Four Months Home

His super cheesy grin.

Four months ago yesterday we arrived home with a certain 40 pound Ethiopian, so last night we had a little celebration.  I made injera and doro wat.  It tasted moderately completely authentic.  Eyob pigged down a massive amount of injera and has been snacking on it today, too.  This boy loves his food. 

Here's who Eyob is to us after 129 days:

• He loves to cuddle and say his prayers.
• His skin is so soft and squishy that none of us can keep our hands off him.
• We admire his resilience
• His love of sleep makes me feel like he's a kindred spirit.
• His gentle way with babies makes my heart happy.  His enat and the nannies must have been very affectionate with him and the little ones he lived with.
• His curls are to die for. 
• We love how he says 'yes' -- 'yeth'.
• He's already a true New Mexican - he loves anything with green chile in it.
• He thinks his Poppy hung the moon.  I agree.
• I celebrate the fact that he loves to ride in baskets.  It's enticed Maci to also become a passenger again.  Score!
• He's probably about 70% fluent in English.  We're sad that his Amharic is disappearing but happy that the communication barrier is crumbling.
• Tattletale, tattletale!
• A typical three year old boy who loves cars, balls, and hats.
• His smile!  His eyes!  simply.gorgeous. 

My view of the many hugs I get every day!

Such a good sis making injera in a kitchen that was over 100*.  Our a/c is broken again. 

Thank you, Lord, for blessing us with Eyob!

Wordless Wednesday

Bedtime story with Daddy. Not a great pic, but still oozing sweetness!

Encouragement Needed

Sometimes I think things with Eyob are going so well.  When he wakes from sleep or gets distressed about something, he immediately starts calling for "Mamas!  Mamas!".  That's a new development.  So I'm bopping along thinking we're doing pretty good.  Starting to bond and connect.  Ok.  It's happening.  Then we lived the last five days.  A series of events that made me realize that we're not quite as far along as I thought.

After we delivered Meals on Wheels on Wednesday, we had lunch at Sam's Club.  Then we walked over to get a basket to do our shopping.  But in the process of shepherding five kids, my slow little Ethiopian got behind.  Now, I knew where he was and what was happening.  This is a common occurrence.  He's the biggest slowpoke this side of the Mississippi.  I went on a few steps ahead so I could see the kid I sent for a basket while I waited for him.  But, Eyob lost sight of me.  He stopped, looked all around, went in a circle, and I watched expecting distress as I prepared to call out to him, thinking he would be terrified to be alone and separated from us.  But instead, he kind of shrugged and strutted off in the opposite direction.  No worry, no fear.  It was extremely disheartening and I've felt kind of beat down ever since.  Seems like he was thinking - oh well... on to the next thing....

Then at church on Sunday, he daddy shopped like nobody's business.  He went from man to man as I politely tried to disengage him from situation after situation.  Of course, the week I forget to bring my Ergo in, he's acting like he did three months ago.  Climbing all over every man he sees.  Ugh.

Combine that with his renewed fear of dogs, bedtime, and bubble baths and I think we have regressed at least two months.  I know it's a process and I'm certainly not upset at him.  I just wish I could understand what goes on in his head and what more I can do to help him integrate into his new life.

Sometimes this adoption stuff is so overwhelmingly difficult.  Suggestions and encouragement appreciated.

What Will You Do?

Yesterday I read this article: Ethiopia Underestimating Drought Need.  The information in it made me sick to my stomach.  I was there twice in the past nine months.  I witnessed the people and the poverty and the daily trek, usually miles long, to get fresh water.  I love Ethiopia and its beautiful people.  

It's hard enough to feel helpless from this side of the world, while people starve to death.  Then I read the comments on the bottom of the article.  I couldn't quite believe what I saw.  The ugliness and hate shocked me.  It's easy for us Americans to look down from our lofty, self indulged lifestyles at the poor and needy in this world and feel completely disengaged.  Most of us have never seen true poverty.  We can't imagine what it is like to actually be without food. 

Right now, we don't have an income.  Justin cannot work this summer while he does clinic at the law school.  It's scary,  terrifying, really, to worry about not being able to feed our kids.  But, we knew this was coming and we saved and prepared and we'll be okay.  If we weren't okay, we could borrow from family, go to a food pantry, or even use credit cards to provide food for our children.  Worst case scenario, we could turn to the government for help and it would be there.  

People in Ethiopia and Somalia and Kenya and Uganda and many other places do not have a safety net.  There's no one to borrow money or grain from.  No where to turn.  Can we as Americans even wrap our minds around that reality?  How many of us know what it truly means to go hungry?  Three months ago I looked into the eyes of a man who has no way to feed his children and hugged his bony body and my heart shattered.  Let me tell you - this is real.  These are real people who are suffering, people who love God, and love their children.  People just like you and me who happened to be born into different circumstances.

Did you know: 

• ONE in seven people in the world will go to bed hungry tonight

• 925 million people do not have enough to eat  and 98 percent of them live in developing countries

• 65 percent  of the world's hungry live in only seven countries: India, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Ethiopia

• 10.9 million children under five die in developing countries each year. Malnutrition and hunger-related diseases cause 60 percent of the deaths

You can look HERE to see why people are starving when there is enough food in the world to feed everyone.

I don't claim to know what the answer is.  But, surely awareness is the first step to eradicating the problem.  The second step is to not be complacent and detached from the realities of this world.  What's the third step?  You tell me.  You could donate money for hunger relief, sponsor and child or family, help put in wells, there are SO MANY things.  Just do something.  Please, for the sake of someone else's children.  If you couldn't feed your kids, wouldn't you want someone to help you?

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’  - Matthew 25:35-40

Fourth of July

Our Fourth of July trip was an epic success!  We didn't want to try Eyob in the mountains yet.  I mean, the grocery still overwhelms him, ya know?  So we put our tents up in my parents' back yard and had an absolute blast!  We don't have pics of all the fun, we're missing important parts like riding in the jeep, having special friends from Rio Rancho and Kenya visit the church I grew up in, smores, nertz, and crocheting on flip flops.  But, here's some of the other stuff.  This is what awesome family memories are made of.

Lounging around in one of the tents.

First time at mini golf.  He did not get it.

DQ to try and beat the heat.

KJ - 4 fish.  Everyone else - 0.  One of the stock tanks also has a new inhabitant. 

Wishing we could catch tiny fish like KJ.

Lots of time on the four wheelers!

Swimming in a stock tank?  Yes please!!!

Hot rodding in a '71 Camaro.

What would the 4th be without homemade ice cream and cousins?

The fab five.

Hurry, Poppy, hurry!!!  I want to hold it!

Driving lessons.  Only three years until I have an errand boy.

Mallorie, Jon, and Eyob. Such orneriness cuteness!

Mini photo shoot with my sis.

Lots of time in the tank with them able to touch each other.  We need someone to donate a big passenger van to the cause (keep Mommy sane).