Tadpoles

Caleb had his first swimming lesson this morning. Kevin was in the pool with Caleb while I took photos on the deck. Our friend, Michelle, is the swimming instructor and she is absolutely wonderful with the children. There was lots of singing and little games to keep them entertained in the water.

Caleb with his new friends on the 'boat'.

Riding the noodle.

Ready for Humpty Dumpty.

Anniversary Gift

Kevin and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary this week. We spent the evening enjoying dinner out and when we reflected on the past year we really could not believe how quickly it seemed to go by. Of course, it has been a rather exciting year for us and we have so much to be thankful for.

Instead of getting each other anniversary gifts, we wanted to give something more meaningful. Last month, I posted about our visit with our friend, Alyson, while we were in Calgary. I feel very compassionate about Alyson’s efforts to raise money for brain specific cancer research so I want to reach out to our network. I have included some info from Alyson’s blog below. Just click on the text below to go to her blog and read about her story. If Alyson’s story touches you, consider making a donation to help her reach the $50,000 target.

I know I need help. I am grateful for the overwhelming support from friends, family and strangers, that I have and continue to receive every day. I know if I have the right target, I can mobilize this network into an Army that will fill back up this pot I have been given and create that significance difference I have looking to make.

The Target – $50, 000

Target Reason – Want to break even on my chemo-therapy drugs

The Pot – Alberta Cancer Foundation – Brain Specific Research Trials and Grants

Pot Reason- Every dollar raised will be put specifically into research that will try to find a cure for MY “incurable” cancer.

Success is fine, but significance is the real name of the game.

Juicing

We finally got around to unloading our burlap sack full of pomelos from Vinh Long. Our kitchen looked like a bowling alley - Ms. Sau had sent back over 20 pomelos for us! Now we do love pomelo but I was not sure if we could eat that many before they went bad. Trang suggested juice so I pulled out the second-hand juicer that I purchased a couple weeks ago. I never thought that I would find an appliance that impressed me more than a good old crockpot but now that we no longer have to worry about hot meals on a cold winter day, my new favourite appliance is our juicer. This little gadget is terrific! Just press the fruit over the top and you have juice! Delicious... and so many other fruits to try now like lime, orange, and pomegranate...

The machine, the mess and the finished product.

Wedding on the Mekong

Perhaps, the one disappointing part about living in Vietnam is that it is difficult to get close to the locals. There seems to be a separation between foreigners living and working in Vietnam and the local Vietnamese population. There are definitely huge cultural and economic differences between the two groups and through some of my expat Vietnamese friends I am beginning to understand these differences better. However, after of living in Vietnam for over a year, I really felt like yesterday I connected a bit more with the local Vietnamese culture.

Caleb and I took a three and a half hour drive to Vinh Long, a small city located in the Mekong Delta. We were invited there by our housekeeper, Ms. Sau, to attend her niece's wedding with her. It was an international affair since her niece grew up in Germany and married a guy from France... so why not invite some Canadians! It worked out well since our nanny, Ms. Trang, grew up about a kilometer from the location of the wedding so she joined us to spend the weekend with her mom. We arrived in Vinh Long and stopped at Trang's mother's house first. We walked off the main road and down narrow backstreets, only accessible by motorbike or bicycle, before we arrived at the house - a huge, traditional Vietnamese house built in 1934. It was lovely - the rooms were large, open air with only the necessary furniture. The floors and kitchen were spotless. Out behind the house were pens with chickens and pigs. I changed into my ao dai, a new purchase which I was so excited to wear, and then Caleb and I got back in the car to go to the wedding where we would see Sau. We arrived at the wedding and I barely recognized Sau - she looked lovely with ringlet curls in her hair and make-up done for the occasion. We met her husband, son, sister and numerous other relations. The wedding was another entertainment extravaganza - confetti, fireworks, champagne fountain, singers, dancers, karoke and of course, great food. We left the wedding before the meal finished (but not before Sau could sneak about 20 pomelos into the car for us). It had already been a long, hot day for us and we still had the long drive back to the city. I was thrilled to be able to get a bit closer to the real, rural Vietnam that sometimes I think we are rather sheltered from in this big, busy city where we live.

Trang and her mother with Caleb.

All dressed for the wedding - but were we both ever sweating by this point!

Caleb and I with Ms. Sau at the wedding.

Caleb, with Ms. Sau's sister, watching the singer and dancers on the stage.

Protection

During the week, Caleb and I have been getting in lots of playtime, visiting with friends, and walking around the neighborhood. Yesterday, we hosted baby group which was lots of fun. Caleb's friend, Elliot, arrived sporting kneepads - a terrific idea since all the homes here are tile floor. After chatting this morning with Trang, our wonderful nanny, about how we needed to get Caleb some kneepads, we got a call from our friend, Bel, who had been out shopping. Within a few minutes, Bel had stopped by with a pair of kneepads for Caleb. What a dear!

