1st Trip as Mommy & Daddy! Celebrating DSs 1st Bday Nov 11-UPDATE 11/13 TR LINK!

[vamassey1]

Precious Pictures! He really is growing up.

Sounds like a wonderful relaxing day. I'm dying to try Via Napoli too.

 

[Colleen27]

Oh my, your son's pics are just precious! It seems like a million years ago that any of mine were that tiny and sweet.

 

[khertz]

Precious Pictures! He really is growing up.

Sounds like a wonderful relaxing day. I'm dying to try Via Napoli too.

Thanks! He is growing up way too fast for me, but I'm enjoying every second of being his mom.

Oh my, your son's pics are just precious! It seems like a million years ago that any of mine were that tiny and sweet.

Thank you! And I'm sure I'll be saying the same thing in a few years!

 

[skier_pete]

Just wanted to let you know when we went to Myrtle Beach last week, we were looking for a place for lunch after we landed, and scrolling through the close places on my phone, saw 5 guys. I told my wife - "Hey let's try there, this friend on the boards posted in her PTR about this place." We went there - and it was indeed a fantastic burger and fries. Thanks for the advice.

 

[DDuck4Life]

Thanks! He is growing up way too fast for me, but I'm enjoying every second of being his mom.

I love watching him growing up and learning and figuring out new things, part of me wants him to get everything on the first try and grow up fast but part of me wants him to stay the same and not change. Time flies by so fast with a little one around.

Just wanted to let you know when we went to Myrtle Beach last week, we were looking for a place for lunch after we landed, and scrolling through the close places on my phone, saw 5 guys. I told my wife - "Hey let's try there, this friend on the boards posted in her PTR about this place." We went there - and it was indeed a fantastic burger and fries. Thanks for the advice.

Awesome that you were able to try out 5 guys!: They do make a good burger and fries. I could go for some now.

 

[exwdwcm]

I'm guessing I'll have to get my TSM "fix" by playing the game on the Wii. I'm hoping we can at least ride just twice so we can each take a turn holding Paxton and each have a turn playing. Paxton is already at that stage where he loves to "help" with EVERYTHING!

He is usually up by about 7 every day on his own, so it would be truly amazing if he slept until 8 on our rest day. Maybe we will have him so pooped out from touring the parks for 3 days straight, he will sleep in! We were having trouble with him sleeping a couple of weeks ago, and had many mornings where he was up and ready to go a little after 5 am. All we could say was, "At least if he keeps this up, we will always be at the parks before rope drop!" Luckily it was short lived and I consider us lucky to "sleep in" until 7 now!

i like the ride twice strategy! i think what i need to do that too. lol- this weekend in DL at Buzz, Will wanted to steer and it was awful. lol. you might just luck out- he might be so pooped that he will sleep in a little.

 

[skier_pete]

Awesome that you were able to try out 5 guys!: They do make a good burger and fries. I could go for some now.

They were really, really good, for sure. The one thing I thought was odd was the decor. The theme (excuse the Disney coinage) of the place seemed to be "Reviews of 5 guys around the country". I said to my wife - "Why in the world do you need to advertise your restaurant to people that are ALREADY IN THE RESTAURANT?" I don't know if that's how they're all decorated, but it seemed a little odd to me.

 

[DDuck4Life]

They were really, really good, for sure. The one thing I thought was odd was the decor. The theme (excuse the Disney coinage) of the place seemed to be "Reviews of 5 guys around the country". I said to my wife - "Why in the world do you need to advertise your restaurant to people that are ALREADY IN THE RESTAURANT?" I don't know if that's how they're all decorated, but it seemed a little odd to me.

It's so you know no matter what 5 guys you go to the're all amazing! I really don't get it either.

The other thing I didn't understand was why they had free peanuts for you to eat while you are waiting for your food, when they already give you so much food. We couldn't finish what they gave us. I could only imagine how much food we would have left over if I had eaten a ton of peanuts first.

 

[khertz]

Just wanted to let you know when we went to Myrtle Beach last week, we were looking for a place for lunch after we landed, and scrolling through the close places on my phone, saw 5 guys. I told my wife - "Hey let's try there, this friend on the boards posted in her PTR about this place." We went there - and it was indeed a fantastic burger and fries. Thanks for the advice.

I'm glad you tried it and liked it! I don't even remember how we heard of it...I think it was in our research for our D.C. trip, and we tried several times to find one while we were there and never did. When we saw one in Panama City Beach, we knew it was destiny! Delicious burgers.

I love watching him growing up and learning and figuring out new things, part of me wants him to get everything on the first try and grow up fast but part of me wants him to stay the same and not change. Time flies by so fast with a little one around.

That is SO TRUE! I worry when he hasn't met some milestone "on time" but then when he does, it just reminds me how big he is getting!

i like the ride twice strategy! i think what i need to do that too. lol- this weekend in DL at Buzz, Will wanted to steer and it was awful. lol. you might just luck out- he might be so pooped that he will sleep in a little.

That would be PERFECT! We should just keep him out late the night before and really wear him out.

