ONE YEAR AGO TODAY......

One year ago today I received my referral for my beautiful son Zachary and saw his face for the very first time. I can't believe it has been a whole year already. Although I would receive many pictures of Zachary while I waited to get him, this is the picture that got me through the long wait as it was my very first glimpse of him. I can't believe how much he has changed since this picture. The time is going by way too fast. Sometimes I look at him and wonder how I ever lived my life without him. He is so precious to me and I truly thank God for him everyday. I love you so much Zachary. You are such a joy to me and the rest of the family.

Referral picture 6/23/08

Zachary and mommy 6/23/09

First Professional Haircut

Zachary did great getting his first professional haircut. He did not shed a single tear. He even allowed Yen to use the clippers which is the point I thought he would get upset. She had him touch everything before she used it on him which I think helped(the lollipop she gave him also helped I think, haha). Yen is also from Vietnam and has a very moving story of how she escaped and spent several months in the jungle. She eventually made it to a refugee camp where she spent several years before finally coming to the United States. She had known of my plans to adopt from the very beginning and had always said she wanted to cut the baby's hair . Well my sister gave Zach his first couple of haircuts as I just didnt think Zach would go for a stranger cutting his hair plus his Aunt Steph gives great haircuts. I went in to cut my hair and she still wanted to cut his hair so I thought we would give it a try. She refused to let me pay for his haircut and said she will always cut his hair for free.
She is going to return to Vietnam next year to visit her family. She is from Ho Chi Minh(the same place where Zach was born and lived for the first nine months of his life).





Notice the lollipop in his right hand.

BLESSING IN DISGUISE

If you happened to read my last post, I had mentioned that since Zachary was walking now, he was going to have to switch rooms at nursery at Church. Well his first time was the week before last in his new room(Zach missed last week due to a really bad cold). Anyway, he made it about halfway thru and they had to come get me(for some reason I have bad luck with pagers not working). So we tried it again this past Sunday. I went in to the room with him for a little bit and then left. I watched on the monitor outside and he was doing ok. About 15 minutes after the service started, the pastor brought a couple up on stage and announced they would be going to China next Saturday to adopt a 5 yr old boy. As soon as they showed the little boys picture on the monitor, my pager went off. I hurried to the nursery dept and I heard him before I even went into the hallway. His teacher had him out in the hall and he calmed down pretty quick when I took him. Anyway, the teacher was telling me he seems to be fine until other children start getting upset and crying and then he starts. I was telling his teacher(who I really like by the way) about Vietnam and the orphanage where Zachary lived and she asked me if I knew this particular couple who also just brought home a little boy about a month ago. I told her I would love to meet them and she said she would introduce me and then almost as soon as she said that, here they come down the hallway with their little boy. Adoptions ceased Sept 1, 2008 but because of something that happened with their referral which I will not go into on this blog, they were able to get another referral after the shutdown. I believe they said he was a year old or maybe a little over a year. Anyway, come to find out, their little boy also was from Ho Chi Minh(Go Vap Orphanage) . She and I were so excited. She said she thought she was the only one in this area to have adopted from Vietnam. I knew of only one other person who adopted a little girl about 6 years ago). Anyway, she was telling me about the adoption support group the church has that will start back up again after the summer and that there is family in Mobile, Al and family in Destin , Fl who also adopted little boys from Vietnam. They are all going to try to get together and she invited me to attend. I had always hoped I would meet someone else that lived nearby that maybe we could attend Tet festivities and other Vietnamese festivities. I would love to be able to start a Families with Children from Vietnam chapter in this area. She had said she had noticed Zach in the hallways but for some reason, thought he was from China. So Zach being upset and me having to come and get him actually turned out to be a blessing. It will take time, but Zach will eventually get use to his new classroom just like he did the other one. Zach had a checkup at the Dr and had to get 3 more shots-ouch. He seems to realize now when we go into the Dr office and hates to lay on the table. Anyway, the Dr said he was at 50th percentile for height on the US charts but only 10th percentile for weight on the US charts. She assured me that she was extremely pleased with his progress and reminded me that it was based on US charts. I have an Asian growth chart I need to find and chart it on that. He is running now and is starting to eat on his own with a fork(however tonight he found it was easier to ditch the fork and just use his fingers). He just amazes me everyday at the changes in him. My little guy is growing up. I have to admit, it is a little sad at how fast it is happening.

