12. December 2008 by Mark.

Update: See my last post…I’ve added a video at the end.

Well, last night was tough again. Troy went to sleep fine (and early) in the big bed but woke up around 2 and insisted on being held while I walked. Anything less elicited wails and ear tugging and thrashing. Waiting for him to fall asleep did not seem to work. Formula did not help. Ibuprofen (for teething pain) did not help. Whiskey did not help (kidding). Standing still while holding him did not work and sitting or lying down was out of the question. Even the magical Ergo carrier failed me. This went on for over an hour. I concluded that both of us continuing this way would only fatigue us both and make today more difficult still - especially since I’m fighting a cold myself. (Note to Laurie: don’t read further…) I decided to put Troy in the crib, where he could easily see me, and see what happened. Troy cried for a bit - then less - then he lay down and fell asleep within 15 minutes. Interestingly, he did not exhibit any ear tugging or kicking in the process. He fell fast asleep, like a rock, until 8:30, when I woke him up. I think Troy knows exactly what is going on and I completely admire his quick recognition that it was time to finally go to sleep. Also, he may be more comfortable in a crib since it is more familiar has “walls”. I plan to try the crib again tonight.

I was sure Troy would hate me when he woke up but it appears he did not.

Well, it’s off to lunch at Cha Ca La Vong - a famous fish restaurant in the old town.

Posted in Hanoi, Food, Milestones | 1 Comment »

12. December 2008 by Mark.

I’m almost caught up…it is Friday night and I’m writing about Friday.

Today was much better. Troy and I both slept 10 hour, with only a few bouts of crying during the night (not me). Troy woke up pretty happy (he does have a period of grumpiness whenever he wakes up), and we had our breakfast at the hotel. Troy ate a bowl of rice porridge, half a container of yogurt, and some bread. I’m giving Troy solid food whenever possible and he likes these items (in addition to crackers, noodles, rice, and bananas).

Back in the room, Troy seemed to be a bit moody so I decided to take him to the doctor - just to get a good look at his ears. The medical clinic got me in right away and the doctor did a thorough exam. No fever, no abdominal issues, and great looking ears. The conclusion is that Troy is suffering some pain from teething and/or may be exhibiting some attention seeking behaviors. On that point, it was already obvious to me that the nannies would pick up Troy as soon as he whined, and he tries to get me to do the same. It’s to the point that if he is trying to pull up on something or follow me, he seems to have learned to sit and whine and whinge rather than just do what’s completely within his ability. The challenge is to not encourage this behavior while still being sensitive to the fact that some of it is indeed due to teething and the fact that Troy is going through a pretty big transition right now. In any case, the medical visit was a success, if for nothing but my own peace of mind.

After that, the day was pretty much smooth sailing.

Troy took a decent nap and then we headed into to town. I told the taxi to take me to Fannie’s ice cream parlor, by the lake, but told the driver to stop when it became clear that he intended to drive me all the way around the lake rather than taking the direct route. It was a perfect day to walk by the lake anyway.

I did get ice cream of course, and then wandered my old haunts in the Old Town (my hotel was there when I was here two years ago to bring Evan home). I found most but not all of the places I remembered, and of course, Troy fell asleep. There is no problem getting a foot massage with a baby sleeping on your chest, so that’s what I did.

I continued my wanderings and ended up by the market hall, where I stopped for a “Bia Hoi”. I had gotten some rusk biscuits and bananas for Troy so while I had my two beers (35 cents a piece), Troy had his dinner (and bottle). I was right across the street from dog restaurant and I could smell the meat cooking from where I sat (it actually smelled pretty good). Don’t get the idea that this kind of food is all that common in Vietnam - it isn’t - I just must be hanging out in the wrong places or something. Here’s a view of the place:

The ladies at the beer place were fascinated with Troy and they were quite nice. I eventually became annoyed when one would not stop telling me how I should be dressing Troy. Given that it was a nippy 70 degrees, she was insistent he should be in long sleeves and a scarf.

Dinner was at a street restaurant I had been to two years ago - fresh clams cooked in lemongrass broth with chilies and lime chili salt. It was crazy good and that’s not just because it was $1.80. The clams were perfectly fresh and sweet and clean tasting:

The ladies at the restaurant were a huge help with Troy, bringing him rice and chicken soup and holding him while I ate.

The taxi back to the hotel was interesting. I noticed the meter clicking rather quickly and called the driver on it. He reached under the dashboard and fiddled with something and suddenly the meter slowed down dramatically. One has to be careful with taxis, it seems.

We had success with the bath tonight. After reading up on bath fears, I put Troy’s bath basin on the floor in the bathroom rather in the deep and intimidating “big tub”. Troy was still anxious but I showed him the merits of splashing water. Soon I had a good bit of mopping up to do but at least there was progress.

