Arn's Family and Funny Car Racing Blog: Family

Wow !!! I've been a bad boy not keeping this updated !

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 23:49:03 GMT

Sorry, been really busy and never had a chance to update this, but suffice it to say, all is good.

Nathaniel has really grown. He's signing now and has a good vocabulary for his age. Isaac and Nathaniel sign back and forth so it's interesting to watch. He's walking very well now and the molars are growing in... YIKES !!!

I've posted some pics of us visiting Thomas the Tank Engine today. They both love the show, so it was worth going.

December Update

Sun, 09 Dec 2007 16:26:35 GMT

Well, things are going well, and we're coming up to Christmas, and Nathaniel's first birthday. Isaac's quite excited, and Nathaniel, being not even a year old yet is oblivious to the marketing going on right now and is quite happy exploring.

Since the last post, we've been the Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls, up to Milton to see pumpkins and climb through mountains of hay, and a couple of Christmas parties with more to come.

I've posted more pics in the gallery, so have a look there.

One month later...

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 03:01:07 GMT

Well, one month after starting to crawl, Nathaniel's learned how to pull himself up to a standing position. House childproofing just increased another 24 inches...

Other pics are in the gallery...

Home Update: Nathaniel's learning to crawl

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 19:30:11 GMT

Yes, at 7 months, Nathaniel's now crawling and he's getting around quite well. I watched him as he crawled pretty much all over the family room last night.

Pics are in the gallery.

Isaac's first Hole-in-One

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 06:03:33 GMT

On the way back from the cottage, and Laurie and Rod's wedding, we stopped off at the Big Apple. I took Isaac out for a round of mini-golf where he went and sunk a hole-in-one. The pics are in the gallery. They were taken on my Blackberry Pear cellphone since I forgot my Nikon in the car.

Home Update #3

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 05:50:52 GMT

So, this weekend we went to Sharon's sister's wedding and introduced Nathaniel to his great grandmother and great grandfather, Sharon's aunt's and cousins, and her sisters and nieces and nephews. All the pics are in the gallery under meeting family and friend.

Home-wise, everything is good though he's still not at all comfortable in the baby seat for long drives, but what can you do other than let him cry?

One funny thing we've noticed is that when Sharon's with Nathaniel alone, people seem to pick up on the adoption, but when I'm with her, they don't even consider it. One waitress at the restaurant we go to for breakfast was so confused she thought she hadn't seen Sharon in months !

Well, I guess we can have some fun with that.

Home Update #2

Tue, 22 May 2007 02:46:36 GMT

I've put up some more pics in the gallery. Nathaniel's settling in nicely though both he and Isaac are sick with a cold.

We got invited out for lunch last weekend to meet a delegation of government officials from Viet Nam in town to meet with our provincial government. Very interesting and well spoken people. Funny thing was we ended up meeting at a Vietnamese restaurant called Indochine (and it was good food). I thought they'd be more interested in something different, but hey, who am I.

Here are some pics from that meeting.

Adoption Update #11

Sun, 06 May 2007 06:04:52 GMT

Well, Grandma and Grandpa got to the airport and home the other day, and we've moved over into a smaller 2 bedroom unit in the same hotel. It's on the ground floor and seems to actually be a lot cozier with a nice view of the pool.

Nathaniel's doing well and Isaac enjoys playing with him, though we have to keep an eye on his gentleness since he doesn't quite understand it yet.

For those who are coming out here to adopt, finding an inexpensive baby stroller downtown in almost next to impossible. Some are running 6,000,000 VND ! We found a series of toy stores on Hai Bai Trung at Dien Bien Phu. There are about 6 stores, and Sharon bartered a price of about $30 USD for a folding stroller and toy.

We also took a trip around to see some more sites including a trip to Cholon (Chinatown) and the Binh Tay market there which was hot, crowded, and smelly.

Temperature then and today is apparently 114 degrees with the humidity, 96 - 98 without.

