Me, You and Manu

Manu and Disneyland

2011-06-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

Two Years Ago

2011-01-23T12:30:00.000-08:00

Two years ago today, I looked into my baby son's eyes for the first time. Through my own tears of joy, I saw innocence in its purest form. I saw in his eyes the promise of a new beginning, and an end to the loneliness that we had both felt for too long. There was something eternal in that first glance, and I never wanted it to end. Two years ago today, I became a believer of love at first sight.

Two years ago today, I became a man. I learned more about myself in those precious first moments of meeting my son than I had in all my years prior. In my heart, a new sense of purpose was born as I pledged forever to place his interests before my own—I now had a reason, beyond myself, to exist.

Two years ago today, we became a family. An inseparable and impenetrable bond was forged instantly as three people so very different, but all searching for something so similar, found each other half a world away. Never have I felt more at peace than that first time I saw my wife holding my baby boy—a sight that is forever emblazoned on my mind.

Two years ago today, I became rich. Though the journey was long and the sacrifices significant, no price can be put on what I have gained in return. Nothing of material form makes me happier than the time I spend with my family, and no amount of money could compel me to give that up.

Two years ago today, was the happiest day of my life. Two years ago today, we adopted our son, Manu.

India comes to Kentucky on horseback

2010-10-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

For two weeks Lexington played host to the World Equestrian Games; an Olympic-styled competition of equestrian arts featuring riders from around the world. In fact, this is the first time that the competition has traveled outside of Europe. Lexington was bustling with events and new visitors, with a buzz of excitement everywhere you went.

As luck would have it, we stumbled upon the Indian Tent-Pegging team. Tent-pegging is an ancient cavalry maneuver turned competitive sport. While watching, Manu was noticed by the Colonel in command of the Indian team. He motioned to Manu to come over, and then he picked him up and shared his horse. This made a great day at the games even more special.


Manu with the Commander of the Indian team.

Manu and Haley pose with the rest of the team.

Vacations

2010-09-24T17:50:00.000-07:00

In July of 2008 we headed for our summer vacation on Hilton Head Island, having just hours before leaving, completed our dossier and mailed it to India. I remember vividly how excited we were to be finished with the paperwork, as well as how exhausted we were after months of shuffling it. We clang tightly to the few pictures we had of our future son as we lounged on the beach and explored the island.

What a difference two years can make :-)

Random mid-week cuteness

2010-08-17T10:38:00.001-07:00

Wonderful news for one of Manu's "cousins"

2010-08-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

We are relieved to learn that Nisha, one of Manu's "cousins" from Ashraya, got a very good report from the doctor. You can read about this medical miracle here: http://doingtheworksofgod.blogspot.com/2010/08/blessed-be.html

Friends in India

2010-08-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

Please join us in congratulating our friends, the Stums, as they travel to Ashraya, Manu's children's home, to meet their new son Vismay. You can follow their journey here: http://thestums.blogspot.com

A Very Special Reunion

2010-07-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we headed north to Cincinnati to spend a few days getting acquainted with some very special families - families who adopted children from Ashraya, Manu's children's home in Bangalore, India. What's even more special is that, of the families who could attend, all of our children were residents of Ashraya at the same time, and now they are together again, a couple years later, and half a world away.

We met up with the Stafford's, and their 3yo little girl Anju, on Thursday night at the hotel. Manu and Anju are the youngest of the four adopted kids who attended. They played in the "kiddie" pool while the adults got to know one another. The Next morning we met up with Jennifer Carr and her troupe of children, which included 5yo Bailey, and we headed to the Zoo. After navigating miles of stalled interstate traffic on the way, we were welcomed to the park by a torrential downpour that completely soaked everyone. Hey, when life gives you lemons...Thankfully it also cooled down the weather and made for a pleasant afternoon once the showers moved on past. Back to the hotel to freshen up a bit before heading to an Indian restaurant for dinner, and then back to the pool for another evening of swimming and socialization.

Saturday morning we were joined by the Brooke Tague and her familiy who were delayed by an unexpected surgical procedure for their daughter Nisha, not to mention simply getting the dates of the reunion wrong ;-) Thankfully Nisha was doing well enough that they could make the drive down from Indianapolis. We headed to Big Bone Lick State Park to see a herd of Bison that included some very young calfs. Later we took over the back room at a LaRossa's Pizza parlor and lunched while discussing our experiences in India and our time at Ashraya. It was fun listening to other stories of people who have experienced the same journey that we have. Afterward we said goodbye to Jenn and family, who were headed home, and we broke away from the rest of the pack to do a little shopping at IKEA while the others visited a museum. Dinner downtown and then back to the pool where we talked with Amy and Brooke for a few more hours.

It was a very touching meeting these children, knowing their past circumstances and seeing how well they've adjusted in their new lives. It was fun watching them interact with each other, and especially watching Manu mimic the actions of the older kids. The kids seemed to bond almost instantly, and it was sad when we all had to go our separate ways. Sometimes it's nice to know you're not alone in the world, and we hope this and future get-togethers will give Manu a sense of community and a better understanding of the past he left behind. I know it was good for us.

Anju, Bailey and Manu at the zoo

Follow me!

Our future engineers

Or marine biologists

Tough day at the zoo

Bailey (5), Nisha (4), Anju (3) and Manu (2)

Ever try and get 3 kids to all look at you at the same time?

Anju and Nisha say goodbye

Hugs all around

Anju and Manu, hey that rhymes!

The gang's all here!

A day out with Thomas

2010-06-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we took a little trip to New Haven, KY, home of the KY Railway Museum, and the 2010 Day Out With Thomas celebration. If I haven't mentioned it already, Manu loves Thomas the Train, and all of his railway buddies, so it was no surprise that he had a great day. We got to ride on a train car that was pulled by Thomas himself, plus play on lots of train-tables that were set up with different train sets. Manu got to "meet" Sir Topham Hatt, the railway director on the Island of Sodor, plus he enjoyed story-time and watching Thomas Videos. All in all a very useful day indeed!

Manu playing at one of the many train tables.

Here comes Thomas!

Mommy and Manu after our ride was over.

Bad, bad blogger daddy!

2010-06-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

So it's been a little while since we last heard from our hero, through no fault of his own. His official biographer has been letting life get in the way. Daddy, it seems, is an eternal procrastinator, and finding time to blog, as well as keep up with "Nu Nu", is a bit overwhelming at times. Not trying to make excuses, just giving you the facts. No matter, the blog posts may be fewer and further between, but they'll be just as cute :-)

Well let's see, since the last time you've heard from us we've had a Birthday, an Easter, a Mother's Day and a Memorial Day. Too much to try and sum up in one post, and since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are several to catch you up on our comings and goings as of late:

Haley takes Manu for a spin in her Escalade.

Manu opening one of his gifts on his Birthday.

Our future train engineer practices on his new train set.

Mesmerized by the sheer number of candles. Happy 2nd Birthday!!

Picking "flowers" for Mommy.

Mommy and Manu share a smile at the Indianapolis Zoo.

Haley teaching Manu the basics of the trampoline

Manu's first pony ride!

The Wild Wild West

2010-03-24T15:03:00.000-07:00

In a scene reminiscent of the shootout at the OK corral, they meet upon the field of battle; fierce competitors bent on conquest, eyes locked on one another with an unflinching determination to claim what both believe is rightfully theirs.

You can almost hear the theme from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly playing softly in the distance. Soon the maneuvers will begin; each exploiting the other’s weaknesses. The old guard eyes suspiciously the Johnny-come-lately who seeks to challenge tradition and upset the balance of power established long ago. Although the young one brings to the battle a feisty passion and nimble quickness and spirit, experience is wielded by the old-timer.

BAM! In the blink of an eye it’s over. As the dust settles, the rookie looks toward the horizon to see his foe riding off into the sunset. In a moment of sheer frustration and panic he sounds his mournful battle cry: “MOMMY!?!?!?!?”—as the dog chomps down on the peanut butter sandwich that he had just snatched from Manu’s little hands.

Hey, you win some, you lose some. That’s how it goes in the Wild Wild West that is our house; it’s every baby and animal for himself! Manu has become increasingly irritated any time the dog comes near. Not that he’s afraid of Casey, but he knows Casey wants whatever Manu’s got, be it food or plaything. A stuffed animal becomes a chew toy quicker than you might think. One treat of Manu's that Casey isn't interested in is ice. Yep, just ice. For a while now he has shown interest in drinking out of a big boy cup, and occasionally we let him sip out of our water glasses. Well, our cups have ice, so he wants ice too! We have a little ice cube tray that makes tiny little cubes; cubes that are too small to be a choking hazard (we watch him carefully anyway mom!) We'll put a few in a little cup and he's content to chomp on them like they're candy. I guess he doesn't have sensitive teeth! We figure with all of the crap out there he could be snacking on, ice is a pretty good compromise. Cutest part of it is, every time we open the freezer door, he starts shouting, "ithe ithe ithe."

Fierce competitors for sure!

Big shoes to fill.

Joe Cool.

How did you find me down here?

Studying for the advance placement exams.

Pasta Fingers

2010-03-01T16:44:00.000-08:00

Back by popular demand!

2010-02-25T04:08:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, sorry for the delay in updates. The weather and early nightfall of the past few weeks has made us less than motivated to take many pictures nor do anything else interesting worth writing about. We did venture out to a neighborhood park last weekend when the temps broke into the fifties for a day or so, but all of the snow melt made it a sloppy mess, so we didn't play too long. That park is however located very close to an interstate overpass. Why is this interesting? Because we sat Manu in one of the little kid swings that faced the interstate, and he had the time of his life watching the semi-trucks go over the bridge. Every time he saw a new one he would point and say "WOW" at the top of his lungs. So much so that other families at the park would stop and look to see what was so exciting. He did that for about 45 minutes, and we had to pull him away!

Manu has really taken a liking to all sorts of mechanized vehicles, but trains in particular. We try not to let him watch too much TV, but there is a new show in the Disney Channel called Chuggington that he loves so much, we have every episode on DVR, and let him watch one every day. It's basically a knock-off on Thomas the Train, which he is fascinated with too. Our local Barns and Noble has a Thomas the Train wooden setup in the children's section that he would play with for hours if we let him. Leslie has taken him there a few times and just sits and reads a book while he "choo choos" around the tracks. Can you guess what he's getting for his Birthday? If any grandparents, aunts and uncles need gift ideas, make sure what ever you get are part of the "wooden" series, as I think there are 3 or 4 different lines of trains.

Manu continues to love school, at least after the obligatory crying fit at drop-off is over most mornings, LOL. It gets mentioned every day, how much energy he has. They tell us they've never seen anything like it before; he's so fast. We did have one interesting report a week or so ago. Apparently one day Manu took to pushing other little children down and laying on them until they cried! We were concerned about this, as we had no idea how to try and correct such behavior, as obviously he doesn't do that at home. They said that it looked like a new type of play for him and nothing malicious toward the other children. They asked us if we let him watch professional wrestling, LOL! No. Apparently that was a one day thing and he's back to playing nice again.

Finally, he's growing like a weed and talking up a storm. He's just starting to put multiple words together to express his desires. It's still confusing, but getting easier to understand what he wants...usually something we don't want him to have. He loves the word no, and uses it frequently. He says "peas" and "tank ooh", almost to a fault. "Luv ooh" is our favorite though!

Manu-versary

2010-01-21T03:55:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that a year has passed since we first held our new baby boy. At times it seems as though it was only yesterday, but in our hearts he has been there forever. It is amazing how someone so small can have such an enormous impact on the world around him. We hope that one day we'll be able to adequately express to him how we felt on that special day, and that his presence in our family has changed our lives eternally. We love you Manu.

And to close out what has been the best year of my life, here are a few more pictures of the most wonderful two people in it.

Me, You and Manu, The Year in Review: Part Two

2010-01-18T14:52:00.000-08:00

It was obvious to us by the time we started towards Delhi that this parenting thing was going to take a little practice in order to get it right. Click here to read our account of Manu's first road trip. We arrived in New Delhi over a long holiday weekend, so there was plenty of time to check out the city and all of its sights and attractions. Our embassy visits were relatively painless, and with Manu's Visa in hand, it made the last few days before returning home very relaxing, knowing that he was now ours to take home! Here are a few more pictures of our Delhi adventure.

Mommy and Manu enjoying a mid-afternoon snack.

The three of us near the entrance to the Taj Mahal grounds.

The Taj from a different perspective. It was one of the most beautiful sights we have ever seen.

One of two identical mosques as seen from the Taj platform.

Workers demonstrate the art of marble inlay, similar to that adorning the walls of the Taj.

Daddy and Manu at a restaurant in Agra.

School children on a field trip to Humayun's Tomb.

Humayun's Tomb. Similar in architecture to the Taj, but constructed of red sandstone.

Mommy and Manu sit down and relax after a hard afternoon of sight seeing!

These ladies all but begged us to take their picture, and then wanted 100 rupies each as their fee, LOL. We gave them 10 each.

This is the room in which Ghandi spent his last days before his murder. It contains all of his worldly possessions

Haley meeting her new cousin for the first time at the airport.

Me, you and Manu, The Year in Review: Part One

2010-01-12T15:45:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe it's been almost a year since we traveled half-way around the world to meet our son for the first time. Our "Gotcha" day, a day that we will celebrate forever as the day we finally became a family, is January 21st. Leading up to this momentous occasion, we thought we would reminisce a little bit with some photos of our adventure that have been previously unpublished. In part one we'll revisit Bangalore and our time at Ashraya Children's Home, in part two we'll travel to Delhi for a recap of our week of sightseeing and random adventures!

A typical street scene in Bangalore, taken just a few blocks from Ashraya on CMH Road.

Leslie standing outside the nursery and toddler building.

Leslie enjoys afternoon tea while Manu naps in the crib behind her.

Manu in one of his last naps at Ashraya.

Rani, one of Manu's Favorite Aunties. I noticed a few tears as we took Manu away.

Devi was Manu's other favorite caregiver. It was obvious that Manu was loved by all of his Aunties!

Daddy and Manu back in our room at the Daffodil.

Mommy and Manu enjoying a latte at Cafe Coffee Day.

Our last meal before flying out the next morning for Delhi. The food was spectacular everywhere we went. And cheap too!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T12:16:00.000-08:00

Throughout most of the Christmas season, Manu didn't really understand what was going on, but he did know that he liked it! Christmas lights, Christmas songs, gifts and attention; all things Manu now loves. His little head is still spinning in awe of all of the new toys, books and clothes that he got...well, mostly the toys. Santa, and the family spoiled him rotten. Mommy and Daddy got the best gift of all though, in completing his adoption. This has been a special year for us, and Christmas was simply icing on the cake. It was so much fun experiencing it again as a child through his eyes. We're already looking forward to next year, when he'll really know what's going on!

Today is New Years day, and we're celebrating by taking down all of the decorations. Manu seemed to be OK with it, until after his afternoon nap, when he pointed to where the tree was, and said, "more, more, more."

Manu in his Santa hat, playing around after court.

Manu admiring his handy work.

Opening presents from Mommy and Daddy on Christmas Eve.

So who broke in and left all of these toys?

