dual citizen baby

Today baby Nate became a dual citizen! He is now both a Brit and a Yank, with 2 passports and a whole world of opportunities ahead of him. 

I am so happy that he is a US citizen. It makes me feel that part of my life or upbringing or something is being passed onto him. Although Nate will probably spend his entire childhood in the UK, have a British accent and understand the rules cricket instead of baseball, he will be a US citizen and will have an American mum (mom!).  I don't want him to forget that half of his family are American, and he can't now because he is officially an American too.

To get Nate's US citizenship we had to go to the US embassy in London to register him as an American born abroad. This was our first trip to London with the baby and I wasn't sure what to expect. I was also curious to see what the embassy would be like. In my nearly 8 years in the UK, I have corresponded with the US embassy multiple times, but had never visited. 

So at a ridiculously early hour this morning, Mr M and I bundled up baby Nate, squeezed onto the tube and trundled down to Grosvenor Square to register him.  

On the Central Line

The embassy was crowded, as I expected, and absolutely filled with families. Young children were running around and around the waiting room. Many of the kids seemed to be going stir crazy because the waiting times are long and really, there isn't much to do in a waiting room. All electronic devices, including phones, were confiscated on the way in, so the adults seemed to be going stir crazy too without their usual tweeting, facebooking and texting. If I have one tip for anyone going in the future it is to bring a book!

Despite the lack of entertainment, the appointment and interview went smoothly and the whole thing took about 2 hours. Nate did amazingly well, even falling asleep for 20 minutes while we waited. He also really loved being on the tube. He would play with his toy for a minute, then look around observing everything happening around him. I loved seeing him take in this new experience.

We celebrated Nate becoming an American by going and having burgers with a fellow American friend. Nate didn't have a burger, but he did have his very first french fry, which he devoured.