Meet the Parents

Two weeks ago we were blessed with a visit from my parents who live in London. It was just last year that my mom visited us to meet Yusuf a few weeks after his birth. Unfortunately my dad was not able to come, so this year he came to meet not one, but two new grandchildren! The weeks leading up to their visit I could hear the excitement in their voices. Thanks to facebook, whatsapp and my blog, they have been kept in the loop with detailed updates of their grandchildren's development and stories of their daily antics. Still, Skype video and beautiful pictures can never match being physically present in the company of those you love.

Their trip here was not without drama though. They were scheduled to arrive at 7am on a saturday morning. My phone rang at about 2am that saturday and I recall looking at my phone through sleep encrusted eyes, thinking I was dreaming at the sight of 'UK;dad' on the screen. I was not dreaming! My dad was calling to inform me that theybhad just landed back at Heathrow! Their plane had to turn back almost halfway on the flight path due to problems with one of the engines! All the ypassengers were put up in a hotel until an alternate flight could be arranged, but my parents had no overnight luggage as their carry-ons were stuffed with gifts! Needless to say, by the time they arrived in Johannesburg on Sunday morning, they were exhausted and craved the simple pleasure of a hot shower. But this of course was overruled by the sheer excitement of reuniting with their grandkids and meeting new ones. It was actually quite funny to see their reaction as we approached them at the airport. They were both beaming from ear to ear, my mom even tearing up a little, but they were also completely muddled because they didn't know which child to hug first. At one point my mom even had Yusuf on one arm and Uthmaan on the other. In the months leading up to their visit my dad kept saying that he hoped Yusuf would like him. By thenend of their visit one short week later, the two were best buddies. My sister also visited from Cape Town for a few days so us gals had a good old mom and daughter catchup. It was a really a beautiful, funfilled week with my folks, and the best part about having them visit us in Johannesburg is that we had them all to ourselves. The following week they visited the rest of their families in Cape Town where they had a super busy, jam-packed itinerary. My one aunt fondly jokes with me that I should have a child every year so that my parents will visit South Africa!