Fun-filled day

I'm up in Ottawa with Shaune for a little R&R (while he works at a conference) and spent a great today with friends I never get to see.

Kim picked me up at around 10am and we headed to Samantha's place. I've chatted with Samantha many times by email and facebook but never met her in person. She was a great hostess to us and the highlight was of course meeting her beautiful twin boys. She has been home a few weeks and is doing a great job I think! We had a great visit and Michelle eventually popped by with her sweet little girl Aimee. We had a great lunch at a local Vietnamese restaurant. It was delicious... and Michelle's firm rolls with peanut sauce looked good also! ;)

Kim was wonderful and drove me around her beautiful city - we stopped at several baby shops and I managed to see many adorable baby items. I bought a Belle Baby Carrier after trying on many different kinds. I like that there was very little fabric involved and that it was organic... and mostly that it was comfortable. It is a front carrier that you can wear the baby out or facing in. I think I will appreciate the lack of bulky fabric and straps in the heat of Vietnam (in rainy season).

Here is a photo of the one I chose... it is very 'unisex' which I'm sure Shaune will appreciate!

Thanks for a great day out girls! Thanks Samantha for the terrific book - we will cherish it! Thank you Michelle for the sweet gift you prepared for Meg - the dress is adorable and I love the little swim floatie! Kim - you were so kind to entertain me and drive me around all day - thanks so much for that.

Peace out... going to grab some tasty foods!

Pout

This week at I heart faces the theme is 'pout'. I had to dig to find some classic Chloe pouts but I found 3 and then had to decide on my favourite one. This photo is of her a few years back at my brother-in-law's wedding - She was certainly displeased about something.

Click on the photo to see it larger.

...Stuff

We are hoping to get another update on Meg soon. I'm praying she is getting much better and is possibly even out of the hospital soon. I barely have a moment in the day when she is not on our minds... I don't know how we will possibly wait another 1-2 months to hold her - but we will - whatever it takes.



I went shopping on Tuesday for some baby items and found a cute diaper change pad that is pink with white polka dots. I also got her a sweet little bathing suit (yes, another one) and a plaid sun dress. I'm really trying to hold back and not buy her too many clothes just yet since I should wait closer to travel to see if we can get an idea how big she is getting. Still - how can a mom resist?



























We have 'almost' 100% decided on this hotel to stay at while in Vietnam. It is a serviced apartment hotel and looks very nice and is close to the city center where we will need to be from time to time to complete our paperwork to get us all back home. We are considering either the studio apartment or the 1bdrm. The Somerset seems to cater to our agency so we are hoping maybe some other families will be staying there also. It has a beautiful pool that I'm sure we will appreciate in the sweltering heat of Vietnam!



Hmm, what else? Well, I had hoped to get new photos of Meg when Loan (our in country coordinator) went to visit Meg in the hospital but she was unable to get any. She did however report that Meg looked okay and she continues to get better. I am unsure if we'll get any more photos before May when we travel :( I know another woman that is travelling to Meg's orphanage before we go and if we are lucky she might be able to tell us how big she is getting and snap some photos of her.

Thank you Rhonda and Kim and Cari-Anne!

My good friend Rhonda dropped off 2 big bags full of Platex drop in bottles for little Meg to use and a ton of the liners too... all left over from her youngest.
You have just saved me a ton and I love this type of bottle so will definetly be using them.

Also, my friend Kim gave us a wonderful exersaucer for Meg - it is the little Einstein one and I'm sure Meg will enjoy hours of fun in it!

Last but not least I've been meaning to post a thanks to Cari-Anne who works at Walmart here in our city. She doesn't know me and yet came across my blog and felt compelled to donate to the children in the orphanage. She gathered up some wonderful things that I know will be very appreciated by the orphanage. The generosity of strangers sometimes takes my breath away - one person reaching out to help someone else... just because they can and want to. Cari-Anne, you are a special type of person to do that.

Tonight Shaune and I are going to go over some preliminary travel plans and 'budgeting' for while we are away. I heard from Helene today who said we could travel as soon as the beginning of May but then she reminded me that things can change and not to assume - this is just the earliest guess she had. It would be wonderful to travel in less than 3 months but I'm not holding my breath about it. I'm just planning on keeping busy (ball hockey is starting soon and then soccer for both kids) and trying to stay sane :)

No flash

Another week for I love Faces and this week the theme is "no flash"... i have a bazillion photos to chose from since I avoid the flash like the plague - but this is the first one that caught my eye so I am going with it for the KIDS SECTION:

...and my cousin Crystal will probably want to kill me but I love this photo of her on our annual Thanksgiving haywagon ride... partaking in a shot of Butterscoth Ripple, so this is my entry for the ADULT SECTION:

Update

Meg has pneumonia and is in the hospital but our director says she is getting better and they hope she'll be discharged soon. I feel a bit better:
a) knowing why she is there
b) hearing she is getting better

Meg is 3 months old now and I so wish I was there to care for her myself.
We love her and are counting down the days til' she is forever ours.

