TravelStream™ news feed for member lyamsjourney on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/lyamsjourney en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 05 Oct 2008 11:29:51 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lyamsjourney/1/1223220540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lyamsjourney/1/1223220540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lyamsjourney/1/1223220540/tpod.html Sun, 05 Oct 2008 11:29:51 -0400 LE JOURNAL DE LYAM : Un commencement

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Ho chi minh city, Vietnam

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OK! This entry is to help new and existing travelers that want to go to Saigon. IT is the restaurants that WE thought was good or the shopping that we enjoyed. It is not the most comprehensive and everybody's tastes are different. But, I think that it will help the average person to enjoy Saigon.

We left with two guides: Lonely Planet and the Voyager Pratique from Michelin. Both guides are equally good and are a good complement to each other. The Lonely Planet is very good for day to day activities, cheap restaurants. While the Michelin Voyager Pratique has a very historical view of the Vietnam and good walking tours. They were a big help in preparing the trip. I can't stress enough that the key to traveling so far to adopt is PREPARATION.

RESTAURANTS

We have gone to good, bad and Excellent restaurants and French Delis. You can find ALMOST everything that you want or need in Saigon.

The new thing are cafes, there are ALOT of them, JAVA, Highland Coffee (a chain), Paris Deli etc... OF all of them, the one we liked the most was PARIS DELI in Saigon Center, 65 Le Loi Street. There are 3 cafes in that littlle mall. We had Croque Monsieur and pasta. It was very good and the service was excellent DO NOT GO To the CAFE DE PARIS, next to the Canadian Consulate. It is quite dirty.

TOUS LES JOURS bakery has good cakes, croque monsieurs, donuts and is excellent for a quick bite, you can get treat at the Diamond Square (34 Le Duan Blvd, Ben Nghe ward, Dist 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) during your shopping. Highland Coffees (www.highlandcoffee.com.vn) are good lunch eateries, you will find them everywhere and they have good french fries and excellent fruit juices

Santa Lucia, on 14 Nguyen Hue street in front of Hotel Duxton, is the best italian restaurant in Saigon and we tried two. The Santa Lucia and Haleteria on Le Than Ton street, near Hoi An restaurant. Santa Lucia had a great menu and our favorite was their Lasagna, their Chocolate mousse and Tiramisu are also very good. I dare to say that it is even better than Buon Gusto in Laval, sorry Dominic and Nathalie!.
You have alot of fancy french and international cuisine, but they are quite pricy and do they justify the price tag...probably. The guides has them all.

For the Vietnamese restaurants, the choices are ENDLESS!!! From the sidewalk seller to the fine cuisine restaurant and the prices and atmosphere vary. It all depends on your personal thresholds and interpretation of cleanliness. I will enumerate where we have been and give you our impressions.

Lemongrass (4 Nguyen Thiep): at the heart of District one, off Dong Khoi street. The restaurant is good and tastefully decorated. The food is good and proportionate to the price. It is centrally located.

On the corner of Dong Du, there is a restaurant that offers chineese and vietnamese food. Very good with set menus, $15 per person. The garlic shrimps are excelent with a cold Tiger beer!

Right across from the restaurant, on Dong Khoi street, at the Bong Sen Hotel (www.hotelbongsen.com) You will find the best buffet in town, Buffet Ganh, you have to book seats in advance. The buffet is an assortment of all foods from Vietnam, from the North to the South, with a Grill station and Sea Food station. You can drink fresh sugar cane juice, freshly pressed in front of you. The price is around 15$ per person. Very good quality for the price.

On Dong Khoi, you have numerous other restaurants that we did not have time to try. I mean there is a restaurant every 50 meters.

If you like fares from the center of Vietnam, from the region of Hoi an and Hue where the food is a little spicier. We went to 3 really good restaurants with 3 different price points.

First, there's Ngu Vien, at 40 Ky Dong, District 3. This restaurant was very good and very Vietnamese. It was very clean the Hue specialty were excellent. You have to get the Ban uot Thit Nuoung, grilled pork rolled in Rice paper. The small Ban Xeo, a mini version of the regular Ban Xeo. This is typical Vietnamer place so don't expect much, but it is very clean and very good and very cheap at around 200 000Dong for two or approximately 13$ for appetizer, main course and soft drinks. That will not bust your budget but WILL fill you up with excellent food!

