We're back!

Who knows where time goes. Do I start every blog entry with that? At least I can account for two weeks this year. We went to India. It was exhausting. Note to other parents with toddlers - do not attempt a 24 hour plane journey with your tot. People will tell you to give them Benadryl, new toys, lots of gimmicks. It doesn't work. Your kid doesn't want to be cooped up in a plane for 11 hours straight, take a 3 hour break in a foreign airport, and then sit on another plane for an additional five hours. The prize at the end of this long journey, for us, was a land of chaos. To give you an idea of the noise on the streets in Chennai, imagine a cacaphony of bleating truck horns, car horns, auto rickshows meekly bleating their horns, and even the motorbikes contributed to the noise pollution. Cars and trucks implore you, in clear and bold writing on the back of their vehicles, to 'Please Sound Horn'. In other words, 'Honk like hell as you swerve around me so we don't end up in some sort of accident'. Everyone agrees that honking is the best way to maintain order within the congested streets of Chennai. During our visit, we had added noise pollution since we landed the day before Diwaali. We had firecrackers bursting - very loud cracks - for almost 36 straight hours. Needless to say, its quite an assault on a wee little one. Fortunately once acclimated, Anjali was spoiled rotten with love from her cousins, aunties, uncles, and grandparents.