Dual nationality

[nanila]

Two dual nationals and their Daddy. The sticker on Humuhumu's shirt is Neptune, from her Usborne "Space" sticker book. (This means that her version of the solar system as recorded in the book has only seven planets.)


And a version without Humuhumu pulling a face.

Last Friday we headed to the embassy in London to register Keiki's birth and apply for his other passport.

When we did this for Humuhumu, the bloke's trousers split as we were navigating the packed morning Tube. He got to swear his oath of truthfulness before the consular officer with his jumper artfully tied about his waist to keep his pants from peeping out playfully from beneath his trousers. We were therefore anticipating some manner of sartorial disaster to befall one of us during the adventure.

It didn't happen during the commute, which was unnecessarily exciting due to the cancellation of our first train. We hustled to get on a train going in the opposite direction so that we could travel instead via fast train. The fast train, by virtue of being fast, was also rammed, so we ended up getting on the next slow train, which stopped at the station we started in, only 15 minutes later. Humuhumu, who loves public transport, entertained morning commuters on the busy platform by gleefully greeting the arrival of every train with, "OH, TRAIIIN!", whilst her parents attempted to disappear into their hats.

Despite the delay we still arrived a comfortable margin before our appointment to go through the security checks and unintentionally play "spot the celebrity". (Last time it was Jay Rayner. This time it was Rita Ora. Her assistant interrupted our initial check-in to determine where to go for a VIP appointment.)

Once we were through into the citizen-only waiting room, Humuhumu gravitated towards the soft play area and promptly befriended a small boy. Or rather, attracted a small boy follower whom she scarcely noticed. (This is a theme at her nursery as well. She has a staunch attendant there who always fetches her coat and bag when we come to pick her up.) He toddled loyally after her, presenting her with blocks that she could integrate into her sculptures, which she then kicked over gleefully.

After paying the fees for the registration and passport, we settled down to wait until we were called before a consular officer. Keiki woke, realised he hadn't been fed for a while, and squawked. I arranged my cover and sat down to feed him. When he was finished, I removed the cover to find that the sartorial disaster had struck. These days I find I don't have much leakage from the opposite breast whilst feeding, and when I do, a breast pad is more than sufficient to soak it up and protect my clothing. But of course, not this time. My entire right side was soaked. There was no way to conceal it without putting my wool coat back on, which I did, even though it was tropical in the waiting room.

In the end, I swore my oath of truthfulness to the consular officer whilst sweating profusely and smelling faintly of stale milk. Classy.

Comments

[silveradept]

These are things, perhaps, to ensure that you don't forget what you have done and arrange to have it happen again?

[nanila]

That's a good way to think of them! However, passports for minors have to be renewed in person. We'll have to go back in a couple of years to renew Humuhumu's passport when she's five, and then Keiki's when he's five, and again when they're ten, etc. *sigh*

[silveradept]

Oh, goodness. So there's the possibility of even more incidents in the future.

[ankaret]

Aww, Humuhumu's smile is just like her Dad's!

I had no idea breasts could even do that, what with being a barren stock and all. All the commiserations.

[nanila]

I had no idea breasts could do that either, until I started breastfeeding. What's really entertaining is that for the first couple of weeks after the baby is born and the milk comes in, they spontaneously burst into action at the slightest provocation. Even thinking about feeding the baby can get them going. I have a set of 24 washable breast pads and I went through all of them every day until Keiki was five weeks old.

They calm down quite a bit by the time the baby is three months old, but can still surprise you, usually in situations like this when you can't access a change of clothes.

[alwayswondered]

Ahhhh they are so cute! I love the face-pulling one best.

[nanila]

:D Thank you! I quite like them - as in, both the subjects of the photos and the photos themselves.

[alwayswondered]

Let me also point out that I love Humuhumu's ability to recruit total strangers into her service. This is an important life skill. Let's hope she retains it into adulthood.

[nanila]

She seems to have that magnetism built into her personality. I shall do my best not to quash it (nor to let anyone else do so!).

[ayebydan]

Humuhumu is her dad's double!

Sorry abut the leaking :( Though I would hope a lot of people would understand and be mature about it if they did see.

[nanila]

She is. I can see very little of myself in her physically, although I think she's quite a lot like me in personality.

There were other mums breastfeeding so I don't think anyone would have been surprised to see leakage!

[rmc28]

Aww, such cuties. I'm amused by Humuhumu's attendant :-) Nico has friends at nursery who call out to him when I come to get him, if he hasn't noticed. Also he likes to say HELLO TRAIN, BYE BYE TRAIN whenever we are at stations, very loudly.


Of course the milk leaked at the worst possible time. I remember attending a wedding with 3-month-old baby C and the entire right side of my pretty wedding top getting completely soaked, and nothing remotely suitable to change into in my bag. Years later, planning for a conference I attended with 3-month-old baby N in tow, I bought a jacket specifically and entirely for the purpose of hiding the inevitable milk leakage that I expected would happen (and did!) I still have it for dressing up for certain meetings at work :-)

Stopping breastfeeding entirely brought back those memories in full, including multiple accidental leaks for a couple of weeks. Luckily February was cold enough I could get away with wearing extra layers to hide them.

[nanila]

Embarrassingly honest toddlers FTW! :D

Oh jeez, at a wedding! But of course, you're in your best clothes - clothes that probably stain, too.

I didn't even think to bring a change of top with me. I assumed that all would be fine as I haven't had leakage like that for weeks.

Sympathies on the leakage when stopping breastfeeding. I'd forgotten all about that, but with Humuhumu, I guess I was so stressed at the time from being away so much immediately after returning to work (hence stopping) that I didn't notice as much as I might have otherwise.

[cmcmck]

:o)

Such a great pic!

[nanila]

:D Thank you! I like how Keiki's personality is starting to come through in photos now.

[emelbe]

Yay! I'm so glad it's all done and with a minimum of terribleness. And the siblings even have matching "the calamity of my dual citizenship acquisition" ststories!

[nanila]

Thank you! And yes, although the relaxation of rules on phone & tablet use in the embassy definitely reduced the stress levels on this visit.

[lark_ascends]

Oh, dear.

*giggles quietly* Sorry, can't help that. Giggling at the fact that the disasters have continued and the way you told the story than what happened. Can't imagine that that would be fun. :(

[nanila]

It wasn't too terrible. Rather embarrassing at the time, but the soonest we're likely to see any of those people again is in two years when we have to renew Humuhumu's passport. Hopefully everyone else will have forgotten!