Take Us Home, Country Roads. . .

As a wise person once said, it’s about time we blow this popsicle joint! We leave tomorrow – tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow, you’re only, a day aWAY – can you hear Annie? Well – we can’t wait!

The answer to the who’s who: Gabrielle is on the left and Isabelle is on the right. Thought more of you might get that. . . well you’ll have many opportunities to play that game in the years to come. Some days we’re still trying to figure it out. For the record, in the picture above, Isabelle is on the left. You can verify this by seeing the thumbsucker is sucking on her right hand - that's Gabby!

On a long final note, let us try to prepare you for a few things when you meet the girls:

1) Isabelle had a little case of the poops today, nothing messy, just 4 diaper changes with BM’s, but I think the 4th was really a continuation of the 3rd. And boy were they stinky – a can of air freshener or at least one other room outside of the hotel room would have been heaven in Hanoi. I went downstairs to get a taxi and prepare for our departure tomorrow and when I returned, oooooo, the room still stunk. The four of us sat there for about an hour wondering if she was just passing gas or if we didn’t “bag” the dirty ones well enough. It just lingered and lingered and lingered! We checked Isabelle’s diaper at least two times wondering if the 3 that turned into 4 was really 3.5. Well – as parents of twins, we finally checked Gabrielle to see if she needed to be changed and WHAM! That was the stench we had all been smelling for the last hour – seeping through her onesie. It probably wasn’t rocket science, but we won’t make that mistake again, and we hope that if the girls are with you, that you won’t either.

2) Isabelle has a little bit (a lot of bit) of stranger anxiety. Today as people were “playing” with her, reaching out to have her hold their hand or finger, or in a couple of instances when someone tried to hold her (other than Suzanne and I), well, let’s just say that is when she tries to see how red her tonsils will get after all oxygen has exited her lungs at mach speed – 10-50 times depending on how long the participant has been willing to try to calm her down – with no avail yet. She is feisty when it comes to naps and strangers.

3) Gabrielle is mischievous, as one of our waitresses pointed out after taking one glance at her. That being said, when Isabelle is on her game, she can be 2x’s as mischievous. Just wait and see. Lock up anything you might want to enjoy later. It’s not like their Uncle Anthony will have to pat them down before we leave, but there may be slobber, finger prints, or pieces of what they originally got into may remain. Oh, and Grandpa, this is your warning to make sure the top is on and the cooking oil is locked away.

4) We have not done the best job at trying to manage their eating this trip. What that means for you, if you see them early and often, is there’s been an excessive amount of dawdling that has been occurring at the dinner table. Hopefully we can change that when we get back because Lord knows we’ve overstayed our welcome (cleared out some nice places) because the dawdling can than turn into irritability. Oh, and if you like feeding 13 month olds – you’re in luck! Mama J is not too fond of sitting still for that long or tearing up the food and trying to get it in their mouth. This can prove to be exhausting.

5) Get ready to meet some of the most amazing little girls whenever our paths cross! They will hopefully delight you endlessly, brighten every day for you, and share their signature giggles and laughs that are so juicy like they have with us for the last 13 days! We can’t wait for you to meet them!

Thanks for reading the blog once, twice, or whenever you could. We hope you enjoyed sharing this small part of the journey with all of us. We look forward to you joining us in the years to come (it is much more fun in-person). Until we see the whites in your eyes, Live Juicy!

Pa’GI and Family

PS - stay tuned - we may do one more post to answer the million dollar question - how many diapers will it take to get from Hanoi to Green Bay. . .

A long 2007. . .

Tonight we write to you on a somewhat somber and then good note. First, the somber. . .

It's been a long 2007 for the Jacksons and Powells. Like so many years it's been full of blessings - most recently the completion of the adoption of the girls - but unlike many years, we've had three deaths in our families. Most recently we got word that my mom's dad passed away on Thanksgiving Day. Currently my mom is on her way back from South Africa, and we'll be heading back soon, too. . .

