Each day just gets better! The nights not so much; last night was another long one. The new mom and dad are zombies, so someone please help me understand why, at 5:00 a.m. after crying, tossing, turning, and more crying all night, Mattix wakes up, sits up, smiles at us with the most beautiful little grin we've ever seen, and begins to play? Those who know me well know I'm not a morning person. At all. However, I love waking up to that face so much that I'm excited to see him open his eyes. I can't get over how lucky we are to raise him. After our morning routine (which somehow takes over two hours), we of course went upstairs for breakfast, then met our group in the lobby because today was shopping day! Mattix was rollin' in the stroller, ready for action.

We all piled into the van, ready for a nice, air conditioned van ride. Two minutes later, we were there. Huh? It turns out it's only about five blocks from our hotel. This was a whole new experience. I would give you something to compare it to, but nothing comes to mind. I haven't been to the fair in YEARS (since I was very young), but I recall going indoors where there were tables set up where people sold different things. Take that concept, but shove hundreds of vendors into a giant, non-air conditioned warehouse with hundreds and hundreds of people shoving, pushing, and shopping. It's crazy busy and overwhelming. People are trying to sell you things left and right. It's hard to focus on anything, let along make decisions. It is so hot. So. Hot. The air is all hot, humid, stale, and did I mention hot? Some of the "isles” off of the main ones are so narrow that you're constantly bumping into people. There were many places we couldn't go with Mattix because they were too narrow to get the stroller down the aisles (and this is a little stroller - comparable to an umbrella stroller in the states).

Mattix lost interest quickly because we would stop moving to look. Every time we stopped, he got irritated. The more irritated he got, the louder he got. Not that it mattered, because the tremendous amount of noise drowned him out. At one point, a vendor came up to the stroller, unbuckled him, and helped herself. She bounced him around and talked to him for a while. He seemed to enjoy it. Ed stood there and watched him while I shopped (of course).

I really can't stress how packed and tight this place was. I'm no slender princess by any means, but I'm not exactly huge. There was one isle I wasn't sure I'd make it down. Despite that, this place was great for my self esteem. The women would tell me how "beautiful you face, eyes" are and touch my cheek. Don't try to tell me it's because they wanted me to buy their things. I don't believe it. I'm just looking that good these days. The sweaty pig look suits me. I must have been mistaken yesterday when I thought I was starting to look like a dude, because they said I'm beautiful. I'll have to look at the photos again to be sure, but I’m inclined to agree with them.

We bought lots of great stuff. The prices were very good. You're supposed to barter, which I'm not that good at, although I got a little better as we shopped. I felt like a bad person engaging in the bartering thing, but Thuy told us that they inflate the prices significantly and it's part of the process. I guess they do that expecting you to barter, but hoping you're stupid. I may have been stupid a few times, but my skills improved. We bought some really neat things, including some stuff for Mattix's room and for around the house.

I forgot to mention that at one point, Thuy took Mattix in his stroller for us. Sounds minor, but it was so unbelievably helpful. We were having the hardest time entertaining him, shopping, bartering, and carrying all of our stuff. She pushed him around for at least an hour and we were able to do a lot of shopping during that time. After she returned him (she had to go with Matt to the passport office to pick up the baby's passports), we shopped some more, but we were all slowly dying. It was a combination of the heat, the sickening stench of some pretty funky foods that were once again festering in the heat, and the fact that we were all very dehydrated. We kept trying to leave, but I would think of "just one more thing" that I really NEEDED, so it took a while to get out of there.

