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