Second, we have Sen Hue, on Nguyen Hue street at number 48. This is more upscale, in the center of Downtown, so you pay the price...mind you the price is around 300 000 Dong for two or less than 20$US. The dishes are typical of Hue and its region but not as good as Ngu Vien. What you lack in taste, you make up for in location. If you are downtown and want a quick bite. This is fine. You are close to Dong Khoi, the Tax Center, Ben Thanh and all the shopping.

Down the street, at 44 Nguyen Hue, you will see Tan Nam, with upscale look and non upscale price. Very reasonably priced for excellent food. The service is great, the wine list is very good.

Last, we have HOI AN, 11 Le Thanh Ton. This is the very upscale version. The food is excellent and there are degustation menus that will have you taste all the different foods that the central region has in store for your pallet! From the service to the decoration, there is nothing out of place. The decor is fabulous and the food excellent. Of course, all this comes at a price. The menu has no Vietnamese prices, only in US. Budget 230$US for two with a decent bottle of wine. It is worth it, if you have something to celebrate or want to impress your date.

Fast food places are the in thing in Saigon and apparently all over major cities in Vietnam. You will find alot of KFC and Pizza Hut all over and Vietnam's own version of Mc D's, Loteria. I mean if you are homesick, then maybe a visit to KFC is the thing. We never had the chance to go, but looked at the menu and the chicken comes with rice instead of Potatoes. Rice covered with Gravy. I don't know....

But if you want fast food, then I recommend Wrap & Roll (www.wrap-and-roll.com). My brother introduced us to this great little eatery. It is fast, excellent and really inexpensive and EXTREMELY CLEAN! We went there with my brother, his daughter and their friends. It only cost us 30$US for 10 people and we all ate and drink until we burst. From the name, you have gathered that alot of the food are rolled up in some kind of wrap! They have and excellent Cha Gio (imperial rolls), Goi Cuon (spring rolls) and other specialty. But they also have Fried Rice and other typical food. There is nothing bad to say about this place and they DELIVER! We went there 4 times!!!

SHOPPING

There is SO much to say that I don't know where to start. Even when you don't like to shop, you will always find something that you thought you would never need, that's how I can describe Saigon's shopping experience. I will tell you what I have seen and where I have bought things. I am not saying that they have the best price or anything. It was the best that I could find. I am sure that there is better or cheaper.

First we will start with the clothes. Well, there is a huge amount of tailors where you can make your suits, silk dresses etc...

For those of you that went on CNN and found Tricia and Verona, 49 Dong Du street. Don't go there, they are overpriced for the quality. I had one suit made there and it is just ok. For men's suit, we were referred to Tailor Son (226 Tran Quang Khai st.) These guys are extremely professional, one fitting and that's it! I had a suit made of Cerruti Cashmere (100%) with Cerruti silk lining for only US$400. The average suit is 240$ for italian cashmere-wool cloth. Shirts are 30$US. The quality of the workmanship and details is top notch at Taior Son. The owner and all the employees are first class. They even deliver to your hotel NO CHARGE.

For women's silk dresses and accessories, go to KENLY SILK, www.kenlysilk.com, and ask for Mme. Sa . She is the best to advise you on what will or will not fit. They are nice, professional and willing to negotiate. We had alot of things done there, and there was only one fitting for Annie.

Of course, you can find cheaper or nicer, but for the quality price ratio, these two are the best. Do not go on Dong Khoi street, the shops there are more expensive because it is a touristy area.

For the watch lovers, you will find an array of fake watches or refurbished watches. Most of the fake watches are made in China with a chineese movements are not that reliable. If you want to invest on a GOOD swiss movement imitation worth 800$ . Go to SAIGON SQUARE, at the entrance, at the first kiosq in the middle, in front of the Video. There is a guy selling watches. Ask for the swiss movement ones. He will take them out of a metal box. You will have replicas of ROLEX, OMEGA, PANERAI etc... from 150$ to 400$ for the Chronograph Omega and more for the up to date Rolex with all the markings and boxes. I am a collector and know watches...and these are very high quality replicas that will last a long time.

