Today was a big day for Portia, since she had just received her birth certificate, and it was a nice sunny day, we decided to head south to the USA to do some grocery shopping in Bellingham and buy some gas (which incidentally is still way cheaper in the US than in Canada, even given the conversion rate and the higher oil price).
Portia loves being in her car seat, and the sound of the engine puts her right to sleep, so she was as quiet as a mouse in the car. We both have Nexus passes, however Portia, being brand new, has not yet been enrolled in the program. The great thing about the Nexus pass at the bigger BC/Washington land crossings is that you can use it in lieu of a passport, as it has a little chip in that is read by the border equipment, and speeds up your getting cleared in any lane, not just the Nexus lane.
When we arrived at the booth, the officer already had our data on her computer, but not Portia’s, and I guess she had not seen the minute little one strapped into her seat like some miniature space explorer on the back seat. Was pretty cool then when she asked us “do you have anything to declare” and we both answered in unison “just out baby”. Even the normally stoic US border officer was moved to do a “ah, your baby”.
Next stop for her though will be to apply for Nexus