Norman Adoption Blog

Yesterday was a wonderful day! We were determined to celebrate our soon-to-be freedom! Yesterday afternoon Patrick had to pick up our airline tickets, but as soon as he got back we went with Jim and Charmin to a late brunch. Our plan was to head to Paris Deli again but since the driver decided to take the route all the way around the lake we stopped him early and got out at the Kangaroo Cafe, where we signed up for the Ha Long Bay trip. They serve a full menu as well as schedule any trips you may desire. We were trying not to eat a heavy lunch since we were planning on hitting the chocolate buffet for the last time. In the meantime, Charmin perused the information booklet detailing the 3 day trip to Sapa in the North.

With barely a blink of an eye Charmin and Jim were signing up to go to Sapa- to leave last night at 8:30 to catch an overnight train ride. They got a personal cabin on the train which will get them there early this morning. They will have 2 days there before they come back here by 5 am Tuesday morning. It sounds like an incredible experience but Patrick and I wanted to decline since we are leaving to go home Tuesday evening.

So we parted ways after lunch so Charmin and Jim could go back and pack. Patrick and I walked in a couple shops but it was so hot we decided to head to the Sofitel early to sit by the pool and drink some refreshing drinks. We enjoyed having that one on one time with each other and with Hannah. By 3 we headed up to Paul’s room and visited for almost an hour. Paul called in the baby sitting army of 4 sitters to watch all 4 girls: Lily, Sara, Hannah and Lorrell. I explained how to care for Hannah and passed her off to one of the girls. I was very nervous to leave her , since I didn’t know what she would think. She almost instantly started to cry. The sitter got the binky out and things were fine, so I had to stiffen up and just go.

We immensely enjoyed our time with just adults the rest of the evening. We enjoyed the buffet, but couldn’t overdo it like last time. We sat, talked and ate until almost 6. Then we walked over to the water puppet theater. The water puppets were great! I got lots of pictures and found everything very entertaining. Now that we’ve seen the puppets we pretty content. That was a great original show, with very distinctive Vietnamese music and with stories that covered a lot of their folk stories and stories about their culture.

We rushed back to the hotel about 7:30 to get the kids so Charmin could run to meet Jim, who went back for the luggage, at the Kangaroo Cafe. The worst was realized when we got back. Hannah’s nose was runny and her cry was at the point where she was only hiccuping and whimpering. They said she basically cried most of the night. She took only a short nap. But Hannah’s stuff was spread all over the room and it didn’t even look like her bottle, except one that Lorrell was drinking out of, was used. I really enjoyed the night, but felt terribly guilty for leaving her.

What we realized was this: Hannah must have really grown attached to us in particular. She has singled us out as her parents already. Whenever someone here just grabs her out of our arms or tries to hold her, she just loses it. When we were getting out of the cab, the guy at the front desk (who is always trying to hold Hannah) came down to help and took Hannah from my arms so I could get all our bags. She was fine with him holding her, until he tried to look real close and get in her face. She started screaming. I think this might be one of those areas where we need to be real sensitive. We need to protect and help heal these scars. So just a note for friends and family: when we come in, it is okay to hold her but not to get in her face until she knows you and are comfortable with you. Hopefully this phase won’t last long. I am glad she has no attachment issues to us as parents, but we really need to guard our little one.

Right now, Patrick and I are sitting in our hotel room trying to cool off. We ate at a little restaurant near a lake by the park not too far from the hotel. Then we took a long stroll around the park. It was wonderful seeing all the families out with their little kids riding rides, playing on the playground, or walking together. We saw many people fishing or cute little couples cuddling on a park benches. It was a very relaxing way to spend our afternoon.

Here are some adorable pictures of the girls from last night:

Paul and sweet Lily.

Cute Sara in Daddy’s lap.

Best buds, Hannah and Lorrell, sharing secrets and stories from the past.

The usual suspects: Lily, Hannah, Lorrell, Sara

If you have two babies, you have to be prepared! Impressive!