Sometimes things just work out right

1. Jason got a job!!!  I think most of you already know, but he will be working for a private company who contracted with the Department of Labor to deal with immigration and visa issues of some sort or another.  We're really excited and he starts on March 8th.  It was a tough year with only me employed but we made it through to the other side and hope he really enjoys his job.

2.  Purim: the kids tied for first place in the boy's costume contest!  Melkamu is a hamentaschen and Patrick is a grogger (with bags of beans inside so that he really rattles).  Aren't they cute?

2. Remembering all the events of 2 years ago, when we were in Ethiopia.  I am so thrilled that we have already had Melkamu for 2 years.  Still, I get a sharp pain in my heart wanting to be back there and hope that we will plan a trip in the near future.  Anyone want to go?

3. We've been seeing the first signs in Melkamu of awareness of how he came into our family.  We talk about adoption openly and honestly at home, and read books about it, but he'd never responded to them any differently than any other story.  We keep a picture of his firstmom on his dresser, so he knows her face and who she is, but I don't think he'd really connected the ideas before.  We'd recently mentioned that he came out of Aachie's (Hadiyaan for Mommy) tummy like Patrick came out of mine, and he seemed a little surprised but didn't say anything.  Yesterday, though, I was showing him the lifebook that our agency made for us and there are pictures of his firstmom in there, as well as other family members, and he reacted with some surprise when he saw a picture of himself being nursed.  Then he wanted to close the lifebook and didn't want to see it anymore.  So we did.  He's right at about the age that we'd heard he might start making connections and understanding a little more, and we'll go along with what he needs.  We won't push it but we will make it available and talk about it easily with him.

4. On a related note, I'm hoping that I have a new line on a searcher to find his first family.  Wish us luck!

5. Patrick got a better progress report this week, so we went to his Green-Eggs-and-Ham school breakfast this morning.  It was fun (aside from the taste of elementary school-style scrambled eggs).  I promised that if he does even better this week and his progress report shows it, I will go eat lunch with him next Tuesday.  Here's hoping!  He's so bright but such a little perfectionist.  When I asked him why he wasn't finishing his work (and know very well that it's not an academic issue) he said "Well, they kept being a little crooked..."  Aargh!

6. The kids are just really, really cute.