1st Family Trip with a Pre-K'er, a 2 year old and a puking baby!

[lexmas]

Originally Posted by cheryterese

I was hoping to get an update in this afternoon, but this pregnancy has got me so tired and nauseous that a nap is in order instead!

I just noticed something new in your signature about a 2011 Disney spree!! Do tell!!!!!

Aww, you deserve a nap, you are growing a person! I hope you have a great nap! My pregnancies are not pleasant, so I am unable to move from the couch for 3-4 months. (That's not entirely true, since I am also unable to keep ANY food down for those months, and I am not going to be throwing up in the living room 10 times a day! )

We're getting AP's (and then renewing them) so our current plan is:
-this trip in October (my mom is coming for the first half)
-then our Jan/Feb which will be us, my mom, my brother, my sister/BIL and nephew (and I suspect they are already trying for baby #2, so they might have a little hitchhiker along )
-April/May for Syd's 2nd birthday
-November for J.J.'s 5th birthday

and then the next year we're hoping to do a 2 week trip in the summer as our final disney send off before J.J. starts Kindergarten! It's 2 years from now and we're already sad about him going to school!

Which is a crazy amount of disney. But we will never be able to do that again, since we can only really do it because it has been two years since our last big trip so we've been saving up that money, and once Jay is in school it will be harder to take vacation in the middle of the year like that. It should be amazing. I wish we could travel like that all the time, but it's not in the cards, so we are going to appreciate it while we can do it!

[cheryterese]

Originally Posted by lexmas

Aww, you deserve a nap, you are growing a person! I hope you have a great nap! My pregnancies are not pleasant, so I am unable to move from the couch for 3-4 months. (That's not entirely true, since I am also unable to keep ANY food down for those months, and I am not going to be throwing up in the living room 10 times a day! )

We're getting AP's (and then renewing them) so our current plan is:
-this trip in October (my mom is coming for the first half)
-then our Jan/Feb which will be us, my mom, my brother, my sister/BIL and nephew (and I suspect they are already trying for baby #2, so they might have a little hitchhiker along )
-April/May for Syd's 2nd birthday
-November for J.J.'s 5th birthday

and then the next year we're hoping to do a 2 week trip in the summer as our final disney send off before J.J. starts Kindergarten! It's 2 years from now and we're already sad about him going to school!

Which is a crazy amount of disney. But we will never be able to do that again, since we can only really do it because it has been two years since our last big trip so we've been saving up that money, and once Jay is in school it will be harder to take vacation in the middle of the year like that. It should be amazing. I wish we could travel like that all the time, but it's not in the cards, so we are going to appreciate it while we can do it!

I had a good nap, thanks! Hopefully I'll get to an update later today. My pregnancies have always been like you describe yours, but this time I'm taking something! I talked to my midwife before I even got pregnant and told her I needed to be able to function so I could take care of the other kids and she prescribed an anti-nausea medicine. I started taking it at 8 weeks when it got bad and while I'm still pretty nauseous I'm at least I'm keeping food down!

Your Disney Spree sounds incredible!! I'm a bit jealous!! I think it's great to do it before Jay is in school. Now that Sam started K we're already rethinking our next trip dates and probably won't pull him out as originally planned. I know people do it, but he's one that really thrives with a routine. I was so sad at the thought of him starting K too, but the fact that he really loves it is helping. I still miss him during the day though! The other day he asked me, "Mom, why did they have to build Disney so far away?" We're still thinking we might pull him out for 5 days in 1st grade to do a 12 day trip at Thanksgiving, but I don't know. We loved our Jan/Feb trip, but we can't pull him out for 2 weeks and I don't think I could handle the crowds during Feb break! I'll be interested to read about all of your upcoming trips!!

