Crib x 2

Luckily we were able to get the crib hardware we needed from the Home Depot as the crib manufacturer had gone bankrupt. Crib crisis averted!



Our friends also gave Maya a toy crib. Thanks Elaine, Stephane and Gabby!

Pretty Much What I Expected

The DA Director is still reviewing Maya's dossier and has questions for the orphanage. He will not approve an adoption date until he is satisfied with their answers.

So we are still on hold and in limbo.

Hoping for more news on Monday

Update Tomorrow?

I just received an email saying we will get an update tomorrow. Let's hope it's some good news.

Haiti's Orphans

There's a good article on CNN.com that explains the Haiti orphan situation. The orphans that are being airlifted out seem to be those that have been in process for some time. Understandably, there is a hesitation to find foreign families for the vast majority of other orphans until it can be established that they are truly orphaned and not just separated from family members.

Sadly worldwide there are lots of orphaned children that need families (but are not "paper ready") and lots of families waiting years and years for the small number that are.

Special Thanks to the BTDT

I wanted to take a moment to thank all those adoptive parents that have gone before us that have helped us prepare for our trip: Sharon for packing tips and gift suggestions, Leslie for money and hotel recommendations, Lillian for hotel recommendations, and Carey for gift suggestions and Vietnamese language books. And anyone else that has responded to my posts.

I also want to thank Renny and Leslie again for sending a few photos of Maya when she was about 2 months old when they were picking up their children in Vung Tau.

5 Months Since Referral

Today we are 5 months since referral and it looks like we have at least another month to go! The worst part about this wait is the uncertainty - the never knowing for sure when this adoption will happen - the constantly moving "goal post". It has taken a toll on our family, our extended family, and most certainly on my career. I hope we get some news this week.

Delicious

What more can i say?

Crib Crisis

Apparently we have misplaced some of the hardward to Aidan's (expensive) old crib. We are going to see if the manufacturer can send us some new hardward. I'm not too optimistic as the crib is 7 years old. Hopefully we can get some of the parts that we need from the hardward store. Someone here is in the doghouse.

Update

We got an update from the agency. Apparently our file is still at the DIA in Vietnam waiting to be verified. The director has been out of the office until this Wednesday and then in meetings. There is some chance we may hear something next week.

So for those of you waiting to travel and following the steps laid out in the TDH July newsletter, we are still at step #7. Once our file is verified, it then goes back to the province. We hope that we get our adoption date before the government offices close for the Tet holiday (Feb 7), but are preparing ourselves that we may be delayed even further. Blah!

Last Visit to the Travel Clinic

We had our last visit to the travel clinic today. We had two previous visits in the summer of 2008 as we thought we were about 6 months from travelling at that point. Fastforward to 2010 and we are still waiting!

In total, we ended up getting immunized for Hep B (3 shots), typhoid, and TDP (Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis). The doctor prescribed us an antibiotic to take with us in case of dysentery. He also recommended Dukoral (an oral vaccine for traveller's diarrhea). The latter may be overkill. He also suggested taking Imodium with us.

In all my travels throughout Asia and Europe, I've only had stomach troubles once, but I guess it's better to be safe than sorry!

He recommended using insect repellent containing DEET to ward against diseases carried by mosquitoes.

We are hoping to call the agency Thursday or Friday to get an update.

Maya's Documents

Right after Christmas, we received Maya's documents. These are the official documents that discuss the circumstances of Maya's abandonment and detail the due diligence conducted on the part of Vietnam.

There was a very small photocopied photo showing her wrapped in a towel. But it was clear it was her. I think my heart stopped for a moment.

She was approximately 5 days old when abandoned at the gate of the Vung Tau 3 orphanage.She was discovered by Mr. Le Kim Duc of the orphanage on April 16, 2009. In his report, he described her as follows: "Female, with pink skin, black hair, high forehead, double eyelids, high nose, large mouth, weighs 3.1 kg, health normal, estimated to be 5 days old. When found she was wearing a red woollen hat, a white shirt, and was wrapped in a used green towel"

(Now that description doesn't do her justice. Those that have seen her pictures know she is a cutie!)

The rest of the documents showed that announcements had been sent out to the community via radio and television to see if there were relatives willing to raise her. The first announcement was dated April 20, 2009. We also have a copy of her birth certificate.

Where Maya Lives

Maya is currently residing in the Vung Tau 3 orphanage in Ba Ria, Vietnam near Vung Tau. From the first set of photos we received we could tell that the orphanage appeared clean and well-kept. While we can't post those photos, I found a link from another adoptive parent to what I believe is the Vung Tau 3 orphanage (based on the floor tiles). Click here.There are 2 other Vung Tau orphanages that our agency deals with (Vung Tau 1 and Vung Tau 2). Another adoptive parent got some great photos of Vung Tau 2 . The children are cared for by nounous (or nannies). Based on all the photos we have of Maya, we believe she is getting good care. If anyone knows the approximate caregiver:child ratio for Vung Tau 3, I'd be interested in knowing.

The following are two photos of Vung Tau itself. Vung Tau is a beach resort, located about 2 hours east of Ho Chi Minh City.

Riding the Adoption Rollercoaster- Whee!!

Yes, after almost 4 years of riding the adoption roller coaster, we're getting a little nauseous! As many of you know, we received pictures of Maya at 8 months old just before Christmas. She still looked so happy and healthy! But she sure had grown! We were relieved that she still seemed well-looked-after as we had had no news for four months.


A few days later we heard the agency had booked us a tentative flight to HCMC for January 18 and all seemed good (almost too good to be true!).

A few days following that we were told that our flight would likely be changed due to some issues with clients of another agency who had arrived in Vietnam too soon and then were sent home without their kids.

A few days following that we were told there was now a NEW paperwork step whereby the Canadian embassy in Singapore would need to approve Canadian citizenship of our child prior to the G&R ceremony (the official adoption date).

Following that we were also told that we needed new original letters of employment as the ones currently in Vietnam were now more than 1 year old and stale-dated. This was our third employment letter (each) since we had begun this process.

As each setback/requirement occurred we knew the chances of us flying to Vietnam prior to Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) were getting slimmer and slimmer.You see there is a blackout period when we cannot travel as government offices are closed in Vietnam for Tet. So we had to have all paperwork in place and an adoption date one week prior to travel.

So now it looks like we are definitely flying after Tet. Hopefully around Feb 22, but we have yet to have an update from the agency. It would be great to actually have a date to plan our lives around.

Talk about a letdown! Depressing but not surprising given the string of delays we have encountered from Day 1.

All About Maya

In August of 2009, we got "the call" from our adoption agency director telling us that we had been matched with a beautiful, healthy, 4-month baby girl from Vung Tau, Vietnam! After starting our homestudy 3.5 years earlier, it was hard to believe the day had come! She was cute as a button and very alert for her age. We were thrilled!!! (Unfortunately new rules in Vietnam forbid us from posting her photos under we officially adopt her).

She weighed 14 lb at 4 months and was 50th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height on the North American charts. So a big girl! Her detailed medical showed that she was very healthy, having only dermatitis and scabies (very common among institutionalized children in Vietnam), and developmentally on target.

Her first name in Vietnamese is Bao Thanh. We have decided to rename her Maya Bao Thanh. "Thanh" in Vietnamese means "bright" and "Bao" means "precious treasure". And indeed she is!

We were told that new procedures in Vietnam mean that, instead of waiting 3-3.5 months between referral and travel, we may wait up to 6 months before meeting our sweet girl.