Waiting for G and R

We are still waiting for a firm date for the Giving and Receiving Ceremony. It was to be tomorrow but we have heard that the woman who does them is having some medical treatment and cannot make it. So we continue to wait.

In the meantime...we shop.

Here are some photos and I know that it is not the same as seeing photos of the baby but I hope they will suffice until after the G and R.

Arriving in Saigon

Just through Customs

At the Botanical Gardens and Zoo just down the road from our hotel

Sneak peak at the Mouse....

Day Three of Miss Lily

Well it is Wed here and late Tuesday night your time. Auntie Michele is taking care of sleeping Lily while I type this. I have to say that everynight once I put here down I try to type out a blog or send an email but due to technology issues and my exhaustion I have been unsuccessful.

Lily slept really well the first night and I was so impressed but last night she did wake up screaming about every 90 min. It is tought trying to figure out what is wrong but every mother has done it before me and I know it will just take time. She cut a first tooth about 4 days ago and then yesterday I noticed she cut a new tooth and I was happy to be a part of one of our many milestone we will have together.

The other two families (4 people in total) have all come down with a 24 bug that includes a lot of toilet hugging (except M who is very healthy amoungst the other 3).

We are hoping to have our G & R this coming Friday and then after that I will posts a bunch of pictures. Yesterday we went to the Botanical Gardens and Zoo which is very close to our hotel and today we are going to get M a netbook and me a stroller. We will also try to find a place to purchase Au Daos for Lily.

My sister is doing great and taking good care of us. I am taking good care of Lily but my body sure is feeling the pain of holding her so much and of course the lack of sleep. It is very hot here at about 35C during the day and the humidity at times sitting around 75%.

I can't wait to introduce all of you to the wee mouse. She is so much smaller than I imagined based on her photos.

The Day Was So Beautiful

I am sitting here by the pool at our hotel with baby Lily in the sling while typing this. I would have put a message on earlier but last night after we came back from the orphanage with the babies ...I was toast. Done, exhausted, overwhelmed and oh so happy!

I am sorry tht I do not have any pictures yet to share with you. Due to the fact that we have not had the G & R ceremony i cannot post any pictures here. I will try to send a few emails out today with photos of the very special day.

My sweet Lily is just melting my heart. We had an exceptional time at the orphanage and then we took the Hydrofoil back to HCMC ....where she slept for 30 min and cried for 60 min. I felt so sad for here having to wake up in such an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar person (me).

We had a good night but she would not take a bottle for quite a while. Fourteen hours later she finally did and I was soooooo happy. She is just a wee mouse with a georgeous laugh and although she is still hesitant with me I can see that she is slowly warming up.

I canèt wait to share photos with all of you. All the other mommies are happy. I am just about to take her into the pool. We did a treatment for scabies on both of us last night so they say the pool is good to rid of these as well.

Cedric is my friends baby from Sudbury and we call him the Buddha baby, and Olivia is my friends baby from Ottawa who is all smiles.

More later ....we are all happy and the babies are healthy.

Good News and not so Good News

Just for the record I did have a blog with accounts of our journey to Vietnam. Sadly it was lost due to a bad internet connection. I hope to re-type this but for now I have other news to share and catch you up on today.

Our hotel room is fantastic with tons of space and a great view over downtown HCMC (I think it is downtown). Yesterday was Earth Hour and it really explained how quiet it was last night driving in from the airport. Very dark and very few people around for a Saturday night.

After a great night sleep and a bit of unpacking we lounged by the pool for a couple hours and then headed off to a very nice shopping centre. Actually I was disappointed the hotel recommned this place because it was way too Western. It was everything we have at Yorkdale and then some. We got what we needed and headed back to the hotel to meet Loan. Loan is our hostess here Vietnam. She has worked for our agency for many many years and helps us navigate through all the hoops while here. We had a meeting with the families so she could go over what the next week would look like.

The not so good news is that my friend M, who has already waited so long for her little boy has to wait even longer. Apparently, her dossier still needs to go back to the Dept. of Adoption. What that means is that she cannot have him until that final step is completed. It was estimated that she might have another couple weeks tacked onto her trip. It was very sad to hear this news and I am sure quite upsetting for M.

For the other three families our babies are in Vung Tau and the process is very seamless there due to the many years of experience. They did tell us however, due a primary staff member being ill our Giving and Receiving Ceremony is postponed anywhere from 3-5 days. The upside to this which is not the same for M is that we can still go to the orphanage to meet the babies and bring them back to our hotels right away. This is all happening tomorrow when we head to Vung Tau.

I am feeling really scared actually. Scared more so in the unknown. I am not feeling too organized these days and even in the hotel my stuff is just not organized in a way that makes me efficient. I must make changes first thing in the morning as there will be no time once she is placed into my arms.

