A little peanut in her shell

I've read a lot from adoptive moms who suggested "baby wearing" as a way to bond with baby. I liked the idea, it just felt right to me to keep Lucy close for the first while we are together as mom and daughter. Our "borrowed" Graham, Molly, came by surprise, and we were told she wouldn't be staying long. Even so, I spent many hours with her in my arms or laying on my stomach;babies just need to feel the closeness of those who love them (my hearfelt thanks Elizabeth, truly). Thankfully, Molly by Golly is still with us, and hopefully will remain for a long time to come. I'm so glad I had that time with her in the beginning, to feel her heart beating and let her feel my love and care for her. She's not so accessable now, such a busy little toddler. Those first months of cuddling were sweet indeed.

So I looked forward to "wearing" Lucy once she came. I picked this sling, called a "peanut shell" (loved the name and the very cool fabric). We tried our sling today when going out to run errands. Little Lucy curled snugly inside, we roamed about Ho Chi Min City with ease. Other than it being a bit warm for both mom and babe the sling worked great. I picture many a day with Lucy all curled up-John may even get into the act (though I think we'll have to chose a shell that is a little more "daddy-ish" for him..)


A Favorite Souvenier

A few days before we were able to bring Lucy out of the orphanage I got to purchase my favorite souvenier. No, it isn't the items pictured above, but it was an experience of relaxation and comfort from the store where they were purchased. L'Occitane is a brand name in France, they make lotions, make-up, shampoo and the like. My younger sister and I (Hi Jess!) ran into the store when we were romping around Paris on my 30th Birthday (wish I'd known about blogging then, we could have written volumes on our Parisian experience). I saw the store again in Dallas, just before we moved from there, and also in Sweden. Very upscale, very expensive. But here, In Saigon? Crazy. Not only does the store sell all its wonders at very reasonable prices, but they also offer lovely massage and facial packages at deeply discounted rates (compared to Paris or Dallas). For $39 my sweet handsome Prince treated his princess to 3 lovely hours of relaxation and pampering. The women at the counter must have seen I needed a little tlc, as they already had the package I needed readily picked out (Madamme, may we suggest the facial package that restores your youthful skin tone? PLEASE...). It was delightful. Mind you, I enjoyed this lovely souvenier of rest and rejuvination as we were desperately waiting for some kind of news about when we'd sign adoption papers. I had almost refused to go, thinking that such a nice experience might be interrupted by our facilitator calling the hotel room and ordering John to barge in on said relaxation, declaring we must hurry off to the justice department. But, with John's urging I relented. Walking in and sipping mineral water, shoes removed and enwrapped in a fluffy robe, my cares were nare removed from thought. The knots in my back and neck were worked out, and the "youthful glow" restored to my face (o.k., I've had nothing but "youthful glow" since I got here, my skin is shiny with grease and I've had more acne issues than I did through all of highschool. Mix that in with my 35 year old, non elastic and wrinkly face and you can hardly restore anything youthful, but oh how they tried:)

It was a lovely experience, and not one I could document with pictures-but this little bag and box full of lavendar lotion can serve as a reminder for a very lovely experience for this madamme in Ho Chi Min City