Ahoy- still in Hanoi!!!

TUES 27 March 2007 ----24 HOURS until we leave for AIRPORT to fly HOME!!!!!

It's 9:22PM VIETNAM time and we are counting down the HOURS before traveling back HOME to the STATES...About 24 hrs. andwe'll be on our way to the AIRPORT provided we "pass" our interviews & pick up VISAS in time on WED. We are excited to get home into routine, the comforts of home, the SILENCE of NO honking scooters, taxis, bikers, etc..., eat WESTERN food again, etc... I am VERY HOMESICK and cannot wait to see my mom, boys, Michelle & Solomons, Mandy, Anna, etc...I just want to be surrounded by people who love, care & have missed us and understand the CONVERSATIONS in English!!!!!

Maile (Thuy Trang) updates is she is warming SLOWLY to Daddy...she actually kissed Daddy on the lips several times within the past couple days. She still will NOT let him hold her willingly, but grabs his whiskers & hairs on his arms & tries to eat them (gross to us, but endearing as well.) Not sure what is going on in that littl', sweet head of hers. I try to remind Don that SHE has been through A LOT in the last 27 mos....MORE than we'll ever know!!!!

MOST RECENT UPDATE on **Maile Moments,** today 27 March, Maile actually grabbed Don's cheeks and kissed one side, the other side & on the lips ON CUE when videotaping her!!!!! It was the MOST PRECIOUS moment for Don....his heart DANCED I'm sure for her to FINALLY reach out to him. AND TODAY, she finally let him pick her UP to "fly like an airplane" with BIG SMILES in the Hotel Lobby. She had seen "Uncle Don" do it so many times with Rocco that maybe she realized she MIGHT be missing out on something....She still ALWAYS wants me to hold/ carry her and she keeps VERY close tabs of me if I leave the room, but she is beginning to open to "Ba." Yahooooo, total answer to a very discouraged Don :), thank you God!!!! Then on TOP of what an amazing day for Don's heart with Thuy Trang, she said "Daddy!!!" at dinner (our 'regular hang out' in Hanoi - Pepperoni's Pizza & Pasta) with the Willis family....Heather and Don heard it... I didn't quite catch it but she really wanted DON'S attention for something....Wow, I think Don's heart skipped another beat...it's all over for him...she will have him wrapped so tight around her littl' finger, I can see it now...she can do "no wrong..." We'll have to tighten the reigns soon enough, but we soooooooo enjoying this littl' miracle. I REALLY CANNOT believe when I look into those BIG DARK BROWN eyes, that THIS really is the littl' girl we have hoped, prayed for years and seen pictures/ video for 5 mos....what a DREAM COME TRUE...

**Another Maile Moment with MOMMY is not only is she my littl' 'hip hugger' or shadow...but the BEST thing I've her from her re. me...is when I am trying to SHOWER without her and Don is holding her and she wants to be with me sooooo badly that she is crying (NOT screaming any more with Don :), but she is crying loudly)...and saying at the same time, "Ma....Ma....Ma....Ma" (That is Mommy in Vietnamese)!!!! Oh my gosh, my heart melts every time...along with hearing her littl' sweet, soft voice SING VN songs, speak words with such inflection in Vietnamese & BIG SMILES with her littl' white teeth gaping open!!!! We are soooo in LOVE with this littl' girl...What a JOY beyond word to have her FOREVER now...

We had the VN Consulate Interview with a rather stoic, stiff, very professional man...I still was NOT nervous by his questions...more by Don's answers...He tends to go on and on re. information to an answer than just simply ANSWERING the question. God bless him. The man DOES NOT ask anything about citzenship, questions. re. this, etc... but Don STARTS the conversation to the effect "Not sure if I filled out the form correctly, I was born in Turkey, but my Dad was in the military so I am a US Citizen by my parents, not by birth...." I'm sure the man was just as confused as I was in the timing of Don sharing this, because AGAIN, the man did NOT ask any questions re. this. I am thinking...."YES Don, YOU ARE A TURKEY...keep your mouth shut & wait until he asks the question!!!!" But, that all seemed to smooth over just fine (whheeewwww) and ALL the paperwork (our dossier, homestudy, I-600 & other million # forms)...I LEFT at THE HOTEL...and thankfully, did NOT even need them....again -- whhhheeewww!!!!!! Maile did GREAT, just singing, happy & playing with me during the interview, taking MY hand over her MOUTH to do the "Indian" call and then to my mouth as well...then we would CLAP together while she would sing a VN song, it was ALL so precious!!!! She is a doll baby!!!! I asked the man at the end, "Do you want to make sure she is a HAPPY baby??" He said, "I can tell, she is a lively one..." Yahoooooo, he said we were APPROVED :) and to pick up VISAS at 4pm on WED.