Let me offer a little perspective so you can understand exactly how hot it was in there. When we stepped outside, it felt cool and I was relieved to be in the sickening, hot, sweltering outdoor heat. Mattix just sat there, looking up at me, certainly thinking, "Stupid Americans." Just wait, little man, until you truly appreciate air conditioning. Then who's gonna be laughing?! By the time we hoofed it back (crossing a few scary streets), carrying tons of really heavy stuff, I was a D-O-N-E. At first, I carried a few of the boxes because I was too afraid to push Mattix across the street in the stroller. The boxes were very heavy, though, and it got so bad that I set them down on the sidewalk and was ready to take a rest. At that point, I decided I was willing to risk it and Ed and I switched jobs. If I needed a Valium yesterday, I need a horse tranquilizer today.
Mattix was incredible during this whole thing. All CHI adoptive families make the shopping trip, so I guess we all neglect the kids for a few hours. That's what it feels like. I would NEVER do something like that at home if I had him with me. We even allowed him to hold his own bottle because there was no way I was going to take him out of the stroller, lay him back in my arms, and feed it to him. (I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but we haven’t allowed him to feed himself since he joined us on Monday and won’t for quite some time. Adopted kids have to learn to hold their own bottles as soon as possible. In fact, I can see in the progression of photos we received over the months the point at which he probably was able to hold his own bottle, because he gained a significant amount of weight. I don’t know how they do it in KG, but I do know that for many children in orphanages, the bottles are propped because there are not enough hands to feed all the babies. Again, I don’t know if this is the case with Mattix, but I do know that there was a very distinct point that we could see him go from underweight to a very healthy weight, and I think it was about the time he would have been able to hold his own bottle. The reason that we don’t allow him to hold it anymore is so that he can learn to rely on US for food, rather than himself. It’s another way to facilitate bonding and trust – he’ll know that WE are here to feed him, and to feed him when he needs it, not on a fixed schedule).

Anyway, by the time we got back, his little diaper was wet and he was exhausted and hungry and I swear, even though he didn't look like it, he had to be hot. I couldn’t strip my sweaty clothes off quickly enough. We have the temperature in our room set to about 60 degrees, and the cold felt soooooo good. The worst part of this whole thing it that we have to go back on Saturday because I thought of more things that I "need!"

Praise the Lord Mattix finally got good and tired. Now that I think about it, we'll definitely do this again on Saturday, because all three of us slept from noon until 3:00. He slept fitfully and whimpered and whined, but he only had one or two major crying episodes, which is great for a three hour period. Ed and I both felt great when we woke up.

Matttix woke up in a really sweet, happy mood. He woke up slowly and we talked to him quietly, and he wasn’t at all startled today. In fact, he opened his eyes, rolled over and smiled at us. Oh my gosh. Melt my heart. He has the most beautiful smile. I just can’t seem to catch it on camera because he’ll be laughing, smiling, giggling, and playing, then I pull out the camera, and it just stops and stares at me, as if to say, “I’m not a zoo animal. I will not perform for the camera!” I did have a little more luck today, so I have a few cute pictures to share. We’re going to have to catch this giggling and laughing on camera, because it’s priceless.

We went to a group dinner at a local restaurant. I don’t know the name of the restaurant, but is was very, very good! We sat by the water, so I was the proud recipient of a few mosquito bites. If I come home with dengue fever, don’t worry about it. They do things very differently here. By the time some of our group’s food came out, many of us were done with our dinner. I mean, there was probably a 25 or 30 minute span between the time that the first plates came out and the last. Anyway, the food was good and we all had a nice time. La (I’m not sure how to spell her name) took us. She’s such a sweetheart and it’s obvious she also cares about what she does.

Mattix did surprisingly well. We had to walk him around for about 75% of dinner, but he allowed us to hold him without struggling. He was very curious about what was going on. So was I. It was a strange setup. I guess it was all one restaurant, but it was spread out over a huge space, with different rooms (some enclosed, others open) and spaces. There were two Vietnamese weddings taking place, and they were really going to town with the karaoke at one of them. My favorite is when one totally tone deaf guy broke out in the Vietnamese version of Old Time Rock N’ Roll.

All of the kids started to get tired and cranky by the end of dinner. We were pretty anxious to leave, but another thing that sometimes seems to take while here is figuring out the check so that you can pay. It seems like they sort of come out and figure out what you ordered after the fact, then add it up the old fashioned way. I haven’t seen a single computerized system at a restaurant yet. We have eaten at a few places where they asked us what we had, assumed we were being honest (which we were), then wrote it down and added it up. It’s a process for sure.

