Baby Grace is Sick

On Monday Grace woke up with a very stuffy head. She woke up from her afternoon nap with a temp of 101. The poor baby battled fever all night long. Tylenol and Motrin would get the fever down, but it would go right back up when the medicine wore off. She didn't sleep much that night. My baby just felt so bad.

She had a well baby appointment scheduled with the pediatrician on Tuesday. I showed up with a sick baby. Her temp was 101 when we got to the doctor's office. My poor baby had to go through all kinds of tests, one including a huge vial of blood. The diagnosis - Grace has the flu.

She did much better last night (thanks to the huge shot of antibiotics). Her fever stayed down for the most part and she slept well. She even woke up for a bottle. She had not had anything but juice and Pedialyte all day.

This morning she woke up free of fever. She had cereal and juice. Around lunch she had a bottle and then another this afternoon. Grace is on the road to recovery.

I felt so helpless, all I could do was pray. Having a sick baby is the worst. I thank God that she is better. Right now she is napping peacefully.

Happy Birthday Grace!!

I cannot believe that she is seven months old today. Her birthday actually ended fifteen minutes ago. The late post is due to the fact that we leave for Atlanta very early in the morning. I am going to Atlanta for a week on business and I cannot bear to leave her. Therefore Grace and Nanny Kristan are going with me. I have been running around like a crazy person packing. She has alot of stuff!!

I'll let you know how it goes!

A Look at How Far We've Come

I was going through some of the video from the trip to Vietnam. I wanted to share my most special moments. They are too precious to keep to myself. Grace is such a blessing. I hope that you enjoy.

Celebrating the Baby

Last weekend was wonderful. Some friends threw a "Baby Celebraton" so that the community could meet Grace. It was a baby shower in the form of a bridal tea. Two hours of friends dropping by to meet my girl and wish us well. So many people have been praying for us all during the adoption process. It was great for everyone to meet her in person.

She was such a good girl. She didn't fuss the entire time. Everyone wanted to hold her and she didn't mind. She was a real charmer. More than 70 people were there!

It was overwhelming to see the gifts people brought for Grace. She got her first piece of fine jewelery, a ruby (her birthstone) baby ring. Someone gave us a handmade baby quilt, stitched especially for Grace. She received so many outfits, we'll have to play dress up one day just so she can wear them all. We are truly blessed to have so many wonderful friends!

She had aunts, uncles and cousins that drove more than 2 hours just to be there for the day. Everyone was so excited to meet her, they have been hearing about her for so long. It's hard for me to imagine that she has been with me for less than two months. I feel like we have been together forever.

Earlier today I was looking at the footage from the first day we visited the orphanage. It seems like so long ago. And she looks so different. It is amazing how quickly she changes. I will work on getting some video up soon. Meanwhile I have posted some new pics. Click on the Flicr badge on the right of the page.

Growing Closer: Getting to Know Each Other

Grace and I are still learning about each other. She has such an amazing personality. She is happy and easygoing (except when she is hungry, all bets are off when hunger is involved). She is a sweet, sweet baby with the nicest cheeks I have ever seen. Gracie is very social and she will let anyone hold her. I have been waiting for the day when she would hold out her arms to me. Today I got something just as good. My sister was holding her and I walked up. She leaned for me. It's a good thing that Terri has good reflexes or she might have gone tumbling. Instead she dove right into my arms. A great mommy moment. Another great thing. She slept all night last night! 8pm-8am, that's two nights in a row.

A little tidbit about Gracie - she loves to sleep on her stomach. Her cradle in the orphanage was small and there was no way to turn over. She is digging her crib. She has the rooom to sleep however she chooses. Watch this and find out some other things about Gracie.

What a Girl!!

Grace went to bed at about 7pm last night. She didn't nap much at all yesterday and there was a lot going on. She was very restless, fussing for no reason. At 11pm she took about 3oz of bottle and fell asleep. She slept until 8am!!! I kept looking in to make sure she was still breathing. I guess it was a combination of not much napping, a busy day and lots of whining and fussing before bed. Whatever it was, I am very appreciative.

