Nov 12th 2008 - 6 months later

Well It has been six months since Eyob came home. Alot has happened in a short amount of time. Eyob has learned a new language, started school and grown 2 sizes. His life is so totally different now, so it's not surprising that he has problems dealing with it at times. Overall I think he is doing amazingly well. He is making friends and got a great report from his preschool teacher. His well child visit was last week. He is perfectly healthy and has grown ALOT.

He was 35lbs and 103cm at time of referrel (which was about the same when we came home), He is now 40lbs and 113 cm. Just to visualize how much he's grown we took a picture of him in the pajamas he wore in Ethiopia (they fit perfectly then).

Happy Birthday Eyob!!

Well the last couple of weeks have been a pretty busy and exciting time for Eyob. Last Friday he took his first field trip to the fire station. Daddy went with him and Izzy was there too because they are in the same class. They had a great time.

Eyob drives the truck!!

Eyob, Izzy and fireman Zac

Of course then this week Eyob celebrated his first Halloween. We bought his costume almost 3 weeks ago and he could no wait to wear it. He was his new favorite superhero, a Power Ranger. He had a great time running around the neighborhood with Ella, Patrick, Isabella, Ilana, Abby and Hayden (our neighbor and friends) trying to get to as many houses as possible in an hour and a half. Of course he traded all the chocolate for lollipops because he does not like " chocolattee"

Ready for fun!!

Counting and trading is the best part

The month ended with a very special birthday. Eyob's birthday is officially October 30th but that was our trick or treat night so we celebrated on October 31st. The kids all dressed up and we "carved" candles and ate a beautifully decorated Halloween cake. We tried to keep it simple with just family as to not overwhelm Eyob. He was so excited (having been to many birthday parties since coming home he knew what to expect) and the smile on his face when we sang happy birthday was priceless. I asked him if he had birthday parties in Ethiopia (I thought I knew the answer but I take every opportunity to get him to talk about Ethiopia since he rarely talks about his life before the adoption) and he said "In Ethiopia my birthday never coming, now that I'm here my birthday coming!!!" It was so great to celebrate this special day with him.

Eyob protecting his loot

Singing Happy Birthday

Family Day

This past Sunday we took Eyob to Pumpkinland. The kids look forward to this every year and last Sunday was the only weekend day we had totally free in October. The older kids start Christmas play practice already this coming Sunday so I knew this was our only chance to go. It turned out to be a beautiful, perfect day and we had a great time. We also finally got a good family picture for our post placement reports which is always a challenge. The kids had so much fun picking pumpkins, riding the ponies, petting the animals and playing in the hay. They also had a really good corn maze this year that was actually a challenge to find your way out of. Here are some fun pictures of the day.

Eyob's first pony ride.

Eyob takes a break from playing in the hay.

Almost time to leave the hay but time for one last picture.

Hamming it up on the hayride after picking our pumpkins.

Coordinating eyes and smiles isn't always easy.

One more family picture at Pumpkinland.

4 Months Later

Well last weekend was our second post adoption visit. I can't believe we've been home for over four months and have two of our three post adoption visits finished. Since the visit I've been thinking about how far Eyob's come these last four months. The little boy who would not even hold my hand in Ethiopia sat on my lap during most of the time the social worker was at our home hugging and kissing me. He regularly says "I love you" just out of the blue. The first few weeks home Eyob refused to listen to anything we said and would throw MAJOR 30min tantrums at any attempt to discipline him. He now responds very well to warnings about his behavior and when he does require discipline he does his "time out" with a smile on his face(most of the time). Although food is still an issue, that has shown some wonderful improvements making mealtime so much more pleasant. While at first Eyob would push his plate away if we had any food he wasn't familiar with, he now happily tries most food and most of the time replies, "um, mom this good." The biggest adjustment though has been his relationship with the other kids. He was very aggressive at first and didn't seem to know how to play much better than a toddler. Eyob was also very strongwilled and always wanted to do things his way. Now the kids play great together. They are typical siblings who love each other one minute and are fighting the next. Eyob adores the baby. One day this week he was "playing with her." She was running around the house as usual and he was following her saying "you so fast Ilannie, I can't catch you." It was great to see him making her feel special when usually he trying to be the center of attention. Although a comment Izzy made today might bast sum up how he's doing. Our family was taking a walk around our neighbor hood. Izzy and I were behind the others because the older kids were riding bikes. Izzy says out of the blue "I like Eyob" and then went on to tell me all the reasons she liked him. This comes from the same child , who after a week of being tackled and pushed around by her new brother, said "I don't want a brother from Ethiopia, I want a brother from your belly" (thank goodness he didn't speak English yet!). The two of them are now best friends and inseparable.

