Something Was Still Missing. . . .

A few nights ago, on our way home from church, Miss M sat in the back seat--deep in thought. Finally, she asked "When God made the first people, were they children or grown-ups?" We could tell she had been pondering the 'ol tummy-and-baby chicken-and-egg concept.

In answering her question, we decided to go all the way back to The Beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth. We told her God made the earth, the stars, the sun and the moon. That he made oceans, mountains, deserts, trees, plants, and all the animals. After making all of these things, though, something was still missing. He needed someone to name the animals and help Him take care of them. He needed someone to enjoy all of the fruits and vegetables. Someone that could have fun exploring the world and learning about everything He created. Someone that God could love and that could love God back. So he made a man named Adam. Adam had a busy life. It took him a long time to name all of the animals and he loved living in the beautiful world that God made. God loved Adam and Adam loved God. But God realized that something was still missing. Adam needed a helper and a friend. He needed someone to laugh with, play with and talk to. So God made a lady named Eve. Adam and Eve had such a great time. They enjoyed watching the birds and animals. They took walks in the garden. They hiked in the mountains. They went swimming with the fish. They worshipped God. But something was still missing in the world God created. . . . children. So God put some babies in Eve's tummy. The world would not be complete without children but God knew that children need mommies and daddies, so He made two grown-ups first.

Miss M took it from there. She explained, "and after a long time, there was a lady named Grandmama. God knew something was still missing from the universe, so he put Crazy Pa in her tummy. There was also a lady named Ma-Ma, and God put MamaToo in her tummy. In Colorado, there was a lady named Honey, and God put Gabby in her tummy. And there was another lady in Colorado named Grandma Bee; God put Pa in her tummy. After Crazy Pa and MamaToo and Gabby and Pa grew up and they all got married, God said 'hmmm. . . . something is still missing'. . . and He put Mama in MamaToo's tummy and Daddy in Gabby's tummy. Mama and Daddy grew up and got married and God said 'hmmmm. . . . something is still missing'. . . . and that something was ME!"

We think she got it.

The B Family Diamond

A few people have asked whether our girls understand that we're adopting and what we've told them about the adoption. Yes, they know and here's how it's been explained to them (it's simplistic but they are young and it seems to be in line with their level of comprehension):

There is a baby being born in Ethiopia that God has chosen to be in our family. God is helping us find this baby and, after our girls turn 3 and 6, we will be traveling to Ethiopia to bring this baby home. The way our girls understand it, before we are born, we are in heaven with God. When we are ready to be born and grow up, God sends us from heaven into our mama's tummy. For some children, the "Tummy Mama" and "Grow Up Mama" are two different ladies, while for other children, it's the same lady. Our girls seem satisfied with these explanations and have not yet requested us to delve any deeper into such things as how exactly babies get put into tummies (or out of them) or what role the Daddy plays in this whole process (although they know that God waited to put them in their Mama's tummy until after their Mama and Daddy grew up and got married since He wanted to make sure they would have both a mommy and a daddy to help them grow up). They know where Ethiopia is on their globe as we have been making an effort to teach them about Africa for the last couple of years (particularly wildlife, Masai and Samburu culture and Swahili vocabulary words as a result of our love of Kenya). They're good travelers and we're planning to take them with us when we travel to pick up our new addition. They're excited about the trip. They know that our new addition will have brown eyes like their Mama and beautiful brown skin.

A few weeks ago, somewhat out of the blue, Miss M announced that it's a baby girl in Ethiopia named Diamond who will be joining our family. To put this in a little context, it may be useful for you to know that our girls like to adopt character names. On any given day, they want to be called Bambi and Faline, Rudolph and Clarisse, Simba and Nala or Balto and Jenna (always the two main characters from their favorite animated movie at the moment—with Mary Nanette taking on the lead and Amelia assuming the best supporting actress role). Daddy B is often referred to by our girls as “Mufasa” or “the Great Prince of the Forest”. Our pets get renamed every few weeks. When we asked Miss M where the name Diamond came from, she simply said “it's a nice shape and diamonds are beautiful and sparkly”. Every night, they pray for Diamond. They pray for God to help us find Diamond (we think they picture us going on safari and finding her swaddled up under an acacia tree) and that God will keep Diamond healthy and safe from hyenas as we look for her. They pray for Diamond’s “Tummy Mama”, that she will also be safe and healthy and know that Jesus loves her. They’ve designated the nursery as “Diamond’s Room” and all the baby toys as “Diamond’s Toys”. The small piece of seat between their carseats in the car has become "Diamond's spot". They will point out Ethiopia on their globe and say "that’s where our sister Diamond is". The concept of a baby girl named Diamond seems easier for them to relate to than the abstract idea of a baby. The name itself is a little trendier than any of the baby names on our list, but, after hearing it used so much, it’s kind of grown on us. So.... when writing about our Ethiopian child before we've been matched and during that period after we've been matched before we pass court (we aren't permitted to publish names or photos during that time), we will probably refer to our little one as "Diamond" (unless they decide to change her name in the meantime). Once our baby comes home, it will surely become one of the many little pet names we will use. Now you know who Diamond is. And we know for sure that Diamond is going to be one precious, treasured, priceless gem!

Home Study Visit

We had our first in-home visit with our home study social worker this morning. Prior to today's meeting, we've provided her with oodles of information about us but had primarily corresponded with her through e-mail, so we weren't sure what to expect. We were worried that it was going to feel like this:

But instead, it was a relaxed and informative conversation. She was friendly, easy to talk to and seemed to "get" us. She's helped around 1400 families through the adoption process and was able to provide us with a lot of information and advice. We spent a lot of time talking about domestic vs. international adoption and exploring how we reached our decision to adopt from Ethiopia. We walked through the paperwork and educational requirements and discussed what we've completed in and what is outstanding. We discussed the transition home and our becoming a multi-racial, multi-cultural family.

We were so proud of our girls, who welcomed her with great fanfare (they get such a kick out of having company) and then played sweetly together in the next room for nearly an hour (not one toy dispute!). She asked for a quick tour of our home, but did not peek in our hall closet or garage (which now look like they were organized by Martha Stewart herself). Nor did she walk out onto the patio that Mr. B pressure-washed at 6 a.m. this morning. But it feels soooooo good to have everything that needs to be done, done AND to have one more of our adoption requirements satisfied!