Just walk across and don't stop...

...so they say, but this is standard traffic on a main street and i cant see stepping out here. But honestly it really does flow, there are very few accidents and there is no road rage...all the horn blasts are just to let you know we are going somewhere so you better pay attention...

Daddy and Nate

A couple of pics and vids from our first visit to the orphanage...

This is one special little guy..

I had a chance to wander and reflect with Nate while he dozed in my arms. I can't wait to get him home...

At last we meet Nate...

Not even sure what time it was or how long we spent with him, but it was a pretty incredible experience.

I don't think words can express how we feel. Both Brian and I are completely exhausted and will post again when we are awake.

What I will tell you is that we are in love with him and cannot wait to have the g&r ceremony so he can be with us forever. He is an awesome baby and we both feel like the luckiest people alive!

Some new pictures of Nate

We will be going to the orphanage for a visit in a few hours, but Thuy sent us these photos she took just a few days ago:

Some big eyes and an early adopter of technology

+15 pounds at 4 months! Looks like Nate is into beer like his pops...

The View from in here...

As Nicole sleeps off the jet-lag hang over, I thought I would show you what we see from our window:

We have a nice pool with a deck and a gym right beside it. This over looks West Lake, or Ho Tay Lake, which is the biggest in Hanoi. It seems there is lots to do around this lake. I havent done any exploring yet, but the traffic looks insane outside our lobby, so it should be fun. It really is just a side street, but there are no traffic laws . Coming in last night on a highway was a little nerve racking - lots of people on scooters, some on bikes, some just walking along the highway. Our cab just flashed his high beams, honked the horn a few times and passed where ever he could. I think I will rent a scooter to get the full experience. But first, let me try to cross the road on foot to get the feel of it first.

This is cool - go to Google maps, type in the address for this hotel: 254D Thuy Khue Road, Hanoi, Vietnam, switch the view to Satellite and zoom down on the location - you can see the where we are and the surrounding areas.

We have started taking some video

So keep an eye out for some fine Smylie Productions Films coming soon...

This one is not post worthy, just me filming Nicole at the airport Tim's @ 5am.

More to come. Cheers! Brian

Hanoi, we made it...

Well we made it. The flights and layovers themselves were pretty uneventful. We are both feeling sleep deprived but excited just the same. It's coming up on midnight and we have just checked into our hotel. Thuy met us at the airport and dropped us off. So here is the news...we will not be meeting Nate tomorrow and we don't get to bring him back with us until the Giving & Receiving ceremony. There are plans to meet Nate and see the orphanage where he lives on Wednesday, but no set date for the G&R. GRRR I want my baby!!! But, she did have some new pictures of Nate that were just taken a few days ago and let me just say we have a chunky little baby boy with a very sweet face. She thinks he is 15.4 lbs. We will post them as soon as we can. The hotel is looking for an adapter for us..so this post will be short. The computer does not have much juice. Brian thinks he looks like a "solid stay at home defenceman"..whatever that means.
Will keep you posted.
N & B

Nate's bag is packed...

and we have just 24 hours until we board our first plane that will take us to him. It is very early Saturday morning and for some reason our smoke alarm decided to test our ability to jump out of bed quickly. I assume it is only curious to see how we will respond to Nate's cries in the middle of the night. And, for some crazy reason I am really looking forward to being able to do that.
Other than a crazy smoke alarm, everything seems to be under control. We went out for dinner with some friends (who btw are expecting their first child..congrats P & C, you said the cat was out of the bag) last night and I even managed to get my toes painted before we went to bed. But falling asleep was no easy task. I am way too excited.
We still have some final packing and last minute things but otherwise we are as ready as we are ever going to be.

Nate, here we come!