Weekly Update

Hey everybody! We're still in Vietnam (obviously). We're really hoping to hear something this week. We've been trying to keep busy this week, and not dwell on the fact that Logan is gone, or that we are still here. We walk around a lot, we went to the Temple of Literature, and we had a get together with some of the other families that are here from our agency. We have a lot of fun walking around, it's always an adventure. Lila is still getting a lot of attention from people when we are out and about. We get stopped by students a lot so they can practice their English. It's fun. I'm finally starting to get a sense of direction and can navigate around fairly well. The traffic is still taking some getting used to. The key to crossing streets is to keep a steady pace so that the scooters can judge your movement and swerve around you. I'm not joking. It is overwhelmingly loud here. Another parent pointed out the other day that they had thought they would wait for a few years to take their child to Disney World because it would be so overwhelming, but after staying in Vietnam for two weeks had decided that Disney World was nothing. It's always extremely loud and busy. The streets only get quiet for an hour or two around 4 in the morning. It will be so nice to get home and take a nice leisurely walk without worrying about getting hit by anything.
The Temple of Literature was nice. The grounds and architecture were beautiful. It was extremely hot though. We went with two other families which is always fun. On the way home our taxi driver got lost and Lila had a melt down in the cab. The driver started getting nervous and he finally stopped and told us to get out. He took the other ladies strollers and put them in the street and opened our doors! He was in such a hurry to get away after I paid him (yes, he wanted paid) he smacked his face on the cab door and was bleeding as he sped away. Thanks Lila. We had no idea where we were, but an elderly woman pointed us in the right direction. It was a rather funny situation. We all just kept saying, "I can't believe he made us get out".


On Saturday evening we had a get together with several other families from our agency. It was fun and a little sad. I hate saying goodbye to the families that leave. I love watching all of the kids play with each other, or at least by each other. They are so flipping cute!



On Thursday I went to the Perfume Pagoda. Mom decided not to go, so she got Lila all day. I'm glad they stayed here because it was a lot more strenuous than I expected and there is no way I could have done the trip with a baby. We rode for about an hour and a half on a bus to get there. Once we arrived we got in a small boat (no way, I would have been comfortable with Lila) for an hour. Then we hiked up hill for an hour or longer. It was so beautiful, but so hot. I missed Lila a lot, but it was a great opportunity to clear my head. I had a great day, but I was so happy to get home to Lila. Mom was very happy to see me too.



Lila is doing really well. She is such a happy girl. She is so much fun. It is so hard for me to believe that we have only known each other for a month. She is getting so much bigger already! I'm sure she has gained at least a couple of pounds. You can tell she really misses Logan, and is a little stressed, but she's doing an amazing job coping (probably better than mommy and daddy). She is a whopping 9 months old already today! She's growing up so fast! She still does not like to sleep. I can usually get her to sleep, but she never falls into a sound sleep. Every 15 minutes or so she wakes up fussing. Sometimes I can pat her back to sleep, other times I have to get up and walk with her. Last night, she also started the absolute worst habit in the world...she's grinding her teeth. I can't stand it! It's awful! If anyone has any advice on the sleep issue or the teeth grinding, please let me know.

I miss everyone terribly. I have been terrible about responding to individual e-mails, sorry. Keep writing though, I love hearing from everyone. I can read while holding Lila, but responding is more difficult. I love you guys and will be home soon!