Homecoming Vietnam

Wow. It is so hard to believe that we haven't posted to this blog since 2008. My how time flies. I remember as a child that it seemed like it took forever for Christmas to come around. Now it seems like it comes three times a year.

So many things have changed over the last five years. Jett has just finished his first year of Pre-Kindergarten and he is really looking forward to starting Kindergarten next year. He is such a smart fellow and charming as well. He seems to be a celebrity around town. I have lived here all my life and sometimes I don't even know who some of the kids are that I overhear saying, "There's Jett!"

In 2007, DeanAnne and I set a goal to try and return to Vietnam every five years so that Jett could see the country and have a better understanding of his roots as he grew up. I also wanted J.R. and James to be able to explore Jett's homeland. Those of you who followed our blog originally will recall that they stayed with my mother during that month that we travelled. Fast forward five years and now we stand ready to return for the first time. I guess it is a homecoming of sorts for a little boy who has only really known the home he has become part of on Rebie Road in rural Bleckley County, Georgia (that's about as far away from the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam as you can get, 9390 miles to be exact).

On Tuesday, May 29, we will depart (this time with the entire family) for Saigon. We will spend approximately 14 days in the Thien Xuan Hotel. This is the same hotel we stayed in for weeks in 2007. We are looking forward to returning, this time on our own schedule. We felt that it would be fitting to crank this old blog up again to chronicle the experience. I hope that many of you who joined us the first time will follow along with us again. Many of your prayers, comments, and encouraging messages sustained us through many dark moments during that month five years ago. I hope that many of our new friends will share in this experience with us this time as well.

Remember us in your prayers as we leave out Tuesday evening from the Savannah Airport for New York City. From there it will be on to Tokyo, Japan and then down to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The entire flight is a little more than thirty hours with layovers. The longest leg in the air will be about 15-16 hours. The boys have never been on a flight like this, so pray for their peace and patience (ours as well).

I couldn't finish out this post without putting some pictures of then and now. The picture below is the first picture we have of DeanAnne and Jett within moments of meeting him for the first time. Just looking at the picture makes me emotional. I went back and read the post with this picture and looked at the many comments that people left for us. It brings tears to my eyes. God has been so good to our family. We have been so blessed to share these last five years with Jett. I am looking forward to the next five.

Easter Update

As I logged on to update our blog, I noticed it has been since December that we have posted. That is pretty bad. We probably won't have many viewers, I am sure most have given up on our updated anymore. We stay busy, needless to say.

Jett is doing well. He is finally growing some and eats pretty good. He loves candy and also feeding himself. He also is talking good. I am very proud of his vocabulary. His dad works diligently with improving his words and speech. He can say Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh(partially), and also his Vietnamese name- Gia Bao. He can also tell someone to do something "right now." I think right now, stop, and mine are his favorite words(behind "candy".)

We had a wonderful Easter. I was very grateful that Jett was here with us this Easter and I did not have to wonder where and what he was doing. I also know he had plenty to eat which was such a blessing. He wasn't much for hunting eggs after he found the first ones with candy in them. All he wanted to do was eat the candy. As I looked at him this Easter, I was very glad to know that one day I will be able to teach him what Easter is really all about. I am honored to know that God chose my family to show this little boy about the love of Jesus Christ and all that Jesus has done for us. One of our reasons for adopting was so we could do this, and now, I know we will be able to with Jett. What better time to reflect on that but Easter.

I have included a few pics from Easter of the boys. Also one of James with his Chicken. He loves to catch them and then hold them like a puppy. Also, our Donkey Festus. Jett will ride him, but not for long-so no pics. I will try to post more often for those of you who still check.

Christmas pictures and more

Since returning from Vietnam we have not been that good at keeping up with our blog. I guess my goal is to post at least once a month(pretty sorry huh.) Jett, JR and James are doing well. Jett's new word(that I heard last night when I got home from work) is Baseball. Jon teaches him new words almost everyday. He is doing good, but a little sick now. He is also cutting 2 teeth.