Will the gifts ever end? I hope not!

December 10th, 2009. A date which will live in infamy.

2009-12-11T16:00:00.000-08:00

Few people can point to an exact moment in time in which their lives are inextricably changed forever. For Manu, this was not that moment. That moment occurred nearly eleven months ago when we first met and knew we were to be a family. Today, December 10th, 2009 is simply the culmination of two years of hope, frustration, joy and elation. Today is the day that Manu officially and legally becomes part of our family. Forever and ever he will be our son, and no one will ever be able to take him away. Though the journey was long, hard and expensive, he has given us far more in return. The adoption process has changed our lives forever. We are different people than we were just a few years ago, and we look forward to who we will we become, as we journey through life with our son, Manu Alexander Yeast.

We have a court date!

2009-11-13T13:10:00.000-08:00

On December 10th, 2009 Manu will officially become our son!

Manu's Halloween Haunts

2009-11-08T15:18:00.000-08:00

Manu began the Halloween holiday season by "helping" to clean and carve his first pumpkin. Actually he was insistent on putting the seeds and goop BACK into the pumpkin. After it was finished he was in awe of the glowing eyes, nose and not-so-scary mouth. Being the first pumpkin I have carved in years, I was kind of proud of the results, though it was far from the most interesting that we would see while trick-or-treating.

We didn't know what to expect from Manu as his first Halloween approached. He has never shown any signs of being frightened by much of anything, except a scary life-sized ghoul on display at a local store. With that in mind we had originally planned on visiting just a few houses on our street, and returning home early to give out candy to the other neighborhood children. That was until we learned that 8yo cousin Haley would be joining us for Halloween; And, like most 8yo kids, wanted to trick-or-treat the whole neighborhood, as well as the next town over! So we set out to loot and pillage our little village. At first he didn't know what was going on, but quickly he figured it all out. He couldn't say "trick-or-treat", so he said "more, more, more" as nice people put candy into his bucket. At one point, as some people would crunch down to get on his level and comment on his cuteness, he would again recite "more, more,more" while reaching into their candy bowl and helping himself to more! He was so cute. Unfortunately for Manu, most of his candy left with Haley, not that he really understood what all those shiny wrappers were all about. What he did know was he was getting lots of attention, and loving it! We probably walked about about 2 miles and he never gave up. He was so cute, we were sad when it was all over, but we had to get him home before the dawn...

You didn't tell me you were going to kill it!

Goop

Not-so-scary Halloween pumpkin

Haley, as Sandy from Grease, and Count Manu!

Mommy and Manu pillage the neighborhood's candy reserves.

Fall fun

2009-10-19T19:06:00.000-07:00

We are entering an exciting time for our family. Last week we had an interview with Manu's court-appointed attorney, to ensure that this adoption is truly in his best interest; mostly a legal formality. That went very well, and now we are awaiting a court date for finalization. All signs indicate that it should happen sometime mid November. Finally, almost two years to the date of our first home study, we'll be officially done with the process, and Manu will legally be our son! Funny thing, he will be issued a Kentucky birth certificate indicating that he was born to us on 4/13/2008.

Manu has fully recovered from surgery with no problems at all. Well, not entirely. After the procedure he became very clingy and it was several weeks before he would let Leslie out of his sight without tears. This made morning drop-offs at day care very touchy. He also has regressed with sleeping independence. Right after the surgery he started having night terrors, usually around 2am, and was inconsolable. So we got in a habit of bringing him to bed with us after he awoke. Well, the night terrors seem to have subsided, but he hasn't gotten any better about sleeping alone. I'll admit that we are weak, and give in sometimes when we shouldn't, but this is a challenge that we have to conquer; daddy needs a good night's sleep!

We've been spending our early fall going pumpkin picking, and to various fall festivals. Manu had a great time picking out his own pumpkin, as well as apples and pears. He was in awe at the Festival of the Horse in Georgetown, and is enjoying the farmer's markets. Manu is also learning to cook. Well, at least he is learning to stir :-)

He also turned 18 months old on the 13th! We can't believe he's been with us 9 months already. He's getting so big!

Mommy and Manu, sporting new 'dos

2009-09-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

hairdo

Surgery update

2009-09-17T09:21:00.001-07:00

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Manu's surgery went well with no complications. He was in surgery for about 3 hours, and released shortly afterward. He was very hungry after the procedure, and at a small box of cheerios, 2 small boxes of raisins, and a few handfuls of goldfish, all that on the way home! We had a rough night last night, as he was inconsolable and awoke 3-4 times throughout the night screaming. We called the hospital help line, and the doctor on call upped his dose of Tylenol and Advil. This morning he is a completely new baby, happy and energetic, with no signs of surgical pain. Of course, now mommy and daddy are fussy from lack of sleep! We have a follow-up appointment in 6 weeks, but all signs are that everything is going to be fine. Thanks to everyone who called or wrote to us during this time. It was very stressful for us to have our little boy endure such an ordeal. We're all glad it's over!

Festivals of youth

2009-09-14T19:25:00.000-07:00

Festivals dot the landscape this time of year, and Manu is making the most of the season. Labor Day weekend began with a trip to Louisville for World Fest, a celebration of world culture and food, followed by a trip to Cincinnati on Sunday for River Fest and an exciting fireworks display over the Ohio River. This weekend started with a trip to Evan's orchard for some apple picking, and then a jaunt to Covington for their annual Oktoberfest. Daddy enjoyed some German beer, while Manu lunched on some roasted corn and danced to the live music. Manu always seems to attract a lot of attention wherever he goes, and this was no exception. Several times I was told what a cute little boy we have, especially as he was running around the the grounds, happy to be in the middle of all of the excitement. Leslie and I have always enjoyed small-town festivals like this, but they take on a whole new dimension with Manu. Things that we have taken for granted seem new and exciting again. Even the sight of a dried out, fallen leaf is a treat when presented to me by my son. Leslie and I are really looking forward to coming months, celebrating Manu's first holiday season with us. It should be a blast!

On a more somber note, Wednesday we are headed back to Cincinnati Children's Hospital for Manu's surgery. He is having his umbilical hernia repaired. Basically right now he has a really big "outie." Although this should be nothing more than a routine procedure, Leslie and I are all but beside ourselves. This is my little boy, and I don't like the feeling of helplessness I have as he undergoes this operation, under general anesthesia. If all goes well he should be back home that evening, a little grumpy, but no worse for the wear. His surgery is scheduled for early Wednesday morning, so we're heading to Cinci tomorrow night and staying downtown. The worst part is, he cannot have any food for eight hours prior to the procedure. That doesn't bode well for us, as Manu really likes his early morning milk, and won't understand why mommy and daddy are being so mean and withholding his breakfast!

Nature Boy

2009-08-31T19:05:00.000-07:00

Just a quick picture update from a recent trip to the UK Arboretum. Manu had a great time checking out the flowers and trees, and pointing at the fish in the pond.

And one more from our previous trip to Talon.

All good things must come to an end.

2009-08-13T02:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay, getting back into the swing of things after vacation has proven a bit challenging, but the hum-drum of daily life is beginning to re-emerge, so hopefully I'll have more free time soon...HA!

We finished up our vacation by spending the last day back at the Magic Kingdom. Having completed most of Fantasyland on our previous visit, we focused on more laid-back attractions, like the Country Bears, the Tiki Birds, parades and shows. We did take Manu on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin where daddy proved he still has what it takes! A trip around the Kingdom on the train and it was goodbye parks. We went back to the hotel around 3pm to freshen up before heading back down to Downtown Disney for some last minute shopping, and after that we headed to the Boardwalk for dinner. Manu got a kick out of chasing the duckies that were seemingly everywhere. We had a nice meal outside at the Big River Grill and Brewing Works, then back to the hotel to pack up for our trip back home.

The flight back was relatively uneventful, though Manu was a little more restless than before. He slept about half of the way home. Back in Louisville we stopped quickly for a bite to eat before visiting Nana and Momaw on our way back to Lexington. All-in-all this was a great first family vacation. Although Manu was/is too little to understand most of what was gong on, he really seemed to enjoy the music, colors and the general festivities. It was good for us too as a bonding experience, as this was the most uninterrupted time we've had together as a family since India. Unfortunately, this made it a little tricky for Manu to get back into his routine of sleeping all night in his room, and going back to daycare. Since then he is back to sleeping through the night, but still cries when Mommy drops him off in the mornings.

Fast forward to this past weekend. We had our final post-placement interview at Amy's house. It went very well. We got to talk to her too about her little girls, plus we got to meet another adoptive family and their 13mo son Cooper from South Korea. We will now begin the process of finalizing our adoption. With any luck Manu will be "officially" our son, and a US citizen, by the end of the year! Not that we need the government's blessing, but citizenship does come in handy. Sunday we took a little trip out to Talon Winery for some pictures. This is a great spot for picnics and kids, as it is a beautiful setting with plenty of space for Manu to run around while mommy and daddy enjoy a glass of wine!

Manu had no problems getting to sleep each night!

Manu and Daddy at Downtown Disney.

Mommy and Manu at Talon.

Around the World in a Day

2009-08-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

After the late ending to yesterday, we started off today on a slightly slower pace. Still managing to get to EPCOT relatively early we headed for the Living Seas to show Manu the dolphins and fishies. He was excited to be able to walk right up to the glass and be face-to-face with all kinds of sea life. After that it was on to the Imagination Pavilion for the Journey into Your Imagination ride. Manu enjoyed the fun colors and sounds while daddy enjoyed the slow ride through the air conditioning. By this time we were all getting a little hungry, so we headed for Germany and the nice buffet that awaited. Manu wasn't too impressed with the food, choosing to chow on the watermelon over the spaetzle and schnitzel. We spent another hour or so touring the country pavillions and then headed back to the hotel for a little relaxation in the pool. This was a "zero entry" pool, so Manu could walk into it to a comfortable depth. We played for about an hour in a foot and a half of water, but he loved it, and it was just the thing to cool us down on a hot Florida afternoon. A quick shower and we're back to the park. Manu slept through "Spaceship Earth," but woke up for the Mexico pavillion and the boat ride there. A few more countries and we settled on dinner at The Rose and Crown, where we had a nice English meal, and got to see the fireworks too! All in all another great, but tiring day. Only one day left, and tomorrow we're heading back to the Magic Kingdom to complete some unfinished business. See you soon!

Mommy and Manu at the park entrance.

I think this mouse is following me!

Boy do my feet hurt!

Hungry Manu waiting for our table.

A Magic Day

2009-07-31T21:24:00.000-07:00

It's now 12:30am and we're back in the room and Manu is down for the count. After staying for the fireworks and the mob-scene that follows as 50,000 people all try to leave the park at the same time, we're beat, so here is a quick recap of the days events:

We got up at 6:30 this morning in order to make it to the park at opening. Our plan was to hit Fantasyland hard before it got too crowded. We were a little concerned how he would handle some of the darker rides, but he loved them. Peter Pan, Pooh's Adventure, Small World and the teacups were his favorites. Sensing that he was going to be OK on whatever threw at him, we took him for the ultimate 15mo fear-test at the Haunted Mansion, where he laughed in the ghost's faces! At least until he fell asleep half-way through. Around 1:30pm we headed out of the park to have lunch at an Irish Pub in Downtown Disney. Manu was not too impressed with the bland Irish cuisine, and frankly neither were we, but it was refreshing to sit down at a real restaurant instead of counter-service in the park. After looking around a little bit more we headed back to the hotel for a shower and a nap, and to wait out the ubiquitous mid-afternoon rain storm.

Back at the park, Manu dared to take on the Pirates of the Caribbean, and lived to tell about it! We had dinner at Columbia Harbor House and made it out in time to watch the Spectromagic parade. Manu was in sensory overload for sure now! We weren't planning on staying for the fireworks, but after the parade, and by the time we got even remotely close to the front of the park, it was only another 10 minutes 'till they began, so we waited and watched. I'm glad we did as he seemed to really enjoy the bright colors and musical background.

That's all for today, I'm not sure we could have handled much more. Tomorrow we're off to Epcot to take Manu on a world tour, even though he's already seen a lot of it :-)

If I have to hear that song one more time...

I would have sworn that there was a fountain here a minute ago.

Daddy, I think we need to fertilize our garden at home.

The queen and her little prince.

Manu on Safari

2009-07-30T20:04:00.000-07:00

This morning we started with a character breakfast at Animal Kingdom park. Manu got to meet Donald and Mickey while enjoying eggs and waffles! After breakfast we headed to Kilimanjaro Safari, where he saw lots of animals in the wild. We even had to stop for a giraffe crossing. Manu took a little nap while we toured Asia, but he was up and ready to go for the Jammin' Jungle parade. Manu attracted all kinds of attention from the cast members and characters. Manu also got to meet several of the characters from The Jungle Book and Tarzan! We left the park just before the rain set in and headed back to the hotels to freshen up a bit before dinner. After a couple of hours we headed back to the Contemporary Resort for our reservations at the California Grill. This special dinner was to celebrate Leslie's birthday. We had a very nice meal, Manu particularly enjoyed the fig and prosciutto flat bread, and also helped with mommy's blackened grouper and daddy's pork tenderloin. Now well past his bedtime, we all headed back to the hotel to recharge for the big day tomorrow at The Magic Kingdom. I have to say that, although we have been to Disney many times before, it is amazing to "see" it again through his eyes. Manu was in constant awe of his surroundings. He had a great time today, and was a real trooper dealing with the heat, humidity and rain.

Manu wondering why this oversized mouse was interrupting his breakfast?

Manu with family and jungle friends!

Manu after a hard hour of safari.

Manu and Mommy at dinner.

Manu sums up his day!

We're going to Disney World!

2009-07-29T19:18:00.000-07:00

We asked ourselves, what could we do to top a trip halfway around the world to get the cutest little boy ever? We're going to Disney World! We started out this morning driving to Louisville where we flew Southwest Airlines directly to Orlando. We were worried about how he would handle the flight, as he is much more active than he was on our flights in India and homeward. We held him in our laps, well Leslie did most of the holding, and though he squirmed a bit and was generally unimpressed with the travel arrangements, he did pretty well, finally falling asleep an hour and a half into the two hour flight. We got our bags, picked up our car and headed to the Hotel. We got a great rate using Priceline for the Omni Resort and Spa. This 5-star resort cost us less than than the economy-class Disney hotels, so that helps ease any disappointment with being off-site, though only by a five minute drive.

After checking out the hotel for a bit, we headed to Downtown Disney for some shopping and dinner. Unfortunately, not long after we arrived it began raining and continued the rest of the night. We popped in and out of some of the stores, then headed to Wolfgang Puck's restaurant on the West Side. This has traditionally been our first dining spot of our Disney vacations. Manu enjoyed sharing some spicy butternut squash soup, pumpkin ravioli in a sage and brown-butter sauce, and a four-cheese pesto pizza. That boy can eat! After dinner we ran through the rain back to our car and headed home, stopping at a Publix grocery store for some milk and banannas. Tomorrow we start out at Animal Kingdom park with a character breakfast at Tusker House restaurant. Manu will meet many of the Disney characters in their safari garb. Should be fun. We'll report back tomorrow evening with more on Manu's jungle adventure!

