Happy Birthday, Behailu

Today is the day we celebrate Behailu - and his officially turning 7! Honestly its still a little bit strange to me that its unlikely that this was the actual day of his birth, and that he may not even be seven. Dunno why that never knowing makes me feel sad, but it does.

Today, though, we celebrate BJ! He is amazing. Can I just say that? I know I'm biased. He is the most easy going member of the family. He takes a lot in stride - something that I think has made his transition to our family pretty easy. He loves, loves, loves being outside and playing sports. He plays hard - and has holey and stained jeans, jackets and shoes to prove it. His laughter is infectious. His smile can't help but brighten your day. He's too social for his own good, as his teachers can testify to. He's smart - reading and doing math in the top half of his class, even though English is pretty much his third language. He is so precious and we've hit the point that I forget he hasn't always been here - just the other day I was talking about our house in Pittsburgh - forgetting he'd never been there.

I don't want to seem unauthentic, though. Adopting a 5 year old definitely has its challenges and we've had our share - from potty issues, to food issues, to lying and even the occasional stealing, to bullying and nightmares and plays for attention. And if you are considering older child adoption and want to know details, I'm happy to share. In this family - we know we're all not perfect - we all have issues - from Adoption loss, attachment, ADHD, Sensory Processing Dysfunction, Anxiety Disorder, anger issues, but we work on our issues and rejoice in our strengths and can't imagine our family any other way. And is it all worth it? - Without out doubt! My pet peeve is people just meeting me but knowing OF me and saying how amazing how I'm helping all those children - but I really feel that I am the one who is blessed by all of them!