Which has to be some sort of blessing, too. On Wednesday we got a surprise phone call from our Holt contact in Hanoi saying that the girls visas had been approved. We went to the Embassy that afternoon for what resulted to be just a couple of signatures and then picked up ALL the paperwork on Friday, Black Friday for those shoppers out there (fitting for the "Master Shopper" in our household - not it). So - that was the last piece of paperwork we were waiting for to go home (HOME!)- Luckily it was done at least a week before we were expecting it to be done. So, we've changed our flight plans to leave on Tuesday, November 27th and arrive home later that evening. If it's like our original plans, just adjusted dates, I think we get in at 5:30ish.

The girls continue to brighten every day - it's going to be a shock to them when we don't have a breakfast buffet every morning, or that our house is a little more spacious than the king-sized bed hotel room (with two cribs that take up one side of the bed), but we'll try to make some scrabbled eggs (their favorite morning treat - well that and the banana bread or orange cake) to help them adjust. They might go a little stir crazy in car seats, too - they've been getting cozy riding on our laps in the back of the taxis. The cling onto our shirts and gaze up at us as the taxi twists and turns, herks and jerks manuvering traffic and speed bumps - this is Juicy. It's not the safest, but considering the alternative - balancing them in-between us on a motor bike (that would be a motor bike for 4, which is not that uncommon over here) but their mama would walk 1,000,000 miles before that happened - and so would I. :)

Some of the most precious time of the day is in the early morning, after a clean diaper and cookie from their mom, the girls sit and "talk" (a lot of "baa daa maa", etc)/play together. As an observer I have to bite my tongue because some of the slaps or kicks to the head, back, chest, etc. are so loud that the thuds make me cringe. Sometimes I think it's just another form of communication they have with one another. Some of thuds sound so hard that I think the other one (they are equally as "physical") would make their tonsils red from screaming (something they've tried, like their father did as a child, before bed time) but they don't. They whine and push the other one back and if it continues on too long, they'll crawl away to fight another battle. . . Oh, they are so sisters! :) They can also be very affectionate and laugh with one another - when one makes a silly face, or makes a funny sound, we'll all break out in a good laugh. They share their cookie with each other, well, that can sometimes lead into some of the punches, too. One thing is certain though - they are beautiful together. Individually they have such different personalities and habits (as I noted in previous entries they do have some similarities - i.e. both suck their thumbs, one lefty, one righty) they are special in their own unique ways, and together they just compliment each other like twins only can. If you are a, or you've spent a lot of time around twin(s) then you know what I mean. :)

Our colds are going away - just a lingering cough. I was tempted to go back to the SOS to get medicine and make sure we weren't coming back with some rare form of some "coughing disease", to which the doctor (Suzanne) laughed and chastised me for - can you imagine that? We hear the weather is prime for the girls to wear some 70's sweat pants back in Green Bay! We'll have to use them, too. Waste not want not (a favorite expression from Suzanne). And how about the Packers? I've woken up in the middle of the night (1 am is noon the previous day in GB), logged on to the Internet to catch the first quarter, halftime, or final scores. Maybe the cough has been a blessing to keep me updated on the scores.

Well - keep answering the questions on the side. . . the answer to the who's who will come out shortly! Looking forward to coming home soon - it's within sight! Three days and counting. . .

Love you and hope this reaches you in good health and good spirits,
Pa'GI

PS - Suzanne and I are not fans of naked baby pictures, but she made me take/post this one to hopefully brighten your day. Hint, this is the baby on the left. :)

MOMMY SCORNED AT HANOI's LARGEST MARKET!!!!!!!