Manu waiting at Louisville Airport for daddy to return from parking the car.

Mommy and manu walking around the airport terminal

Manu at Wolfgang Puck's before dinner.

Manu after eating soup, squash, pizza and bread.

Manu's first day at the pool

2009-07-27T19:48:00.000-07:00

While back in Whitesburg visiting Leslie's family this weekend, Manu got his first experience in a big-kid swimming pool. He was a little unsure of things at first, but quickly any doubt turned to ecstasy as he had a wonderful time splashing around with mommy and his cousins.

The secrets to happiness.

2009-07-13T05:43:00.000-07:00

As I get older, I find myself more reflective on the past, to my younger days, to friends and family that I have lost touch with, or to experiences which, in their time, seemed would last forever, but are now blurred, jumbled pieces of memories. Through the innovations of the internet, recently I have become reacquainted with part of that past. People about whom I haven't thought in years are suddenly brilliant in my mind as though it was only yesterday that we said goodbye, or didn't. I am back in high school and college having the time of my life, and the dreams of my youth are once again alive in my head. But as exciting as it is to reconnect, I start to wonder how I let it all slip away. As time marches on we take for granted that what we have today, we will have tomorrow. But few things, if any, are forever. Each chapter of life is a transition into another, and there is no going back, only reminiscing.

But then I'm back in the present. We've had such an exciting couple of years, but they've passed so quickly (in hind sight), and now I want things to slow down a bit so I can enjoy more time with my family as it is today. Manu is growing up so fast; I'm afraid he'll be driving and dating before I'm ready for him to be out of diapers. I don't want these moments to become distant memories. I also don't want to live in the past. I think the secret to happiness is understanding that right now, you are in a place at which you'll wish you could get back to sometime in your future. Enjoy it and make today the best day it can be.

As for living in the moment, Manu has had another first; his first Fourth of July! On the 2nd, he and his classmates at school had a little parade around the parking lot. It was so cute seeing all of those little ones trying to stay in line! He began the 4th by channeling his support to mommy and daddy on their 6.2 mile run in the annual Bluegrass 10K, from the comfort of his crib, asleep! After we hobbled home we met up with the rest of the family in town for the weekend, and headed downtown to the festivities. Manu really enjoyed the parade, especially the horses and the marching bands. The politicians made him cry though, so now I'm sure he's my boy! After the parade we attempted to walk the streets, checking out the crafts and food vendors, but the drizzle that had gently dampened the parade was starting to pour, so we got back to the car and headed home. That night we hosted friends and family for what should have been a fun evening for the little guy. Instead he decided that nothing was going to please him, so he cried himself to sleep without finishing dinner, and drifted off well before the fireworks.

Manu is becoming quite the little climber. He insists on traversing the stairs himself, rather then being carried. He has even taken to climbing into his own high chair when he's ready to eat! He's learned to place objects on the ground and stand on them in order to get a little bit taller. This has caused more than a little commotion, as this puts him just tall enough to pull down anything left near the edge of the kitchen table! On the sweeter side, he is blowing kisses to everyone, and kissing mommy and daddy on the cheek. Every time he sees a cow he tries to moo, but it comes out more like, "mmmummmm." He likes to go "bye-bye," and runs to the front door squealing with excitement at the prospect. His hand-eye coordination is improving to where he can make precise movements wit his little hands. He has recently mastered putting all of the wooden rings on the little pole, though he still can't catch a big rubber ball if you roll it slowly at him, LOL. We set up a little pool out back that he liked well enough, but he preferred exploring the back yard, so he did while mommy and daddy sat in the 12 inches of water and dreamed of the beach! Manu is a lot of fun right now, with more smiles and fewer tears. He is like a little sponge, soaking up all that is to learn around him. We're learning a lot too in the process.

But back to the past: Life has turned out nothing like that 17yo imagined it would, but any change along the way would have altered the outcome, and where I find myself today. Sometimes I wonder where I would be if I had done this or that, but then I have to consider the cost; what would I give up now to have what I thought I wanted years ago? That's an easy one, nothing!

On Becoming a Father

2009-06-25T06:11:00.000-07:00

Parenting seemed so easy when I was childless. I could tell you without a doubt what all parents were doing wrong and what they needed to do to fix the problem. Too much TV, too many video games, not enough time outside, not enough discipline! I even toyed with the idea of writing a book. I would call it, The Childless Man's Guide to Parenting: a comprehensive approach to making your children more pleasant to the people around them.

It wasn't that I didn't like children, it was just that I had no idea how to deal with them; I didn't grow up with a lot of little kids around, so I assumed that they should act just like adults, only smaller! As time passed and we became more set in our ways, I became less and less tolerant of other people's kids, to the point of considering not having children of my own. I mean, we were happy, Leslie and me and our animals. We could go anywhere, and do anything we wanted at a moments notice. But as the years passed , our trips and toys just didn't have the same satisfaction that they once had; something was missing. Suddenly the thought of a life without children seemed cold and unappealing. But still, uncertainty and doubt plagued my thoughts. Would I be a good father? Do I have the patience for a child? Am I getting too old? Lacking a father figure most of my life reinforced my paranoia: how was I to be a good father when I didn't have a role model? A few more years would pass before we made the decision to adopt, a decision that brought with it a whole new level of anxiety. Now not only do we have to deal with ordinary parenting issues, but add to that bonding and cultural considerations, plus a trip around the world to a foreign land. I was excited, and a nervous wreck at the same time, but finally I was going to find out if I had what it takes.

I'm not sure I can explain adequately what happened the moment I first saw my boy. In the minutes leading up to this encounter, my mind was a torrent of anxiety and raw emotion. This was the culmination of 18 months of restless waiting. I felt like I already knew Manu from pictures and updates, but suddenly I realized that I had no idea what this little boy was going to be like, or if he would even like me. This is the point at which, in my previous life, I would have ran away and hid from this intense, emotional conflict. As they lead us into the room where Manu was sitting, playing on the ground, I was about to explode. Then it happened. As I looked at my little boy and he looked up at me, it was as if 20 years of pent up angst and apprehension suddenly let go, and it was all I could do to keep from crying on the spot. Suddenly I knew everything was going to be OK. When one of the Aunties said to Manu that Mama and Papa were here, I thought, "Yeah, Papa, that's me," and I slipped into that role immediately and without a second thought of the baggage I had brought with me. I was now a believer of love at first sight.

Manu has been home for five months now, and what an adventure it has been. Every day I learn something new about him and myself. I know I'm doing my job when he comes to me to show me his new discovery, or when he's trying to figure something out, or when he brings me a book and wants to sit in my lap. I've earned his trust, and to me that's what being a father is all about. We stay home a lot more than we used to, and we buy fewer things for ourselves, but we don't miss them. His smile means more to me than anything else I could be doing. I'm also enjoying playing with toys again without seeming strange! I now realize that my book would have been a colossal flop, except as a comedy piece. I think now, patience is the only advice I could give a new parent, you'll need lots of it!

A long time ago, in a lifetime far, far away...

2009-06-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

A long time ago, in a lifetime far, far away, there lived a man and a woman in a clean and quiet house, in complete control of their time and money. But that was before...The Manu! He came innocently enough, playful and content with just being held. But slowly he amassed an army of evil henchmen; The Little People, The Weebles, the toy piano, the bubble mower; and he set forth to enact his diabolical plan: a slow and steady reduction of mommy and daddy from all-powerful, into quivering, nervous little house servants at his beck and call. Now, only the cat stands in the way of total conquest! Stay tuned as once again Manu exerts his mind control with a repeated push of the button on any of his vast array of musical torture devices, or as he sets a trap with many small, round objects, expertly placed at daddy's feet, or as he slowly drives mommy insane by pulling out everything that she had just put away. Resistance is futile. Learn from our mistakes...save yourselves!

As you might have guessed, Manu is as active as ever. Having recently learned how the buttons on his toys work, enamored by this discovery, he wants to show mommy and daddy how they work too, all of the time! Another favorite is the bubble-mower that he received from uncle Ed and aunt Patty. He is all smiles and giggles as he pushes and pulls it along. It makes a loud engine sound you know :-0 We have avoided actually using the bubbles yet, for fear of losing our lives as the bubbles would create a nice slick film on the flooring. As soon as it dries up a bit outside we'll show him that.

Manu is now mastering a few words. Mama and Dada are being used in the correct context, as well as bye-bye, uh-oh, nana (banana), done and down. He is almost completely through with baby food, preferring to eat whatever we are having. Peas, carrots and corn are everyday staples, and pasta, pork and spinach are favorites too. He is walking, climbing and opening anything he can. Every time we think we have the house completely baby-proofed, he reminds us of our shortcomings. He is enjoying daycare more and more. Playing with friends and art are his favorite activities. They really seems to love him there too, as everyone, workers and older kids alike, know him by name and call to him as we leave in the afternoons.

On Saturday we took Manu to Churchill Downs for his first day at the races. We stood at the paddock and watched the pretty horses trot by. Manu was awed by these beautiful creatures, and he seemed even smaller than he is compared to the thoroughbreds. A good luck charm he isn't though, as we went zero for five in the races on which we wagered. Still, it was a fun day in Kentucky.

Random mid-week cuteness.

2009-06-04T18:47:00.001-07:00

Ordinary life

2009-06-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a couple of weeks since our last post, but truthfully I have been at a loss as for what to say. As the weeks pass by we become more familiar with Manu and he with us. As we settle down into the post-adoption mundanity of daily life, as the excitement of our journey becomes a fond, but distant memory, there are seemingly less moments of revelry worthy of public comment. Today Manu spit out his peas, or he's got a runny nose, or he's being fussy, or he tried to eat a rock; things "regular" parents go through on a daily basis. Like when he falls down and only being held by mama will soothe his tears, or the wonder in his eyes as he discovers a new taste or sensation, or his slightly-shrill cries of joy as he chases the cat around the house, or his soft, clingy cuddle in the morning. This is the everyday humdrum of our lives; something known to every parent out there. But arriving at this point is all that we have ever hoped for, and has made us the happiest people on earth.

The last few weeks have been exciting ones for Manu. For Memorial day we packed up and went to Cincinnati for the annual Taste of Cincinnati: a street fair that showcases Cincinnati's local restaurants and food vendors. We stayed in Covington and walked across the bridge into downtown Cincinnati where we tried all kinds of yummy treats. Manu was particularly fond of the sweet-potato gnocci. We spent the evening eating and listening to several of the many live music performances, capped off by the one and only Bucky Covington ;). On Monday we visited Newport Aquarium where Manu discovered the wonders of sea life. At first he was a little unsure of what was going on, but by the end he was enamored by the brightly colored fishies and the frolicky penguins. We all had a great time.

This past weekend was our annual adoption picnic. Julie, the director of our local agency, hosts a wonderful picnic in Danville for her adoptive families. There was food, pony rides, a petting zoo, playground equipment and many beautiful children from all over the world. We got to meet many wonderful families who share many of our experiences. Especially nice was meeting other families who have adoptied from India. Manu even got to meet an old friend from Ashraya who was there at the same time he was; that was very special. It's hard to describe the the feeling of being in such diverse company. These little representatives from all over the world could teach us adults a thing or two about getting along and playing nice.

Manu petting his first Llama

Manu with Uncle B looking cool.

All of the families camped out under their flags.

Leslie's first Mother's Day

2009-05-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon when when Manu and Daddy took Mommy out for a Mother's Day picnic. Leslie enjoys picnics as much as she does fine dining, so this seemed like a good way to celebrate her first Mother's Day. We found a nice spot in the middle of a field so that Manu could roam around a little bit. This was his first time out in the grass, so it took him a few minutes to get the feel for walking on uneaven ground. He had a ball, and so did Leslie. Manu also gave mommy a pretty silver locket with a picture of him and mommy on their first day together on one side, and the Taj Mahal on the other. Very thoughtful little guy.

Racing ahead.

2009-05-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

To quote Joyce Kilmer:

"I think that I shall never see, a sight as lovely as my baby."

Or something like that :-)

Today was an exciting day for Manu. He is no longer a minnow, but a tadpole! That's his new room at daycare. He is officially a big kid now, moved on from sleepy pace of the baby room to the hustle and bustle of the toddler room . Leslie and I worried a little how he might take yet another change of environment. Any fears we had were quelled immediately upon entering the facility, for as soon as Manu saw the big kids with their big kid toys he forgot all about mommy and daddy and jumped right into the fray. He didn't even notice us leaving; he was in such awe of his new surroundings. Unlike last time, we received no mid-day calls with news of homesick tears, rather when I picked him up this afternoon, he was all smiles and had apparently won over the new staff with his charm (he gets that from me you know!) The only drawback for mommy and daddy was that he was so worn out from all of this excitement, he was a little (a lot) grumpy this evening and fought sleep hard; probably too the result of going from 2 naps per day in the baby room to only one. He'll adjust fine.

This past week was busy for Manu, as he met his Uncle Ed and Aunt Patty for the first time; good friends of ours who recently moved from Lexington back to New York. They were in town visiting friends and family and attending The Oaks at Churchill Downs. Manu had to miss that race, but Leslie and I had a great time and managed not to lose all of our money! On Saturday we took Manu to Keenland to watch the Kentucky Derby, simulcast on the jumbo screen. There were literally thousands of people there . Manu really seemed to get into the moment, feeding off the excitement of the crowd. He was all smiles and giggles as he watched his first horse race. He's going to fit into Kentucky just fine, assuming he likes basketball too...and if I do my job as a father, he will!

Manu is just finishing up his third round of antibiotics in three months for yet another ear infection. He seems to be feeling much better, so hopefully we cleared it up completely this time. His walking is improving to the point that he now crawls very little. Tonight he walked around the kitchen in a circle for what was surely 20 minutes. He seems so proud of himself. Leslie and I are continually amazed at the progress he is making. I just wish he could tell us exactly what mommy is doing wrong every time he cries ;-)

I'll pay for that.

They grow up so fast.

2009-04-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow will mark 3 months since the day we met Manu. I guess that makes today the 3 month anniversary of our 31 hour airport adventure! It certainly seems like more time should have passed, as it's becoming harder to remember life without him. Gone are the impromptu jaunts across town or country on a whim; gone are the nights out for fancy dinners or time with friends; gone is any hope of having lengthy conversation, or losing ourselves in books or movies-but we don't miss it. Just when you think you've got life figured out, something comes along to remind you of what you were missing. And we were missing a lot.

Manu has reached a few milestones this week. After a couple of painful nights crying himself back to sleep without mommy and daddy rushing to his crib, Manu seems to be more comfortable with sleeping throughout the night. This was especially hard on Leslie, as she can't stand to hear him cry, but this is working out best for everyone. Saturday morning also saw Manu take his last bottle, as since then we have successfully transitioned his formula to a sippy cup, and will further transition to milk after we finish up the last of his remaining formula. We've kept as a souvenir an empty can of Lactogen that we bought in India to remind us of his first few bottles we fed him, not that we could ever forget that if we tried, especially the bottle on the plane to Delhi, LOL. Manu also now has six teeth and has learned to bite his food. He also preferes to finger-feed himself, which allows mommy and daddy to relax a bit during dinner. He also enjoys feeding the dog off the side of his high-chair. And to top things off, this afternoon Manu, of his own accord, took off walking across the kitchen floor, a little wobbly, but confident. He has continued practicing all evening! He has also mastered long-division and is five chapters into Moby Dick.

