a short blip of laughter

Does anybody want to see a screaming fit? We havent actually filmed any of these, trying not to focus on those moments.

Another day as happy parents

Shoe Shopping for him.
Cafe-A new [&OK] experience for all.

Ergo carrier, thanks Beth, awesome.

We have him playing with monster trucks and now kicking a ball, left and right foot??? [So yes cousin kevin, he is ready to play with you.] He wacks the ball with his left and right hand too?? Better get him to choose, who earns more money, left handers or right handers??

We just had 2 hours of therapy [playing with a ball and cups] in the Saigon Gloria Jeans [Australias [and Vietnams] version of Starbucks], he laughed and played, and had his own coconut slushy. Shauna and I both felt 'fairly' happy with the situation. We could not have drempt of a better occasion in our lives, this is way beyond what we could have hoped for.

We also took him shoe shopping, and thankfully [to all the males out there, especially Justin] he found this event very uninteresting. As per the photo, he slept through the entire event.

We're In......

Okay, FINALLY, he thinks we are cool. We are big play things. Again, today huge improvements in his happiness levels. They come out of nowhere, just when you think it will never happen, you put some green thing in your mouth and move just the right way, and they burst out with laughter. We had another early, scheduled morning full of appointments, and another fabulous opportunity to ride in a car, so no time to just let Zee be himself and get relaxed. It's a lot of chopping and changing, but he only protested the car for 4 minutes inside this time, then relaxed into it. By the end of the appointments, he passed out on my lap in the taxi coming home. Task number one.......tackled..Moving vehicles equal sleep. Next task, airplane. So we get back to hotel, and he decides to scream his brains out again because I CANNOT read what he needs yet. I think he needs more sleep, but actually he wants to eat the buffet in bed........ Scott comes into the room with lunch and I am trying desperately to console him, and mister daddy takes him from me, puts him on the bed and starts to feed him fried rice off the fork. Instant happiness. For the next hour, we play in all kinds of foods...banana's, papayas, fried rice, fresh lemonade out of a straw ( so he will poo). He then decides to laugh at mama with strange green thing in her face and whack at it with his spoon. He decides this in the funniest thing he has ever seen and his laugh in infectious. I cry, Scott is relieved, and we finally feel well on our way to "normal". What a relief to see your child laugh a real laugh. We show him all sorts of things, like put straw into mouth and suck, put straw through green hoop, push dump truck with monster truck in back. He instantly does all we show him. He decides to look at the family album and we swear he pointed to da-da. He then attaches himself to the photo of his niece Kayla and won't let it go (Not surprised Holly??) He points to all in the album repeatedly, then points to Arnold Schwazeneger on the television.?? Anyone care to interpret?? He is still on his learning rampage as I write this. He suddenly decided to stand on his own and start walking on bed. We knew all along he could, he just needed to do it in his time. I think this will be the story of his life. He is an awesome communicator, we just have to learn to read him.
The doctor visit today was what I expected. He weighs 19 pounds, and for 15 months that makes the clinical decision that he is malnourished. I hate hearing those words, but the doctor assures me this is very normal, and to feel him lots of mashed potatoes, papaya, banana and a lot of food. So far, he digs fried rice with egg and chicken and bananas. Loves his wheat free teething biscuits. It's going to be a long road. He did NOT like the papaya, but I will try again tomorrow like it never happened, just like him. And one more important thing. We have kept the name Zavier for him middle name, and have evolved into calling him Zien. Sounds like the Irish name Eon, with a Z in front. It's a long story, but his Vietnamese name he was called frequently and it just felt so natural to keep the sound of it, but we played with the Z in front, and he likes it. Today, he knows it's his name.