Here are some pictures of the kids playing

The kids playing school the day of our post adoption visit

Eyob and Izzy playing

My future muscians

Better late than never

Well today is September 12th and it has been nearly two weeks since the big kids, Ella and Patrick, went back to school. While Ella has been going to a public elementary school for the last four years, this was Patrick's first venture in the public school system. Up to this point in time Patrick has been sheltered in safe harbor of our local Christian education system. Everyone woke up to see the Ella and Patrick off to school.

Eyob finishes breakfast before our walk down to the bus stop.

The first day was a little anxious for us and we both stayed home and saw the kids off to the first day of school.

Ella and Patrick pose for Dad before our short walk to the bus stop.

Just as we both made an effort to be home in the morning we made sure we were there to see Patrick come off the bus. The Christian school offered all day kindergarten so he was accustomed to going to school all day. As we waited at the bus stop toward the end of the day our biggest concern revolved around whether they would challenge Patrick enough on a day to day basis.

Ilana hams it up for the camera with Mom while waiting for Ella and Patrick.

Of course not to be outdone Isabella pulled out her classic aren't I cute look.

Well over all the day went well and the kids made it home fine. But as we expected soon after he made it off the bus Patrick was complaining he didn't have any homework. I can only wonder how long that will last for our little scholar. He already wants to know when he can test for challenge so he can go to special classes with Ella.

Patrick exits the bus to meet his adoring public.

Summer's over ---

Well it's been a busy last couple of weeks of summer. The kids have been spending time at the pool and with their friends. We went to Ohiopyle to see the waterfalls and to Idlewild (a small kid oriented amusement park). Eyob learned to ride his two wheeler without going to the emergency room. That kid has NO fear. The first week he ran into the house repeatedly(the house is not that hard to see) and would say quite enthusiastically, I DID IT!! Of course he could not understand why I would not allow him to ride on the road. Today was the biggest day of all, it was Eyob's first day of school and he did great!! The teacher said he had an awesome day and was so excited to be there. I'm hoping that the structure and routine of the school year will be good for Eyob. The flexibility of the summer has allowed for some great family bonding but I long for the regular bedtimes and schedule of the school year (I'll be equally happy to ditch the schedule next summer). Here are some picture from the last couple of weeks.The kids at Cucumber Falls in OhiopyleThey had a blast playing in the waterOur first graderThe kids at IdlewildElla as a princessEyob having funIzzy being IzzyOur baby and grandmaElla was not thrilled with this rideEyob eating breakfast on the first day of school
Eyob was getting a little nervous right before we went into class

Look mom, no training wheels!!

This week was a big week for our oldest son. Patrick learned to ride his bike without the training wheels. He had tried at the beginning of summer but his new bike was a little too big so he has refused to ride his bike at all this summer. He did not want to ride it with the training wheels because he was too old and he didn't want to ride the bike without training wheels because it was too hard. I quess he finally decided this week that he was going to do it because on Sunday he agreed to try with Eyob's bike. He was beginning to get the hang of it and could ride a few yards but he still needed me to help him. On Tuesday he decided to try Izzy's bike. He took off the training wheels, got on it and rode it, by the end of the day he could ride his "big" bike and as of today he was riding all around our very hilly neighborhood. Patrick practicing on Eyob's bike

Patrick now a pro on his "big" bike

Eyob trying too, he could go a few yards but quickly asked for his training wheels back(the protruding tonque shows how hard he was trying)

Izzy looking sweet

Ilana hangng out in the swing while we practiced

Eyob swinging. Now I know this picture is blurry but I included it because Eyob is pumping. When we were in Ethiopia Eyob was REALLY good at pumping. In fact he would not let me push him. I remember wishing he wasn't so good so I could help him. He was really very independent there and did not let us do much for him. Well when we got home and he saw Izzy getting pushed he wanted pushed too. For the last two months you would never know he could pump himself but this week he decided he could do it again. He acted like it was his first time. "look at me, Mom", he called.

Introducing Peter Eyob Whartenby

Well today was a "big" day. We went to court to finalize Eyob's adoption. This was a very important day because it not only made as legally his parents but also allows him to become an American citizen. Our appointment was at 11:00am in the neighboring county(it was easier to finalize the adoption in the county where our home study agency was located than it was in the county we live in). I was super paranoid that we would run into traffic and be late so we left REALLY early and of course arrived REALLY early. The kids did well despite the long car drive and long wait. The judge and our lawyer were so nice and made it so special. After the hearing we went to my brother's house and had pizza(Eyob's favorite food) and my sister in law made an American flag cake. It was such a nice way to celebrate this important day. (In case you were wondering, Eyob is still going to go by Eyob, I just can't get into calling him anything else, but we thought we would give him another name to commerate this important event in his life. He now has the same intials as his older brother and has something in common with Spiderman)Eyob before the hearingOur family with the judge (sorry we just can't get everyone to smile at the same time)Our extended family Eyob with his flag cake

