“Camping” in the backyard
8 years ago
Friday, January 2, 2009
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Test results
We went to the doctor today to get Pearl's test results. Everything came back negative: TB, Hepatitis B and C, lead and blood count. Pearl is as healthy as could be.
Tonight, Carli has decided we are having a family game night for New Year's eve. My invitation told me to arrive at 7:12 p.m. It should be a wild and crazy night.
Happy New Year!
Tonight, Carli has decided we are having a family game night for New Year's eve. My invitation told me to arrive at 7:12 p.m. It should be a wild and crazy night.
Happy New Year!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Doctor visit
We had our wellness checkup today and fun it was not! Pearl had two shots, a TB test (another needle), blood drawn (yes, another needle) and a urine sample (don't even ask how that is done on an infant!) Fortunately, she recovered quickly. Tomorrow she goes back to "read" the TB test and give a stool sample to check for parasites.
She weighs 17 lbs. 3 oz., her height is 27 1/2 inches and her head is 17 1/2 inches. She is on the 5th percentile for both height and weight. She loves to eat so I am sure we can improve those numbers.
Other than that, Pearl seems to be getting used to her surroundings a little better. But naps and bedtime still are big challenges. She likes the kids' club at the gym and Carli carts her around like the proud big sister.
She weighs 17 lbs. 3 oz., her height is 27 1/2 inches and her head is 17 1/2 inches. She is on the 5th percentile for both height and weight. She loves to eat so I am sure we can improve those numbers.
Other than that, Pearl seems to be getting used to her surroundings a little better. But naps and bedtime still are big challenges. She likes the kids' club at the gym and Carli carts her around like the proud big sister.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Amazing things about Vietnam
I saw and experienced some amazing things in Vietnam that I want to share.
1. The people are amazingly friendly. People would constantly stop us on the street and say hello and smile. One day we stopped in an adidas store. The staff immediately came to us. Carli gave the one salesgirl a kiss on the cheek. After that they shared a snack they were having (yes on the sales floor) of an apple-type fruit dipped in a chili and salt combination. It was an interesting mix of flavors. As we left, they gave us the rest of the fruit to take with us. In the restaurants, they would take Pearl immediately and amuse her while we ate.
2. The street food was very interesting and usually smelled good, although I was never brave enough to try anything. The one thing that I will never forget is seeing cooked whole dog at a food stand. Basically it was a whole dog with no hair and charred brown. Even the tail was still there!
3. It is a scooter nation. There are scooters and motorcycles everywhere. It is amazing what they are able to carry on their scooters, too.
4. The noise is overwhelming. Our streets are so quiet in comparison. The drivers honk constantly. The rules of the road are that there are no rules! Chaos reigns.
5. It is dirty and dusty. HaNoi is a crowded, busy city and cleanliness is not a top priority (or their tolerance of dirt is more than mine). But you adjust and make do.
6. Life is lived on the streets. Everyone is on display and lives on the sidewalks. Street cafes consist of a small plastic table and tiny plastic stools for seats and waala...a business is born. People are hunched everywhere. Storefronts are part of people's homes and you can see them eating dinner and watching TV while "minding" the store. Women would walk miles everyday with the goods the had to sell hanging from baskets balanced on their shoulders.
7. Highlands Coffee was the best. Not only was it the best but the staff was friendly and attentive. After our first visit, they remembered us and once when I visited without Eric and the kids, the staff immediately wanted to know where they were. The strong Vietnamese coffee was good too!
8. People work hard. Not only do they work six days a week, but without our modern conveniences, the work is just plain more difficult.
9. 10 minutes outside of the city and you are in rice paddies. It is green, mountainous and beautiful. It appears to be a pretty simple life outside the city.
HaNoi is an amazing place. It is all I expected and more. I cannot wait to return and see more of the country to the south. But it is good to be home for now.
1. The people are amazingly friendly. People would constantly stop us on the street and say hello and smile. One day we stopped in an adidas store. The staff immediately came to us. Carli gave the one salesgirl a kiss on the cheek. After that they shared a snack they were having (yes on the sales floor) of an apple-type fruit dipped in a chili and salt combination. It was an interesting mix of flavors. As we left, they gave us the rest of the fruit to take with us. In the restaurants, they would take Pearl immediately and amuse her while we ate.
2. The street food was very interesting and usually smelled good, although I was never brave enough to try anything. The one thing that I will never forget is seeing cooked whole dog at a food stand. Basically it was a whole dog with no hair and charred brown. Even the tail was still there!
3. It is a scooter nation. There are scooters and motorcycles everywhere. It is amazing what they are able to carry on their scooters, too.
4. The noise is overwhelming. Our streets are so quiet in comparison. The drivers honk constantly. The rules of the road are that there are no rules! Chaos reigns.
5. It is dirty and dusty. HaNoi is a crowded, busy city and cleanliness is not a top priority (or their tolerance of dirt is more than mine). But you adjust and make do.
6. Life is lived on the streets. Everyone is on display and lives on the sidewalks. Street cafes consist of a small plastic table and tiny plastic stools for seats and waala...a business is born. People are hunched everywhere. Storefronts are part of people's homes and you can see them eating dinner and watching TV while "minding" the store. Women would walk miles everyday with the goods the had to sell hanging from baskets balanced on their shoulders.
7. Highlands Coffee was the best. Not only was it the best but the staff was friendly and attentive. After our first visit, they remembered us and once when I visited without Eric and the kids, the staff immediately wanted to know where they were. The strong Vietnamese coffee was good too!
8. People work hard. Not only do they work six days a week, but without our modern conveniences, the work is just plain more difficult.
9. 10 minutes outside of the city and you are in rice paddies. It is green, mountainous and beautiful. It appears to be a pretty simple life outside the city.
HaNoi is an amazing place. It is all I expected and more. I cannot wait to return and see more of the country to the south. But it is good to be home for now.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Doctor visit
The doctor visit yesterday went well. He removed a ton of wax from Pearl's ears. But otherwise Pearl is a very healthy little girl. He thinks the constant crying is die to jetlag and just her trying to deal with the major changes in her life. I thought the two weeks in HaNoi were our transition time but apparently not. I saw a friend at the grocery store last night (that has two adoptive kids) and she said what we are going through is very common. It will just take time for Pearl to adjust to her new surroundings, sights and smells. It makes sense but is soooo hard!
Friday, December 26, 2008
Home and transitioning
Well we made it home and finally got our luggage two days later. The time change is a killer and after being up all night, the entire family slept until 11:45 a.m. When I asked Carli to look at the clock and tell me what it said, she told me "one-one-dot-dot-four-five." I asked her to repeat it because I couldn't believe it!
Pearl was up again all last night and has been rather inconsolable so we are taking her to the doctor this afternoon. She is a different baby from when we were in Vietnam so something must be up. It will be an adventure to have Pearl in the car and in a carseat since no car seats or seat belts are used in Vietnam.
I hope everyone got what they wished for yesterday for Christmas.
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