Henry and the Dolls

Here Henry attempts to place the Jackie Robinson "action figure" onto the rocker I got him from Ikea. I didn't prompt him to do this--he decided himself that the doll should take a ride.
I got him a baby doll from the local Fred's store that is going out of business (and everything is 60% off) and it went missing. I finally found it where Henry had placed it in the high chair. I guess he thought it looked hungry.
Henry holds the Jeff Wiggles doll whenever he is in the car. The past few days he has tried to get it to drink milk out of a bottle.

The Wiggles vs. The Imagination Movers

This past Saturday the cable station that Henry watches "The Wiggles" ran several episodes of a show with a new group called "The Imagination Movers". They are a group from New Orleans. Their songs seem more hip-hop, some of it is even rap. But they are aimed at the same age group.

The Wiggles:



You can see Jeff in the front--the Chinese Australian Wiggle. He is the thing that caught my eye and started us watching the show (and going to the concert) in the first place. I bought Henry a Jeff doll and he has to have it whenever he is in the car. This morning he was trying to feed it milk out of his cup. I bought him an Anthony Wiggle doll and he doesn't much care for it.

The Imagination Movers:



I like their songs--they are more upbeat and modern. I also like that they are from New Orleans. They were featured at the White House Easter Egg Roll this past Easter.

Now I am recording both of the shows and letting Henry pick which one he likes to watch--along with "The Backyardigans" which he started watching last week with Ben.

The Backyardigans:



This is a video I found on Youtube that is obviously done with a video camera by somebody, but it gives an idea of what it looks like. I think the animation is very good on this show. They use real dancers to create the animation, which adds to the realism of the look.

To watch and listen you'll have to turn off the music at the bottom of the page. I'd like to hear what shows other toddlers are watching and if these shows are popular.

Back Home Again

Yesterday was a busy day. Even before they were out of their pajamas Ben and Henry were copying each others tricks. Henry and I got up early and went down into the playroom. When we went back upstairs Henry squealed with delight when he saw Ben walking down the hallway.
As the time drew closer for the late afternoon flight the two boys really revved up their activity level. They started out by rollilng around together on the carpet.
They followed this up by chasing one another in a circle through the living room, dining room, and kitchen.
They ran until they were breathless, then stopped by the dining room table and hit the wall several times in unison, then started running again.
Here is the wall they beat. This is right after they started running again. Sometimes Ben chased Henry--sometimes Henry chased Ben.
There were several times when I thought the boys were exhausted and were going to stop. But then they got up again and started all over.

Finally the boys collapsed in exhaustion.
They really seem to have enjoyed playing together. I can see a stronger connection each time we visit (and this was the third time we have gotten them together since the adoptions).
It is easy to forget when we get so busy in our lives down in Texas that there is another little boy up in Wisconsin who looks just like Henry--one who started out in the same circumstances, went throught the same orphanage, and then their paths diverged as they were sent to two families in the United States. I can sense the meetings we have together become less about me getting to know Joe and Katie and more about these two boys continuing and strengthening their bond. Twice during this trip Katie and Ben left to pick Joe up and Henry cried and watched the car pull away from the big window. And in the morning Henry was so thrilled to see Ben.

I don't know where this road will lead us. It seems like a big responsibility not only to raise a child but also to maintain his relationship with his twin. I am really thankful that Joe and Katie are as dedicated as I am in working together for the best experience we can forge for Ben and Henry.

And the plane ride home. The flight itself was uneventful. But they certainly gave us a going over in security. Maybe it was because I forgot to take my belt off and also I wore a cap that had a metal brad in it. After I went through the sensor (with Henry strapped to my chest) I was ushered to a glassed in area where I was frisked, patted down, and rubbed with a metal wand. I had to hold Henry out at arm's length while they did the same to him. And they opened our luggage and looked through every single item. They looked at every credit card, every photograph, every piece of identification. They opened bottles and unfolded clothing. They smelled food and ran their hands over zippers and buckles.

Luckily there was plenty of time so I wasn't upset. The two workers who were dealing with us were very friendly and talked to us the entire time. Then it was off to the gate where again I was allowed to board the plane early and given an extra seat.

In the photo below I am trying to capture Henry's gaping-mouth expression as he watches the plane get faster and faster. For most of the flight he was quiet, although he didn't fall asleep until around 15 minutes before we landed.
Today is the birthdate Henry has on his Vietnamese birth certificate and on his passport--but I had it changed to coincide with Ben's birthdate. Now we aren't really sure--maybe today is actually the anniversary of the day they were born. I would like to have a solid answer some time soon so that both boys will have as accurate an account of their beginning as we can provide.

Party for Ben and Henry

We had a belated (or is it early?) birthday party for Ben and Henry.