She is such a good baby. She only cries whe she is hungry or sleepy. Hunger is a big deal for Grace. She does not like to wait when she is hungry. When she sees the bottle coming she stiffens out, starts shaking and makes a perfect O with her mouth.

She is doing great with food. I don't think that they even ate cereal at the orphanage. She eats cereal, applesauce and green peas now. She loves the food. She also does the shaking and O thing with food. She just cracks me up.

Last Post From Vietnam

We are leaving Vietnam in 4 hours!!! Yea!!! We have arranged flights home a day earlier and are thrilled to be heading to America with our new little American.

We Got Gracie's Visa!!!!!

We got Gracie's visa and are ready to come home! We are trying desperately to get out of here early, but I am doubtful. However, we are all packed and ready to leave at a moment's notice. I know this is hard for Terri, she has never been away from her James and the kids for this long! No matter what I know that I will be home in Tennessee on Saturday morning! I can't wait until Grace meets the rest of the family.

I hope that she rests on the flights. I know that it is going to be difficult for her. She did very well on the two in country flights. She slept the entire flight from Danang to HCMC and was a good girl on the flight from HCMC to Hanoi.

She is very fussy today. I think she is kind of over all this travel too! We have also stayed in all day, waiting on visas and hoping for a positive email from the travel agent. That might also be a factor, she is very social and loves to be out among people.

One of my favorite things about Vietnam is the politeness of everyone here. The level of customer service is amazing here. When you call for a bellman to come to your room and get your bags, they are coming down the hall by the time you get to the door!!! It would take forever in the states!!!!! I have NEVER been called Madame so much in my entire life. They are very eager to make you happy. Go Vietnam!

Since hotels have been my life, here's another tidbit. All the hotels we have stayed in have had a complimentary breakfast buffet. Not continental breakfast consisting of coffee, Fruit Loops and stale danish. We are talking real breakfast buffets with omlet and waffle stations, twelve kinds of juices, a variety of Vietnamese foods and strangly enough - baked beans.

My daughter is wonderful, the shopping has been great, but I am ready to come home!

Wild Friday Night in HCMC

Wild night consists of dinner and running back to the room to bath baby, feed her cereal and a bottle until finally she sleeps. She just doesn't want to sleep. I think she and I will stay in tomorrow and have a calm day. I have been spending too much money anyway.

I went shopping again today. I have been working on buying gifts for Gracie. I have 15 gifts. Some more expensive than others. I bought a great Asian Barbie, a jade necklace, a few ao dais/dresses, musical toys, etc. Even if she doesn't appreciate them when she gets them, I know that she will someday.

We had coffee at a little Starbucks-ish coffee shop by Saigon Center. There was a man sitting at a table with a couple of other men, very business looking. He got up and came over to where Terri, Kelly and I were sitting with the girls. He asked to hold Grace and he held her and told her she was a very beautiful girl and kissed her on the cheek. Then he handed her back to me.

I am ready to head on to Hanoi and get her visa. Everything has run very smoothly, just alot of waiting. But hey - that's nothing new. And I have Grace to keep me company.

Shopping Day!

Today we went silk shopping. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! We found all these silk dresses, scarves, etc. at INCREDIBLE PRICES. Terri and I went nuts and found lots of stuff for friends and family.

We are having so much fun in HCMC. There is so much to do that the days go by quickly. Gracie loves the hustle and bustle of the city. Until now her entire life was lived in a little country orphanage in Que Son. She hates to go to sleep now. In Danang I had angel baby and here I have a little one that FIGHTS to stay awake. She will kick her legs, flail her arms, pull her hair and rub her eyes. Anything to avoid sleep! I think the babies are all so stimulated by the new experience and they don't want to miss anything!

This evening we went to a great Italian restaurant. We went with Justin and Kelly who adopted their Lucy from the same orphanage that Gracie was in. Gracie and Lucy slept in cribs side by side for their whole lives! Sometimes it seems as though they look at each other like "I don't know what is going on but you're here too so I guess it's ok!"

