I still forgot to write about our passport adventures from 2 weeks ago. Probably because I was trying to block the trauma from my memories.
To be able to travel to the States Jill needs her own passport, and some lovely person decided a couple of years ago it has to include a picture of the baby as well. In the old days when I was little you could just go to town hall and add the baby's name to the mother's passport... all set. Not nowadays.
So we went to a photographer who claimed to be specialized in American size passport photo's (the 2"x2" ones). Since Jill is also going to have an American passport Sean will have to go the US Embassy in Amsterdam and they need a different size photo than the Dutch passport, to make it easier. So we went to this guy to make both Dutch and American size photo's.
It turned out the pictures had to be of the same quality and the same rules applied as for an adult. Which meant, look strait in the camera, eyes open, no smile (also no crying!) and sitting up strait! So Sean was sitting behind Jill in the most uncomfortable position trying to keep Jill's head up, but every time a tip of Sean's finger would show up from behind Jill's head the guy would say "we can't see you in the picture". I was in the meantime trying to get Jill to open her eyes...it felt like child abuse. Sean suggested to put Jill on the floor and photograph her from above, but no, wrong background. The guy had the most ancient equipment and Jill had to "sit" on a pillow that kept sliding. So after 15 minutes we heard the great words "we have a good one", but then right away the bad words "now lets do the American size one". He couldn't figure out how to print one shot onto two different formats. So another 10 minutes, a full store, mad Sean and almost crying me later we were done.
But the other day I picked up the passport, it is so cute, but also so useless. It is valid for 5 years and I doubt she still looks like a 5 week old then and is probably taller than the 60 cm in her passport. But rules are rules.........
