We're back!

Over the weekend we took a quick trip... to Canada! Jonathan's family was kind enough to send us up to visit Baba and Aunt Cheryl, who needed to meet Meggie and me.

We flew up Friday. We had about a 1:00 flight out of Richmond (yes!!), so we didn't even have to get up at the crack of dawn. Meg did fairly well on the planes. She had a couple of minor meltdowns, but nothing too bad, and anyway she was teething, so that was perfectly understandable. The air train in Newark ran into technical difficulties and took about 20 minutes to deliver us to our new terminal - we never did find out why. We made our flight just fine. Oh, and when you switch terminals there, you have to go back through security. Incidentally, you now have to take off your belt for security, as well as take off your shoes and pull your laptop out. So despite packing very light (for a baby), we still had six bins, bags, and a stroller to send through the machine. We wouldn't carry so much on if they didn't charge you to check anything. ::rolls eyes::

In Toronto, Customs was very professional but the lines were long. Meg just barely made it, mostly by smiling at the people behind us. We got a very cheerful taxi driver in a turban, who told us how wonderful President Obama is, whereas Bush was "just cowboy." He also tried to tell us how great socialized medicine is. I was very polite. We made it to the hotel in Toronto around 7:30 and made an executive decision not to try and see Baba that night. So we ordered a pizza, put Meg to bed, and watched Eureka.

Saturday we got up, had a lovely breakfast at the hotel restaurant, at which Meg charmed everyone, and then over to Baba's. As it turned out, she had had quite the Friday too, and it was just as well we hadn't tried to come over. No matter what the taxi driver said, Canadian medicine has issues. Poor Baba.

But she was delighted by Meg. We spent all day hanging out. Baba even got out her good china to feed us lunch! I felt special. Later on, Aunt Cheryl and several of Baba's friends came over the meet Meggie too, and then we went out for a fancy dinner, where Meg dropped three spoons on the floor and charmed the staff. Just as we were preparing to leave, the waitress put her hands out to pick her up - so I let her - and she walked off to show off the baby to the others! I was like, what? what? what? Did she just swipe my child?? But it was okay. She gave her back.

Baba wanted us to come breakfast with her Sunday morning before we left, so we did. We took lots of pictures. At the airport, we had a terrible time finding the international departures line, and then trouble finding the right customs paperwork, but it was done in the end. And we'd left plenty of time. At Newark we had amazing pizza for lunch and went through security again.

We couldn't get seats together for this last flight, but Jonathan hovered and the owner of the seat just across the aisle from me was kind enough to swap with him. He was Donny, a Scottish musician, and Jonathan got to sit next to his bandmate Eya. Eya was awesome. He had big piercings and tattoos, including a men-at-arms pattern that went all around his forearm, and Celtic knotwork even on the palm of his hand, and it was pretty hardcore. Eya and Jonathan and Meg all went to sleep, so I talked to the Filipina stewardess who pulled out a hidden seat in the aisle next to me. She knew the hospital where I was born and actually used to work for an accountant in the area. Very cool.

Then we got to come home! It was good to go, and good to come back. Meg was glad to see her own crib, I think.