When I first met Grace it felt as if I was meeting a movie star - I had looked at her photo for so long and now I met her in person. Now it feels like she has been with me forever. She has three cries. One when she is hungry (it is very angry and demanding), one when she is sleepy (very whiney) and one when she is having a hissy fit (very shrill, almost like a little baby's cry). What a blessing she is.

Interview, Physical and Passport

HCMC is much better. Lots to do. It is getting difficult to get Grace to go to sleep. Once she is asleep she is fine, but she fights it because she wants to see everything! We had the first interview yesterday and it went great! The lady was very nice and just a few general questions like if we were ask to pay additional fees, did we see the orphanage, when we got referral, when did we find out about travel, etc. They are trying to make sure that you had at least 2 mos. between referral and travel approval. Then just general like are you still employed, how many live in your house, do you have health ins., etc

Physical was fine - height, weight, head circ, look in the ears and ask if you have seen any problems, she has been pulling at her ears and they checked them. No infection!

By the way, she weighs 18.5 lbs and is 69 cm long! What a girl. I have cut the feet out of her 6 mo sleepers. They fit, but she is so long!! She did good for passport photos, got it on the first try. Then we went to Saigon Center to buy supplies - diapers, bibs, M&Ms.

She was very tired last night after all the days activities. Her nose was stuffy again when she got up for 3am bottle, gave her some triaminic and she slept better. I can tell how much she has grown since we got here!

HCMC is great, there is so much to do and you can walk anywhere. The sidewalks are bad, but it is so great to shop and walk around. We leave for Hanoi on January 7, until then we'll enjoy the city!

What a Great Day

It's 9:30 pm in HCMC and my two roomies have been asleep for AT LEAST an hour. Gracie is a baby, I don't know what Terri's excuse is. I am a bit bored at night after they go to sleep.

Today was a great day. We had breakfast here at the hotel and Terri was in heaven! She has been dying for "American food" and she hit the jackpot at this hotel - hashbrowns and waffles. It is a very nice hotel and a change of pace. The thing that strikes me most is the exceptional customer service here in Vietnam. Everyone at the hotels has been so nice and helpful. They have all been so polite and genuinely want your stay to be comfortable and enjoyable. It is completely different than in the US. The crib in our room at this hotel is great. Grace has been sleeping in it just fine.

Today Terri and I took Grace to her first mall! It is called Saigon Center and is more like a giant four-floor store that has everything. The fine jewelry was beside small kitchen appliances. There is absolutely no rhyme or reason. My goal for the day was to find something fun for Grace to play with, I know she is tired of playing on the bed with the small toys I brought from home. On the short walk to the mall, we walked past a store with baby stuff. I found the most wonderful thing. It is a thickly padded blanket (very thickly) that is about 3 feet by 5 feet. It has a pillow that looks like a puppy dog head and a round pillow (paw) at each corner. I also came across a Fisher Price toy at the mall and she lovesssss it. She lays underneath it and it has music and lights and things hanging down to play with. It was great to see her having so much fun, I will post pictures of her with them tomorrow.

Tomorrow we will have our first interview with INS/Homeland Security. Grace will also get her physical that the US govt requires for her Visa. After those things are done, we will just be hanging out here until we head to Hanoi for the second interview. I am very tired of just hanging out, I am ready to get the show on the road and head home! It is a shame that the govt can't do some of this while we are in the states. It would make things so much easier on parents and the babies. Not to mention all the hotel/food/airline expense just to do two interviews with the US govt.

A few things about Gracie:

She is very active and loves to jump around - she is constantly kicking her legs or something
She has verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry long legs, I had to cut the feet out of some of her sleepers!
She gets very mad if you don't feed her quick enough, she will dive for the bottle when she sees it coming
The only other time she gets mad is if you are ignoring her
She is a very good baby, really easy going and fun
She loves taking a bath

More later.......

Hooray for Ho Chi Minh City!!

