Pushing pause

Just a short update to check in.

We're in pause mode, again, til Tuesday afternoon. We're supposed to have our first interview with the U.S. Embassy then at 1:30. And it's Friday. So we officially have several days off. Not sure why we couldn't get it sooner - like today would have been a very efficient use of time but whatever.

There's talk of a possible trip up to Halong Bay which we would love to see. It's one of the seven wonders of the world and looks just so beautiful in photos - enormous limestone formations rising up out of emerald green waters. One is even said to resemble Charles de Gaulle's nose! We may do a day trip, an overnight on a boat or a night or two in a hotel, depending on how things reveal themselves. I'm hoping it's cooler along the coast than it is here in the city.

I'd like to wait a day to see how the baby is feeling. She seems to be on the mend but still feeling out of sorts with the upper respiratory tract infection. We're still getting to know each other and acclimate to each other's rhythm's. She is by and large a peaceful and gentle soul, blessing us with another full night's sleep again last night!! For the most part, she eats, naps and has a little playtime in between. She's teaching us her schedule quickly and as all parents know, little ones don't like breaking the predicatability of their routines.

I keep watching to see if Max's enthusiasm will shift and so far, he remains excited, interested and protective. Today he read her Caps for Sale and Ping. He got a little upset when she wouldn't look at the pictures but I explained to him that she likes hearing the story and his voice.

The big news in her life is that she took her first poop today! She hadn't pooped once since she landed in our arms two days ago so that was a relief. Talk of BM's may sound rather trivial dear reader but amongst us parents, it's a big deal. Word has it these babies tend to get constipated so happy bowels are a good thing.

Annie, I wish you were here with us! You could add some life to this rather "Lost in Translation" chapter of our lives. However, I have had so much fun meeting people from all over the world - without ever leaving our hotel. Last night, I had a wonderful conversation with a political science professor who teaches in Canada. We had a fascinating conversation about the recent history of the Indochina peninsula, noting that the Vietnam War (or The American War, as it is referred to here) could have been avoided after World War II. According to this guy, our alliance with the French prevented us from connecting with the Vietnamese at their invitation. Apparently they wanted to emulate our governmental system and had far more interest in that then following the Communist regime. Interesting food for thought.

This morning, dining next to our breakfast table, was a spunky Chinese couple who lives in Queensland, Australia. They sell souvenirs of kangaroos etc. (all made in China of course) and are on holiday. They had zillions of questions about the baby and our adoption and both insisted on holding her so we could eat. My Sagittarian spirit loves being reminded that there are more people in the world than just us sheltered Americans who so easily get myopic in view of the rest of the world. Sometimes I think we think we are the only people on the planet. But we're not. There are people everywhere - millions and millions of them, doing things everyday that aren't that unlike what we do.

Yesterday, for example, I went to get some baby supplies. I forgot wipes and needed to get some formula (same stuff she was drinking in the orphanage so as not to introduce too much change at once.) Taking the recommendation from the authors of luc and maisie's blog, I headed out to the Vinaconax super market. It's on the fourth floor of an indoor mall and has everything. Looking for cheap souvenirs? Tea? Coffee? Tweezers? They had just about everything except ginger ale, which is what I miss most here in Hanoi. Even Cambodia had it.

So, anyway, this indoor mall just blew me away. Here we are in Hanoi with four floors of indoor mall (a lovely respite from the heat) and guess what the people were doing? The same thing they do when they are perambulating around the Annapolis Mall. Shopping, chatting, wandering. Buying lots of electronic goods and cheap clothing. I thought I'd see a Gap and Starbuck's at any moment around the corner, but I didn't. Not yet. And they say this is a Communist country. It's hard, on most days, to see how or where.