Set out today to get Avery's Social Security number. Our USCIS agent said once her greencard arrived to just take it to SS office and she'll get a SS number. Now, I am not naive enough to believe it would be THAT easy, but now that she has a greencard what else can they need? Right? WRONG.
So I set out with:
-Adoption decree, birth certificate, greencard, medical records, etc.
Basically, I packed up the filing cabinet and brought it with me. We get called relatively quickly which thrilled all three kids because we were heading to the Nature Museum next to see the butterfly release after we finished. NOT.
As soon as I sit down, I can tell that not only does this lady mean business, but that she is not going to make any small talk. She asks for the application, check. Greencard, check. My driver's license, check. Adoption decree (Haiti), check. Which leads to our first roadblock. We have an emailed adoption decree both Haitian/translated to English. She wants, you guessed it, an original. I explained to her, it went down in the rubble (I don't know if it did or didn't but we'll probably never know) So, she then proceeds to tell me my "email" copy must get certified. Okay, but by WHOM do you recommend "certify" it? She said the man who signed it in Haiti. I tell her he did not survive earthquake for one, and two, how does she think I am getting anyone's John Hancock in Haiti? Seriously. So then she says get it certified by my attorney. Ummm, what attorney? UGH.
So, she gets her manager. The manager agrees, that is nonsense. So, she'll accept medical records instead. GREAT, I am so relieved I brought those. Wrong. Second road block. Although the records are all signed, and dated, she wants an original signature and a "stamp." Now I am getting pissed, I say like a postage stamp? HAHA. Anyway, she wants a stamp that has the doctors office name on it. Can anyone spell A-N-N-O-Y-I-N-G. Can these people be making up any more rules as they go?
I cry and slam my papers around a bit and off we go, back up I-77N to get doc's INK signature (next to his signature that is already on there) and a "stamp." I said, stamp every page, stamp the heck out of that paperwork. Doctor asks if they also need his retina scan :)
Anyway, can our goverment make getting these adopted kids US citizens any more difficult. Honestly, it's so rediculous it's hard to put into words. And to top the afternoon off, the kids missed the butterfly release and now everyone is ANNOYED!