Tax day blues?

2009-04-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

Manu is here to cheer you up!

Birthday!

2009-04-13T18:26:00.000-07:00

Manu turned 1 year old today! As he reflects back upon his accomplishments of the last year, he wanted me to pass along the following statement to all of his adoring fans and family: "mamama...bububub...hehe...woowoo." I think we can all agree on that!

Manu has had a busy social calander the last few days; his first Easter yesterday and his first birthday today. Add to that the fact that he is recovering from an infection, and it makes it almost exhausting for the little guy. Because daddy had to work this weekend, mommy and Manu headed to Whitesburg to spend the holiday with her family. While there he had pictures made in his Easter outfit, got a visit from the Easter Bunny, attended church and participated in the egg hunt afterwards. He also got lots of birthday presents from his family back there.

Today Manu celebrated turning one by taking cupcakes to his teachers at daycare. Then tonight, on my way home I picked up Indian food for a big birthday dinner. Manu enjoyed the Channa Saag and the spicy dal, while mommy and daddy ate too much Lamb Biryani. After dinner we played with his new blocks and his Little People farm that we got for him. Later we sang happy birthday and had some of the chocolate birthday cake that mommy made. Manu took a few bites, but wasn't too interested in eating. In fact, the poor little guy was fussy all day, still feeling a little under the weather; not the best way to spend your birthday.

He's asleep now. It doesn't seem like he should be a year old, but at the same time we feel like we've known him forever. He has changed a lot in the few months that we have been together; we can see differences in pictures, and hear differences in video, as compared to today. But one thing that hasn't changed is his friendly disposition, and how happy he makes us feel. Leslie and I wish that we could have been there for the first nine months of his life, but realize how lucky we were to have gotten him as young as we did. The comming year is an exciting one, as we move toward finalizing the adoption and becoming even closer as a family.

Manu goes to the zoo.

2009-04-06T18:21:00.000-07:00

With Spring finally upon us, we wanted to spend Saturday out in the fresh air; and since Manu seems to enjoy the veritable petting zoo that is our house, we thought he might enjoy a day at the Louisville Zoo. We awoke that morning and fixed a breakfast of idli, sambar and upma. We seem to have started a tradition of eating Indian breakfast items on the weekends. These are so much more interesting, and tastier, than bacon and eggs. We never imagined eating spicy food so early in the morning, but our trip to India changed a lot of our perceptions on food...I digress. On our way to the zoo we stopped in Shelbyville to see my mom, aka Nana, and Momaw, his great grandmother. Manu was a little fussy at first, he had just awoke from a nap in the car, but he warmed up and soon he was giggling and smiling while trying to get into anything within arm's reach. After leaving his grandmothers, we continued on to Louisville, stopping to get a bite to eat before heading to the zoo.

You could tell it was the first nice day of spring by the multitude of families pouring through the front gate of the zoo. While waiting in line we experience what would become ubiquitous throughout the day: the curious stares of people trying to figure us out. It goes like this: first they look at Manu, then glance up at us, then back to Manu, then somewhat nervously back to us, as if not wanting to be perceived as gawking, but trying to decide what to make of the very white couple with the cute brown baby. Not that this doesn't happen just about everywhere we go, but with the sheer number of people, I haven't felt as much like a spectacle since India. Everyone was very pleasant though, and many people were heard commenting on how cute Manu was, especially in his little boots that his uncle Brian got for him. Of course the stares could be just that people have never seen a baby as cute as he is!

While Manu was intrigued with the experience and enjoyed the animals, especially the elephants, he seemed to mostly enjoy just being out and about in the hustle and bustle of it all. At the end of the day Manu and mommy rode the carousel while daddy took pictures. This is Leslie's favorite ride of any amusement park, and Manu seemed to agree, as he was all smiles. We left the zoo for some shopping before heading back to Lexington. All in all a really good day, at least until 2am when Manu kept us up for 2 hours trying to get him back to sleep, but technically that's Sunday.

Speaking of sleep, or the lack thereof, Manu has taken to waking several times throughout the night lately. Most of the time we can get him back to sleep fairly quick, but at other times we could be up for hours. Part of the problem might be a lingering cold with which we all seem to be suffering, and the fact that he has 3 more teeth just about to break through. Whatever it is it is turning daddy into a zombie throughout the day. Manu simply takes a longer nap at daycare and is full of energy when we get home! He should be walking any day now, as he is starting to take a couple of steps on his own before flopping down. Whenever we see him doing this we try to encourage him and work with him, but then it becomes a game, and he's more interested in us than in walking. He has mastered stair climbing though...

Life in the fast lane.

2009-03-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

Today Manu finally had his hearing assessment that was on hold pending his recent ear infection. We knew he was feeling better, as he is again sleeping through the night (YES!), but before the testing could begin we needed to get Dr. Taylor's assurance that his ears had indeed cleared. As we arrived at her office we were greeted by the lovely and talented nurse Elizabeth who proceeded to weigh Manu and reported that he was now 16lb 11oz; up nearly a pound from just 3 weeks ago. Dr. Taylor examined his ears and found them to be in good health, so we headed across the hall to the ENT office where we met Janet Taff, Manu's Audiologist. Have you ever tried to keep an 11 month old still and quiet long enough so that he can listen for quiet whispers? I knew that wasn't going to be easy, but Manu did pretty good, with a little distracting. Janet performed 3 different tests and and the little guy passed with flying colors. We also discussed some recent research into children adopted from countries that speak different languages, and how they generally have good results when adapting to the new sounds and words they are hearing. So there we have it, proof that when Manu doesn't respond to us, he's being stubborn, not hard of hearing. I'll make him aware of that as he gets older!

Last week we had a visit to Cincinnati Children's Hospital to have Manu evaluated for some other possible treatments. Turns out the little fella is going to need surgery to repair his umbilical hernia. There is the possibility that his intestines could get pinched by the hole in his abominal muscles, causing blood supply to get cut off, leading to serious complications. Nothing imminent, but we need to get it fixed relatively soon. What worries Leslie and I the most isn't the proceedure itself, but that it will be done under general anesthesia. We feel very good about the facilities and the people who will be handling Manu's surgery; we were very impressed with CCH in general; but he's so small, and it's our job to worry about him. We're waiting to hear from the scheduling department about the exact date of surgery. We'll report back after we find out.

The last couple of weeks has seen an explosion in his vocality. He is babbling constantly now, and trying to repeat what we are saying to him. Lot's of mamamamama and dadadadada. He's also trying to say "big bite" and "Casey" (his dog), but they come out sounding like "bi bah" and "kay kay." It's really cute. We're trying to capture some of it on video, but of course he goes quiet with the camera rolling. He's also standing himself up in the middle of the floor without holding on to anything. He can balance up to 10 seconds or so before flopping down on his rear. He seems to be in a standing position most of the time now, as he only crawls in order to get to the next interesting thing upon which to pull himself up. Manu has also logged about 12 miles on the jogging stroller, and boy does he make it look easy! He's planning to enter the Blugrass 10K in July, and I'll gaurantee you one thing, he'll come in ahead of us!

Singin' the Day Care Blues

2009-03-08T16:07:00.000-07:00

After a whirlwind trip around the world and another month at home with momma, it is finally time for Manu to begin day care, and Leslie to go back to work. We knew this would come eventually, but six weeks goes by really fast when you're having fun! Monday was Manu's first day. After getting him up a little early to make sure we could get him fed and changed in time, Leslie and I took him to school. This is a really nice place with people who seem to really enjoy working with children. We arrived at 8am and proceeded into the infant room. As soon as we sat him down he took off after a toy and to play with the other children. Because of his background at Ashraya, this should be a setting he is familiar with; babies and toys and aunties! Leslie and I had to finish up some paperwork, so we headed into the classroom next door and left Manu to his play. 15 minutes later we peeked back into Manu's room through the window and he was still doing fine. Not wanting to disrupt his transition, we both headed to work, happy that all seemed to be going well. Leslie had especially been agonizing over this the prior week, and the workers invited her to drop in or call anytime. Well, about 2 hours later she gets a call from the day care and poor little Manu is inconsolable. They said he did fine for about half an hour after we left, but began crying and didn't stop until he cried himself to sleep. Leslie decided to drop in during her lunch and he became happy again. She left him happy, but it was a short time before he was crying again, and he remained that way all afternoon; the poor staff! Daddy showed up at about 5:30 to pick him up and found him whimpering, but surrounded by kids and workers trying to cheer him up. As soon as he saw me he began crying for a minute, but it quickly turned to giggles and smiles. I got his daily report card and was assured that all of the new children go through this, and that it usually takes a couple of weeks before they are completely comfortable with their new friends and surroundings. Back home it was bath time followed by playtime with daddy before Leslie got home. I'm not sure if the day was harder on Manu or Momma, but both were glad to be home together. Since then he has gotten a little better every day, and though he still has his moments, most of his day is spent in play.

On the developmental front, Manu has began babbling incoherently, though if you believe Leslie, he's saying "mama." It's really quite cute. He's also staring to balance himself on two legs for several seconds at a time, and he's learned to pick up and hold his sippy cup all by himself. He's still on two bottles a day, and will be until a little after a year, but he's eating lots of solid food. Generally we'll chop up a little of whatever we're eating and supplement that with some of the "Manu approved" varieties of baby food. Some of his favorite dishes include hummus, braised pork pappardelle, rapini and pasta, channa saag and curry-spiced omelettes. He also finishes every meal with some cheerios, which keeps him busy and allows us to finish eating!

On Saturday we headed to Uncle Matt and Aunt Tara's house for a welcome home party with my family. Uncle Matt prepared lots of good food, including several Indian breads and chutneys. Manu enjoyed seeing his family again, and playing with his cousin Maddie. Before the party, to kill some time we took Manu to Barnes and Noble, and while in the children's section we ran into my mother's friend Nancy, who would also be coming to the party. She was looking for a hard-paged book for Manu. Not being able to decide which to get, Manu chose his favorite by sucking on the pages of one of them. We read it to him last night, but he was more interested in chewing on it than following the plot, LOL. When it came time to open gifts, Manu received lots of nice clothes, books and toys. His Uncle Larry made a cute little wooden chair for him, and lettered the back with Manu's name. It looks good in his room, and he'll enjoy that for years to come. All-in-all it was a very nice party. Thanks again to everyone, here and at previous gathering, for being so supportive and welcoming of Manu into our immediate and extended family.

Today was a visit to Jacobson Park to feed the ducks and a trip to the mall, where we began his Disney indoctrination at the Disney Store. He really enjoys sucking on Mickey Mouse's ear!

Doctors and Relatives and Social Workers, Oh My!

2009-02-25T16:06:00.000-08:00

When we last left our hero, he was developing a cough that daddy thought was no big deal. Daddy was wrong! Turns out he had (has) a pretty bad ear infection. We discovered it on our first visit to see Dr Taylor, our pediatrician who helped us with Manu's pre-adoption screening. We were really impressed with her knowledge of foreign adoption and issues specific to foreign and institutionalized children, and we wanted her as Manu's primary physician. Manu began the trip to the doctor in good spirits, probably because he didn't know what was about to happen. Dr. Taylor poked, prodded and otherwise irritated the little guy as she carried out her examination. She was pleased with his development and overall condition, but wanted to run a series of tests to ensure he was in good health. We were warned that the lab was going to take a lot of blood from the little guy, and boy did they. After leaving Dr. Taylor with a prescription for Amoxil for his ears, we headed down to the lab, where a couple of gentle young ladies proceeded to take about 17 vials of Manu's precious blood. As you might imagine he was not at all impressed with the whole ordeal, though I believe he was crying more from being held down than any pain the needle might have caused (guess who had to hold him.) After we finished he had one more stop in radiology for a chest x-ray. Mommy and Daddy had to hold him still while they took the pictures. If he wasn't in a bad mood before, after being stripped down and bent into all kinds of positions, he was now! Poor guy had streams of tears flowing down his face. Finally through we stopped at a Starbucks kiosk to grab a quick cup of coffee before heading out. As usual Manu drew a crowd of admirers, as most of the employees and several passing customers comment on how cute he is (they didn't have to hold him down a few minutes ago, LOL.) After leaving the clinic we treated Manu to lunch at Mellow Mushroom, a local gourmet pizza place in Lexington. Manu really enjoyed the hummus with pita, and chewing on some of our pizza crust. Finally he was all smiles again!

That weekend we headed back to Whitesburg, Leslie's home town, for a welcome home party for Manu. There he was introduced to many extended family members and friends. There was lots of food, and Manu especially seemed to enjoy the mini quiche. Everyone that came was very generous, showering Manu with new toys, outfits and lots of diapers! Manu began the party very clingy and fussy, probably because he still wasn't feeling too good, plus being surrounded by "strangers", but after a bit he opened up as he was passed all around the room. We awoke Sunday to several inches of snow that made the mountains quite beautiful, but we headed back home early to give us plenty of time to deal with any bad roads. We made it back with no problems.

A few days later we had our first post-placement visit with our social worker Amy. She was very nice as we discussed our transition as a family and Manu's health, sleep and eating habits. This was much less stressful for Leslie and myself compared our initial home study a year ago. Not because that one was bad, but this time we already had the baby! We also learned that Amy was only a week away from flying to Ethiopia to adopt twin 3yo girls! They are so adorable and we are very excited for them! We will have another visit with Amy in two months and again three months after that.

The next day it was back to Dr. Taylor to have his ears checked in advance of a hearing test. Turns out his ears were still full of fluid, so no hearing test that day. This also explains the last few sleepless nights for Leslie and me! She checked him over again and gave us some really good news about his litany of tests: He's a healthy normal little boy; on the small side, but catching up. Unfortunately for Manu, it was time for some immunizations; three to be exact. We decided to give him a flu shot in addition to those, as Dr. Taylor informed us that Lexington is just now beginning to see the flu appear. We held him down as nurse Ratchet, ...er Elizabeth, administer the shots. He cried, but recovered pretty quick. We left with an appointment for next month for more shots, and a new Rx for Augmentin.

Since then Manu has received his "green card" (which isn't green), making him a legal resident of the US for the next ten years. Of course he will become a citizen long before that card expires. Yesterday we took a trip to Shelbyville to see his Nana, his Momaw and to meet his Uncle Matt, Aunt Tara and "Older Cousin" Maddie. She's four years old and happy not to be the youngest any more! As usual his curiosity compelled him to explore every shelf within reach, as he attempted to put anything and everything in his mouth. Again, bad weather was upon us and our trip home took longer than usual, but we got back to Lexington safe and sound.

Tomorrow is a big day for Manu: his first day at Day Care. Neither of us can believe that it has been six weeks already. It's going to be hard to let him go off on his own, especially for Leslie, as she has been with him almost every moment since we got him, but we have heard really good things about this place, and our two prior visits were very reassuring. Stay tuned for more on this monumental occasion!

