Vocabulary of an adopting family

hmmm, what's all this talk of DTC, and LID and OPP? Ok, OPP is just a slip, but really, people have to wonder, what is she talking about?

Here's my list of the Top 10 most commonly used terms:
10. DD
-dear daughter, darling daughter, and so on, pick any flattering d word and add it to daughter. Many people don't use names in blogs for fear of the absolute freaks out there stalking kids... society sucks sometimes.

9. CCAA
China Center of Adoption Affairs, this is where it all happens. This one agency refers children to very lucky families all over the world in an office so normal it looks like it could hold Dilbert :)

8. I171H
- this is the form where the US immigration office says, yeah, ok, you can adopt a child from some other country. Some states this takes 3-4 months to obtain, yup, the same amount of time it takes to build a small house. You first have to file an I-600A which they use to approve the I-171H... couldn't we just apply for an I-171H in the first place? Would seem so huh? If you haven't noticed, adoption is not easy or simple.

7. asian baby stalkers
- come, you know you're out there. This is actually a POSITIVE term. It refers to soon to be adoptive parents who see couples with a child who 'looks' adopted, they want to ask the other couple question but don't want to offend... you'll see them lurking around the corner of store aisles trying not to stare!!!

6. Paper Chasing
-a term used to identify the process of riping one's eyes out so you don't rip out others while you go through having 1-3 set so fingerprints taken, your home invaded by a SW and your life placed in a document for all the world to judge... sorry, did that sound bitter?

5. Paper Pregnant
-this equates to the length of an elephants pregnancy, BUT, I've actually found this to be false... it just FEELS like the gestation period of an elephant (22 months) Your documents are done... it's out of your hands.

4. DTC
- Documents (or Dossier) to China, your completed Dossier is sent to China, translated normally before being sent. Some agencies translate them there.

3. LID
-Log In Date, this takes place 1-4 weeks from DTC, this is just the CCAA logging you into the system... things run like clockwork and no favoritism exists, it's nice.

2. TA -
sorry guys, not T&A, just TA... did I just take the wind out of your "sails"? TA means Travel Authorization, this comes a few weeks (30-60 days) after referral.

1. Referral
-this is the moment most of us anxiously wait for no matter where we are in the process. It's the day all your work all your hopes are validated. It's the day you get the information on the child you've been waiting a lifetime for and the child you've likely gone through hell for already. It's the child who helps you overcome the likely years of suffering, pain and emptiness you may have encountered on a road called life.


So if you've ever wondered why couples who conceive like rabbits could have 2 children in the it takes to adopt one... you shouldn't be wondering any more.