Adoption 101

Thought I'd share a few key terms about adoption that I may (or may in the future) use on this blog. Here goes:
Dossier-Group of specific papers that China requires that spell out every detail of your lives. We just completed ours!! It can take anywhere from 2-6 months depending on immigration turn around times. Darling D's took about 2 months to complete, while Miss A's took about 5.
Referral-One of the sweetest words you will ever hear while adopting. A referral=baby. We received our referral in May of '08, and she will forever be known on this blog as Miss A.
LOI(letter of intent)-This form is provided by China. The adoptive family fills in the blanks (ie. care plan for the child that you intend to adopt, name of the child you wish to adopt, date of birth of child, where they currently reside, etc.) We sent our LOI for Miss A back in May of '08.
PA(pre-approval)-States that China accepts your LOI, and that as long as you follow thru with the normal protocol, you are approved for the child requested. We received our PA in June.
DTGR-this one is pretty "agency" specific. It means dossier to Grand Rapids (the home office of our agency.) We were DTGR about a week ago.
DTCC(dossier to Chinese Consulate)-Yippee...ours was yesterday, and it should be on someones desk in San Francisco today!
DBTGR(dossier back to Grand Rapids)-hopefully soon....sometime this week, or next.
DTC(dossier to China)-The date in which your dossier is sent to China. Ours should be dtc w/in a few weeks.
LID(log-in date)-The date that China officially receives your dossier and logs you into their system. It is normally around 2-4 weeks after it is DTC.
LOA(letter of acceptance/approval)-It acknowledges that you are "officially" matched with the child that you have requested....kind of like PA, but the final copy. It is also a form that you must fill out, sign, and mail back to China. You are assuring them that you would STILL like to adopt the child you have PA for.....well, DUH! Right now, it is taking about 2-5 months to receive the LOA after you are LID. Of course, we are praying ours is 2!
TA(travel approval)-China acknowledges that they received your LOA and now you can come and get your child. It has been taking about a 3-6 wks to receive after LOA is mailed back to China.
Gotcha day-The day that you are united with your baby!
CA(consulate appointment)-While in China, you, your spouse (if they traveled with you), and the newest addition to your family are "sworn in" in Guangzhou, China, at the American Embassy. The United States government states that you have officially complied with all immigration laws of both countries and are now a family!
I'm sure that my explanations are very "raw" to those in the adoptive community, but at least it gives you all a picture of how amazingly complicated, time consuming, and most importantly how BEAUTIFUL adoption is! All of these terms are for a specific reason....little Miss A.