new birth certificate abroad?

Wow, Sharon, that is a lot of information, thanks! I guess one thing I'm still not clear on is that if the country where the child is born does issue an amended birth certificate naming adoptive parents as the parents, when it comes to getting a US passport at the embassy, how do they know whether the birth certificate you present is an amended one and the child was adopted, or whether the child was born to you and there was no other birth certificate before the one you're presenting? The other thing I see is that it's possible for the adoption to be considered legit in the country of origin, but not by the US, but it sounds like there is a way to get around that if it turns out the child that was already adopted and lives with you is deemed by the US as somehow "not" your child, namely by living together in the country for 2 years and then applying for an immigration visa for a relative rather than an adoption-related visa. Am I understanding this correctly? Thanks, Sharon!