After managing a few hours of sleep in my incredibly comfortable bed, I was in the process of washing the travel grime off of me when the phone rang. I heard Mom answer it and assumed it was one of the World Child staff, Andrew, calling to let us know when he would be by today (Andrew called us last night shortly after we arrived at the hotel – I’m not sure but I think someone from the hotel might have called him to let him know we were here – strange, but nice). Anyhow, I wandered out of the bathroom and asked Mom who was on the phone. She said it was Ellie, one of the other staff members. And, she said that she was coming by at 2:00 to take us to the orphanage to get Georgia! Now, mind you, we had not planned on meeting her until tomorrow! This was exciting but somewhat stressful news since we still had no luggage – which meant no baby supplies and no gifts for the orphanage staff and children. We were assured by Ellie not to worry, all would be fine (a common response from the Vietnamese people it seems).

We finished getting dressed, had some breakfast in the Executive Floor Lounge (yes, we are feeling very spoiled these days) at a table overlooking the river, went on a brief walk in the 90-something degree heat and high humidity, and came back to change for our big meeting.

At 2:00 p.m., Andrew and Ellie (these are not their real names, by the way, but rather are used for ease of communication with us Americans) arrived. They reassured us again not to worry about the gifts (after all, you know how Mom and I do worry) and we set off for the orphanage. Driving in this city can only be described as harrowing! Motorbikes and cars constantly vying for space on congested roads and people trying to cross the street – yikes!

We arrived at the orphanage and walked into a courtyard with trees and flowers and playground equipment. We were led to an office and served cups of strong, cold, green tea which tasted quite good. Maybe 10 minutes later, a few women arrived, one of them carrying our darling little girl! She is so beautiful and seems healthy and happy. She came right to me although she seemed, understandably, rather dazed and confused. Then again, so was I!

We stayed a bit longer and took some photos that I don’t even remember taking (I saw them on the camera later). We said our good-byes and got into another taxi. Georgia’s caregiver came over to the car to say good-bye to her again so I rolled down the window and she gave Georgia a kiss. It was a bittersweet moment.

Next it was off to the store for supplies. Georgia fell asleep in my arms in the car (there are no car seats to be seen anywhere). We went into a grocery store inside of a big building filled with shops. It took some pantomime and patience on everyone’s part, but we came away with formula, diapers, wipes, and a couple of toys for Georgia, and bottled water and crackers for Mom and me. Back at the hotel, we settled in a bit and I filled out some papers for Ellie to take to the US immigration office for me.

The rest of the day we spent playing with Georgia, trying to fix her rice cereal the way she likes it, and convincing her that the new bottle really is OK. She is a sweet, darling, laid back little girl. She laughs easily, especially when you hold her up over your head and tickle her tummy with your nose. She is alert and looks you straight in the eye (mostly with a look of “who the heck are you” at the moment). She babbles and makes raspberries. She can sit up pretty well but you have to watch to make sure that she doesn’t topple to the side after a bit. She is just an absolute joy!

I will try to post some pictures soon, but the connection speed here is not that fast. I will do my best so that you can see our little honey!