We're now back at home after a few lovely days camping down the Oregon Coast. Ben has my passion for the ocean, and like me was sad to leave. We spent lots of time down at the beach where he got soaking wet, even though the water was freezing! He built his first sand-castle and saw his first seal. He wanted to pat the seal, so we had to talk him out of that one. We only saw one "crocodile" (crab), which he held proudly upside down to show me how it would make them go to sleep..haha. I did manage to talk him into throwing it back in before it was in a coma though. He did great on the drive down there and loves having the DVD player in the car. The kids had all chosen a bunch of DVDs to take for the drive, and as we were approaching Lincoln City the end of "The Great Outdoors" was playing, and Ben was laughing uncontrollably. I had tears rolling down my face just listening to him. These amazingly hearty belly-laughs coming out of his tiny body that he just couldn't stop. Usually he only laughs like that if we're playing and I'm tickling him. This was the first time I'd ever heard him laugh this hard at something he'd seen and it was just awesome!.. He loved everything about the beach and is excited to go back. He was a great helper when it came to finding sticks for the fires at night and is all about toasting (incinerating/burning/torching ..you get the idea) marshmallows. He was a little unsure about spending the night somewhere other than home, but adjusted to the idea very fast. It took him a long while to go to sleep the first night, but once he realised that everyone was there with me he slept hard.

We hit the Outlet Mall for some back to school shopping and this boy is going to be expensive!! He's very particular about how he looks and was loving stores like Gap and OshKosh. We picked up some shirts at Old Navy and Childrens place that he loves, but several things I pointed out to him he said "No" to immediately. One shirt that I loved was a long-sleeved t-shirt with a washed out football design on the front. He pointed at the washed-out part, informed it was yucky and put it back. Just recently has he stopped tucking all of his clothes into his pants and buttoning shirts up to the top button. Surekha had these kids immaculately dressed despite the fact that they didn't have many clothes, and its rubbed off on him for sure. He doesn't like any baggy clothes (he informs me they're too big), and his preference is still for button-down shirts over t-shirts. Before he came home I'd bought him a couple of packets of the little boys shocks that only come to the ankle (friends who have boys assured me this was what their kids liked), and the fact that he couldnt pull them right up drove him nuts, so it was back to the store for the mid-calf crew style ones. I remember when we took Ben out for the day in India after we'd first met Surekha had him in bright red knee-high socks (red to match his t-shirt), so I can see why ones that barely come to your ankles would have been shocking to him.

He's been very very kissy the last 10 days and tells me he's my "pooching boy" ... pooching being his word for kissing. I'm loving all the affection! He also loves to tell me "I'm happy you, Mummy" ... I tell him I've super-happy with him too and that we'll be happy forever.

As I watched him run up and down the sand and into the ocean it was hard not to get all girly and teary. What a huge change from the concrete apartment that he'd shared in India with 23 other kids! Hes settling in like he's been here all of his life, and as always his sense of adventure and willingess to try anything astounds me. He had obviously seen somthing to do with the beach (I'm guessing on TV), as he found the ironing board in the RV and wanted to take it surfing! He made a big deal of pointing to it, telling me "Ocean", and then bending his little knees with his hands out to his side and making out like he was riding a huge wave. TOOO cute!

He sadly told the ocean "Goodbye" when it was time to leave, and I promised him that we'd go back soon. As we sat there watching the waves before we left he asked me "Mummy, you love it?", and I told him that yes, I love the ocean very much. He told me he loves it too.

Thats my boy.