Our first trip to Cambodia in 2003 was to adopt our son, Sam, and a nerve-wracking experience it was.

When we returned in 2005 for our daughter, Cj, we were much more relaxed. Not only had we been through the adoption process once, therefore knowing what to expect at each step and finding it much easier to trust that all would turn out as it should, we'd also learned from the friends we'd made on our previous visit that the traffic-stopping attraction that is Western parents with Khmer children doesn't come from animosity or antipathy over international adoption ... it's simply amazement over the idea that anyone would actually want one of their superfluous children. Taking a good gander at the silly foreigners who come to Cambodia to adopt a child is an interesting way to pass the time, and they're a rare enough a sight to not let pass.

Sam was two-and-a-half in July of 2005, so taking into account his young age ... and the fact that he was adjusting to a new baby sister that trip ... we kept our adventures to a minimum, focusing instead on developing pleasant family rituals and visiting with friends. We walked around Phnom Penh a lot more than we had on our first trip, and noticed a number of differences, including a marked reduction in child begging gangs.

Much calmer for our first meeting with Cj than we had been with Sam's, we were able to notice more details at AOA, the orphanage where both kids lived before coming home. We had photos from other families who'd adopted from there, so passed those out and chatted with the director about the welfare of the kids now living in America.

One friend had two daughters waiting at AOA while visas to the US were being worked out on special humanitarian grounds, so we visited with those little girls, gave them gifts and assured them that their mom and dad were working hard to bring them home.

We went back a few days later with food and supplies for the children we weren't bringing home with us, giving Cj's nanny a chance to check how she was adjusting to being cared for by us. Sam's nanny was thrilled to see him both visits, and carried him around chatting away in Khmer the whole time we were there.

This trip, we're planning on at least two full days at AOA. We'll do some cleaning or painting or planting, or whatever they can use a hand with, while the kids are doted on by their former nannies and play with the still-resident children.

Sam's old enough now to remember this trip, so our planning focuses around providing him with opportunities for memories that will place Cambodia firmly in his mind and start him on the path of love and pride for his birth country.

We’ll be seeing temples, riding elephants, visiting museums, eating spiders …

It’s going to be a blast!