Its Tuesday night and Emma Duong is asleep. Dancing Queen is being played in the bar and I must be right below the bar - its crystal clear.
Emma Duong is going to spend the rest of the trip going to everyone but me and I am trying to accept it and be thankful for the things that are going well.. If it is just the two of us she is in my arms and happy. Loves to sing while we are walking around. Since we cannot speak I decided to sing with her and having no imagination started singing Happy Birthday. Within a day she was singing the whole tune - don't know what words she is using but it cracked me up when I recognized what she was singing.
She had a blast today. Our taxi driver took us to his home to pick up his kids (a bit nervous here) and then to an amusement park (Vietnamese style and very different). After she warmed up to the kids she loved it and just chatted away. She hasn't been around people speaking Vietnamese in almost a week and this must have felt good to her.. She was holding hands with the taxi driver and all of his kids - she stayed clear of me...
Tonight our whole group went out to eat with the agency's staff in HCMC.. Great food. Probably the best since I have been here (well, Pizza Hut is good too). Ditto, she stayed clear of me.
I have made one huge mistake...I have not fed her enough. From day one she has said no to white rice, fried rice, noodles. She has pretty much existed on fruit, chips and bread. She is so thin I thought she just did not eat. Well today at the amusement park, with the Vietnamese family, we at family style rice and seafood and chicken. She put the food away. When we got home and after a short swim (jump in with her clinging on, walk around a couple times in the shallow end and she wants out) we came up to the room and she started crying. She had just eaten a huge lunch so I thought she could not be hungry. Made her stay in the room for an hour, then we ran some errands and coming into the hotel she started tearing up again. I went to the front desk and asked them what she wanted - she was hungry!!!!! Was given direction to a vietnamese style restaurant and she ate. I wonder if any other crying could have been avoided if I had just fed her???? I know the vietnamese word for hungry now and I am trying to teach her hungry.
Our paperwork seems to be just fine and we will be picking up our visas Friday afternoon. I know the flight is going to be long and interesting with Emma Duong but I am so ready to come home...
8 comments:
I am so glad that you figured out what was causing at least some of the crying! Keep your chin up! It is tough for all new mothers at the beginning trying to figure out our children's immediate needs! You are doing fine!
Congrats on comunication. Once she realizes you are meeting those needs she will warm up. We are adopting a little boy just turned 4 and I would love some insight and help learning those so important words when you get a breather at home.
I know all this has been so exhausting for you. But, I think that in a few years you are going to have some fantasic stories to tell your daughter. Like calling the taxi driver Uncle and hanging out with his family. He sounds like a precious man. You're almost home free - hang in there a little longer.
We tried to feed her. She didn't seem to like anything until we found the cherrys at the zoo. You should keep track of everything she likes the best. Mabye a Vietnamese restaurant in Tulsa will be your dinner option for a while.
I'm really glad you'll be home in 4 days. It seemed really weird leaving you guys behind in Saigon.
Hi - I just started following your blog recently but don't think I've commented yet. Emma Duong is such a cutie and it seems like you are doing such a marvelous job with a really difficult situation. The picture of her so sad just broke my heart - but it really sounds like you're making progress. I would imagine things will continue to be up and down but hang in there - it really sounds like the tide is turning for the better!
The communication barrier is incredibly difficult to overcome. It was definitely our biggest and most difficult challenge with Sera. I'm glad to hear you made some good headway in this arena. I'm sure with a full belly AND a way to tell Mommy when she's hungry things will be better.
And YAY you're going to Hanoi! Glad all the paperwork is going smoothly.
Kim! You are doing a great job... overcoming challenges every day. Stay strong! I love the singing - keep that up. You are figuring it all out, one day at a time. I am proud of you; sweet Emma is so blessed to have you! (and you, to have her.)
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