We did a trek back to the medical clinic here (If you need help, go to the "Family Medical Practice" at the Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan St, District 1, HCMC) to get Nathaniel checked up. He's developed a little bit of a cold, and we want to try to nip it before he flies out. I also stopped in because I had another allergic reaction. I spoke to the doctor, and she said it's definitely because I touched something and not what I ate. It can't be the sunscreen since a reaction would've been all over, and same with soap. I started to doubt the Tea Tree oil because I avoided where Lorna used it, until Sharon told me that the clothes that Nathaniel was wearing the night before, Lorna had washed in Teatree Oil... strike 2 for teatree oil. So, we're throwing those clothes and some others out.

We've met some other folk's coming in for adoption from an agency in the US, and TDH expects another 7 coming in today and tomorrow so Loan will be busy with us and them.

I've only got 2 more days here so I'll be trying to get out later today and to the office on Monday.

Other than that, nothing to add.

Adoption Update #10

Thu, 03 May 2007 15:33:53 GMT

Okay, so it's 10:18PM Thursday night here, 11:18 AM back in Toronto and I'm sitting here typing the latest news as Isaac lies passed out on the sofa next to me. Everyone else is asleep in bed since Ray and Lorna are leaving HCMC tomorrow for home on the 10:35 AM flight.

So, I'm sitting here wondering... "Who the hell is even reading this crap?" Well, if you are, drop me a line at arn.kashino@gmail .com just for curiosity sake. Put the subject as "Adoption Update #10", no matter who you are, no matter if I know you, or how you got here.

Anyway, tonight I took Isaac and Sharon out to an Italian restaurant... yes I said Italian... not Vietnamese. Getting tired of fried rice and chicken asserole if you know what I mean. Anyway, I digress. Since grandma and grandpa are leaving, we thought it would be nice to have one night out for dinner and they said that they'd watch Nathaniel who was asleep in his crib. Last night BTW, he slept the entire night there...

The three of us had:

Caesar salad
Bruschetta
Clams in white wine
Prosciutto with melon
6 sodas (yes it's warm here)
1 glass of Australian Red Wine
Spaghetti with tomato sauce
Grilled seafood
Seafood lasagna
Chocolate Mouse
Vanilla icecream with fresh mixed fruit.

Now, understanding that this was one of the finer restaurants in HCMC, and in the main downtown core, would you believe the entire dinner cost me $57 US??????

I had a sushi lunch that easily would cost me $50 back home for $14 here and it was just as good !

Sharon picked up a hand stitched quilt for Nathaniel here, plus a stitched pillow case for $52, and it's from a not-for-profit agency that teaches Vietnamese women the skills necessary to make a living doing these beautiful quilts.

Viet Nam is turning out to me more and more interesting every day...

Adoption Update #9

Thu, 03 May 2007 10:59:26 GMT

Well, no pics in this update. I just wanted to tell you what a day it has been getting the passport for Nathaniel.

First, we got sent in the first taxi to the passport office. Only problem was that even though the agent told the driver where to go before she sent us off, he didn't know where to go and tried to drop us off in some shopping area. After arguing with him, he drove to a hotel where the doorman translated for us where we needed to go and we eventually got there 20 minutes late.

Anyway, we went in and waited to get called to the counter. There were a couple of issues getting the passports finalized, but in the end, we all got them and Jonathan (the one who has the immediate flight deadline) got his and should be able to make his flight home on the 9th.

Now, I have to go back tomorrow as a representative of the group and pick up all of the completed passports (or so I hope) with Loan and Jonathan. Chris and Tracy are taking the kids to a resort up north, so I hope nothing goes wrong, otherwise they may have a problem.

So, the excitement continues. If we get the passports tomorrow with no issues, I will be VERY happy.

