Trip to Connecticut, part I

Just got back from our trip to Connecticut! Here's what you missed:

Setting the Scene
A trip to visit Mom's side of the family just isn't complete if it doesn't have some element of surprise, and usually there are multiple layers of said surprise. About a month ago we decide to make a trip to Connecticut, we cannot resist the temptation to pull a fast one on Ong Ba Ngoai. We quickly go in cahoots with Di T, Uncle M, and Auntie A. Scheming at its best. It is no easy task to pull off, but luckily, we just watched The Sting and are feeling pretty confident (we pulled straws for who gets to be Robert Redford).

Baby's 1st Airplane The days of traveling light are long over. In preparation for the trip, we find ourselves with a decent amount of gear : 1 suitcase, 1 carseat (with stroller adapter), 1 stroller frame, 1 stroller bassinet (Rosie's bed), and 2 carry-on bags. We decided to be creative with our flights and end up with a flight out of Oakland, but returning through San Francisco. We had it all worked out: we'd coordinate airport drop-off and pick-up with our good friend A, who would take care of our car for the week. But, not surprisingly, Saturday morning rolls around and we leave the house half an hour behind schedule. En route to Oakland, we decide to leave the car in long-term parking, otherwise we might not make the flight. And good thing we did because everyone and their mothers were at the airport trying to get in one last ski trip, turns out. Everything goes smoothly at check-in and we gain a new appreciation for the family line at security that gets us through in a relative jiffy.

Rosie is a rockstar on the plane. Taking the advice from friends, we are ready to run interference to any ear-popping aches by being in position to feed during take off and landing, but it turns out Rosie's favorite lullaby is Airplane Jet Engines and she sleeps most of the time. And when she isn't sleeping, she is being cute and making eyes with the other passengers. We hit a hiccup with our flight and have to readjust our path, but all in all the flight goes smoothly.

Loves at First Sight
Touchdown! Rosie has landed. We make our way to the baggage claim and, out of the corner of our eyes, see two figures sneakily racing toward us. It's Uncle M and Auntie A! Lots of hugging and cooing commence:


It's a hard decision (Rosie was pretty comfortable in her Uncle and Auntie's arms), but we finally decide we should probably hit the road. This of course involves a lot of bundling up. Brrrrr it's windy out there!

Now, onto Ong Ba Ngoai's house!

The Surprise
Uncle M and Auntie A have told Ong Ba that they are flying up to go to an engagement party in Boston and afterward they'd spend a couple days visiting. So while they are supposedly in Boston, they are picking the three of us up and we head to West Hartford, Ong Ba none the wiser and being watched closely by Di T. On the drive to the house we deliberate over what course of action to take to get the highest shock value. We decide to go for a waterfall assault (you'll see what I mean) and hit them big with the guest of honor (Rosa) at the start.
We pull into the driveway and see Ba Ngoai's head in the window. Uncle M shuts off the headlights and slowly creeps in. The three of us get out of the car, Rosa in Dad's arms, and run for the door. Mom tries to throw them off even more by calling as we walk in the door but there's no time and it's freezing out! We run to the kitchen door and Ba Ngoai see Mom at the door. "Vi!" she yells, and points to the door. Then her hand drops to her side, realizing the oddity of seeing Mom standing at the door and she yells again, "VI?!" The moment we enter, Ba Ngoai grabs Rosie and runs through the house calling for Di T.

Cue joyful screaming.

The pieces then quickly fall into place when Ong Ba Ngoai see Auntie A and Uncle M, who of course are not in Boston as they claimed. It's only then that Ba Ngoai We head back to the kitchen and there are giant smiles on everyone's faces, including Ong G who is visiting as well (more on this in a bit). Success!

...BUT WAIT!
Just when you think the excitement is over, there is a knock at the door. It looks like Ba Ngoai almost drops to the floor (luckily she doesn't since she's still holding Rosie at this point) when she sees Ong D, Great Aunt D, and Aunties NaMi from Delaware walk through the door!

Consider Ong Ba Ngoai punk'd!

...to be continued...


(Thanks to Di T, Uncle M, Auntie A, and the Delaware crew for making the surprise a memorable one!)