Adoption Blogs

This is probably the most watched of all the countries that I blog about so imagine my surprise when I did a little digging and found a very important [missed] announcement. It appears that back in late January/early February a notice was released regarding adoption from this country. This is what the Joint Council released regarding this specific notice: The United States has determined that it will not resume intercountry adoptions on February 1, 2012, when the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation of Intercountry Adoption will enter into force there. Despite Vietnam's initiatives to strengthen its child welfare system and ensure the integrity of its domestic and international adoption process, it does not yet have a fully Hague compliant process… [more]

This morning, I come to you bearing news! On the 21st of September a notice was released by the leadership in Ireland pertaining to the status of Vietnam in regard to signing the Hague Convention. It read: Vietnam 'Ready to Sign up to Adoption Convention'  It has emerged that following discussions between the Irish and Vietnamese Authorities, Vietnam is preparing to ratify the Hague Convention on inter-country adoption. The international agreement, which Ireland signed last year, is a system of co-operation among countries ensuring that adoptions take place in the best interests of the children concerned. Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald, who recently met the Vietnamese Ambassador, has expressed confidence that Vietnam will sign-up to the convention in the near future. This is great… [more]

Unfortunately, there is no news in regard to Vietnam adoption. The country remains closed in order to finalize paperwork to complete its Hague Convention status. This makes it very difficult for the prospective parent who has been told repeatedly that this country's adoption program was slated for re-opening. All of the slated dates have come and gone with no word as to progress being completed. The question that I am routinely asked is, "What do I do while I wait?" I have a standard answer and many of you, who have read my blogs before know it by heart. I say, "Study, study, study." Research Vietnam's adoption program. Read all of the material that you can find. Figure out what (if any) special needs… [more]

It seems that there are many people who have an avid interest in adopting from the country of Vietnam. As we wait for news of its re-opening, it seems fitting to deal with some of the issues that waiting can cause in the heart and minds of prospective parents. It is difficult to wait and seems that precious time is being wasted. Having adopted internationally and been through the waiting game, I feel that I can honestly say that time put into regulation and written procedure will bring a positive result. It may not seem like it but the wait will end and a strong, healthy adoptive relationship will be re-established. I cannot stress enough that this takes time, effort and cooperation. I… [more]

Looking back into the adoption status of this country has wielded little. Though I stated in an earlier post that the new adoption law was to take effect in the beginning of January 2011, I can find no more information stating that it has. The most recent post by the  Joint Council dates back to July 2010. Again, this stresses that there is a lot of 'work' that must be completed between the United States and Vietnam in order for intercountry adoptions to re-open. Vietnam has to either become party to the Hague Convention or install a bilateral agreement with the United States. Hopefully, that is one the horizon... All of the work that Vietnam must do in order to re-open an adoption relationship… [more]

Over the past month I watched Faces of America on PBS. The show was hosted by Henry Louis Gates and researched the family histories of numerous celebrities such as Stephen Colbert, Yoyo Ma and Louise Erdrich. I found the series so interesting. As a history lover this  show was right up my alley.  It is so amazing to reflect on why people came to this country, the sacrifices they made, the bravery it took to walk into the unknown. I really wonder if most of us today could be this brave. The series included stories of internment camps, draft riots during the civil war and settlers who came to what is now Texas long before it was

Now that you have had your Giving and Receiving Ceremony and have spent a couple of weeks in Viet Nam, your child’s visa will be issued and you will all be free to fly home! Traveling home with an infant, toddler or child will be a unique experience, and has the potential to be lovely and shockingly easy or so horrid and difficult that you will wonder how you can arrange it to just stay in Viet Nam. Now that your hands will be occupied with a child and all their paraphernalia, try to check as much luggage as possible. It’s very easy to buy luggage in Hanoi if you need more space. When you pack your carry on bags, try to think of the worst… [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 of children in the home can all be… [more]

We are now officially one step closer to completing our homes study update, and another step closer to our daughter. Today my husband and I traveled to our home study agency’s office for our in office visit. It went extremely well and I’m excited that this step is done and we can move forward from here. The meeting was relatively short and pleasant. I am extremely relieved to hear that all our paperwork is in order and looks good. We’re still waiting on one reference letter to be turned in and I need to send in one financial statement, but other than that, we’re done! The paperwork is the hard part of the home study, and the actual home visit requires no real preparation, so I really appreciate being able to… [more]

Adoptive parents know that one of the hardest aspects of the process is the waiting (and if you notice this theme in my posts lately, you can tell this is not being easy for me!) Waiting on any given day to be united with your child is tough, but waiting through special occasions, like the holidays and birthdays are even more difficult. Today is Solomon's birthday. He is two years old. Well, technically today is the day we are choosing to be Solomon's birthday, as the day he was born is unknown (as is common with children in Ethiopia and other countries where birthdays are not celebrated as they are here and where children are often found abandoned without any background information). We chose today for a few reasons. First, we talked/emailed… [more]