**UPDATE: We have our U.S. Consulate Interview in Saigon today around NOON!!!! Yeahhhhh, progress in getting paperwork & passport approval to come HOME*** Children's PASSPORT Photos on Tues & pick up passports & have medical exam this Thurs/ Friday...The goal is to have Hanoi VN Consulate Interview NEXT Mon or Tues!!!! Please keep PRAYING for the timing to be right to still fly out & arrive home 3/29/07!!!!
Don & I woke up this AM around 12:05AM with a BIRTHDAY SCREAM from Maile--it was hardly the soft spoken "oh there you are Daddy" as she rolls over, opens her eyes & catches a glance of him!!! It was more like, "AAAAHHHHHH - WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE?" kind of scream!!!! She could not get a regular breathing pattern or see through the littl' slits of her eyes to know/ see that I was right next to her...poor thing. Our hearts did a RIVERDANCE TAP Dance together as she laid on my chest!! Don went downstairs to work on emails, now we have switched places...I feel like a teenager sneaking out of the house trying to slip away for a few moments before getting caught. BTW, tell my mom, I NEVER DID THIS!!! :) I will KNOW if Maile wakes up (as well as the whole hotel from the 5th floor down) if Don has to bring her to me in hysterics!!
She is my shadow or on my hip always...I may have to TEACH DANCE with her!!!! I KNOW in time Maile will learn to love & trust Don as I have (which took years really...). Whatever progress is made during our stay here in VIETNAM (if she becomes comfortable w/ Don), may help when we get home when we add the layer of MORE family with 2 awesome BIG brothers, Grandma Lizzy & Grandma Karen & Aunt Michelle...oh boy!!!! I think she will do GREAT with the boys since they are young & she played with boys at the orphanage & women care givers is all she knew...it's just DADDY we have to work on with Maile!!! NOW, I know when the agency said it could take about 9 mos. - 1 year for her to settle in at home...I see how this may be the case with us. She OPENS UP like a flower when Don is NOT around, we went shopping yesterday & Heather got a littl' video clip of Maile :), laughing, DANCIN' around in the mall!!!! She did let Ba sneak a peek at her teeth yesterday after supper with her big smiles! We thought we were making progress since she let Ba feed her & even play the "catch-the-angel bear" game for a bit...I guess right now, it's ONE step forward, TWO steps back...
A LOT has happened in her 27 mos. of life, more changes, loss, grief & sadness than some experience in 27 years!!!!
It's so hard (esp. for Don) when she let him hold her in the early days of us getting her, but NOT since G&R day!!! He has seen video & photos of her day in and day out for 5 mos....and so in love with her. THANKFULLY, Don has a revolutionary conversation with our VN friend, VIET, who was our tour guide last year when in Vietnam for the Motherland Tour. He reminded Don to remember that since Thuy Trang's birth mother had her out of wed lock, not only was there NO father present to help (from what we know)...but potentially ILL if not HATRED feelings re. MEN were brewing in the mother's heart & womb during & after pregnancy!!! That was a LIGHT BULB moment for Don...which helps with his patience level but not the longing of Thuy Trang to love him back. I KNOW the day will come that she leaps out of my arms & into his & exclaims "I love you Ba!!!" That will be a day we won't forget...it's coming...and just like EVERY THING else in this adoption pregnacy: we just don't KNOW when it's coming!!!!
Hang in there "Big Daddy," ONE day we will LAUGH about our time in VIETNAM when we asked Maile "do you want Ba to hold you?" And she would GRUNT "unnggghhhh!!!" for "NO!!" Happy Birthday Don!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!
Time to sneak in a shower (hopefully by myself), yesterday AM, Maile peed & pooped on the bathroom floor & then showered with me...THAT was a Maile moment!!! :)
PS- I HOPE the slide show of FIRST pictures of Maile with us showed up OK on your end, it's there but doesn't show well on my end!!!???
3 comments:
Right now I know at least Casey, Mike, Arnaud and I are remembering those moments EXACTLY what you are going through, because we went through the same things with Anna and Olivia! And, you would not recognize these girls now! I promise this will all get better with time...
Lots of love,
Mandy
Kim-Lan! The slide show works GREAT on our end...and please tell Don that we are praying for him and Malie!! Thanks for the great updates. We are praying that your paperwork is processed efficiently and that your time there is wonderful!
Happy Birthday to Don. What a beautiful gift to be in Vietnam to bring home his daughter. We pray for a growing relationship between father and daughter -- it will happen! Enjoy your daughter and your time in Vietnam!
Post a Comment