What Does That Mean?

I often forget when talking about our adoption that many people are not familiar with some of the terms I use. I get a lot of "What does that mean" or "what is that." I have decided to dedicate this post to defining some of the terms or explaining some of the processes so that everyone will have a better understanding of what I am talking about in future posts.

Dossier: This is a compilation of paperwork that we needed to obtain to send to the agency for the adoption. It contained documents that both the agency needed as well as those required by the Government of Ethiopia. These documents included:

Homestudy (has it's own set of needed documents)
BCI/FBI fingerprinting
Our birth certificates and marriage certificate
Police clearances for Troy and I
Medical statements from our family physicians
A statement from our bank attesting to our deposits and balances
Most recent 1040 tax forms
Employment letters
Two reference letters
Family letter to the Government of Ethiopia
Two power of attorneys for the agency representatives in country

All of these documents also had to be notarized. Once completed, the dossier was sent to the agency where it was put together and shipped to Ethiopia and then translated.

Waiting List: This is the wait list you are put on after your dossier is sent. There are different waiting lists depending on your child request/preference and it is the list with your adoption agency. We requested either gender and less than 6 months at referral/infant. Infants are the most requested so you generally have a longer wait, especially for infant girls. When you request either gender they automatically put you on the "boy list" as it is about a 4 month shorter wait than for a girl.

ET: Ethiopia, of course.

Referral: This is what you are actually "waiting" for--the referral of your child. It involves getting "The Call" from the director of our agency with an offer of a child. Our agency typically refers you a child based upon your preferences. You usually get a few pictures, a medical report, and any other pertinent info. You have a few days to get the referral looked at by a pediatrician familiar with IA (if you choose) and make your decision.

I will continue to define terms as they come up in future posts.

Still waiting with bated breath . . .