pregnant...DELIVERED! in Buenos Aires

Registering a foreign born U.S. Citizen CROBA

This past week was a busy week with visits to the Registro Civil here in Buenos Aires to pick up Caitlyn's Acta de Nacimiento, another trip to Mater Dei to get more of my hospital records for the U.S. Consulate appointment to register a foreign birth abroad, and then finally - the actual appointment at the consulate to apply for her American passport and the CROBA or "consular report of birth abroad."

Caitlyn will have dual citizenship once the consular record of a birth abroad is approved, but that means two passports and understanding how that affects her when traveling to the US or to Argentina.

So, if you plan to travel to the U.S. and will be registering their foreign birth abroad  you must have the baby's Argentine passport to leave the country (this is my next post) and their American passport to enter the States. So you need to also do the Argentine passport as soon as possible.
By US laws, even if your children also hold foreign nationality, they are required to enter and depart the United States on a valid US passport at all times. They should not enter the United States on a foreign passport or on US visa waiver program.

One other thing to be aware of that is very important:
if your baby is born here in Argentina then they will forever have "born in Argentina" in their American passport. If they want to travel to Argentina later in life they should enter and exit Argentina on a current Argentine passport because they are still considered as being governed by Argentine laws once they set foot in the country and without the passport they will not be allowed to leave the country if someone sees the born in Argentina in their American passport.

 

NOW FOR THE PROCESS

You should really do this as soon as possible after your baby is born in Argentina. Here is what you need to know based on our experience (which was a positive one as her applications were all approved!)

1. Contact the U.S. Consulate in Buenos Aires for to request the information package "How to Register a Child Born Abroad" by email at BuenosAires-ACS@state.gov or by mail: Consular Section , United States Embassy, Av. Colombia 4300, C1425GMN Buenos Aires.
The package will contain all your instructions, the form for the consular birth record of birth abroad, a passport application, an affadavit detailing the time in and out of country, and a social security application (which you won't need to fill out because now you can't apply for one until you get your passport.) p.s. while you're waiting for the packet, visit the U.S. Department of State's page on "documentation of U.S. Citizens born abroad" for a lot of great information.

2. Once you have the packet, call or email to make an appointment - if you want to call them then best to do early in the day. They will give you an appointment with the time and the window number (in reality you'll be going to one of two windows that are set up for passports). You'll need to go with the baby's father and the baby.

3. Prepare all of your paperwork (read the backs of the forms carefully to make sure you fill in the information the way they like it). You'll need your major documentation in originals (ie. marriage certificate etc.) and preferably certified but you won't need to bring them any copies - I think they copy what they need.
*You need to provide them with proof that you lived in the U.S. for at least five years of your life as a US born citizen (if not born in US then read the packet to see the differences). In our case I provided them with my unofficial school transcripts as well as a file of bills from my pets over the years that I had dragged along in my records since I didn't have anything else that covered enough time.

4. The day of your appointment make sure you give yourself some additional time as you have to go through a security check which takes a bit of extra time.
Once at appointment, take a number and sit down to wait to be called by number or name whichever comes first. The person at the first window will go through your papers with you to make sure everything is in order.
Next you'll be sent to pay the fees for the  CROBA which is 65.00 US and the passport which is 82.00 US (you can also pay by credit card or in pesos).
After you finish paying and have your receipt you head back to the person processing your paperwork, give them the receipt and wait to be called up again for the final processing.
When called up again, they confirm all your paperwork, ask some questions, ask to see the child, and have you sign and do a swearing in that everything is true. If everything is fine...all is approved. Passport should take around 10-14 days to get to your Argentine address by DHL.

5. Final step, take the receipt they give you and go to the DHL window on the way out, pay the DHL fee in pesos and give the address you want the passport sent to.

All in all, it wasn't too difficult, particularly as it was only one of us who is a U.S. citizen with the other one still considered a French citizen till naturalized.

One last thing, if you ever need to apply for a certified copy of a "consular record of foreign birth abroad" you need to contact the U.S. Department of State. They have all the information you'll need right on their website at that link.