After we finished with the passports, I took Tracy and her daughter Isabelle to the medical clinic. Isabelle has a little bit of an intestinal problem that has been getting worse over the last 2 days culminating in a "baby diaper blow out" at the mall this morning. Parents of children will understand what I mean. Tracy's husband couldn't make it due to business issues, so I thought it would be wise to help her get to the clinic since I'd been there 2 days ago with the allergy issue (which by the way I think is caused by Tea Tree oil. Lorna's been using it to disinfect their bathroom, and the day I started getting the rash was the day I used their bathroom. I'll get tested by a doctor when I get home to be sure, but it's the only thing different these days that I've come into contact with.)

Anyway, we went to the clinic, and Julie, the Australian receptionist ended up thinking a) I was Isabelle's new daddy, and b) that I was probably an ass because I waited in the waiting room instead of going with her, didn't know a thing about her when they asked ME to fill in a form, and I had no clue what Isabelle's Vietnamese name was. At least she thought I was an ass until I smiled when she came by and told her that I was only the escort, and that my child was back at the hotel....

So endeth another afternoon in HCMC.

Adoption Update #8

Thu, 03 May 2007 06:06:26 GMT

Well, after waiting all day yesterday for the agents from the agency to show up with the paperwork for the passports, we again missed another date. Seems some of the paperwork in Vung Tau had not been completed so the agent got stuck there waiting. So, this morning we heard from them and we're scheduled to head to the passport office at 1:30PM to apply for Nathaniel's passport. In the meantime, while I waited for the call from the agents, the others toured around or we went swimming. Here are the pic updates...

Adoption Update #7

Tue, 01 May 2007 12:25:41 GMT

Well, we've been relaxing while we wait for the holidays to end. The "Reunification" Celebration is pretty big and coincides with the day that the South surrendered to the North. I went over to the Palace and saw the tank that was seen around the world on TV and in the papers, crashing through the gates.

We've been eating out and had a huge seafood dinner at a restaurant around the corner. For the 5 of us, it came to under $25 US for Thai clams, shrimp, fried rice, shrimp spring rolls, seafood noodles, scallops, etc, plus drinks. Not bad. The only problem was that nobody there spoke English, we don't speak Vietnamese, so we really didn't know what we ordered until it came....

We also went to an Australian restaurant downtown. There's a picture below of the "specials". Check out the 3rd from the top.

Finally, I've had an allergic reaction to something here. May be some of the medication we're using on Nathaniel for a skin condition, but either way, my hands are swollen, red, and really itchy. Went to the doctor here and had to pay $50 US for the consultation and $14 US for prescription antihistamines. Makes you wonder how come things are so expensive back home.... So I'm on meds for 5 days with no real clue what caused the allergic reaction.

So, tomorrow I go to the Vietnamese Passport office to apply for a passport for Nathaniel which, hopefully, will be sent to Singapore on Thursday to get his visa home.

Anyway, here are todays pics....

Adoption Update #6

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 17:41:38 GMT

Well, seems that there's still some confusion about when we'll get the visa for Nathaniel back and the story seems to change daily which is a bit bothersome. 2 families have decided to have one person go directly to the High Commission in Singapore personally to pick up their documents in order to expedite the process. From what I understand has some risks to it, but they are in a time crunch. Nobody can seem to give us any assurance on when we "should" expect to get this all done so we can book a flight home for Nathaniel and Sharon. For now, we're staying with TDH's original plan until someone can prove that there is a better way.

In the meantime, we're using the National Holiday here to tour HCMC and see the sights like the War Remnants Museum, the shopping district, and have good lunches. The Museum was interesting. Seeing it from the other side was a totally different and disturbing thing. We ran into some US and Australian war vets... pretty tough on them seeing some of this stuff.

Here are todays pics....

Adoption Update #5

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 14:23:04 GMT

Well, we actually got the GR done. We're now 1/2 way there.

