Henry and Ben visit the U of Wisconsin at Milwaukee

Henry and Ben have enjoyed being around each other.
We went to the zoo here in town on the shore of Lake Michigan. We saw monkeys and lions and other animals.
Here are the boys at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. I wanted to see the library there.
The boys enjoyed looking at the water in the fountain.
Back at home Henry liked getting in Ben's car. They had to figure out how to share things.

Henry attempts to give Ben a hug while he is in the car. Hugs for Henry involve him pressing the side of his head against somebody.
They both seem to enjoy reading--here they share a chair while they read.
They like to roll around on the floor. They laugh and squeal and then get up and run around.
They laughed with each other on this small sofa.
Still more fun to come and the boys appear to love being around each other.

We made it to Wisconsin

We had to leave the farm at four this morning. The drive was fairly easy, and getting to the terminal from the parking area wasn't that bad. Getting through security wasn't the nightmare I have been dreading, and they let me pre-board the flight, in spite of the fact that American Airlines told me via email that they do not preboard people with small children anymore. I had a seat for Henry by the window and he slept most of the flight.
Katie met us at the airport with Ben. The boys were a little shy at first, but we stopped at White Castle to eat and they really warmed up to each other.
By the time we got home the boys were really wild--running around, tickling each other, swapping toys back and forth, babbling and laughing. I haven't seen Henry act the same way with other children--it is obvious that they feel something different about each other.

As I watched them sitting next to each other and squealing with laughter I realized that these boys will have a special bond that is all their own. We can do what we can to facilitate their relationship but whatever they have between them already exists and is very much their own personal thing.

State Department Issues Update on Vietnam Adoptions

http://www.travel.state.gov/family/adoption/intercountry/intercountry_4352.html

The MOU between Vietnam and the US expired on 1 September. It appears that 600 to 700 families who have dossiers in Vietnam but have not yet received formal referrals from the DIA will have their cases closed and their paperwork returned. Those who have received a referral will presumably be allowed to continue forward with their adoptions (assuming the US government approves the case and issues a visa).

I am hoping that the two countries find a way to bridge the differences and work together on international adoptions. If Vietnam becomes a Hague country insofar as adoptions are concerned that could be a step in the right direction. There is also the caveat that I believe special needs adoptions will still continue through what I suppose could be called a moratorium.

And adoptions continue to be processed to European countries, so at least children should not be left languishing in orphanages.

Everything worked out so smoothly for me once I decided in November 2006 to switch my adoption efforts to Vietnam. My life is so blessed and I am so fortunate to have Henry as my son. I pray that negotiations will continue and will be successful in establishing a new MOU so that adoptions between our two countries can resume.

The Tail End of Hurricane Gustav

Henry and I awoke to the dying embers of Hurricane Gustav. I'm really glad that it didn't hit the coast as hard as they were expecting--and especially glad to hear that the evacuation was handled with such efficiency.
It was drizzling this morning--Henry enjoyed sticking his hand out and feeling the water. Remembering how wet it was when I was in Saigon, wading through knee high water in the street during a flash rainstorm, I have wondered what his reaction to rain would be. There hasn't been too much of a chance to check it out this summer until now.
This is the sky this morning when I got to work. In Lima they called it "donkey's belly" when they sky is totally covered with gray clouds.

Foul Language Filter

Erica asked me to explain the filter I bought for the television. Here is the cover of the box, with Mary Lou Retton as the spokesperson.
I had heard about these devices some time ago, but couldn't figure out how they worked. What it does is read the closed captioning. It does not "bleep" the foul language, it just blots it out with silence. It replaces it with a subtitle line that conveys the gist of the utterance in normal language that tries to convey the urgency, such as "Get yourself over here now!"
This is the box itself. It connects just like any other device--with cables. It has three settings--you can block only the most foul language or you can block everything, and then one setting in between.

