Some plans for life after Eden and Tobias are home

Michelle and Eden Weyni (WAY-nee) will arrive back in Charlotte, NC (where Matt, Vera and Kai are eagerly waiting!) on Saturday afternoon, and Matt will be heading to Ethiopia a week later to bring Tobias Alazar (AL-uh-zar) home (arriving back in Charlotte on February 20). Before Eden and Tobias get back we wanted to share a few thoughts with everyone about our plans for the transition to life as a family of six.

Our adoption agency, social worker, and other adoptive parents have given us a lot of helpful input as we prepare to bring Eden and Tobias home, and a primary goal in the first few months they are with us is to give them as much security and stability as possible since they’ll be experiencing so much transition. When Eden Weyni and Tobias Alazar come home they will have already lost many things in their lives, including: their birth parents, friends and caregivers at the orphanage, language, familiar food, culture, and their country of birth. Our goal is to help them (as well as Vera and Kai) however we can with all of the adjustments, especially helping them understand that we are Mom and Dad and they can trust us to take care of them. In order to help them feel safe, we are striving to create the type of environment that will help promote security and stability during this stressful and potentially very confusing time.

We’re very excited to introduce many of you to Eden and Tobias in the near future. As excited as we are for everyone to meet the kids, please understand that after we return to Ethiopia we plan to live a very quiet, “homebody” life with very limited trips out and few visitors in for a little while. For the next few months, one of us will need to be with Eden and Tobias at all times. We also plan to avoid group gatherings and functions as we get to know them and their personalities. Then, we’ll slowly begin to add to our activities.

This doesn’t mean we don’t want you to meet them soon after we arrive: we just need to establish limits to try to foster a loving and stable environment for the kids. Starting on Saturday (the day after tomorrow), we ask that you not come by to see us until at least after February 27 (Matt and Tobias will have been back for a week then). Both kids will need vaccinations and could possibly be pretty sick with parasites or other infections. After both kids have had their initial doctor visits (and at least a week at home with us) we should have a sense of how well they’re doing and would love to set up times for people to come over to meet the kids as long as we think they’re ready for it. We plan to be here in Charlotte until late April or early May: please email us if you’re interested in coming to see the kids while we’re in the U.S. And of course we’ll continue to post updates and pictures on our blog so that you can see what’s happening with our family.

Thanks a lot for your understanding, and for all of your love and support throughout our adoption journey. We’re very thankful for all of you!