The Beginning of Questions

Monday morning Leeann hopped up onto my bed, just chattering away at me. After a few minutes she non-chalauntly asked me, "Who's my first mommy?"

The question took me a little off-guard. I knew these questions would come, but she isn't even 4 yet! Somehow I imagined I would have a little more time to figure out how to best answer questions about her adoption. We have vowed to be honest with her and answer her questions honestly though... so I briefly told her about how God had a special plan for her life and how Nai-Nai (Kyndall) raised her when she was a little baby and then she became part of our family and I became her mommy, and daddy became her daddy. She has known for a while now that she was in Nai-Nai's tummy when she was a baby just like Titus was in my tummy, and Kamden was in Mrs. Ro's tummy. That's as far as we've gotten though, and until yesterday she didn't seem to ask anymore questions.

Within the hour I was on the phone with our adoption agency, asking for any resources I could get my hands on that would help me to know how to be age appropriate with my explanations.

By lunch time we were getting ready for Kyndall to come over and I was telling Weston and Logan that she would be here soon. Leeann piped up, "Kyndall is my mommy", ever-so matter-of-factly. I gently reminded her that Kyndall is her birth mom (and she continues to confuse the words birth and first).

We had a great time with Kyndall here, and I let her know that questions might be coming. Sure enough, while Kyndall was on her cell phone Leeann was trying to get her attention by saying mama, mama. I took her aside and we had a little talk about how it makes mommy and Nai-Nai sad when she calls Nai-Nai mommy. Her special name is Nai-Nai, and that's what she would like Leeann to call her. Leeann seemed to readily accept that answer and she went on her merry way.

She's made a few other comments since then too, she's obviously getting for the first time that there's something a little bit different and/or special about being adopted and she wants to know more about what it's all about!

So... Monday was a little bit hard for me. It's hard to share the title mommy, but really, it's only by God's absolute grace that I even get to have that title for the world's most wonderful little girl! I'm excited for Leeann that she has such a big, unique family that loves her and that she gets to love. If you ask me, that's a pretty special thing!