Funny story:

In my defense, it was 70 degrees and the girls will be moving to a place that is frequently below zero and has ice storms!!!!!! Initially the day started out well, we had a wonderful breakfast . However, at breakfast our wait person told us that we should put lite coats on the girls because it was so cool. Well after a nice buffet style meal, and going back to the room and packing for the day, we forgot. Plus, it’s 70’s out. We had skorts, sandals and little swing shirts on them. When we arrived at the doctors office, I thought the receptionist was asking if one of them had a cold, and I said, “Yes, Isabelle”. She looked at Gabrielle’s outfit and said, “Need jacket, they will get a cold dressed like this”. It may have been a blessing I had to go back to the hotel for the passports so I could grab their little Columbia coats – thanks to their Aunt Kafi (Master Target and Max for the Minimum ShopperJ). Wouldn’t you know, after the post lunch time nap, we go out to Hanoi’s largest market (looking for nothing in particular, but more just to get the girls – and us – out of the hotel room). It’s packed with ‘vendors’ selling clothes in one section, knock-off bags in another, leather goods in another – and on and on, for 3 stories. This market is not very conducive to the child-carrying backpacks because it’s so crowded that we barely fit in between the isles. Usually we hear, “Madam, madam, please come take a look at my shop”. . . “Madam, need a handbag”. . . and similar pleas for business - on this trip it was a little different. People would smile and ooo and awe at the girls – like in other places, but then there was a flock of women pointing at their legs – “Too cold, need pants. They will get sick”. Their concern was mounting, and some where even following pointing to other women who would see their bare legs and (we did remember their coats this time), confirm, “Too cold!” Suzanne finally said, (after many women gave here the most disgusted looks imaginable- especially, the little elderly grandmas,) “Adam, we have to buy a pair of pants before they become hostile. So, needless to say, we found the nearest shop with pants – nice sweatpants that you’d see from the 70’s. Solid gray sweats with a strip of bright yellow, fire-engine red, deep blue, or forest green running down the side. PERFECT. The people we were buying didn’t know what to do (usually their customers were locals – so they were trying to calculate how much more they could charge these English-speaking people). 100,000 VND, was their first offer. About 6 dollars for these two 70’s looking sweats that might not ever see the light of day – when I know the locals would get it for more like 32,000 VND and probably even less (2 dollars). On principle (and being the cheap person I am) I had to say “No, too much” – and I don’t like to barter, so we were going to just move on. But after 3 more counter offers and Suzanne saying, for goodness sake, we just need to get something on them so we don’t get mobbed,” we bought them for 75,000 VND (about $4.70). They looked – well they looked like two babies whose parents couldn’t decide what to dress them in. Pink coats with gray sweats with yellow stripes – and then we found some nice multi-colored knit “pimp” hats with rhinestones embedded in them- babies were look’n precious! At least we weren’t mobbed. The ironic thing was that they kept reprimanding us and informing us about how cold it is in Vietnam! Ummmmm, I don’t think so. They need to visit the frozen Tundra once or twice. If only they knew that we would be bringing the girls back to where it’s really cold!

We have struggled with their clothes overall. . . as many of you know, we bought a lot of 12-18 month clothes not knowing what size they would really be (since their 13 months). Well, according to the SOS doctor, they use an international scale – as not to use a bias US or Vietnamese scale – to measure the percentile of weight and height. . . If I have the numbers right from Suzanne, they are 72 cm tall for each and 16 and 17 lbs (Isabelle and Gabrielle respectfully). That put them in the 15 th percentile for height/weight on the international scale. Tiny little 13 month olds, even the few 9 month outfits we brought (Suzanne had returned most of the ones we previously bought) are so big they barely stay on them. Essentially, they need size 6 month clothes, everything else falls off of them. It’s funny to me, not as funny to mama. We see a lot of diaper butt throughout the day if they’re wearing anything other than an onsie or bubble dresses (our favorites). Pants, skorts, and dresses – they all fall off at some point. On a bright note for those who love to shop (i.e. Suzanne), she’ll be able to go to Target and her favorite outlets to dress the babies, Again!

The forecast says it’s suppose to be in the 80’s for the majority of our stay – so hopefully we won’t be scorned by not dressing them warm enough (their sweats are in their backpacks permanently), or having to where the stuff that won’t even stay on them.

Live’n Juicy,
Pa and Ma’GI

And down the stretch we come. . . with a Billy Goat.

