Stuck in Ba Ria (March 11 - ???)

So, what should have taken an estimated 4-5 days had lasted over two weeks and I'm still waiting. The police have not yet come out to the orphanage to complete the investigation. And there is nothing anybody can do to speed things up.

Molly and I continue to show up at the orphanage every day by 7am, spend the day there, and return to our hotel room about 6pm. This schedule is not Molly's. I have to wake her up in the mornings, which I find really hard to do. In the first week, I also had to torture her to get the antibiotics down her throat. And irritate her when she was sleeping by putting drops in her ear. But the evenings are better. We get some really nice quality time together before she falls asleep for the night. Her personality is blooming, and she's a really great kid.

Loan arranged a driver for me to get back and forth between the hotel and the orphanage. His name is Quy (pronounced "Whee"), and he is a 21 year old young man who grew up at the orphanage. He still lives there, and drives the children to and from school. The orphanage has a van and a car. So Quy and I have become good friends - he picks us up in the mornings, drives us back in the evenings, then he has often gone out to buy me something to eat for dinner.

The orphanage feeds me lunch too. They started offering me simple meals of rice with stewed meat and vegetables. The food is very good. I would say it is the best Vietnamese food I've tasted yet. They either have the best chef in the country, or Vietnamese cuisine is really yummy.

Being in the orphanage everyday is both exhausting and wonderful. I have quickly gotten attached to all the kids - the babies in the baby room, and the older children who live there.

I'm really fortunate to have this opportunity to learn about how Molly has been living, and get to know the nannies who have cared for her since she was found at the front gate. The nannies are all caring, loving women who work incredibly hard. My only real criticism is that there are only 2 nannies on shift to care for 20 babies. A third nanny comes in for a few hours every afternoon. It's just not enough.

There is a routine everyday, but my time is spent playing on the floor with Molly and the other kids, changing wet bottoms, feeding the younger babies who can't hold a bottle, and comforting any baby that is crying. It took me a bit of time to work into it, but I'm kind of like another nanny now. Or, maybe I shouldn't go that far. These women can bathe, dry, dress and feed 3 children in the time it takes me to dry one off and dress it!

They have taught me how to care for Molly better. They have shown me how to put her to sleep, how to feed her, and how to make her laugh. They show lots of love for all the children. I have videos of nannies singing lullabies while rocking the cribs at nap-time. They insist that I go down for my nap whenever Molly falls asleep, and they will tend to her if she wakes up before I do. They have taken very good care of me too.

In my first week, two families arrived from Ontario to adopt their daughters. In the day or two before the families arrived, the nannies spent extra time with the two girls. They indicated to me that they love the children, and feel sad to say goodbye. On the day that the girls went home with their new families, I ended up crying! I had gotten to know these kids, gotten attached, and was sad to say goodbye. One family I had been in touch with previously - I know I'll be able to follow her as she grows up. The other family took my email with a promise to keep in touch and send pictures.

Another little girl was picked up in my second week - again, I got all teary when I said goodbye to her. She is a little beauty. Before I knew her Vietnamese name, I called her Lily-Rose, because that's what she looked like - a beautiful flower!

There are two little boys here whose parents I know in Vancouver. I've spent a lot of time with each of them. I had the honor to sit down with one of them, and show him pictures of his family, and give him a toy that him Mom and Dad sent for him. He is an adorable, easy-going little guy. He would crawl over to me when I wasn't paying attention and start playing with my toes. One day he started to climb on me - he grabbed my arm and started sucking on it, then bit me! Later, when I was inspecting the bruise he left, I picked off a little bit of dried snot. I'll tell him this story when he's older! His parents arrived about a week ago - more about them later.

The other little boy is a wonderful little character. He runs around with his posse - two other toddlers, and gets them all into trouble. He can be a real little monkey, but I also feel he is an old soul in his very young body. I have lots of fun with him - he's the kind of kid that I can swing upside down, toss in the air, play airplane, then crash him into the ground. He's got a great little chuckle. He sometimes catches my eye, then just smiles at me - it warms my heart. He's going to give his mom some challenges to keep up with him, but I know she will nurture his spirit. And teach him some fashion sense. The first time I saw him, he was wearing fuzzy pink bloomers!

These two guys, plus Quan, will be the closest relationships Molly will have for brothers. It's great to think that they will all grow up knowing each other in Vancouver.