Preparing Emory

I am doing everything I can to get ready for this adoption. I have a stack of books on my nightstand about attachment, biracial families, international adoption, etc.

During this time, we have also been preparing Emory as best as possible. Obviously, she is very young, but as she starts to understand more, we explain more.  She is a very smart little girl with quite the vocab! We have been reading books like "A Mother for Choco" and talking to her about every baby needing a mommy. She loves the show Dinosaur Train, which I think has an adoption theme, but Jonathon doesn't think so at all!

A new sibling is fun and exciting but it can also be hard on little ones. We have been talking about and praying with her for months about her sister or brother in Africa. And if you ask her, she will tell you she has a brother or sister in Eth-e-o-pia! We talk about what a great helper she is going to be. But, I am afraid she isn't grasping the brother OR sister part, because she keeps telling me she will take care of the girl and mommy will take care of the boy!

We always wanted diverse dolls and books, etc in our home. So Emory has had a black baby doll for a long time now, in fact she has two of them! She constantly switches which baby she takes around with her because she has so many! Lately it has been one of her black dolls (which does get us some funny looks when we are out in public!) Recently she has just gotten to the point where she is naming her dolls. The other day, I explained to her that her sibling will have dark skin and hair like that doll, so later when I asked her baby's name, she said it's "sisterorbrother." What have we done?!?

Today, as she gathered her purse and belongings to pretend she was leaving, I asked where she was going. Usually she answers work, church, or shopping. Today it was, "I'm going to Africa to bring sister or brother home." Oh, how I wish it were that simple.