Taking the Long Way Around

FIVE

2011-10-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

Tommy turned 5 last week - it was a great birthday week/weekend! He has turned in to quite a little man, and seems so much older now that he is a big brother.

Happy 5th Birthday Tommy!!

Two Weeks

2011-07-09T12:27:00.000-07:00

The baby has been home for a little over two weeks and so far, so good! He is a very happy and social little guy, he has a great belly laugh, and loves to eat! He also sleeps through the night and takes one big nap. We are still working out a schedule/routine for everyone, but each day gets a little easier! Big brother Tommy is doing a great job showing patience with his new little brother. We are beyond happy and thrilled and very, very lucky!

Happy baby having dinner out on his second night in America!

Silly boys

Hanging with Pops!

Big Brother Tommy!

Family Day

2011-06-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

Just 24 hours ago, we were still at the airport getting to know our son! It was a wonderful day, as documented by these photos. I will write more when I have time....not sure when that will be!

On our way to O'Hare - Andy's new puppy was sitting in his carseat!

Tommy and Doug with the stroller and Tommy's backpack ready to head inside the airport.

Tara and Tommy

Some of Tommy's "posse" watching Star Wars while we waited at O'Hare.

The moment we met him. Pure joy!

With the escort who brought him from Korea to O'Hare.

He started playing right away - and eating french fries and apple dippers!

Tommy checking him out.

Yum, apple dippers.

So sweet!

Baby Gray #2

2011-06-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

After 11 long months of waiting, Baby Gray #2 will arrive in the US this Thursday, June 23! We are all working quickly to prepare the house and ourselves for his arrival! Wish us luck and I will try to post pictures shortly after his homecoming!

FOUR

2010-10-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

Tommy turned 4 last week. Can't believe it. Where have the past 3 1/2 years gone? This year's party was a Star Wars theme and instead of trains and cars, my house is filled with light sabers, Tie fighters, and Jedis!

In other news, we received a referral for a baby boy who was born in South Korea on February 14 of this year! We received the referral at the end of July and will hopefully travel to Seoul in the spring. We have not yet decided on a name, but Tommy has been calling him "Baby Andy" and likes to talk about all of the things he will teach him - and also how he'll put him in time out if he's naughty!

Sweetness

2010-03-27T07:14:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in ages, thanks to the addicting nature of Facebook. I couldn't pass this one up, though. Yesterday Tommy was being his usual 3 1/2 year old-independent-self and did not want to nap, so he had to stay in his room for "quiet time." When I went to check on him this is what I found - a book in the bed next to him and he was zonked out. I just watched him sleep and reminded myself to soak up every moment. He is growing bigger and older everyday, and his three years with us have flown by. Soon he won't nap, soon he won't need us for so many of the little things we've grown accustomed to. So for now I will enjoy it.

Nearly Three

2009-10-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

Tommy turns three in a week and we can't believe it! We had a very fun and busy summer...baseball games, playdates, vacation to the beach, visiting with cousins and aunts and uncles, and lots of playing in the backyard!

Showing off his giant sunflowers that we grew from seed. You cannot see clearly the largest one that drooped down like a showerhead - he loved it. Each day we'd check to see how much they had grown.

Painting faces at the zoo

Enjoying an apple cider donut at the orchard

Perfect fall day!

Handsome

2009-08-02T13:00:00.001-07:00

July

2009-07-30T06:58:00.000-07:00

Tommy has been quite the traveler this month. We have been to visit family in Milwaukee and Iowa and Grandma has spent a lot of time with us as well. Summer is flying by and before we know it, Tommy will be starting preschool in September!

Tommy and cousin Henry giving themselves a shower at the water table

Checking out the cockpit on a WWII bomber plane

Charlie, Henry, and Tommy in new matching outfits from Grandma - impossible to get them to pose

Doing some spelunking at the children's museum in Waterloo, Iowa

So proud of his lightning bugs!

Cute!

Dalmation

2009-07-14T19:11:00.001-07:00

We have a dalmation in our house now....that's what Tommy calls himself when we talk about his "spotted" feet! When he first started wearing his Crocs earlier this summer, I noticed spots on his feet one night and thought it was dirt, but no, it is Crocs tan lines. It cracks me up - these pictures are from about 3 weeks ago, so the "spots" are much more visible now. It is too cute!

More Summer Fun

2009-07-14T19:02:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a mini vacation to St Louis at the end of June and Tommy was a great traveler. We spent time with old friends, visited a great children's museum and went to a Cardinals game. Such a fun weekend - we can't way to do it again next year!

June

2009-06-23T05:28:00.000-07:00

Some pics from the past month.....

His favorite fruit - watermelon - we told him to not eat the seeds or he'll have watermelons growing out of his ears (it's what my grandpa used to tell me) and now he repeats it everytime he eats it!

Hanging with his friend Sarah - they act a lot like brother and sister!

Nicholas (almost 4) and Tommy - it was nearly impossible to get them to stand still.

Something happened here with Blogger -- Tommy likes to "read" the newspaper just like Doug does every morning - these are the nice photos -- what happens after this is he rips up the newspaper and has black newsprint on his hands. He recognizes Barack Obama on the news and in the paper and will scream, "Barack Obama" over and over when he sees his picture.

Catching Up

2009-05-28T11:49:00.001-07:00

I've been remiss in updating this blog, mainly due to the much smaller number of pictures I take of Tommy lately. He either does a "cheese" smile when he sees the camera OR he runs the other way.

We've been visiting many parks now that the weather is nicer (though we have had a ton of rainy, dreary days) and having playdates, going to the library, etc. We also enjoy trips to the zoo about twice a month - last month one of the zoo's two elephants passed away so the entire house was closed. When we went to see them and I told him they were sleeping he said, "It's ok, I'll wake them up!"

Tommy amazes us with his large vocabulary and outgoing personality.

Have a great summer and enjoy some pictures from the last two months!

Ryan Family "reunion" - Memorial Day 2009

Eating Avanti's with cousin Ryan

Tommy was not interested in a Ryan grandchildren photo opportunity!

He grabbed the globe and said, "look Mommy, Tommy born in Vietnam" - so cute - he is very interested in looking at the globe and having us point out Vietnam, Chicago, and Boston.

Touch a Truck Day - cool dude in his new sneakers and toting his snack cup

Touch a Truck Day

Enjoying some delicious limoncello gelato

Easter 2009 - with Uncle Doug

our first bowling adventure with Tommy's friend Sarah

CHEESE at Mykha's on Tommy's adoption day

Two Years

2009-04-03T05:33:00.001-07:00

Two years ago this morning we scrambled to the Hanoi airport with three other families to catch a flight to Danang. The other three families left immediately to meet their children, while Doug and I had to wait at the hotel all morning and into the early afternoon to make our drive to Tam Ky. Who knew we would be so lucky that day?

We love you Tommy!

Lots of Catching Up

2009-03-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

I will admit that I have not been the best blogger as of late. It's nearly impossible to get a good photo of Tommy, so I rarely have my camera out - and then I have been taking a long time to download pics, etc....but here are some from the past month or so....enjoy!

Cousin Caroline, Uncle Nathan, and Tommy enjoying Tante Angie's famous Whoopee Pies - it was Tommy's first and of course he loved the chocolate deliciousness Caroline and Tommy chowing on Whoopee Pies

Pops, Tommy, and Doug shoveling the last of Ipswich's 12" snowfall in March - just two days later we were at the beach!

Before his last haircut - being a stinker

Happy Valentine's Day! We made cupcakes and Tommy really liked the frosting

At dinner

His new trick - chugging a drink from a straw and holding it in his mouth

Checking out the Giant Sea Turtles at Shedd Aquarium

Checking out the rowboat at the Aquarium

Sweet boy

On March 29, it will be two years since we departed for Vietnam. We can't believe it. The time has flown by. We are amazed at what a little miracle Tommy is and how lucky we are to be his parents. We read to him his "lifebook" we created after his adoption and I always say, "When Mommy and Daddy met you, we were so happy," and now when he looks at the book he repeats the line. I know it's just mimicking, but it melts my heart.

Happy 2009

2009-01-22T14:41:00.001-08:00

A recap of the past few weeks......