What free time?

2009-02-15T16:12:00.000-08:00

Where did all of our time go? What did we do with ourselves before Manu? These are the deep philosophical questions we're asking ourselves these days. That, and why did our grocery bill nearly double, and why does health insurance cost so much more, and is it legal to charge that much for day care? LOL. I've been trying to get an update posted for several days now, but Manu isn't ready for daddy to have any free time yet. I've managed to convince Leslie that I'm researching information on Manu's recent cough (he's fine) so I've got a couple of minutes to sum up our first few weeks back in KY:

Manu seems to be adjusting well to his new home. He likes his room, his animals and his parents, in that order. He likes us most at 5:00am in the morning, just before the alarm goes off, and least immediately after a bath, when he won't look at daddy for about 15 minutes. Actually we've had a breakthrough recently. Although his first few baths at home were as bad or worse than those in Delhi, he's recently started coming around. First Leslie got in the tub and held him in her lap for a sponge bath. He seemed to handle that OK, and then a few days later when he and daddy were home alone, he let me put him in the tub and, while he wasn't enthusiastic, he played with his ducky quietly while daddy got him all nice and clean.

Manu was also not impressed by the children's menu at Chez Jeff. Unfortunately, we've had to alter his diet several times in the last few weeks out of necessity. At Ashraya he was on 2 bottles of Cow's milk a day, plus a porridge of rice, lentils, greens, butter, sweetened milk and Indian spices; a hard act to follow while living out of suitcases. We had to switch him to formula and cereal while in India, and of course those brands aren't available here, so we had to switch him again. All of this played havoc on his little system for a few days. He's now tolerating a mixture of Enfamil and Lactogen and seems to enjoy it well enough. As for cereal, he let us know pretty quick that the brands available here we not up to his high standards. After tasting some of them I don't blame him. This boy likes spice, especially curry powder. We've taken to spicing up just about everything he eats. Lately we've just been blenderizing a little of whatever we're eating and he seems to really like most of it. He'll be a gourmet for sure; he's even fascinated watching us cook dinner every night.

One of our biggest obstacles to overcome has been Manu's dislike of being strapped into anything: car seats, high chairs, grocery carts; you name it. I guess most little ones get used to it gradually without knowing anything different. We didn't see a single car seat being used in either Bangalore or Delhi, and we simply held him in our laps when traveling by car. At first this was a little bothersome, until we saw a child about Manu's age being held by the arm hanging off the side of a small motorcycle with three other passengers. Suddenly we felt much safer! For the first week or so he would cry every time we put him in the car seat. He literally screamed the whole trip home from the airport. Gradually he has gotten better, to the point that he doesn't fight us when we're strapping him in. He seems to have discovered that there is usually something interesting to see/do if we're taking him for a ride; same for the buggies and the high chair.

The bonding process is going well. After the newness of mommy and daddy wore off a bit, he seemed to be in a funk. He was still a pleasant little kid, but not quite as enthusiastic as before. We think it was probably a little bit of mourning for his aunties and the other children he left behind. But the last week has seen a return to his playful self most of the time. He's now constantly wanting to be held, and reaches for us when he's in his crib or playpen. He's becoming a momma's boy, as there are times when daddy cannot console him, but momma has just the right touch.

He has developed a dry cough lately that comes on every 30 minutes or so. Last night he woke us several times with what sounded like a dieing goose hacking in the bed with us, but it didn't seem to wake him. Otherwise he seems fine and has no fever. We have our first doctors appointment on Wednesday, so if he doesn't get any worse, we'll wait 'till then to check it out.

While the hardest part of the adoption process is now over, namely the waiting, we're far from finished. We'll have three post-placement visits with our adoption worker and then we'll go to court in Fayette County to complete the adoption, at which point Manu becomes a US Citizen. Right now he is a legal resident and we're expecting his green-card to arrive any day. Although we are looking forward to completing the formal adoption, to us it is simply a formality, as we are already an inseparable family.

Home at Last

2009-02-03T11:51:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay, but as you might imagine, there has been a flurry of activity around our house since our return. Suffice to say that we're home safe, and Manu is adjusting to his new home and schedule just fine. Nevertheless, here is a little recap of our long trip home:

Our flight was to take off at 3am, and we were told that we needed to be at the airport at least 3 hours in advance, plus 40 minutes to get there, so we decided to stay up Friday evening and try to get some sleep on the plane. I thought that this sounded like a lot of time, but we had no idea what was in store for us. We had a fairly quiet evening of room-service and a last-chance viewing of Indian television; "Indian Idol" was particularly interesting. At 11:30 we headed downstairs to check out and meet our driver for the trip to the airport. After a fairly uneventful ride on unusually quiet Delhi streets we hit gridlock near the airport. When we finally reached the terminal, we were amazed to find thousands of people, in no particular sense of order, awaiting entry into the main building.

After finding our gate we noticed that everyone seemed to have an itinerary that they were presenting to the security guard to gain entrance. Well, our tickets were e-tickets and we didn't have a printout. The security guard didn't care for our explanation and sent us to a different gate, where we found a similar reception from the guard there. He said we would have to find the Lufthansa office to get our itinerary and pointed to a staircase to the left. We were starting to get a little nervous thinking we were going to get this far and then not make our flight. Leslie stayed behind with the baby as I went in search of the golden ticket. What I found was a long, dark hallway with non-descript, unlabeled doors. After walk-running for what seemed like an eternity, I found an open door with three sleepy looking men wearing Lufthansa name badges. They seemed to know why I was there (why else would I be there) and printed our itinerary. I ran back to Leslie and Manu, and we were finally admitted to the terminal. Baggage check took forever, as well as the security line, and by the time we were at our gate, it was only 20 minutes until boarding, so three hours was about right. This had to be the craziest, most disorganized airport I have ever flown through in my life. Bangalore was a breeze compared to this.

We finally board our flight where this time we are in the bulkhead row where they will attach a bassinet after takeoff. We were in the center row, with other small children in the left and right rows. There were a couple of single seats to the right and left of us, and we could see the deflated faces of the men who took those seats, as they realized the hopelessness of their situation! That would have been me a short time ago, LOL. This was an 8 1/2 hour flight, but seemed much shorter, as we all managed to sleep through the first half of it. Manu was very well-behaved, and only needed to be calmed down a couple of times. Landing in Germany we had a 3 hour layover before our next flight. For the first time since we got him, we were asked to prove that he was our's at the security checkpoint. While we had plenty of proof, it was still a little unnerving. Thankfully we are listed as his parents on the last sheet of his passport, and the questioning stopped there. This flight seemed much longer, for although Manu managed to sleep much of the flight, Leslie and I didn't get much rest. These bassinets are wonderful, because even though Manu wouldn't stay in it while he was awake, when he fell asleep it really gave mommy and daddy a break. On this flight we were seated next to an Indian couple with a small girl. It turns out they were also flying to Lexington. The difference between boys and girls could not be more apparent when we noticed that she would lay calmly in her mother's lap and play, while Manu was squirmy and always wanted to be on the move. But as it turned out, she became very fussy and cried continuously for the last hour or so of the flight, while Manu slept through the whole thing. After a very rough landing, through which Manu also slept, we were officially back in the states. We headed through Immigration with our still-sealed envelope. The immigration officer for our line was giving a foreign couple a really hard time for not filling out some form prior to entering the US, but when we got up to him, his demeanor changed completely and he was as friendly a person as we had met the whole trip. He pointed us to a different section of the immigration department where we handed over the envelope and Manu got his final clearance to enter the country. After another uneventful trip through customs, we re-checked our bags to Lexington and headed out into the main airport terminal.

In Chicago we had a 5 1/2 layover. This was particularly brutal considering how far we had come, and what a short flight we had remaining. We found a Chili's restaurant and sat down for a bite to eat. Afterward we headed to our gate where we found out that once again we would be taking a small jet and boarding from the outside. We took turns nodding off while waiting for our plane to arrive. After a slight delay due to our plane needing service, we headed outside where Manu was rudely introduced to the United States with 15 degree weather. Daddy was also a little cold, as he was wearing was a short-sleeve shirt and sandals. On the plane we slept through most of the 50 minute flight before finally arriving in Lexington, nearly 27 hours after leaving our hotel.

We were met at the top of the escalator by Leslie's brother Brian. Then we headed down where we were met by the rest of the family and friends. This was really special for us to have the people we love help us share Manu's first few moments home. After some tears and congratulations we loaded the bags into the cars and headed for home. Before we left the airport we ran into an airport employee who had checked us in 2 weeks earlier. We had told her that we were traveling to India to adopt, and she was so excited for us, and she hoped that she would be around when we returned. Well she was, so we introduced her to Manu, and she was very happy for us. That was a nice finish to all of our airport adventures. Back home the family stayed with us for a bit so that they could pass-around Manu. After a few hours they left for the evening and it was just us again. We were all wired from the excitement of the last few hours, so we unpacked our bags and played with Manu until he finally fell asleep soundly. I think we got to bed around 2:30am.

Since then we are adjusting well to being home again, jet lag not withstanding. We've made the rounds to introduce Manu to our friends and co-workers, and have taken a trip or two shopping. I'll go back to work next week, and Leslie will stay home for several more. Every day brings us closer together, as Manu gets more comfortable that we will always be there for him. It's hard to believe that our little adventure is over, but the fun is just beginning. I'm not sure how this blog will proceed from here; I'll try and post regularly Manu's exploits as the world's cutest baby! And while I have done all of the writing, the thoughts and feelings conveyed here belong to both Leslie and myself. And to her I would like to close out this chapter by saying, I can't believe this has really happened to us. All of the highs and lows of the last year have been worth it, and I'd do it all over again. I have never loved you more than I do right now. From now on and forever, it will always be me, you and Manu.

Last Day in Delhi

2009-01-30T05:32:00.000-08:00

We can' t believe we've been here for 10 days. Our experience in India has forever changed our lives and outlooks, and not just because of Manu. India is a country of glorious contrasts. At once it is the dirtiest and most beautiful place on earth. At times it seems cold and cruel, at others it is warm and friendly. Indians are very proud of their country, but at the same time recognize that they have problems and are working through them. India has been good to us, and while we're ready to come home and begin forever with Manu, we leave here a little sad to say goodbye. We're going to try our best to keep Manu familiar with the life he's leaving behind, and we hope to bring him back one day to experience it for himself.

We started today by sleeping in a little. By that I mean, waking up at 5am to feed Manu, and then getting him back to sleep. It figures that after 2 weeks we are finally acclimated to the time and climate, just in time to head home go through it again! We woke around 8am, got ready and headed to breakfast for the last time in the hotel. Again Manu attracted attention, but this was nothing compared to later. After a savory and spicy breakfast of Indian curries, breads, exotic fruits and juices, we headed back to the room to pack a little, and then we went downstairs to hire a car for a last few hours of site-seeing. We began at the Lotus Temple. This is a multi-faith place of meditation and worship, named for it's resemblance to the lotus flower. This is what we've been looking at out out hotel window for 7 days, and it's even more magnificent and beautiful at ground level with its wonderful flower gardens and reflecting ponds.

After a few minutes there, we headed for Humayun's Tomb. The beautiful sandstone tomb houses the remains of Emperor Humayun, a Mughal leader, and was built by his wife after his death. The style of architecture is in the same style as the Taj Mahal we saw yesterday. The grounds here were also quite beautiful with a series of irrigation channels running throughout the complex. As usual Manu was a hit and Leslie found him and herself several times surrounded by curious admirers.

Next we headed to the Qu'tb Minar, the world's tallest brick minaret. This is the site of an ancient mosque, built upon be three different Emperors beginning almost a thousand years ago, and like Humayun's Tomb, it is a World Heritage site. It was fascinating to see the ruins and imagine what it must have been like back then. While we were there, so were many groups of school children, many of which took an interest in us and Manu. Some of the young boys also seemed to take an interest in Leslie. At one time I believe we were surrounded on all sides by at least a hundred young boys and men, all wanting to shake our hands and touch Manu on the cheek, apparently an Indian tradition. They were all very friendly and genuinely curious about us and Manu, but they kept coming and I thought this would never stop. At one point an older man, say mid-twenties, had others take his picture with Leslie and Manu, not interested in me at all, LOL. I had one young man ask me to say hello to President Obama for him, when we get back home. I told him I would and we parted friends. Eventually we had to say goodbye and walk rather quickly to lose the mob. Several small groups followed us around the entire complex until we left. While we have been approached by many people throughout our visit, this was the most overwhelming reception we have had yet. This must be what living with the paparazzi is like.

Afterwards we headed back to the hotel, stopping at a pharmacy to buy a little more food that we will use to transition Manu with to a product available in the US. Once home we fed him and then ourselves, and started to pack for our 3am flight tomorrow morning. We're still nervous about how Manu will do on the long flight, but we're about to find out. We'll try to keep him up a bit later tonight so that he might sleep a little more during the flights.

We'll see you all soon, our flight lands at 9:05pm tomorrow night. Thanks for following and participating in our adventure. We'll post an update after we get back. Take care.

On the road to Agra

2009-01-29T07:06:00.000-08:00

This morning began at 5:00am as usual, but this time we were staying up. We had a car scheduled for 6:30am to take us to Agra and the Taj Mahal. We gave Manu a bottle and carried him around while we got ready, and we changed him and put on his outfit right before heading out the door. We were hoping that Manu would have a dirty diaper before we left, so that we could change it in the hotel, but alas he did not, and we set out on our little pilgrimage expecting to have to perform that task in the back-seat of the car. We met our driver and took off. He told us his name, but it was obvious that he spoke little English. When asked he said that it should take 4 hours maximum to get there, and he was right. This trip would probably be cut in half with any decent interstate system, but I digress. For almost the first 2 hours Manu slept soundly. As he woke we fed him some cereal that we had portioned out in advance in the hotel. This got him through until after we left the Taj. He only had one wet diaper along the way there, very unusual for him, but this is his first day off of antibiotics, so that could be altering his system too. The traffic wasn't too bad during the early morning hours, but as we got closer to Agra, and thus later in the morning, it became a three-ring circus on the road. I do not have the words that could ever adequately explain the traffic, roads and driving conditions in India. Let's just say that the worst day in New York or Los Angeles would be a lite day in Agra. About two hours into our trip, our driver pulls over in a sort of truck-stop and says he has to go pay somebody for something. So there we are, without a driver, and suddenly every peddler in the area is knocking at our windows wanting to sell us something. One guy wanted us to take a picture with one of his monkeys. Eventually a crowd gathered at Leslie's window and 4 Indian truckers were infatuated with Manu, making faces and waving at him. One asked if he was an Indian baby, and then nodded in approval when this was confirmed. Eventually our driver came back and we were off.

