Viet Nam Adoptive Family Interviews : An Introduction

Many readers of this blog are currently considering adopting from Viet Nam. What would you like to say to them?

The Engelbrecht Family - I was extremely impressed with the quality of the orphanges in VN. The children all seemed very well cared for.

Christina - First, congratulations! It’s an incredible gift and a blessing to adopt a child from Vietnam. Second,... more

Viet Nam Adoptive Family Interviews : An Introduction

Did you re-adopt your child in your home state? Can you please talk about your decision to do or not do so?

The Engelbrecht Family - We are in the process of re-adopting. This was the best way to change her name in our state.

Christina - Yes, we re-adopted. We wanted our kids to have an American birth certificate because it helps with other citizenship documents... more

Today’s Love Thursday post is all about family support and how much I appreciate it. As a ridiculously sensitive person I am acutely aware of the people who choose not to be very active in my family’s life, but I am also guilty of taking for granted those who are active and supportive and loving to my husband, Ella and I.

Since living with my parents and my grandmother, our lives (when it comes to Ella responsibilities) have been made markedly easier. There are now three other adults who are clamoring at us for time with Ella. They want to take her walks, push her on the swing, read books with her and just get all the Ella time that they can handle. It is absolutely endearing. And... more

Viet Nam Adoptive Family Interviews : An Introduction

Have you encountered any rude/nosy/disrespectful comments or questions about your family? If so, how did you handle them?

The Engelbrecht Family - So many people ask if we can conceive. I just say that she is what we've always wanted.

Christina - Nothing overtly rude or disrespectful. We live in an area that is pretty diverse... more

Viet Nam Adoptive Family Interviews : An Introduction

How did your child adjust to their new life in the US?

The Engelbrecht Family - She adjusted very easily. She is just very adaptable

Christina - I was amazed at how well Zeeb adjusted to his new life. It wasn’t instant perfection of course, but considering how many changes he had to deal with and just all the chaos of coming... more

Viet Nam Adoptive Family Interviews : An Introduction

Can you talk about how your parent-child bond formed/changed from the time you first met until today?

The Engelbrecht Family - Sienna was very easy to bond with. She formed bond before we left Viet Nam and she has just deepened those. She 'checks in' a lot and looks for support now.

Christina - When I first met Zeeb, I thought... more

Viet Nam Adoptive Family Interviews : An Introduction

If your child bonded quickly to one parent over the other (in a two parent home,) how did you encourage bonding with the other parent?

Christina - Zeeb bonded more easily to my husband, I think maybe because he had been so attached to his foster mother and sister. Also my husband didn’t get as stressed by things and I think Zeeb sensed that. Once we... more

Viet Nam Adoptive Family Interviews : An Introduction

What would you recommend to families to foster attachment between parent and child?

The Engelbrecht Family - Skin-to-skin contact. A lot of playful interaction.

Christina - Hold your child as much as you can, be the one to feed him and provide for his needs, try to keep things predictable and routine, as much as possible. While... more

Depending on how you feel about American Girl dolls, you’ll either be thrilled or completely indifferent to the following information. Rumor has it that they will be releasing an Asian American doll later this year.

I have seen discussions pop up about the lack of an Asian American Girl doll in adoption circles for a few years now. In case you’re not familiar with the American Girl company, they have a line of incredibly popular dolls that represent different periods of American history and different races…except for... 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 or comment below) 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)... more