Well, we’re coming down the home stretch. . . We had our “physical” at the international SOS and too bad I was not there to experience the whole time. Unfortunately I had to make a trip back to the hotel to get our passports. When I got back though, Gabrielle was sitting nicely on a gentleman from Holt’s lap, and Isabelle was exercising her lungs for the good doctor. When it was Gabby’s turn, I asked Suzanne, do they draw blood, do they get poked with needles. . . she laughed and said, “No, they took her diaper off.” Needless to say Gabby was a rock star and amazed everyone! She let them poke in her ears, feel her chest, check her joints. . . no click’s Grandma J. We’re all good! Their hearing is good right now (Suzanne taught me a way to check it, and its funny they twist around looking for the sound), but we’ll have to see if their hearing is the same at 12 or 14 years old (whatever age kids stop listening to their parents).

We’re just awaiting the US Embassy to approve everything now. They work with some folks in Ho Chi Minh City to verify all documents are authentic and all the right steps have been taken to ensure no hanky panky (if you’ve read any of the stories about other countries – I won’t mention them here, but there are a few that are being shut down or people are allegedly stealing children). Monica, the person we met with on Friday, said most everything looks good, but there is one document she wants to verify because currently “it’s missing” – notification/verification to the birth mother. Oh lord, their mama now was not so happy to hear this. Holt has assured us everything is going to be OK (they’ve already sent police to the village to speak with the women, but there is no one by that name in that village – so did she give an alias?). Monica felt comfortable that it’s been over a year now that everything will be fine. She would have been more uneasy if “things were happening faster”. None the less – we wait. Probably won’t hear any word this week with the Thanksgiving Holiday – but we’ll keep you posted.

The colds and the teething persist a little here and there, but for the most part the girls continue to enjoy their new environment. Twins must not be as common here (which makes a little sense because they don’t use any science like other countries), and they continue to be oooed and awed as we walk (their are in their back packs, of course) down the street or go down for the breakfast buffet. They’ve even befriended one gentleman from the states who says good morning and good day each morning – and he even took their picture because “it was his only cute picture from his vacation.” Their walking together, one clings to one finger, the other to my other hand, giggling with glee as they stumble forward. As they look up with their wide-open-mouth-smiles and laughing so their tummies shake them off balance – that is juicy!

The cleaning people are saints here. The girls leave cookie and cracker crumbs EVERYWHERE! We’re going to have to break them of that habit soon. They clutch to their food until it barely fits in their balled up fists, sucking and drooling on their hands as they try to fit that last ½ bite in their mouth. It usually ends up a) on the floor, b) on their shirt, c) in papa’s hand because after failing to gain entry into their mouths they attempt to hurl it as far as they can, as to say “All done”.

If you’ve ever been up to Door County to “The Farm”, you know how much fun it is to feed the pigs, the sheep, the horses, and of course the goats. The little baby goats suck out of tiny little baby bottles so fast that the milk is gone in a nanosecond. Well, we’ve nicknamed Gabrielle – “Billygoat”. I’ll try to post a video of her drinking a bottle at a later date. She stands at attention, feet pointed in an inverted ‘v,’ neck cocked back like a real goat, sucking like she’s going to eat the entire bottle. We (I) keep trying to tell her that it’s plastic and is not biodegradable. Not sure how she was fed for the first year, but I’ve been trying to get her into the habit of drinking in a more traditional fashion.

This morning Suzanne comes into the bathroom and asked, did you give them Oreos? Nope – but I guess someone (not it), had left them on her night stand and the girls were going wild licking, sucking, and enjoying their little cookies. Sorry Grandma J, that’s another food they’ve explored without you. Like I said, the cleaning people are saints. If you could see the floor – I have to put shoes on just to walk around. They are living juicy!

Well, until next time – keep on keep’n on. Can’t wait to see you guys soon!
Juicily,
Pa’GI

Lessons we've learned

We’ve learned a lot of lessons since getting the girls. I’m sure we’ll learn a lifetime more each and every day. Here are some of the ones we’ve learned so far:

Gabrielle is going to be a spit fire. As Suzanne says, she’s going to be the sassy one. You’ll know what we mean after spending a few minutes with her. She’s very smart and is already giving “high fives” while trying to repeat “five” or other words we’ve been saying. Isabelle is no slouch, that’s for sure. She’s going to surprise you with her aggressiveness and assertiveness, because you wouldn’t think she’d be either, but she can be.

