We have Austin's Passport and Visa in hand!!!

Yahoo and Yippee and all the rest!

We are finished with everything over here and are ready to bring our little guy home. We had our farewell dinner with the other families that departed yesterday and today.

Bill and I will be on our own until Rachel and Tommy arrive on the 18th. We are trying to find better accomodation, but don't have that settled quite yet. We have very nice rooms, but were looking for a room with bedrooms so we can all be together. They have them, but there are none available at the momement. Either way, it'll work out fine.

Austin took his first swim..in his skivys no less. He wanted so badly to swim with an older girl - 8 years old - what was a Mom to do? He stripped down and in he went. I had to stop him at the skivys. He loves water....a duck in another life maybe. He loved it! Bath time has never been a problem. Three rubber ducks and he was hooked for life.

He has been playing in the playroom and doing well while I was in there. His Daddy just came by and said he jumped from the top of the ladder into the ball pit. I am going to start saving for those ER bills. At least, he didn't do it in front of me. Now, I just need to find out if he was following Bill's lead (ha!ha!).

We are going to explore some shopping today. We went to the Temple of Literature yesterday and it was really neat. One of the most interesting things was the age of the grounds. The trees had roots like I've never seen before....Bill's back and ready to go.

Love you all tons! B and K and AUSTIN too...

Interview complete

Actually, it wasn't an interview per se. We signed a paper and he may have asked a question or two. You are so nervous you can't recall everything. We should have Austin's Visa today at 4:30 pm.....all done so we can come home. We are staying until the 23rd, but it is comforting to know we can come home now. One worry off of our minds!!!

We are still working on our hotel reservations and once we get the settled, we will get Inet in our room so we stay more updated.

This little guy has a ton on personality. I always say bless you after a sneeze and this morning he blessed himself after a sneeze. He has learned to make funny face and Bill and I laugh until we are in tears! He is too funny.

Did I mention he is too cute too? He will give you those eyes or that smile and you are a goner. He is dressed in a baseball overall outfit today and I must say the girls need to watch out....

Keep the prayers coming. Things have went very smooth for us on all accounts. Austin is showing he has a strong, independent will....hmmm I think that makes him fit with the rest of us....and some days that is a challenge, but I don't think I would want it any other ways (did I really say that, it is because I am watching him play with his Daddy right now and he looks like an angel!)...please delete 'cause I am sure I will eat these words before the days out.

Gotta go now...lots of love B and K

Finally, our final interview date

We have an appointment this afternoon to do the final interview to complete the adoption process, or at least the last leg of the process before we can come.... This is a big relief.

Austin has settled in quite nicely. The room is small, but more like home with a kitchen. He has discovered the refrigerator and has learned how to say more cheese and more milk....we can understand him anyway. He seems to pick up a few new words everyday. He still tells us he needs to potty in Vietnamese and we understand him so it works fine. I wish I knew what else he was saying. We have learned two different tones...one excited play tone and one "I need something" tone. We tell him to show us and he can usually take us to what he wants.

We can't wait to get him home and let him play in the back yard. It is difficult trying to keep a very active and inquisitive little boy in such a small space. We are using the outdoor play area, but still cautious because of the mosquitoes.

He loves bath time and plays and plays. I think if the water stayed warm, he would never come out. He doesn't seem to have much interest in TV or cartoons. We found one educational kid's program that kept his interest for about 15 minutes. I think there is so much new stuff that he keeps stimulated exploring.

We ate at a nice hotel restaurant yesterday, which was very good...little things like a good meal really make you feel grateful. A little change in perspective. We had cheesecake for dessert and his Daddy did not get his fair share because the little guy was IN LOVE with it!

He is becoming a little more discriminate in his eating. I am thinking he is not going to be a big meat eater. I am not sure how much meat he had in his diet before so he may like it more as he adjusts to it. He seems to like more noodles and bread...and cheese and ice cream. He hasn't tasted his Daddy's grilled hamburgers yet so we'll see.

