60 days

Our first visit to Ethiopia is just two months away.  We're so anxious to meet Tommy, but there's still so much to do and it just doesn't seem like enough time.

There's been alot of discussion around our house about how they prepare the kids for our arrival, and for their eventual departure.  We're all wondering "does Tommy know?"

He's been at the Care Center for over a year, and I'm sure kids have come and gone there.  I wonder what they know about where the kids who've left have gone.  One of the other families indicated their 4-year old couldn't wait to leave because he thought he was going to catch up with his buddy from the care center when he got to America.  As funny as that sounds, it may not be so far off the mark.  We've connected with a family from New Mexico (http://therobbsrevolution.blogspot.com/), who also have 4 kids and their little guy is at the care center with Tommy.  They're about 50 days ahead of us on the travel schedule, so looks like our guys are going to be coming to America around the same time.  We're very excited about the prospect of keeping them connected somehow (phone, Skype, etc).

We're a little worried about the show-up then leave part; will it confuse him?  Many of the adoptees are very young, and probably don't understand much of what's going on anyway, but Tommy's 3 1/2, and it's got to be confusing when some people who look VERY different show up, hug, slobber and dote over you, play with you for a couple hours, give you some nice trinkets, then disappear for 2 or 3 months.  He'll have to be wondering "is that what family means?"

Just one of the difficult parts of this journey.