Well, tomorrow is gotcha day! We spent time with her today, but she is still a little scared of us. She loves to press the buttons on the camera, and our grocery store receipt is still a favorite play item!
We have some questions for those of you that have already adopted:
* How and when did u get the child's Social Security number?
* More specifically, how did u add them to your health insurance....did u need the SS# to do it? We have a doctor appt when we get back, and want to make sure she is covered.
* Flying....were you allowed baby food? How much? What about bottled apple juice? Just wondering what they will / wont allow us to carry on the plane.
Thanks everyone! Will post pictures shortly....
Randy & Maggie
14 comments:
Can't wait to see pictures!!!
Clara's SS card just arrived in the mail about a month or so after we got home - we didn't do any paperwork to get it. Unfortunately her middle name is missing and I haven't gotten it fixed yet.
To add her to our insurance, we had 30 days (from adoption decree) so we had to get it done the first few days home. The paperwork asked for her SS#, but we just put "TBD".
As for baby food on the plane, I brought several jars + apple juice. No one asked me any questions about it. We flew Aeroflot, and they actually gave us a "baby packet" that had jarred food and juice!
When we have flown with the kids we usually have to dump out all the juice beforehand and then buy new juice once in the terminal
When we flew home from Moscow, we were able to take PediaSure and juice with us. I also had several jars of baby food and nobody said anything. They didn't even question it. It was all in the diaper bag and it did go thru the screening but that was it.
I applied for Avas social security card once home, it was very easy and it arrived in the mail a few weeks later. I did have to go in to the Social Security center located in a town close by tho.
As for insurance, we own a small business so our insurance was very tough to get. I actually had to have her see a Dr. and pay out of pocket for it and then sent the results in to them, I live in IL so rules are different here. Good Luck.
We had no problem even bringing a sippy cup with water through security in Moscow airport. I showed it to them (as Grace was drinking it) and they waved us through. I guess they figured it couldn't be dangerous if our baby was drinking it :) We also brought baby food and pedisure. Can't wait to see pics!!!!
So happy to hear she is with you and adjusting! I did not need my daughter's SS # to add her to my insurance, personally, but that may vary from agency to agency. I got her SS # a month after we got home by simply visiting the local ss office with her birth cert and passport.
Hope this helps!
So exciting for Gotcha Day - can't wait to see the pictures!!! We had to go to our local Social Security Office and bring Matt's Certificate of Citizenship with us that we received about 30 days after we arrived home. After we applied for the Social security card, it arrived about 2 weeks later. We then were able to get his US Passport. Matthew automatically was on our insurance as my husbands company knew the day he became officially ours. I don't believe we had to do any other paperwork. Same as the others regarding the jarred baby food and apple juice...we had absolultey no problems taking either one with us as we let them know when we were going through security that we had these items in our diaper bag. Even when we travel now, as long as we let security know, we have been able to take juice for Matt through security without any problems.
We also got the SS card about a month after arriving home without having to do any additional paperwork. It also does not have her middle name.
I kinda started the process of adding Anna before we left on our court trip and when I got back I just faxed them the court decree and they emailed me a card within a week or so, but the effective date was retro actually to our open enrollment which was a few months before we got her home. If you have an appt right away, she'll be covered, but it just may take a few weeks to get her in the system. Hopefully the doctors office will understand, just like with a newborn. We didn't need her ss# to add her on.
I did put baby food jars and juice in a plastic bag and they always allowed me to take it thru without question. I don't think I would have needed to put in plastic bags but I did anyway.
Soooo exciting!!! Can't wait until she's with you!!!
Good luck Guys!!! Kelly and I are so excited for all three of you!
I answered your questions via email. I would add, you might want to shoot a quick email to your HR dept. to start the process even before you return home.
Craig & Kelly (in abstentia)
for the ss go apply for it as soon as you are in the US. Don't let them tell you you need her citizenship certificate or her US passport! Not true! Her Russian passport has the visa that make her eligible to be a US citizen as soon as she enter the country. Believe me!!! They only need that number of her visa and your guys passport. Once you have her passport/ citizenship certificate than you can update her social security from Alien to US citizen.
Regardign insurance they may all be different but ours I called them prior we left the USA and I had to only fax them the court decree with the translation and the birth certificate with your being her parents. At the begning all his medical were pending for payments until I was able to provide his SS number.
So again just make sure the SS does not play with you adn so his the passport people. When we did his passport I did not have his SS number and they told me I could not apply for his passport! Wrong!! The American Embassy will give you a flyer explaining she does not need her SS to apply for a USA paspport. And luckly that person made the proper phoen call and bingo got his passport without SS nore the citizenship certificate and vis versa for the SS.
Good Luck
!
by the way no problem for the food as long as you declare it as baby food. They will inspect it and that is it. We had baby jars, cookies and milk. No problem.
Happy Gotcha Day!!! Can't wait to see pictures and hear all about it. Hugs!
I brought Jake home March 20th 2010 from Russia and just applied for his SS card last week. SO no I did not need his card for Insurance or dr apt. He was covered on my insurance right when we entered the USA.
Hope this helps and I can not wait to see pictures of your little one.
Beth
We bought juice and all other liquids at the airport after we went through security. . .Social Security card had to be applied for once back in the states and we did that right away. . .we notified our insurance company before we left for Russia that our little man would be ours and on what date. . .he was covered as of the finalization of the decree--Gotcha Day!
God Bless!
1. Natalia's SS card came automatically in the mail. Hers doesn't have her middle name either...Amy, if you see this, should it??
2. I'd check with your HR dept how to add her to your insurance. I think we just needed to provide a copy of the court decree or her birth certificate (Russian).
3. We brought baby food/formula/juice on the plane, no problem.
So excited for your gotcha day...can't wait to see pictures!
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