This week we’re going over the steps involved in a Vietnamese adoption. So far, we have covered making the decision to adopt, deciding on Viet Nam, choosing an adoption agency and completing the home study process. Now we’ll move on to the process as it has to do with the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.) Basically, your home study grants their approval for you to adopt on a state level, and USCIS will grant approval on a federal level. They will also be the entity that examines your child’s paperwork to ensure that they are truly eligible for adoption according to their standards.

The first form that you will complete for USCIS is the I-600A (Application... more

After you have chosen your adoption agency and signed a contract with them, the next step is to get started on your home study. Although the home study culminates with an actual in-home visit by a social worker, there is also a great deal of paperwork and educational hours to complete. Some adoption agencies are also licensed to perform home studies in the state in which they reside. In our case, our adoption agency was not licensed to do home studies in our state, so they recommended a home study only agency to work with.

Home study requirements vary according to what state you live in and what country you are adopting from. The number of times you will be required to meet with your... more

Step 3 in the Viet Nam adoption process is choosing an agency. Choosing an adoption agency to work with to complete your adoption from Viet Nam is a topic that I discuss often. It is extremely important to make your decision wisely and after much research. The agency that you choose today will be the ones representing you and your family in Viet Nam and placing your child with you; your relationship with them is an important one.

According to the US-Viet Nam Memorandum of Understanding (MOA) only adoption agencies that have been licensed by Viet Nam are permitted to work in... more

This post is #2 in the series of posts that will take you step by step through the process of adopting a child from Viet Nam.

After you have made the decision to adopt a child, you’ll next have to decide where that child will be from. Assuming that you have already decided that an international adoption is for you, you will next need to ask yourself what country you would like to adopt from. Have you always had your heart set on adopting from a certain part of the world? Do you qualify to adopt from the country that is your first choice?

Countries have their own set of requirements regarding adoptive parents. Age, sexual orientation, length of marriage, health issues and number... more

This week I’m going to take some time and go through the step by step process of adopting a child from Viet Nam. The first step is the one of making the decision to adopt. Deciding to adopt a child is a completely personal decision, and one that adoptive parents come to from many different places. Just as having a biological child is a huge decision, deciding to adopt a child requires (and deserves) a great deal of thought and consideration. Raising a child is a life changing experience (for you and the child) and I wish all parents (biological included) took the time that we adoptive... more

A few days ago we rescheduled the home visit portion of our home study with our social worker for this Sunday morning. We’re excited to see her and move forward in our second adoption; but having a home visit inevitably seems to dredge up a bit of nervousness on the part of adoptive parents. My husband and I are no exception. While we’re not nervous, per se, we did realize that we needed to discuss a few things before Sunday to be sure we were still on the same page. So that led to tonight’s post about conversations to have with your partner if you are adopting as part of a pair.

The... more

Thalassemia is a group of blood disorders that is genetically passed on and is very common in Southeast Asian countries. There are many, many different kinds of Thalassemia and it can be overwhelming to learn about them all if your child is diagnosed with some form of the disorder. During you first medical exam after you come home with your newly adopted child, your doctor will perform a battery of blood tests. It is upon receipt of the results of these tests that is when most Thalassemia diagnoses will be given.

It is important that you have a pediatrician who is familiar with Asian children and the illnesses, disorders and diseases that are prevalent in Vietnamese people. A doctor... more

When I first started seriously considering adoption I presented it to my husband by telling him it was something I wanted to discuss, asking him to think about it and let me know when he wanted to talk. I gave him some time and we eventually started to have some heart to hearts about our desire to add to our family and the world of adoption as a whole. He was open to it from the start and has become more and more an advocate for adoption as the years have passed. Now that he has the official title of Ella’s Daddy, forget about it! This man, who was completely on... more

This time last year was Ella’s first Thanksgiving. We had only been home a few weeks and were still feeling completely overwhelmed and sleep deprived, but it was a really nice day none the less. It was extremely sweet to watch my brothers bond with their new niece and watch her get to know the whole family. This year will be a little different, a little more low key, but it’ll be a nice day just the same. Two of her uncles won’t be home for the holiday this year, but it will still be really nice to have a whole day free of work and other responsibilities and full... more

Adopting a child from a foreign country comes with a set of risks that one would be foolish to not acknowledge. I frequently hear comments about families who state that they chose international adoption to avoid the risks that go along with domestic adoption. Mind you, many of the so called risks in domestic adoption are actually perceived risks that only affect a very small percentage of domestic adoptions. My goal of this post is to shine some light on and spread awareness of the risks that exist in international adoption.