Tekalegn's Progress

Tekalegn is our little happy-go-lucky guy.  Both times I was in Ethiopia I was surprised by what an overall happy kid he was.  And that certainly has not changed.  He is happy when he wakes up and happy when he goes to bed.  He is happy playing with others and running errands, but he can also entertain himself pretty well.  He is a definite "momma's boy" and would love to be my shadow most days.  He loves Jesse too, but I am the one he comes running to with any complaints (Sammy's kicking or he doesn't want the dogs in the house).  He is our people pleaser and he loves to show off his pretty smile for people.  The thing I have been the most surprised about is how stubborn he can be.  When he does get in a bad mood, it can last hours!  He is also more excitable in public places.  He will just start running around giggling in what I have come to call, his "evil laugh".  If I hear this laugh, it normally means he is disobeying and getting into trouble.  I think a lot of this is caused by overstimulation (which is common in children adopted internationally).  We have had pretty good success just taking him out of the situation (like out to the car) for a little while for timeouts when this occurs.  It does make me nervous about how he will respond to preschool (which starts tomorrow), but I hope watching other children behave will be enough for him.

That being said, that is our biggest problem with him.  We haven't seen as dramatic of a change as we have in Sammy, but he was already pretty content to begin with.  He is extremely affectionate and loves to be held and carried (to the point, I sometimes have to make him do things himself).  I love the toddler part of him that still comes out, at times.  He is also very smart!!  I can tie his shoes (and he is just 4.5) and sing his ABCs.  He can write letters and we are working on his name.  He can also sometimes translate for Sammy because his language skills are so good.  Apparently, he can speak some Italian, in addition to English and Amharic (thanks to the Italian nuns).  He is just a joy to be around!