Now, here's the PRAYER REQUEST...ALL 4 families are FLYING out from Hanoi to Seoul, Korea together :) which is great for departing the hotel together. However, IF ONE family has ANY problems with the VISA (NOT the approval part, but just TYPO errors on Birthdate, gender, visa dates, etc.) then that FAMILY is LEFT BEHIND...ugh!!!! PLEASE pray ALL 4 families have perfect VISAS for our babies so we can ALL leave on our scheduled flights!!!! Hanoi VN Embassy is ONLY open Mon-Wed still (they did NOT go to 5 days a week) & getting VISAS at 4pm on WED is pushing it... NOT TO MENTION Thomas (our Dillon Rep.) has ALREADY LEFT us to head back to Saigon!!!! So, we are ALL ON OUR OWN from here on out until we get on the plane!!!! We were disappointed to say good-bye to Thomas as he has been wonderful, BUT...we don't feel like we are HOME FREE yet...wish he would have stayed just to MAKE SURE ALL our VISAS are OK. I GUESS, we would have to call Thomas from Hanoi if there are any problems...

So, there is STILL unfinished business and without Thomas, it's a bit more nerve racking since NONE of us speak Vietnamese well enough to communicate any problem solving....Please pray we ALL get our VISAS for our babies without a hitch as well as SAFE TRAVELS as we will go our separate ways after we land in Seoul!!!! It's such a BITTERSWEET time, to have shared this ONCE in a LIFETIME journey with these families is such a blessing, yet we all long to head home to be with family/ friends and the comforts of HOME!!!!!!

How can I ever thank my MOM, my boys & incredible family/ friends for their support, love & prayers?? The Solomon family, Michelle, Mandy, Erin, Amy, Melissa, Wendi, Kristi, Susan, Alisha, Jolin, my Encore Staff, etc... ALL the people who have rallyed around us to pray, rejoice & celebrate this ONE littl' life that we bring 1/2 way around the world and IMMEDIATELY into our hearts & home forever!!!! I get choked up just thinking about how much we have longed, prayed and dreamed for this littl' baby girl...praying God would OPEN and close doors if we were to adopt...through the incredible heart aches & setbacks in our lives from recent events....God remained FAITHFUL in giving us RAINBOW of HOPE every time we needed it....and HERE SHE IS...MORE beautiful than we can ever imagine (inside and out!!) She is like a littl' tortoise, likes to stay tucked into her shell to feel safe...but when she feels comfortable, she pops OUT of her SHELL & lights up a room with her laughter, beauty & smiles....

I cannot wait for you to meet Maile (Thuy Trang - right now we call her Twee Jang since that is her given VN name that she knows)!!!!! For those coming to the AIRPORT for Maile's HOMECOMING, please just know she will probably be tired, scared & overwhelmed. I doubt she will let anyone hold her and there may be press release there to add to the excitement & drama. I am not sure, but Dillon said DFW news have been contacted and they cannot confirm whether there will be media there or not, but be prepared...

I will close with excerpt from Steven Curtis Chapman's song HE wrote after adopting his daughter from China, "When LOVE takes YOU In..."

"I know you've heard the story, they all sound too good to be true...
You've heard about a place called HOME, but there doesn't seem to be one for YOU.
So one more night you cry yourself to sleep, drift off to a distant dream...
Somewhere while you're sleeping, someone else is DREAMING too...
Counting down the days until, they hold you close & say 'I LOVE YOU!!!'

When LOVE takes YOU In, EVERYTHING changes...
With the beat of a heart, a miracle starts....
When LOVE take you HOME...and says 'YOU belong HERE...'
The LOLINESS ends, and a NEW LIFE begins...
When LOVE takes YOU In, it takes you in for good...."

Forever IN LOVE with you Maile Noel Thuy...XOXOXOXOXO your FOREVER MOMMY!!!!!!