Cousins

Caleb spent some time yesterday with Aunty Kim and Cousin Matthew. Jo-Ann, Anushka, Kevin, Caleb and I all went over for lunch and a playdate. Anna and Matthew played together so well but all the excitement was too much for Caleb who ended up asleep on the couch with Dad.

Caleb with Aunty Kim.

Jo-Ann, Anna and Matthew.

Matthew and Anna sharing snacks.

Naptime.

Our Costco stop with a cart made for two!

Catching Up

We have arrived in Canada and it is hard to believe we have only been here for a couple days. In many ways, it feels as though we never left. We have been spending our time catching up with family and introducing Caleb to everyone. Caleb has been loving it as everyone wants to hold him and play with him! 

On Saturday evening, we arrived at the airport to a terrific family welcome and then saw the rest of the Jacula family at Kelli and Bryce's house. Thanks for letting us stay over, Kelli and Bryce. On Sunday, I went to Carly and Matthais' baby shower while Kevin caught up with Jason. It was so exciting to see Carly and finally meet little Matthais who is just adorable. We are now staying with Jo-Ann and Jeff (who are spoiling us with the king size bed and Anushka has even loaned her crib to Caleb). Today, after sleeping-in which was the result of a 3:00 am playtime initiated by Caleb who apparently was suffering a bit of jetlag, we went for a walk down Whyte Avenue. The weather was beautiful today and it was just so nice to walk (without the fear of being blindsided by a motorcycle).

On our flight to Edmonton from San Francisco just before we prepared to land.

Our big airport welcome: Shirley with Anushka, Jo-Ann, Vanessa, Shawn with Caleb, and Travis. Jeff, Kelli and Kim were there too.

Caleb meeting Aunty Jo-Ann.

Gramma Jean feeding Caleb dinner at Aunty Kelli's house.

Uncle Shawn with a sleeping Caleb.

Carly and I with Matthais.

Caleb with Lindsey, Chloe, and Noah.

Caleb thought Chloe was so interesting.

Gramma Alvina'a first hug for Caleb.

Caleb with Great-Gramma Meyer.

Of course, meeting all the family has been fun but playing with all the new toys at Cousin Anushka's house is fabulous!

Jo-Ann with Anushka and Caleb (during one of the few times when they were not making each other cry).

Bathtime for Anushka and Caleb - everyone was happy until Caleb took a header in the tub and Anna slipped and fell. But now the house is quiet with two happy sleeping babies! 

Good night.

Hong Kong Airport

It was a very early start this morning but on a positive note, we discovered that at 3:30 am it takes us less than 20 minutes to get to the airport! Saigon never seems to sleep but it definitely was a bit quieter than we are used to seeing it. We had booked the bassinet/bulkhead seats and ended up with all four seats to ourselves which was nice (I do not know if we will be so lucky on the long flight from Hong Kong to San Francisco though).

We are now in Hong Kong enjoying the United Airlines Red Carpet Lounge where we have made our home in a little corner where Caleb has room to move around! We have a couple hours here before we board our flight to San Francisco.

And now it is time for more Starbucks coffee! See you all soon! 

Getting ready for takeoff.

All smiles at the Hong Kong lounge.

The Boathouse

While getting packed up yesterday for our trip home, we also got to say farewell to some of wonderful friends in Ho Chi Minh City. Maria and Elliot stopped over. Caleb and Elliot are interacting more which is really neat to see. Nat came by as well. We are so excited because the next time we will see Nat she will be holding a new baby!  We met up with Bel and Louis for a walk through BP Compound and like many of our late afternoon walks, we ended up at The Boathouse for a drink. John, Bel's husband, and Kevin joined us when they got home from work. We will miss everyone! Have a great summer!

Bel, John, and Kevin at our favourite table at The Boathouse, along the Saigon River.

Louis and Caleb are very popular with the girls!

Pears

We have spent this week enjoying Caleb's facial expressions as he test drives his tastebuds. Check out Caleb's reaction to pears below...

There are more photos in Caleb's album!

Post 200

It is a lovely morning in Ho Chi Minh City and I hear that the weather is warming up back home too just in time for our visit! We are getting really excited about our trip to Canada. We leave in less than a week assuming that Caleb's passport arrives, which is currently at the embassy awaiting an extension.

In other news, Caleb is six months old tomorrow. Yesterday we started our first solids, runny brown rice cereal. The first day he did not seem to be as excited as I was, but today was an entirely different story. He could not get enough of the stuff this morning so he even got seconds! 

I am sure I can feel a bottom tooth coming in. I cannot see anything although Caleb has not exactly been supportive of me trying to check it out but when he chews on my finger there is something rather sharp in there!

We have been practicing sitting and Caleb is doing rather well at it until he laughs or gets distracted and topples over backwards. He enjoys being on his stomach and even rolled from his back to his stomach this morning. He is not much of a roller but he has started to try and pull himself to reach for toys and using the bars in his crib, can rotate himself around (which he thinks is pretty funny when he is supposed to be napping).

From the title of this post, you can probably guess that this is our 200th post! Thanks to all our viewers - hopefully, one or two of our little adventures in Vietnam have made you smile. All your blogs make my day! 