We have been working with Zachary on sign language and signing thank you and please. Well sometimes he does it and sometimes just randomly goes around signing it so we weren't sure if he actually knew exactly what he was signing. Anyway, tonight he was sitting in his highchair and pointed to his puppy blankie on the table. I handed it to him and he gave his puppy a big squeeze and then looked at me with the cutest smile and signed "thank you". I sure do love this little guy.

Zach and Aunt Steph Zach loves being outside. He loves his

water and sand tables.

Zach and cousin Melissa taking a snooze

FIRST MOTHER'S DAY

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. I actually wrote something Mothers day after Zach had gone to bed, only to lose it when I forgot to save it..uugghhh. Anyway, I will try it again. I had a wonderful Mother's Day. The last 2 Mother's Days had been extremely hard for me, especially last year as Vietnam adoptions were coming to a halt. I had actually found out around last Mother's Day that the little girl I had been waiting for almost 3 years for would not come to be. At that time,I was number 8 on the list for a little girl and was told I would not receive a referral in time before the shutdown on Sept 1, 2008. I was devastated. I then had to decide if I wanted to be a mother to a little girl, or if I just wanted to be a mom. Of course the answer is obvious from the picture above and I am the mother to the most wonderful amazing little boy anyone could ever hope for. I truly cannot imagine life without my little guy. My little guy got me the most amazing Mother's Day present(with the help of his Grammie, Aunt Steph, Aunt Teri and Uncle Scott-thank you all). He gave me a beautiful ring with his birthstone in the middle and pink sapphires on the side. It is truly beautiful and I will always have something very special to remember my first Mother's Day. Of course Zach is the most precious Mother's Day gift ever and as I have said before, this little boy will never be taken for granted. Of course the day could not pass without thinking of Zach's birth mother(Nguyen Thi Qui). I actually think of her quite often and I want more than anything for her to know how very much Zach is loved and that he is happy and well cared for. I know she truly loves him and I will always be thankful to her for giving Zach the gift of life, probably knowing all along that another woman would be raising her child. When Zach gets a little older and can understand, I want to include Zach's birth mother somehow in our Mother's Day celebration(planting a tree or flowers in her memory).

Zach is growing so fast. He is now walking all over the place. I am going to post a video hopefully soon for the relatives in Virginia. He finally gave up his bottles last week and we have moved on to the sippy cup..yeah-no more liners, haha. I thought he would never give up those bottles . Since Zach is now walking, he now has to go to another room at Church next week for walkers.I have to admit I am a little nervous about this. He was just really getting use to where he was. Zach had a very rough start and I am hoping we are not going to have to start over again when he goes to a new room. Please everyone say a prayer for him for next Sunday. When I went to pick him up last Sunday I was told Zach was going around taking toys to any of the children that were crying. I was so proud of him.

I posted some pics of the ring and other random pics. My sister and mom took pics of him getting the ring so I could see(thanks guys for doing that).

Helping Grammie with the laundry

Zach wearing his hand embroidered pjs from Vietnam

Sorry for the short post. Just wanted to post a few pics. It is already late and way past my bedtime. There is just never enough time anymore but I wouldn't want it any other way. Zach is growing so fast and learning new things everyday. We are experimenting with sign language and Zach does the sign for "more" and for some reason, he loves making the sign for "table" It is so cute. We went to the beach the other day to have lunch where my niece Katherine works at Hemingways on Pensacola Beach. I forgot it was spring break and oh my gosh it was so crowded. Anyway, after a very nice lunch, my mom and sister and I took Zach down to the sand at Quietwater beach and let him play. He hated for his feet to touch the sand but he didn't mind his hands being in the sand. He seemed to enjoy playing with his sand toys so I cant wait to take him back. Hopefully he will get use to the sand. It was the same with the water when I tried to put his feet in. He would hold his legs up. It was pretty funny. I was surprised because he loves his baths and the water in the tub. Last night was the first night Zach successfully stayed in his crib all night long. He is in his crib again tonight so hopefully it goes just as well. I had to get up couple times as he started fussing but went right back to sleep. Zach 's Aunt Teri and cousin Ashley from Virginia will be coming this week. We are so excited to see them. Zach's Aunt Teri went with me to Vietnam to get Zach so the two of them have a special bond. I know she and Ashley will be surprised at how much he has grown.