Officially Christened

Well, today was grueling....after our official ceremony, we got into the van for our 7 hour car ride back to Saigon. Poor baby has never been in car........EVER, and now he gets to drink a bottle in moving vehicle. Second rule of parenting....no food/drink on first car ride, or food/drink end up on you. I was so proud/honoured to spend my day in his vommit. I've waited six years for that moment, and would do it again, and again, and again.......very proud mama to say the least. This child is totally amazing. Within 24 hours, he's lost all he's ever known, adopted two weird looking parents, done the gruelling car trip, taken bath in tub(probably the worst screaming ever) fallen on head...the list goes on, and by the end of tonight, he has smiled three times, laughed three times, and decided very calmly to play in the tub, then cling to all bath toys and bring them to bed, feed himself, play with da-da, and gently fall asleep. It's like the last 24 hours never happened. You people really meant it when you said kids are resiliant. We never thought any human being could come back from what he's just been through..

The gooey stuff

Shauna here now...Scott and I are trading nap duty. First rule of parenting.....don't leave child on bed and turn around, or child end up on floor..Yes, my first mistake, but I wish I had a camera because he has not been walking or doing anything for us yet, just wants to be held and loved lots. So, within like a second and half of me changing him and him just playing trucks on his back, I turned around and instantly heard a thump....he had maneuvered himself up and over the front of the bed (quite a distance) so quickly it blows my mind. He is just hiding all of his abilities and playing coy with us, but now we are paranoid to leave his side for a second, even when he sleeps. Okay, on the the gooey stuff that Scott tried to write. He is just beautiful....he totally looks like Angelina Jolie with the longest eyelashes I have ever seen on a child. You'll understand when we post the pics. He has two perfect front teeth,and two bottom teeth, but I haven't felt around in there fully yet. He has this wonderful temperment when he is not crying.He is such a brave kid...he only screamed at the top of his lungs for two straight hours when we left the orphanage, but still managed to let us feed him dinner (Scott at least) and hang out on daddies lap and watch boy stuff on tele. Serious male bonding going on. He would cry any time I came near the two of them. Needless to say, I slept, Scott did not. He was a champion new daddy. This morning he took to me, or let me take care of him, and feed him at breakfast. At the ceremony, he waved at another little boy, and said da-da-da. He is doing so good with all of this new, scary stuff. Scott said to me before we fell asleep, "He is amazing."
Enough said...

more to come,
S and S

We are a famly.

Hi everybody, Scott here. It is official and it is real. We have our boy [Hien for now], he cries, he poos, he sleeps, he eats, he drinks, he wees, he bangs his head and he plays with toy monster trucks. We will post photos later tonight. Shauna is convinced he is the child of Angelina and Brad!
We are still in Soc Trang, everybody over here has been so helpful and friendly. We feel lucky, but the people of Soc Trang say the [ex]orphans are the lucky ones. We spent some time at the orphanage yesterday, lot of kids, happy, but parentless. I played soccer for a while with some of the older ones. I would have bought them home too. We met the carers and the director. All doing a great job, not stopping for a second,.. feeding, cleaning, rocking,.. real saints [or what ever the word is for a female saint??]

It feels so ... 'right and good'.
The ceremony was this morning, Shauna cried on que. The town officials were very pleasant, the town is nice too, full of young happy people and young families on scooters. It must be in Hiens blood to ride on 2 wheels.
Hien and I watched motor bike and mountain bike crashes on 'Man versus Machine'. Getting on with life. Tomorrow is passport day and medical.

Family Day. Calling in the troops.....

Okay everyone, I AM NERVOUS....or I am wired on this Vietnamese coffee I am becoming addicted to. This is the morning we leave and I am frantically searching online mags for feeding toddler advice......so, all of my friends and family who have fed 15 month old babies with lots of teeth, please give me your best advice. How about the no-no's first. Scott's no help at all. He just told me not to feed him lego. I get the no grape thing, and allergy risks up until one year old, but what about inbetween 1 and 2? I do have access to some beautiful fruits and avocados, and our breakfast buffet is awesome with broths, and rice dishes, and soft cooked meats. Give it to me good girls...........go to town with your comments PLEASE!! Wish us luck today...and fingers crossed he figures out pretty quick we are not the enemy, and have some pretty cool toys to play with.