Second Day

Tuesday Morning

Baby Frances’ second day was more difficult than the first. She cried a lot more and at times was inconsolable. This is to be expected as she is in a state of shock or bereavement after leaving her caregivers. She has latched onto Crystal as her primary caregiver so Crystal constantly holds her and takes care of the feeding and cleaning. I am in more of a supporting role. If I have to hold her for a bit she won’t stop crying unless Crystal is in her view. She sleeps on the bed with us and will continue to do so at home for a time as we ease her transition. She seems to be most receptive to me in the morning just after she wakes up and likes to have her back and tummy rubbed. But when its time for that bottle it is Crystal who she wants. Though we do let her watch me make it up so I am part of it too. I think her previous home was more open air, she really likes to be taken outside. She especially seems to enjoy the hotel courtyard where the pool is. We have to remember that not only are we strangers to her and she cant know we mean to love and care for her but we also smell and sound differently. She is used to the sound of theVietnamese language, English must sound foreign to her. This will be even more pronounced when we return to the States. So we will be making it a very quiet homecoming and follow the experts’ advice which include limiting her contact with others in the beginning and slowly bringing her around.

Giving and Receiving

Monday June 18th 2007
Today the Giving and Receiving ceremony was held at the Binh Duong Provincial Department of Justice. It was presided over by two ladies from the People's Committee. Also present were the Orphanage Director and the Catholic priest who run the orphanage. It wasn't very ceremonial. Essentially we signed the documents finalizing the Vietnamese adoption. We are now the legal parents in the eyes of the Vietnamese government. This is the first step in getting Frances home. Now we must meet the requirements of the US government and obtain a Visa which essentially gives her permission to travel to the USA. In order for a US Visa to be issued Frances will require a Vietnamese passport and a satisfactory medical checkup. Crystal and I must then interview with an INS official here in Ho Chi Minh City. If the INS approves our petition it will be off to Hanoi for a visit to the US Embassy where the Visa will be issued. The purpose of the INS interview is to ensure that there was legal and ethical in keeping with US Immigration Law. If all goes smoothly this week we will be in Hanoi on Monday.
There is another family from the same agency here this week. It is nice to have someone here we can share this experience with. I think it is making it easier on all of us. We plan on spending time together seeing the city and maybe some areas outside the city as we wait for the process to unfold.
We will continue to update as things happen and time permits.
Bye for now
The LeGallos

Happy Father's day to Frank

It is Sunday the 17th here in VN.
We arrived midday on Saturday the 16th and forced ourselves to stay awake.
So today we are not feeling all that jet lagged.
Thank goodness because today we are parents! We brought Frances home this morning and have been laying low in our hotel room getting to know our daughter.
I am so happy and sad all at the same time. She was definitely attached to her caregivers from the orphanage. Though she has stopped crying, (napping right now) she still takes these great big upset breaths. I hate that this is causing her pain and grief.

She is beautiful. She is amazing. You should see these big eyes in person! I will treasure this time here in Vietnam, but look forward to the time when she is securely attached to our family and trusts that she is loved and will be well taken care of.

Our hotel is old and beautiful. I love 1920's architecture. The Majestic was built in 1925 and has loads of charm, full of art deco moldings and fixtures. I have never been in such a beautiful hotel. I am glad we splurged on this part of the trip. I have been feeling much culture shock and I need to be comfortable in our room. We have enjoyed eating at the outdoor restaurant on the fifth floor. It is really a great view where you can watch the traffic flow below.

-Wow, If you could see the traffic. Everyone rides scooters and man can these folks drive. You should see the intersections were two streets cross. No lights, they all just...merge at once. It looks orchestrated! Instead of blinkers, they beep horns. I wish I could explain it. Just imagine the busiest intersection in your city. Now take away the traffic lights. The only rule is that you yield to anyone bigger than you. Okay, got that? Now take away the cars, trucks and buses. Instead place these drivers and passengers on ONE scooter. Family of 4 you say? Yes, a family of four and more fits on ONE scooter. Okay, got that? Now let's say that you and your family need to cross this medley... guess what you do? Just start slowly and methodically walking out into the street together in a line. Crazy stuff.


Tomorrow is the Giving and Receiving ceremony. We will keep you all updated.
Thank you all for your well wishes and support, it helps! My stomach is in knots from all the stress and worry. I will ask Frank to post a picture.

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!