[lexmas]

Originally Posted by cheryterese

I had a good nap, thanks! Hopefully I'll get to an update later today. My pregnancies have always been like you describe yours, but this time I'm taking something! I talked to my midwife before I even got pregnant and told her I needed to be able to function so I could take care of the other kids and she prescribed an anti-nausea medicine. I started taking it at 8 weeks when it got bad and while I'm still pretty nauseous I'm at least I'm keeping food down!

Your Disney Spree sounds incredible!! I'm a bit jealous!! I think it's great to do it before Jay is in school. Now that Sam started K we're already rethinking our next trip dates and probably won't pull him out as originally planned. I know people do it, but he's one that really thrives with a routine. I was so sad at the thought of him starting K too, but the fact that he really loves it is helping. I still miss him during the day though! The other day he asked me, "Mom, why did they have to build Disney so far away?" We're still thinking we might pull him out for 5 days in 1st grade to do a 12 day trip at Thanksgiving, but I don't know. We loved our Jan/Feb trip, but we can't pull him out for 2 weeks and I don't think I could handle the crowds during Feb break! I'll be interested to read about all of your upcoming trips!!

That's so great that your midwife was able to give you something. My doctor gave me something with my pregnancy with J.J., but it didn't work, so I only took it for a few days. Turns out it's been found to have terrible side effects when taken during pregnancy (I keep seeing lawsuit commercials about it on TV! ), so I suppose it was for the best that it didn't work! It's so important to be able to function though! Especially with other little kids at home!

J.J. thrives on routine too, so I have had that thought about taking him out of school. He probably wouldn't do too well with it. I'm glad that Sam is loving Kindergarten though! It must make it a little easier. And he's right, you know...why DID they have to build Disneyworld so very far away?

[cheryterese]

Day 5 (cont.): Evening at Epcot with a sick baby

Matthew woke up from his nap around 5pm and seemed fine. While he was sleeping we had decided to cancel our late ADR at Rose & Crown Pub in favor of an earlier dinner at San Angel Inn as long as Matthew seemed okay. (The original intention had been to watch Illuminations from the Rose & Crown outdoor patio and I had been a mad woman in securing that ADR!) We figured that even if he did appear better we might not want to stay as late as the 9pm Illuminations show. I was sad to give up our Rose & Crown Illuminations viewing ADR, but there's always next time!

We arrived a bit early for our ADR at San Angel Inn so while Rick waited near the reservations booth I took everyone on the Gran Fiesta boat ride. As with Small World, this attraction was a real hit with Matthew who rocked back and forth to the music and broke out in spontaneous clapping throughout the ride. I was happy to see that he seemed to be feeling better!

Our table was ready when we got off and I was really happy to see that it was right by the river. We seated Sam and Madeleine in the seats closest to the river and they happily waved to people and watched the boats going by thoughout dinner. I know San Angel Inn gets mixed reviews, but our family loves Mexican food and it was a hit with us. I love the atmosphere and because Rick and I ate there the last night of our honeymoon I think it will always be special to me. We're vegetarians so Rick and I both ordered the "Plato Vegetariano" off the vegetarian menu. It was a delicious mix of sauteed vegetables and black beans on a flour tortilla and was such a huge portion that neither one of us could finish it. Caryn said she wasn't very hungry and asked the waitress if she could just get a kids menu beef taco. The waitress hesitated a bit, but then said she could. We asked to substitute beans on the beef taco on the kids menu for Sam and then Madeleine and Matthew shared a cheese enchilada plate. All of the kids got the ice cream that came with their meal for dessert and while they were happily eating we noticed a foul smell coming from our table........Matthew. Rick took him out to change him and returned in what seemed like hours later. When I asked what had taken so long Rick informed me that Matthew had been such a mess that his entire outfit needed to be changed. At least we had been smart enough to bring him a change of clothes after his puking episodes that afternoon, but now it was coming out the other end!

