Daniel will be turning 8 years old on July 8th. On July 9th, we will celebrate his "gotcha day", which is the day that I picked him up from Ghana (his official adoption day is Valentines day but it took us several months to get his passport so he could come home). This year will mark 2 years of being my son and being a US citizen. He is a pretty amazing kid. He will be going into the second grade next year and is an avid reader (6th grade level according to test scores). This summer he is reading the Ramona series (which I also enjoy)and I am reading Coraline to him by Neil Gaiman (which he says isn't scary but it give me the creeps).
In the spring he made the U9 travel soccer team for the Richmond Kickers, so he will be getting ready for "big boy soccer" this summer. He likes to play just about any sport there is; his favorites being soccer, wrestling, basketball, baseball, tennis, running, and jump rope. He loves to dance but will now only do it when he thinks no one is looking. He likes to show off his "guns" (muscles) and there isn't a mirror that he doesn't like. He is proud that he is a fast runner.
I think Daniel is exceptional. Truely an exception. All of the studies say that older child adoptions are risky. That children that have spent so much of their time in an orphanage are bound to have issues and delays. Now, by no means is Daniel perfect, but I think he is the most resilient child that I have ever met and his tenacity and strength have helped him to overcome and transition through all sorts of changes in his life. I know I am very lucky and blessed to have found him; in a rural village in Africa of all places. I'm sure he will continue to amaze me and everyone else he gets to meet in his life.
Here are some pictures of my crazy, fun, and amazing (almost) 8 year old boy:
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