Top of the list

We are now at the top of the list for a boy. We know that a child's second medial announcement was to begin Sept. 1st. This is just one, of several more hurdles, that must be met in order for a referral to be made. We know it is still going to be a while, but we are hoping to have a referral by early November. "Hope springs eternal...". Even though our hopes for travel by the end of the year are gone, we still hope to be home by Valentine's- J's 50th birthday.

Congrats to E- and her family. They have received a referral for their son. He is completely adorable! We hope travel approval comes quickly.

All for now.

M-

Rope dragon

We went to a local festival on Saturday. As we were leaving, I found a stand that had dragons made out of rope. They were very colorful and made from Jute rope. I asked the lady were you find Jute in Asia. She stated mostly in the Philippines, but dragons were all over Asia. We chose the one that was blue and red. So, "baby brother" has his first dragon.

1 year today!

Well, one year ago today our dossier was sent to Vietnam and our wait began. It is amazing how time has past! There is a family leaving next week to the new province for their two boys. It is good news for these boys with special needs. We continue to hope that the process for our son progresses at a steady pace, and we will get a referral soon.

Tatertot has changed tremendously in the past year. Her legs are longer, she is more confident, and a strong passion for life. Her preschool is in full swing now and she is adjusting to her new schedule been pretty well. She is now taking great naps, anywhere between an hour to 2 hours. I do not look forward to the days she stops taking naps.

J's- great niece has been with us since last night. She is about a 1.5 years old. She is an easy baby and slept great. Tatertot has had a hard time sharing her parents. If I sit on the floor playing blocks with her cousin, she plops in my lap. She has done pretty well with sharing her toys, but sharing her parents is a different story. At this moment they are both sitting on J's lap listening to a story. They are so cute!

This has been a good test of what it will be like with 2 kids. I better start going to water aerobics more than once a week!~! I'M GOING TO NEED MY STRENGTH

Shopping, World fest, and other thoughts

I have been looking through blogs of families in or have been in Vietnam. I have found some places I definitely want to shop while we are traveling. The first place is called Vietnam Quilts. The Vietnamese women, who would otherwise have a difficult time working and staying with their family, make the quilts. I have a few quilts that I like but will make my mind up once I see them. I will post about other places in the next few posts.

I also look forward to the water puppets and bringing some of them home. We went to the World Fest on Saturday. Tatertot loved making her own puppet. She named her "Tatertot Just Like Me". Of course her name for Tatertot. The Thai steamed dumplings and the Vietnamese Bakery were mine and Tatertot's favorite. J- loved the chirizo taco made by a restaurant from Mexico. He also stated that he wants his birthday cake to come from the Vietnamese bakery. **Note to me**

It is now looking unlikely for a September referral. The paperwork process for Vietnam has changed. It isn't great to have to wait, but it will happen.

All for now...