Magicians, dim sum and bridges

Today was a relatively quiet day. Sunday in Hanoi looks like no different than any other day to the tourist's eye except that most of the big hotels offer fabulous Sunday brunch deals.

Taking our cue from the Hanoi Guide (our bible) - written by the International Women's Club of Hanoi - we went to the Hanoi Horrison Hotel for brunch. The motivating factor was it is said to be one of the most kid friendly joints in town. And kid friendly it was.

Kids have their own buffet to eat at where they can choose from french fries, fish sticks (sort of), chicken drumsticks (wings with the meat pushed up), "hot dogs" which looked suspiciously like keilbasa to me and little sandwiches. In addition. the hotel restuarant has a magician perform at noon and a large room in the restaurant taped off just for kids and hotel provided babysitters. There was even a king sized bed for kids to jump on! Brilliant! What a great idea for our next birthday party.

Despite the Lion King playing on the video screen and the magicians balancing plastic tubs on their noses, Max opted for the video game on TV of a car racing scene. He pretty much sat glued to that the entire time, only giving up his seat to someone who had been patiently waiting next to him for some time. Max hung out with peers from all over the world, the first time in two weeks that he has been with people his own size. It's definitely the expat hang-out for folks with kids.

Meanwhile, Tom and I enjoyed the sumptuous buffet. My favorite dish these days is dim sum. We usually have it for breakfast everyday and I'm going to miss it when we head back. There was also this amazing Vietnamese salad that I would like to try to recreate: sliced cucumbers, onions, mango, pineapple, cilantro, sesame seeds and rice vinegar. It was so refreshing, especially in this dreadful heat.

Poor Little Peanut burst out into a heat rash today from being outside for less than an hour. She's never been exposed to a/c in her life til now and I think, unlike some of the other kids, she's adapted quite well.

After brunch, Tom and L.P. went back to the hotel for a nap - or so he hoped. Max and I went on an adventure to have some Mommy and Max time. No doubt our mission was the highlight of his entire trip: for all of 100,000 dong, we took a taxi cab through the city and across the Chuong Duong Bridge. The bridge, which traverses the mighty Red River, is one of two that we can see from the 19th floor of our hotel room. Its mere presence taunts Max daily. (That and the neighboring Long Bien Bridge which runs parallel to the Chuong Duong but doesn't take cars. Only pedestrians and motorbikes.) Max, who is sure to become an engineer one day, was in seventh heaven, jumping up and down in the taxi's backseat. His reaction was worth every penny of the $6 we spent.

The big news in the McCall household is that we have finally, yes, finally, decided on a name for our little princess. We are proud to introduce Molly Williams Brewster McCall. What do you think Annie? It's been a tough decision mostly because Max has been quite vociferous about Gopala. But after just recently seeing the movie "The Namesake," we just didn't have the heart to bestow a beautiful yet unusual name on our daughter. Molly was Tom's #1 choice, Williams is Joanie's maiden name and Brewster is a family name on the Moore side. So there you have it. It only took five days and then some.

Molly suits her just perfectly. She has been taking more and more formula every day which is encouraging. Still a great sleeper. She got up at 3:30 a.m., had a bottle and went back to sleep til 7:30. She's a gentle little lamb and she grows on our hearts more and more every day. From the moment we first met her, she has been a great gumless smiler but tonight, she was even giggling out loud. I thought that was quite something from a four month old. She loves tummy time and plays with one of two toys I brought for her. I don't think she's had this much stimulation her entire life.

Not to mention her big brother who still adores her. He swears she said his name yesterday but all Tom and I have heard so far is "ahhh, booo." Max is being a great sport though every now and then he's starting to push the boundaries. Nothing directed at his sister, more towards Tom and I, like when I ask him to lower his voice or be quiet when we're trying to put the baby to sleep. He automatically raises it to see what he can get away with. He hasn't had to bow to anyone in four years so why start now?

It's only 9 p.m. and we're pooped. Kimberly, congratulations on Benedict. What a great name and I'm so happy everything went well for your beautiful family. I've got a sweet girlfriend for him to play with when he's ready... Hugs to everyone. Thanks so much for your notes, blessings, advice and goodwill. We really appreciate it and hope to be home soon.