Preparation for solids... playing the spoons.

The first spoonful of brown rice cereal from Dad.

The second day and Caleb is very excited about eating!

A full stomach and ready to play.

Caleb's First Cup

We thought we would introduce Caleb to water (to add to his current liquids only diet). He pretty much grabbed the cup out of my hands but had mixed reviews regarding what was inside. There was a fair bit of choking and coughing to start but I imagine that these sippy cups take a bit of practice to master!

Practicing the two hand cup grip.

The face says it all!

Farewell Belinda

Belinda, we miss you already! Thank you so much for spending the last two weeks with us. It was so much fun to have you visit us in Vietnam. Caleb was all smiles for the entire two weeks and I imagine it is because he could feel your enthusiasm and excitement! All the car and plane journeys passed so quickly because we must have talked nonstop (poor, Kevin). You truly are the best friend in the world - no, the whole wide world ;)

See you again soon. Just let me know when you want to plan that trip to Cambodia.

Sightseeing in Hue

We had a full day of sightseeing in Hue on Thursday. In an effort to beat the heat, we awoke early (really, no different from any other day with Caleb) and walked to the Citadel. On entering, we were almost scammed as the lady selling the tickets quickly exchanged our 100,000 dong bill for a 10,000 dong bill. Quick fingers, I tell you! And at the entrance to a UNESCO World Heritage site no less! The walk through the Citadel buildings and temples was quiet and peaceful, which was a lovely change from the noisy streets outside the Citadel walls. We were back at the hotel for a quick swim and lunch at noon before jumping in our private hire car to see the emperors' tombs. The private car turned out to be a fantastic idea when Caleb fell asleep after visiting Ming Mang's tomb and slept in the car while Belinda enjoyed the remaining tombs.

Caleb was up early to check out Hue.

Entering the Citadel gates.

Belinda at one of the great urns.

Washing up after a long day in the heat.

Road Trip

It is not too often that we find ourselves on a road trip in Vietnam (flying is generally much more efficient) but to get from Hoi An to Hue we thought the best route would be overland in a private car. It turned out to be a good decision. Our driver, Mr. Duong, was terrific and the scenery from Hoi An to Hue was beautiful. We left Hoi An and passed Cua Dai Beach (the southern extent of what is better known as China Beach) and Marble Mountain before going through Vietnam's fourth largest city, Danang. From Danang, the highway turned into a series of switchbacks as we made our way up to Hai Van Pass and over the other side to Lang Co Beach. From there, it was only another hour and a half drive through fishing villages and rice paddies to reach the city of Hue. We arrived in Hue with enough time to find a boat to take us to the Thien Mu Pagoda and local fishing village.

The Farinha Group were warmly welcomed at the Asia Hotel in Hue.

On our chartered dragon boat destined for the Thien Mu Pagoda.

Belinda, Caleb and I at the Thien Mu Pagoda outside of Hue on the Perfume River.

Caleb was rather enthralled with this Buddhist monk who kindly shared his fan. It was a very hot evening.

Belinda posing on our dragon boat.

Dinner at Hot Tuna... where we had, you guessed it... tuna.

Suits, Skirts and Shoes

I was so excited to take Belinda to Hoi An since it is one of my most favourite places in Vietnam. This trip was no different - the food, the people, the shopping and the sights all lived up to expectations. We spent most of our time in Hoi An just walking through the pedestrian-friendly town - admiring the Chinese temples, bargaining for souvenirs and getting measured up by our tailor. Caleb seemed to be rather content during our shopping but he did have a couple tough nights in Hoi An so perhaps, they were payback for all the shopping we put the little guy through!

Belinda and Caleb outside one of the many shops selling laterns.

Hoi An Department of Managing and Gathering Swallow's Nests... yep, seriously...

Dinner at a street stall where we had sampled some of the best cau lau noodles in all of Hoi An.

Caleb getting measured up by the tailor.

Our purchases... ok, so we did alot of shopping!

Nha Trang

Our first stop on our tour of central Vietnam with Belinda was Nha Trang. We departed on Friday evening for the airport after stopping by the office to pick up Kevin. We arrived in Nha Trang in time to sample the local seafood for dinner (see the previous post) and check in at the dive shop. It was an early start on Saturday as Kevin and Belinda hopped on a dive boat while Caleb and I relaxed by the pool and took full advantage of morning naptime. Kevin and Belinda returned to join us for lunch followed by more pool and beach time. On Sunday, we visited the historic sights of Nha Trang, including the Po Nagar Cham Towers, the Nha Trang Cathedral, and the Chua Long Son Pagoda. With all the return flights to Ho Chi Minh City full, Kevin caught the train on Sunday night. Belinda, Caleb and I had one more night in Nha Trang before hopping on the early Monday morning flight to Danang.

On route to Nha Trang.

 Caleb relaxing in our hotel room at the Light Hotel, Nha Trang.

 Belinda and a variety of South China Sea fish.

Swimming time with Aunty B.

Another day, another pool lounge chair.

 Belinda, Caleb and I at the Cham Towers.