Happy Easter from Hanoi

It's 1:00 in the afternoon and we're almost ready to settle in for an afternoon nap.  Beatrice slept in until 7:00 today after a somewhat better night's sleep (only up once for about 45 minutes).  It's the first time we woke up before her and could get a head start on the day before she awoke.   We met with 2 other families in the hotel, one from N. Carolina and the other from Kansas  and we all walked to St. Joseph's. I don't know how many people it holds, but it was jam-packed with people, including many sitting on plastic stools up and down the aisles and filling the courtyard outside as well.  There was a procession of about 50 clergy/laity including what looked to be a cardinal or archbishop. We couldn't see well because the center rows were mostly for the regulars.  The choir was phenomenal and with the hundreds of people singing, it was very moving. It looked like for the most part the men and women sat on different sides of the church, with a few exceptions (us being most.) We'd have loved to take some photos inside but didn't want to break any more cultural mores than we probably already were doing.  It was surreal being in this church, hearing the bells toll loudly and wondering if those very same bells were the same that rang 90 some years ago at Lolo and Lola's nuptial. And it was good to celebrate Easter and give due thanks as the answer to our years of prayers was sitting blissfully in our lap. After mass we all went to Moca cafe for coffee and snacks and the babies were great.  We walked home, stopping at a couple of shops and have settled in for a couple hours before we change dresses and head to the Metropole for a 3:30 chocolate buffet. (she had an Easter bonnet, by the way, but the pics of her in it revealed the nastiest face we've seen yet). We made reservations when we went there on the first day and are looking forward to that.  We found out that neither the tooth fairy nor the Easter Bunny visit Vietnam, but Bizou had a little stuffed rabbit awaiting her this morning.  So far, by the way, she has little interest in toys.  What she has great interest in are containers, covers, tags, rolls of toilet paper, straws, silverware, and any string or anything attached to something else.  She loves to gently grab things between her two fingers, but amazingly doesn't put much in her mouth.  Even the finger foods we've tried to get her to eat, she picks them up and passes them from hand to hand, but waits for you to put it into her mouth.  That's up to today anyway, but after mass she fed herself a few morsels of baguette, her first self-fed food.  There's French in this girl for sure! Since spending time with some of the other babies, we realize how calm and laid back she is.  The others, who are the same age or younger than her, squirm and wriggle to get down and move, babble loudly, and act like little toddlers, but our little girl really is fairly quiet and shy in comparison.  She sits just perfectly in restaurants and the like, is very content being held (though we know from nighttime that she can crawl and move when she wants) and it's only when trying to get her to sleep that she complains and becomes a wild woman.  I know it's still early to know what she's like "for real" and also that it will change each day and week as she ages, but she truly appears to have a very calm and passive personality. Her smile is just unbelievable, both the shy one with pursed lips, and the full one showing her teeth.  The Vietnamese people keep remarking how beautiful she is and commenting on her black hair.  I think it might mean that she's a lucky girl. Two nuns approached us after mass and touched her head so lovingly. She's also a tired girl and is fast asleep with her head resting on the stroller bar, so I'm going to attempt the difficult   task right now of transferring her to bed.  Best wishes to all for a wonderful day, know we are thinking of you, and Aunt Denise, please make sure there are a few extra eggs for Beatrice to find at next year's egg hunt!

Here are some photos of last night at dinner, walking around the "sidewalk sale" afterward (I love the way her dark eyes peek out of the sling like a kangaroo and you can tell by this photo how very tiny she really is), church, and Beatrice in her dress before we go to the Metropole Chocolate Buffet. (Thanks Margo for the incredible Parisian dress.)