The only drawback for me is that I use the closed captioning and with this device it must be turned off. I play the television at a very low volume when Henry is asleep and I can still tell what is going on by reading the captions. And you would be surprised how much is inaudible such as background mumblings that is written out in the closed captioning. Of course it's usually not essential to understand what is going on, but it sometimes interesting. And it is often amusing to see how noises are described--something that just sounds like a rustling noise to me might be described in closed captioning as "heavy footfalls from above" or something like that.

I must say I haven't really had a chance to test it out because I haven't watched anything that has bleepable language. Maybe when the new television season starts I'll have a chance to see better how effective it is.

Granddaddy goes home

It has been an exhausting week for me. My father stayed at my grandmother's house, which is 20 miles from my house. I took off what time I could from work but there were times I had to come in to the library. This is the first week of classes and it wasn't possible to take off all the time I wanted. After work I picked up Henry and went over to my grandmother's house and stayed until 9 or 10 and then went home with Henry. This often required me to get up earlier the next morning to give him a bath since I just put him to bed when we got home. So now I am really worn out--I slept thirty minutes during lunch and I can't wait to get home and go to bed early tonight!
My aunt Barbara Sue takes Henry on a walk around my grandmother's house.

Henry attempts to get the attention of Jackson, my aunt Betty Ann's dog.
Henry visits with my uncle Carl Lee. As one might read many people in my family go by both their first and middle names. I think it's a family tradition, or maybe a southern tradition.
I did introduce Henry to new food at my grandmother's He liked the sliced processed cheese (not sure how good it is for one's health). I also fed him unblended rice for the first time. I make it rather dry and Henry has not been able to hold it in his mouth or get it to his mouth from the spoon because the grains do not stick together. But my aunt made it with a seasoning sauce on it and it tended to stick together.
My father left last night. Henry enjoyed playing with his hat before he left.
Me, Henry, and my father pose right before my aunts take him off to the bus station. We had a great visit but I am looking forward to a restful and uneventful weekend.

And hopefully we can both be rested up before we fly up to Wisconsin on the 9th for a week with Ben and his parents Joe and Katie.

Happy Birthday Grandmother Lorene

Henry and I have had a busy weekend. My father came out from Georgia to help celebrate my grandmother's 93rd birthday. It was on Friday, but the family gathered for a party yesterday.
Henry enjoys running up to my aunt Betty Ann. She has spent a lot of time with babies and knows how to make them happy.
Henry also enjoyed looking out the window with my aunt Barbara Sue. He seemed a little overwhelmed with all the attention. He would say hi and bye to everyone, turn around in circles, and enjoy the laughter and claps that he got.

The place we have had the party at for the past five or six years closed, so we had to meet in another place. My grandmother is behind Henry, sitting by her cake. There were lots of other kids there Henry's age, but he didn't seem to feel very well so he just sat in his chair.
Henry enjoyed having his head scratched by Randi, my cousin's daughter. She has a baby girl who is a little younger than Henry.
After the party we went back to my grandmother's house. When she went to bed Henry got up in her chair and fell asleep.
Meanwhile back at my home my stepfather Harold had come up from San Antonio. The last time he was here Henry was a little skittish around him. This time he was very gregarious and enjoyed going around the barn with Harold, seeing the tractors and other equipment.
They also enjoyed playing peek a boo in the "big house". Henry and I live in what used to be the hired hand's house. I think the little house was built in 1915 and my uncle was one of the first occupants. It was moved by my grandparents in the 60s to its present location just a few feet from the big house. Since my mother and Harold have been in San Antonio since March I covered the furniture with sheets and don't go out there much. It is easier to take care of Henry in the more compact environment of the smaller house.

Oh and today was Henry's first visit to the dentist. I thought they would do something with his teeth--I added him to my dental insurance. But the dentist (a guy I went to high school with) said they don't typically see children until they are over 3. But they do let children sit in parents' laps, so Henry sat in my lap while I had my teeth cleaned. At first he was scared--he yelled when the woman took out the sharp picks and moved toward my open mouth. He lunged toward my face and tried to cover my mouth up. But by the end he had crawled up my stomach (the chair was reclined and I was in a prone position) and he peered into my mouth while she polished my teeth.