2 weeks Home

See I can stand on my own




I know I am funny and entertaining





Mom the grass is WAY too long, when are you going to cut it??






A wonderful gift from my friend Gayle. A hand made quilt. The Vietnamese star in the centre. Red and Yellow for Vietnam. Red and White for Canada. Macy's name and DOB in the middle. The quilt has one square for each month it took for the adoption to happen. Did we cry? Yes.......... Thank you Gayle.




My own Princess chair, a gift from Mommy's friend France.




We've been home for 2 weeks and I think we are finally getting settled. It has been harder than I imagined to get a few minutes to finally get some pics downloaded from my camera, (but all is working again) and even more difficult to get enough time to do a bit of blogging. June 4th marked our 1 month anniversary as a Forever Family. It also happened to be my sister Kathy's birthday. I sat that day and thought about all the amazing things that have happened since May 4th and it is hard to believe so many things have happened and changed in just one month.
Macy has blossomed in her new home. She has 2 more teeth than she did when we arrived home. She stands unassisted for 10 seconds or so. She is now walking all around the room by holding on to the furniture. She pushed her little wagon/walker all over. If I leave the immediate vicinity she just crawls after me or she uses the wall to hold herself up as she walks from the living room to the kitchen. I never expected to be having this much fun watching a child learn. It is humbling to know she learns by watching. It makes me stop and think before I do some things. My bad habits she does not need.

Last Sunday one of my oldest friends, Marie, held a baby shower in Macy's honour. It was wonderful. The guests included Marie's Mom and 2 of her Aunts, (I refuse to say how many years I have known them, lets just say over 40 but under 50, in other words, a LONG time) past coworkers and many others also attended. It was so much fun to share Macy with my friends. Thank you so very much Everyone.

In the 2 weeks we have been home we have been visited by many friends. They are all thrilled to meet Macy and she charms them all.

This coming Saturday there is a family baby shower and get together in Macy's honour. My brother Gord and his wife Karen are the hosts. Karen informed me tonight she is expecting about 50 guests. My oldest brother Fred and his wife Aleta arrived from Kenora this evening. I was thrilled for them to meet Macy. She charmed them with her smiles and giggles. We had a great evening as myself, Macy and 3 of my siblings and their spouses relaxed and chatted.
Tomorrow evening my niece Sharolynne and her family are arriving from Calgary and other family members are expected to arrive from Ottawa this weekend. It's overwhelming to know they are coming for us. Macy and me. I'm usually the one that is in the background, but not this weekend. I will be great to see everyone but I am also anxious to show Macy off. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures to post

10 Days Home

Well, we've been home 10 days and I am still not all unpacked. On the good side, my sister Kathy and her husband and son got moved OK. It is wonderful having her in the same city.
Macy and I are starting to get more settled. No routine yet, but everyday is something new. She is doing great with all the changes. We were at the Dr's Friday afternoon and Macy weighs 7.82 kg or 17ibs, 4 oz. Macy continues to be happy and playful. I am in awe as I watch her explore and learn new things. What an amazing daughter I have.
For some reason my computer cannot find the camera so I have not been able to download any pictures. I plan on trying to figure out what is wrong tomorrow evening. If so, I will post a few pics of us since we got home.
On another note, my thoughts are with a fellow adopting family that are now in HCMC to be united with their daughter. Best wishes to L & S as they meet their daughter.