I’ll close out this post with a video clip of Troy playing by the mirror. Hopefully, you can get a sense of his intense but happy personality and also see a brief example of his whining and whinging too.

Posted in Hanoi, Food, Milestones | 1 Comment »

12. December 2008 by Mark.

Thursday was rough, and the mild sore throat I woke up with should have been a warning.

The morning was spent packing to get ready to fly to Hanoi. As I had a bit of extra time, I walked to the famous Ben Thanh indoor market, to do a bit of shopping. Walking there, I thought how nice it was to get out without carrying my camera for a change. Go figure. Whom should I see in the market but Anthony Bourdain. Evidently, he is doing his third show in Vietnam and may actually move here for a year. Anyway, I talked to his location manager for a bit and then introduced myself and Troy. At least I had my cell phone so I do have one picture. However it will have to wait until I’m home because I do not know how to transfer it to my computer.

At the airport, I finally had a chance to get online for a bit. Here’s a picture of me in the business class lounge, eating leftover pizza and updating this blog, for you, my readers (assuming there are any):

By the picture, you might think Troy would be the ultimate traveling companion. Not so much. From the time of boarding until 30 minutes into the flight, Troy whined and cried and thrashed and clawed. I will understand if Vietnam Airlines creates a policy banning infants (or Troy) from business class. Thankfully, my seatmate was most patient and helpful, and even would have provided us a ride into town in his company car had I been traveling alone (he is the general manager of Vietnam’s latex export company).

By the way, Vietnam Airlines flies 777’s from Saigon to Hanoi. They sure like big planes.

In Hanoi, we’re staying at the Horison hotel, which is a bit away from the tourist center. It’s quite nice.

I decided to wander the area to get some dinner. Troy fell asleep in the carrier as I walked through what I would call the “working class” neighborhood. This means there were restaurants selling “Bia Hoi” (cheap local draft beer) and “Thit Cho” (dog meat). For the first time I actually saw some puppy already cooked up and ready for take out. I moved on and got my dinner as take out from a decent looking place called “Saigon Deli”.

Back at the hotel, I fed Troy and myself more or less simultaneously. Here’s the scene:

It was at this point that Troy melted down again, seemingly inconsolable, clawing at his ears, and kicking his legs. Thinking it might be an ear infection, I gave him some ibuprofin. I also looked up the number for the medical clinic and prepared to e-mail my doctors at home. With a good bit of work and my back in significant pain, I got Troy to sleep. I was too exhausted to contact any doctors so went to bed right after that.

Posted in Hanoi, Food, Saigon | 1 Comment »

12. December 2008 by Mark.

Wednesday was a day off, so I took a day trip to the Mekong river delta. I had visions of Troy’s sensitive skin flaring into a horrible heat rash, but he was actually a real trooper all day long - pretty much stripped to his diaper most of the time. He behaved well on the 2 hour (each way) bus ride and won the affection of a good number of people in the travel group.

I can’t say Troy will remember the many boat rides, seeing the snakes, visiting the honey farm, visiting the coconut candy factory, listening to local music, or the lunch of prawn curry and elephant ear fish. He probably won’t remember the woman who offered me her daughter’s hand in marriage and then, rebuffed, offered to sell me her granddaughter. I’m sure there was something lost in translation but the latter offer was a bit creepy. All in all, it was a worthwhile day, setting me back $15 plus the cost of lunch.

Here’s Troy awake:

… and asleep in his dorky-looking dad’s arms (he spent about half the time doing this)

Back in Saigon, I got a pizza for dinner and ate at the hotel.  I also attempted to give Troy a bath.  He HATES baths and shrieked the entire time, even though (or perhaps because) I got in the tub with him.

Posted in Tourist, Saigon | No Comments »

12. December 2008 by Mark.

Well, when we last left off, Troy had woken up from his nap and my blog was still about 4 days behind. Let’s hope I can wrap things up tonight.

After the medical exam, we got visa pictures for the babies and then were free until Thursday, when we were to fly to Hanoi. I went back to the hotel for nap for Troy. He has a strange affinity for terry towels, which he likes to use for comfort when he sleeps. Fortunately, the Duxton hotel had plenty.

In the afternoon I hung out with Victor and Jamie, a couple from my group who adopted a daughter. We walked around, shopping and checking out potential restaurants for dinner. We finally took a break at the rooftop bar of the Rex hotel, one of the great rooftop bars of the world…

For dinner, we went to “Blue Ginger” which I believe was popular with a number of adoptive parents from my agency.  The food was very good but in retrospect, it was a bit much for the kids to sit through the 6 or 7 course menu we ordered.  It did not help that I got turned around and led us in the exact opposite direction on the way home.

Posted in Tourist, Saigon, Travel | No Comments »