At baby group

Caleb, with Trang, looking like he is ready for a mean game of volleyball. If you look closely, you can see that the kneepads have hearts on them. The socks are to help with the 'crawling blister' that he already has on his foot. I can hear my Dad now... "when you guys were little, we just let you get rug burn on your knees - it made you tough."

And he's off!

Gourmet Breakfast

Today, Caleb had a gourmet breakfast of carrot mango quinoa pancakes. The recipe was inspired from a baby pancake recipe on Itty Bitty Bistro, a great source of baby and toddler food ideas (thanks for the link, Jo-Ann). They used whole wheat flour and since I want to wait a bit longer before giving Caleb wheat, I thought I would use quinoa flour instead. Can you believe our electricity does not stay on through the night right now but I can get Bob's Red Mill 100% organic quinoa flour?!?

These pancakes are healthy and a perfect starter finger food since they are soft. Plus, it is a great way to hide vegetables or get rid of some pureed food. The mango adds a bit of sweetness (you could use applesauce too) and the quinoa flour has a nutty flavour. I mashed a banana and spread it over the pancake and then cut it into manageable pieces for Caleb. I even had a couple pancakes for my breakfast too. Caleb loved them (but then again, he loves anything dipped, coated or blended with banana). Now I just need to teach him to eat the pieces one by one and not by the handful!

Carrot Mango Quinoa Pancakes

1/2 cup quinoa flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp olive oil

~ 1/4 cup pureed carrot and mango

~ 1/4 cup water

Mix together first four ingredients. Add water until pancake batter can be easily poured or spooned onto the grill. Pour batter onto grill to make small pancakes (about a tablespoon per pancake). Allow to cool. Serve with banana 'syrup'.

Makes ~8 baby-sized pancakes.

Happy Birthday, Gramma Alvina

We are sending love and some pictures from today to Gramma Alvina who is celebrating her birthday! Have a great day, Gramma!

Love, Kevin, Lori & Caleb

Today's new toy - a pool of balls - a great hand-me-down from Adelina (Big thanks)!

Caleb had a great time rolling around and climbing in and out of the pool.

Moving

Eight Months

Caleb is eight months old today! He mastered his pull and drag crawl and can get pretty much anywhere. Caleb is loving the fact that he can now investigate the tv/dvd cabinet and underneath the kitchen chairs and table. Kevin has been away in Hanoi for the week so I think he is going to be rather surprised with how quickly Caleb has become mobile.

I find it shocking how much a baby can eat! This boy is going to cost us a small fortune in food by the time he is a teenager. Today Caleb ate two bowls of cereal with prunes and pears for breakfast, banana and yogurt as a snack, chicken with avocado and mango for lunch, and chicken with rice, potatoe and carrot as well as sweet potatoes and applesauce and a rice cake for dinner.

Look at me go!

Cuong & Hanh's Wedding Extravaganza

This weekend we attended our first Vietnamese wedding and it was truly a cultural experience. The wedding was held at the historic Continental Hotel in Saigon. We arrived at the hotel entrance and on each side of the stairs were the names of two different couples - lucky one of them was the wedding we were attending (we were told that the first thing about Vietnamese weddings is to make sure you turn up at the correct one). We were welcomed by bridesmaids (?) and groomsmen (?) dressed in white. After walking through the lobby, we entered the venue, the covered outdoor courtyard. The bride and groom, Hanh and Cuong, welcomed us. Hanh is the receptionist at the Talisman Vietnam office and Caleb's number one fan (I trust she will be having her own baby within the year). Hanh looked stunning. We were seated at our table of 10 (rather tight considering 8 of 10 were Western-sized). After we were offered a drink (water, beer or coke), the MC (?) got up and said some words which were followed by dancers on the stage (who may have been the previously described men and women dressed in white?). Then the music changed and the bride and groom entering the room. When they got to the stage, balloons were popped and fireworks went off and confetti fell... a serious show. After some toasts, we were served our first of about eight courses. The food was really good and the glasses were magically always full of beer and ice. There had to be servers just committed to dropping ice in glasses to keep up with such a task. By about the second course, different singers had taken to the stage and soon enough we discovered it was wedding karaoke (after the bride's brother invited us to sing a song... um, no thanks - karaoke in front of my family is bad enough never mind 600 people). The karaoke continued until the final course, dessert, when people quickly started vacating the venue. We thought it must just be time for a bathroom break but in fact, that was it! No dance, no drinking into the wee hours of the morning - just eat and run! We must have been one of the last tables to leave and not because we were lingering but instead, we were just finishing the last of our food. So, for the first time ever, I was home from a wedding before 10 pm. Caleb was fast asleep (even with the Vietnamese karaoke) so we called it a night!

Dad and Caleb looking very smart at the Continental Hotel.

Caleb looking very handsome for the occasion.

A shot of our table through the refreshing mist.

My $5 hairdo complete with 'diamonds' and it only took the guy about 15 minutes to finish.

Hanh and Cuong, along with their parents, came around to each table to do a toast. What a beautiful bride!