Enjoying the delicious french fries that came with the McDonald's play food set from Santa

Playing some Christmas tunes with cousin Casey

Our huge snowman built on Christmas Day - hat is an old Illini winter cap, wool scarf, carrot nose, chocolate cookie eyes, and olives for a mouth. It was quite a masterpiece....and then it melted three days later :( Tommy kept saying, "oh no, Frosty melting!"

Enjoying some Thai food on New Year's Eve with May and Pops

Happy Birthday to Mommy

May and Pops are leaving for the airport

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T07:26:00.000-08:00

Adios, Baby Mullet

2008-12-09T18:40:00.000-08:00

As you can see in previous posts, Tommy's hair was turning into a baby mullet....I didn't mind until lately, when it was really unruly and would stick out or curl over his ears. It was time for a haircut.

Getting him to sit required the movie Cars to be playing and a lollipop in hand - he did quite well - oh, and french fries for lunch. Now he looks very grown up!

Our Second Snow Day, 2008

2008-12-09T18:31:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday morning was sunny and not too cold -- while we shoveled the driveway, Tommy rode his tractor around and loved it. He was bundled up in his snowsuit and boots this time, and was very, very warm! He had a blast running around our yard and the neighbor's yard, making tracks in the snow, and making snow angels.

Pointing at an airplane

Trekking across the neighbor's back yard - yes, they knew we were there and they don't mind!

Snow angel!

Big snow angel

Serious rosy cheeked boy

Our First Snow Day, 2008

2008-12-09T18:27:00.000-08:00

Tommy loved playing in the snow! We bundled up and headed out - he grabbed his tractor from the garage and drove it around in the snow. After a few minutes (and refusing to put on any mittens) he said, "mama, cold, inside." So we headed in.....and now he wears his mittens!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-09T18:19:00.001-08:00

Tommy's cousin Ryan was home for a week from college during Thanksgiving - he babysat for us a couple of times, and this is what I came home to one evening - Tommy completely zonked out after lots of playing! He had a blast with him and we hope he comes back during his long Christmas vacation!

Apparently my camera was not easily accessible during our Thanksgiving trip to my Mom's, since these are the only pictures I got.....

Mom playing cards with Casey, Megan, and Maeve

Tommy, Henry, and Charlie playing with cars, tractors, and trains - and usually fighting over them as well!

Thankful

2008-11-24T15:23:00.000-08:00

We have so much to be thankful for this year....namely one silly little boy!

Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels.

Tara, Doug, and Tommy

Tommy and Nicholas

2008-11-14T18:04:00.000-08:00

Tommy's friend Nicholas (and his parents) joined us for dinner a couple of weeks ago. Nicholas is a little more than a year older than Tommy. They had fun watching "Cars" and playing together!

Tommy Says VOTE!

2008-11-03T15:04:00.000-08:00

Halloween

2008-11-03T14:54:00.001-08:00

Tommy dressed as a firefighter on the day before Halloween -- on Halloween he was not interested in that costume and instead wore last year's costume -- a puppy dog. It was not the best weather for a warm furry puppy dog costume -- 75 and humid -- but oh well. He had fun!

Now that he's 2.....

2008-11-03T14:48:00.000-08:00

Some recent pictures of the 2 year old:

With his biggest fan and #1 cousin Megan -- eating raisins and watching Thomas On Demand on the big screen TV.

With all of the Curi cousins doing Tommy's "squint" face.

The "squint" face -- he says "Megan" when he makes this face.

The Zoo with Cousins

2008-10-26T17:16:00.001-07:00

The day before Tommy's bday party we went to the zoo with Henry, Charlie and Megan. There wasn't a lot of interest in the animals - more in the playground and the indoor play area.

Tommy touching a huge African cockroach - the volunteer had to remind him to be gentle because he wanted to smoosh it between his fingers!

2nd Birthday

2008-10-26T17:04:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit overdue in posting birthday pictures......but two weeks ago today, Tommy had a fun birthday party with some of his cousins, aunts and uncles, grandma, and neighbors! He had an awesome chocolatey Lightning McQueen cake and received LOTS of trains for gifts!

Cousin Charlie is so sleepy he can't even sing Happy Birthday!

Not sure what to think of the cake and candle....

Watching Grandma Sharon cut the cake

The Last Month.....

2008-10-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

We visited Aunt Tracey, Uncle Doug and cousins Henry and Charlie at the end of September to celebrate Charlie's first birthday!

Tommy loved all of Henry and Charlie's toys, especially the tractors and diggers!
Here he is pulling Charlie in the wagon.

Henry is helping Tommy move all of the mulch

Doing some mechanical work on the airplane ride on toy - airplane is one of his favorite words right now, and when he says it, he spreads his wings and flies around. Very funny.

Tommy's gangsta look

Tommy and his friend Sarah, showing off their belly buttons.

Zonked

2008-10-15T10:09:00.001-07:00

Will update soon.......with birthday party pictures!

Almost Two

2008-09-21T18:00:00.001-07:00

Tommy turned 23 months and is acting more and more like a 2 year old everyday - that is, having fake crying fits when he doesn't get what he wants instantly, throwing down toys in anger when someone doesn't play with him, etc....all just normal toddler milestones!

Last week we had a few cool days and we got out the winter pajamas - they still fit from a year ago.....and then he found his sunglasses, which he refused to wear all summer.

Pulling his Cars wheely backpack - he hadn't seen it in awhile so it was like a new toy. He had his sunglasses, two pacifiers, his "burpy" (burp cloth that he uses like a blanket), and some cars.

I was trying to have him put two pacifiers in his mouth at once, but he wouldn't - but he does look pretty cool in those Diego shades and duck jammies.

And more food pictures - it seems like I always have pictures of Tommy eating.....note the empty cob of corn on his tray!

Weekend at Grandma's

2008-09-21T17:54:00.000-07:00

Tommy and I spent four days with my Mom last weekend - he had a blast! He brought along his Arthur doll, and he can now say Arthur as clear as day, and was feeding him breakfast.

After two days of being stuck in the house while it poured buckets of rain, we escaped to TJ Maxx and found some cool Cars Mega Blocks toys - here he is making my mom race cars around the coffee table - and laughing. He was in love with "gaga" and was sad to leave all of her fun toys and treats!

The Zoo

2008-09-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

Friday was a gorgeous day, and Doug is using up some vacation time, so we went to the zoo! Note that there are no pictures of the animals - there was no time for that - we were too busy keeping up with Tommy. The highlight of the day for Tommy was watching the crazy nesting geese who were attacking picnickers - we had to move 3 times before we found a goose-free zone. Yuck.

Fine Dining

2008-09-21T17:41:00.000-07:00

Friday night we took Tommy to our favorite local restaurant - Francesca's on the River - the place where we got engaged and where we went to celebrate Tommy's referral, along with birthdays, anniversaries, etc....we went early to avoid crowds, and he was a perfect dining companion! He usually does fine in restaurants, but this time he did really, really well. Maybe it was the new trucks he brought along (I bought a few new ones at a garage sale that morning for 25 cents apiece, you can see the truck with crayons sticking out of the windows!) or the large bowl of buttery and cheesy pasta that he devoured...and then of course the scoop of vanilla gelato that he was kind enough to share with Daddy.

Thomas in Real Life

2008-09-09T20:40:00.000-07:00

Thomas the Train, that is......live and in person......we visited the traveling Thomas the Train at the Illinois Railway Museum a few weeks ago. Tommy was kind of interested -- he wanted to climb up on the REAL trains that they have there.

The ride on the Thomas is pretty uneventful, but the boys did love to see him driving by.

Tommy is looking down - cousin Henry on the right and Henry's friend Carter on the left

Now Tommy is looking back - getting a shot of them was nearly impossible.

Here's the main attraction -- note: you do not ride inside of the Thomas train - a lot of the kids seemed troubled by that!

Tommy leading Henry and Carter in the line.

Not great, but at least they are all looking at the camera!

It's all about the Food

2008-09-08T06:33:00.000-07:00

Tommy has always been a great eater and is always willing to try something new that he sees on our plates. This summer he has been in heaven with all of the fresh fruits and veggies from the farmer's markets we go to, as well as tomatoes from our own garden.

