Finally in Mexico City

Yes! We finally made it to Mexico City!

We spent too much time waiting for the birth certificates in Villahermosa. 

Our room at the Crowne Plaza

Nonetheless, we finally got them on Tuesday afternoon and we were on the last flight out to Mexico City AAAAND Babies first plane ride!

Stella's first plane ride VSA>MEX

Edie and Scott were in another row and I couldn't get to them. I also accidentally sat in a Economy Plus row hahaha

We would have gotten out at 6pm but that was a extra $400 for the both of us. So we opted for the 850pm flight. We got into Mexico City and to our hotel a couple hours later. 

The girls at Mexico City Airport waiting for our baggage

We took a cab from the airport to the hotel. When you're at the airport and you need to take a cab, follow the signs out to where it says Taxis and there are various stands where you can pre-pay for a taxi. Tell them where you are going and they will charge you accordingly. 

Anyway, we got the birth certificates Tuesday afternoon and I almost had a heart attack or panic attack of some sort because our lawyer had left to make copies of some documents really quick and left us with his mother who had connections with the Civil Registry. She is super nice but doesn't speak English. So the Civil Registy closes at 3:00 pm. Almost to the dot. So 3:00 pm rolls around and they start packing things up. At this point I see no birth certificate in hand and I'm sitting there with the girls and our lawyer's mother turns to me and says, "mañana." I'm like, WTF dude! What do you mean mañana!?!?!?!? So I turn to Joey who is one of our coordinators and he's like, no way. I see it, we're gonna get it. He flags down our lawyer and tells him what's going on. At this point most of the employees at the Civil Registry are almost done shutting the place down. He goes up to the counter and is nonschalant about it. Meanwhile, I'm freaking the fuck out cause all we want to do is get the H out of Villahermosa. Turns out, Mexico has two different types of birth certificates. A long form and a short form. We just need the long form for the U.S. Embassy. His mother was saying mañana about the short form, which we don't need. Phew! She had the long form all along. I guess she didn't realize we just needed the long form. With those long form birth certificates in hand, we make our way back to the hotel. When we get to the hotel, Scott starts searching for flights and I immediately email the U.S. Embassy. I had been in contact with them earlier in the morning because I kept having to reschedule our appointment. We had a appointment scheduled for Friday, May 15. That's exactly one week from, the babies birth. We didn't get the BCs the week of the 11th and hoped to get it by Friday at least so we re-scheduled for the morning of Monday the 18th. So Friday afternoon rolls around and still nothing. We have to wait until Monday. WTF dude! Talk about frustrating! I, yet again, have to reschedule our appointment at the embassy. I swear they hate us now cause we keep having to reschedule. So we reschedule for Wednedsay morning at 8am. By the way, they only do appointments Monday's, Wednesday's and Friday's. So, plan accordingly for those that have to go. Also, it turns out, there are two different appointments you have to make. One for the CRBA (Certified Record for Birth Abroad) and one for the DNA. I would start with emailing MexicoCityPassport@state.gov and go from there. We did that and someone picked up our case. That person who picked up our case was basically only in charge of the DNA test stuff. The CRBA appointment is scheduled through someone else. Yeah, didn't know that! That part wasn't very clear. So I was in communication with someone for the DNA tests which we scheduled at 2:00 pm the next day. She had told us they would be able to squeeze us in for the CRBA as well. Well, this is where you have to contact the two different people. We got some attitude at the window saying they emailed us to confirm but I never got anything. At least, I should say I never saw anything from the MexicoCityPassport@state.gov email address. Yes, I looked in the junk folder. 

We get to the hotel late and had to be up in just a few short hours to feed the babies and get ready to go to the embassy. We basically got zero sleep and man oh man it was rough! We leave our hotel at 710am or so with babies in tow and all of our papers. It's a whole lot of papers too. We walked the few blocks to the embassy. We thought about cabbing it but it's better we didn't because it was rush hour! If we took a taxi it would take forever. It was faster walking at that point. 

Some Tips for the U.S. Embassy:

🔹Take as few things with you as possible. They will confiscate (just temporarily) any electronic thing you have. Scott brought his backpack full of stuff and he basically had to empty it. They have what I'll call a Phone Check. You know, like coat check but for phones. They will make you put anything electronic including chargers in a ziplock and give you a number. 

🔹Get there 45-30 minutes early. You have to wait in line at the front gate. Just go straight to the line at the front gate and don't bother asking about the other lines on the side of the building. There's a lot of security all around. There will be a long line if you go in the morning. Shorter line as he day goes on. Once you get through that line, you have to go through security. After that, you kinda go to a triage area. A security guard will either point you to the sitting area out front or to the line to get your visitor pass. There will be another line to go wait in once you get upstairs. 

🔹Bring your passport!

🔹If you bring babies with you, bring a diaper bag with enough stuff for at least two diaper changes and at least one feeding, maybe two. You might be ther awhile. 

🔹Make two copies of everything: Passport, contracts, birth certificates, your birth certificate, etc. They will ask for it and if they do it, it's $1 per page so you don't want them doing it. 

🔹Get passport photos taken while you're waiting in Villahermosa. That will take up a small chunk of time. If not, there is a lady at the Passport office who will take it for $60 pesos each. That's about a little fewer than $4.00 USD. 

We get through all that rigamroll and finally get upstairs only to go through another triage. We get called up by a dude and have to give him all the documents and copies of things. They want originals and copies. I dunno, he wanted some copies and some originals. Just be prepared to present both. He was nice. The lady who I had been communicating with about the DNA tests came out to check in on us. She was super nice. She kept us up to date on what was happening. Oh! If you are taking a DNA test, do not eat or anything, you or baby, up to two hours prior to testing. We wait some more and more. We fed the girls and had to change them and sure enough, when it was my turn for the CRBA interview, I was in the bathroom changing one of the girls. Happens everytime! So I had to wait for the my guy to finish with someone else. I get up there and he was nice and chatty. The CRBA interview was a lot less informal than we thought it would be. It's set up like a bank behind bullet resistant windows. So you're talking the whole time through the window. It's hard to hear them sometimes. So the official, William, was so nice and made me feel at ease and explained everything and what not. That was much easier than I thought it would be. We complete that and we had to pay for thigns at the cashier. The cashier takes American credit/debt cards. So we got the front of the embassy at around 7:30am and left at around 10:45/11:00 am or so. 

We grab some food, feed the girls and hang out at Starbucks for a bit. We had to go back for the DNA appointment at 1:30pm. Scott and I already did our DNA sample part weeks before back home. So it was just the girls. We finally do the cheek swabs and we finally got back to the hotel and we just crashed! Napping never felt so good! 

They overnight the DNA kits and hope to have the results Friday. Well, that didn't happen so we are stuck here until at least Tuesday. It's a holiday on Monday so that is a whole extra day we have to stay. It depends on when we get the passports on Tuesday. That's actually if we get them. If it's in the morning, there might be a chance we can go home that afternoon. If not, we'll most likely get to leave Wednesday. 

Fingers crossed!!!!