Also, at Saigon Square, you will find Clark shoes, KARBON ski suits, North Face Jackets. Some of the North Face are fakes and are easily recognizable. But most are real and are excellent deals, especially the Karbon suits that can be found in this particular store, straight in from the entrance to the end and on the right.

Alot of stalls have Polo Ralph Lauren shirts, Burberrys t-shirts, Tommy stuff...these are fakes but pretty good quality. It is a fun place to go to and find good deals.

TAX CENTER on the corner of Nguyen Hue and Le Loi is a great department store where it is supposed to be cheaper because you don't pay the taxes. IT has four floors and you can find almost everything that you would need for the appartment, the baby etc.. THere is a supermarket that has all the baby stuff. There is a North Face Outlet on the 2nd floor, next to baby stuff. GUARANTED real stuff from the factory, they don't negotiate but at 80$ for a 3 layered GoreTex jacket....ON the last floor, you can find toy stores.

Diamond Center, behind the Cathedral. Just say Diamond Center and the cab driver will take you there. This is just like home department store. Very upscale with upscale prices. For the homesick ones, there is a Pizza Hut and a Kentucky Fried Chicken. There is an excellent food court and bakery on the 2nd floor, next to the mini super market.

And lastly, there is BEN THANH market or better known as Saigon Market. The sight, sound and mix of odors in this market can not be described but experienced. If you want the typical wooden shoes that vietnamese wear...this is the place to go. For all your little souvenirs (wine holders, table mats, statuettes etc..) this is the place to negotiate. They are much cheaper than anywhere else. YOu can also buy fruit there, they are fresh and excellent. IT IS A MUST TO GO TO!!!!
I hope you enjoyed this entry and that it will help you during your stay.


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Ho chi minh city, Vietnam

voici le blog marie
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Ho chi minh city, Vietnam

retour
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Here are the pics!
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Ho chi minh city, Vietnam

Hi all!
Sorry, I have not added anything for the last two days. We were quite busy shopping and getting ready to get home. This is will be the last entry in the journey of Lyam. First of all, to all who have followed us through this beautiful journey and who have written us or been supporting us in their thoughts...a big and warm thank you and we hope that you have enjoyed our entries, pictures and narrations.

I will talk about our trip at the end. I want to give you an update on our friends Germaine and the Gaspesien.
Well, on Friday we celebrated Germaine's and the Gaspesien's departure, scheduled for Saturday. We went to BLUE GINGER instead of a restaurant we noticed downtown. BAD mistake, it was ok, there was three ladies playing traditional music, but the food was so-so.

ANYWAY, back to our friends. Stephane and Stephanie....the saga continues....left the hotel a 4AM Saturday morning for their long awaited trip home!! GUESS WHAT! we got a call at 5AM from Stephanie. Apparently, they couldn't get back through the US because their child was NOT canadian and thus needed a visa to transit through the airport! SOOO, they came back to the hotel with their luggage and all. We called Loan to advise of the situation. Apparently, no one knew this and their was alot of miscommunication between the Gaspesien, TDH and Alphen ( the travel agent). So, around 9 we went with them to UNITED counter to get a refund etc...then to Cathay Pacific to look for another flight. ONly to find out that, there is nothing for them except last minute. WHICH was the original plan. So now, they will wait for their original departure date, the 7th of September. They were pretty down, but as I told them...it could be worse. They are in a luxury appartment building with pool, restaurant, a 2 bedroom appartment, daily maid service in a city where the average cab ride anywhere is 1.50$US, the average meal is 5$ per person, in a country where they might NEVER go back to, with a beautiful child that will never see his country again....SO ENJOY IT and STOP BEING DOWN ON YOURSELF.

GERMAINE, she called us to let us know that her flight was delayed but she got back to Indonesia that afternoon. We are happy for her. Too bad for John, her husband! We are looking forward to seeing them in Montreal, next winter or Summer. Germaine, if you are reading this. We miss you already and are looking forward to seeing your kids and John! You don' t have to come if you don't have to! OK!