A Few Pics

Lounging on the top of the Junk in Halong Bay




Love that Face






Greetings at the Airport

We're Home

It's been a busy couple of days since we arrived home. The flights were long but no major problems, just a few small ones that were soon sorted out. We did get stopped by Customs and sent to Citizenship and Immigration as we entered at Pearson. We waited in a long line, it seemed forever, only to be asked why Macy has a different last name. What? the lady at Customs could not ask me why? When I told them why, all they said was OK, you can go. Never asked to see any paperwork, but it delayed us getting out of the airport. We had a wonderful welcome from Julia, Bev, Ben, Ron and Devon. It was great to be home. Thank you so much for the warm welcome everyone. It was wonderful to see you all standing there, with a sign and everything. Macy and Ben got to greet each other, some poking of eyes on Macy's part, but it was very nice to see them meet.
The drive home to Brantford started off loud, with Macy screaming for about 25 minutes, needless to say she does not like the car seat. (getting a bit better I must say even 2 days later there is less crying) I arrived home to find the front and inside of my house decorated with signs, ribbons, balloons, posters etc. What another nice surprise. As I came in the door Karen and Gord called and they soon arrived as did their daughter Danette, they were eager to meet Macy. It was great. We finally got to bed about 1 but Macy was awake at 5 or so. Thursday, she slept most of the day, a bit of jet lag I think and a bit because she is not feeling the best. She has a stuffy nose etc and I had to take her to the walk in today as her voice is hoarse, but the MD said her chest and ears are clear, I got a cream for her face, (red blotches again) and I am to put saline drops in her nose to help keep her passages clear. I went to Hamilton and applied for her OHIP card today, it will come from Kingston and will be here??????? no one could tell me. Macy stayed home with Uncle Ron and Devon, and she was laughing when Kathy and I arrived home. Macy has been a little stressed since we arrived home, if we are here alone, I have to carry her, she will not let me out of her site, she will play, but has to be right with me, but she will play with others when they are here.
Everyone has been wonderful. A few friends have dropped over, it is so nice to see everyone and Macy has been great.
I will post a few pics a bit later, she is stirring and I need to get her something to eat

Our Last Few Hours in Hanoi

I've been looking for this...
Do you remember where that shop was with the...?
I'll organize this suitcase from the inside.
Don't be confused by the smile - this 5 point harness has GOT to go!

We're down to our last few hours in Hanoi. It seems like it was just yesterday that we arrived, anxious to meet our Macy and now we can't even remember what life was like before she arrived!

Yesterday, we took one of the other families to our favorite massage parlour and introduced them to foot and body massage - they loved it. We finished up some last minute shopping and then we were back pool side for a swim before we headed out for the Water Puppet Show.

Macy was less than impressed with this cultural event. She covered her ears with the women sang in Vietnamese, had a poop - which really impressed the guy sitting beside her (NOT) and fell asleep drinking a bottle, about half an hour into the performance. We managed to find the ONLY squatter toilet in Vietnam - and it was a stinking one!! Of course, we forgot the wet ones, so we were crammed into one the the two Western toilet stalls, holding our breath, trying to change a poopy diaper while Macy dangled from her armpits - and to make it even more enjoyable, she was screaming at the top of her lungs.

We then headed over to a local Vietnamese restaurant to meet with the other three families still here. We had a great dinner - with great company.

This morning after we finished packing, we headed over to Hua Soa - another training school, supporting disadvantaged Vietnamese youth. We had a wonderful lunch and then headed back to the Army Hotel for another swim. Macy floated in her blow up car and swam until her hands and feet were all wrinkled before we headed back to the room for a bottle and a nap.

And here we are, writing our last blog while in Vietnam. We head for the airport at 10:30 at night for our 1:50 a.m. flight to Shanghai, then Tokyo, then home to Toronto. This flight, starting in the middle of the night would be hard on any seasoned traveler, but making it Macy's first flight will either be heaven or hell! We'll let you know how it goes later!!!

Thank you to all of you who followed our adventures - who sent us your wonderful comments and warm thoughts. We can't wait for each and every one of you to meet Macy!

See you back home!

One of our Last Days

This pic is for my brothers! Take note guys she chose the can of beer!


Well, here we are, 2 days left in this amazing City. The City where I spent the first 3 weeks with my amazing daughter.
To say she is wonderful is an understatement. She is everything I wished for, only 1000 times more. I could never have hoped for a more wonderful gift.
She is so great to be with, I truly cannot remember what is was like before we were together.
I knew I would have fun, but I never expected it to be this great so soon. She is funny, loves to laugh, and loves to be the centre of attention. She will sway back and forth whenever she hears music. If she hears you start to sing the Patty Cake song she immediately starts to clap. Her new thing is to try to blow a raspberry, but she doesn't quite have it down and ends up doing this little half spit, half raspberry thing, then she starts laughing. She loves the water and now that we are back at the Army Hotel for our remaining days we are taking good advantage of the pool. She is like a little fish, she kicks her feet, waves her arms and generally has a great time in the pool. We ventured back to the Old Quarter this morning to do a bit more shopping, and decided to get her a blowup seat for the pool. (no Mickey head). We got one that has a steering wheel like a boat and she loves it. She will play in it for awhile, then she wants out to splash and play with us. She does not mind if her face or head get wet, just goes back for more.
She is a joy to be with. What more can I say.

Random Pics

I'm ready for my closeup




An afternoon of fun in the pool tired me out


This asparagus soup is amazing


This is how I spend the end of a busy day!!