After we hit Agra we kept driving for what felt like forever, but was probably just 20 minutes. We pulled into the Mughal Hotel, a beautifully upscale hotel completely out of place with its surroundings. There we met up with our guide Afzal Ahmad Khan. This also allowed us a pleasant minute to freshen up ourselves and Manu, who had a wet diaper, but nothing more. We hopped back in the car and headed for the Taj. Along the way he dealt out little bits of Agra history, and some advice for dealing with the throngs of peddlers and beggars outside the gate. He said we shouldn't buy anything from them, and that we would have a better opportunity later. He also volunteered to purchase our entrance fee and bus ticket for us so that we wouldn't have to pull out any money in front of the locals. I figured the guy was just angling for a nice tip, so we let him and before long we were on a shuttle to the Taj. We had to walk the last 100 yards or so, and he was right, we were surrounded by multiple men and young boys trying to sell us books, snow globes, or other memorabilia, and they don't take no for an answer, and they hung on to us until we entered the security line. Once inside it was a short walk around a corner until the Taj came into view. I don't know if anyone can understand how moving and beautiful this place is until you see it in person; pictures cannot do it justice. Inside Afzal is giving us the history and legend of the Taj. As we got closer, he kept mentioning the white marble, inlayed with semi-precious gemstones, and how that was accomplished and how it was a dying art form. It was truly an impressive sight to behold. Not only the Taj, but the grounds and the side buildings make you feel like you could have been there hundreds of years ago when they were constructed. Afzal told us he was going to show us a demonstration of the art of inlay-work, so that we could truly appreciate it. Hmmm. After about an hour we left and headed back through the peddlers, more intent than before as this is their last chance to make a sale. We took a shuttle back to the car, and then found ourselves pulling into a marble factory or sorts. Here he said he would show us artisans at work. As we entered the building we noticed lots of inlayed marble for sale, and now it all begins to makes perfect sense: he comments all throughout the tour about the quality of the Taj marble-work, how we shouldn't spend our money with other vendors, and then brings us to a marble store! Once inside we were given an impressive demonstration by 4 workers creating inlayed marble table tops. There was a bench and we used this opportunity to feed Manu as we were getting the spiel. Then we got up and looked around. Eventually we found a small, round table with inlayed jeweled elephants. Well, I had to have it until I heard the price. So we walked away, and the further we got the better the price became, figure that. Eventually it seemed reasonable and we bought it, to be shipped home in a few weeks. We had the back chiseled with "Manu, Leslie and Jeff. Together 1/21/09" It was still a little pricey, but it seemed like the perfect way to remember this trip. After finishing up there we decided to forgo Agra Fort nearby, as we were worried that this day would be too much for Manu, and us. We headed back to the Hotel in Agra to drop off our guide, and to freshen up and grab some lunch before the long trip back to Delhi. The guide thanked me and offered to help again in the future or if we knew of anyone coming to Agra. He gave me his card. As he walked away I looked at the card and chuckled. On it was his name and his business "Marble Cottage Industries." So that's how our hotel arranged for a "complimentary" guide! Oh well, live and learn, but we are happy with our little table.

The way back was far worse with traffic than the morning trip. At one point there were thousands of cars on small roads with even more people on the streets. It was interesting though, getting to see a bit of rural India, away from the cities. Whereas we saw a working elephant on Sunday, we saw several working camel sharing the streets with the rest of us. This seemed almost surreal, but pretty cool too. The trip home took about 4.5 hours with all of the traffic, and Manu finally had his dirty diaper about 1/2 hour before getting back, but it wasn't bothering him, so we waited until we got back to the room to change it. Soon after it was bath time again, and he took it even worse than the last one, screaming the whole time and not letting up, even afterwords when we has being fed he continued to whimper between bites. Daddy tried to calm him, but Manu seems to blame daddy for all of this, and only finally stopped crying when Leslie took him from me. The day had been a long one and he was frustrated and fighting sleep. Finally, with tear-stained cheeks, he fell asleep. Leslie and I ordered some dinner and are now ready for bed. Tomorrow is our last day in India, can you believe it? We plan on going out the first half of the day to see a couple more sites, and then retire to the room to pack and relax before our 3am flight out. Neither of us can believe it's almost time to go home.

Embassy Day 2

2009-01-28T08:10:00.000-08:00

Today is the day. Today is the day that Manu becomes eligible to enter the United States as a legal resident; assuming he passes his citizenship test, LOL. This morning started off like the last few mornings: Manu cries at 5am, daddy and mommy cry too! This morning we were actually better prepared, so things went smoothly. Instead of eating in the hotel restaurant we decided to order coffee from room service and eat some power bars that we brought with us. Manu was getting along fine, even allowing us to dress him without too much of a fuss. We headed out to meet our driver at 8am and headed to the Embassy.

This time we knew the routine, so we went through security (the guard made me open two sealed power bars that were in our backpack; they were there yesterday and got by him with no problems.) We took our sealed medical information back to window 16 where we left off yesterday. They asked us to take a seat and wait to be called back. A few minutes goes by and we are called back to Window 17 (lots and lots of windows in this place) where we are asked for some more paperwork. We are then sent to Window 6, the cashier, to pay for his Visa, another $400...this kid better like me! Then we take our receipt back to Window 16 and are then told to go wait again. After about 15 minutes we hear over the intercom, "Manu, please bring your parents to Window 14." There a nice gentleman performed our Visa interview, basically wanting to know how the process went for us and if we had any concerns with either our agency or Ashraya. We had none. He told us there would be about a half-hour wait for the Visa, and to go wait in a different waiting room. Finally we were called to Window 21 where we were given back Manu's passport, now containing his US Visa, and a large envelope that says in no uncertain terms, "Do not Open. To be opened only by the US consular at the point of entry," Chicago I assume. It also says, "do not pack, hand carry only." Probably another fraud control measure, but if that envelope gets opened before we get back to the States, we have to begin the whole Visa process again, so it won't get opened! So that was it, Manu is now legal and we can leave the country with him whenever we want. The process was really quite painless, if a little confusing with all of the windows and different forms. We left the Embassy, relieved that the real work was now behind us, and that we can concentrate on enjoying our last few days in India. We called the driver and headed back to hotel to deposit this information in the room safe, change Manu, and we were back out with the driver in 20 minutes.

First we headed for the historic Red Fort, built by the 5th Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1648, the same Emperor who also built the Taj Mahal. This is located in what is know an Old Delhi, the portion of Delhi that wasn't as influenced by the British during their control of the city. Bustling streets and shops, street vendors and traffic like you have never seen in your life. Our driver dropped us off about 2 blocks from the entrance to the Fort, so we walked through the people, along side donkeys and cows, and finally found our way to the entrance. Inside this fort are beautiful examples of ancient Indian architecture, with what would have been elaborate fountains, buildings, and grounds in their day. We walked around the complex for about an hour taking it all in. Of course like all attractions in India, someone is always trying to sell you something. I was approached by a man who handed me a "guide book" and then asked me for 100 rupees. Knowing that the first rule of street negotiation is, "you touch it, you bought it" I figured I would give in and take it. He also had a pack of pictorial postcards for 50 rupees. I told him I would take them and he said "200 for both." I told him I would give him the 150 that he quoted, and he smiled, as if he was impressed that I wasn't that stupid. I figure it was $3 well spent just for the experience. After we were finished we headed back to the streets of old Delhi and called our driver. Traffic was terrible, and it took him about 15 minutes to get back to us, meanwhile we patiently observed all that was going on around us. It's a strange feeling being on a foreign street surrounded by thousands of people knowing that if something happened to our driver, we would have know way of getting back or knowing anything about our surroundings. It is unnerving and exhilarating at the same time.

Our next stop was to be the State Emporium, where merchants sell Indian goods at government controlled prices, so no haggling. But on our way to the Emporium we were driving past the India Gate, India's answer to the Arc de Triumph in Paris. This one is to commemorate the Indian lives lost during WWI. We decided to drive up to it and get out. It was really impressive, and when viewed through one side, perfectly framed the President's house down the road. It was quite massive in size, and attracted lots of visitors. After we left we finally headed to the State Emporium where we bought a few things and headed back to the hotel. Traffic was unbelievable, and it took a long time to get back. Manu had about had it and was quite fussy. We discovered a wet diaper and changed him in the back seat of the car, and that seemed to settle him a bit. We returned to the hotel, unpacked our things, fed Manu, changed yet another dirty diaper and ordered a late lunch. Afterwords we headed down to the Lobby to inquire about a trip to Agra tomorrow to visit the Taj Mahal and other monuments in the area. We're planning for all Manu-related contingencies, and we think he'll handle the drive OK. The trip should take about 3 hours each way, and probably 3-4 hours while there. We'll have a driver take us, and a private guide for a tour. It turned out to be a little more expensive than we thought, but how many times are you in Delhi, and people spend a lot more planning vacations centered around the Taj, so that's what we'll be doing tomorrow. We're getting up at 5am, as if we haven't been anyway, so we're calling it a night!

Embassy Day 1

2009-01-27T07:52:00.000-08:00

As I was in the Hotel Business Center last night, the lady who was making copies for me noticed our son's name on his passport, and we began a conversation about when, where, why and all of that. The gentleman watching the door was listening in and came over to me and thanked me for adopting one of India's children. He said something to the affect of "God bless the good people of the world like you." And while I know his words were sincere, I don't really know how to feel about such a statement of which we are surely not worthy. If anything Leslie and I strongly feel that we are the lucky ones to have been allowed the opportunity to find Manu, and any noble intent would be second or third to our simple desire to have a baby. But, after visiting India and the Children's Home, we are happy now that we were able to do our very small part to help a very large problem. I don't think anyone can grasp truly the enormity of the situation here until you see it for yourself.

We set the alarm for 6am, so of course Manu wakes up hungry at 5:30. I made a bottle and Leslie fed him while I tried to get a little more sleep. Truthfully I think I got about 5 1/2 hours of sleep last night, which is the most so far. At least 2 nights during the past week I think I have only got about 1 solid hour. Not because of Manu, just too many thoughts swimming through my head to fall asleep. Well this morning I decided to start taking some antibiotics that we brought with us. For a couple of days I have had a stuffy head and a sore throat, but this morning I could barely breath and my throat was on fire. We started Manu on some a few days ago for an infection he brought with him from Ashraya, and now I think I've got it too. I tried laying back down, but to no avail, so we all got up and started getting ourselves ready. Manu was in a pretty good mood this morning, I think he got more sleep last night too, so changing and dressing him went smoothly. At about 7am we headed downstairs for breakfast. Manu didn't want to go in the high-chair this time, so we took turns holding him while the other ate. Back to the room to collect our things before our driver was to pick us up at 8. About halfway to the room I realized that I had developed a case of "Delhi Belly", I think from some pickles I ate last night against my better judgement, and I was suddenly worried that I would be dealing with this while we were far from the hotel. Luckily I had taken the azithromycin a few hours earlier for my throat, and it can do double duty for this too. So I popped a couple of Imodium and we headed out.

Driving through the streets I begin to notice a contradiction of sorts. All along the way there were ads and billboards for luxury and leisure items, "Green Delhi" campaign signs, and other trappings of a stable, affluent economy. The problem is, looking around, beside, or below any of these signs and you are bound to see half-dressed and/or filthy children, homeless beggars or other indications that real life in Delhi is not how they want it to be portrayed. There surely is a priveledged class here, but you have to look hard to find them.

We arrived at the Embassy at about 8:30 to long lines of Indian nationals applying for American Visas. After we passed through security we headed to line 4, for the USCIS. It looked at first as though we would wait for hours, but soon a guard pulled us out of line and escorted us directly into the USCIS office. Apparently the idea is that Americans shouldn't have to wait to utilize the services of their own embassy. Me and my irritable stomach were happy to hear that! Once in the waiting room I noticed the picture of President Bush still hanging on the wall. President Obama is so admired here that I guess I thought that picture would have been changed on day 1. But this is the government we're dealing with. After a short interview with Mr. Patel, our I-600 was approved and we were sent to the Visa office. Once there we were given a list of local doctors, from which we should choose one to take Manu for his clearance exam. Not being given any opinion as to which we should choose, we let the driver take us to the closest one. This was a little 3 room clinic apparently run by a husband and wife Physician team, and appparently they do this all of the time. The female doctor basically looked over all of the previous medical information we had on Manu, gave him a quick looking-over and left the room. The nurse fingerprinted Manu on a 2x2 passport-style photo that was attached to the front form, and to a couple of the forms themselves. We think this is to prevent someone from fraudulently using one child's exam for another child's Visa. We were given a sealed envelope and told not to open it, but to give it to the USCIS office; another fraud control measure. We did notice that Manu is now 15.6 lbs. We'll head back to the Embassy tomorrow morning to return the envelope and to finish his Visa process, at which time he will be officially able to enter the United States. We called the driver and headed back to the hotel, stopping at a pharmacy along the way for more diapers and some ibuprofen, 600mg, no Rx required, for this or anything else I think. I notice I could buy 10 cipro tablets for about $5 and considered it, but I think we have enough to last the rest of the trip now, even if we both manage to get sick.

Back in the room we feed Manu, order room service and take a little nap. Well we wanted to take a little nap, but Manu had slept enough during the car rides and wouldn't go down without a fight. So, instead of sleep we headed back down to the pool area where we sat on a swing and enjoyed the mild weather. After a couple of minutes Manu was out cold, so we carefully brought him back to the room and we all took a little nap. After waking, we decided that we would just stay put for the evening, so we played with Manu and organized more paperwork for the Embassy tomorrow. It's about 10pm local time now, and I'm headed to bed for what will hopefully be a full night's sleep. Take care.

Bath Time for Baby.

2009-01-26T08:35:00.000-08:00

Today is Republic Day, the day India declared its independence and became a republic. As such, most of the shoppes and tourist attractions are closed, as are many roads in and around Delhi. Since we didn't want to get out in the mess of things, we opted for a rather leisurely day at the hotel. We started by waking Manu for his morning bottle. As soon as his eyes were open the nipple was in his mouth...no time for fussiness! No wait, that wasn't how it went at all. Actually he woke up crying at about 5:30am, and was not too patient while I stumbled around in the dark without my glasses trying to make a bottle. After feeding him I rocked him for about 30 minutes before he would return to sleep. So back in bed I go, only to repeat this episode again at 8:30 when he wanted his cereal. So we feed him and he turns back into happy baby, and we are groaning from lack of sleep. We spend the next hour getting ready before heading down to the bufett. He was a little more squirmy than yesterday, so I took him for a walk around the lobby while Leslie finished her breakfast. Back upstairs Manu falls asleep as soon as we get in the door. This allows Leslie and I time to watch some news coverage of the Republic Day parade, as well as other current events around India. Eventually we drifted off to sleep too. Later, after we all woke, we went outside and relaxed by the pool for a bit. The water was a bit too cold to let Manu put his feet in, but he seemed to enjoy being outside in the sun for a bit. Back to the room for lunch, and then we set out on foot to find Manu some more cereal and diapers.