Bath time is priceless. For the first time tonight, Suzanne took the dip with the girls and she was amazed at how wonderful it is. They love their scrub downs and enjoy the warm water, relaxing lotion and fuzzy pj’s. I’ve learned, diapers first, lotion second, because with these old-school diapers they won’t stick if you get lotion on the diaper. At least 4 diapers later we finally get them to stay on.

The girls love the floor time. They play with each other and love to interact. Sometimes that interaction is a head butt, a foot to the sternum, or accidental toy thrown in the other’s face – but it’s all in good fun. They love to pull themselves up and are probably a month or so from walking alone. For now, they giggle with glee as we take laps around the room with the other one crawling, trying to catch up.

Dinner time is going to take a little more time and one entrée is enough for two of them right now. We ordered two dinners off the children’s menu and an hour and fifteen minutes later we still had leftovers and I had eaten one of the entrees. They sure enjoyed their chicken (real) nuggets and spaghetti noodles. Now I see why fathers sometimes add on some weight, playing clean up isn’t easy.

It is better for the parent(s) to be sick rather than the children. We don’t feel good right now (sore throats, headache, ear ache, to name a few), but that’s better than the girls being up all night or in an overall cranky mood because of their sickness. When we first got them they both had colds and are teething – a good combination for any child – and being thrown into a new environment with two strangers, Lord only knows what adjustments they were trying to make in their heads. Well, now that they’ve passed on their colds THEY are doing much better. We have several crackers and teething cookies to keep their little teeth going.

Nap time is good for any child, but it can also be good for the parent. It’s amazing how tiring doing so little can be. It doesn’t help to be cooped up in a hotel for most of the night, but feeding, getting them to bed/nap, playing on the floor, then doing it all again – it’s more tiring than one would think. Suzanne exclaimed she can’t wait for the day to end, or for the day to begin (because the sleepless nights). There are times I agree with her on that.

Well –that’s all for now. The natives are restless. . . Live’n Juicy!
-Pa’GI

Sleepless in Hanoi

OK – we’ll say it this one time. . . you were right. For all of you that told us we should get our rest while we could, you were right. The other night Gabrielle was anti-sleep, and I can only hope the hotel comp’d the neighbors to our right of us. If they got 2 x’s as much sleep as us, it would still be 4 hours short of a “good night”. That being said – Life is GOOD. J

Some of you may wonder what exactly I mean by, “Live Juicy”. Well, let me give you a few examples.

Holding two crying babies (crying because they are tired) and rocking them to sleep. Then having one wake up and smack the other because it get crowded on my chest. That was juicy.

Holding a child as they suck down a bottle like it’s going out of style and listening to them suck in the air through their nose. All the while, having them look up at your like there’s no one else in the world and when they are done the deep sigh of finishing those 4-8 ounces – that is juicy.

Holding the hands as a child as they walk across the room and then letting them crawl on the floor to explore the world. Bouncing on the bed as they look up in amazement and seeing them smile for the first time (dimples included) – that is juicy.

Holding 10 things in your hands/arms and carrying a baby in your “backpack” all around the city is challenging. Dodging motor bikes and crazy drivers as they scurry in every direction as you’re crossing the street, hoping your spouse behind you is dodging them just as well – that’s not as enjoyable, but it is juicy.

Holding a glass of water and having a child stick their nose half way down the glass to try to get to the bottom is funny. Feeding them yogurt or ice cream (had to before Grandma did) and having them try to eat the entire spoon is juicy.

Holding a child, while the other looks up at you wondering when it will be their turn (imagine the puppy eyes) is heart warming and heart breaking. Seeing them in their matching polka-dotted pj’s is juicy.

Holding a child after getting 6 hours of sleep (which feels like an eternity) is refreshing. Singing John Denver and Elton John songs to them as they navigate around the room on all fours is juicy.