So, on Monday March 29th I will meet my daughter. I was told today that she has a very good temprament, is easy going and does not make much of a fuss. I will learn all about her schedule and hope to the high heavens that I do a good job in replecating it once she is in my arms.

Arrived Safely

Wow...we are finally here after 24 hours of flying and airport time. It really was not too bad. Our first leg of the journey was just getting from my house to the airport. And that was not without its challenges (quite like this keyboard I am using)....anyway.

I just typed a whole blog on our travels and lost most of it due to a disconnect. So I am just going to share that the families I am with are all great and we are all safe at the hotel here in Vietnam. We are all so exited to see our babies in the next 48 hours.

I promise you I will retype this entry and add photos but just not right now as I am getting my bathing suit on and jumping in the beautiful pool.

The Journey of a Lifetime

Well officially I fly out today...as it is 12:05am. Yup, I am still up although I am packed (YEAH). My sister brought down a big hockey bag and we loaded it up with lots of clothes for the orphanage and as well, great toys for the older kids. We are still hoping to get some shopping in on Sunday before we leave for the orphanage.

As I type this my sister is on the telephone getting helpdesk support for her new HP notebook. Hmmm I wonder if I can get helpdesk support the first week of being a mom? I am so ready to go to bed. Looking around the house we have in total, 2 huge suitcases and 2 medium suitcases. We have two carry on pieces of luggage and then I have the baby backpack as my purse and my sister has a small backpack. We are loaded down. Now all we have to do is step on the scale to see how much they weigh. I am very positive we will be under 50lbs on all fronts.

Today went by so quickly but not without a few moments of "OMG" I am going to be a mommy to this sweet baby girl in less than 4 days. Suddenly I have no clue how to do anything. Luckily I catch on quickly (really I do...ask anyone who has ever trained me in a job).

My sister and I have have enough drugs to sink a ship between the two of us. I have enough diapers packed in all 4 bags that Lily is guaranteed to never have a wet bottom and we have tons of gadgets. Yup - lets see...we have an iphone, blackberry, two digital cameras with video capabilities, 1 SLR digital camera, 1 netbook, a card reader, ipods and headsets. Gosh the last time I went to Sth East Asia all I brought was my discman and before that I used my walkman and brought tons of mixed tapes (remember those days?).

OK I am starting to ramble but that is b/c my sister is still on the with the helpdesk and now they are chatting about where she can get support in Tokyo (stopover before VT). I must go to bed and no sleeping pill needed here.

By the way...I am feeling all the emotions of the rainbow and in no particular order. My favorite thing to do is to walk around my house, room to room and think about what job needs to be done, do about 10% and then walk out into another room and repeat. That is so not like me!! It is sheer luck I was able to zip up a suitcase.

Wish me luck.

Two More Nights to Go!

I have spent the day at home waiting for a courier to arrive. Charlotte was out on my front porch...door open but a gate across the front steps. Already noon and no one has come. I go out onto the porch and taped to the post a few steps away from the front door but closer to the gate, I see the Purolator tag. OMG - I can't believe they came. I was prepped, waiting, anticipating, and I stayed home so I wouldn't have to drive to God's country to pick up the freaking package.

So I try to summarize what may have happened. Man afraid of cute yellow labrador that probably stayed sleeping the whole time. Man sees front door open and there is a screen door. He thinks I could call "hello", or knock on the post while yelling "hello" as it was very clear there was someone in the house. He could perhaps go to the big purolator truck and honk the horn. But no to all of these and instead he conveniently posts the message informing me to go to God's country, once again to retrieve the package.

Oh my blood was boiling and I could not dial that 1-888 number fast enough. When I finally got someone to listen to me I was simmering but I needed to give an earful. It went all the way to an escalated complaint to the manager....resulting in nothing as they couldn't do anything for me AND I would still have to drive in the direction of the sunset to get the package (that had our passports in it). And that was that.

So onward as it is a beautiful day and I had lots to do. A couple hours later I am checking on Charlotte (still on front porch) and there it is in front of my house...a big white purolator truck. The driver is on the walk checking to see if the large man eating dog is nearby but I run out to ensure him I am the recipient of the package. He hands it to me, I sign and I feel triumphant and I think he does as well because he just made my day.

Lily's Room - After

After a day or two of hard work - the room is ready for a sweet baby to sleep in, read to in, and to cuddle in (oh and yes to change diapers in).

This blanket was a gift from my friend K.M.

The Library

Mr. Monkey

A little nature brought indoors.

Eye Candy for a Baby

Lily's Room - Before

This used to be my spare room and my second bedroom. I used to have a student in here and she left in October so the timing worked well.