NOW, our TRIP HOME!! I would not say it was a bad trip. ALL the flights were on time. BUT, in Hong Kong we had to go through metal detectors to get in the terminal???? That was a 40mn wait...then we had a hard time finding a restaurant. We only had 2 hours. Finally, we ate really fast and managed to get to the gate just as they were boarding. Disappointing, we didn't have time to rest and shop in the duties free before the long flight!!
The long flight was just that LONG...15 hours, the personnel was not really nice and the food really sucked this time. Lyam and Mya were tired. So that made Annie and I tired. We had decent seats, economy plus. Lyam didn't cry or anything but not having a crib and having him in our arms for 15 hours was not an easy task. But, overall, the kids were great considering that they are 3 and 9months old. Although, Mya was sometimes demanding I still thought she was great. She wasn't demanding because of the trip, but because she wanted her mom's attention, which is now split. And as she said to me this morning, je m'ennuie de Maman.

Changing planes in Chicago was a MAJOR PAIN!! We had to wait another HOUR to go throught US customs. LYAM started wailing because he was hungry. But that got through faster by at least 30 mns. THEN we had to collect our luggage and re register them. And that's where one of the suitcases got lost. Then we had to change terminals, because Montreal, Canada was not International enough to be in the same terminal as INTERNATIONAL departure and arrivals. Maybe, the new US president will mandate that all US students have more than 2 hours of Geography courses during their schooling! THEN we had McDONALD'S!!!

Montreal, was a breeze at customs. AND then we found out we had lost a suitcase!! UNITED is really bad.
ANYWAY, we are home safe and sound. Lyam had trouble getting accustomed to his new environment. He woke up alot last night and didn't sleep well. It is 10 and Annie and Lyam are still sleeping. Mya and I woke up at 7h30. Actually, she woke me up at 7h30 to go downstairs to play with her. Which, I, of course, did. Lyam loves his new home. He didn't cry or anything. He is getting along with Gamine fine. Actually, he finds that black furry thing very peculiar and has not touched her yet. We can't wait until he gets accustomed to everything and sleeps through the night in a fit and nightmare free rest! That will be the day that he will be REALLY home in his head. Because, we know that in his heart he is.
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Ho chi minh city, Vietnam

Hi all,
We finally picked up Lyam's Canadian passport this morning! We have a new Canadian citizen! He has a temporary passport, because we have to change his name etc... But still, it is great that he is officially a Canadian Citizen. He will have 3 citizenship (French, Canadian and Vietnamese) that is until he is 18 when, if he chooses, he has to drop his Vietnamese citizenship. NO he didn't have to sing the Canadian national anthem like I did. It was quicker for him than me.
We are very happy about that. Tomorrow, we will be picking his Vietnamese passport and THAT"S IT!!!
Apart from that, we shopped again today and yesterday. We went back to get another KARBON snow suit for Annie's mom. They only cost 65$US here. AND IT IS NOT A FAKE. We have great deals...North Face Jackets for 75$US that is worth at least 450$.

We also picked a few silk embroideries from a shop. They are beautiful and still pretty afordable. You will see them at our house soon.

Our couple from Gaspesie is not doing so great. They can't find a flight out. They want to buy another ticket on another airline. They want to get out of here pretty bad. I think that it is too bad that they don't make the best of it. Because, this is an experience that might never be repeated and what will they tell their son? "Well, I paid extra to get out of your country because, I didn't like the food, the crowd, the people...No I didn't visit because I was afraid to go out...".

I am not judging. Each has their own threshold but when you adopt, I think you have to make an effort to adopt or at least try to understand your child's culture and understand the differences. THIS will bring alot to your child's upbringing and might explain a few things later.

Anyway, Annie is having a great time with the children, as you can see from the pictures. I think the pictures of her and Lyam and Mya is the best one throughout the trip.

The guys have almost finished the house across the street. This is pretty amazing as it is done manually in unbearable heat.