It is so good to be out of Danang. The G&R was on December 28 and all we have been doing is sitting around the resort. Sandy Beach was really nice and the staff was great. But the weather was terrible. It was too windy to even walk the beach and forget about taking the babies out in that.

Here in HCMC we are withing walking distance of food, shops, you name it. We will also be getting all the babies their physicals and then we have our first INS appointments!!! It is great to feel progress.

Gracie is an absolute joy. I am continually amazed at what a great baby she is. Tonight was here first plan ride and instead of leaving Danang at 6pm, we were delayed until 8:30pm. She slept the entire way, I couldn't even get her to take a bottle during takeoff.

The ride from the hotel to the airport was great. There were lights EVERYWHERE on the drive through town. She couldn't stop staring and she just kept smiling. She is so inquisitive.

I want to go out tomorrow and find her a swing, jumperoo or some other toy for here in the room. She got so bored at the hotel in Danang. She always wants to be doing something. It would be better than me trying to occupy here with the handful of toys that I have.

She is smart, funny, strong, beautiful and loving.

Finally-I can get on the internet!

What a trip!! We had the G&R on the December 28th and are hanging out at the hotel until New Year's Day when we will fly to Ho Chi Minh City. We are all getting a little stir crazy. Internet and phones here are horrible due to the earthquake in Taiwan. Doesn't make sense to me but that is what they say!

About Gracie...she is such a good baby! I can't believe how blessed I am because she is so healthy, easy-going and inquisitive. She will sit and look around at the people and the lights. Ceiling fans captivate her and she is not scared of loud noises. It is a new world for her. She is very active. She will stand in your lamp and jump. I always wear out first. Earlier today she wore me out and I handed her to Justin. She wore him out and was still ready to jump. I must have a Jumperoo!

She was worn out last night. All she is used to doing is eat and sleep. When we were at the orphanage the nannies would stick a bottle in their mouth and swing them in their cribs (swing them high) until they fell asleep. When they woke up, they did the same thing all over again.

We went to bed at 7:30 (when I say we I mean ALL three of us) and she slept until 11 pm when she woke up and whined for about two minutes. She woke up for a bottle at 3 am. After giving her a bottle, I was up for the day. That is how it is for Terri and I, in bed at 7 and up at 3 or 4. We are getting plenty of sleep, we are just really messed up on time. After her bottle she slept until 7:30. During the day she takes 15 minute power naps all throughout the day. It feels like she is always taking a nap, but it never lasts for long. Again, she took lots of naps at the orphanage.

Kelly, Justin, Lucy, Gracie, Terri and I went into Hoi An earlier today. We were so glad to be out of the hotel. It was great. So many quality silks and handmade crafts for such small sums. And you can bargain for the price. I am doing quite well at that, Daddy will be proud.

It is 7pm and Grace has had her bath and is sleeping on the bed like an angel. She is so beautiful. I will post pictures whenever I can. We will be leaving for Ho Chi Minh City on Jan 1 and internet will hopefully be better there. Love to all. We are doing good.

Hello from Danang

After lots and lots of flights, we are in Danang! We arrived in HCMC and had about three hours to shower (we were so stinky)before we flew to Danang. We are staying at Sandy Beach and it is lovely. There is a large terrace that overlooks the pool and the ocean. It is just a couple of doors down from our room.

After a year of emailing, I finally got to meet my friend Kelly. She is just as sweet as I knew she would be. The orphanage where our girls have been living is very small. Quoc (our guide) told us today that there are less than 10 babies in that orphanage!

There are two other families traveling. One is a single woman adopting a baby girl who is at the Hoi An orphanage and the other is a couple adopting a 5 month old boy from the Que Son orphanage where Gracie and Lucy have been living.

HERE'S THE BIG NEWS - I will be meeting Gracie in about 14 hours! It is 8pm here and we will be leaving for the orphanage after breakfast. This is the moment I have been waiting for. I can't wait to post tomorrow and tell you all about her.

My body is tired, but my heart is full.

It's Almost Time!!!!

