Love this Kid

I am seriously in love with this little person.

Just looking at his wee face makes me break out into a silly grin. Sleeping, eating, playing , screaming I love every single face.

I don't want to give the impression that it is all roses though.

We moved to the Hilton last night and the night did not go well. Neither of us slept because Prince Benjaminh didn't sleep. I was writing emails at 3am...this is NOT like me but the prince wouldn't sleep unless he was being held upright and I might as well one-hand email if I have to be upright.

He developed a very runny nose through the night (first time in air conditioning???) and was not a fan of the very cozy soft feather topped bed after months on plywood followed by a couple of weeks on a rock hard hotel sleeping surface. Tonight he is asleep on the ottoman...nice and hard....here's hoping it works.

The bath. Not a favourite activity. He hates the sink and would rather be skinned alive than submerged in the bath basin I bought for him. Today we had a bath together in the Hilton tub and he was miserable but Kristen claims it was the first time he didn't sound like the pig being slaughtered in the orphanage courtyard.

Nose wiping...yikes...period.

Eating solids of any sort that have not been incorporated into a bottle with a gigantic hole...getting better but still a big issue over here in Hanoi. 5 bites isn't quite a meal.

And

The bottle...oy..the bottle MUST BE JUST RIGHT. It must be piping hot but not even a bit too hot and certainly not even a bit too cool or screams will ensue. For a 180 ml bottle, 120 mls must be freshly boiled and the other 60 mls room temp. Do not try to use water boiled 2 hours ago and kept in the thermos unless you plan to up the hot water and lower the cold water in the ratio. And NEVER EVER put in 60 mls of water from the fridge. Special...very special.

So we have our difficult times but a little grin from the prince and they are all wiped away in a second.

I am so thrilled to be his momma and he seems to like me too. A good sign of our developing bond is hes growing dislike of being swept away by Vietnamese waitresses. It is common in Viet Nam for the wait staff to take the baby for you so you can eat in relative peace (all the while compiling a list of reminders on child raising for when they return the child...one waitress actually took B into the kitchen to warm him up on a 75 degree day because I didn't have his neck covered). He went to strangers readily and happily throughout much of the first 10 or so days but in the last couple of days he will not have anything to do with the wait staff and reaches out for me while wailing in their arms. Nothing quite like wanting to jump for joy at the sight of your child screaming.

Just a wee warning. I won't be passing him about to all of his adoring fans at the airport or anywhere else in the first while ("while" is yet to be defined). Come up close, give him some loving (if you are a fan of snot and drool), play with him on the floor if that is where he happens to be hanging out but you start grabbing and I might kick you in the knee. The changes coming for this little guy are more than a move down the street to the Hilton and the last 24 hours indicates he needs space and time to adjust to change.

You have his whole life to love on him...please be patient.