AWESOME DAY

Wow , I just reread the last post I made and what a difference between that Sunday and this Sunday. Zachary had a rough time in the nursery the last time we went. I checked him in nursery and stopped at the front desk for them to check my pager to make sure it worked. On my way into church, I heard someone call my name and it was a sweet lady who works with me at DCF. We use to be in the same unit years ago but she is in a totally different dept now. Anyway we sat together so that was nice. My pager never went off and when I went to the nursery to get him, he was happy and doing great. They told me that this was his best Sunday ever and that he played a lot. I was so happy. I know that next Sunday might be another story but this Sunday, he did great and I was so happy for him. My friend from work went back to the nursery with me to get him. She had seen Zach in December when I took him into work to visit and she could not believe how much he had grown. Anyway, after Church Zach and I went to Target while we waited to pick up his grammie from her church. It was my mom's 75th birthday Sunday and Zach wanted to get his grammie some of her favorite goodies to munch on while she takes care of him during the week. My sister and nieces and nephew came over and we ordered pizza and had a little party. Zach also got his first haircut and of course, I had to keep all the clippings. I had been putting off this first haircut for some reason. I guess I thought it would make him look alot older and I am not ready for that. Anyway, his grammie kept making comments about how long his hair was getting and when the checkout lady at Target told me Sunday what a beautiful little girl I had( even though he had on a boys shirt and boys pants), well, I finally relented and his Aunt Steph gave him a haircut . He did pretty well. My nieces kept him entertained so he would not move around too much and I took pics.
Saturday we went to Destin to see my mom's friends that she has known since high school. We had a great time and as we were walking around the boardwalk in Destin, a man dressed up as a pirate came and made Zach a turtle from a balloon(I'm glad the guy told us what he was making because we really had to use our imagination to see that it was a turtle, haha). Anyway, he stood by Zach stroller and we took pic. I posted it below. Zach was not too impressed.
I am so glad to see the time change. I have been waiting for this. After work, I grabbed Zach and strapped him the stroller and went walking around the neighborhood. He LOVES being outside and loves strolling around the neighborhood. I posted a few pics below. Will try to post more in few days. It has been pretty busy around here.

Zach and the Pirate(boardwalk in Destin)Zach is holding his turtle balloon



Mom, Uncle Henry and Betty K and Zach strolling on boardwalk in Destin



Zach checking out the pretty tulips his Aunt Steph bought for his grammie

Zach getting his first haircut


This is what Zach thought of getting his haircut

HARD DAY

Today was a pretty rough day for me and Zach. I left Zach in the nursery today at Church and he was fussy when I left but I thought he would be ok after I left. I had my pager so I knew if they needed me, I would be paged. I had been in Church for about an hour when my sister in laws niece Rachel who works in the nursery came to get me. Apparently the pager I had was put into the wrong sleeve so when they paged me, another person got the page and came for their child. When I went to get Zach, he was so distraught it was like he didnt even recognize me at first when I tried to hold him and comfort him. No matter what I did or said, he just kept screaming and arching himself backwards. Zachary has not had an easy time in the nursery but I was hoping that the more we went, the easier it would be for him. The only other time I have seen him as upset as he was this morning was the first night home from Vietnam. The lady who was holding him had taken his sweater off because he was sweating so much from being upset. I could not even get his sweater back on. I finally was able to get his jacket on and he started to settle down a little bit as we started to leave. I finally got him to the car and in his carseat and then when I got in the car, I started crying. I felt so helpless that I was unable to comfort him and kept questioning myself if I was doing the right thing by leaving him in the nursery. I have to keep reminding myself that it has only been a little over 3 months since he has left the orphanage. Does he associate the nursery and all the kids with the orphanage and the women in the nursery as nannies???? I wish I knew what he was thinking. I need Zach to know I am here for him when he needs me and I was so upset the pager didn't work. My poor brother called shortly after this happened and as soon as he asked about Zach, I lost it again. I felt really bad afterwards as the reason he called was to tell us they had to put their beloved dog Duke to sleep Friday. My sister in law had just wrote about Duke in her blog http://www.tuesdaywithteri.wordpress.com/ Duke was a wonderful part of the family and he will be missed. My brother assured me I was not messing Zach up by leaving him so I guess we will try it again next Sunday. I will make sure the pager works though before I leave. I feel really bad for the people who work in the nursery who also try to comfort Zach when he gets upset. The poor lady who was holding him when I got there said she started crying too she felt so bad for him. Thanks to everyone who helped him today. He fell fast asleep shortly after we left church. He was so worn out. When he woke up, he was his usual self. I just wish he would feel comfortable in the nursery and know I will be back for him in a little bit. Anyway, I will try to post some more pics in next couple days.

