http://www.cobaltdragon.com This blog is a record of my adoption journey and small slice of my and my son's day-to-day life. I adopted Parker An in May of 2007 from Viet Nam. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 01:12:00 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I stopped by the local Vietnamese market in Akron to buy some rice, and they had fresh, ripe lychees - quả vải in Vietnamese. They are so good – easy to peel, and juice just pops out when you pierce the skin. They are very sweet, and I think I ... http://www.cobaltdragon.com/index.php/2008/07/03/lychees/ Been a while since I’ve put up an entry in my Doing Good series. Half The Sky is an organization that works extensively throughout China with children living in orphanages. They have four main programs that range from training and supervising nannies to provide as much loving care ... http://www.cobaltdragon.com/index.php/2008/07/03/half-the-sky/ Being a serious bioscience person, this anniversary is really neat for me. July 1, 2008 was the 150 year anniversary since the first public presentation on Natural Selection, the mechanism by which evolution takes place, by Darwin. This posting has a nice overview on the presentation, and events leading ... http://www.cobaltdragon.com/index.php/2008/07/03/150-years-and-going-strong/ This is what you get with an 18 month old who is very ready for a nap, yet is 30 minutes past his usual lunch time and wanted to eat before napping. Lunch was rice, wax beans, half of a sesame seed bun and turkey. Not sure I got the volume ... http://www.cobaltdragon.com/index.php/2008/06/29/sleep-eating/ http://www.cobaltdragon.com/index.php/2008/06/24/a-whole-world-to-explore/ Last week we started on book 2 of the series I’m using to learn Vietnamese. The first 1/3 or so of this book continues presenting letter combinations and the sounds they make. Then, it moves on to some grammar rules, pronouns…those kinds of things. Last week my tutor told ... http://www.cobaltdragon.com/index.php/2008/06/24/learning-vietnamese-2/ 18 months That’s how long Parker An has been out in the world. http://www.cobaltdragon.com/index.php/2008/06/24/15-years/ Mr. Parker is home sick today with a fever and minor ear infection. He's napping right now. He was clingier than usual to me yesterday, which is often his only sign that he's sick. Every time he has been sick, he still plays normal and eats more-or-less normal - so, ... http://www.cobaltdragon.com/index.php/2008/06/16/june-video/ I started my lessons on March 22, ‘08. Every Saturday (except for maybe 3) for 2 hours my tutor, Hà, comes over to try to teach me Vietnamese. We started by using what is probably a 1st grade level text book that is used in schools in Viet Nam. It’s ... http://www.cobaltdragon.com/index.php/2008/06/12/vietnamese-lessons/ Dad went to get me some grapes – I fell asleep You cannot see me! Did you see me? Dad and I like to read before bedtime! ... http://www.cobaltdragon.com/index.php/2008/06/12/few-pictures/ Parker is just developing so quickly. Some of his more recent accomplishments & milestones Can refer to himself by his name – if asked, “who are you?” he will point to his chest and say “puh, puh, puh” – which is how I’m teaching him his ... http://www.cobaltdragon.com/index.php/2008/06/09/milestones-abound/ I found a picture from the picnic my agency puts on - this is from Memorial Day weekend. In the pic are my agency's facilitator, me, Parker, and grandma.  We celebrated my 32nd birthday this past Sunday - couple pictures from that. Parker and 3 of his cousins. Parker's newest cousin. Parker pulling ... http://www.cobaltdragon.com/index.php/2008/06/04/random-things/ Some pictures from the last week or so... This is the game of Sepak-Takraw, kind of like Volleyball with your feet - it originates from SE Asia. They had a tournament at the Asian Festival on memorial day weekend. Parker in a field, seeing ... http://www.cobaltdragon.com/index.php/2008/06/01/picture-post-2/ Paul's Kids is the next selection in my Doing Good series! What a great organization this is. Paul and his group do amazing work in Viet Nam. Projects they work on include providing wheel chairs to disabled individuals, providing health care, paying for life-saving surgeries, helping students afford ... http://www.cobaltdragon.com/index.php/2008/05/29/pauls-kids/ The modern US conservative political movement is so bankrupt of morals and ideas that might actually help people, that they now stoop to insanity like this: http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/29/news/companies/dunkin_donuts.ap/index.htm So, any of you who own a scarf with a black and white design better watch out! Never know when Bush ... http://www.cobaltdragon.com/index.php/2008/05/29/completely-bankrupt/