ontari-ari-ari-o

we just got back from a week visiting my family in ontario. the funny thing was that what i was nervous about - the flight - was a piece of cake, both ways, and what i didn't even give a thought to - the daily routine - was a total debacle!

cole was such a happy camper on the flights. i highly recommend gravol and then snacks, new toys and stickers for plane travel with a kidlet this age! he slept for a couple hours on the way there (and three on the way back - delightful!), and then happily munched snacks and stuffed sparkly dino stickers down the armrest of our seat for ages. we lucked out with a set of bulkhead seats to ourselves on the way there, which was a treat and a half... i got to watch 3/4 of a movie i'd never heard of, which sadly had gone off the rotation on the way home. anyone know how the brothers bloom turns out? (actually, don't tell me - i'll drum up a copy online and finish it off.)

it was fantastic to see all the family i hadn't seen in ages. my parents, brother and sister-in-law and neice, my grandmother, my aunts, uncles and cousins, heck - even neighbours... so fun to introduce cole to everyone too. he never got tired of saying everyone's name (bryyyy, shell, ga-gra) and he was delighted to find many staircases to climb and various new methods for thwarthing my desire for sleep. but good god - he was a hard to manage... the child would not eat! not even his beloved crackers!!! and this is a kid who normally would eat anything even resembling dried bread-like products! i don't know what it was, but he barely ate a speck (thankfully he also seemed to grow, according to jamie). and sleep? forget about it! he woke up all night long, only napped when i had him in the car (so we got to enjoy many long country drives and lovely fall foliage). and it took the whole week for him to let me out of his sight, and even then - constant calls for "mama" which were endearing and heartbreaking and utterly exhausting. and my poor grandma, who recently celebrated her 90th birthday - she kept thinking cole didn't like her because he wouldn't sit still on her lap for two seconds! and i'm going to have to work hard to part him from his reinforced bond to the pacifier (which he calls 'poppie')...

but... he got to meet everyone, smell that same fall smell that i love, eat apples at my favourite farm market, pick pumpkins and leaves and acorns, enjoy many treats and he's still talking about his favourite folks. i'm so glad we went.

many more photos to come but for now here's the first one on my camera, taken on our first morning there. it's just a silly one of cole lounging on the leopard-print futon in my brother's basement family room (where we slept so comfortably, if not soundly thank you cole) but it's seriously one of my favourites:

thank you to everyone for your hospitality, the wonderful meals, the activities, the conversation, the help and the good company.

ps, for you jamie - the stellar jay is not a real blue jay. no contest!