Wowser!

What a week.

Sorry we have been so out of touch this last week. We decided to stay in on Sunday and Monday to help give Ada’s skin infections a chance to heal out of the heat and humidity. It worked beautifully, I’m happy to report.

However, on Tuesday, Ada woke up with a fever and just felt plain terrible. On Wednesday, when the fever finally broke, poor Ada developed a whole new rash on her midsection and still wasn’t feeling great. We lived as virtual shut-ins all week, only venturing out for necessities like food and beer.

Then, on Thursday, we learned that our reservation at the Somerset Chancellor Court in Ho Chi Minh City ended on Friday and that they had no availability to continue to accommodate us. So, we decided to head on out to Hanoi on Friday. We were eager to leave Ho Chi Minh City, though we really enjoyed the few weeks we had there. After all, it is sweet Ada’s hometown!

Yesterday, we flew on Vietnam Air to Hanoi. We figured this would be a great dry run for the LONG trip home that is certainly ahead of us. Ada was all smiles until the infant lap belt was fastened, and then it was time to raise high holy hell. Luckily, she wore herself out in about three minutes, and then slept the remainder of the flight. She woke up at the very end and finished her bottle just as we landed. She was a trooper, as always. I, on the other hand, felt terrible and exhausted. Last night, I realized I was running a fever and had a very sore throat. We put Ada and me to bed by 7:30.

I woke up today feeling so much better and we decided to go exploring Hanoi. We’re staying in the business district, also known as Hoan Kiem. We walked a few blocks from our apartment up to the Hoan Kiem Lake, which is the center of Hanoi.

The lane around the Lake is full of beautiful willow trees and was teeming with couples canoodling on benches. It was a very romantic scene. In and around the lake, we visited Tortoise Tower, Writing Brush Tower, and The Huc Bridge which took us to Den Ngoc Son, Temple of the Jade Mound. In a small side room off of the temple is a preserved, shellacked giant tortoise that is probably over four feet long. Big big turtle. Legend is that his family still lives in the lake.

Little Miss continues to amaze and charm us. She no longer will allow strangers to hold her and only has eyes for Mommy and Daddy. She’s giving out kisses like crazy! It’s great!

Her caretaker at the orphanage described her personality as bold, and she was right. Ada Minh Hanh is bold, and sweet, and funny, and loving, and smart, and beautiful. And I might add, quite a rascal. Somehow, each day my heart grows larger to make room for the love I feel for her. I’m still sad when the day ends and I do miss her while she naps. We’ve been together as a family for nearly three weeks, and I can’t imagine life any other way.

And, to acknowledge the elephant in the room, we still have NO idea when USCIS will approve our I600 petition which is required for Ada to enter the USA. It’s been a frustrating wait, but it appears as though things may start moving soon. Many thanks to our family and friends back home who are keeping up the fight for us! We know we’ll be home soon(ish) and can’t wait to share this darling child with you all!