We didn't know if we should just call it a day since Matthew was obviously sick or keep going since he was freshly changed and in good spirits. Since we were in Disney World, staying won out and we headed over to the Maelstrom. Caryn really wanted to check out some of the shops for some gifts for her boyfriend so Rick took Matthew and went with her while I took Sam and Madeleine for a ride on Spaceship Earth. We met up at the lagoon outside of Mexico afterwards to see Illuminations. I had done a lot of research on the best spots to view the show from but what I hadn't taken into account was the direction of the wind and sure enough, we were in it. Sam, with his sensory issues, was really bothered by the loudness and the smoke that kept blowing at us. It was our own fault for standing where we did, but all of the smoke really ruined the show for us. Next time we will know better!

Once Illuminations was finished we herded our tired family back "home" and got everyone to bed. I fervently prayed for a healthy Matthew and that no one else would get sick!

Up next: Our one and only (very cold) day at Disney's Hollywood Studios!

[lexmas]

Well, I guess that out the bottom is better than out the top. At least there was a diaper there! Not fun though!

I have never eaten there, but just thinking about your meal makes me hungry! It sounds delicious!

Bad luck with the fireworks. Next time, you'll know!

[cheryterese]

Lexmas, I think you're my only remaining reader following that long break I took. Shall I continue for you?

[lexmas]

Originally Posted by cheryterese

Lexmas, I think you're my only remaining reader following that long break I took. Shall I continue for you?

It does seem that way, but I bet you have lurkers! I was a lurker on these boards for the longest time! Just because people don't post doesn't mean they're not reading! Plus, the boards have just been REALLY slow lately. I think everyone's busy with back to school and fall things!

If you don't mind continuing, I would love hearing about the rest of your trip! It's a good read, and your family is so sweet! I'm always so happy to see that you've posted an update! I will be your loyal reader!

Hope that baby is treating you well and you're feeling okay!

[cheryterese]

Originally Posted by lexmas

It does seem that way, but I bet you have lurkers! I was a lurker on these boards for the longest time! Just because people don't post doesn't mean they're not reading! Plus, the boards have just been REALLY slow lately. I think everyone's busy with back to school and fall things!

If you don't mind continuing, I would love hearing about the rest of your trip! It's a good read, and your family is so sweet! I'm always so happy to see that you've posted an update! I will be your loyal reader!

Hope that baby is treating you well and you're feeling okay!

Thanks for being my loyal reader! I'm having fun remembering our trip, so I'll continue. I transferred a bunch of photos to photobucket today, so I should have another update soon.

Baby is treating me pretty well but I have to say that the medicine I'm taking this time around has really been a lifesaver. Thank goodness!!

[cheryterese]

Day 6 (Sunday, January 31st, 2010): A very full and chilly day at DHS!

In my excessive planning and itinerary making, I had not one but two possible schedules for our 6th day in the World! I figured we would be pretty tired by this point and had planned for us to be up late the night before to see Illuminations so had devised 2 possible itineraries starting a bit later in the morning. This would be the first day we were not planning to arrive at park opening but we did plan to stay the entire day and have Matthew take his afternoon nap in the stroller since this was to be our only DHS day. Kids, however, never follow the program and all of mine were up by 7am as usual! It was evident that Matthew had thrown up in his sleep, so dh gave him another bath and I started another load of laundry. We used the extra time at the house that morning to allow him to relax and see how he was doing. By 9am he had eaten and kept down a full breakfast and was acting fine, so we loaded up the minivan and fifteen minutes later arrived here:



We all walked over to Star Tours first thing and Rick took this picture of Sam, Caryn, and I who went on it. I'm not sure why Sam looks so grumpy!


We didn't wait long at all, but Rick took Madeleine and Matthew to get FP's for Toy Story and then asked someone to take this picture of the three of them while waiting for us:


Star Tours was fun and Sam really seemed to enjoy it. I was happy to have company this time seeing that I rode alone on our honeymoon due to Rick's motion sickness. We had not introduced the Star Wars movies to our kids yet so didn't stick around for one of the Star Wars shows but I think that will definitely be a must do for our next trip!

