Elizabeth’s Journal

Successful Transatlantic Trip

Well, we made our first transatlantic trip with all four of us, and I would have to describe it as successful.

The journey really began with our arrival at Rita’s on Sunday afternoon. She and Grama fixed a lovely meal of roast beef and mashed potatoes (I’m sure she has a secret ingredient she puts in the potatoes—she says she just adds butter, milk, and salt, but that’s what I do and mine don’t taste like that), and then we had a nice evening having a chat. Dale watched the World Cup final that Rita had kindly recorded onto her DVR for him . . . unfortunately none of us thought to record the following program on the channel, and sure enough when the game went into overtime, the recording stopped and that was that. Dale bore it like a man, though.

Kayleigh was delighted to see her GG upon our arrival and even insisted on Grama feeding her the pasta I’d fixed for her. I explained that it was more likely to end up in her ear but she would have none of it, so when Grama said she was willing I capitulated and she crawled up onto Grama’s lap. Between the two of them, they did a pretty good job!

Once Rita came home, though, she became the favored person. The last few weeks Kayleigh has been increasing the number of words she says, and one of her cutest that I had not heard before Sunday evening was “Rita”.

While I’m not sure the night’s sleep was exactly the peaceful rest Dale had envisioned (he was cold, Rita & I talked until late, Grama was making late-night trips to the bathroom, Kayleigh woke up crying and wouldn’t settle down until Dale cuddled her, then Kathleen called at six-something on Monday morning, and another phone call not too long after that), it was still a huge weight off our minds not to be messing around with making a connection and changing terminals with both kids at DFW. Thank you, Rita & Leah, for volunteering to get us to the airport and picking us up when we return—and thanks to the lovely uncle who took us yesterday. (Kayleigh did not like the sight of him, though, no matter how much I explained that he was Aunt Jenny’s Daddy and Magda’s Boppa, she cried and said “bye bye” in hopes that he would go away. She was very tired.) Our plan had been to park in the remotest remote lot for $6 a day; it would have been horrifying had Uncle B. not taken us, since as we drove in to the airport there was a sign flashing “remote lots full” at us. Disaster narrowly averted.

Anyway, the flight was on time, and there were no major meltdowns on it. Kayleigh did try to climb over the back of her seat to get to the person behind her, who was playing peekaboo with her, but she could only make it halfway up the seat with her feet before Dale or I would pull her back down. She wouldn’t settle for a long time, though, and drove Jonathan up the wall, as all he wanted to do was quietly look out his window (he was terribly excited about getting to England to see his Nanny and Grandad) without being bothered. Finally Curious George came on the TV screen, and she watched a good portion of that while sitting in my lap. Dale had been struck by a great inspiration and acquired a portable DVD player along with the two-hour DVD of Tom & Jerry, and both Jonathan & Kayleigh were thrilled and giggled away at it. When she did go to sleep, she slept on me for a little while and then I was able to lay her down on the seat next to me without disturbing her sleep. Oh joy! She slept there about four hours. Jonathan got only about two hours, poor lad, and again refused to go to sleep in the car on the way to Billericay b/c he was so looking forward to his arrival here.

Dale and I had speculated on how Kayleigh would behave upon seeing Nanny & Grandad in the flesh (she sees them frequently on the webcam but not in person since March of last year), but neither of us figured on what she actually did. I lifted her out of her car seat and set her on the sidewalk, and she looked up at Joy at the top of the steps by the front door, and without any hesitation she marched right up those steps all by herself, leaving Dale & me on the sidewalk, and went straight into Joy’s outstretched arms and up on her hip. Apparently I was the only one who got teary :-).

It didn’t take long at all before she was outside giving Brian work to do keeping her stones out of their drain and then playing with the honeypots in the foyer—she would pour him a cup of tea, he’d drink it and give it back, then they’d do it all over again. Firmly wrapped around her little finger! So Dale and I left her playing with Brian and Jonathan cuddled up with Joy and went up to the Coach & Horses for a lovely pub lunch (actually they were still serving a pub breakfast at 11:15 a.m., but that was just fine) and a pint. We ate out in the beer garden—the weather is just glorious here, all the windows and doors are open, and the sun is warm but there’s coolness in the breeze (lows in the fifties, highs in the seventies).

After lunch, Dale and I went up in the High Street to stock upon toiletries that we’d decided to get here instead of carrying with us, and lo and behold upon coming out of the chemist’s we heard a familiar voice—turned around and there were Jonathan & Joy, with Kayleigh fast asleep in the stroller (they’d come up to get things for the kids’ lunch and a magazine for Jonathan). So we all went back home together, where Dale & I promptly went to sleep for a couple of hours and Joy sent Jonathan to sleep by telling him a story and stroking his face back on the bed.

So suffice it to say that the trip went as well as or better than could be expected, and it’s just wonderful to be here. It doesn’t feel at all like it’s been more than six years since I was here. Ben should be here to see us in about 45 minutes, which will be great—last time I saw him, he was only 15 and now he’s 21 and living with his girlfriend. Dale is asleep on a garden swing out by the roses, and Jonathan is giggling away at Tom & Jerry again. Kayleigh has been busy redistributing the money Brian keeps by the front door to make change when people buy honey, so I should probably go hunt that up.

Posted by elizabeth at July 11, 2006 10:17 AM