Well I have made it thru my 2nd week of work and I must admit things have gone a lot smoother than what I thought it would. Zach is doing great with his grammie . I miss him so much during the day but I take a 15 minute break in the morning and afternoon with him and also I see him during lunch. His little face just lights up when he sees me. It is so precious. I so look forward to my day off on Thursday and the weekends when I can spend all day with him. Yesterday my mom and I had a meeting with Rebuild Northwest Florida where we qualified to get free hurricane shutters and new garage door and roof straps, etc. Anyway, I thought we would basically be going to sign paperwork. We had Zachary with us and when we got there, found out we had to listen to presentation that would describe the work that would be done before we signed paperwork. Yikes. Zachary had already been out all day but he was sooo good. He just looked at the slide show, ate some cheerios and did great. When we were leaving, the director of the program told me that Zach was one of the best behaved children he had ever seen that had come there. Of course I was one proud momma . Well we finally made it back to Church and nursery last Sunday after being away for 3 weeks due to Zach being sick and now it looks like he is getting sick again. He had a temp today of 103 and finally got it down to 100 with some baby motrin. Looks like he is starting to get a runny nose again. Hopefully it does not turn into anything like it was the last time as he was one sick kiddo. I received an update from Children's Hope that there will be a delegation from Vietnam coming to the US in March or April to meet with representatives from Dept of State, Congressional members, agencies and also want to meet with families who have adopted from Vietnam to see how well the children are adjusting with their adoptive families. Vietnam is wanting to learn more about the Hague implementation and to move along the negotiation process toward a new MOU(Memorandum of Understanding). This is wonderful and encouraging news and hopefully Vietnam will open up again soon to adoptions with the US. There were so many children left behind after the shutdown and it is always in the back of my mind that Zach would be one of them if I had not had my official referral by Sept 1, 2008. I believe I received the "official" referral about a week before the shutdown. I thank God everyday for my son and that he is here with me.

Below is a video of Zach saying his first word bye bye.

TRAPPED

I started back to work this week. It is something I had been dreading for awhile now. The first day was pretty rough. There was alot of crying and feeling anxious but I made it. Zachary did great with his Grammie. I was so relieved. Although it is hard not being with him all the time, I am grateful I can still work from home and spend lunchtime with my little guy. Plus, when the work day ends, I just step into another room and I am with Zach for the rest of the evening. I am so grateful to my mom for wanting to keep Zachary so he does not have to go into daycare. I can never repay her for doing that. I think she actually has a great time with him during the day. My nephew Michael who just adores Zach(the feeling is mutual) came over on my first day back to work to help Grammie. He and Zach had a great time. Michael will make a great father one day. Zachary is feeling a lot better. He finally got rid of his cough and runny nose. We missed church again(3rd Sunday in a row) as Zach was still coughing some and his nose was running. I am afraid we will have to start from scratch again when it comes to getting use to the nursery.

As of now, we are not able to go anywhere in the car. I went to open the garage and it would not open. It looks like a cable snapped or something. I cannot even open it manually. We had some neighbors come look and they could not open it either. Zach had his first year checkup tomorrow morning which I have to cancel as cannot get the car out. Hopefully the garage door man can come early tomorrow so we can get out and do errands later. Otherwise, may have to call my sister to bring us some groceries(haha). Zachary finally is holding his bottle some and will now put food into his mouth himself with a little help. He is growing so fast. We are constantly having to rearrange things as his little arms seem to grow longer each day. What he couldn't reach one day, it seems he can reach the next. He is talking and babbling alot more and for the most part, is a very happy baby. I am so grateful for my son. I posted a couple pics of Zach and his cousin Michael.

Zach and Michael playing

All of a sudden I noticed it got quite. I peeked out of my office and this is what I found. So sweet. They wore each other out.