Some of the pictures are from our Christmas play at church and some are just of the boys just playing around. Jett loves to dance so there is one of him danciing. I will try to add some more pictures later.

DeanAnne

Halloween and Beyond

Halloween was a blast this year. Jett hates to dress up, but he is all about some candy. This kid will cry and cry because he can't hold another bite of supper, but you break out some chocolate chip cookies or candy and his stomach is instantly empty. He eats them like he has never seen food before. Here are the costume pictures. Jett is wearing a dog suit that J.R. wore for Halloween after he was born in August. He has finnaly gained some more weight, but he's still not on track with the two family fullbacks. I'm thinking maybe a wide receiver or quarterback!

We had a request for pictures at mealtime. I thought spaghetti would be a good choice since everyone does such a nice neat job with it.

James

Jett

J.R.

Jon

and DeanAnne!

How Time Flies

Just thought I would take a moment to update the blog after I got a little reminder from our good friends Joe and Katie. Everything is going great. Jett is a remarkable child. He has been walking now for over a month and is in fact quite accomplished. I'll try to get a picture that shows his stance, it is so funny. He holds his elbows at his waist and puts his hands straight out to the side. His feet also turn out like duck feet. As he walks he swaggers at the hips and you can't help but laugh, sort of a Charlie Chaplin kind of thing. He says several words icluding juice, momma, da-da, me-ma and when in a good mood almost any single word you ask him to he will attempt to repeat. Halloween is just around the bend and I will try to post pics of the boys in their costumes. Jett is a puppy, J.R. a dragon, and James is a dinosaur. I'll try and post some of these pictures on Thursday.

new pictures

I finally got some pictures to work and have been able to post them. I hope you enjoy. As you can see, we are really enjoying having baby Jett here with us. He has been such a blessing in our lives, and we give God all of the Glory for that.

He is doing well, but has mommy-itis. For those of you who don't have that problem, let me explain. When I am around(DeanAnne), he wants me to hold him constantly. If I don't, he cries the most terrible cry ever. I do hold him alot, but also have other things to do too. We are working on this, but I know I have a year of holding to catch up on. So, I hold him alot. I really think Baby Jett could conquer the world as long as he is on my hip. He can handle pretty much anything as long as I hold him. Thanks for continuing to follow our blessings with baby Jett, JR and James.

A Gift

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17


I was doing a little bible studying at lunch today and came across this verse. It was on our previous" journey to me" sight. It really touched me again today as I truly know this verse now. I have yet again experienced it first hand. We have recieved one of the most precious gifts from God in the past few months. God has entrusted us to care for another one of his precious children. The past month has been a joy learning Jett and his personality. He has done remarkable with adjusting to us and all of the changes. We have prayed about this and I can truly see God at work in our family. We owe all of this to God and give him all of the Glory.

"My cup runneth over." That pretty much sums up how I feel right now.

When I can remember to bring new pictures to work, I will post them. We have dial up service(yes, dial up internet service) at home and it takes way to long to download photos there.

Once again, thank you for the wonderful comments while we were in Vietnam. I still think of them often.
The Fordham Family

Back by Popular Demand

So many people thought we were still on the long layover in Los Angeles, I thought I should at least let everyone know we made it home. We arrived in Savannah, GA on Thursday, July 26 at 5:00. We were so happy to see everyone and be at home. The meeting in the airport with J.R. and James was so emotional, I don't think I will ever forget it. I think the next time we go to Vietnam it will be as a family. Last night after the boys went to bed, I went in to check on J.R. because he was coughing. As he was laying there awake, I leaned over to tell him I loved him and that I was glad he was my son. He put his arms around my neck and he said, " Daddy, I'm glad you came home." Enough said, and If I leave him for that long again, you can rest assured that it wasn't my choice

.

Baby Jett is doing good. He had made some real progress on sleeping at night, but he's really regressed in the last few days. He acted like he was sick yesterday, so maybe that is the explanation. He loves the boys, and has begun to feel comfortable with getting down and playing with them in the last few days. He is really attached to DeanAnne and prefers that she hold him, especially in situations when a lot of people are around. He's mostly a happy and good natured child, but he struggles at times with maintaining his usually outgoing attitude like most 1 year olds do. We are really happy to have him here with us and we look forward to what each new day brings. Thanks to each of you for following along and lending support during this very rewarding time of our lives.