Acta de nacimiento and DNI for Argentine born baby

This post is coming just a bit before some other posts that I really want to get out about how everything went with the medical care for Caitlyn's delivery. But since I am now a human pacifier and spend most of my day literally with Caitlyn attached to me, I'm going to get to these posts as I can, and in this case it won't be in exactly the order I hoped! I wanted to cover our experience at the Registro Civil and the process of getting Caitlyn's Acta de Nacimiento or birth certificate and her Argentine DNI. Normally, you can register your child's birth at the hospital where they were born, however in our case, and probably the case of some of you who might be reading this, we weren't married here in Argentina and thus to register the birth at the hospitalo we would need our marriage certificate apostilled, and then translated here in Argentina by a translator certified by the National College of Translators, and then the translation would have to be certified as well. The other option and really the easiest for foreigners - whether here legally or illegally, is for both parents to go to the Registro Civ il, with the: passports of both parents, a photocopy of each passportl, and the Certificado de Nacimiento from the place of birth (ie hospital, birthing clinic, etc).     ** Beware of one thing with the certification of the birth. In our case the partera or midwife that assisted my obstetrician was the person who certified the birth on the paperwork. Unfortunately she missed my middle initial on my passport name and this caused us to make two trips to the Registro, because the passports needed to match EXACTLY, with no misspellings or omissions. Also, if you plan to apply for permanent residency through your child, you will want to make sure you take a copy of your birth certificate so as to save the hassle later of having to go and get extra certifications or paperwork about the differences. Once at the Registro, you head to the nice lady at the window for the nacimientos, she looks over your passports and certificado de nacimiento and then gives you a number, sends you off to fill in the personal information on the certificado as well as giving you an Informe Estadestico de Nacido Vivo to fill out as well - this last form essentially asks how many children are born to you at this time, how many you had before, info on your newborn, etc and if you can't comfortably read Spanish, you'll want to take someone with you to make sure you understand the questions, although with basic Spanish you should get by fine. Eventually, your number will be called and you will go back to the window again, now with your forms filled out for the clerk to review all the information. MAKE SURE YOU PRINT CLEARLY SO THERE ARE NO MISSPELLINGS! Once the information is reviewed then you wait again until the person who registers the birth and prepares the baby's DNI is finished. Once they're ready they call you back up and you then sign the birth registry, again making sure everything is correct, and if the DNI is in stock you get it right then. The official birth certificate takes about a week and requires a trip back to pick up by one of the parents or an authorized person. Something I found interesting by the way, only the father signs their name in the babies DNI book, not the mother...hmphhh. So there you have it, registering your child born in Argentina, and oh yes, in case you didn't figure it out already, your newborn with automatic Argentine citizenship just gave you the chance to have permanent residency if you so desire. More to come, including registering the foreign birth of a U.S. and French citizen.

Baby Caitlyn has arrived

The Santa Stork brought us a wonderful gift on December 26, 2006 with the arrival of our daughter Caitlyn Elizabeth.  

Mommy, daddy and new little bundle of joy are doing great and adjusting to a completely new experience for all of us. Because she was born by caesarian it will take me a bit more time to recover fully, but I'm off to a great start.

I will be posting much more information about what the birth was like, the hospital care, the overall experience and what it will be like to have to declare a foreign birth abroad, as well as her birth here with parents who are foreigners in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I'm also going to talk about those things that I really miss having here as far as baby products, and other products that exist here that are useful.

The countdown is on

I'm currently in my last couple of weeks before my ceasarian is scheduled, although for some reason, call it new mom intuition, I think she's going to come just before Christmas.

Just finished visiting my OB, who is sending me for a crazy number of appointments for the upcoming week - blood work, EKG, fetal check, and another appointment with him. Thank goodness for my insurance plan that doesn't question anything.

This past weekend another expat threw me a baby shower. I must say that I never thought I would have enough friends here to even attend, considering in Miami I could count my friends on one hand. However, this shower was a blast. Baby showers aren't common in Argentina, nor even in my husband's native France. The French family who attended found it to be very interesting. Evidently in France and Argentina they throw some sort of party after the baby is born. Personally I like the idea of both! It was a great shower with expats that I've met since moving here and everyone got along great! Unfortunately, my friend Veronica wasn't able to attend which was a shame because she's been there almost since this baby was conceived.

I've also been getting so many things brought to me by people who are coming to visit friends and family. Imagine you can buy a Chicco stroller here separate from the car seat but not the other way around. And the price is exorbitant anyway. My car seat in the States is around 160.00 U.Ss and here it's around 280.00 U.S. So I was fortunate enough that someone brought one and will be delivering it this weekend to me yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. Even though we don't have a car, we can request a remise with seatbelts which will be the only way I travel unless someone picking us up or we rent a car. There is no way I will put our baby in a taxi, or car without some solid protection around her.

Well that's it for the moment. I'll post about the doula who will be helping me after the baby is born. She speaks native English and was trained in the States even though she now lives in Buenos Aires.

chau chau

Pregnancy Massage and Chiropractic in Buenos Aires

Pregnancy massage and chiropractic are two wonderful holistic practices that will benefit a pregnant woman and help her survive her pregnancy more comfortably.

In Buenos Aires, there aren't a lot of massage therapists that specialize in pregnancy massage, but one school is a great source of licensed practicioners, Oasis Massage School.  They were the ones who referred me to a wonderful young woman named Alejandra Hajduk. Alejandra speaks perfect English by the way. I chose to go to her rather than have her come to me and I was ever so glad to make the trip to Belgrano from the suburbs. She has created a serene space with good energy and is equipped with a top notch massage table complete with the proper face rest - something much more important than the convenience of having someone come to my house, but then again she can do that also. Her massages are well priced for her quality and the length of time she spends with you. I highly recommend Alejandra and have included her email if anyone wants to contact her directly.

If you're not able to get to a massage therapist, then this article on pregnancy massage at home could be a great help as well. Hope it's helpful.

The chiropractors are two American chiros who came down to Bs.As. several years ago and opened up Casa de Vida or House of Health. Having been to so many chiros over the past fifteen years, most good with a couple of cracks sprinkled in, I feel pretty confident in being able to know if they're good or not.  So far I have not been disappointed at all. And, to top it off, they have a special apparatus for adjusting pregnant women, as well as some of the newest technology for getting a reading on the spine, a plus again for pregnant women who don't want to get xrays!

