Happy Birthday, Biruki!

Saturday, September 5, is Biruk's birthday - he will be two years old! Don't tell him, but we are giving him a tricycle. He loves putting on a bike helmet and getting pushed around on our littlest bike - a thing with 12" wheels and training wheels - but his feet can only touch the pedals in the up position, plus it kills our backs to bend over like that. I fully expect Biruk to revel in the ability to propel himself forward at even greater speeds than he currently runs, much to the detriment of his knees and elbows.

I've been working on a blog post in my head called "The Gory Details of Bonding". I promised as much way back when we were still in Ethiopia, but we've been way too busy doing it to write about it. However, I am happy to report that we seemed to have turned an important corner this week. Biruk has been showing a level of calmness that hasn't been there before. It is as if before this week he only had one speed: fast forward. This week he has contentedly sat in my lap (never happened before), he has sat and played by himself (also never happened before), and sibling fights are way down (no comment on this one - wouldn't want to get my hopes up!)

As Biruk gets more comfortable and secure in our home, and reflects that in his behavior, it gives me greater insight into what's going on in his head. Looking back on our week in Ethiopia with Biruk, it's clear now that the poor little guy was freaked out. Now that he's more relaxed, I can start separating some of what has been his temperament versus the tension he has been under since we brought him home.

The birthday celebration will be pretty low key - just cake with the immediate family and some dear relatives from Idaho who will be meeting Biruk for the first time this weekend. And not only will we celebrate Biruk and our coming together as a family, but all the people who gave him life and cared for him so well along the way here. And the tricycle - we're really going to celebrate that. But the quiet moments?...I'm celebrating already!