We got a call at 11 am to be ready for another 2 hour drive to Vung Tau to get the final papers/release from the orphanage, and now Nathaniel is officially ours. But, because of all of the delays, we were not able to get the final papers to the consulate here so that they can then be finalized in Singapore (Don't even bother asking). Now, because of the statutory holidays, we will not be able to do this until Wednesday. This means that we won't get the visa for Nathaniel until around the 11th, 5 days later than planned. So, Sharon and Nathaniel will have to stay here with the other families (or what's left of them) and the rest of us will have to head home. Ray and Lorna are leaving here on the 4th, and Isaac and I on the 9th. Sharon's hoping to catch a flight out with Nathaniel on or about the 12th. Confused?

Anyway, the only saving grace here is that the other 6 families are all in the same boat, or worse due to scheduling conflicts. We're all staying at the same hotel, so at least Sharon will have company and some help if she needs it.

So, now we have 4 days to sit, relax, or tour Vietnam.

BTW, seems that April 30th is basically their Independence Day here, or the day that the Vietnam War as we know it ended and the South surrendered to the North. Since we'll be here during this time, it may be in interesting weekend to be here.

Anyway, some more pics for you...

Adoption Update #4

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 03:15:58 GMT

Well, we're still at the hotel in HCMC waiting for word that they have everything in place for the GR Ceremony. Got a call this morning from Loan telling us to be on 20 minute standby.

Nathaniel's doing well and Isaac's getting the hang of being a big brother. Last night was the first night that Isaac slept right through without waking up. He was quite proud of himself. Now he has more energy to be a kid (aka a royal pain today).

More selected pics for you....

Tooling around Ho Chi Minh City...

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 08:32:45 GMT

So, we're still here in HCMC waiting to find out when the GR is going to happen. We're hoping for Friday now, but with no word from anyone, it doesn't look good.

We took some time to grab a taxi to the Diamond Mall which is basically a high end department store here. Funniest site was the food court which sold what they titiel "American Donuts" and hamburgers. The big thing was the KFC on the top floor in the arcade.

On a "Canadian" note, our hotel sells "McCain French Fries" or so it says on the menu. Oh the taste of home...

Anyway, here are some more pics...

Adoption Update #3

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 16:33:51 GMT

Well, we've arrived in Vietnam and the heat is stifling, the hotel is very nicely airconditioned.

Some quick thoughts:

Food is so cheap. A seafood dinner here with about 5 courses cost me less than $20 US for Sharon and I
It's so bloody hot here but the Vietnamese people walk around in suits and not a drop of sweat
Motor scooters EVERYWHERE. Millions of them, and wait until you see my video of them driving !

Okay, so we end up here, find out that there's some holidays affecting the "GR" or Giving and Receiving ceremony we need to do to officially adopt Nathaniel. We're allowed to take him back to our hotel, but the GR still needs to get scheduled. The date is up in the air due to stat holidays here so we may not be doing it until late this week, so we have to go back soon. Heard today (Tuesday) that it won't be Wednesday and may be Friday... maybe... probaby doubtful.

Nathaniel took to Sharon immediately. No crying, some laughing and smiling. Then we took a quick tour of the orphanage and saw Nathaniel's room and crib. There are 103 kids there from newborns and up. A lot of older kids still waiting for families. Quite sad really.

Isaac's quite enthralled at having a baby brother. We have a 3 bedroom suite here, so we're trying Isaac and Nathaniel in one room tonight. Isaac couldn't be happier. Last night (Monday, Isaac slept for a while in his room with Nathaniel, and then Sharon moved Isaac in with me later. Today, Isaac wanted to take his nap with Nathaniel and they're both in the room sleeping.

So, that's the update for now. More pics and stuff later.

Adoption update #2: Set to fly to Vietnam

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 20:59:49 GMT

We're packed (for the most part) and ready to head to Vietnam tonight on a midnight flight. We'll be stopping off to pick up more passengers in Anchorage Alaska, and then catch a connecting flight in Hong Kong.

Isaac's ready to go, but can't comprehend what it will be like spending 23 hours in transit... at least not yet. Hopefully, he'll sleep most of the way.

