Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) who are new to the adoption world can find our terminology overwhelming and confusing. In an effort to alleviate some of those feelings, I’m posting different glossaries that define terms commonly used in Viet Nam adoptions. If there are any terms of acronyms that you just can’t figure out, please let me know and I’ll do my best to find out for you. You can always comment below or email me at rebeccah@adoptionblogs.com

DOJ – the Department of Justice in your child’s province will examine your... more

Wading through the murky waters of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) can be confusing. With your agency’s help and the support of other parents who have been there and done that, it will seem much less overwhelming and panic inducing. Although the forms have names made up of letters and numbers that sound similar, most are pretty simplistic documents that are fairly easy to fill out. When we were in the process of adopting Ella, our agency walked us line by line through each USCIS document to be sure that they were filled out correctly the first time. If your agency hasn’t offered this assistance, be sure to ask for the help.

Here are definitions and descriptions... more

When adopting from Viet Nam, your dossier is the large group of documents that is sent over to Viet Nam. In this post I will list some of the basic documents that will make up your Vietnamese dossier and explain what each document is. Your adoption agency should help you through compiling your dossier and guide you through any questions you may have. There will be other documents (powers of attorney for your agency to act on your behalf, etc.) as well as photographs required; your agency will tell you what is required when you get to this step in the process.

Home Study... more

When starting out in the world of adoption, there are many words and terms that can seem absolutely alien to Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs.) I remember cracking open Adoption for Dummies for the first time and being so grateful to have some of those confusing words defined for me. Here are some words/terms that you will come across as you read more about adopting from Viet Nam. If there are any others that you’re not sure about, let me know (rebeccah@adoptionblogs.com) and I’ll find out for you.

Dong – Vietnamese currency that is mainly in the form of bills, though you can find some coins floating around in the marketplace. One US dollar (today) is worth approximately... more

When beginning your stepparent adoption journey you are going to be introduced to a whole host of terms that you may, or may not be familiar with. Below are some of the most commonly used terms, as well as their abbreviations if applicable, when dealing with stepparent adoption.

Adoptee- This is the term, which is used for a person who has been adopted. Once your stepchild has been adopted, he or she becomes an adoptee.

Adoptive Stepparent -The stepparent who has legally adopted his or her stepchild.

Biological Parent- A parent who is genetically related to the child

Consent- when a NCP allows... more

In continuing to educate those of you who may be new to the adoption world, today I bring you the different types of adoption.

Basically there are three main types of adoption although each term is broad and varies for each individual situation.

The three types of adoption are:

Open adoption Semi open adoption Closed adoption

Let’s be backwards and start with closed adoption as it is probably the easiest to define. It is an adoption where no one knows much of anything about each other. The adoptive parents may only be basic general information on the birthmother and a birthmother... more

What do all of these abbreviations mean? The world of adoption and special needs can be very confusing when you don’t know the code. You can also unintentionally offend someone in the adoption triad by misusing the codes. Helping your special needs child can be challenging even when you know what all those abbreviations mean.

AA – African American AA/CC - African American & Caucasian ADD – Attention Deficit Disorder ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder AIDS – Acquired immune deficiency syndrome... more

As you continue to read and learn about adoption, you may be noticing a lot of “titles” for the word birthmother. Birthmother, First mother, Lifemother, Natural Mother, Biological Mother – What do they all mean and why are their so many different titles? It can be a little confusing at first.

Before I delve into explanations of the different names, I must remind you that an expectant mother considering adoption is not a birthmother. A woman does not become a birthmother until after she signs the relinquishment papers. Also, this post is not meant to be a debate on which title is the best and most appropriate. Instead, the intent is to explain the different titles.

Birthmother... more

If you are new to the adoption world, you may be coming across some words and terms that are unfamiliar to you. Below is a list of common words used in the adoption community.

Adoptee- Refers to the person that has been adopted Adoption decree – Legal order that finalizes the adoption to the adoptive parents Adoptive parents, adoptive father, adoptive mother - Refers to the people who are parenting the child. Birthparents, Birthmother, and Birthfather – Refers to the people who biologically created the child.... more

Those of us who have been part of the adoption world for a while can forget that we did not always know what to call an adopted child’s biological parents or what a home study is. It is hard to follow any discussion if you are not familiar with the basic terminology, so this post is to define some basic adoption terms for you. If you spend much time reading posts by people in the adoption triad (I define that term below), you will notice that not everyone agrees on the correct terminology for various aspects... more