Worried

...found out Meg is in the hospital. I do not know why yet and have been waiting several days to hear. I hope our agency will let me know something soon as I'm so worried about her. My heart sunk this morning when I read an email from a friend that is over in Vietnam right now and she said Meg was brought into the hospital. It could be something fairly 'small' but my heart is still racing with concern.

I feel completely helpless and useless - I just want to go there and be with her and make sure she gets all the care she needs. Of course, with up to 2 months left before we can travel that is not going to happen and I feel really sad this morning. I have been so great about this part of the wait but hearing she is sick brings out the momma bear in me and I just want to get there and hold her.

I have no choice but to hope and pray all is going to go well and that her nounou/nanny is loving her and doing the things I would do if I were with her. Hopefully today I can hear what is the matter and I hope it is something small and that she is on the mend.

Please join me in sending healthy and happy vibes for our little one - it's all I can really do from 1/2 way across the world. This wait now 'officially sucks'. Worry, worry, worry!

No photos

Boo hoo.
The bad news is Monica was unable to get any photos of Meg or even see her because Meg was out seeing the doctor at the time of Monica's visit. I'm so sad - I was so hoping to see her face. I now am worried and wondering what would of had her out for a doctor visit.

The good news was that the reason Monica couldn't stay long at the orphanage is because it is under construction and hopefully getting a clean up (it needs one). Hopefully conditions will begin to improve. This is a photo of her orphanage from yesterday (courtesy of Monica).

Anticipation

A friend is leaving for the orphanage in 2 hrs. She got to Vietnam a couple days ago and leaves soon to take the 2-3 hr drive to Vung Tau...and to her son. I am so excited for her - but I'm also admittedly excited for us! She is going to give Meg our care package and hopefully get some photos of her so we can see how much she has grown and changed.

Seeing her change through photos is hard but I'm just so excited to get to see her face again soon. I wonder if she has lots more hair. I wonder about how she is eating and if she still has those chubby cheeks and double chin I love. I wonder what her personality is like and I am wondering so many other things too.

Monica said:

If all goes well with my computer you may have pictures of little Meg tomorrow morning when you wake up! We will give her lots of cuddles for her family.

So... keep your fingers crossed that I have new photos to add to her photo album by morning time! Also, I want to wish Monica well and say thank you so much for offering to take Meg our care package. It is so kind of her!

Green

Jumping on the bandwagon here and giving "I Heart Faces" a shot, for the fun of it. The topic this week is "green" and I instantly thought of this photo I took of Chloe on her 3rd Halloween. It is one of my favourites still.

Click on image to enlarge.

Friday Night and Meg's adoption ceremony outfit (maybe)

I had a great Friday night. I drove up to Toronto for our bi-monthly waiting mom dinner that we get together with. There were mom's adopting from Vietnam, China, Ethiopia and domestic last night. It was a great evening. I met up with Jules and Catherine in Whitby and we drove the rest of the way to the Yorkdale mall together. I had one objective: buy a really darling outfit for Meg to (hopefully if it isn't too big) wear at her G&R Adoption ceremony - the day she officially is placed in our arms and becomes our daughter in Vietnam.

I spotted the dress on-line right away yesterday so I went in to Baby Gap knowing what I wanted. It is so darling, complete with a little hat and I just need to find some little socks and shoes (or Robeez) to go with it.

This is what I chose - the pink and green combo is so fresh and one of my favourite colour combo's right now:

Thank you Diana!

My son goes to school with a great kid and this kids mom is pretty great too. She has been so supportive of us during our adoption and so kind.
The day Keaton went to school after we got our referral, Diana and Dalton had spent the night before and made homemade Vietnamese cookies and cut up tropical fruit to take in to Keaton's class... a surprise to Congratulate him on the big news.

That is some kind of special I think! Keaton came home that day feeling so happy and told me all about the cookies they'd made him. I can't say enough about what a great lady she is (and her son is pretty darn great too).

Today Diana showed up at our house with Dalton and he was so excited. Dalton had a big box that he'd prepared and inside the box was all kinds of useful donations for Meg's orphanage and the children there - stuff like toothbrushes and markers and crayons and scabies medication. It was so sweet to see this friend of Keaton's so extremely excited to be GIVING. He said to me "This is for the kids in Vietnam where Meg lives"... Diana is doing such a good thing for the children at the orphanage but I think the lesson she taught her son about the joy in giving to those in need is just great!

Thank you Diana. You are amazing!