The Vietnamese family we met came over to celebrate. Tai and Chi played with the boys, who got over their shyness.
Ben and Henry peformed tricks. They really became more animated as the evening wore on.
Tai and Chi seemed to think the boys understood some of the Vietnamese they spoke to them. I would like for them to be able to communicate in the language, but it will take friends like these to make it happen.
After we ate, while we were having cake, they looked over our documents--which are in Vietnamese with some translations. We are still trying to sort out some of the things we don't understand. They even made a few calls to Vietnam and are going to pursue some leads for us.

Vietnamese neighborhood in Chicago

We followed the Vietnamese family we met at the nail place to the Vietnamese section of Chicago. We went to a restaurant and had pho--it was almost as good as what I bought on the street in Saigon.
The boys watch the big fish in the aquarium at the restaurant.
The boys had a rice dish while the adults ate pho.
Ben also had pho--but I resisted letting Henry go through the motions of eating soup. I am gradually getting more accustomed to him feeding himself, making a mess, and getting cleaned up afterward.
The family was really nice to us. After the restaurant we went to a market. I found some of the cocounut candy like I saw being made down in the Mekong Delta.
Chi is a high school senior. She and her brother Tai have been in the country for one year.

Yesterday the boys went to the Case tractor place where Joe works. Henry picked out some tractor toys as a present from Joe and Katie for his birthday.
When we got home the boys danced as they watched the Backyardigans. At home Henry doesn't watch many new shows. He does watch the Wiggles, but he also watches old shows like Beverly Hillbillies. I used to have him watch old cartoons on Boomerang station, but I noticed they are all so violent. Someone is always fighting somebody else--Popeye fights Bluto or Tom fights Jerry. New shows like Backyardigans promote cooperation.
The boys really seem to get along well. I am very pleased with our trip and with the decision we all made to keep the boys in contact with each other.
They play together and they also play apart. They also imitate each other.

Both boys like to play with cars and trains and tractors and trucks.
They take turns riding in Ben's big car. They can propel themselves with a Fred Flintstone like action of the feet, but they also take turns pushing each other.
They sometimes get upset--wanting their turn in the car. But it is really nice to see them pushing each other.

Last night we gathered the food we bought at the market and had a Vietnamese feast. We had pho left over as well as several desert dishes. I like the ones with coconut milk.

Some of the food had tapioca, peas, bananas, and things I was not familiar with.
I relented and let Henry try some of the pho. It wasn't too messy--but it would have been hard to handle in a restaurant.
The boys try out a sled.
The boys watch a DVD in Ben's bed.

Surviving the Hurricane--in Wisconsin!

Thankfully friends and family back in Texas made it through Hurrican Ike okay. My cousin that lives in the same small rural community as me said there was no damage in our area--just some rain and the regular amount of wind considering we are in the prairie.

Meanwhile Wisonsin is getting the scraps that are left over of Ike--which mainly amounts to misting rain and slightly cooler temperatures.
Yesterday Joe and I took the boys to the Kenosha Public Museum. It is made for children--allowing you to touch the exhibits on the ground floor (but not the art on the second floor).
This is a bivalve. There are thousands of them in the channel back in Texas, near my grandmother's house. Hopefully Henry and Ben will be able to climb down there soon and find some. After every rain new ones are washed up.
Ben and Henry look at a prehistoric antelope-like creature. They were actually more interested in the museum than I thought they would be. I went into it figuring they would be bored but they found it quite compelling.
Here they look at a depiction of people cutting meat out of a mammoth.
The docent at the museum took a photo of the four of us.

Ben and Henry watch a quarter spin down into the hole.
In the ranger section of the museum tables are set up with activities for children to do. The boys enjoyed drawing with crayons. I hoted that Henry is drawing with both hands at the same time.
In the same are vaious shaped objects could be attached to the wall inside frames to create art.
On the second floor the boys pose by the large window. The lawn outside was covered with white birds.
After leaving the museum we stopped at Wal-Mart (they have them up here too) for supplies, and also made an appointment to have the boys' portrait taken.

In the evening the boys tried on their Halloween costumes--Ben as a monkey and Henry as a pumpkin.
Milwaukee has channel 49 that shows nothing but old television shows. I used to love watching these shows rerun on channel 11 back home. Henry got his first glimpse of "Petticoat Junction".
This morning it was raining a little outside (that's what's left of Hurricane Ike) and a lost duck spent a copule of hours in the back yard while the boys kept a close watch on him.
We bought the boys matching outfits for the portrait session.
Next door to the portrait studio is a nail salon--which predictably is staffed by Vietnamese. They enjoyed visiting with Henry and Ben. Tonight they have invited us to go to Chicago with them to the Vietnamese section of the city.