I couldn’t wait to climb back into the air conditioned van, so Mattix and I headed back while Ed paid (the driver usually leaves five or ten minutes before the group to get the air going). Yeah, well, I walked out into the parking lot to find about 15 vans that looked exactly like ours. At that point, I didn’t really care whose van I was in, as long as the A/C was one. I found one that was running and guessed. Lucky for us, I guessed correctly.

Because it was past Mattix’s bedtime when we got home, he was overtired and adorable! When he’s really sleepy, he’s either super sweet and giggly, or irritable and cranky. Well tonight was the former and it was so much fun. I almost didn’t want him to fall asleep because we were enjoying him so much. He’s a crackup. Ed was making some silly noises and shaking (sounds weird – I can’t really describe it) and Mattix thought that that was the funniest thing he’d ever seen. He would laugh and laugh. Deep belly laughs to the point where he would have to stop to catch his breath. Then he would clap his hands and scream so that Ed would do it again. All three of us were rolling around the bed, giggling, and making stupid sounds. It’s amazing how silly you’ll act (and enjoy it) just to entertain a baby. It’s also amazing how much fun it is. Mattix is such a blessing. I can’t get over how lucky we are to raise him. He’s funny, smart, curious, and pushy. We love him so much and we probably don’t even know him yet. It’s fascinating to watch him warm up to us more and more each day. Every morning, he wakes up and it seems like he’s ready to show us a new part of him. I love getting to know him. I love the way he engages us with his smiles. He’ll look right at one of us when we’re out (which is when he’s very guarded, quiet, and apprehensive), and crack the biggest, two half-tooth grin ever. Sometimes it is difficult not to cry. However, when other people try to get him to smile or laugh, he usually gives them his “are you done acting stupid yet?” stare. We can see how much more comfortable with us he is becoming because his behavior in our hotel room is such a stark contrast to his behavior outside of it. It’s like we have two different babies.

And now that you I’ve shared how cute Mattix is, I think it’s time to end with the world’s most disgusting story. This morning, after his yogurt, Mattix dropped a load that Ed “detected” early. Ed was quite pleased with himself, even mentioning that it was great he noticed right away so that Mattix knows we’ll change him as soon as he needs it. Hmmmm. I’m not sure if you know where this is going, but for those with a weak stomach (like me), stop reading and skip to the end.

Ed flips him on his back, expertly removes his diaper, and busts out the wipes. Ed said, “Wow, that’s a small one, and not messy, either.” He’s sitting there holding little Mattix’s feet in the air, hog tied-style, wiping away smugly, mumbling about how good he’s getting at this, when he yells, “Holy crap. He’s not done! Get a towel or something.” I turn around to see my adorable, precious little child dumping all over the place with Ed trying to catch it in the folded up used diaper, little legs still straight up in the air, held tightly by Ed. I run to the bathroom and grab and a hand towel just in time. (Sorry, Rex Hotel, this one’s going in the trash. Charge the room.) After what seemed like an eternity and a very large amount of “stuff,” Ed moves the soiled towel and again proceeds to wipe away. I’m half conscious at this point, doubled over in the corner of the room, alternating between laughing and gagging, when Ed yells, “For the love of God, he’s still not done! And now he’s peeing everywhere!” At this point, sweet little Mattix has his face twisted in knots, is grunting loudly, and pee is spraying everywhere. Following each grunt, he giggles and smiles, very pleased with himself, then repeats the whole process. I run to the bathroom again for another towel, but it’s evident to me that things are not looking good for the Rex’s comforter.

We both got Mattix all cleaned up, did what we could with the comforter and a handful of baby wipes, wrapped the towels up in plastic bags and threw them away, and called housekeeping. I’m not sure we were all that popular with the two really nice ladies who came out with only one new sheet in hand. They seemed a little confused when I gestured that the whole thing (comforter, sheets, and all) had to go, but they went replaced all of the bedding. They talked a lot while they were changing the bedding, and I can only imagine what they were saying. Twenty minutes and two large tips later, we were as good as new. As for Mattix, I have yet to see him that happy. If you had seen the amount of stuff that came out of that little 18 pound body, you would understand why.

Tomorrow we tour the Mekong Delta, which should be a very neat, hot, and long experience. I’m sure I’ll have lots to share!

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