Here is the room before, and while getting things set up.

Four More Days

I packed Lily's suitcase last night and more than once I went back into it to take some things out. As I do not know her size or her weight I am just hoping she would be in 6mths and 6-9mths clothing. Last minute change would be to add more dresses as they are very forgiving....even on a 6 month old baby.

Questions: Does anyone know where I can buy "swimmer diapers? I will bring a couple cloth ones to use in the pool but was hoping to bring a handful of the swimmers.

Tonight I will do a test run of packing my suitcase and then when my sister arrives she will bring an extra bag for clothing for the orphanage (thanks to many of my girlfriends for their donations).

I caught Char up on my bed keeping a close eye on the packing job. Although she snuck up there before I could put a sheet down ....and then there was no moving her afterwards.

Things To Do Before Departure

Up bright and early this morning despite multiple beverages last night after work to celebrate my last day. I don't think it will really hit me until Monday when all the city is going to work and I am not.

Things To Do (now that I am done work):

• Drive to Milton and p/u new kitchen flooring - Done
• P/U paint to finish a toy box/bench
• Pack-up most items in kitchen in preparation to lay flooring
• Go to Ikea and purchase two additional lower cupboards (need to re-jig to make way for a new dishwasher)
• Purchase Blue Cross- Done
• Organize all paperwork with saved hard and soft copies
• Borrow or buy a netbook (unless my sister gets one first)
• Call the bank to inform them of my travels (so they don't freeze any of my cards)-Done
• Organize baby change table ...ready to go upon arrival home
• Book grooming for Charlotte-Done
• Pack two suitcases and a carry on
• Put all donated baby clothing into one bag for orphanage

....and that should take me through to Monday.

Countdown

I think I can start the official countdown...seeing as tomorrow is my last day at work.
So, one week tonight I will be having a sleepless night before getting on a plane the next day.

Lots to do between now and then.

Flights Booked

Organized flights today and I am happy it has all been resolved. We got such a great deal. On one hand I didn't want to fly Air Canada and I was really hoping for a flight Cathay Pacific but ...and this is a big but, the Air Canada flight was $500 cheaper. Our travel agent found a seat sale and jumped on it. I sure hope we don't see the discount in the way of service on the flight because it is a straight flight to Tokyo (13.5 hours).

So next Friday March 26th my sister and I will head to the airport before noon to catch our flight. I have already checked the movie schedule to ensure that if the flight is not ideal I can just have a movie marathon.

We are still hoping for the Giving and Receiving (G & R) Ceremony to happen on Monday the 29th. For those that don't know what the G & R is here is a bit of info on it:

The Giving and Receiving Ceremony is a special highlight of adopting from Vietnam. Often called the G&R, the Giving and Receiving ceremony is the actual event in which your child becomes legally yours in the eyes of the Vietnamese government.

G&Rs vary greatly from province to province. Some ceremonies are short and matter of fact; others are more elaborate and emotional. Many have said that no matter the style of the ceremony it is an extremely unique and unforgettable experience. Parents sign their name in the big adoption book, official papers are signed and many words are spoken.

I have a couple weeks to learn a few Vietnames phrases.

My last Sunday before Work

I can't tell you how excited I am that this will be the last week that I will need to plan for my work week ahead...at least for the next 10 months anyway. I am happy to exchange it for the very different work I will be doing in the months ahead.

This morning I met with my adoption practitioner to finalize some papers for the Ontario ministry. No surprises, no additional work, and nothing new to add to my file. This will be one of the final pieces of paper work I will need to do before I fly out.

My sister Michele will be travelling with me and I am just as excited to have her travelling with me as I am meeting my new daughter. We have not travelled together before (driving to Windsor in a mini-van does not count) and she is going to be such a great travel partner, very easy going, extremely helpful and she has been a parent to her two boys for the past 19 years. She certainly qualifies for the job.

Packing - I know this can be a daunting task but I have done a fair bit of travel to spots around the globe and the one this I know for sure is....you can buy it there. So I am not going to worry about the "what ifs" or debate whether she may need this or that because I know I can get it there. Packing little outfits for her is such a fun job to do but the really big job is that I have to move my winter and spring/summer clothes around earlier than usually as it is hot hot hot over there. So I started that this weekend.

There is also the pending kitchen floor that I wanted to replace before I travel but it is not looking like that will get done. My super handy hero "E" just may do that while I am away.

So, it is off to work I go organizing clothes and making a few lists of things to do over the next week.

Pinch Me - Travel Dates Arrive

Hang on to your hats because I have some great news.

