Nursery Rhymes and Beer

The twins are a nightmare when it comes to bedtime. What we have learned is that in the orphanage, the nannies simply held each of the twins and rocked them until they went to sleep at night, so anything short of that is not good enough and both Tuck and Jones cry.

We have vowed to discontinue the holding and rocking routine and have worked hard to get them to fall asleep on their own in their own cribs. This has proven to be a challenge and often we end up going in and sitting next to the crib(s) to sing a nursery rhyme and try to get them to sleep. We take shifts, employing Wescott, Yve and Otto to all do 10 minute stints of singing as well so we can cover both twins simultaneously.

While we have tried everything from "Twinkle Twinkle" to the Oompa Loompa song, we have found that the song that works best is "100 Bottles of Beer On The Wall!" It is super-long, monotonous so conducive to falling asleep and easy to gauge effectiveness. "It took me until 63 bottles of beer to get Tuck to sleep tonight!" says Wescott. Or "I am only going in and singing until 75 bottles of beer and then I am out of there" says Otto. It is hilarious! So if you have a problem with sleeping children, try our strategy out :)

Pagoda Day!

For the last two weeks, I have been plotting out "pagoda day"....a day to visit 10 or so of the lesser known pagodas in Hanoi.  Otto came along and Cliff and I rented a taxi to drive us all around the city to see different pagodas throughout the neighborhoods.  It was really cool because it took us down some pretty obscure alleys and into the heart of many Hanoi neighborhoods.  Some of the pagodas were extremely old, one was so old it was not there anymore, with only the gate remaining because the rest was demolished in war.  Others were so brand-new that they were still under construction.  The best story from the day was posted by Otto (see post "water proof camera") but I have attached some cool photos too.

36 Hour in Hanoi

There was a great article published this week about Hanoi in NYT.com.  http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/travel/05hours.html it perfectly describes the vibe of the city these days.  With Cliff and the twins staying here for a few more weeks, now is the chance to visit if you have ever had the itch.  Cliff is moving into a hip, trendy new 3 bedroom apt so guests will have their own room :)

Legends Traffic

Ever since my first trip to Legends, I have become completely addicted to the view from the deck at Legends Beer, overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake and the most outrageously complicated traffic intersection in Hanoi.

I know we have blogged about the traffic in Hanoi previously but trying to capture the true chaos in two dimensions is like trying to capture the Grand Canyon in any single image. I have attached a video that helps a little but the only way to truly understand it is to walk across at rush hour yourself!

Traffic intersections in Hanoi don't have traffic lights. They don't have walk signals. There are no rules. There is no concept of yield. Everyone simply merges and somehow it works out. It is mesmerizing. It is not uncommon for people to go the wrong way down a one-way street if it takes them to where they need to go.

75% of the traffic is motorbikes, 10% cars, 10% pedestrians and 5% pedal bikes. It is hard to believe that there weren't any motorbikes in Hanoi 10 years ago! Luckily, the government instituted a helmet law last year so most people on motor bikes are now wearing helmets.

We have not witnessed any traffic accidents, but in talking to the locals, it sounds like there are many and they are deadly. People definitely WANT more rules and are happy to see intersections re-engineered to accommodate lights and crosswalks. Most people don't really pay attention to the new lights, however, so it isn't necessarily helping from a safety perspective.

I have no doubt that when we come back in 5-10 years, this aspect of Hanoi will be significantly altered. There will be many more lights, crosswalks and tickets being given to those not abiding by the law. I feel a bit conflicted about seeing the change occur. While it will definitely be safer for Hanioans, it will also inch Hanoi closer to looking like other cities and a bit of it's uniqueness will be lost in the process. Perhaps they could just keep the Legends Beer intersection the same :)

Jones = Gymnast, Dancer & Goofball

While Tuck is as soft and squishy as a Krispy Kreme, Jones is solid muscle. We are convinced that we can already see a 6-pack forming on his stomach. He can do a full pull-up himself and a somersault! He will JUMP anything, CLIMB anything and CARRY anything. We were visiting our friends in the building who own a 8 lb medicine ball and he picked it up and was carrying it around their apt. The minute we get back to Seattle, we are enrolling him in gymnastics!

Jones is also a terrific dancer! Anytime he hears music, he starts dancing. He will dance on top of stuff too. His favorite thing to do is dance on top of the overturned dish washing basin. We have bought a 5 CD collection of Vietnamese rock tunes to bring home so that everyone can rock out with him.

Jones has always been a happy guy, but what grabs you more than his smile is his "smiling eyes." He has a sparkle in his eyes that will melt your heart when you see it and since he is a goofball, you have the opportunity to see it often.

Tuck = Teddy Bear, Engineer & Smiley Guy

As we get to know each of the twins a bit better each and every day, we have greater insight into their unique characteristics and personalities.

Tuck is a Teddy Bear. A Snuggle Bug. A Doll. He is soft and hugable and so sweet you just want squeeze him to death. Each time I pick him up, he reminds me of a cabbage patch kid because he is so snuggly. I have an overwhelming urge to go and buy every silly halloween costume made for kids and dress him up in one each day. It would be so much more fun to hang out with him when he is cranky if he was dressed up like a daisy.

Tuck also has amazing fine motor skills. He will sit down with blocks or legos and spend an hour building a tower, taking it apart. Building another tower, taking it apart. I have never seen a 22-month old focus on putting things together and taking them apart as intently as he does.

Most importantly, Tuck has morphed into a smiley, happy kid. Back in January, we had received a call from the adoption agency saying that they were concerned about one of the twins. The orphanage had called them and said that Thang (Tuck) was very sad and was looking and acting more sad every day. We had prepared ourselves for a kid that was gloomy and depressed. Now we see that his presonality is definitely NOT gloomy. He smiles all day long (except at bedtime) and is as happy and carefree as any 22 month-old!