Here he is enjoying some corn on the cob - he knows just how to eat it and loves it!

Devouring a juicy peach - he eats them right down to the pit!

And lastly, a tomato from our garden. He helps me to pick the tomatoes by putting them in his bucket and carrying them in to the house. Last week we were picking tomatoes and I turned around to hand him one, and he was eating a tomato just like an apple -- I think he may be the reincarnation of my Dad!

Sporting his new froggy rain boots - they are a bit too big, but he insisted on wearing them and splashing in the puddles outside.

More cool weather gear - the summer heat and humidity has finally subsided and we can wear jeans and turn off the air conditioner.

Watching for the school bus......

Vacation, Part 2

2008-08-28T17:37:00.000-07:00

More shots from vacation - the beach pics were taken while I was in the boat and the guys were on the sandbar playing with the kids, so they're pretty far away.

Checking out the ocean water

Having a discussion with Pops about digging in the sand
Pops, Caroline, Tommy and Doug building a sand castle

Doug's Dad reads about 3 newspapers a day, so Tommy was in heaven with the abundant papers in their house - at home he will open up a section while we are reading the paper and say "read"

Vacation, Part 1

2008-08-27T18:35:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago we left for Boston to visit Doug's family for a long weekend. I'm just now downloading pictures from the weekend. Tommy had a great time playing with his cousins, riding in the boat in Ipswich Bay, playing on the sandbars and Crane's Beach, and swimming in Uncle Nathan's pool. More pictures in following posts.....

Enjoying Elmo birthday cake for Daddy and cousin Caroline's birthdays - the red frosting was EVERYWHERE

Cake and ice cream with the Gray cousins

He hated that life jacket but did like the pool after a few minutes - I think it's time to start swimming lessons

22 Months

2008-08-13T19:54:00.001-07:00

Look at how much he has changed from one year ago...... No longer quite as chubby in the face, but still absolutely adorable!

Life as a Stay at Home Mom

2008-08-08T20:22:00.000-07:00

My job recently ended (I worked in the office two days a week) and Tommy and I are now home together everyday. I will admit that I was a bit anxious about being home every day without a "break" (my break being going to the office/Tommy to daycare) but we are having a lot of fun and quickly finding a new routine together.

Last weekend we traveled to Iowa with my Mom to visit my sister and her family. Tommy was a great traveler and liked playing with his cousin's toys.

Next week we travel to Boston to visit Doug's family for a few days.....more pictures when we return!

Getting ready to take a wagon ride with the neighbors - Tommy adores them and they love their "baby"

Trying on cousin Henry's cool fireman's outfit -- he could not walk very well in the boots, but maybe Aunt Tracey will let him borrow it for Halloween and he could get some practice ahead of time???

Enjoying a delicious snack of juice and cheese crackers with Henry - yum yum, as Tommy would say

Taking a ride in Henry's Jeep -- yes, it really drives, and yes, they both wore helmets

Playing with his new sand and water table that was an early birthday gift from Grandma Sharon -- and wearing his railroad engineer's hat from Pops, in preparation for the upcoming visit with the real Thomas the Train!

Cracking up and having a great time with another neighbor at a baseball game -- Tommy chowed more popcorn, cotton candy, and someone's french fries -- he is not shy when it comes to food. He did great at the game until the fireworks started -- then he lost it.

So handsome :)

More Summertime Fun

2008-07-28T17:54:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month we went to a Kane County Cougars game (our local minor league team) with our friends the Raschkes - Tommy and Nicholas had a great time chowing on popcorn and just running and running!

Most afternoons we fill up the kiddie pool and Tommy jumps in - here he's showing off one of his fake frogs.

This picture cracks me up - it looks like he is mad or yelling, but it was really just mid splash.....he looks like such a muscle man!

Serious Tommy

And lastly, the look I'm seeing a lot of lately - Tommy has learned that his pout will usually get him whatever it is that he wants.....unless it's another popsicle :)

21 Months

2008-07-14T06:46:00.001-07:00

Enjoying one of his favorite meals - broccoli, cheese, ham, and peaches

And afterwards, we have a popsicle! Orange seems to be his favorite - and he now runs to the fridge and hangs on the door handles until he gets a popsicle.....or until I can drag him away to do something else.

Yet another haircut - this one is much shorter than the last, but it came with a lot of tears and screaming.

Checking out the frog fountains at the Arboretum.

Now that Tommy is 21 months old, do I have to start saying "he's almost 2" when people ask his age? How has the time flown by so quickly? Tommy has grown taller and has lost a lot of his baby fat, except for his chubby cheeks. He's talking more and more everyday, with his latest words being "happy, broccoli, Maggie (my mom's dog), and Aidan (the neighbor boy)."

A Boy and His Trains

2008-07-01T19:23:00.000-07:00

Tommy has been having a lot of fun with his train table we purchased earlier this summer - at a garage sale for a great price! He could spend most of the afternoon playing with his trains - big, small, and he even puts cars and trucks and tractors on the table.

Some of his favorite things to do are run the trains all around the track we set up - here you can see the hill and he makes "chug" noises while the trains go up the hill and then "wheeeee" while they go down - yes, we watch Thomas the Train DVDs.

He's also really good at putting the animals in the "circus" cars - and he knows all of the different animals there are - elephant, pig, horse/donkey.

And when he gets tired of playing nicely, he usually crashes the trains together or if he's really mad about something, he throws them.

On Sunday we visited a very small train museum in a nearby town. Tommy fell asleep on the way there, and when he woke up and saw trains in front of him, he was thrilled.

Checking out an old interurban trolley car.

Getting ready for our big train ride.

And we ended the day with a trip to Dairy Queen where Tommy got his own baby size ice cream!

Summertime

2008-06-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

Tommy had his haircut about two weeks ago - the top was successfully cut using clippers, but the back needed more taken off but he melted down - not even a sucker or toy truck helped. So, next time it will be shorter all over.

Here are two pre-haircut pics

And after

Enjoying a popsicle on the front porch - it's become a regular thing.

Tommy makes this face a lot - usually he'll say "all done" or "uh no no," meaning "I don't know."

Enjoying every last bite!

Nature Boy

2008-06-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

We've been spending a lot of time playing outside, and Tommy loves it. Our garage is now full of a bike trailer for Tommy, several ride-on cars, fire engines, a wagon, and a stroller. We now have a one-car garage. Oh well.

This was Tommy on the way home from our walk last night - checking out an airplane in the sky.

Smiling as he saw a dog coming down the street.

Watching another airplane

Trying to get him to keep on his new sunglasses

Enjoying some chocolate pudding for dessert

and licking the bowl clean!

The Kansas Cousins

2008-06-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

Tommy had another weekend full of family visitors. His two cousins and uncle from Kansas stayed with us for the weekend and Tommy had a blast! They loved reading to Tommy and feeding him donuts. He will be in heaven in two short weeks when he sees them again, along with three other cousins - fun times!

What We've Been Doing

2008-05-28T06:47:00.000-07:00

This month has flown by! We've been busy with playdates, visitors, graduations, and lots of time outdoors!

This is Tommy and his buddy Nicholas, who is almost 3. Nicholas knows to smile at the camera - Tommy still ignores it and usually runs. We met Nicholas and his parents at the Morton Arboretum a couple of weeks ago. They have a great children's area and the two of them wore each other out.

Smelling the pretty tulips

Last week Tommy's cousin Henry stayed with us for a few days - the only pictures of the two of them together are while they were watching a DVD - and here, chewing on their pacifiers.

I think Henry had just woken up from a nap here - Tommy was trying to exchange pacifiers with Henry.

Early morning PBS and milk time

And lastly, cute baby Charlie!! He had just arrived at our house after a morning of airplane travel and was still a happy little boy!

Charlie says, "no more paparazzi, Aunt Tara."

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T14:54:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Tommy and I hit the local garage sales and came home with a slide for the backyard, a cozy coupe, this tricycle, some random trucks, and a train table complete with tracks and Brio trains! It was like Christmas - for about $100!

Tommy was testing out the trike in the garage because it was raining this day.

Bathtime - before his latest haircut.

