Being Prepared

I'm adopting a toddler! She should be joining our family very soon, so I've been getting our house ready for her.  We have to baby-proof everything, put the finishing touches on her room, we just bought a booster seat for our dining room and I'm in the market for a car seat.  Busy, busy!    But, more importantly, we're trying to prepare for her needs.  I've been reading, trying to gain a better understanding of what she may experience when she leaves the home she knows and joins ours.

"Adoptive parents will want to have at least a rudimentary knowledge of the developmental tasks of toddlers so they can respond appropriately to their child's behaviors and plan activities that stimulate their development. Children need to be parented according to their developmental age, which may not correspond to their chronological age. Many adopted toddlers display acute grief during their first weeks and months at home, seen in crying, withdrawal, poor appetite, seeking behavior, sleep difficulties, fear, or infantile behaviors. Acknowledging and supporting their child's grief is one of the first acts of love adoptive parents can give their new toddler. Grieving toddlers should be supported in their need to grieve the loss of former caregivers. Offering well-known food and maintaining a familiar routine is comforting. Accommodating a grieving toddler's need for being fed or comforted in a manner usually reserved for infants also supports the grief and provides a wonderful opportunity to develop attachment."    Read more at Rainbow Kids,  Toddler Adoption: More Than You May Expect.

Parents who've already brought children home, what did you do to prepare for your child's needs?