You are Your Mother's Son

Last night about 8:00 the doorbell rang and a package had been delivered to Zach from his Aunt Teri and Uncle Scott for his birthday(we lovingly joke Zach's Aunt Teri as it is very rare for a niece or nephew to get their birthday package before their birthday haha). Anyway, Zach pulled out a Little Tikes hammer and drill and yes, they make lots of noise-thanks Aunt Teri and Uncle Scott). I was always the good aunt who was considerate when I purchased birthday gifts for my nieces and nephews, trying not to get things that made too much noise or mess. I wish I had it to do all over again as Teri has already informed me his next present will be a craft project..can't wait..Anyway, the next thing I pulled out was something I will treasure forever and I am sure Zach will too. It was the most beautiful moving poem written by my sister in law Teri for Zach on his first birthday and with her permission I am posting it below. Needless to say, I was balling my eyes out when I called to thank her and I think I scared her a little as she told me I am never allowed to call crying when her nephew is sick(sorry Aunt Teri). Here is the poem(you might want to have some kleenex handy)

You are Your Mother's Son

Before your very being, before life had begun

In her heart she held the hope of you

You are your mother's son

When your world was far apart from hers, and so much to be done

She never tired as she sought you out

You are your mother's son

No matter what the problems were or trials to overcome

She knew she'd hold you close someday

You are your mother's son

As you waited for your mommy, at last the time did come

Nothing would keep her from getting to you

You are your mother's son

When at last you finally met her, did you know she was the one?

She was the mommy God made for you

You are your mother's son

Each day you learn together, discovering all the fun

She'll never tire of watching you

You are your mother's son

Today you stand, tomorrow you walk, eventually, you'll run

But never far from your mommy's heart

You are your mother's son

No matter where life take you and all that you'll become

In her heart she holds the hope of you

You are your mother's son

~Teri Miller

As I said before, Zach and I will treasure this gift always. I called my sister to read her the poem and only managed to get the first few lines out when I had to let my mom finish. I was so overcome with emotion. Thank you Teri. I love you so much as does Zach. On the homefront, Zach is feeling much better today. Still has slight fever but nothing like it was. I have a call in to the doctor just to ask about his cough he still has and congestion. I return to work on Feb 9 and am starting to feel really anxions about being away from him during the day although grateful I work from home and will be able to spend lunchtime and breaks with him. Below are a couple pics from today. As you can see, I am starting to get some smiles again which I greatly missed for those few days he was really sick.

playing peekaboo with mommy

Chuc Mung Nam Moi!-Happy New Year!

Today is the Vietnamese New Year. It is the year of the ox. Zachary was born in the year of the pig. If Zachary were still living in Vietnam, he would actually be 2 years old as everyone in Vietnam turns a year older on New Years Day instead of on their actual birthday. I am not sure if Zach and I will make it this year for the Tet festivities to celebrate the Vietnamese New Year. He went to the doctor this morning and had 102 fever. They swapped his nose(he screamed the entire time at the doctor office) and they told me later he tested positive for RSV which is a respiratory virus. Poor little guy has been so sick. I can't stand to see him like this. The only thing we did when we got back from the Doctor was to lay on the couch with him sleeping almost the entire afternoon and evening.We also read lots of books in between. Thank you Gloria, Beckie and Steph for the books for his birthday. I think we read each one about 20 times each(ok slight exaggeration but not by much). They came to deliver a breathing machine to my house late this afternoon and as soon as they left, we gave him another breathing treatment which seems to help. He fussed at first but eventually realized it was not going to hurt him and let the mask be on his face as he breathed in the vapors. Going to keep this short as need to get to bed as I know Zach will be up a couple times during the night. Say prayers for Zach please that he gets better soon. I need to see that sweet smile again soon.Zach taking a breathing treatment

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZACHARY!