Our park district has an event called "Touch a Truck" once or twice a year - it was truck heaven. There were about 2 dozen trucks, cars, busses, cranes, and bulldozers there - and a cement mixer. Kids could climb on, sit on, and honk the horns. Tommy loved it!

Checking out the back wheels of the cement mixer.

"Kissing" his baby doll - he really likes the doll, but also throws it down when he sees his train table. He has also been giving the baby drinks from his sippee cup and saying "num, num, num."

Happy Mother's Day!

May Day

2008-05-01T16:32:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been busy with visits from grandparents, trips to the zoo, park, and playgroups. When the weather was warm, we were spending hours outside each day. Then, it turned cold and rainy, and we've been houesbound most of this week. Tommy manages to have fun regardless of the weather, as you can see in these pictures.

We have been very saddened by the news of Vietnamese adoptions coming to an end. Though not surprising given recent events, we are still upset by the news and very sad for the children waiting for families in VietNam.

I'm copying this from my friend Dawn, whose daughter Katie is adopted from VietNam, and who, like us, was planning on adopting another child from VietNam, but now will wait:

The message I want to leave you with is this. Surely in the coming weeks all of you will encounter some kind of news release related to Vietnamese adoptions. The articles you read and the news releases you watch will be disturbing, and your thoughts will immediately turn to those you know who have adopted a child from Vietnam. The information uncovered by the US government will forever impact the thoughts people have regarding Vietnam and adoption. This will be a difficult stigma to overcome. Please remember, that although they have found cases of fraud and wrong doing this does not mean that ALL adoptions from Vietnam are unethical. Hundreds of Vietnamese children were adopted by US families last year and it is simply impossible for all of them to be associated with fraudulant, unethical behavior. Most people, by nature tend to believe the worst. You have the power to educate these misguided individuals. In doing so you may quite possibly prevent the types of comments that can be so hurtful to adoptive parents and their children.

And lastly, a quote I came across today on my planner at work, of all places.

"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." --Desmond Tutu

How true, how true.

Homecoming

2008-04-16T07:01:00.000-07:00

One year ago today, we arrived back at O'Hare - my sister and niece were there to meet us after we picked up our luggage and made our way through the loonnggg line at the customs and immigration desk. Tommy became a US Citizen when the immigration officer stamped his IR-3 visa, and we had never been so happy to get off of an airplane!
The flights were long, but thinking back, they weren't that bad. Ninh took us to the Hanoi airport around 10pm on April 15, and we boarded a flight to Seoul around midnight. Tommy slept the entire 5 hour flight to Seoul, and then during most of the 5 hour layover at the Seoul Incheon Airport. He was wide awake and ready to go when we boarded the plane for our 14 hour flight to O'Hare!

18 Months

2008-04-15T11:05:00.001-07:00

Tommy turned 18 months old on Sunday. He passed his 18 month checkup with flying colors and was flirting with all of the nurses and doing all of his tricks for the doctor.
He is in love with anything with wheels - trains, school bus, trucks, wagons, etc. His current favorite is the loud school bus that wheels itself when you push the button. He pushes it under the couch and chairs, and then crawls under to retrieve it. He's also been watching a Thomas the Tank Engine DVD over and over, and has a new Thomas push train he carried around with the school bus.
The weather has turned warmer, so we've been out for walks and stroller rides to the park. He is becoming more steady on the stairs that go to the slide, and is becoming braver when it comes to climbing on things outside and around the house.
Happy Spring!

Celebration

2008-04-15T10:57:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Tommy's adoption day with a chocolate cake and balloons. Tommy liked stinking his finger in the chocolate frosting and hitting the balloons like they were drums.

Giving Mommy a taste of the frosting

The cake, minus two fingers full of frosting

Yum

Tommy is very generous when it comes to sharing his food

Our Adoption Day

2008-04-03T10:22:00.000-07:00

One year ago today, April 3, 2007, we met our son. In some ways, this day is more monumental to us than Tommy's birthday because it is the day we became a family. The day we had worked towards for months, traveled around the world for, and wanted for a very long time.

We've been looking through our pictures from our trip to Vietnam, and of course, of the day we met Tommy. Looking back at those first pictures, we realize what lucky parents we are to have such a happy and easy-going baby. We were so fortunate that he bonded almost instantly with us - there was no grieving, no wailing, no signs of distress, and for that we are very thankful to his nannies at the Tam Ky Baby Centre.

Tommy, we love you more than we could ever have imagined.

Last year at this time....

2008-04-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

we were in Hanoi, biding our time until we flew to Danang on April 3. We had met two of the three families we were traveling with, and also two families in the travel group ahead of ours.

We spent the day walking around West Lake and visited the Tran Quoc Pagoda, and we went to dinner at Bobby Chinn's with two of the other families. We joked that it was like a last supper for us - as a childless couple, that is.

Offerings of money and fresh fruit to Buddha. This picture always reminds me of the book Stealing Buddha's Dinner - a very good read.

There was something very peaceful and calming about West Lake and the pagoda. I remember watching this guy fish - and it sounds silly now, but I thought, wow, I'm in Vietnam. And I'm going to be a mom tomorrow. How did this happen? How did we get here? And that guy is just fishing - doesn't he know how important this moment is in our lives? See, it does sound silly, but I was so wrapped up in my own anticipation and nervousness, that I failed to take in a lot of the surroundings and beauty of the country.

Check out the Baby Boy

2008-03-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

View a few pics from Tommy's Celebrating Adoption photo shoot this past weekend with a great photographer, Melissa Waller, in Monticello, Illinois.

We celebrated Easter weekend with my two sisters and their families, and one of my brothers and his family. I took almost no pics the entire weekend, so I have nothing to share here.

This coming Saturday marks the day we left for Vietnam one year ago, and next Thursday is the first anniversary of meeting Tommy. We cannot decide just how to celebrate or mark the occasion.....stay tuned.

Frequent Flyers

2008-03-18T18:27:00.001-07:00

A few days after we returned from our trip to Florida, Tommy got his third haircut - this one is really, really short! But, he looks great!

Here he's wearing his Mr Mischief shirt -- very fitting for the little guy. This was taken on Tommy's 17 month birthday, March 13.

Early last week we received the very sad news that one of Doug's uncles had passed away, so we all flew to Boston over the weekend.

We drove to Cambridge to visit Doug's grandmother and Tommy's great grandmother - he loved her, his great aunt, and running around the house! Here he is holding a stuffed cat he found while he was nosing around -- they also had yummy cookies that he helped himself to!

A wooden goose at his great grandmother's house -- he thought it was a car.

Hanging with his cousins -- I'm not sure if he's picking Caroline's nose or giving her a cookie.....he had a great time with all of his cousins - and despite the circumstances, it was fun to see everyone.

Tommy proved to be a great traveler once again. Here he is hanging in the Fisher Price children's area at the Manchester airport - our flight was delayed an hour, but Tommy was perfectly content running around the terminal pointing at anything with wheels and hanging out in the play area.

Doug and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary on Sunday with his family, and of course, Happy St Patrick's Day a bit late!

Beach Bum

2008-03-06T18:34:00.000-08:00

We spent our first family vacation on Captiva Island, Florida. It was a great 4 days and we wish we could have stayed longer!

Tommy was a great traveler - we're hoping he continues to be one.

Tommy literally dug right in to the sand. He also took a big taste of some sand, but decided he didn't like it and didn't try again.

Tommy wasn't interested in the pool - we think because the water was fairly cool. He loved the beach - absolutely loved it. He ran up and down, up and down, tried to chase birds, and watched all the other kids on the beach.

We spent Monday morning with a couple we met en route to VietNam - they live in Florida and picked us up on their boat. Tommy did great except for about 2 minutes before this picture was taken - he lost his lunch all over Mommy! Fun!

Our last night in Florida - waiting to sit down to dinner at the Mucky Duck.

It's hard to see, but Tommy is showing his tongue - a fun new game he's learned. He seemed to enjoy the Florida lifestyle and said he wishes his grandparents lived there so he could visit more often!

Our vacation was just enough to get us through these last weeks of winter......I think!