Fireflies, muffins and music

Well it's been a busy couple of weeks at the Whartenby house. It has now been over two months since Eyob came home and he is doing great. He is bonding well with Mommy and Daddy and is beginning to get along with the other kids. He still wants everything done Eyob's way but he tantrums much less and responds to discipline. Last week was a big week for Eyob. He went to VBS at our church. He loved it and he listened fairly well, too. He especially loved the music and asks to to play the CD in the car everywhere we go. We also have a DVD with the motions which he loves to watch and follow along. He has the cutest voice when he sings. He's also had some other new "American" experiences. This past weekend I made muffins with Ella, Isabella and Eyob. He enjoyed the baking but not eating the muffins. (He can still be a very picky eater). Eyob also caught fireflies for the first time. He had so much fun but I don't think any fireflies survived Eyob's grasp. He certainly needs to learn to be more gentle. Patrick with the loot

Eyob with his catch(poor bug)

Having fun in the kitchen

Happy 4th of July!!!

We had a fun, busy, crazy weekend. Eyob celebrated his first Independence Day. He also got to meet his paternal grandparents for the first time. He bonded instantly with Poppy. In fact the day before when I was telling him about Nanny and Poppy coming to visit, he said "Poppy, Daddy." Then he went to get a picture off the endtable and pointed to Poppy. So he was very happy to finally meet him. On the 4th of July we went to the local park where we met upwith some friends. The kids played on the bouncy rides and playground toys, ate popcorn, ice cream and corndogs. They had a great time. We ended the evening with an awesome firework display. The kids did well even though the fireworks didn't start until 10:15. On Saturday we all slept in and then went to the Science Center to see the Titantic Display and then we took the kids to have a portrait done with Nanny and Poppy. It was certainly a challenge getting all 5 kids to sit still and smile on cue, especially since Ilana sits still for exactly 3/10 of a second and is scared to death around strangers, i.e. the photographer. Of course when we finally had Ilana placed the other kids where getting restless. We were actually able to get two fairly good pictures but apparently "smile" is one English word Eyob does not understand. On Sunday we had Nanny and Poppy take some family shots for the post placement reports which of course went equally well. Overall it was a wonderful Independence Day weekend. Brothers and "best buds"

The kids before the picnic

Three Generations

Eyob being silly (he loves sunglasses)

The Great American Pastime

Well on the evening of June 24th, 2008 Eyob and I went on his inaugural trip to see America's greatest and most storied Baseball franchise, the New York Yankees, take on the Pittsburgh Pirates along with Patrick and Pap. To say that Patrick and I had been waiting for this date in the baseball schedule for longer than he had even known Eyob was going to be his brother is not an understatement. As we drove to the field there was certainly plenty of excitement in the air as every Pittsburgh radio and television station had been hyping the game for well over a week. The hype was due to fact that this was the first time that the Yankees had played in Pittsburgh since they had lost the 1960 World Series to the Pirates. The drive was fairly quick and soon enough we had arrived at PNC Park.



The view of PNC Park from downtown.

Soon after we made it to the ballpark and we were enjoying the pre-game aura of the event. We were able to see the Yankees take batting practice for a little while, after which we began out journey to the Upper Deck of PNC Park where we were surrounded by our Yankee brethren.



Pap, Patrick and Eyob enjoy the pre-game festivities while proudly sporting their Derek Jeter shirts. (Thanks for the shirts Nanny and Poppy)

Sadly the game didn’t turn out the way Patrick and I would have liked as the Yankees fell victim to less than prolific hitting and awful pitching. As Patrick is quite a passionate Yankee fan this led to a near meltdown in the bottom of the seventh inning. Conversely, Eyob really seemed to enjoy the game and all the cheering that was going on around him. The funny thing about Eyob’s participation at the game was that it didn’t matter whose fans were cheering, he was happy to cheer along with anyone who was enjoying themselves. The funniest part of the game occurred while he was cheering during a Pirates rally, a plane flew within view of the stadium and his cheers of yeah for the home team quickly turned into, “oh daddy airoplan”. It was priceless vintage Eyob...easily distracted as well as easily excited.

The Yankees wound up pitching their weakest pitcher for their first game back in Pittsburgh in 49 years and the results were not truly unexpected in my opinion. As my grandfather would has likely said that Rasner is a stiff. A great game to see overall I know Patrick and I are looking forward to going with Eyob to hopefully two more Yankee games this year.



Posing with Willie Stargell…Patrick, Eyob and I begin our new journey, which may take a while, to see the Yankees play in every major league ballpark before Patrick goes to college.