Bubble suits, Tylenol, diapers that are from the 70 or 80’s (the kind that have a sticker that fasten them close), teething cookies, stainless steel sippy cups, soft blankets with their names embroidered, pillows from the orphanage that they love to wrap their legs around, matching outfits, BM’s that are now a daily thing, bath time for 3 (two children, 1 adult), soothing lotion after bath time, the “ba, baa, maa, mah, etc.” sounds that make while sitting in the crib together, All of these things are juicy – and so much more!

So, we’ll leave you with some pictures for now. Today we will explore the city!

FYI – our Visa Interview appointment was delayed by a day – so our return home probably will not be any sooner as we were hoping. With the T-day holiday, the embassy has off, too. So, we’ll keep you posted.

Firsts

The “next” journey started with a ride in Ma and Pa’GI from the orphanage to Ho Chi Minh City. This was probably the girls second ride in a car, their first being earlier in the day when a taxi picked them up to bring them to the orphanage. Other times they were probably transported like other infants and children – “motor bike”, which are either old tuned up Vespas, old Hondas, or some other old “bike”.

Let me highlight some of the firsts we’ve experienced:

First looks from the girl, in amazement and wonder. They clutch to our shirts as we carry them, and at times, when we try to put them down. This time is heaven.

First night, the girls slept through from 7 until 7. This was heaven. . . prior to sleeping it was solos, then duets, then solos, then a chorus of crying. There is not greater sound of silence than after a few heart felt hours of crying. J It’s wonderful trying to learn the different cries of hunger, sleepy, teething (ooo, this is painful to “feel” against your chest), and finally – gas. Who would have known that was the source of the problem night one, but after a few minutes of good toot’n, all was peaceful.

First sighting of thumb suckers. One lefty, one righty. Hilarious now, and nothing a couple years of braces won’t try to fix. J They gnaw on their thumbs sooo good, they have built up calluses by the bottom knuckles. Sure is cute looking.

First time eating off our plates. Rice, fruit, yogurt, pudding, fish, orange bread, eggs, and whatever else they are up for. This is also heaven. Truly amazing to experience this.

First airplane ride – from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. The girls are ooooed and awed like rock stars as they ride in their backpacks (a lifesaver and according to Suzanne – “worth their weight in gold”). It’s pretty funny watching people stop what their doing; eating, walking, talking, . . . just to point and gaze at the two beautiful girls. We’ve got them dressed alike – so there’s no doubt they are twins. J

First chance to be inducted into the parenthood ‘gang’. If you’re a parent, you’ll know what I mean – something you don’t truly experience until the kids are ‘your own’. In this new gang you get new stares at rude people – people that will push themselves past you in a hurry to no where. Seating in the part of restaurants where you’ll be the least disruptive. . . the back, way back. Hotel rooms that are as far away from the elevator and down long hallways that never end (especially while carrying luggage and two princesses). This is there way to try to avoid any crying spells from disturbing other guests. This new parenthood membership is not as glamorous as it’s cracked up to be, but it is heaven.

First restless night (second night with the girls), but after 2 diaper changes, 2 bottles, and 2 different “rocking sessions” – a perk to the new membership no doubt, silence was heaven again.

And the firsts go on.

The Eagles have Landed

It's almost seven pm here, and the Eagles are resting on the king-sized feather bed. Alas, the cribs they delivered are cute, but they just weren't going to cut it as the anxiety cried babies just didn't want anything to do with them (or us for awhile) tonight.

The morning started out a little delayed with taxi being late. Actually he was early, but then they made him move from the hotel driveway, and it took nearly 15 mins. to get back. The drive to the orphanage was not that long, and we actually arrived 15 mins. early to our tentative Giving and Receiving Ceremony. . . I say tentative because upon arriving the coordinator of Holt in S. Vietnam told us that the Ceremony was going to be delayed until 1:30 in the afternoon because the Justice had a meeting in the morning. So, we waited. Lucky for us, the girls arrived at the same tentative time (9 AM), so we got a couple of good hours of meeting time! As we rounded the corner after completing the tour of the facility, Suzanne quickly turned to me, smiled and said, "THE GIRLS!" All I saw was a flash of one of them being taken into the office in her baby blue outfit. I'll apologize now, no pictures until probably tomorrow as the lights are off and no need to disturb the Eagles, right? Well - they are even more beautiful in person than in the pictures. Maybe because they are nuzzled up against our chests or laying on the bed eating crackers (not a good habit), :) looking up at us.