Ready for Vacation

2008-03-06T18:28:00.000-08:00

This is Tommy one week ago, before we left for vacation. I've been rotating toys every couple of weeks and he discovered a push-n-go Thomas the Train that he can't get enough of - this picture shows him watching the train go - I think under the couch!

Here's his favorite toy du jour.

And this is crabby Tommy, ready to get out of the Midwest for awhile and also very mad because he's just too tall to walk under the kitchen table.

Snow, Snow, and More Snow

2008-02-21T06:15:00.001-08:00

Just when we thought spring was around the corner with a "warm" (30 degrees) weekend, it snowed again!
We took Tommy on two wagon rides this weekend and he loved looking around at all of the trees and people walking their dogs.
We celebrated Tet with some other families and their Vietnamese children two weeks ago. Tommy's friends Nicholas and Andrew were there. Tommy did not like the dragon dance performance - it was loud and he was scared, maybe next year he'll like it??

Asleep in the highchair - I think this was a no-nap or very short nap day and he fell asleep eating.....note the State Farm bib, courtesy of Uncle Mark - Tommy loves the bib because of the bear

Ah, more snow!

I just love the hat!

Tommy is very interested in shoes - his and ours. Here he was trying on Mommy's UGGs

Sharing a cupcake wiht Daddy at the Tet party - authentic Vietnamese cupcakes. Ha!

Tommy with his buddy Nicholas - you can't tell in this picture but they look a lot alike.

Chuc Mung Nam Moi!

2008-02-07T12:30:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Today is Tet, the Vietnamese New Year. We will celebrate with other families and their Vietnamese children next weekend in Chicago. Today Tommy and I shared a book, "Ten Mice for Tet," with his play class and they all loved the colorful pictures. We also gave out candy wrapped in red foil - not quite the same as giving gifts in red envelopes, but close.
We've been covered in snow for the past week. Last Friday was a snow day for all of us and Tommy loved it! He walked from our house to the neighbor's house after Doug plowed the driveway and sidewalk - he was in heaven.
Stay warm!

Tommy and Doug outside in the snow - not sure why he insists on wearing those red gloves??

Walking down the freshly plowed sidewalk

Tommy loved walking around outside - and did pretty well even without boots.

Tommy's Mad Bomber hat

Chubby Cheeks - enjoying a homemade sticky roll on our snow day last week

Watching Doug outside and laughing

he really wasn't upside down, it's just the picture......

Mad Max Tommy

2008-01-30T21:02:00.000-08:00

Tommy and I drove to Iowa this weekend for baby Charlie's baptism. Tommy had a great time playing with Henry's toys - especially all of his trucks and cool trains. Henry has a cool ride-on train and "power wheels" and Tommy was the perfect size for the power wheels all-terrain vehicle. He jumped right on and figured out how to press the button to make it go - steering was a bit difficult, but then he'd just get off and push it where he wanted it to go.....

Henry on the train and Tommy on the ATV

Watch out!

Now, if I just press this button....

Sweet Baby Charlie - keeping a watchful eye on his big brother and cousin

Post Script - Tommy's shirt reads "Happy as a Clam, Ipswich, Massachusetts" - Doug's hometown that is famous for their clams.

15 Month Stats

2008-01-24T19:00:00.000-08:00

Tommy had his 15 month dr's visit today and weighed in at 23.5 pounds and 30 inches long - he seems much heavier than that! Despite his frequent colds and respiratory issues, he is thriving.

We have all been stir crazy with the freezing cold weather and snow. Tommy loves to look out the backdoor at all of the snow and when one of us gets our coat and shoes on, he runs to the back door and is ready to go, too! So, we're hoping for nicer weather soon so we can get out and about easier.

More housework for Tommy

Sitting inside the cardboard box that he prefers over all of his toys

Peeking out of one of the holes Doug cut in the box - he tips the box on its side and climbs in and stands up. He's a good problem solver!

He fits just perfectly for now....

Going back in to climb out and run off to make a mess somewhere else.

We are going to Florida in one month and we cannot wait. We usually love winter weather but this year has been especially cold and it's not easy or pleasant to take Tommy out in the extreme cold.

Stay warm!

One Year ago Today....

2008-01-17T05:52:00.000-08:00

I was sitting at work when our program coordinator, Robyn, from CAS called and said, "Are you sitting down? This is it - this is your referral call." How could that be? We'd only sent in our dossier one week prior, and we thought we'd be waiting 3 or 4 months.

Robyn gave me all of the details - the baby's name, date of birth, height, weight, and location. Shortly after the call she sent an email with pictures and medical information. I quickly called Doug, who was on his way to a dentist appointment, and told him to pull over somewhere to get on email. He went into the local library and we both opened the email at the same time - and then Doug was a little weirded out because he was looking at pictures of a naked baby on the library computer! But we were both in awe of the gorgeous little boy whose face we saw that day - and I printed off several copies to carry with me - and just stared at his face.

We celebrated with dinner that night and when we told the waitress our good news, they brought us shots of grappa, which nearly burned our insides, but hey, they were happy for us!

All of our hardwork and waiting and hoping and praying were worth it - all of the sadness of the past couple of years melted away in the moment we saw his face. He was going to be our son.
We cannot believe that one year has passed since that day - a day we will never forget, Wednesday, January 17, 2007. We love you Tommy!

Tommy's referral picture, taken at 7 weeks old

Look at him now! Christmas 2007

Riding on his Spiderman car - Christmas 2007

Trying out the snowsuit - December 2007

Tommy loves the Swiffer - he grabs it every time the pantry door opens

We really didn't train him to do this.....

15 Months Old

2008-01-13T18:06:00.000-08:00

Tommy turned 15 months old today - here are some of his newest tricks:
-pointing one arm straight up in the air and turning in a circle
-walking backwards until he hits a chair/couch/wall and then laughing when he bumps into it
-climbing off of chairs and the couch - but not yet climbing up
-using a spoon to eat yogurt and a fork to eat green beans
-looking at himself in the mirror and cracking up
He rarely walks these days - it's all running. He had a fun weekend at Grandma's house - we visited the Discovery Children's Museum where Tommy drove a tractor, and we met his friend Gracie (also from Vietnam) for dinner.
This week we will celebrate the one year anniversary of Tommy's referral, on January 17!

This is before the haircut - and despite Tommy's support, the Illini did not pull off a Rose Bowl victory. Maybe in another 20 years when he's a student there......

Pushing the box that his kitchen came in - Doug cut holes in it for doors/windows and Tommy loves to play inside it.

Crawling inside the box to retrieve a toy

Note the shorter hair - and round belly. On our scales, Tommy weighs 25 pounds! He's sitting in his new chair that fits him perfectly!

Driving the combine at the Discovery Children's Museum - Grandpa Buddy would be proud!

Lots of Tommys -- inside a mirrored tunnel at the museum.

Pointing to Gracie - not sure why?

Please, no more pictures!

Merry Christmas and Happy 2008

2008-01-09T22:56:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year with Tommy - it was our best one yet, without a doubt.

Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of sending our dossier to Vietnam - and one quick week after that we received our referral. It's hard to believe an entire year has gone by and we know that 2008 will be just as much fun as 2007. More pictures soon, to celebrate Tommy's referral day!

Hanging with some cousins on Christmas Eve - Tommy loved all of the attention.

Tommy's new basketball hoop from Grandma Sharon - he knew what to do without us prompting him. Superstar in the making?

Sitting inside the very small suitcase May Pops were taking back to Boston - again, this was unprompted.....

New Year's Eve/Tara's birthday dinner - Tommy was a great diner at our favorite Italian restaurant. He had his own order of buttery noodles, milk, and a scoop of vanilla gelato.

Walking in the snow with Daddy - he wasn't sure what to think of it.

Cold Winter Days

2007-12-09T10:45:00.000-08:00

Walking in the baby backpack at Morton Arboretum before the snow fell.....Tommy fell asleep after a few minutes and slept the rest of the walk.

Tommy loves the Curious George doll he liberated from Grandma Sharon's house - he carries him around and hugs him.

Cousin Charlie on Thanksgiving - he is a very smily, happy boy! Tommy was very interested in the buttons on Charlie's carseat, but not very interested in Charlie himself.

Tommy takes business casual to a new level.

