Oh, lord. We did not prepare. We were only planning to foster to adopt, so it was a matter of finding that one kid or sibling pair. Aside from the fact that we didn't know what age or sex or whether it would be one or two kids, we wanted them to be able to pick out their own things, including paint. We had a twin bed from Goodwill, a nightstand, and some shelves.

We called on a referral on a Wednesday. We finally heard back from the child's state worker the following Wednesday, knowing that she had to be placed by the Monday after that. During that phone call, it was agreed that we would take her. The worker texted us pictures of her the next day. On Friday, we went to meet her. We brought paint samples so she could choose the color for her room. On Saturday, we went back up to visit again and took her shopping. On Sunday, we had people come to help us paint. On Monday, she moved in, but ended up sleeping on the couch for a night or two because of the paint smell.

We made do with the furniture situation and added and replaced pieces over the months.