I'll tell you more about the day later, but for now - just know that the newest Jackson's are "in-hand". As one of our journeys finally ends - ahhhhhhh, this next one has begun with a bang! More on that later.

Love you all, and can't wait for you to meet the girls, too!

The Streak Lives On

We arrived last night without any glitches. . . no delayed flights (ala last time when Suzanne and the gate person in Detroit didn't see eye to eye), our bags arrived before we even got to the baggage carousel (truly amazing we've never, knock on wood, had any missing luggage in all of our adventures here), taxi to the hotel was waiting amongst the rock-star gathering (if you've never been here, it's worth coming at least once just to see the throng of people waiting outside the international arrival gate), and our check-in at 11:00 PM was smooooooth. Most important, for any of you that know my deal on flights - the streak lives on. :) This time it was relatively easy. . .

It's been about 6 years since I first came to Vietnam - and it's not the same place. Each time we come back, it's changed a little here and a little there, but this time it has changed the most, starting at the arrival gate. The old fiber glass chairs (the kind you see at an old Greyhound station), are all replaced with blue padded ones. The floors, instead of old dirt-weathered tiles, have been replaced with shiny clean tiles. The infrastructure now has silver contemporary pillars instead of the old yellow ones and the immigration agents have fancy stalls. And finally - the shops at the baggage claim area now don't sell the local hand carvings and gift cards. . . Burberry lotions and perfumes, Clinique creams, and those sorts of things are now in brightly lit shops. Kind of sad, but I'm sure it's created a lot of jobs, boosted their economy, and catered towards the western and foreign tourists. Even the taxi ride to the hotel wasn't quite the same. Our driver had about 50 honks, compared to the 50,000 that they normally made in the past. The honks are a little higher pitched here, and used more of a courtesy like "go ahead, you can take your motor bike coming head-on at us and cross in front of our large taxi", or "I'm on your left, so don't swerve" (which is common place). At least one thing stayed the same; they still have a few cyclos (pedaled bikes with a basket in front for the traveler to enjoy the view).

So, today (Saturday) we roamed our old streets to find tailors for someone (Suzanne). A lot of the shops have closed, moved, or we couldn't find them. It's very warm, high 80's, and humid, but a little overcast. They say a chance of rain almost every day we're in Ho Chi Minh City, but rain here is brief and almost refreshing. We're anxious to just get the girls, but we'll just have to "chill" for a couple of days. It's a good time to get reacquainted with the city. Jet-leg coming here is surprisingly hasn't ever been bad. Today we're going to start a quiz of the day - and feel free to participate by clicking on the survey, or by posting a comment with more detailed answers. . . We need your help and advice on some very important things that new parents should need to know. So, keep checking back and sharing your insights!

Good Morning from Vietnam! Pa'GI

Twas the night before take off and all through the house, not a creature was stirring except the cats and a mouse. . . Suzanne's working, and I'm closing up shop.

Well, T-minus less than 12 hrs. until we're up up and away. Talk about excitement, anxiety, and fun all rolled into one. Excitement because - well, the girls of course. Anxiety because of a trillion and one things. Fun - well, many of those same trillion and one things, but most of all because of one of our favorite things in the world - packing luggage. Suzanne and I would sink in a canoe because we struggle at the "travel light" theory. It's not all of our fault this time - we're packing for 2 adults AND 2 children now, which won't be bad coming back because we'll get an extra 40 lbs of allowance (the girls get 20 each, because that's how much they'll weigh - that's not the real reason, but an interesting co inky dink) and the "gifts" will be dropped off. . . now if we don't accumulate more than that 55 lbs. or so, we should be OK. If not, we'll still be OK because we'll have Isabelle and Gabrielle, but the airlines will have bled us again. :)

Well, here is a rough draft of our itinerary - and if all goes well (it's a little edited because you really don't want to know all the gory details). . .