Trying to pose for a Christmas picture

Another attempt at a Christmas picture

A new favorite activity - pushing trucks around the house while walking - he goes in many, many circles through the kitchen, hallway, living room, dining room, and back again.
This can also be done while pushing diaper boxes, Tupperware lids, empty bottles, almost anything that Tommy can find.

Our handsome baby boy!

Walking and Talking

2007-11-15T17:57:00.001-08:00

Tommy is walking and talking up a storm these days - he also enjoys pushing around his cars, grocery cart, vacuum cleaner, and other push toys all day long. He'll take a break to flip through a board book, or crawl through his playhouse, and then it's back to walking and cruising around the house. A few new pics until Thanksgiving.......

Happy Halloween from Tommy

2007-11-01T15:06:00.000-07:00

Hanging out in the backyard with his funny hat.

Check out my cool SpiderMan push car.

Tommy is cracking himself up on Halloween night.

Checking out some Starburst - yummy.

Little pumpkin Tommy

Playing at home on Halloween night.

Did you know dalmations like pacifiers?

First Trip to Massachusetts and First Steps!

2007-10-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Tommy flew to Massachusetts to visit his grandparents, cousins, and aunts and uncles. It was a great time and Tommy proved to be a great traveler, even in the face of Logan Airport's goofy T*S*A staff.
We visited the Atlantic Ocean, the local apple orchard, and Tommy had his first pizza with Pops, from the local favorite pizzeria.
While we were getting ready on Friday morning, I looked over to see what Tommy was doing, and I saw him take a few steps - all on his own! He did it a few more times on Saturday and is up to about 4 or 5 steps alone. It is hilarious! He's very proud of himself when he does it - it's pretty cute.
Enjoy some new pictures!

May and Pops and the Gray grandchildren

Tommy banging on May's glass top coffee table.....

Tommy with his one and only great grandmother!

Pumpkin birthday cake that cousin Teddy picked out!

Happy Boy!

Happy Birthday to Tommy

2007-10-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

Tommy's second haircut, but first successful haircut - he did very well and now looks like a little man!

Chewing on the garage door opener in his sweet new wagon from Grandma Shermie - he knows that pushing the buttons on the opener makes the doors go up and down. It's a fun game.

Out for a walk with Daddy.

The morning of my first birthday!!

Yesterday we celebrated Tommy's first birthday with lots of family and friends! He had a great time playing with the other kids, and stayed awake long enough to enjoy some delicious frosting on his own little cake. As we celebrated Tommy's first birthday, we reminded ourselves just how thankful we are to his birth mother and the caretakers in Vietnam who loved him dearly. Without them, we would not be a family today.

Trying to get him to touch the cake....

After some help from Uncle Mark, he really liked the way the frosting felt!

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy!

Almost One Year Old!

2007-10-06T12:12:00.001-07:00

Tommy will turn one a week from today - we are preparing for his first birthday party and can't wait to watch him open gifts and eat cake!
He's started to walk while pushing his many wheeled toys around the house. He'll also take a step from one piece of furniture to another.
Last weekend we visited Grandma Sharon's new house and he liked to cruise around her basement and chase the dog. Last month we visited Aunt Tracey and cousin Henry (who is now a big brother to baby Charlie!) and Tommy loved all of Henry's cool toys, especially his ride-on train.
Enjoy some new pictures!

5 months together

2007-09-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

September 3 was our 5 month adoption anniversary....look at how much Tommy has grown and changed!

Tommy's First Photo Shoot

2007-08-29T07:03:00.001-07:00

Even though we have hundreds of pictures of Tommy, we had never had his picture taken professionally....Tommy wasn't very interested in the session, and it took a lot of coaxing from Mommy and Grandma Sharon to get him to look at the camera!

Here is a sampling of some of the many shots they took......

Long Overdue Post

2007-08-21T17:46:00.001-07:00

This is long overdue.....Tommy has turned 10 months old, had his first haircut, and is standing while holding on with just one hand! He is growing taller and his weight gain has leveled off - just under 20 pounds last week at the doctor.
He has started daycare two days a week and is doing well. He started out in the infant room and is now in the "waddler" room, where the kids are all crawling and starting to walk. He doesn't nap well at daycare, but he does seem to like the women who work there.
His first haircut wasn't a success. Each time the girl would comb his hair, he turned to look and give her a smile. She trimmed the bangs a bit and also the back, but was scared to touch his sides....so we may have to try again in a month or so because it's still pretty long.
Tommy has enjoyed a lot of time with his cousin Megan this summer and he is sad that she started back to school today :( We have spent a lot of time at Grandma Sharon's house helping her pack, and we're going to visit cousin Henry in a couple of weeks.
Hope your summers have been great - enjoy the pics! Tara, Doug, and Tommy

9 Months Old

2007-07-15T08:48:00.000-07:00

Tommy enjoyed his first venture into a pool last weekend - kiddie pool, that is. The weather was sweltering hot and so we filled up a kiddie pool in the front yard, slathered on the sunscreen, and let Tommy splash around. He loved it. We start swimming lessons at the end of the month, so he's getting a head start!

Here's Tommy on the morning of his 9 month birthday checking out the shadows on the wall....he loves it.

Enjoying a popsicle....he likes this much better than the plain old ice cube we give him to help with his teeth.

Here's Tommy just being adorable and trying to get the camera.....the weather cooled off later in the week so we spent some time outdoors playing. He loved feeling the grass, listening to the cars drive by, and the kids going by on their bikes.

And finally, he has discovered the doors, and especially loves the screen door. He is crawling everywhere, into different rooms, down the hallway, and is starting to pull up on furniture. We have purchased our first baby gate to be installed at the top of the stairs today.

Tommy is such a great little guy, and we are reminded everyday of how lucky we are to have him!

Two Teeth!

2007-07-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

Some new Tommy pics......he's growing like a weed! He weighed in at 19 pounds, 7 ounces, and 27 inches long last week......he's doing an army crawl all over the house and is suddenly interested in the outlet covers and hardwood floors. July 3 will mark 3 months since Tommy's adoption....we must celebrate with some fireworks! Happy 4th of July!

I was trying to catch him laughing here, but once he sees the camera, he stops laughing.

After a bath, bundled up in his cute giraffe towel from cousin Henry.

Stuck under a chair.....he likes to crawl under, but gets mad when he can't get out.

If you look closely or click on the picture, you can see his two teeth!

World's Cutest Baby

2007-06-20T12:54:00.003-07:00

Happy Father's Day

2007-06-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

Tommy celebrated his 8 month birthday on June 13, and we all celebrated two months at home on June 16, and today we celebrate Father's Day! Happy First Father's Day to Doug.....Tommy loves you very much!

Tommy enjoying a dinner of squash, peas, and carrots at the river walk in downtown Batavia.

I couldn't get this picture to rotate - but Tommy is sitting up on his own now! Here he is holding on to an empty ice cream bucket, which he loves to knock over and to dump all of his toys from.

Sleeping....

Sporting his Boston College tshirt from one of Doug's college friends....not sure if it will still fit when he attends his first BC football game!

And showing off his muscles and new talent!

Almost Crawling....

2007-06-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to the city to file a lawsuit to have Tommy's name legally changed from his Vietnamese name to his American name. These pictures are at the Cook County Sheriff's office, where Tommy was officially "served" with papers - of course he loved it! They gave him a plastic sheriff's badge to keep and he liked chewing on it.

Tommy enjoying the hammock in our backyard...but not for very long....he's screaming in the pictures that follow!

And here are some of his latest moves - a push up/plank pose where he rocks and scoots himself backwards on in a complete circle to get whatever object he wants....and he's doing it all of the time. He is also rolling while holding books, toys, his pacifier - nothing gets in his way, except for the wall, which makes him very mad.

Tomorrow Tommy will turn 8 months old. We haven't decided how we will celebrate, but he does like vanilla ice cream.....I will try to post new pictures again soon!

Catching Up

2007-05-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

The month of May has flown by and Thomas has been a busy guy! He's met his Grandma and Grandpa Gray (known as May and Pops), his Uncle Adam, Aunt Heather and Uncle Todd, cousins Riordan and Maeve, and many more friends!