Good night!
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Ho chi minh city, Vietnam

Hello all,
It is 3AM Saigon Time, I can't go to sleep. We are trying this new thing where he sleeps with me so he won't wake Mya up. We'd rather have us tired than her. And I want Annie to rest before getting on that plane ride home. Hopefully, it will not be another trip from hell.

My brother left on Sunday for Paris. His flight was taking off at 7pm to HK. He got to the airport at 4 to find out he had to wait until 11h45pm and take a flight to Tokyo instead, because of Typhoon in HK. I hope that won't happen to us.

Anyway, we will see. For the last few days, we haven't done much except shop, rest, shop, pool while waiting for our paperwork. On Friday night, we went to this vietnamese restaurant, it wasn't that good, actually it was good for Vietnamese standards. Annie, Mya hated it. It was a specialty food restaurant, an icon here in Saigon, La Pagolac. So, we left without eating much.

On Saturday, we rested all day, the kids and Annie slept in the afternoon, I think we all needed the rest. After the stress of the paper signing trip, running around on Friday to get the applications in for the passport, the exit papers. Their limit was reached. For dinner, we went to Alain's hotel, Bong Seng Hotel. It was a buffet., it was actually very good. There was a great assortment of dishes, specialties from the North to the South. With a Grill station and Sea food station. Annie had sugar cane juice for the first time.

On Sunday, we went to try on my suit. It fitted well so, one down 4 to go. Eric, I will get your suit!
We had lunch with my brother for the last time. The lunch was excellent at the Wrap and Roll. A chain, that has all kinds of rolls, from Spring Rolls to Banh Xeo. There were all kinds of Fried Rolls, porc, sea food, vegetarian. It was very good. Then we went to visit the Reunification Palace with Germaine, John, and their two kids! It was interesting but SOOOO HOT. On the way there, Lyam took the biggest diapper filler of all times...it was the mother of all dumps. SO we had to change him in front of the gates of the palace. That was funny and smelly. Imagine...34degrees...95% humidity...smelly diaper....
We finally met Saint John, Germaine or Virginia's husband. He is very nice. I mean he has to be to put up with her. I am just kidding G.

On sunday night, we went out with the couple for Gaspesie, Stephane and Stephanie. We took them to the Tax Center, a mall, to see the North Face outlet we found. We bought Karbon ski suit for only 80$ and a North Face for only 70$. This is a governement owned outlet store. Then, we had Italian at Santa Lucia, probably the best Italian restaurant in Saigon, with Stephanie and Stephane. Again, Stephanie did not eat a thing. That's a long story, but we fell bad for her.

On monday, yesterday, we finally received our exit papers for Lyam and went to the Canadian consulate to apply for the Canadian Passport. Now, once again, we wait. ADOPTION=PATIENCE and alot of running around.
In the morning, we went back to Benh Than market with Stephane and Stephanie, I will refer to SS from now on, that was funny. I don't think they were prepared to face such an assault of colors, people, heat and especially smells. Although, we had prepared them, I don't think they were ready. But, they bought alot of souvenirs and gifts, not as much as us though. Then we went to Annie's tailor, across the street, to try on her stuff. BEAUTIFUL and so we had another dress made. The Tailor's name is KENLY SILK. They have the best people, especially one lady, who is excellent at advising people. She made Lyam a kimono for free because he looked so much like her son.

Throughout all these days, and despite them being tired, the kids were great! Lyam doesn't every cry or complain except when he is hungry or realllly hot. He is such a bundle of joy, a big one! He is funny. He has managed to stand up by himself once so far, by holding on to something of course. He will be walking by Christmas time. His cough is still there but not as bad as 2 weeks ago, so I guess it is going away slowly. He hates to wear clothes, who wouldn't in this heat. He has greatly bonded with Annie and Mya and Me. He doesn't go into anyone's arms easily, especially woman's. He went into my borher's arms without crying but no one else can touch him.