Feel free to post a comment if you've tried any of these suggestions!

Baby Expo in Buenos Aires

The babies are in town...well at least tons of pregnant (embarazada) women. The Ahora Mama Expo 2006 begins on Thursday, November 2nd and ends on Sunday, November 5th. It's being held at La Rural Av. Sarmiento (entre Av. Cerviño y Av. Santa Fe)in Palermo, and is open from 14 hours (2:00 p.m.) to 21 hours (9:00 p.m.).  This is a great way for parents who are expecting, as well as parents who already have young babies, to see the latest trends, products, and information available in Buenos Aires. Bring some cash too because products will be available for purchase there.

It's very different here in Buenos Aires than for instance the United States. In the U.S. there is an abundance of baby stores and products aimed at expecting parents, to the point where it's overwhelming at times to know what's really necessary and what's just marketing hype. At the same time though, here it can be frustrating because the selection of products that you might want is limited and to have things shipped in is crazy between the shipping costs - if they even ship here, and the problem of the arbitrary duties charged when picking up your shipment at the Correo.

However, as limited as it might be, there are some excellent products available here, albeit sometimes overpriced or last year's model. A few of those brands include: Peg-Perego, Graco, Maclaren, Avent, and Tiny Love, among others. The two biggest stores to find these products are Creciendo and El Mundo del Juguete. And, of course, you'll find all of these and more at the Ahora Mama Expo.

Choosing a Baby Name in Buenos Aires

"What do you mean we can't choose any name we want?" I asked my girlfriend. "Well, we have to check the official name list and make sure it's an allowable name," was her response to my perplexed look.

I never expected something like this but, the hubby wasn't totally surprised. It seems that France has the same rule.

So that was how I found out that here in Buenos Aires, you have to choose from an official list of names for your new addition. I was panicked thinking that we would be limted to a short list of names, but upon checking the official government of of Buenos Aires Nombres list, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the list is actually quite long and comprehensive.

There are several rules that govern the name list and also allow for some leeway for foreigners.
-- The list is meant to prevent names that are outlandish, ridiculous, opposite to Argentine customs, or that express or mean political or ideological tendencies.
-- If the parents are diplomatics or consular employees they can be exempted and the name can be petitioned to be added to the list. Also, if the name can be proven to exist as a real name or one of the parents has the name, it can also be petioned to be approved and added to the list.
-- Names that sound like last names are not allowed; names that are identical to siblings aren't allowed; and the total length of first, middle, and last name cannot exceed three names.

Luckily for us, 99% of the names we are considering are in the list, with just a few exceptions of names that I like that are used in the Northeast of the U.S. So I think we'll be able to get by without any problem and actually, I've gotten a few new ideas from the extensive list as well.

A baby boy? after this email nooooooo

I have been trying, through coughs, hacks, and runny nose to get some more posts done. Of course some of you already know, and now the rest of you will too, when us preggie women are sick the med cabinet is off limits. Actually every time I reach for that cabinet door it seems the husband is right there to say, "no, no, no, you know you can't have that Nyquil." ugh if I ever wanted to beat someone up just to get my hands on something it's at those moments.

Well, in the spirit of keeping me upbeat, my good friend Veronica, who is CONVINCED we're  having a boy (sorry Veronica, now that I'm sick we have to reschedule the CVS and hold off for another week or so knowing the sex of the baby ;-)), has sent me a funny email about boys.  If I ever wondered why we wanted a girl and not a boy (okay it's true you end up having the chain the girls to the bed when they enter their teens to keep them out of trouble), this woman from Texas provided 23 good ones! But then again, I don't know if that's worse than the curse my mother placed on me when I was a teenager, "I wish upon you FIVE girls just like you!"

Hope you'll get as much of a laugh out of it as the husband and I did, of course I laughed differently than he did considering he was a boy once too ;-). Enjoy.

-- Raising Boys by Anonymous writer in Texas
a) For those who have grown children - this is totally hysterical!
b) For those who have children past this age, this is hilarious.
c) For those who have children this age, this is not funny.
d) For those who have children nearing this age, this is a warning.
e) For those who have not yet had children, this is birth control.
The following came from an anonymous Mother in Austin, Texas:
Things I've learned from my Boys (honest and not kidding):
1.) A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house, 4 inches deep.
2.) If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.
3.) A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.
4.) If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy   wearing Batman underwear and a
Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint
on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.
5.) You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball
up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.
6.) The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.
7.) When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.
8.) Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.
9.) A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.
10.) Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old Boy.
11.) Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.
12.) Super glue is forever.
13.) No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.
14.) Pool filters do not like Jell-O.
15.) VCR's do not eject "PB & J" sandwiches even though TV shows they do.
16.) Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.
17.) Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.
18.) You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.
19.) Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.
20.) The fire department in Austin, TX has a 5-minute response time.
21.) The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.
22.) It will, however, make cats dizzy.
23.) Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.
24.) 80% of Women will pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.
25.) 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.

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