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE IN BINH DUONG AND HANOI

Duration: November 09 – December 02, 2007
Person: The Jackson family:
1. Mr. Adam Le Jackson
2. Ms. Suzanne Victoria Jackson

Fri – Nov. 09, 2007 Ho Chi Minh City
10:40 P.M The Jackson family arrives in HoChiMinh City – Korean Air – Flight No. 7925. The Friendship II Hotel will welcome the family at Tan Son Nhat Airport and take them to the hotel – Cost: 450,000 VND (7 seat-van). Holt will pay

Ho Chi Minh City - Sofitel 17 Le Duan Boulevard District 1 0 HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM(+84)8/8241555 - (+84)8/8241666

Nov. 10 – 12, 2007 Free in Ho Chi Minh City

Tue – Nov. 13, 2007 Ho Chi Minh City - Binh Duong
7:00 AM Family depart for Binh Duong, The Friendship II Hotel will take the family to Binh Duong CWC. Add — 87-Doan Thi Lien Road, Phu Loi Ward, Thu Dau Mot Town, Binh Duong province. Tel: (0650) – 825318.
Car rental for the round trip: (7 seat-van)
Air tickets for the trip HCM – HN:
(The family will pay for car rental and air tickets in cash–VND-at Holt VN/Binh Duong Office on Nov. 13, 2007)
Note:When depart for Binh Duong CWC, remember to bring along your passports, and Arrival &Departure cards

9:00 AM Attend G&R Ceremony at Binh Duong Justice Department
10:00 AM Visit Binh Duong Center
11:00 AM Receive child’s passport

Confirm air tickets to Hanoi
Back to Ho Chi Minh City

Wed – Nov. 14, 2007 Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi
9:30 AM Depart for Hanoi for Medical Exam and Visa interview. Vietnam Airlines - Flight No. VN214 Arrive Hanoi. Family takes a taxi from Noi Bai airport to the hotel.
Hanoi - Sheraton Hotel
K5 Nghi Tam, 11 Xuan Dieu Road Tay Ho District Hanoi, · Vietnam Phone (84)(4) 719 9000

Thu – Nov. 15, 2007 Hanoi
1:00 PM Family takes a taxi to the US Embassy.
Add – Rose Garden Tower, # 170 Ngoc Khanh street, Hanoi
1:30 PM Have I-600 interview

Fri – Nov. 16, 2007 Hanoi
9:00 AM Have a medical exam for the child at SOS Clinic

Nov. 17 – 21, 2007 Hanoi
Await for the I-600 approval

Thu – Nov. 22, 2007 Hanoi
Have I-600 approval

Fri – Nov. 23, 2007 Hanoi
Have visa interview (to be confirmed after getting the I-600 approval)

Mon – Nov. 26, 2007 Hanoi
4:00 PM Family pick up the visa of the twins Nguyen Thanh Thuy and Nguyen Thanh Thuy at the US Embassy Add – Rose Garden Tower, # 170 Ngoc Khanh street

And that's about all we know for now. . . If all goes well, we'll head home shortly after, but we'll keep you updated as that date approaches.

Well- still lots to do, so more from Ho Chi Minh City!

Live'n Juicy!
Pa'GI

1st time blogger - Pa'GI

Hello All -

Welcome to the first time blogging site of Pa'GI. I'm going to be learning as I go, so if you're more familiar with this and can add any insight(s), please share your knowledge. If we are just the blind leading the blind - so be it - let's enjoy the ride.

Wanted to get this information out to you all prior to leaving so if there are any technical glitches we can try to address them now. I'll be posting our itinerary in the next 48 hours, so you can all be up-to-date with our adventurous schedule over the next few weeks.

With that said - lots to do. . . love you all and appreciate your love and support throughout the years and especially during our adoption journey.

Live'n Juicy and not sleep'n,

Pa'GI