At The Airport

We are on our way!

It has been a crazy week. I still cannot believe I am here…In the LAX airport, with a 7.5 hour layover. We are settled at an empty gate in the international terminal. And thanks to good good friends I am typing on a laptop, after which I will settle back and practice my Vietnamese (I am hoping to expand my five words to ten in the next 20 hours.) and then perhaps when I need to relax I will listen to the Nano! A very thoughtful gift, One of the best I have ever received, here I am with 20 hours of travel ahead of me, and now I have a Nano loaded with music and books to help ease the long, long flight. I will treasure it. Wow, I feel like a hip young person hanging out in a terminal with cool technologies. The loud overhead messages in other languages help set the mood.

Sigh, I can’t believe I am here, and almost there. I have been sad, scared, excited and nervous all week. But I woke up this morning happy, happy, happy.

Oregon gave us an amazing sendoff this morning. The sky was clear, the air was warm, and the mountains were majestic! I can’t wait to come home soon with our family of three.

-An amazing sendoff, you bet!

We also got a call from our good friends over at “Groucho’s Family”. Guess who is going next? They are! I am so excited and happy for them. We have been through this long wait with them side by side and it was bittersweet to be leaving without them.

-No wifi,

6/14 2244

3 more hours until takeoff!

Have G&R date, will travel!

Wow, it has been a whirlwind few days! Let me catch you all up.

MONDAY: We were not expecting to receive our official dispatch (3rd letter) from the Department of International Adoptions (DIA) in Hanoi for at least a few weeks. So on Monday you could have knocked us over with a feather when we did. So we held our breath…not for very long because on

FRIDAY we received our travel dates! And you are not going to believe this but we will be in HCMC next weekend! Frank and I will meet our daughter for the first time on Fathers day. We are so happy. We are also very busy. This is not much time to prepare and we needed visas and airline tickets ASAP. We sent off our visa application on Friday and had better get our visas and passports back by Wednesday morning because the very next day we fly!

We will keep you all posted as we finish what we started over a year ago! I can’t believe we are almost there…
It is all feeling a little less surreal now. And a little more scary!

June update

Oh and guess what else? An update! It feels like we have just weathered a long drought and finally it rains! Purposeful metaphor, you should check out the weather in Vietnam. It is the rainy season. It is hot and it is muggy and I can’t wait.

Baby Frances,
What will you think of us? We already love you and can't wait to meet you. I can't wait to see you smile and watch you crawl. No walking okay? I want to be there for that first step!
We did not know why we had to wait, until we saw you. We are blessed that you will grace our lives. Please stay happy and healthy and know that we are counting every minuet until we are united as a family.
Love,
me, who wants to be Mom

Possibly, hopfully, could it be true? Travel THIS June?

The Last steps: Our Adoption Decree

1) Certification from the PDJ (Provincial Department of Justice, from the province Frances is from). I do not know what exactly is being certified…but I know we need it!

2) Formal adoption approval: Our paperwork travels back to the other end of Viet Nam to Hanoi where we wait for the DIA (Vietnam’s Department of International Adoption) to officially approve our adoption. Our agency calls this the 3rd letter. The PDJ now has 7 days to prepare and sign the Adoption Decree.

3) Last but not least, TRAVEL DATES!!!

Our heads are spinning
On Friday June 1st (though we like to say May 32nd) we received news that our Adoption Decree had been certified. Step One Hundred and ONE, done!
We were happy, one step down a few more to go. But we were not too excited as a few families from our agency have had their decrees certified for three weeks now. We were starting to accept a possible summer with out our daughter.

We were then shocked to learn that today June 4th we received the 3rd letter! We could actually have travel dates this week or next! We are guardedly excited, but it is looking like we will meet Frances THIS month. Step One Hundred and TWO, done!
We will be holding our breath for the next week until we have that travel date. Please cross your fingers for us and for the other families still waiting for good news. It is a long journey and we could use any luck you might spare to bring us through to the end!

Curry heals broken heart

Last week was very hard for me, one of the toughest so far. Tuesday May 22nd passed and so did Frances’s eighth month. The 22nd of every month is always sad for us, but still I held onto some hope that Friday would bring us good news. We are waiting for our adoption decree to be signed, certified and couriered to Hanoi. This is the final process that would end in a travel date. I was griping onto hope that Friday would bring us closer to bringing home Frances. I was then crushed when two other families were signed… but not ours. It broke my heart. I was very angry and sad.


It has been 8 months since we received our referral, 8 MONTHS!
I cried for every month that I have missed and will never know the joy of. It felt like the whole 8 months was weighing down on me, and I felt the loss very deeply.

We had made plans to have Thai dinner with our Portland friends, whom are also adopting through the same agency. I was so close to canceling. But I didn’t. I am so glad because we had a great time. One very strong tropical Mojito drink later, and I began to unwind. We then had some of the best Thai food I have ever experienced. Perhaps there is some restorative property of curry? Most likely it was the company! Towards the end of dinner we were all talking about an interesting place to visit, and someone said, “We will take the girls!” We all smiled. How can I convey to you how much that simple phrase meant to me? Instead of mourning all that we have lost it made me think of the very real and not to distant future in which we will hold our daughter in our arms. We have so much to look forward to.

It is amazing how the heart heals and protects itself. I am filled with optimism and hope once more. Soon she will be home and we will watch her grow, and I could pick up the phone and call M or Julie…and we could “take the girls” anywhere!

...more delays and I'm Okay

We are waiting for the provincial government to sign important paperwork. First it was going to be signed on Tuesday... then today... now maybe Monday! There were 9 families waiting for this step, now only 7. I am disappointed that they did not sign all 9.
But I am feeling strangely calm about everything. I keep thinking that I will be Frances Mom by next month. I feel that it is going to happen very soon. My gut tells me we will be in Vietnam NEXT month and have a travel date THIS month.
Basically I need to not worry about it anymore. My worry won't make her come home any faster. I am going to try and relax...
I am going to concentrate on... baby care books, our house projects, who is going to win 'Survivor', and what is going on with 'Lost'...
Man I love those two shows. Survivor started out ho hum, but has really kicked it into gear. And what is not to love about Lost? Tropical beach, paranormal intrigue and mystery- I love it.
My 'gut' better not break my heart!

On May 1st 2007 She Smiles!

Are hearts are full as we see new pictures of Frances. Finally we get to see a little smile! Now we just need to hear her giggle. Hopefully it won't be too far off. Our agency has their first family in Vietnam as we speak completing their adoption. Things do seem to be finally moving along and we should be one of the next families to go. We will keep you updated. But until then, She Stands! She smiles!