Here is a picture of Jett's first haircut.

And here is the first swimming trip. Jett liked it, but I think the boys had the most fun.

Los Angeles Layover

We're sitting in the Los Angeles airport waiting on our 6:10am flight to Atlanta. We got here at 10:00 and it took us a couple of hours to go through immigration. But as soon as they stamped baby Jett's passport and visa for legal U.S. entry, he became a U.S. citizen. It's almost 2:00 am here and we can't enter the terminal until 4:00 am. Right now we're just sitting around at the Delta ticket counters waiting on 4:00. We arrive in Atlanta at 1:30. Can't wait to see everybody.

In Hong Kong

About to board flight in Hong Kong for LA. Got visa at 4:30, left Hanoi at 7:10. Leave Hong Kong momentarily. Will post in about 14 hours from LA. Thanks for all the prayers and praise God!

Hanoi

We arrived in Hanio late last night. All was ok. Our hotel is very nice and the view is wonderful. See the pictures(from our window.) Jett is still sick and we took him to the SOS clinic last night. He has a sore throat and virus(vomiting) so keep him in your prayers. He seems to get motion sick. He got sick at the end of our flight last night.

We had our VISA interview today and it was well. She said if no complications arise, we can pick up the visa tomorrow at 4pm. Please pray that no complications arise. If we get the visa then, we will all fly out tomorrow at 7pm. If anything arises, Jon will fly out tomorrow night and me and baby Jett will wait on the Visa. Please pray that this will go smoothly as we are all so ready to go home. We will keep you all posted as much as possible through the travel, and we hope the next post will be closer to Georgia. Thanks for all of the continued prayers.

JR and James: we love you and miss you. We hope to be home soon. Get mema to show you on the calendar when. You both pray for us to have a safe trip home. Please, please, please come and get us from the airport. Be good for mema and we will see you soon. We are so proud of you both for being such big boys while we have been going to bring baby Jett home. I have lots of sugar saved for you so get ready.

love,

momma and daddy

heading to hanoi

We finally have all of our paperwork in hand. Praise the Lord for this miracle. We have a flight tonight to Hanoi at 7p.m. Unless something changes we will be in Hanoi by 9 or 10pm. Jett is still not feeling real well so we ask that you continue to pray for this little fellow. We will update further once we arrive in Hanoi. Please pray for safe travel for us and baby Jett. This will be his first flight. Thank you all for the continued comments and prayers. They really help us and we can feel the prayers.

JR and James: We still miss you bunches and can't wait to see ya. We hope and pray we will be home this week to see you. We will have to do something really fun so ya'll be thinking about it. You both be good for Mema and Papa. Daddy got you some new pajamas today- they match baby Jett's. James, they are green, your favorite color. We love you both bunches. Mema, give them lots of sugar for us and we will be there shortly to relieve you. I know you are ready.
love,
momma and daddy

Another Sunday Passes By

Well another day is just about over. Sunday in Saigon and we haven't seen much outside of the hotel walls. DeanAnne has been sick all day and Jett is not feeling good either. He hardly slept at all last night. We suspect he has an ear infection now. We went out to eat lunch today at an Italian restaurant and it was really good. After we got back to the hotel at 1:00 we all laid down for a nap and no one woke up until 4:00.

This morning I went by myself back to church at the Saigon Evangelical Church. It's not to far from our hotel. I got there about 8:30 and all the seats with translation headphones were filled. I had to listen to the entire service in Vietnamese. The scripture was in Daniel and the sermon was about what kind of man Daniel was. I couldn't understand the sermon at all, but as I followed along in the scripture I imagined what that pastor was saying. I couldn't help but believe that the pastor was talking about Daniel's faith through all his circumstances. How nothing was under his control while he was in that lion's den, but God delivered him anyway. I thought about how King Darius put him in that lion's den because he prayed to God instead of the king. Once the king saw that Daniel was still alive the next day he brought him out of the lion's den, he made a decree that all Persia should bow before the God of Daniel because his Kingdom is everlasting and he delivereth and rescueth. It's amazing how you can sit under the Word of God even in another language and the Holy Spirit can still minister unto you. After the service they had a baptismal service. 33 new believers were baptized and it was great. The whole service lasted about 2 and a half hours. It was long but good.

