In preparation for AfricaFest 2009 (a.k.a. a visit to the Husbandlet’s parents), we recently took the kidlets to the post office to apply for their passports. It was there that we realized that we had never ordered a copy of Liam’s birth certificate.

Ngaire’s passport was ordered, no problem (and arrived about two and a half weeks later, WOW), but home we went to send in the paperwork for Liam’s necessary info. His birth certificate arrived early last week, so I promptly made him another passport appointment for 2 p.m. on Friday (because if we left the ordering to two and a half weeks before departure, you can bet that that’s when the State Department would be processing passport applications at a zippy nine-week interval). Please bear in mind that both parents must be present to order a passport for a minor, each accompanied by several forms of I.D., and the passport people in our county apparently turn into pumpkins after 3 p.m. This meant that the Husbandlet had to leave work early. Also, I had to wake the kidlets up early from their naps. Crankiness? Why yes, there was crankiness.

We got to the post office, where we couldn’t find Liam’s passport photos. The nice passport man gave us half an hour to run home and ransack the place, which we did, to no avail. Back at the p.o., the nice man was willing to take new pictures for us, but was also willing to accept $30 for such services. We abandoned all hope of achieving anything at this particular post office.

However, the downtown post office (less desirable due to limited parking) takes walk-in passport applications till 4 p.m., so with an hour to spare, we dashed off for a final home-ransacking (fruitless) and then to the mall to get replacement photos taken at Ritz ($12.75).

The gentle reader will be glad to learn that we did, in fact, get that passport applied for at the second post office, where the clerk barely looked at us and certainly didn’t look at our I.D. Ngaire and Liam whiled away the wait by being almost unbearably cute crawling around and playing together … Ngaire imitated everything Liam did, and words cannot describe his pleasure at her attention. Indeed, I am rather proud of how well the whole family handled the incident … the kidlets were remarkably patient while being repeatedly strapped into their carseats and driven places and then forced to wait in lines, and the Husbandlet and I managed not to argue bitterly, or even very much at all. I credit our incredible restraint and maturity. Possibly some credit is due the antibiotics I was taking for my ear infection, though, which gave me stomach cramps and thus rendered me less feisty.

Really, our ordeal entitled the kids to some TV (they got it) and the adults to a stiff drink (or at least some hot dogs). I’m hoping that our equilibrium will remain unrattled when those passport photos turn up in some obvious place tomorrow.