Ok, Ben update.

It is so easy to forget that Ben is still sort of a “new kid” around here, because honestly, he must be the easiest child ever adopted. Josh and I still comment in awe to each other once and awhile how amazing Ben is, and how amazing his adjustment to America and our family has been.

We worried at first that it was a “honeymoon” phase, that he was only on best behavior and that it was all going to “hit the fan” at some point, but if you spend any time at all with Ben, you can tell that you are getting his genuine personality, which is, genuinely wonderful, sweet, resilient, easy-going and happy.

After being home for 10 months, Ben is almost completely fluent in English…to the point that he doesn’t even qualify for ESL at school, and is doing great without it…oh yeah, doing great in first grade after skipping Kindergarten!!

He is in the same class as his brother Shane, and while at first Ben sort of stuck close to Shane, he now has some of his own friends. However, Shane and Ben are thick as thieves most of the time, and their teacher just adores the both of them.

His health has been better than good…he has not had a fever yet, or a cold or anything…oh wait, he threw up outside in the yard once in the summer, but was better the next day.

He is growing like a weed!! He was quite a few inches shorter than Shane at first (and Shane is 10 months older) and just looked “younger” and smaller, and now they are almost exactly the same height. He is skin and bones though…to the point that even the slim sizes need a belt or draw string or something to hold them up.

He dreams of having “big muscles” and loves for people to think he is strong and tough. Such a boy! His favorite toy right now is his Superman costume with the built in muscles. He was commenting that he wished that they were “real muscles” and my aunt pointed out that she didn’t think muscles like that were going to be genetically possible for him. :) The boy still shivers when fully clothed in a heated room, but loves the snow and playing outside in it.

Ben is outrageously smart…he is the top student in their class in math, and despite only speaking English for less than a year, he is in the middle of the pack in reading and getting better all the time. He has a killer memory and is a bit of a perfectionist…he pushes himself way harder than we do.

He is happy and sweet and loves to be helping anyone…he was THRILLED last night when Josh let him help build his new bunk beds. He is a great brother to everybody. He is good with the little kids, loves the big kids and hardly ever is the trouble maker.

Ben is proud to be from Ethiopia and has memories of his parents from before they died. We talk about them openly, and about his life in Ethiopia. He is happy to be in America though, and has accepted and loved Josh and I as his parents from almost the very beginning when we were in Addis.

He likes having a sister from Ethiopia, and does seem to “get” that him and Belane have a special bond that way.

He sleeps great, eats almost everything (but potatoes and tuna fish…he feels very strongly that tuna fish is pure evil.)

He’ll go anywhere and do anything, happily, and is just a joy to have around. He is loving and affectionate and has a great sense of humor.

Ben is VERY excited about his first Christmas. He FULLY and whole heartedly has grasped onto the Santa concept and is just so dang excited. We hung the stockings today, and he said, “Mom…those sock things…they get presents in them, right??” He looked around at the house, which I decorated while they were at school (it took hours!) and he said in a voice of awe, “Oh Mom! You are really good at this!”

Then he saw a Christmas platter and mug that I put out and he said, “Oh Mom! I know! That is for cookies and milk for Santa, right??”

We haven’t talked about it much, so I am sure he is getting lots of it from school. It is so cute to see him so excited. He put a lot of thought into his Christmas list and what he wanted (a remote controlled car, some Legos and an action figure). I can only imagine what Christmas morning will seem like to him…heck, I’ve “been there done that” my whole life, and Christmas morning in our house is outrageous and wonderful and surprising to me!!

I think that about covers the Ben update…I honestly could never have imagined an almost six year old child from another country settling into life here as easily as he did. We knew the moment we saw his face that he was ours, and our family wouldn’t be right without his special spirit here with us.

It was really a good moment for me when I hung his stocking today…I hung it last year, knowing he wouldn’t be here to celebrate Christmas with us, which was bittersweet.

I love hearing from all of you families that met him while in Addis getting your children.

More soon!