Now THIS is MOTHERS DAY!!

First of all, I have to apologize for not posting yesterday (not that we'll be able to post every day). It seems the adrenaline that's been keeping us going despite the 11 hour time difference and the 19 hours of flying has finally been depleted. After returning from the SOS medical clinic (staffed by international MD's... Molly was examined by an Australian Pediatrician, Dr. Jane Standish), we came back to our hotel room and proceeded to nap, and then sleep, and sleep. Emma and Kate slept for about 15 hours each, and Molly slept from 3pm-10:30pm, had a bottle and diaper change, and slept until around 6am!!!! Molly was the only one who had any food after breakfast yesterday!

Emma looking stylish in her Vietnamese Hat

So we awoke today for a most special Mothers Day and after our usual buffet breakfast (the waitresses are so nice, always offering to hold Molly to give us a chance to eat), we headed out to the Old Quarter of Hanoi for some shopping with our friends, Cindy & Jerry Maust and their twin girls, Lindsey and Lydia. What an experience that was!!!

Shopping the streets of the Old Quarter

The people are so nice, but they are RELENTLESS in trying to sell you things. One woman literally followed me up and down the street to sell me a t-shirt, her price dropping every few steps .... "please... special price for you... first sale of the day... please help me... 80,000 dong ... 70,000 ... 60... 50.. 45... 40 ... please.. you can bargain"... I wish I wanted it at that point... we're talking $2.50!! Well we finally escaped the chaos, after several small purchases, and headed back along the lake to our hotel for some peace, rest, and AIR CONDITIONING!!!

Bridge in Hoan Kiem Lake (Near the Hotel)

The weather today isn't so bad... no rain, a slight hint of a breeze, but still very VERY HUMID! The air conditioning is SO nice to come back to, and especially for Molly who is getting topical treatment for fungal rashes several places on her body, face and scalp. They seem to be responding to the ointment, frequent bathing, and the cooler air of the hotel. The pediatrician wasn't concerned about them, just thought it would take a while to clear up. This seems to be very common in the orphanage. At least there is no sign of scabies or anything else too funky.

SOME IMAGES FROM MOTHERS DAY 2007 :

Been a LONG DAY!! Best Mothers Day in a LONG TIME!!!

By the way, in case you weren't aware, you can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them. Also, thanks for submitting comments. It's always fun for us to read and know that you are sharing this journey with us!!