We just got some new pics of Nathaniel from the adoption agency this mornings. Here they are...

Adoption Update #1 (More pictures)

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 14:00:38 GMT

During the adoption process, we met another couple (Nicole and Dave) in one of the meetings with our agency Terre Des Hommes Pour Les Enfant Inc (TDH) which is a non-profit organisation that provides services in International Adoption in Honduras and Vietnam. Coincidentally, Nicole also works at PricewaterhouseCoopers, though in a different office than me.

Nicole and Dave recieved there authorization earlier than us and took most of these pictures in Vietnam with their new 6 month old son. Sharon asked if they could take a couple of items for Nathaniel with them and if he was at the same orphanage, drop them off. They included 2 toys and a small family photo album of the three of us.

As it turns out, Nathaniel was at a different orphanage, but luckily, they were able to run into him at one of the medical facilities during his tests.

Here are 3 pictures, one of him smiling and 2 of him getting his gifts. The women in the picture I believe are his nanny, and a representative or translator from TDH.

Adoption of Nathaniel Xuyen Thanh Tong Kashino

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 16:04:37 GMT

Here are the most recent pics of Nathaniel Xuyen Thanh Tong Kashino born December 31st, 2007. We'll be leaving in 3 weeks for Vietnam to meet him. Updates will be posted here. The most recent is the one with his nanny taken yesterday.

Isaac's getting a little brother...

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:39:14 GMT

Yep, it's true. Some of you know that we've been going through the adoption process for a little while now, and now have a referral for a baby boy born on December 31st in Vietnam. We'll be flying to Ho Chi Minh City within the next month (once all of the final paperwork and visa's are complete) to pick him up and bring him home.

It has been an interesting process so far, and we've met with lots of people either involved in it, or in the adoption process themselves. We've even met with a lot of people considering it, and have given them our perspectives on the whole thing.

All I can say is that it's really an exciting process, and we're happy to have been lucky enough to get through the process rather quickly, which I guess is all relative. The timeframe that we had expected wasn't as long as we had originally thought, yet we know of some who have gone through it a lot faster.

Isaac's quite excited, and looking forward to the trip to Vietnam.

We'll be heading there with Sharon's parents who will be helping to take care of Isaac while we're out there for 3 weeks. I'll post updates from there. Consider it my take on Robin Williams "Good morning Vietnam !"

2007 Has Arrived

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 14:44:09 GMT

Well, 2007 is now here, and here's wishing you and your families all the best.

Christmas was busy even though Isaac still hasn't got the "marketing" side of Christmas down yet, but I think he gets it now.

Before Christmas he was asking Santa for dental floss and an apple. Now he wants toys and thinks Christmas was supposed to happen every day between Christmas and New Years.

He got some great toys, but his favourite was a paddle attached to a ball with an elastic string... BOUGHT FROM THE DOLLAR STORE !!!

He also got plenty of "Thomas the Tank Engine" stuff and an accordian from his sister in law... payback will occur next year.

One of the gifts from Santa was especially interesting to Isaac. About a couple of days before Christmas, he and I headed off to Canadian Tire to pick up a few things. While we were there, he saw a Litebrite set that he thought would be great for him to have. I told him that if he was good, maybe Santa would get it for him.

On Christmas morning he opened up Santa's presents and behold, Old Saint Nick was right on the ball. Isaac ripped it open and said "Look what Santa Claus got for me, and it's from Canadian Tire !!!"

Looks like the marketing hounds have gotten Isaac, hook, line, and sinker...

Other than that, one more day and it's back to work.

Cheers !!!

A visit with Santa

Thu, 23 Nov 2006 06:14:57 GMT

Isaac got an "Invitation" to visit Santa Claus in the "Mail" the other day. The photo's show him receiving the letter. The Gallery show's the rest....

Isaac's Halloween

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 03:08:41 GMT

So, what to do for a 3 year old at Halloween???

How about going out as a firefighter ?