The area across from the hotel is called Nehru Place. From our hotel vantage point, we can see a multiplex and a McDonalds. The sign on the building also advertises a 24/7 convenience store. So we walk across the street and around the corner only to discover a rather run-down alley of shoppes, most of which were closed, with lots of trash blowing about and people gathering in different spots. It looked harmless enough though, so after discovering that the convenience store did not have baby items, we decided to walk down the alley and around the block looking for a pharmacy or another shop for Manu. About 3 steps down the road we are met with two small, rather neglected looking children who are asking for money or food; a little boy who looked blind in one eye, and a little girl maybe 8yrs old. We told then we had nothing, but they wouldn't take that. The little girl suddenly saw Manu and got excited and started grabbing at his legs. This made Leslie, and myself frankly, a little uncomfortable and we quickened the pace and they finally gave up. Now from our position it seemed like we could take a left at the end of the street and simply go around the block, but when we made the turn the conditions of the street got worse and there was no clear way out. But rather than go back down the previous path we continued on in this direction. Now if we didn't stick out enough at the Temple, we must really been a sight to behold in the back-alleys of Delhi. People stared at us from the time they first saw us until we were out of sight. While there were people around, there weren't enough to make us feel comfortable. After running into several dead ends, we finally found our way back to the main road and headed back to the hotel, without anything for Manu. Just to be clear, at no time did anyone threaten us or say anything unkind, we were simply out of our comfort zone, and were ready to get back to our room. Funny thing is, we were very comfortable on the streets of Bangalore, but there were always hundreds of people at any given time. I think it was the setting, and the lack of many people, that made us feel vulnerable. Don't worry about Manu, he took it all in stride, and when we got back to the hotel, we discovered that the concierge could send someone out for our needs, and now he has plenty to eat!

Back in the room it was time to give Manu a bath. We have done this twice before, once in a sink in Bangalore, and once in the tub here, both times being a pleasant experience. So Leslie draws the bath and asks me to test the water; it was just slightly warm, so it was perfect for Manu. We undressed him easily enough, and then I picked him up to place him in the water. Manu had been a happy baby most of the afternoon, but from the moment his toe touched the water he screamed. And screamed. And screamed. He started flailing about so much that we was turning himself over, face-down in the water, all with us trying to hold him in place the whole time. Leslie decides to get in with him to try and soothe him, but it didn't work. All she could do was hold him in place as I washed him down. Tears were pouring out of his eyes, and I was waiting for a knock on the door from the management wanting to know why we were beating the child! We finished as quickly as possible and wrapped him in a towel. He stopped crying instantly, only to start again as we dressed him in his sleep outfit (FYI, Manu HATES to be dressed. He doesn't mind wearing clothes, but the act of putting them on sends him straight to the third level of the dark side.) After the dressing was over he stopped almost immediately as Leslie held him. I think he blamed me for his pain and suffering, because every time I'd try and touch him, he would turn his head and look the other way. Luckily this silent treatment was short lived and he was back to his old self again.

Tonight we fed Manu and ordered in room service for us; spicy dal in gravy and curried spinach puree with bread! Have I said I love this country? We have spent the rest of the evening organizing our paperwork for our first visit to the Embassy tomorrow. Leslie and Manu are in bed, and I'm headed there shortly. Take care everyone.

"Out on the Town" or "Everbody Loves Manu"

2009-01-25T05:54:00.000-08:00

Today began pretty well. We had Manu's bottle prepared, his diaper changed and his outfit on him before he woke; This boy sleeps hard! He's still sleeping with us, as even though we have a crib in the room at this hotel, it's not really deep enough to be safe, and the first time we put Manu in it, he stood up, threw his leg over the side and would have fallen to the ground if I wasn't watching him. Safety standards in India seem well behind those of the west. After then getting ourselves cleaned up we headed downstairs to have breakfast. This was a complimentary Indian buffet. No western omlettes or biscuits and gravy here, but rather spicy indian curries and breads, exotic fruits and juices, and even smoked salmon with capers; I love this country! After taking turns watching Manu while the other went to the buffet, we sat down to eat. An unusually complacent Manu sat quietly taking in the experience. We tried him on a little home-made bananna yogurt. He liked it and it didn't seem to upset his stomach. After a few moments another couple sat down beside us, and we imeediately hit it off; Manu has that effect on people. They were Eleo and Maria from Venezuela. They were completing the second half of an around-the-world trip to 15 countries. After a few minutes of pleasant conversation, Eleo asked if we would like to join them and split a private car to visit the Akshardham Temple. Since we had wanted to go anyway, and a group is always more fun, we took them up on their offer, and 10 minutes later we were on the road.

The traffic here still continues to amaze me. I'm not sure how anyone survives a trip across town. It took us about 25 minutes to reach the temple. We parked, checked our bags and electronics (almost nothing is allowed on premisis) and approached the again-segregated security queue. But before we could enter we were informed that all admission to the Temple had been halted due to the arrival of a foreign President. We were told that things should resume in about an hour. No one wanted to waste that time, so we headed for Humayun's Tomb. Unfortunately it didn't open to the public until 2pm, so still nothing. All of this worked out for the best, as we were near the Birla House where Muhatma Gandhi lived out his last days and it is also the site of his assassination. This was a very informative and moving tribute to the man who changed India. Afterwords, Eleo and Maria wanted to visit the Oberoi Hotel, so we stopped in for refreshments in the lounge. Did I say WE were staying at a luxury hotel? This place makes the Intercontinental look like a Super 8 Motel. This must be how the other half lives. It was here at the Oberoi Hotel, New Delhi, on January 25th, 2009 that Jeff made his first solo attempt at changing a dirty diaper. We'll almost solo, as the bathroom atendant did help me place him on the black marble changing table...can you believe it! All in all it was a sucess, with Manu only squirming a little bit. I think he's getting more used to us now. Back to the table: Turns out that our new friends are wine and food lovers too, so we visited the kitchen and the wine cellar. The Sunday buffet being served was something out of a gourmet's fantasy. But we didn't have time for that, and soon we were headed back to Akshardham Temple.

Unfortunately, anyone interested in pictures of this place will have to visit their website, as we had to once again surrender our bags and cameras, and that means all of our baby supplies as well. I did grab the tube of orajel and a diaper just in case (see, we're learning) and went in. This place is enormous! It was built as a tribute to Bhagwan Swaminarayan, a respected Hindu teacher. The temple was built in a mere 5 years and opened in 2005. The intricate marble carvings are a sight to behold. Unfortunately, the newness of the Temple, along with the touristy-ness of the place makes it seem more like a Hindu Disneyworld rather than a holy site. But it is spectacular to behold nonetheless. Throughout this visit we discovered what a spectacle to behold we really were. Two white American's with an Indian baby is bound to draw attention. Many people stopped to ask us about Manu, and almost universally the comments were positive regarding our adoption. Also, both Leslie and I had families of Indians come up to us just to say hello, or to shake our hand, especially the younger kids. As we were ready to leave and Eleo and I were returning from the baggage claim, I noticed that Leslie and Manu were surrounded by at least a dozen curious Indian women, all playing and making faces at Manu. Everyone said he was a most beautiful child. I have never felt as much like a minority as I did today, the only white male surrounded closely by tens of thousands of Indians. This type of experience forces you to reevaluate your perspective on the world. BTW, did you know that there are more Indian children than the entire population of the United States? By the time we finished, we had walked probably 3 miles throughout the complex. At this point Manu was heading back to the dark side, so we all hurried back to the Hotel. Maria had said that one of the things she wanted to see in India was an Elephant. We'll, on their last day in India, and on our way back, we saw a work elephant sharing the road with all of the vehicles. It was a pretty amazing site. I had been hit in the face with a roaming cow's tail back in Bangalore, but I never thought I would be passing an elephant on the highway! After returning, feeding and changing Manu, we went back to the restaurant from this morning for dinner, and Eleo and Maria were also there. They must have noticed Manu's need or constant attention and, after they had finished their meal they offered to hold Manu so we could finish ours. They are our first babysitters! Too bad they live in Venezuela. Also, the all-male wait staff at the restaurant got a big kick out of Manu, and they gathered around me as I was walking him about and admired him. They too passed him around for a bit, and he loved every minute of it!

Well now we're back in the room. Manu has had another bottle and has proceeded to spit up much of it. No article of clothing was exempt from the abuse, including Leslie's night gown that we just got back from the cleaners about 2 hours earlier. The little guy seems to not be bothered by it, and insists on our attention every moment. As I write this, Leslie has just got him into bed after about 45 minutes of rocking him to sleep. Luckily we don't have any hard plans for tomorrow, and plan to sleep in a bit, or whenever Manu decides to get up; 5:30 this morning!

Mom, regarding sizes, he's a little guy, 15.5lbs but he's long. 3 month just barely fits, 6 months is about right so 9-12 would probably be the best sizes to buy right now. He looks really good in bright colors.

They gave US a baby?

2009-01-24T08:19:00.000-08:00

Well we're here safe in Delhi, though getting here was a little challenging, and I think we learned some lessons along the way!

We were awakened at 4:00am by the front desk informing us that our ride to the airport would be ready to go by 4:30. Any plans we had for not waking Manu were now history. All we had to do was get dressed and go, but we still managed to take the whole half-hour, and the manager at the front desk was still half asleep, so checkout took a few extra minutes, but we were soon on our way. The air quality was noticeably better than the morning we arrived, but traffic was heavier and a couple of times I though our driver might fall asleep at the wheel. Although we were nearly run off the road a couple of times, we managed to make it to the terminal unscathed. We paid our airport tax and headed to check-in and security. Indian airports segregate men and women during security, with the women entering a concealed area for searching. Leslie said nothing different happened to her and Manu in there than happened to me (wanding and patting down), but I think Indian culture is more sensitive to women's privacy and take extra precautions to prevent an invasion of such. A quick cup of coffee and it was time to board.

Up until this time Manu had either been asleep or mesmerized by all of the commotion. It wasn't until we loaded on the bus to take us to our plane that he became fussy. After we boarded and found our seats, Manu started to cry. We had planned on feeding him during the take-off, but we decided to go ahead and calm him down, so I made a bottle. This is where the comedy of errors begins. First, it turns out Daddy packed the wrong nipple in the carry on. This one was a slow-flow, and we have a hungry baby with a big appetite. As he was turning red trying to get the formula out, his eyes began to tear up and he started screaming. After it was apparent this wasn't working we got desperate. In an attempt to get things going Leslie, lacking any sharp instruments, tried to bite off a little hole in the nipple to increase the flow. Did it ever. Now formula was gushing out all over his face and he WASN'T happy. An Indian Lady in the next row was all but shaking her head in disbelief of this child-rearing circus. After a few more minutes he cried himself to sleep, surely to the delight of all around. Instead of bothering him, the roar of the engines during take-off seemed to sooth him a bit, but we knew that a hungry baby wouldn't stay asleep the whole trip. Then we remembered that we had packed a partial box of cereal in the bag in the overhead compartment. Luckily the airline had a cup and plastic spoon to give us, so we mixed up a bowl and as soon as he awoke he was fed and happy, for a moment. He remained restless throughout the duration, insisting on being entertained the whole time. As the plane landed he became happy baby again and everyone around seemed to enjoy him. As we departed the plane for the bus to take us to the terminal, he fell asleep hard...of course. All of this does not bode well for us next week. We collected our bags, found our driver and headed for the hotel.

The traffic in Delhi is simply breathtaking. Cars, buses, motorcycles and bicycles all share the same congested roads. And the people. All of the people! Delhi is a city of 22 million with a relatively poor infrastructure by western standards, so everywhere along the route was severely congested. Our driver told us that, because this was a Saturday, the traffic was pretty light. Sheesh! As we waited at the stop lights, young children hawking cheap souvenirs would knock on the window and call to us, persistent until the light changed and we drove away, with them still in the middle of the traffic. Soon we reached the the hotel, and this is where the disparity between wealth and poverty in India could not be more apparent. Although we were traveling in a hotel car, we were stopped and inspected before being allowed to enter the parking area. The Mumbai attacks have heightened security throughout the city, especially at luxury hotels. Leslie and I decided when planning this trip to spend a little more on the hotel in Delhi to ensure a clean and safe environment for us and Manu. What we found was truly amazing. Upon entering the lobby we were impressed by the up-scale nature of the place. And because we are "long stay" guests, our room was upgraded and extra amenities included. Cool! A concierge showed us to our room; as opulent a room as you could expect to find in a US 5-star hotel. Fine furniture, linens, marble bathroom and a beautiful view of the Lotus Temple; quite a departure from Manu's previous diggs. Initially a welcome relief from the harsh realities of Bangalore and Delhi, I can't help contemplating the ridiculousness of such a place, only minutes from the abject poverty that plagues most of the country. Nonetheless, we got settled in, fed Manu and headed down to the lobby to check the place out. As we walked down a hall that contained several shoppes of fine rugs, silk and artifacts, we were implored by the proprietors of each shop to enter and take a look. Interesting the persuasive techniques similarly used by street vendors being practiced in a 5-star hotel. We were "convinced" to take a look in a couple of them, Leslie buying a Kashmir Pashmina in one, and we picked up a couple of elephants for Manu in another, haggling the price at each. But as soon as the other shop-keepers saw that we bought from one, they just upped the intensity of their attempts to get us into their's. We promised profusely to visit them all at a later time. Afterwords we headed to a tea lounge for tea and coffee, then back to the room to order dinner, bath Manu and wind down.

Did we mention that Manu had been fussy lately? Well as it turns out, he now has 4 little teeth just breaking the gum line. He'd been slobbering a lot and chewing on anything he can get his little hands on. Luckily we packed some baby Orajel, which seemed to help instantly, putting a smile back on his face. Ruth had also given us a pack of teething tablets for him, so we gave him a couple of those too, and he finished off the evening just fine, finally asleep! Poor little fellow has had a rough couple of days. I'd be fussy too!

We have a couple of days before we have to head to the Embassy, so tonight we're deciding on what to do. Before we close we want to thank everyone for the nice comments. It really helps to have your support, and it makes us too feel like you are here with us.

Goodbyes

2009-01-23T04:51:00.000-08:00

After nearly 48 hours as the perfect child, last night Manu began his transition to the dark side. Although he kept his cereal down with minimal spit-ups, the excitement of a new surrounding and new parents were too much for him to fall asleep gracefully. Instead of his usual 9pm bedtime, he held on stubbornly until about 10:30. The hotel here is unequipped with a crib, so he had to sleep between us. This wasn't a problem until about 1am when he decided to become a helicopter and sleepily spin around and around restlessly dreaming. This kept us up, ensuring he didn't spin right off the bed! Trying to keep him on some sort of normal schedule, we finally woke the little sleepyhead up at around 7am to give him a bottle. After that and throughout the morning he smiled less and cried more, a little grumpy from too little sleep. Shortly after his morning bottle we started to smell something. The moment had finally come to change a "dirty" diaper. We decided to tag-team the little guy, but it was apparent we do not yet know what we are doing, at the least we aren't fast enough. Growing irritated with all of this, Manu was flailing around trying to escape. At one point, while I was holding his legs up, he arched his back until he was literally standing on his head! That task finally completed, we played a little more until it was time for his lunch. After his cereal and a little water, he drifted back to sleep, where we joined him a short while later. After a two hour nap he awoke as a new little baby, as fun and friendly as ever.

After we got him changed again and dressed, we all headed out into Bangalore to shop for a few items that we would need for him to see us through the rest of the trip at a baby store. Manu attracted lots of attention from the ladies working in the shop. After that we headed to Cafe Coffee Day, an Indian version of Starbucks. There we lunched on sandwiches and espresso, as Leslie and I are both suffering caffeine withdrawls. We walked around a little more, dodging the traffic, found an ATM and got more rupees, then headed back to the room and got ready to head back to Ashraya for tea and final goodbyes.

