Until he was 3, Khalil lived in the care of his foster parents and slept with his favorite Diego doll in a blue bedroom with an alphabet border. He had a sports-themed comforter, a dresser, a tiny chair, and a television so he could watch Shark Tales and Backyardigans. In the mornings, he liked to pull his toy box and books from the closet, and count his playthings aloud, "One, two, three, four."