bag ready at all times I won't have to think about it so much - also when I have a little more experience, right?

I put Lucie in the baby carrier and we headed out for Hoam Kiem Lake. This is a favorite place of the locals and is famous for a story about a turtle from thousands of years ago. You can see below the picture of a turtle found in the lake in recent years. There's no telling how old it was when it died. What we had not realized before we left our hotel is that it is adjacent to the "Hanoi Hilton" - the prison American pilots lived when they were shot down during the VN war. Interesting! As we walked to the lake it began sprinkling and we hoped it was just a sprinkle. The lake was overflowing its banks and huge trees had fallen, completely uprooted in the soft ground. There is an ancient pagoda in the middle of the lake that you get to by crossing a pretty red bridge. We went over to tour the pagoda when the bottom of the sky fell - it poured! We sat in the temple, hoping the burning incense would not upset our allergies too much, and hoping the rain would stop soon rather than go on and on like it had for days. Luckily for us it did let up enough for us to walk back to the hotel - with Lucie and me under an umbrella and Mom using a rain poncho. After we got back to the hotel the torrential rains came again, along with fierce winds. After we fed Lucie and got her to go down for a nap, I went back out in the monsoon and walked over to the Hanoi Hilton for a tour. The wind was blowing so hard the rain was going sideways. If there are any of you who do not know what the Hanoi Hilton is you should take a few minutes and google it.

Here are a few pictures from our walk to Hoam Kiem Lake and from hanging out in our room yesterday. I've been trying to attach more but am having trouble with internet tonight so will post more pics later. Here are the few I've been able to upload.

Adorable !!

It is Day 3 in Hanoi and we are being held hostage in our hotel. We just saw on CNN International that Hanoi is having the most rain they've had in 24 years! Is it on the news in the states? We knew the streets around our hotel have turned into a lake but seeing the pictures of the city are pretty incredible. Everyone in the hotel is getting stir crazy now. We are hoping for a respite tomorrow. However, after the marathon adoption process and the whirlwind in HCMC, it has been nice to have some real relaxing down time and time to get to know each other.

Today a whole group of families arrived at the hotel who are adopting from a province south of here. It is fun to see their excitement. I was in the same place a week ago :)

US time changes tonight, and after that we will be 12 hours ahead of EST instead of the 11 hours ahead we have been.

New things about Lucie...
Every time I pull out my camera, she starts blinking her eyes. I think she is getting ready for the flash. She is crawling up a storm - she is all over this apartment. She has found that crawling under the dining table and the coffee table is kind of fun. She is pulling up on chairs and tables. She is trying to climb out of her crib (yikes). She likes to be out and about. I guess she was getting stir crazy in our room this afternoon too, and was a little fussy. When she got in the baby carrier and we went for a walk in the lobby she was the perfect baby. We've had the tv on a Viet Namese music video channel and she will dance to the music - it is too cute to watch. She is very inquisitive and is exploring everything. It is obvious to us that she is one smart baby!

Here are some pics from today. Isn't she adorable?