Mya is doing great. She does react to Lyam a bit with the toys and attention, which is a normal thing. But, for a 3 year old, 10000km away from her things, in a world completely different, she is doing great. Already, she is a world traveler and I am very proud of her.
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Bonjour,
ce matin Thierry a deposer la demande pour le passport vietnamien de Lyam. Apres nous sommes aller faire d autres papiers qui feront en sorte que nous pourrons partir pour le canada. On comprend pas toujours ce que nous signions et sommes tres content d avoir la representante de l agence nous guider. Nous avons aussi reserver le billet d avion de Lyam donc on a l impressin que c est vraiment vrai que nous quitterons le vietnam le 31. YAHOO,

Nous avons travailler fort pour pousser la representante pour que les papiers de notre copine (virginie) celle avec les deux petits bebe se fassent. Pauvre elle on la prend en pitie Elle est super fine et on voudrait bien l aider.

Lyam et Mya ont ete bien patient. Pas evident du tout de les trimballer a la grosse chaleur d un endroit a un autre. vraiment pas facile. Apres avoir voyager comme ca on peut aller a peu pres n importe ou. Cette apres midi on a fait de la piscine pour se rafraichir un peu.Ce soir on doit ressortir souper avec le frere a Thierry qui est de retour a Saigon. Il repart en france dimanche donc on profite de le voir.

Hier on est aller souper pour feter l adoption dans un beau resto vietnamien. C etait tres bon. Mais ce qui devait arriver arriva, Lyam a encore ete malade et .....bien oui toujours sur moi. Jamais sur Thierry. La representante semblait bien enerver et voulait que j aille me changer. J ai dit apres le voyagement fait aujourd hui et apres m etre fait vomir dessus a plusieurs reprises, je bouffe comme ca et ca me derange meme pas. HIHIHi une vrai maman.
Maintenant j ai l impression d avoir decouvert une nouvelle sorte de parfum. .....

Je suis tellement contente de voir que Lyam s attache a nous de plus en plus. Maintenant il nous reclame et ne va plus facilement vers des etrangers. Il veux sa maman et son papa. Mon coeur craque tout simplement. On ressent vraiment l attachement qu il a pour nous. Je suis super contente car je trouve que cela se fait tres vite. Je pensais que cela prendrai beaucoup de temps etant donne son age. Mais non aujourd hui des dames on essayer de me le prendre des bras (une facon vietnamienne de faire assez courante) et il c est mis a pleurer. Ha ah .Meme Mya est contente, elle a dit il ne veux pas il veux etre dans les bras de Maman.

Les prochains jours seront calmes et nous tenterons de se reposer un peu avant notre retour.

On pense a vous bien souvant

annie
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Vung Tau, Vietnam

Well, the big day was yesterday!! Wednesday August 20th 2008. Lyam is officially our son.
We didn't write about this momentous event last night because we were really tired. It was a long day. After having waited all morning on Tuesday and finding out that we wouldn't go until 8AM the next morning. We left the hotel at 8h30 for our 2h30 drive to the Adotion office or something in Vung Tau to sign the papers. Yes, once again we left late.
The ride was fun because everyone was happy and looking forward to this event that will only last 10mn for each family. We were all dressed up and were afraid that one of the kids would throw up (like Lyam did in the cab). So we all had a change of clothes. But they all slept through the 2 hours in the van.
The ceremony was quick, very quick, 5 signatures and a few pictures and that's it. BUT, we needed a stamp ... you guessed it...once all the signatures, pictures were done... it was 1130 and the person in charge of the stamp (a very important job) had left for lunch! SOOOO we had to wait until 1330. We had lunch at Highland coffee, where there were regular food for Stephanie and Stephane, went shopping for diapers at the local Plaza. The Plaza, a mini department store, was FULL of employees. Yep, there were only us. I think this was too upscale for the locals.

Soooo, we went back to the stamp person and waited another 30mn to get all 4 sheets stamped. We were getting impatient by that time because we wanted to get back to get our passports done. The ride back was fun too, except Mathisse, Stephanie's and Stephane's son, was hungry. Lyam and Mya slept most of the way. We finally left at 2pm and got back at 4:39 at the passport office and it was closed.

Man, this adoption process has been one adventure after another of delays and waiting. Mind you, we only waited 8 months for the whole process.

But it is all worth it when we look at Lyam.
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