Immediately upon entering the facility, Manu was taken from us and passed around by the Aunties. We took this opportunity to say goodbye to some of the children. We had a little gathering with some of the ladies in the office and then headed to the upstairs, outdoor classroom where we were treated to tea, chocolate cake and Samosa with sweet and hot chutneys. We talked about the weather, politics and child rearing, and they gave us some good advice on adapting Manu to our routine. After that was over we headed back downstairs where we and Manu said our final goodbyes. Everyone was very happy to see Manu go, now a part of a loving family. But as we walked away, we both were saddened that Manu would never see his school, or his loving caregivers again; and the visit to the Children's home that had been the focus of our thoughts for almost a year, was now over. It's difficult to explain this mix of emotions, we're more happy than sad, but we're sure that time will see to it that the memory of this moment will be nothing but a joyous one.

Back to the room for dinner, more diapers and packing. We fly out at 7am tomorrow morning for Delhi, and must be on the road by 4:30. We're hoping that the Manu takes the flight in stride. This one is only 2.5 hours, the next flights are brutal.

Me You and Manu Day Two.

2009-01-22T06:01:00.000-08:00

Well we finally got some sleep! We turned in around 9pm, set the alarm for 8am but couldn't sleep past 6:30. But we feel remarkably better today. We started getting ready and had breakfast at the hotel; a grit-like mashed grain with onions, herbs and spices and spicy cucumber yogurt. Very tasty! At 10:00am we headed back to Ashraya to see Manu. We played again all morning. At one point while Leslie had Manu, I started playing "catch" with an older boy and a little plastic ball. Well, after seeing that all of the other older children wanted to play too, simultaneously! Suddenly I found myself playing with 5 children, all throwing stuff at me at the same time. Around 11:30 we met with the directors regarding his paperwork. We also talked for a while about Ashraya and all of its children and women's projects throughout the area. We picked up a few souvenirs made by the older children there and watched a short documentary that was made in December for their 25th Anniversary. We continue to be touched be this organization and their mission.

After we finished with that is was feeding and nap time, so we left little Manu for the last time to head out in search of food and batteries! After about a 10 minute walk we found FabIndia, India's version of Pottery Barn plus clothing. We bought Leslie a bracelet, a few souvenirs for the house and 4 Indian-styled shirts for Manu; all sizes larger than he is (and he is a tiny little fellow) so that he can wear them in stages for several years. After that we found the batteries and lunch at a little place that served all foods on a banana leaf and you eat with your hand, your right hand only that is; if you don't know why, I'll explain it to you later.

Back at the Orphanage we said goodbye to the Aunties with the promise to return tomorrow at 3:30 for tea and so that they can see him one more time before he goes. We carried him back to our room, changed his diaper and his outfit. We mixed up a bottle of Lactogen and attempted to feed him. We finally got him to finish it after trying 2 bottles and 4 different nipples, none of them really to his liking. After cleaning up a small mess, we put him in the baby carrier and took a walk in the park adjacent to Ashraya. He took it all in stride, mesmerized by the sights and sounds that were foreign to him. Back to the room for more play and bonding, the baby formula made it's second appearance of the afternoon, only this time not in a bottle. As we expected, the change in diet isn't sitting well with his system: he spit up probably a third of the bottle over about an hour, soiling several outfits, his included. But through all of that his spirit wasn't dampened; he continued to smile, laugh and crawl around on the floor. About 3 hours later it was time for cereal, so we mixed it up and hoped for the best. He seemed to really like it and it's been 2 hours and no spitting up. Tomorrow morning we'll try again with the Similac to see if we get better results, and after that we're off to a local baby store for more nipples and a different sippy cup.

Bath time for baby! We stripped him down and plopped him into the sink in our room. We thought this might actually make him fuss, but not yet as he seemed to enjoy the bath and attention. It was only after Leslie and I fumbled with dressing him in a new outfit that he put up any fuss at all. But now he smells more like baby and less like sour milk, so it was worth it!

As I'm writing this we are trying to get him to sleep, but the new setting and parents are just too distracting and he's fighting it. Wish us luck!

Gotcha!

2009-01-21T05:37:00.000-08:00

It's hard to put into words what Leslie and I are feeling right now, but we'll do our best. As it turns out, the Ashraya Children's Home is only a block and a half from our hotel, so after the longest and most anxious hour of our lives, we set out on foot to meet our little boy. We were greeted as we entered and asked to have a seat in the office. While seated there we had several youngsters come up and say hello. They all called me Uncle. Auntie and Uncle are the titles taken by the cargivers at Ashraya. Many of these little ones have never known anything other than that, so they naturally assume that all men are "uncles." After a short wait and a few greatings by other staff members we were asked to remove our shoes and come back into the nursery. And there he was, placed on the mat in the center of the floor with several other children and lots of toys. We had to control ourselves and ease into introducing ourselves to him, but as it turns out, Manu loves everybody and he took to playing with us after only a few minutes. He has the most beautiful smile and cute little laugh. We were told many times by the staff just how loved he is there, and on a couple of occasions, we noticed some of the Aunties crying a little at the thought of him leaving.

After playing for about an hour, he drifted off to sleep in my arms, and we placed him in his crib for a well deserved nap. Usually the children don't nap before lunch, but these were extenuating circumstances! This turned out to be a blessing as it gave us time to play with the other little ones in the room for a while. They are all so cute, and though their circumstances are unfortunate, and a children's home is less than an ideal situation for a child, they are looked after as if they were the Staff's own children. Many special needs abound, but Ashraya finds most of them a loving family somewhere in the world.

Manu awoke at feeding time. One of the aunties brought a bowl of cereal made from a combination of rice, dal, ghee and a small amount of indian spice,plus a sippy-cup of water, and layed it down in front of Leslie. This is when we realized that we were unprepared for the type of food he would already be eating. And though he does take a bottle of milk at night, it's solid food the rest of the time. Guess what we didn't bring? More on that later.

After eating what looked like an insurmountable bowl of food and finishing with a whole cup of water we played for a few minutes more, then put him down again so Leslie and I could get something to eat. On a recommendation from one of the Aunties, we walked about 5 blocks to a vegetarian Indian restaurant. The food was fantastic, and after eating more than we needed, the bill for both came up to 180 Rupees (about 3 and a half dollars.) After lunch we headed back to Ashraya where we played with Manu for the rest of the afternoon. We said goodbye around 4:30pm with plans to be back there at 10:00am tomorrow morning, where we'll play some more and then be given his passport and paperwork to take with us to the Embassy in Delhi. And though we hated to leave him after finally holding him, we understand it's best for his adjustment, and to allow us to recover a bit from a now-severe case of jet-lag.

But before we could rest, we ventured out into the bustling city, risking our lives on several occasions attempting to cross the road (traffic rules here are completely optional apparently, but horns are manditory). We happened upon one of several "pharmacies" that sold boxed infant cereals, formulas and general baby food. And though we got some good ideas for preparing his meals upon returning home, we bought a little of each to get us through the rest of the trip (We found some Lactogen Nancy!)

After that we found an elevated coffee shop and stopped for a cappuccino and watched the hustle and bustle below while reflecting on the days events. The more we think about it, the more emotional we become, as it grows more real in our minds.

Landing in Bangalore

2009-01-21T05:08:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay, the internet connection was down at our hotel until now. Well we landed in Bangalore around 1:30am local time as expected. This flight was a little worse than the first, as this time we flew an older 747 that wasn't equipped with the technology of the Airbus. Only 1 in-flight movie for the entire cabin, and it was one I had watched at my seat during the first flight; and Leslie's personal space was invaded by an extra-large Spanish businessman seated between her and the isle.

After landing we proceeded to Immigration: 15 lines, 12-15 persons deep each. After getting our visas stamped we headed to baggage claim, and in typical dramatic fashion for us, our's were the last bags to appear after waiting for about 30 minutes. We exchanged some money then headed for customs, where they basically took our word for it that we had nothing to declare (we didn't) and let us pass.

Now exiting the airport through a squadron of Uzi toting security guards we found our driver. He said he'd be back in 2 minutes with the car, but he finally appeared after about 15 and after we were accosted by the gang of other waiting drivers eager to help. Now begins the 30 minute drive to our hotel. The area of Bangalore we traversed reminded me more of downtown Beirut than the revered "Silicon Valley" of India. By the time we reached our hotel it was nearly 3:30am by the time we tried to sleep it was 4:30, and after we got up because we couldn't sleep it was 6:30. At 9:00am I placed a call to Ashraya to inquire about when to show up; I was told 10:00am...

Half-way there

2009-01-20T00:12:00.000-08:00

We'll we've made it half way, landing in Frankfurt a little while ago. The trip so far has been uneventful, if a little tedious. We were stuck in the middle of the center row for the 7.5 hour flight. I couldn't feel my legs for at least half of that time. Now we're just biding our time until our next flight. Luckily these larger flights are equipped with movie monitors at every seat, with a variety of choices, plus a trip monitor that told us exactly where we were, our speed and even the temperature outside the cabin. At 37,000 feet it was -94F! Our next leg is supposed to be even longer; I might poke my eye out with a pencil just to have something to do.

Next stop, Bangalore.

We're off!

2009-01-19T05:17:00.000-08:00

I half expected to wake up this morning, look at the calender and discover it was still December '07, and the events of the past year a dream. Instead I awoke to find our bedrooms in the condition of a military staging ground in preparation for a long deployment, so I know it's real; that, and Leslie pinched me! That's how we feel anyway. What to take, what to leave behind? What we do want to do before we ship off is to thank all of you for your support and encouragement along the way. This has been a trying process, and we couldn't have done it without you.

I guess we're as ready as we can be, so we'll head out, calm but slightly anxious. Though it will be a long and tiring adventure, it will be worth it knowing that we'll be bringing back the best souvenir ever.

We'll report back as soon as we can.

Take care.

Itinerary

2009-01-13T14:59:00.000-08:00

While Leslie is away at our second baby shower, I thought I would detail our itinerary for those interested in such things. We leave early next week from Lexington Bluegrass Airport. We'll take a short flight to Chicago O'Hare where we'll begin the international leg of our journey. From here we'll fly eight and a half hours to Frankfurt Germany. After a six hour layover, we'll head for India. Bangalore is a mere eight hours away! We'll be pulling into the Bangalore airport at around 1:30am local time. At first I thought that would be an inconvenient time, but we have come to understand that a majority of international flights from the west land during the late night hours. With any luck we'll pass through customs unscathed, exchange some money and locate our driver who will take us to our hotel.

After hopefully getting a little more sleep and relaxation it's time to head to Ashraya Children's Home, where we'll meet Manu for the first time. This will forever be celebrated by us as our "gotacha" day, the day we finally became a family. In many cases, the Children's home will require a few visits to the orphanage before releasing the child to the adoptive parents. This is to allow the child time to adjust to his/her new parents. We're hoping, however, because of Manu's young age-he'll be just over nine months when we meet him-that they will allow us to take him that day. It will be hard if we have to leave him, but we understand why this is necessary.

We'll be staying three days in Bangalore, which is located in south-central India. We hope to have some time to get out and about with Manu and see the city, but that will depend on the requirements of Ashraya. On Saturday we'll take a short inter-country flight due north to New Delhi, the Capital of India and the location of the US Embassy where we'll process his paperwork for his Visa to enter this country.

Monday, January 26th is Republic Day, one of India's most celebrated holidays, and New Delhi is central to the festivities. This should be fun to experience with Manu. Unfortunately, this means the Embassy is closed, so we'll have to wait until Tuesday to get started. We've been told that it takes 2 days to process all of the information needed to grant him clearance into the US, but we've added a few extra days to the trip just in case, and to site-see. We're looking forward to experiencing the bazaars and temples of Delhi, but we're really hoping to be able to travel to Agra, about 3 hours east, to visit the Taj Mahal. I know thats a lot to expect of a little boy, but if he's up to it we're definitely going!

We'll begin to trace our steps back home on Saturday the 31st. We'll arrive back in Lexington on, you guessed it, the 31st. Three days to get there and 18 hours to get home, LOL.

At that point we'll begin the best part of our journey.

On blogging

2009-01-12T05:17:00.000-08:00

As we traversed the complex adoption process we came to appreciate the accounts of others who have gone before us. There is a vast amount of information on adoption to be mined from the internet in many forms, but for us the most comforting and encouraging have been the blogs of other families as they documented their stories- from their first agency visit to the day the met their child and beyond. Time and an internet connection permitting, we 're hoping to let friends and family share in our experience. We'll try and post a few paragraphs of the day's activities, along with a picture or two. Don't worry (moms) if we miss a day, we probably were just exhausted and went to bed, LOL.

Beginnings

2009-01-08T15:11:00.000-08:00

Well here we are, just a few short days before our adventure begins; a journey to India that will bring together a family separated by half a world. Well, that's not completely true, our adventure began in the fall of '07 when we decided that international adoption was the path that we would follow. What began as the simple desire by a couple for a more complete family quickly turned into a world-class paper chase. Home studies, background checks, financial forms, fingerprints, and homeland security; we were under a microscope, and this was just the beginning. After an exhausting first few weeks our home study was approved. The hardest part was over, or so we thought. All that was left was to wait for that phone call that would bring us word of our future child. So we waited.

The adoption process is a bitter sweet one. There are moments you feel on top of the world, followed by periods of isolation, when you haven't heard anything for months, and you're sure you are all alone and nobody else understands. It was like that for us; a roller coaster ride of emotions with spectacular highs and immense lows that taught us a lot about ourselves and our relationship. We're not the same people we were a year ago, and we look forward to what we will become in the future.

And we waited. For over 7 months we waited for that call that would change our lives. A call that came on July 10th, 2008. Julie, the director of our local adoption agency called with news of a little boy in India. A beautiful little boy that we knew instantly we belonged to. In fact he would later be certified by the Indian government as the cutest little boy ever to be born there...well, he should be anyway ;-)

After an initial wave of euphoria, it became clear that the paperwork wasn't over. In two weeks we notarized over twenty documents, had them certified by the County Clerk of Fayette County and then apostilled by the Secretary of State of Kentucky. All of this to begin a long, slow, bureaucratic , court-driven Indian adoption process. Finally the paperwork was done. And we waited.

Fast forward to December. Close to noon on a busy work day I took a call from Suzanne, our liaison with AIAA, our foreign adoption agency. He had cleared the Indian courts almost two months ahead of schedule and he would be ready to travel mid-January. We probably should have taken the rest of that day off, because we were useless; all we could think about was him and our pending adventure. After another wave of excitement, the reality of planning such a trip to the other side of the world sank in. Plane tickets, hotel reservations, packing lists and a nursery occupied most of our waking hours; not to mention figuring out what to pack for a nine month old we have only met in pictures, but feel like we've known forever. Most of that is squared away. Not much left to do now but count the days until we travel. So little time remaining for our old lives, but just the beginning of a new family with Manu, our son.

Jeff and Leslie