This is the building where Tankhum lives!
This is a garden planted for the children there right outside his building.
This is the social worker's building where I met Tankhum.
Shrub in the shape of a boat!
Shrub in the shape of an elephant!
These are just other buildings that I saw when I walked back to our car.
Tankhum's building was further back so I passed by these on my way out.
Hey friend! Happy Tuesday!!! I GOT TO SEE YOUR BOY TODAY!!!!!
I guess that’s pretty obvious! Okay, for the important stuff~
He walks really well!
He looks so healthy! He sat in my lap for a few minutes and his tummy is squishy and full! ha! Seriously, he feels really good. Not fat by any means but not skinny and sickly at all.
He is smaller than Joel, but we expected that.
His favorite toy is a ball.
He liked the blue truck/Matchbox car I took him. He did play with it in my lap.
You can see, he had surgery. The extra thumb is gone and they were trying to tell me other things but their English was so spotty. I did make out that he is having a second surgery in October. He uses his arm well. It seems longer to me but I guess it’s just because he’s grown since we had his video. I touched his wrist and you can tell there is bone missing from his arm...it’s just really soft.
They said he talks A LOT! But he was shy with me. He didn’t cry at all though. Just quiet.
The social workers were very leery of me. They didn’t speak very good English at all. I showed them his picture. They wanted to know why I was there and was I with WACAP! ha! Sure, why not? Just kidding. I told them about us adopting and Vo setting it up with Khun Nut...they weren’t buying it. Finally they got his file out {it’s huge} and showed it to me. It had a lot of pics of him in it from when he was a baby. They showed me the same medical report that you have...the long one. Finally, they brought him into the office where I was. I only had 20 minutes total to spend there because we had to hire a limo driver and that was as long as he would wait. It was too far to go for a taxi so our hotel arranged for us to use their limo service instead. It wasn’t really a limo but was a Volvo. But nicer car than any others we’ve been in here. It took about 40 minutes to get there. It took 10 minutes to get them to trust me and so my remaining time was limited because of our driver. Jase stayed in the car with Joel since he wasn’t allowed to go.
So I only got to spend about 10 minutes with him. And he was in my lap for a few of them. I wish I had more video for you. But they were trying to communicate with me and I felt bad looking away from them when they were trying so hard to make me understand. Also, I was trying to take pics and video at the same time and that’s why it moves so much at the beginning! Sorry! Just wanted to do my best for you and get all I could but then they started talking!
When I was leaving, the main social worker Khun Nut {“koon noot”} came in. She is friends with Vo. Vo had called her for us and asked if we could come. She arranged it all. So nice of her. Khun Nut was very nice, Tara. Looks young, maybe 25 or 30. She walked out with me and spoke better English than the others. I told her that we were great friends with Tankhum’s family and that you all were very anxious and excited to adopt him. She smiled and said thank you. She took me to the outside of Tankhum’s building. She said I was welcomed to take pictures of anything I wanted on the outside. So I DID!!! She hugged me goodbye...super nice lady!
Let me say, it’s a very nice place! Very well kept and pretty. You can see the pics...but they have shrubs cut in the shapes of things...one pic is of a boat and another is of an elephant. Like at Disney World! Flowers everywhere. The drive to Pakkred is just like other parts of Bangkok...dirty looking and old. But the Pakkred orphanage complex is off the road a bit, is gated with a guard and is so nice. It is huge. Many buildings. But they all look so nice. I only went in the social workers building though. Not in any of the children’s buildings.
If you are able to take him on the first or second day being here, you will need to switch hotels. We are only 5-7 minutes by taxi {2-3 miles} from the Embassy. I would think you will want to be in this part of town after you have him for good. Or maybe if you get him on day one, you would stay around here and just drive over the one time for the day to get him. You wouldn’t want to stay near Pakkred the whole time. Too far away from where you will need to be later. I have the address written in Thai in two places and the direct number to Khun Nut for you just in case.
I’m sure I’m not answering all of your questions. If you think of anything, send me a message in Facebook or email me at kamroberts@yahoo.com My windstream account is rejected here.
He is beautiful!
I love you!
Kam
