Send all donations here

No more knobby boasts from me about being well-heeled and dispensing largesse around the globe. Looks like we’re about shell out big time to line the pockets of doctors and lawyers with large dollops of cold hard cash. Not only are we about to start funding another cycle of IVF ourselves now that we’ve bled the government coffers dry, but we’re also about to begin the momentous task of seeking to adopt children from the Commonwealth of Independent States. Our roving software salesman, tvc, will be pleased to know that Agnes has therefore been let down gently and will not be able to pursue her (most probably legitimate) studies in Ghana (copies of her ID and fee invoices, and calls to the Ghanian Ministry of Education appeared to back her story up). I did send her something, but not nearly enough to pay her school fees unfortunately.

I won’t go into the details of the IVF treatment in case you’re eating your lunch, but suffice to say it doesn’t come cheap, even though the probability of a successful outcome is fairly minimal. Adoption, on the other hand, while twice as expensive, offers greater certainty and is bound to be far more of an adventure, which rather appeals to me.

We took the first step along this latter route last week when we had to attend a compulsory information evening staged by the government bureaucrats in charge of the process. While not offering any further insight into the challenges that lie ahead, it did reinforce our opinion that NZ adoption is too much of a lottery to warrant serious consideration. Inter-country adoption it is then. And as I’ve noted in earlier posts, we’re keen on some wee Slav scamps, with Lithuanian or Russian. We were originally misinformed by the bureaucrats that Russia was out of the question, but it appears it is possible via an adoption agency intermediary. Whichever country we choose, we’ll have to make trips back and forth, hence the heavy cost, but the upside is that you guys get to see lots of us! Waheh! Not you BA, sorry; you’ll have to haul your own private Idaho over to Yurp, as it’s not on the direct flightpath from here :( (I’m showing signs of early senility here since I forgot that I’m the only one who reads this.)

We’ve put in our application papers already. Now we have to wait to see whether we did it early enough to be booked into the next set of seminars that are meant to explain what we’re really letting ourselves in for. In the meantime, the government agents will check out our police and medical records, and interview a number of nominated referees. Then we’ll have the agents come around to our house to interview us, search for the whips and chains in our basement, note the presence of the Bible on the bookshelves (there’s going to be lots of crossing of fingers behind backs during this process), and generally ascertain that we’re fit and proper parents-to-be. This is called a ‘home study’, which will eventually have to be translated and sent to the adoption authorities in the country of our choosing. That’ll take six months from completion of the home study, so we’re looking at at least a year away. Then it could take another year before we’re informed of any children available for adoption, in which case the process of travelling back and forth and getting the appropriate legal documentation and court orders could take yet another year. During that initial six month period after completion of the home study we’ll also be permitted seek adoption in NZ, but it’s unlikely to result in anything and besides, you’re not allowed to have your fingers in several pies at once, i.e. you can’t be registered to adopt in both your home country and another (one) country. Ach jo. So if you’re feeling munificent, our bank account is now open for receipt of all donations ;)