We celebrated Zachary's 1st birthday yesterday on Saturday the 24th. Zach was born on the 25th of January and I realized we actually were still celebrating on his actual birthday as Zachary was born in Vietnam which is 12 hours ahead of us. We had some close family and friends for his 1st party. We also did Skype with my brother and sister in law and niece Ashley and they were able to be part of the celebration as we sang Happy Birthday to Zach and even watched him open a few presents. I think that was one of the highlights for Zach. I am so upset though. I realized after the party that I had not even videotaped us singing Happy Birthday to him or anything with his party. I would have loved to have videotaped how he was talking to his Aunt Teri and Uncle Scott on Skype. I actually shed some tears about that after he went down for his nap after the party. I know that might sound silly to some, but those who really know me are aware of my obsession with documenting important things like that and to not even get video of my son's first birthday and him and his cake hit me like a ton of bricks afterwards. It was pretty chaotic during some parts and I guess my mind was on other things.I felt like a horrible mother. However all that did not seem important when he woke up after his nap(over 2 hours) and was burning up. I quickly took his temp and I am not lying, it said 107. Surely that was a misread..I saw that temp and looked at Zach and was sure he was going to start having a seizure or something with that temp. I instantly thought of my niece Melissa when she was a baby and had a seizure in her car seat from a high fever while my sister and I were bringing her back home from the emergency room. I was getting ready to bundle him up and take him to the emergency room but gave him some baby motrin as his fever seemed to be coming down a little each time I took his temp. I called my doctor who happened to be the doctor on call that night(thank you God) as I really like her. She took a lot of time with me over the phone and told me to of course take him to the ER if I felt I should but that a fever was normal(his temp was down to 102 by this time) with a cold and congestion and she would see him first thing Monday morning. Since he started babbling and playing while I was on the phone with her, we both felt like he would be ok and to bring him in MOnday. He slept pretty good last night other than waking up a few times . He had a small fever again when he woke up and gave him some baby Tylenol. Poor little guy probably was not feeling that great during his party but he didnt act like he was sick. I feel so bad. Anyway, we will be going to the doctor tomorrow on MOnday. Not to gross anyone out but he threw up so much this morning(the first time he as done this) and threw up so much flim so that was pretty good and he actually seemed to help with his congestion. Anyway, I included a couple pics of the party(at least I took some pics but not one with him in front of his cake with the candle lit-geez what kind of mother am I) and I will write him a long letter telling him all about his birthday and about other happenings since we have been home from Vietnam. I made him a birthday card and will be enclosing a letter to him for each of his birthdays.Tomorrow is New Years Day in Vietnam which is called Tet. Zach and I have been invited to a local Vietnamese Church this week to attend Tet festivities which I am looking forward to so hopefully we can get this little guy better soon.

Waiting for my guests to arrive

Some of my party guests

My first birthday cake
Digging in
What is this stuff sticking on my hand??

Opening presents

Thank you Grammie for my rocking horse

I have had a couple requests to add the video I made of Zachary shortly after receiving his referral so here it is. It is amazing to watch this video again and see how much he has changed from his pictures.

WE MADE IT

We made it, all the way to the end of church service that is, without getting paged. Last Sunday I did not even make it thru the end of the opening song before I was paged. I should check to see if we set a record-haha. Anyway, today was Communion Sunday and it was nice being able to make it all the way thru the service. I am feeling better and more relaxed at leaving him as I feel he knows now that I will be back for him. My sister in law's niece who works in the nursery was holding him when I went to get him and told me that he did cry some but that she took him to look at something in the lobby and he was ok after that. She also gave him his bottle which I am sure helped him also. Thank you Rachel for looking after my baby today. The important thing is that he was able to be calmed down enough for them not to have to page me. We will see what happens next Sunday. Of course I still would like to be paged if he is in dire distress. In other news, my mom's good friends from Roanoke,Va are staying in Destin until sometime in March and we went yesterday to their condo on the beach to visit and introduce them to Zachary. Zachary did great and even let them hold him for a little bit. I have them to thank for the Ergo babycarrier that Zach is always in. Friday I had to take Zach to the lab and get some blood drawn. I was so nervous about doing that and how he would react. His pediatrician wanted to test him for lead since he came from an orphanage in Vietnam and wanted him retested for other things as she was not sure of the reliability of the testing done in Vietnam. He did great even when they put the band on his arm and started poking his arm to get a vein. He was sitting on my lap. Then when they decided to lay him down and restrained him, he lost it. I was so thankful for those 2 women though as the blood started flowing immediately and it was over pretty quick(they had to get 3 vials). I was concerned they would not get it the first time and they would have to poke him again but that was not the case.