We headed over to the Great Movie Ride next and waited in line for about 20 minutes where I got this shot of Rick and the kids. Sam doesn't look grumpy anymore, just bizarre, LOL!


I think the Chinese Theater is just so beautiful inside and I really enjoyed looking at it while waiting in line. Rick and I enjoyed the ride, but the kids were bored and I don't think we'd do that one again for awhile.

We had about a half hour to spare before the 11:30 showing of Beauty and the Beast, so took the little kids to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground and allowed Caryn some solo shopping time. The playground was a BIG hit and I will definitely plan more time for it in the future!

Matthew on his way to one of the slides:


All the kids on the giant ant:


The kids definitely did not have enough time to play here, but it was time for Beauty and the Beast! I sat with Sam, Madeleine and Matthew there while Rick and Caryn headed to Rock 'N Roller Coaster. I was really excited for Sam and Madeleine to experience the Beauty and the Beast show seeing that they both love the movie, but they were not into it at all. They just wanted to ride more rides! We sat through the show (I loved it!) and then got Tower of Terror FP's before meeting up with Rick and Caryn.

It was now around 12:15 and was evident that Matthew was getting tired and the rest of the troops were cold, hungry and getting grumpy. This was definitely the coldest day of our trip and while the mid-50's temperature wouldn't have been that bad alone it was also very windy and sprinkling on and off. We were cold! (I'm trying very hard not to complain about my stepdaughter's behavior in her few days of joining us, but she was absolutely miserable this day and complained nonstop about how cold she was. She spent a fortune on gifts for her boyfriend and I wanted to suggest that perhaps she use some of the money she brought to buy a sweatshirt! I held my tongue though, hard as it was!)

We decided to settle Matthew in for his stroller nap and headed to the Backlot Express for some lunch. It was packed inside but there was no way we were eating outdoors that day and we eventually found a seat. Matthew slept all through lunch and the rest of us warmed up and fueled up, complete with hot chocolate!



Next up was the highlight of our trip for our little girl: The Little Einsteins at Playhouse Disney! I think that obsessed is too weak a word to describe Madeleine's feelings for the Little Einsteins! Matthew was still sleeping, so Rick took him in the stroller and hit some more shops with Caryn while I took Sam and Madeleine into the show:



Madeleine was beside herself with excitement and loved every single second of the entire Playhouse Disney show and, as much as Sam prefers rides over shows, Sam loved it too. (I thought it was great for the kids as well, but man did I have a sore bottom after sitting on the floor for so long!) When we came out of the show Quincy and June were greeting and we immediately got in line. I have never seen my little girl so excited!



We were hoping Leo and Annie would come out too, but they didn't and Madeleine still tells me that next time we need to see them! Handy Manny, or "Candy Mandy" as Madeleine calls him, came out though and the kids were thrilled to see him too:





I had no idea the characters would be such a hit!

My little boy is going to be home from Kindergarten in a few minutes, so I'll stop here for now and pick up again soon.
Still to come: Facing death on Tower of Terror!

[BabyEeyore]

Hi! lexmas told me about your TR and I just had to come over! You have a beautiful family. I am heading to bed so I haven't been able to read everything, but I can't wait to catch up tomorrow!

[lexmas]

I got a snack and settled in before starting to read this update. It's become an event for me!

Oh no, waking up to a pukey baby is never good! I'm glad to see that it seems like he was fine afterwards though. And they never follow the plan, do they? Children are just too unpredictable!

Ah, 15 minutes to the park. That is fantastic. It makes me happy just thinking about it!

It must be so cool that Sam can go on rides with you now! Especially if Rick has motion sickness. That's something that I'm looking forward to, when J.J. is big enough to go on the rides too!

I was just thinking about the great movie ride...I wasn't sure if it would be too scary for a 3 year old. Boring didn't really cross my mind, although I can take it or leave it, so I probably shouldn't be too surprised!

