"NEW COUSIN"

Michael and I both don't live near our immediate families. We are grateful that we have cousins that live up the street from us.

We spend a lot of time with our cousin Nick who is 11 years old. He was the ring bearer in our wedding and this picture was taken the day before the ceremony. I wanted to use a recent picture, but this one is my favorite of us.

Nick is the coolest kid ever. He is smart, funny, fun to hang out with, fluent in French, and an avid bike rider and soccer player. We always tell him that our daughter will go through "Nick Boot Camp" because he is such a special person. He is very excited about our adoption and is excited to teach his new cousin about her Ethiopian Jewish roots. We are lucky to have him in our lives and think he is an amazing guy.

Nick wrote the paper below for a school project. We were blown away when we read it. It is so touching I wanted to post it. You may want to get a kleenex.

New Cousin

My cousins Cori and Michael told me that they had a very special birthday present for me. They pulled out a very small pink envelope; I opened it very carefully, and pulled out a paper with a picture of a baby on it. First I was clueless, then speechless, and finally full of wonder. I put the card on the table because I could not say anything, and few moments later everybody was in awe. We all knew they had been trying to adopt a child from Ethiopia but we had not heard any news. The card said, ‘’Your new cousin Ruby Tsege Beerman’’.

It has been about a year since we heard about the baby. They told the family that they were going to adopt but we all thought they had no luck witch made everybody very sad. After switching to a new agency and filling out several dozen stacks of paperwork, they were assigned a beautiful baby girl. I know Cori and Michael will make great parents because they have almost been like second parents to me too and I am positive they are ready for Ruby.

This reminded me of when my aunt and uncle had a kid. I think I was around five when they announced they were going to have a baby girl. That night I bowled my head off and threw a temper tantrum. I was always very close to them and I guess I was a little jealous .It also happened again, but this time I was around seven when my aunt and uncle told us they were going to have a baby boy . This time I was not very sad because my other cousin Lucy, had been so much fun that I was very happy that they were having another baby. It taught me that I can share the people who love me.

I am pretty sure this time it will be a lot different. First of all, the baby is going to be adopted so she will have to adapt to the setting. Instead of living in Ethiopia, this happens to be a third world country, she will be living in luxurious Marin county. She will also have to adapt to the people around her. She is already ten months old, but she is living in an orphanage so a lot of different people take care of her . I also do not think she will have trouble with Cori and Michael because they are such great people they’re really caring and nice. I go to their house to hang out fix bikes and have parties.Cori and Michael will be arriving with the baby in early December. My whole family and I cannot wait to see the baby, her reactions, her personality, what she does, and even if she can walk or talk. Ruby Tsege Beerman has already made my world a better place. I am happy for Cori and Michael and grateful that they have brought her into my life.