Swimming to Cambodia

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So much has happened since my last blog, I don't know where to begin. First, we went back to the U.S. over the December holidays and had a good time except for the fact that we discovered Max needed emergency surgery on his ear so I had to prolong my stay there for about 3 weeks. Unfortunately, Max will need follow up surgery soon after we return to the U.S. in July and we'll know more at that point about whether he can restore his hearing, etc. Basically, he has conductive hearing loss in his left ear after a growth called a cholesteatoma destroyed his hearing bones in that ear. Otherwise, he is doing well and very happy, though he hasn't been cleared for swimming yet until his ear completely heals - hopefully in a few weeks. After the surgery, Jim came back to Bangkok with Levi while I stayed in the U.S. with Max and Bram while Max recuperated enough to fly. Needless to say - not fun!

Right after Jim and Levi returned, our friends Tim, Karen, Rebecca and Meg from Australia came to stay with us. Unfortunately, the rest of us missed the first part of their trip, but we were lucky that Max was cleared to fly early enough that we caught the tail end. It was fantastic to see them and I think they had a really good time while they were here. Max loved hanging out with Meg and Rebecca.

Soon after that, Jim's brother, Jesse, came to visit us. He and Jim took a few days to go to Siem Reap in Cambodia to see Angkor Wat and had a fantastic time. Jim said the most amazing thing about Siem Reap is that Angkor, though magnificient, isn't even the most interesting thing to see of the ruins in that area. All around there were beautiful old temples, some which had trees growing through them, etc., and an ancient palace. Also, they had a wonderful Cambodian guide who took them on an independent tour every day so that they missed most of the crowds. He knew a lot about the ruins and also told them a lot about suffering under the Khmer Rouge - most of his family had been killed. Jim and Jesse saw a school where many people had been executed, lots of skulls, etc. - very tragic. When Jim went to Phnom Penh previously for a work trip, he had an opportunity to visit the Killing Fields and said the place was mindboggling - everywhere you stepped, you walked on human bones, saw human bones piled up, etc. I really really want to get to Siem Reap before we leave and will try my best. Also, I have a trip planned with some girlfriends to Hanoi in May, so we are excited about that - it will be my first time to Vietnam.

So that's all for now. Levi and Bram are doing great. Levi has started crawling (almost), both are babbling like crazy, shaking their heads "yes" and "no", and really developing their own little personalities. Bram has started sleeping through the night (finally!), though he still hates being put down to bed. Max is fantastic - learning to read and write, doing well in school, having lots of friends, being a wonderful big brother, etc.

Please keep in touch!

Maddy

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Photos

Jim and Jesse
Ruins in Siem Reap

school with skulls
Siem Reap massacre at local school

Tomb Raider
This temple was used in the film Tomb Raider

Another shot
of the temple in the Tomb Raider movie

Karen & Megan with Levi
Our visitors in Bangkok

Max and Megan
As you can see, they got along quite well!

Max in the book parade
This is dress as a book character for book week at Max's school. Obviously, he went as a dragon.

Comments

[Karen]

We had a fantastic time!
We loved visiting you guys in Bangkok--thanks so much for having us! K

[Tim]

Thanks
Hi Maddy and Jim and boys, This blog entry brings back great memories of our trip. We loved seeing you all, and had a wonderful time. Tim

[Miss Greg]

Hi Maddy, Jim, Max-Max, Levi and Bram, I loved reading your most recent blog. I can't believe just how much Levi and Bram have grown and I sure hope that you are feeling alot better now Max-Max after your ear surgery. I am, also, so glad that you are enjoying school so much, Max, and that you are learning to read and write. Where does the time go? I still think of you as the little 2 year old who was in my class; but, I have to remember that you are now a really big boy. Did the Easter bunny come to visit today? I am sure that he did and I am sure that he left lots of nice treats for everyone. Have a great rest of your Easter day and I will talk to you all soon. Love, Greg-Greg

[Barbara Hall]

Thanks!
Thanks for sharing the post. We will keep Max in our thoughts and prayers. You have such beautiful boys! Maddie, may I suggest a really fun restaurant in Hanoi? We looooooved a place called Vine, which is very close to the Sheraton. We stayed there in Dec. '06 when we were there to adopt our son Noah. The 2-for-1 glasses of wine at Happy Hour helped with the transition from parenting 1 boy to parenting 2, if you know what I mean... :)