Meeting Ethan

Hello! Today has been very exciting! Right now it is about 6:00 on Tuesday night. This morning we left Ho Chi Minh to drive to Can Tho. The bus ride was much nicer than we had expected. We got to Can Tho at about 1:00, but had to wait until 3:00 to visit the center. The 10 minute bus ride from the hotel to the center seemed like an eternity. When we got there, they took us into a little room that had three babies in it. We recognized Ethan right away. When we picked him up, he seemed a little nervous and scared, but didn't cry. We got to stay and play with him for about 2 hours. He's even cuter in person! Unfortunately the computer access isn't very good here, so we can't post any pictures yet. Hopefully we'll be able to when we're back in Ho Chi Minh tomorrow. So, here's what we've learned about Ethan so far: He likes to suck his thumb, he can kind of sit up on his own, but still needs a little help and he can roll over easily. After we had been there for a little while, he seemed much more at ease with us, but we never did get a real smile - just a tiny glimpse of one. We were able to trade a blanket and toy that we brought from home for one of his toys and pillows from the orphanage. I think having those items will make him feel more comfortable when we take him tomorrow. We weren't able to ask the nannies very many questions. They were very nice (and everything there was VERY clean) but none of them spoke English, and our staff person speaks very little herself. They did tell us, however, that he is a "good boy" and a very "easy baby." And no, they don't just tell everyone that, because they told one of the other families the opposite about their son. :) He does seem to be very laid back, but observant. It was hard to leave him there, but tomorrow morning we will go to the justice department for the Giving and Receiving Ceremony. After that we'll be back on the bus for 4 hours to Ho Chi Minh. Next time I post we'll "officially" be parents.