Busy Weekend

On Saturday our social worker came to give us the six month check up. All went really well, Henry was very well behaved. In fact it was like he was performing. I catalogued most of our experiences to her and we await the report to send off to Vietnam.

In the afternoon Henry went to a birthday party for a little boy from the Children's Center. Henry was by far the youngest and the smallest child there, but he still managed to find things like the car (below) to interest himself. He did not eat much cake and did not like the snow cones. They had a tricycle with a handle in back for me to push him--he did like that.
On Sunday we went to church. I still freak out over Henry making noise in the big meeting (the Sacrament meeting)--I got up just before the service began and moved into an adjacent classroom that is equipped with a speaker from the chapel because I was afraid he would be too difficult to deal with.
After that Henry goes into the nursery, where (with help from the teacher) he produced the drawing below. I'm sure the figures were drawn by the teacher and the scribbles were Henry's contribution, but it still made me happy to see it.

The Week of the Child

The Children's Center here on campus has been celebrating the Week of the Child this week. Tuesday they had a lecture on discipline, but I work that night so I couldn't go. Earlier in the day they had a carnival for the kids. I am not sure what they did, but Henry had a wash off tattoo, leftover cotton candy, and a goldfish in a bag. They went to the children's museum on Wednesday, and on Thursday they had a dinner for the parents and children. It was a pretty fun week.

Tomorrow the social worker is coming for the six month visit. She was supposed to come last week but had to cancel. After her morning visit we have a birthday party to attend. This will be the first thing we've done that isn't through my friends, but through Henry's friends. It's a party for a little boy from the Children's Center. Then in the evening I hope to stop and see Kevin on the way to a wedding reception. So tomorrow will definitely be a very busy day.

Here are some more pictures I took of my father and Henry I took last week while he was visiting us.

The orphanage at Binh Duong

Now that I have figured out how to post videos here is the one Loc took the day I picked Henry up at the orphanage at Binh Duong. Henry was screaming whereas Kevin and and Sara, who were also picked up by their parents that day, were placid and content. I didn't get to ask the questions I wanted to ask, you can see me writing them down at one point. Thankfully Bao who speaks Vietnamese had a good conversation with the caregivers and passed on the information to me.



Adoptive parents who are waiting to pick up their children from this orphanage have asked me about the province and the process of adopting there. I don't think they have done many adoptions, it seems like they are still figuring out the process. The orphanage had a good reputation with the USCIS and Mary Ann Russell. The Vietnamese man who facilitated my adoption of Henry with AII was affiliated with the orphanage. The nuns that my mother knew asked questions amongst their contacts and he had a good reputation within the Catholic community.

My understanding is that AII has changed facilitators. In the long run that will probably make things run smoother. I don't know anything about the new man or the connections that he might have within the local provincial government. What I can say reassuring to those who are waiting is that the caregivers at the orphanage seemed to genuinely care about the children. Henry seemed very attached to the older man and to the woman in pink. The older children also seemed involved with caring for the children. So in spite of whatever other problems might be delaying the process I think the children are cared for well.

My first day with Henry

Here is a video back at the hotel of my first day with Henry. Loc took it with his regular camera, so there is no sound. It is amazing to see how he has grown, and also to remember that he was getting used to being with me. Picking him up at the orphanage was so traumatic, he screamed and hollered and did not want to leave those caregivers. But when we got to the hotel he quietened down.

First School Portrait

I got Henry's first school picture yesterday. I knew the background was going to be the fishing pier so I dressed him in overalls. My preference would have been to put him in a traditional Vietnamese outfit but I didn't think it would match the background. I wasn't at the sitting--they took his shoes off and he seemed to have been crying when they snapped the picture.

A Visit from Granddaddy

My father has been visiting this week from Georgia. He is staying at my grandmother's house and Henry and I spent the weekend there and will go over after I get off work this week. This is the first time they have met each other. You can see that they are both comfortable and happy with each other.

In the meantime I am also getting ready for the social worker to visit next Saturday for my first after adoption report. I have made a few changes in Henry's room. I bought the rack with the bins for toys at Ikea and got the toy chest for larger toys. I like to have a place to put everything away but I like that the rack lets Henry see what is there.

I also got the hanging basket at Ikea (in the corner) to put stuffed animals in. I have the little tv in Henry's room and play Disney videos (everyone is getting rid of videos and getting DVDs) but Henry doesn't seem too interested in watching anything yet. He will watch cartoons on the television in the living room but I'm not sure he is really following any kind of story. He does like to listen to music on the CD player, it helps him go to sleep.

I took Henry to the children's center and then went back home to mow the grass. It is a huge yard, as can be seen. And not all of it is visible--there is still a big area around the barn.

And there is this big area behind the house. I did some mowing on Saturday morning before Henry woke up, and finished the rest today. I guess I will do my main mowing on Tuesday morning since I don't go into work until after lunch. Otherwise I don't really know what to do with Henry unless I get up early in the morning before he wakes up, and often it is too wet from the morning dew to mow that early.

I am not as worried about the social worker's visit as I was when she first came. I thought she was going to do some kind of white glove test and check for hospital cleanliness. There are still some things I have left to do--not all the cabinet doors have child proof locks on them, I don't have covers on the outlets, and not all the power cords are hidden away. I also still have the two bathroom doors left to paint from my remodeling--all the other doors are white but those two are still the natural wood finish.

Both of us are getting over colds

Henry and I both had colds. Maybe it was the sudden change in weather from Texas to Wisconsin. I was a little afraid he was going to be as sick as he had been back around Christmas, but fortunately that has not been the case. He had a routine doctor's appointment last Friday--for a polio vaccine and a second flu shot. He is now caught up with his shots and won't get anymore until his second birthday visit. He is on an anti-biotic for his cough, which seems to plague him at night. I think I will end up taking him to an allergist--he seems to be bothered by a cough mainly when he is lying down. I guess drainage from his nose is going back into his throat and irritating him, causing him to cough. I go to see a doctor tomorrow, I think I might have had a slight case of bronchitis.

I have noticed Henry making faces like the one taken here at the doctor's office. I finally realized he was mimicking me. I scruntch up my face when I put his shoes on or get him dressed, and he is doing the same thing I do. Now I have begun to be more aware of what my face is doing since he is copying me.

It has also been a step forward to realize he knows what I am saying, and will soon be talking to me. Currently he says cat, dog, and daddy. It will be a big change to have somebody around who can actually speak to me.

Another development--my mother has moved to San Antonio to live in a retirement community called The Village at Incarnate Word (http://www.iwretire.org/). She continued to not feel well after we returned from Vietnam and I hope she regains her vigor under their care. This has left Henry and myself on our own at the farm. Luckily Tammy who works with me in the library has stepped in to help me take care of Henry on the one night a week that I work.

I still haven't figured out what I will do with Henry while I am mowing the large yard. I might try putting a playpen in the driveway or I guess I could put him in a backpack. I guess I could buy some fencing and make a small outdoor play area. So much has to be planned out ahead of time. I just bought one of those mini-vacuums that doesn't make much noise so I can clean the floor after Henry is asleep. And of course I still have my dissertation to try and work on during those few hours after he goes to sleep and before I go to sleep.

Overall I think we are both adjusting well to our new life together.