I can't believe that I am leaving for Vietnam tomorrow. I am going crazy trying to get packed. I am taking so much for her, I have to because you all know how I have been shopping for her. And it is doubtful she will be able to wear these clothes in the summer. Also, who knows what size she will wear.

I am worried that I am not taking enough for myself. I need to check with my sister and see if she has any room in her suitcase. But knowing her she hasn't begun to pack, even though we will be leaving home at about 6am tomorrow and we are having our family Christmas today. I still have to wrap!

I cannot believe that I will be holding Grace in my arms on Tuesday (Monday night here). I have waiting for this moment so long!! This may sound weird to many, but I am trying to prepare myself for the possiblity that I may not hear angels singing and feel immense love for her the moment I see her. Many have told me that they had built themselves up before they saw their child and felt that something was wrong when they didn't feel these things instantaneously. I know I will love her, I have been waiting for so long. But I don't want to ruin this by having unreal expectations. I hope this doesn't make me sound like an unfit mother.

Keep us in your prayers. I can't wait for you to see pictures of Grace!!

The Countdown - Seven More Days

Grace is five months old today. On her next birthday she will be at home with her Momma, sleeping in her own bed (assuming we stay on schedule). This time next week I will be on an airplane heading to Vietnam and my daughter.

My daughter. Doesn't that sound wonderful? This week a coworker's daughter came by with her baby. I asked the baby's age and she told me that he is five months old. Without thinking I replied "my daughter will be five months old on the 17th." I realized as soon as I said it - I said "my daughter." It felt so good to say!

I am trying to finish packing. I still don't know what I am wearing for the G&R. I also need to pack a pair of pants and a long sleeve shirt. I keep reading that people are getting cool in the evening.

I received the visas. I still haven't gotten an in-country itinerary. I can't wait until I can see where we'll be staying. One week more.

I can't wait...

Finally, I have booked my flights. I thought this would never get done. I leave Nashville on Christmas Eve morning! Two weeks from tomorrow is my G&R. Grace and I will officially be a family!!!

My mind is always thinking of things I need to pack or pick up or finish arould the house. I wake up every couple of hours. I think God wants me to get used to sleep deprevation!

This is a bit surreal. It's hard for me to believe that she will soon be sleeping in the bed that has been empty, just waiting for her to come home. I try to imagine what our first days at home will be like. I can't wait to see her smile for the first time. She wasn't smiling in any of her photos and I try to imagine what her smiling face looks like.

I can't wait to hold her in my arms and kiss her sweet, chubby cheeks.

Less Than 3 Weeks Left

In less than three weeks I will be in Vietnam! Our G&R is scheduled for December 28 (but we all know how things can change).

I got new pictures today. How do you like her little hand? In this photo she is on her belly and supporting herself quite well. She has her little fingers out as if she is saying "just three more weeks Mom."

Leaving on a Jet Plane??

I am beginning to doubt that I will even be able to find a seat on a plane?!? We are supposed to be spending Christmas in Vietnam. However, I still don't have a definite date for the G&R. I am afraid that I might have to rob a bank to buy plan tickets. Even worse than expensive tickets, what if I can't get a seat on ANY flight! My agency's facilitator told me that wouldn't be a problem. THAT DID NOT MAKE ME FEEL BETTER. He can give me a date and that will make me feel better. I just need to chill and remember that the travel agents have extensive experience with adoption travel.

Now I must put my selfish whining aside and attend to more important business. Tonight I am sending up special prayers for three lovely little girls - Lucy Elise Pollard, Lily Ana Hamilton and Olivia Grace Puckett.

Baby Lucy is Grace's roommate, they have been friends for quite a while now. We haven't seen Lily Ana's face yet, but we know that she is somewhere in Vietnam waiting on her mom. Lucy and Lily Ana are very fortunate, they both have exceptional mommies who love them more than they could ever imagine. I am very thankful to call them my friends.

I pray that somehow these girls can feel the love that their mothers have for them, how we carry them in our hearts. Bless the girls and keep them safe. Bring us together soon.