Zach is getting around really well and geting into things alot more. We really have to be on our toes. Since he plays in his room now, I told my mom that we would need to move the bucket out from under the change table that held the baby powder and lotions, etc. She said not to worry that he would not mess with that....well, you can see the pics below about that. This is what I found when it got too quite in his room.

I am taking Zach to get pics taken tomorrow for his first birthday. I am going to get pics taken of him in one of his Vietnamese outfits I purchased while in Ho Chi Minh. Hopefully he will be just as cooperative as he was the last time.

I was so excited the other day. One of the things I wanted to get him for his birthday was $70 and when I went to my favorite store Target, they had it 50% off. I hit paydirt as most of the toys were 75% off. I also bought him a kitchen that was $100 for $25 and saving it for Christmas next year. He has Christmas and birthday for next year and probably for the year after that as well. I went a little crazy but it was hard not too when it was all 75%. I also bought him a $80 train table for $19. I posted a couple pics of some of our loot.

The other great news is that I finally received a social security number for Zach. Unfortunately it was only after I had to request to speak with a supervisor and had already been down to the SS office several times. Now I need to go downtown to the courthouse and see what I need to do to start the readoption process here in Florida in order that Zach can receive a US birth certificate. I seem to still have just as much paperwork to do after bringing Zach home as I did beforehand. Hopefully I can get this taken care of also before I return to work in a couple weeks. Below are some other random pics. Enjoy.

ON THE MOVE

Zach playing in his room

Peek A Boo mommy-pulling myself up for first time

Pulling himself up and standing

Zach and our social worker Nancy

I can't believe it. Just a few short days ago I posted that Zach was trying to stand and then before I knew it, I was sitting on the couch and looked up and there was Zachary peeking at me from over the coffee table. He had pulled himself up all by himself and was standing while holding on to his dinosaur toy. He also was having a hard time pulling himself up the step from the sunken living room into the foyer and now that is just a piece of cake to him. My little boy is on the move. I had to get a gate to put across the kitchen but he has the run of the hallway and his room and living room. He even goes into his room every now and then to play whereas before he always played with his toys that were out in the living room. We also had to say goodbye to Mr. Duck(the bathtub). He was getting frustrated as there was not enough room for him and his bath toys. I was actually a little sad when we said goodbye to Mr Duck. My baby is growing up so fast. He was a little frightened of the big tub at first as he was holding on to me with a deathgrip but as soon as his toys went in, all was well.

Our social worker Nancy also came for our first post placement review and she seemed to be very pleased with his progress and how he is adjusting. She had only seen him for a few minutes previously when she came to the airport to meet us when we first came home from Vietnam. He even sat on her lap for a few minutes. Zach seems to warm up a lot faster now to people he has not seen before. Of course, he always has to study you at first for a few minutes trying to decide if you are ok and if he should smile at you or not. People are always coming up to us whenever we are out to say what a beautiful baby he is. I was at Target on one side of town the other morning and then the other Target on the other side of town that afternoon. I was in the bathroom changing Zach when a woman came up to me asking me if I was at the other Target that morning. I said yes and she said that she recognized the baby as she was admiring him that morning at the other Target. People are constantly coming up and talking to him. There was also a sweet older man at Target(can you tell I go to Target all the time) who kept waving to Zachary and then asked if he could "see the little rascal" as he called him. Zach is always in the carrier whenever we go out so people who come up to us do not hold him, they just talk to him and sometimes he smiles at them and sometimes just stares them down. It is pretty funny sometimes. You can tell as people are talking to him or telling me what a beautiful child he is that they are trying to figure it out but of all the comments we receive, the only times people have actually asked if he was adopted have only come from people who have adopted themselves. I was at Kohls(again changing Zach in the bathroom) when an older woman asked me if he was from "an Asian country". She told me her son and daughter in law had adopted from China 13 years ago and we talked quite a bit. I was at Sams Club yesterday when a man came up to me and asked if he was adopted from China. I told him Vietnam and his wife came up and they showed me pics of their 3 children adopted from China. He just thought Zach was so cute and kept going on about what beautiful features he had. We kept running into him and he asked questions about his transition and if he had been in an orphanage over there. It is really nice to talk to people who have also adopted internationally. I have heard from other people that have adopted internationally that they have encountered negative comments from people sometime but I have never had any of that and people have always been very nice that have come up to us.