A Package for Trey Amos

We've been putting together a little package for Trey Amos over the past few days. The most important thing for us to do right now is to try and promote the attachment process between him and us. It is going very well on OUR end...we are extremely attached to him already, carrying his photos around with us, talking about him, thinking about him, etc, etc, etc.

However, Trey doesn't even know we exist! Babies start the attachment process already when they are in utero. Then, as soon as they are born, the necessary process for attachment between baby and biological family usually happens quite naturally (although this is not always the case).

In adoptive families this process is a little bit different, especially in adoptive families where the children are not adopted right after birth.

So, in order to begin promoting attachment for Trey we are sending him a few things. One thing is a little stuffed doggie "Buddy" from Build-a-Bear. (Yes, we named the dog, but only because the girl at Build-a-Bear forced us to!!) We recorded our voices so that when Buddy's hand is squeezed, Trey can hear our voices talking to him. We also slept with both Buddy and with a little blankie so that they can absorb our smells for Trey. (This was a suggestion we had heard from numerous different adoption experts).

We also put together a photo album for Trey with close-up pictures of our faces on each page so that volunteers and staff at GLA can show them to him, and start talking to him about Mommy and Daddy.

Finally, we are sending down a few books...not that these have much to do with the attachment to us, but we chose some nice rhythmical Dr. Seuss stories that the volunteers and staff can read to him. Hopefully later we can send down more recordings of our voices reading some books to him.