Happy Thanksgiving

This is like no other thanksgiving day we have had before. Today we had the privilege of meeting our new family member, Julia Binh An Atkins. She is much cuter in person than she is in her pictures, and she doesn't seem to like us at all! The nannies (who seem to take wonderful care of the children at the care center) say that recently she has become very afraid of strangers.

We spent a couple of hours in the morning terrorizing the poor girl and then we returned to do the same in the afternoon. She fell asleep in Barbie's arms this afternoon while crying. When she woke up, she was ready to go back to a nanny.

Thomas loved playing with the older children at the orphanage (his age and up to 12 years old). The children loved playing with him and were very kind to him. He loved running and playing instead of just being cooped up in a hotel room. Helen was excited that she got to use the potty at the orphanage that doesn't have a chair.

We got a chance to talk for a while with a nanny that is one of Binh An's primary caregivers. She told us about her daily schedule, likes and dislikes, personality, what she eats, when she sleeps, etc. That was really valuable to us! All of the nannies kept reassuring us that the girl normally acts just fine and is easy to deal with when strangers are not around. I wonder how long we will be strangers to her?

This evening we had a meal with the orphanage director and a representative of the provincial government that deals with the orphanage. That was good, but Thomas and Helen ran out of gas at the meal and we barely made it back to the room without a major crisis. They are doing remarkably well given the time difference, food difference, lack of sleep, and how the Vietnamese people treat them. Thomas and Helen have celebrity status wherever they go. People want to touch them and look at their faces, eyes, and hair. People here seem to love kids, and these two kids without black hair and eyes are a novelty to them. They are all well meaning, but sometimes (especially for Helen) it is kind of intimidating.

Well, we have much to be thankful for. We are so happy to have met our new daughter, although to be honest, her reception of us has us a little nervous about how difficult the transition may be. Regardless of that, we are so thankful that tomorrow at 1:30 pm (12:30 am Friday CST) she will become a permanent part of our family. Tomorrow we will travel back to Ho Chi Minh City to apply for her passport and have her Visa medical exam. We will have a better internet connection there (back at the Lan Lan 2), so we will try and upload a few pictures.

Take care and happy thanksgiving!

The Atkins family