I have heard such great things about that playground. And what a cute picture of Matthew!

I'm glad you enjoyed Beauty and the Beast, even if no one else did!

I think you have done an excellent job of not complaining so far. I would probably have suggested that she buy a sweatshirt, because I have a low tolerance for whining! Maybe I'm just over-exposed to it. J.J. is pretty whiney.

How was the food at Backlot Express? I'm not sure where to eat at DHS! Hot Chocolate does seem like the perfect way to warm up!

I LOVE the playhouse disney show! It is the perfect show for preschoolers! It is at the TOP of my must do list for DHS! I'm so glad Madeline got to enjoy it! AND she got to meet Quincy and June...I can only imagine how excited she was! SO very cute that she talks about Leo and Annie and not meeting them. I've tried to explain how the little einsteins are BIG at disney, and Jay is just not getting it. He keeps telling me, NO, they're little kids just like me! I will have to show him these pictures. Hopefully he will be so excited that he won't care.

Oh, and "Candy Manny"? She is so precious!

I can't wait to hear about TOT. I wonder if Sam is tall enough? Or brave enough? I was 11 when I went on TOT, and I was scared for weeks! (Okay, I'm still a little scared. That little girl ghost is creepy! )

[wlake]

Hello! I'll join you as another new reader! My older son has a sensory processing disorder, too. We have to plan carefully when we go to Disney to make sure he doesn't get overwhelmed. Actually, we have to plan every day carefully!

My youngest started K this year too! Our district is all day, which would have been quite the adjustment for me, except my part time job got bumped up to full time, so I'm busier than busy now.

I'm glad your husband is doing better, and congratulations on the new baby on the way!

[-Hope-]

I'm about 3/4 through and love your TR so far! I can't wait to read more.

I wanted to tell you that while gummy bears may not seem original they are definately very German. We've been to Germany a few times (my bil is stationed there) and they sell them everywhere! I don't know about the ones at WDW but the ones is Germany are very good and they were apparantly invented there. So, your kids did very well picking out their German treat.

[CandleontheWater]

Count me in as a new reader too! We just got back from our trip with a 10 month old, and are planning another trip in March. Its great to read about a trip with with a young toddler so I can know what to expect. So sorry he got sick, but it seems like he was a real trooper!

[cheryterese]

Originally Posted by BabyEeyore

Hi! lexmas told me about your TR and I just had to come over! You have a beautiful family. I am heading to bed so I haven't been able to read everything, but I can't wait to catch up tomorrow!

Welcome, and thank you!

Originally Posted by wlake

Hello! I'll join you as another new reader! My older son has a sensory processing disorder, too. We have to plan carefully when we go to Disney to make sure he doesn't get overwhelmed. Actually, we have to plan every day carefully!

My youngest started K this year too! Our district is all day, which would have been quite the adjustment for me, except my part time job got bumped up to full time, so I'm busier than busy now.

I'm glad your husband is doing better, and congratulations on the new baby on the way!

So glad you are joining me!!

Originally Posted by -Hope-

I'm about 3/4 through and love your TR so far! I can't wait to read more.

I wanted to tell you that while gummy bears may not seem original they are definately very German. We've been to Germany a few times (my bil is stationed there) and they sell them everywhere! I don't know about the ones at WDW but the ones is Germany are very good and they were apparantly invented there. So, your kids did very well picking out their German treat.

I'm so glad you're enjoying it and I'm happy to have you here! Good to know about the gummy bears too!

Originally Posted by CandleontheWater

Count me in as a new reader too! We just got back from our trip with a 10 month old, and are planning another trip in March. Its great to read about a trip with with a young toddler so I can know what to expect. So sorry he got sick, but it seems like he was a real trooper!

Yay!! Thanks for joining me!

I'm so happy to have all of you joining me, and love to my loyal reader lexmas as well! I hope to have another update done real soon!