Tommy sporting some Illini gear.

With May and Pops

Tommy's baptism - with most of his Ryan cousins and second cousin Kevin.

Lunch with our friend Jenny in Chicago.

Hanging out in my Bumbo seat

Four Weeks Together

2007-05-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

Four weeks ago today we met Thomas....it's hard to believe it's been only four weeks! He has started to eat rice cereal, has much better head control, and is working on sitting up....we are amazed at his changes everyday, and his laugh is contagious. We are completely enamored.

This past week we have had lots of visitors, blood work completed, a trip to the doctor to start nebulizer treatments, and a long visit with cousin Henry and Aunt Tracey. At first, Henry wasn't sure what to think of Tommy, but he warmed up after a few hours....it's good practice for Henry's new baby brother or sister who will be arriving this fall!

Tommy is keeping a safe distance from Henry here...

Tommy practicing his rolling technique.

Home One Week

2007-04-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

We have had a busy first week at home, complete with a visit from Grandma Sharon, neighbor Helga, Erika, and the Curi cousins. We've also ventured to the doctor's office, downtown Geneva, and Fabyan Villa, and the hospital for a not so fun blood draw. Tommy is getting accustomed to his new stroller and carseat, though he doesn't seem thrilled to be in the carseat most of the time.

He seems to have taken to his new home very well. His favorite activity is kicking and pulling the gym-ini thing and rolling around the living room floor. He also loves to look outside the windows at the trees and listen to the birds. He is fascinated with the chirping and arches his back to look for the source of the sound. Very smart!

We are looking forward to more visitors soon!

We're Home

2007-04-17T05:41:00.000-07:00

We arrived home yesterday afternoon - we were greeted at O'Hare by my sister Teresa and niece Megan. It was great to see some familiar faces! Will write more later and post new pictures. Tommy is very curiously checking out his new environs and isn't sure what to think sometimes. We are happy to be home and can't wait for Tommy to meet his new friends and family!

Homeward Bound!

2007-04-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

We are packing our bags and preparing to leave for the airport at 9pm tonight for a 1:00 am flight to Seoul! Yay!! By a stroke of luck, I called the Korean Airlines office yesterday morning to double check for any earlier flights, and there were, so we are in luck. Now we just have to figure out how to repack all of our things plus all of the souvenirs we purchased in a mad dash yesterday.

We arrive at O'Hare Monday morning around 11 am - can't wait to see/talk to everyone and for you all to meet Tommy!

Love, Tara, Doug, and Tommy

With Pictures....

2007-04-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

I think the pictures didn't come through on the last post, so I will try again.......

6 Months Old!

2007-04-13T06:21:00.001-07:00

Today Tommy turned 6 months old! We celebrated with a brownie and ice cream - well, only a bite of ice cream for Tommy and he liked it!

Here he is cracking himself up when the camera's flash goes off.

Early this morning we headed to the Korean Air office to rebook our flights for April 18......then headed to lunch at Pho 24 again and spent the afternoon at the hotel with the other families in our travel group. Everyone is thrilled to have the visas and to have a travel date.

In this picture Tommy is demonstrating his skill at removing and replacing his pacifier. He's also sporting another new Vietnamese baby outfit - very fancy. We have found it's cheaper to buy new clothes for him than to have the laundry done at the hotel.

Happy Friday and Happy 6 Months Old to the baby boy!

Thursday Night

2007-04-12T06:33:00.001-07:00

Good news - we had our second interview this afternoon and the baby's visa should be ready tomorrow afternoon! If it's not ready tomorrow, it will be on Monday. So, we are going to the Korean Air office tomorrow to check on flight arrangements, but right now it looks like we could be flying home on Wednesday.

Yesterday we went to Lenin Park on the edge of Hanoi - Doug was disappointed that we could not find the actual Lenin statue, but it was still nice to be outside in fairly clean air and to see some trees and grass. There were tons of schoolchildren there and they all swarmed Tommy's stroller and were saying "Hello, Goodbye" over and over. It was hilarious. There was also an interesting water feature - if you've ever seen the show Most Extreme Challenge on FX, it was kind of like one of the stunts they have....Doug wanted to try one out, but maybe next time.

This morning we received Tommy's Vietnamese passport - the only good passport picture I've ever seen! After that we went to the SOS Clinic for his adoption medical, and all of the nice nurses and doctors were happy to see him feeling much better. We initially didn't think we had approval for our second interview, but after a phone call to the embassy, we learned that we did indeed. So, this afternoon all of the families went back to the embassy for our "interview" and now we just wait for the travel visas. Very fast. Very, very fast.

Will post more tomorrow when we know about our return flights!

Goodnight from Hanoi,

Tara, Doug, and Thomas

Thursday Night

2007-04-12T06:33:00.000-07:00

Will post more tomorrow when we know about our return flights!

Goodnight from Hanoi,

Tara, Doug, and Thomas

Quick Update

2007-04-12T00:10:00.000-07:00

Thursday afternoon - we have our second US Embassy interview at 3:15 this afternoon!! This morning we received the baby's Vietnamese passport, he had his "adoption medical" and now we're off to the Embassy. His visa to travel into the US will be ready tomorrow afternoon at 4pm, so we are currently working with our travel agent and Korean Air to determine when we can fly home!

Will try to post later tonight with pictures.

One Week Together

2007-04-10T05:51:00.000-07:00

Today we attended our first US Embassy interview and Tommy had his follow-up medical appointment. Both went well. We should know the date of our second (and final) US Embassy interview later this week.

Yesterday Doug went to the "Big C," Vietnam's version of WalMart and purchased a stroller. We won't dare use it on the sidewalks, but it is nice to have around the hotel or at a restaurant. Most of the other adoptive families here have purchased them as well. Doug didn't take the camera to the Big C, but wishes he would have because there were cases of frozen animals and meat products.......weird food.

It is hard to believe that Tommy has only been with us for one week. It seems like he's always been here, and he's changing everyday. His newest trick is to pull off our glasses........he has a very tight grip and he does not let go easily. He's also sitting up a little more each day, with assistance, but he is improving.

Tomorrow we plan on getting some shopping done, and Thursday morning it's back to pick up the Vietnamese passport and then the adoption medical appointment Thursday afternoon.

Signing off for tonight, The Grays

A New Week

2007-04-08T20:58:00.000-07:00

We are excited to be starting a new week with a fresh start. Tommy slept about 9 hours last night, but did wake up twice to eat.

As you can see here, Tommy loves to read...and hold the books, and also smash them against our heads. He also likes to pull on our glasses and jewelry.

We ordered pizza last night - yes, pizza. And they even delivered - for free. Pizza has never tasted so good. Now if they only had Portillo's or Buona Beef here, we'd be all set. No, Tommy didn't really try any pizza, but we thought Grandma and Grandpa Gray would enjoy this picture!

Doug is on his way to the "Big C" market right now - similar to WalMart - to pick up a stroller for the baby. Since we are hotel-bound for awhile, we thought it would be easier to have a stroller for him instead of carrying or using the Baby Bjorn, which he isn't crazy about after awhile.

Signing off for now - it's almost time for Tommy's next nebulizer treatment. Not fun for any of us!

Please keep in touch!

Tara, Doug and Tommy

Easter Sunday

2007-04-08T02:55:00.000-07:00

We had the best intentions of going to Mass today, but instead we ended up spending 12 hours at the SOS International Medical Clinic with a sick baby. Thomas had many nebulizer treatments, a dose of antibiotics, and lots of baby tylenol. He was diagnosed with bronchiolitis - baby version of bronchitis. The head doctor reassured us that this is very common in young children, especially from orphanages. Our Easter gift was Thomas being discharged by the head doctor and cleared to return to the hotel earlier this afternoon!

This was taken earlier in the day on Saturday, when Tommy was feeling OK....he likes riding in taxis!

View from the cab ride - Doug liked the guy riding with all of the cases of beer on his motorbike. This is not the strangest thing we've seen on a motorbike - usually the camera is put away when we see things like flatscreen TVs stacked on the back of a motorbike, or 4 or 5 people per bike.

Tommy feeling better once we returned home from the clinic.

Decorating Easter eggs outside of the cathedral yesterday. It smelled like the nail salon!

