Baby Bureaucracy - Part II

Getting Noah's Bolivian ID and passport was relatively easy, aside from having to wait hours on end in a government building (like going to the DMV) and the ride home turning into a 5 hour trip (normally 1 hour) because of a road blockade by discontented citizens which forced us to take a detour through corn fields on roads so dusty we had to use our windshield wipers to clear off the snow-like dust and farmers charged us tolls to pass through their lands. No, that was easy. The next paperwork battle was preparing for, no not starting, but preparing to start the US paperwork.

So to get Noah's US passport, SS card, and Birth Abroad documents, we have to go to a US consulate with, of course, all kinds of ID and documentation, one of which is our marriage licence. Good thing that was one of the important papers we brought down with us for getting our visas and Bolivian ID. Too bad we could not find it. We found all the other papers we used for getting our Bolivian Visa when we first got here, just not the marriage certificate. We searched everywhere. We had one of our administrators look for it too since he had all the paperwork at one point. We also had our lawyer look, who was also in possession of these papers at one point. No luck until a few days later when the lawyer called and said he found it in the wrong folder. Great news except just hours before we had contacted friends and family in the US to track down our other copy and overnight it to Jenna's mom who is coming down next week. Now it is off to La Paz to visit the consulate to actually start the process. The consulate here in Santa Cruz and the next closest consulate in Cochabama are closed at the moment so we are stuck flying to La Paz. We are hoping and praying this part of the process goes smoothly.

Baby Bureaucracy - Part I

How to get a Bolivian Birth Certificate:
1. Return to the hospital and ask
2. Be told to go home for different ID
3. Return to hospital to receive form
4. Go to Notary only to be told to go to the Department of Health
5. Go to Department of Health to have form stamped
6. Go back to notary to be told I need my wife and two witnesses along with their IDs
7. Find witnesses and return to notary to sign and thumb print all kinds of papers
8. Be told to come back at the end of the day
9. Return to notary to receive birth certificate only to find he was registered as a she
10. Go back the next day to get corrected certificates

This was just the first step, now on to Bolivian ID and Passport then US Passport, birth certificate, and SS card.

It's A Boy!

It's a Boy! Oh wait, you knew that already?  Well did you know his name is Noah James Weigner?  That's right!  And he weighed a healthy 3 kilos (6 pounds, 10 ounces) and was 50.5cm long (20 inches).  After about 26 hours of labor Jenna got up to relax in the shower.  About 10 seconds in the shower and "Uh oh, something is coming out!".  No one was ready.  Our OB/GYN, Dr. Vidal, had gone to visit another patient thinking it would be a few more hours yet.  Fortunately Toni, a doctor with our mission, was with us at the time.  She sent me off to find some nurses.  The ONE TIME I needed to find a nurse, there were none to be found.  Every time I stepped out of the room before, both this time and the 3 nights Jenna was in the hospital before, there were nurses in the nurses' station, usually 3 or 4 watching Soaps.  Not this time.  After running up and down the halls for a little bit I finally found one coming up  the stairs.  She rounded up the troops and our room quickly flooded with medical staff and equipment.  Dr. Vidal made it just in time.  The nurses were a little off guard for two reasons: One, women who go to this hospital almost always opt for a C-section, and two, the few live births they assist happen in a delivery room.  There was no time to get to the delivery room and so they had to make do where we were.  It was fun watching their looks of confusion and disbelief.  Fortunately, our doctor orcistrated the whole ordeal and with a few pushes, Noah was out, blue as a blueberry, and crying his little head off.  It was one incredible moment when they held him up.  It was amazing to see finally him and such a relief to see the worst of Jenna's pain over with.

Mom and baby are doing well.  Mom handles food, dad handles diapers, its a good arangement (I've got the easy end of the bargen).  Right now life consists of figuring out what life looks like as parents and working out the never ending mountain of paperwork required for having a baby here.  Thursday morning we are planning to head home.  Oh it will feel good to be home!

To see more baby pictures check out our Picasa album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/JayWeigner/NoahJames?feat=directlink