the passport photo saga

Ruby was a citizen of nowhere but the world for six whole weeks!

Two weeks ago, we headed to Taipei to visit the American Institute of Taiwan, America's quasi embassy. We had to make an appointment to announce the birth of a U.S. citizen overseas and submit paperwork for her passport and social security card.

Before we left for Taipei, we spent nearly a whole week trying to get a suitable photo for her passport application. Shockingly, the rules for newborns are the same for everyone else. She had to fully face the camera so both of her ears were showing, she had to have both of her eyes open, and she had to have a neutral look on her face.

Suffice it to say, it was a difficult task-- especially because of Ruby's GERD, a medical condition she has been suffering from since two weeks after her birth that causes her great discomfort and makes her cry much of the time she is awake.

We got some pretty cute (and pretty funny) mugshots at home, but every time I took them to the photo printing shop, they pointed out everything that was wrong with them. Most of the issues had to do with the not 100% white background or the angle of her head.

In the end, after four attempts and failures at home over the span of just as many days, Sean took Ruby to the photo shop so they could take her picture to ensure it would not be rejected and therefore make her application invalid. It took a lot of time and some finagling at the shop, but in the end, the photographers got the photos we so desperately needed.

And I have to say that Ruby enjoyed her trip to Taipei. She rode a train for the first time, she spent the night in a hotel for the first time, and she ate out at a restaurant for the first time.

It was also the first time I got to hear someone call her name, and I almost cried.

While the past eight weeks have left me feeling rather beaten and bruised, Ruby is such a precious gift and I cannot wait to watch her grow and change.