Yesterday we visited the Old Quarter for a bit, and this is the grotto at St Joseph's Cathedral. We walked inside but they were decorating for Easter Mass and we were not allowed to take any pictures.

We are staying in the hotel for the next few days with the baby. The pollution/smog is terrible right now, and breathing in dirty air is not what the baby needs. On Tuesday afternoon we have our first US Embassy interview, and a follow up appointment with the SOS doctor afterwards. The Vietnamese passports should be ready this Thursday, and later on Thursday or Friday we will take the babies to the SOS Clinic for their "adoption medical exams." I already inquired if our overnight stay would count, but no luck. Thomas was a real trooper at the hospital all night - he handled it much better than Doug and I did. The nurses and doctors loved him, and he charmed them all night long with his coos and smiles - well, when he wasn't screaming through the nebulizer mask.

Happy Easter to everyone at home!

Love, Tara, Doug, and Tommy

Friday Night - One Week Down

2007-04-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

Tommy napping earlier today in his "baby cot." When we requested a crib for the room, the hotel staff had no idea what we were talking about.

We have spent a lot of time at the local food shop/mini mart and these are two of Doug's favorite items.......yan yan are weird cookie sticks that you dip into Nutella-like chocolate sauce. Tiger beer is made in Vietnam - does anyone know if you can buy it in the States?

Tommy and the early signs of a baby mullet.

Tommy sporting some new duds - we had to buy long pants for him today because we didn't pack enough for him and the weather has cooled down significantly. He's very stylish.

Yum- whole cooked chicken at a street vendor - note the neck and head attached and on the far left of the picture, what appears to be the claws.

Passion/Good Friday at St Joseph's Cathedral in the Old Quarter of Hanoi.

Doug and Tommy ready for a walk - he refuses to sit in the Baby Bjorn facing us. He is too nosy and loves to look at himself in the mirror (Tommy that is, not Doug).

************************************************************************

One week ago tonight we arrived in Hanoi.....one down, potentially two to go!

The baby appears to be feeling better, but he does not enjoy the nebulizer treatments......Doug wouldn't take a picture of him while he was having the treatment - there is a funny cartoon character mask they gave us. I'll try to take one tomorrow.

Tonight we ate dinner in the Old Quarter, near St Joseph's Cathedral. When we arrived in the taxi, we came to a stop a block from the restaurant because of all of the traffic and people watching the Passion re-enactment at the church. There were crowds of people, stage lights, loud speakers, and vendors selling everything from popcorn to balloons.

Goodnight!

Good Friday

2007-04-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

This morning we learned that our first US Embassy interview has been postponed until next Tuesday afternoon. We were disappointed, but there's nothing we can do about it. There seems to be an abundance of American families here adopting, and we have heard that the Embassy here in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City cannot keep up with the adoption paperwork and processing. So, we may be arriving home on April 21 after all.

In other news, we took Tommy to the SOS International Clinic this morning to see about a bad cough he has developed. They put him on a nebulizer treatment, which he did not enjoy....but thanks to my nephew Casey, I know how to use the machine! He will have the nebulizer treatment, Actifed, and saline nose drops for three days, and we'll return for a follow up visit on Monday morning. Tommy weighed in at 7.7 kilos/17 pounds and 26" long, and the rest of his checkup was just fine.

We are letting the baby sleep for now and then we will possibly venture out of the hotel just to get some "fresh" air - or at least to buy more diapers and bottled water!

Happy Good Friday......Tara, Doug, and Tommy

Thursday in Hanoi

2007-04-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

This is Ninh, the facilitator who works for our adoption agency in Hanoi. He has been incredibly helpful during the entire process, and is very, very patient with all of us high maintenance Americans. This was taken after the Giving and Receiving Ceremony outside of the Quang Nam provincial government office.

This was outside of the orphanage, and this little boy's name is also Tam. When I asked him how he was he said, "Fine, and you?" He was very charming and liked having his picture taken.

We returned to Hanoi yesterday afternoon.......it was a very long day for everyone, but the babies all did very, very well. Tommy successfully completed his first flight!

It is nice to be back in Hanoi where we can settle in and unpack for the remainder of our trip. Earlier today Doug and the other dads went to the Vietnamese Immigration Police to apply for the baby passports. Tomorrow at 1:30 we have our first US Embassy appointment.

I will try to post a few pictures from the Giving and Receiving Ceremony that occurred on Tuesday, April 3. That is when the baby is officially adopted to us from the Vietnamese government. After spending about an hour at the Quang Nam Infant Welfare Center (Tommy's orphanage), we went with the baby, our facilitator, and the director of the orphanage to the Quang Nam provincial ministry building. The ceremony was brief, but very nice. Doug even got a little choked up while saying his thanks to the Vietnamese government for the opportunity to raise this child. Then, we signed a few more papers, and headed back to Danang.

Some of you may have seen in the pictures that Tommy was wearing a shirt at the orphanage that said "Baby Tom" and has some Bugs Bunny-like cartoon characters on it. It's hilarious and very fitting! We are keeping that outfit and the "spit cloth" they were using on him.

Will try to post more pictures and details later!

Tara, Doug, and Tommy

HERE HE IS!!!

2007-04-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

The internet is very slow here so I will try again later to post more............but all is well and we are together!

Love, Tara, Doug, and Tommy

Sandy Beach

2007-04-02T20:13:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Danang around 8:00 this morning and it is gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful. It reminds Doug of Hawaii. He's already taken a dip in the South China Sea, and we are currently getting our things ready to head out to the orphanage!

Will post or email pictures as soon as I can!

Walking Around the Ba Dinh District

2007-03-31T23:11:00.000-07:00

This morning we walked around the area near our hotel, previously referred to as the Home Depot of Hanoi. We stopped at a bookstore, and guess what, Doug loved it. No purchases made yet - we are waiting until we return from Danang on Wednesday and are in our last hotel room.

We also visited the Temple of Literature, a Confucian institution, known as Vietnam's first university.

We then dined on pho (noodle soup) at Pho 24, a "chain" restaurant here in Vietnam that Doug heard about on NPR. Delicious!

This shot reminded us of arriving late on Friday night and having to stop in the middle of a road because a large delivery truck had to take down the power lines in order to drive through the street......note the many, many power lines tangled together in this photo.

The temperature here today is 85 degrees and very humid - and this is still the cool season. We are certain that Danang will be much, much warmer, so perhaps it's a good thing we won't be there for more than one night.

I realize this post is a bit out of order, but Blogger is very slow at times.

Off to cool off with a cold Orangina and the newspaper!

Photos

2007-03-31T19:01:00.000-07:00

This is a snapshot of the Korean specialty BIBIMBOP on the flight from O'Hare to Seoul. Doug also had a bowl of seaweed soup with that meal, which he said tasted just like "eating low tide." Yum.

I just uploaded the few photos we've taken, and this is the view from our hotel room. There is a heavy combination of fog and smog, and the smell of exhaust and diesel fuel makes you realize why so many people wear surgical masks.

JETLAG

2007-03-31T16:09:00.000-07:00

We cannot seem to adjust to local time.......it is 6am on Sunday, April 1 and we've had about 8 hours of sleep since we arrived.......not good. We are trying to drink a lot of water and eat as "normally" as we can, but our stomachs are also a bit queasy from the time change, lack of sleep, nerves,etc....Help - how do we get over this jet lag?!

Yesterday we roamed around the area near our hotel, which is kind of like Home Depot on the street.....little store fronts all along the streets selling lots of toilets, bidets, and plumbing supplies. In the afternoon we took a cab ride to Hoan Kiem Lake, the main tourist area of Hanoi, and walked around the lake for a bit. The traffic was crazy and we just looked down for fear of gasping each time the driver stopped on a dime behind a cyclo. We did successfully cross the street a few times, so we do have one thing down!

We have met several American and Irish families who are also here to adopt their children. Two of the families staying here from our agency are hoping to depart within the week, which gives us hope that we may be here just 2 weeks, or a day or two more.

We're heading to breakfast soon and then walking to the Temple of Literature, which is about a 10 minute walk from our hotel.

Happy Palm Sunday to everyone.........Tara and Doug