CIS Approved today!

Kim, the World Child in-country staffer, informed us today that our CIS was approved! This is very good news considering that we've been in Vietnam for only one week. With the approval, we hoped to do the final US Consulate interview (for Phoebe's visa) today, but ran out of time because we had to pick-up Phoebe's VN passport at the police department and then go to the SOS International Clinic for her Wellness check-up (both documents are required for the Visa application). We are proud to report that Phoebe is very healthy weighing in at 13 lbs, 25% on the US growth charts for 4.5 months, and 61 cm, 35% on the charts. She is a big girl by Vietnamese standards. Her doctor was a very nice man from Holland who admitted that she was perfect--yes we are proud parents!
Tomorrow afternoon (Fri) we'll have our visa interview, then on Monday afternoon the visa will be issued by the consulate, which means that we'll be ready to head home with our girl! We emailed our travel agent who reserved our new flights leaving Hanoi on Monday late night. Our original return flight was booked for July 4- clearly the process is moving forward much quicker than we had anticipated.

Here are pictures of dinner out with Peggy, Neil, Phoebe and me at the Cyclo Restaurant. We sat across the table from a lovely French couple who are starting the adoption process for Vietnam, which they think may take up to one year. They are wishing for a young baby girl, hopefully as young as Phoebe. They asked if they could take pictures with Phoebe, which my girl was all too happy to do. We shared blog addresses (apparently this is what waiting parents in France do too!) and wished them luck. Hopefully next year they will be dining in a Hanoi restaurant with their daughter--bon chance mes amis.