We haven't been out exploring much since we been in Hanoi. We are going to move to a new hotel tomorrow I think. We will get INet service to keep in touch better and have better access to the city. Really been tied to the hotel anyways with the meetings and nap time. The nap thing in the middle of the day sure puts a kink into the plans. I never really thought about it before...heck there are a ton of things I didn't think of before. Somebody should write a PRACTACLE Dos and Don'ts for toddlers. Bill and I are constantly deferring to each other..you think that was right/wrong...good thing is we can talk openly because he doesn't understand us. He seems very happy so I am taking that as a good sign:)

Hanoi

We made it! Austin is a good flyer, however he did get sick. I'll let Kim go into further detail.... I think it was the authentic Pizza Hut pizza we had yesterday that created the problems. More grease than he's probably ever had. Just now getting around for our first day in Hanoi. The hotel is great with a playground, exercise room (lost 5 pounds just by looking in the window lol)and swimming pool with large deck for relaxing. Don't know that we'll go swimming, but plan to make use of the deck and playground.

So Much Fun!

Austin is growing so much. Each day he gets a little more comfortable. Early in the week, he would only relax and smile in the room. Now he opens up in the hallways, will smile at other people and really is showing who he is. We've been telling others that he's all boy and very friendly. Yesterday was the first time that he really smiled at someone else. This morning, we were off to the zoo and he was running in the hallway with me right behind. He rounded the corner, saw a friend and had a big laugh. Now his secret personality is out.

He really liked the zoo. This was our second trip and once again we got rained on. This rain was not too bad, so we perservered. They were having an elephant show and Austin was awed!!!

The food here is very good, even for Kim. I've tried several new dishes - all involving rice. I've had rice with chicken, rice with shrimp, rice with beef, rice with vegatables, rice with egg, rice with rice... I feel like Bubba in Forrest Gump!!

Last night we ate in a trendy restaurant that had very good cheese pizza. Today, we are going to a Pizza Hut. Oh the excitement!!

Yesterday, we went to the Vietnam War Tunnels. Amazing! The history and heritage in this city is so strong with so much to learn.

Tonight we are off to Hanoi. Will be glad to get there and get settled in. This will complete another milestone in the process.

Miss you all,

B & K

Austin Day Day 6

I can not believe it is only Day 6. This little guy has us wrapped around his little finger already. We went to see the tunnels today. They let you wash your hands and face in an out door area. It was so funny. Bill splashed water on his face and I bet you know what happened next, yep...little Bill did the same thing. He seems to pick-up everything...we are going to have to be on our best behavior!

We gave him ice cream today, chocolate of course. He really seemed to love it, but was willing to share with his Daddy. We let him play at an indoor play area...like the McDonald's play areas kinda...he really liked it until it was time to leave. Not too bad of a fit, but definitely let us know he wasn't ready to leave yet.

He loves bath time. I don't think he has every been in a tub of water, but he takes to it like a duck to water. He gets in and splashes all around, kicking his legs like a frog. We are going to have to find this kid a pool and I bet he'll be swimming in no time.

We are going to be eating big tonight...Pizza Hut!!!! We are so very excited and are hoping it is just like home!!!!

We leave for Hanoi tomorrow to finish the last bit of the adoption process. So far, it has went very smooth and we don't anticipate any hiccups.

We miss you all tons and can't wait for you to meet him. I am going to try to send out a Shutterfly link.....God willing I'll be able to make it work from the business center's computer.

Austin's Daddy and Momma

Austin Day 5

We can't decide if he is going to cure cancer or save the world...he is so smart. We do have more pictures, but are having some difficulty uploading. We had to buy a new camera, you know how that goes.

He has a good routine down already. We tried to match his existing schedule as much as possible. He is so funny to watch eating his first oreo or french fry with ketchup! We are going to try ice cream tomorrow. Bringing him into the family full force.

He is getting more comfortable and being a typical toddler now. Trying his boundries and what not. We have only set a few for safety. Right now his Daddy has him on his shoulders because he is trying to upload pictures to shutterfly. He is laughing and giggling at the piggy noises Bill is making and jabbering away. It is the only way to keep him off the key board!

His smile and giggle can light up a room. He is adorable and we can't hardly believe how well he is adjusting. He is sleeping, eating and all that goes with that well. He wants to be held a lot, which we don't mind at all. He picks-up on some phrases, good boy and crazy boy. He understands a lot more than he speaks. He talks to us or his toys all the time, just not sure what he is saying.

Bill now things he has the photos figured out so I am going to go for now....missing home and everybody!

j