Fun With PopPop & Teetee in Vietnam

Monday night, PopPop and Teetee (Lisa's parents) headed back to the US after 10 action packed days of sight-seeing combined with quality kid time! We all had an awesome time and the 10 days went by WAY too fast. For Teetee, it was the end to her 6 weeks in Vietnam as she flew here to help Cliff when he was alone with the kids and then stayed for Lisa's solo mission as well. For PopPop, it was a quick trip to Asia to meet two new grandson's and spend some quality time with the whole Sharples gang, especially the kids.

Hanoi is an amazing city, and with over two months of living here under their belts, Wescott, Yve and Otto could now be professional tour guides. We built a list of the 20 most important "must dos" for Hanoi on PopPop's first day here and proceeded to wake up every morning and do something on the list. From the Temple of Art and Literature to "The Hanoi Hilton" to crazy night markets, Wescott, Yve and Otto were the best of tour guides and managed to show PopPop everything.

Most importantly, there is nothing like a 3 bedroom apt in downtown Hanoi to facilitate quality bonding with your new grandchildren :) Without the distractions of daily life back in the USA for all of us, Hanoi has provided an amazing opportunity for us all to get to know the twins and for the twins to get to know each and everyone of us. Teetee and PopPop experienced this as well and left Hanoi with new found insight into the unique personalities and characteristics of Tuck and Jones.

Thank you so much PopPop and Teetee for trekking to Vietnam and for all the support, help and fun you added to the trip! Can't wait to continue it all stateside when we finally get approval from the US to bring Tuck and Jones back!

Back in Hanoi

Now back in Hanoi, settled back into the 3 bedroom apt in the center of town, I realize that I feel at home. I guess it is because home is really just wherever your family is and with everyone here, it feels like home to me (home minus the dogs!) Wescott, Yve and Otto have had fun showing Terry and PopPop the sites in Hanoi and are now becoming experts! If they stay here longer, they could start making some extra money doing English tours of the major attractions. Here they are showing Terry and PopPop the Temple of Art and Literature!

Chien + Thang = Victory!

We have recently learned that while "Chien" and "Thang" both have their own definitions as words in Vietnamese, combined, the meaning of the two words together is even more inspiring. "Chien Thang," if you look it up in the Vietnamese/English Dictionary, means "Victory!" or more specifically "to triumph over poverty, backwardness or a natural calamity."

It now makes sense that "Chien" and "Thang" are the names that the birth mother gave to the twins in the hospital before she snuck out and left them behind. The hospital records show that she wrote the following thoughts in the note she left behind at the hospital before her departure dated June 27th, 2007:

"My name is Dang Thi Thanh, age 38. On June 21st I gave birth to twin boys. Due to my hard living conditions, I can't afford to bring them up so I voluntarily write this letter to give up my babies to the hospital."

We also know from her hospital records that she already had one child. In Vietnam, you must pay significant fees to the government to have more than two children. Most people do not have more than 1. Therefore, everyone we meet looks at us, holds up the "5" fingers on their hand and has a look of amazement when they confirm that we have FIVE kids. Then they say "you must be very happy!" Happy indeed.

Victory is a good way to describe this trip. Triumph!!

The Laundry Ninjas

You might think that the idea of being in an apartment in Hanoi with 5 kids and 3 adults would be a nightmare from a laundry perspective.....and it would be if we didn't have three secret weapons... 1) A machine that does BOTH washing and drying sequentially in the same machine....WICKED COOL!


2) A ninja named Wescott who is the only person who has actually mastered the instructions to run the complicated washer/dryer machine


and 3) A ninja named Yve who has always been a rock star folder and has been able to keep up with Wescott's amped washing schedule! Here are some pics of the daily process!

Chien = Party Animal

Chien's primary goal everyday is to be where the action is! He got up this morning and was dancing and jumping with Yve's jump rope around the apartment. He is happiest nude. Here are some classic Chien photos.

Thang = Spoily

Simply put, Thang is a spoily! It is hard to believe that a 19 month old who has been in an orphanage since the day after he was born is a spoily, but he is. He has learned the art of drama and rivals our pug Miso as "Master Manipulator!" He can convince anyone to pick him up just by shedding a few tears and putting on a super sad face. He has prompted total strangers we meet to rock him to sleep. Here are some more recent "Classic Thang" pics to show just what I mean....

Tourists or Tourist Attraction?

As we cruise around Hanoi trying to soak in the sites, we quickly realize that as a "gang of 8" we are more of an attraction than an unassuming group of tourists. Everyone wants to see the twins and take pictures with them. Many people want to hop in and be part of our family photos. It is hilarious! Here are some of the classics!

Fruit & Eggs!

It wouldn't be a Sharples trip to Asia without buying random fruit and trying it.  Here are some of our favorites so far....also, we thought the way the eggs were packaged was so cool that we had to take a picture of it!  Why can't we do it this way in the U.S.?

Memere In Vietnam!

Cliff's mom, fondly called "Memere" by the kids, graciously agreed to accompany our crazy gang to Vietnam to pick up the twins. It is her first trip to Asia so she has been having a blast with the kids and experiencing the culture. We could not have done this without her as we definitely under-estimated the energy it would take to keep up with 2 18-month year olds in Hanoi :) Here are some great photos of her trip so far!

Pics From The Orphanage

We were so lucky to be able to pick up Thang and Chien at their orphanage! We met all the nannies and got to thank the staff for taking such good care of them for the past 18 months. They are very healthy and happy and it is definitely because of the care and love they received in Dong Anh. I tried to take a bunch of photos while we were there so that we could share them with everyone as well as keep them for Chien and Thang to see later. Here are some of the best!