In My Heart

My good friend Zoe, who in a former life was a teacher, recommended the book "In My Heart," by Molly Bang. I loved it immediately because it depicts an interracial family, yet the book is not about race at all. It's about love.

We have been wondering if Peter, our 3 year old, really gets that he is soon to be an older brother. We remember that when we were in the midst of our wait for Nicholas, Olivia, who was then 2, was SO into it. She told anyone who happened to walk past us in the street that she was waiting for her little brother from China. She drew pictures about him. She asked us all about China. And now, like Olivia, Nicholas is very excited about his new sibling (and it is bringing up a lot of adoption talk, which is a good thing), but Peter, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be. It's not like he is unhappy; he just doesn't seem to care. Or get it. He just wants to play superheroes and eat jelly sandwiches.

That is why last night, after reading the book to the above-mentioned book to the kids, I was so surprised by Peter's remark. I asked him, "Peter, who is in your heart?" And he said, "Ellie, my sister. She is far away. But I love her." Just so matter-of-fact. So adorable.