Today around 4:00pm I suddenly get multiple calls coming in on my cellular phone. Problem is I am at work in a conference room on a call to Calgary. Yet my backpack manages to find its way to me, thankfully by my colleague C.M. She hands it to me and says, "It has been ringing constantly. Someone must really want to get a hold of you".

So while I listen to the conference call with one ear ready to answer any question being fired at me, the other ear is busy listening to my voicemail of another waiting to travel Mom. With sheer excitement as I have never heard from her before she is shouting, "Did you see the email? Did you see the email?"

Grabbing my iphone I quickly get into my personal mailbox to see any new emails. And there with a musical "ding" the new email pops up and it is from our Director of our agency giving us travel dates. Yup....I said TRAVEL DATES!!

Now these dates are tentative (notice the insignificant lower case). It looks like we will need to be in Vietnam by the 28th of March to be able to attend the Giving and Receiving Ceremony a day or two later. So quickly I start calculating dates, reviewing calendars and determining my last day at work and that is when the wheels really start spinning, my list starts growing of things to do and then I suddenly realize... I am still on a conference call.

More to follow...

One Step Closer

Today I received my "Child Documents" which is a group of official documents including birth certificate, minutes outlining the circumstance for Lily to have come to the orphanage and as well the announcements that went out on local radio and local print media to inform local people.

It was a tough read as it really hit me that someone actually chose to leave their baby with a stranger for whatever the reason....it must have been one of the hardest things that woman has ever had to do.

But all this information, albeit difficult and emotional at times is the fabric that will create Lily's story. For better or worse it all belongs to her.

So now I just have to coordinate with my adoption practitioner to review and sign off on the last of the documents I need to complete here in Canada. I am hoping I will be on a plane soon. Perhaps even within the next few posts.

I was invited to speak at a volunteer training forum yesterday for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. It was such a beautiful day in Toronto with the sun shining and the temperature warming up everyone's face.

This was only my second time speaking in front of a large group and sharing my story. My nerves were with me, not leaving my side. I spoke for about 15 minutes and actually remember most of it. Asking for a tissue part way through as I caught myself in a moment I noticed many others doing the same. I felt I was with a group of friends. It was such a warm and supportive environment.

What I did not expect was the meeting of a young woman afterwards who did not ask me about breast cancer, rather, she thanked me for sharing my story and then told me that she had been adopted and often felt as though she was not really wanted. After hearing about my own adoption journey of Lily, she shared with me that after so many years a light has come on and has a different perspective.

I was so blown away by meeting her and so happy that only a few sentences, albeit a few within a very emotional story could impact someone the way it did.

You just never know where your journey is going to take you or who you will meet along the way. It was just such an incredible afternoon.

The Sun Continues to Shine

Just when you think you can't wait any longer and the month of Feb has kicked you hard in the behind...oh, and when you least expect it...you go to your personal email at the end of day at work and find not just one new photo of Lily but TEN (10).

I couldn't believe it. I was on the phone with a colleague in the US discussing an implementation when I noticed their was an email from our agency Director. I am trying to listen to her and view my photos and, well, as you can guess, Lily won and I had to defer our call to another day.

I won't be able to post them here until I officially adopt her but let me tell you she is full of vim and vigor as my Grandmother would say. She is delicate yet sturdy, very healthy in her photos, looks very playful and gives a great big smile to the camera. Her hair is absolutely crazy. That is one of the things we have in common...crazy, thick, dark hair. She has beautiful eyes, a button nose and pretty big feet (she will be a good hiker) but lets hope they are not flat like mine : )

This is just what I needed to get me through the next few weeks.

Photos of the Fundraiser

I can't believe I forgot my camera...I rarely forget and this was one night I wish I had it in tow. Anyway ... Erik saved the day with a few photos taken from a camera with a dodgy card (not sure of the full story).

These beautiful decorations were a donation and installed from my friends Liza and Tanya and some manly help from Greg and Erik.

Update - and the wait continues...

Well March comes in like a lion and I am about ready to roar!

My update came while I was sleeping and I awoke to find out that the "2nd Letter" went out on Feb. 24th. I know many of you will not know what that means but to put it into a timing perspective the "2nd letter" should have gone out in January at the latest, mid January.

So here is the set-back. This stage of the process takes approx. 1 month to complete (maybe longer) as there is an investigation initiated if the baby was abandoned. In Lily's case we believe she was abandoned. I am told this is the longest part of the process. I now have to ask...what the heck have they been doing in Vietnam for the past 8 weeks????????

I know they have celebrated TET but they had all of January to get a second letter out. I just don't understand why they would not want these beautiful babies in the arms of a parent(s), in a family with an early start to attach with each other.

Yes, I am frustrated. As Lily grows I am not there to watch her, guide her or document these milestones for her.