CLICK HERE FOR FREE BLOGGER TEMPLATES, LINK BUTTONS AND MORE! »

Monday, March 8, 2010

Why we invest in spellcheck...

Once upon a time I had a baby. It was hard work, if you've never had a baby you can't really understand but I'll tell you it's even harder than cleaning the bathtub, peeling and chopping potatoes, or even shoveling snow. I kid you not. After having the baby and sleeping for two hours I filled out the paperwork for Kaylee's birth certificate and SS card. Now I am seriously sore and seriously tired but I still had enough sense to use my best handwriting, check and double check all information before sending the nurse in pink scrubs away with the packet and promptly forgetting all about it, assuming they would take care of the rest.

You know what they say about assuming.

About 3 months later after getting a little, a very little, sleep in me I realized I still hadn't seen Kaylee's social security card in the mail and needed to start on taxes. After digging through the mound of Kaylee paperwork and sitting on hold with 3 different institutions I found out why.

The hospital forgot to put the apartment number in the computer.

Can they resend it? Of course not! Instead I have to bring her birth certificate down to the SS office and re-request it. (Apparently nowadays they don't automatically give you the birth certificate. Lame) So one freezing cold morning I pack Kaylee a bag the size of Africa with toys and snacks and head off for a day of government lines and runarounds. Surprisingly it only took about half an hour at the Department of Health (half an hour and 20 bucks) before I had her birth certificate in hand and was happily walking out the door.

Or rather, I had KayLee's birth certificate in hand.

Really? One typo isn't enough? Did you know that if some government working in a small cubicle somewhere miss-types on a birth certificate you have to fill out and notorize (twice) an affadavit to petition the courts to have it fixed? Yep, it's a pain. I'd have given up except I'm just really not ok with the said idiot in the cubicle getting to name my sweet baby. I did all the pushing, I get to do the naming. But I still took the incorrect copy down to the SS office determined to get her SS card anyway and after waiting in a horrendous line there was told that I didn't qualify for a copy of her SS card because I didn't have 2 forms of ID for her.

SERIOUSLY??

She's months old, forgive me for not having a copy of her license on me! The grouchy lady behind the desk (I'd have been a little afraid of her if I hadn't been so darn grouchy myself at this point) told me I'd have to get a note from her doctor verifying who she was. How about a note from mom? Nope. Apparently stretch marks mean nothing without an M.D. on the end. So she gave me an official letter of denial.

Which had Kaylee's SS number on it.

Ha! Score one for mom! That's all I wanted origionally! The girl gets me no tax breaks without it. ; ) After getting everything settled with the affadavit I finally recieved a copy of her corrected birth certificate in the mail today!

Or rather, Jaralyn Smith recieved it.

Seriously people?

6 comments:

Crystal

all i can say is oh my. what work for such a small thing! as if she wasn't work enough in the first place ;) haha i can't believe that many typos and then the work in fixing those! you'd think they would be a bit more careful! you know when our parents and grandparents were born they didn't even get social #'s till they were old enough to work! why so much work for a number? well you were a trooper laralyn! or should i say jaralyn? jk. not really funny if you think about it. quite pathetic really.

Colin

i love this. love you. hahaha...

{leah}

well, I hope you and Rodney and Jaralyn are all happy together... until you get the dang document noterized twice... again :)

don't youlove how efficint the government is???

Emily

There is NO way having a baby is harder than peeling potatoes... ;)
I'm sorry you had to go through all that trouble and long lines over and over and over again! That stinks Jaralyn!

Lani

This was great! You made my day! And you just need to tell your mom to have your name changed, Jaralyn.

SladeMomma

Funny story, a unique one for her baby book.