On another note, I told DeanAnne one day last week, "What do you think are the chances of running into someone from Cochran here in Saigon?" She just laughed and said I wouldn't count on it. The last time I said that to her, we were on a cruise ship in the Cayman Islands. One night the elevator door opened and there stood Ritchie Johnson, one of my best friends from my school days. I couldn't believe it. So the other night I was in the elevator and this nice guy asked us where we were from. I told him Georgia and he said,"Wow, I used to live in Georgia!" So I asked where and he said, "Oh a little town around Macon nobody ever heard of, Cochran." My teeth almost hit the floor. I said, I live in Cochran! The man got so excited. He lived in Cochran in 1975-1977. He was a refugee after the war at 16 years old. His name was Trung Nyguen and he had attended the First Baptist Church back then. He knew people in Cochran and was so excited to meet me. We talked a long time. This was his first trip back to Vietnam in 32 years and he was going to tour the whole country. What a small world!

Hopefully tomorrow we will be able to get our I-600 and head on to Hanoi. Everyone please remember us in your prayers. We have a flight on Wednesday night out of Hanoi. We can only make it if everything works out with the visa. Please pray specifically for that. One of us will leave Wednesday regardless to be back with the boys.Thanks for following along and we hope to see everyone soon.

J.R. and James: We love you and miss you. Hold on and we will be home before you know it.

INS appt

We finally had out INS interview yesterday. Sorry for not posting earlier, but it was a very tough day. I will skip the grueling details of the day, but we were finally notified yesterday evening that our case would be approved and our approved I600 could be picked up on Monday. We are very excited that we were approved, but picking it up on Monday is another day delay. We were hoping to be in Hanoi on Monday doing our VISA interview. Nevertheless, this is a step in the right direction. We once again canceled our tickets to Hanoi and rescheduled them for Monday evening. We are now hoping to arrive in Hanoi on Monday, have the Visa interview on Tuesday, and pick up the Visa on Wednesday. We will come home after we have the Visa in hand. We have to have this Visa to bring Jett back in to the US. Please continue to pray that this will work out for us. We are so ready to come home and see our families and especially JR and James. Also, please continue to pray for us as we strive to complete this emotional process.

On a lighter note, we went out walking this morning. We walked down to the river and looked at many boats. The river here has alot of trash floating in it and also a lot of bamboo. It was nice to have a change of scenary. We then walked around town and went to the grocery store. Jett is on his second nap since we have been back in the room. You can see how tired he is. In one of the other pictures of Jett is a guy that works at our hotel. He has been very kind to us and always holds Jett. I keep saying Jett will look like him when he gets older.

Jett actually slept for 5 hours straight last night. This is a record for us and we were very excited. Before this, his longest stretch of sleep was 3 hours. We seem to have a very active newborn baby on our hands!

If you can't recognize the difference in the post, it is DeanAnne posting and not Jon. Maybe he will be back posting in a few days. I am not quite as informative as he is and talk alot more about Jett than the scenary. Thank you all for the continued prayers and support. Your comments are greatly appreciated and mean so much to us. These comments help us get through each day. We read and appreciate them all.

JR and James: We love you very much and can't wait to see you. I loved seeing you on Mr. Kevin's computer yesterday. We are proud of you for being strong during this time as we work to bring baby Jett home. You both be good for Mema and don't let her get all of my sugar. Remember every time she kisses you, it is from me and daddy. We have lots of special prizes for you when we get home. Remind Mema that you need to say your memory verses at night for her so you won't forget. We love you so much and are so proud of you. God is proud of you too for being such big boys while we are gone.

love you bunches,

Momma and Daddy