Step 8

We were at Step 8 right before Tet. We're still there. I guess we were optimistic that some of the paperwork might have made it through during their celebrations, but alas.
Hopefully we'll get the Step 9 email we're anticipating in the next week or so. Then, look out, visa applications.
Sam, buddy,we're trying to get there.

Hopefully good news this week!

I understand that February is the shortest month, but it definitely felt like the longest one this year. We knew we wouldn't hear much in the way of updates this month (because of Tet--see post below), and it's been tough just....waiting. We've been told that we can expect updates later this week. We have yet to get an update from Vietnam that puts us at or farther ahead than expected, and in fact most of our updates have been painfully slower than what we'd expect. Maybe our luck will change this week. Fingers crossed!

We received our "travel packet" this past week, which is a 30-page list of instructions that we'll need to apply for our travel visas and some other paperworks tasks in the upcoming weeks. It also includes packing suggestions--no mittens or parkas included there. Toasty Vietnam requires much lighter attire. Sounds appealing right this minute on an cloudy cold Sunday, but don't worry, I'll be whining about the heat when I get there!

A good bit of happy email arrived from a family who traveled to Ninh Thuan this week to pick up their sweet son. Amy said that our Sam was very cute and that her husband held him, and he went to sleep in his arms. It's nice to know he's getting some love! They took pics of him too, so hopefully in the next week or so we'll get to see those little round cheeks again!

In the category of "15 minutes of fame", our group of "Vietmoms" got profiled on a local television station the last two weeks. The segment highlighted our group of moms and the tremendous support we provide for each other during the Vietnam adoption process. Several of us got interviewed about our respective stories. I'm glad to be part of the group, and the moral support during all of this, particularly from those who have been through the same frustrations, has been tremendously uplifting. One also wonders if there might be someone who hears our stories and begins to think about adoption for their own family. Maybe!

Happy Tet!

Well, this weekend is the very significant holiday in Vietnam called Tet. It is their New Year celebration, and it goes on for a couple of weeks. I'm sure when Sam is home with us we'll enjoy celebrating the holidays that come with his home country--it's kind of hard not to call it !%& Tet this year, though, because it introduces a bit longer delay in Sam's paperwork.
We will celebrate a bit tomorrow though, because one of our Vietmoms is having a Tet celebration. We'll celebrate, American-style, by jumping on large, brightly colored, inflated contraptions at Pump it Up. I'm thinking that Sam will find many American traditions a bit odd.
Happy Tet, Sam! We'll bounce for you!

No progress on the paperwork.

Does an update count as an update if you're told you are at the same place you were a month ago? We're still at Step 7. The email we received today told us we will be at Step 8 in "a week or so", and it also warned us that the timeline for THAT step will likely take longer than normal because of the Tet holiday in Vietnam that apparently shuts down the government offices for almost the entire month. Our expectation of January travel got readjusted to February, then to March. Now I suppose March may be optimistic.
Very disheartened tonight.

Happy Birthday, Sam!

Well, little buddy, sorry we couldn't make it to celebrate your birthday. Don't worry--we'll make up for lost time really soon. We are anxiously waiting news on the paperwork progress. Kinda bummed that we're still at Step 7, but hopefully something next week. Hang in there and happy birthday!

Woo-hoo, a new pic! Kim made it home safely with Isaac, who was living at the same orphanage--they are doing great! She brought back a new picture for us to stare at...she delivered to Sam a little photo album with our pictures, so he can start getting used to our faces--and boy, do our faces need getting used to! ha

Kim's mom, Kay, told us that later that day, another little boy tried to take the photo album away from Sam and he held onto it tightly! We're so happy a friend of ours has loved on Sam and gotten to meet him. Hopefully, we'll be there soon to bring him home.

Lucky 7--and the Nutcracker!

Hooray! We got word from Jynger that we are on Step 7! In adoption-speak, that means the Dept. of International in Hanoi, the local justice department in Sam's province (Ninh Thuan), and the orphanage have all communicated with each other and agreed that Sam is available and ready to be adopted. It's wonderful news to know the process is churning along, however painfully slow it feels to us! We'll get updates on the next steps individually (there are 12), and sprinkled in that process, we'll apply for our travel visas, get some shots and start packing!

On THIS side of the ocean, we're enjoying the Christmas season--there's nothing better than having a 5 year old discover the joy of the Nutcracker! She picked out the most sparkly, handsome Nutcracker to bring home from the ballet and tucked him into bed with her that night. He later found his way to the bedside table, because, well, he's kinda hard to cuddle. But Zoe loved the show and the dressing up part. It was a fun day.