 

[khertz]

This weekend, we went on another of our "practice for Disney World" outings to the Aquarium of the Americas and the Riverwalk in New Orleans. It was an early morning, because DS decided to be up and at 'em at 6:15 am! We got on the road for NOLA around 8:45 am, stopped for lunch around 11 in LaPlace to meet up with my parents, and got to the Aquarium a little before 12. My FIL met us there.

DS was into it right away! We went through the arched glass tunnel where you are surrounded by fish, and he was just enthralled.

Trying to grab the fish.

Since it was a Saturday, the Aquarium was pretty crowded, but we still managed to get Paxton up close to the glass so he could see what all the fuss was about. He wasn't always interested in the fish, sometimes he was happier to check his entourage out over my shoulder.

But he did enjoy the spots where he could stand up on his own to check out the tanks.

Up next was my very favorite, the penguins! Paxton seemed to enjoy them too.

The penguins were swimming right up to the glass and trying to keep going. Paxton really had a blast trying to grab them as they swam against the glass trying to break through!

Family photo!

Dory!

He also loved the frog exhibit! We spent a lot of time there before we moved over to the sea otters. Those are usually my second favorite, after the penguins, but they were both sleeping for the longest time, and then when one of them woke up and started swimming, people swarmed the glass so it was hard to see anything really.

Gigantic white alligator

Paxton & Paw Paw (my FIL)

Watching the boats on the river

We got down to the end of the Aquarium where the huge tank is with all of the sharks, turtles, stingrays, tuna, and other fish and spent a good amount of time there watching the fish swim.

Mr. Ray

Crush!

After finishing up at the Aquarium, we headed across the pavilion to the Riverwalk to do some shopping.

We wandered in and out of stores and found some really cute stuff, but everything is always way too expensive there, so we didn't buy anything. It was nice just to walk around in the air conditioning though! Paxton was just taking it all in from his stroller. Good thing it comes equipped with a snack tray...how else would he keep his feet propped up??

We sat down for a little while at Cafe du Monde so my mom and I could share an order of beignets, which were sooooooo delicious! I was so hungry for them, I didn't even remember to snap a picture. But trust me on this, they were fantastic! FIL left at that point, so the three of us and my parents made our way through the rest of the mall. DH was holding DS, who was enjoying looking over his shoulder and smiling at us, when all of a sudden he got very quiet and DH said, "Is he sleeping?"

That one picture pretty much sums up our whole day...we were tired!!

We managed to transfer DS to the stroller without waking him up and started walking back to the parking lot to get our cars. We even transferred him from the stroller to the carseat without waking him! My parents were headed to church, and we stopped at the local mall so DH could pick up some Vinylmations at the Disney Store. Then we stopped at my parents house on the way to eat something and feed DS before we drove the two hours home to our own house. DS stayed awake the whole time in the car, so he was more than ready for bed when we got home!

It was a great day, and we learned that when DS is super tired, he can absolutely sleep anywhere! So sleeping in the stroller at Disney World just might be a possibility after all!

 

[DDuck4Life]

Had a great time at the aquarium. This picture is my favorite from the whole day. I was not expecting him to fall asleep on me but he was very worn out at that point.

After seeing him fall asleep next to a marching band playing during a parade, sleeping during the circus, and now falling asleep on me while walking around. I'm thinking we should be good during our trip as it seems like he can sleep anywhere when he is tired. Lets hope he is still like that when we go to Disney.

 

[afwdwfan]

This picture is my favorite from the whole day. I was not expecting him to fall asleep on me but he was very worn out at that point.

It looks like you all had a fun day at the aquarium. It looks like he was really enjoying all the sights and just taking it all in. I'm glad you had some luck and got him to nap for you. It seems like that's always the wild card.

 

[exwdwcm]

oh what a sweet pic of him asleep on your DH- a sure sign of a good time! Looks like he had a ball at the aquarium. the smile is just priceless! ah, beignets- so yummy! It's been a while since I've made it out to NOLA! The beignets at POFQ aren't too bad, but they aren't as good as Cafe Du Monde!

looks like a pretty successful practice run.

 

[khertz]

Had a great time at the aquarium. This picture is my favorite from the whole day. I was not expecting him to fall asleep on me but he was very worn out at that point.

After seeing him fall asleep next to a marching band playing during a parade, sleeping during the circus, and now falling asleep on me while walking around. I'm thinking we should be good during our trip as it seems like he can sleep anywhere when he is tired. Lets hope he is still like that when we go to Disney.

That would be perfect! We'll see how it actually goes in just a couple more months though.

It looks like you all had a fun day at the aquarium. It looks like he was really enjoying all the sights and just taking it all in. I'm glad you had some luck and got him to nap for you. It seems like that's always the wild card.

The best part was that even though he was awake way longer than normal and nowhere near his bed, he wasn't the least little bit crabby like he would have been at home if he was ready for a nap. It seems like as long as there is something to see, even if he is tired he's not a monster. Luckily there is a LOT to see in WDW!!

oh what a sweet pic of him asleep on your DH- a sure sign of a good time! Looks like he had a ball at the aquarium. the smile is just priceless! ah, beignets- so yummy! It's been a while since I've made it out to NOLA! The beignets at POFQ aren't too bad, but they aren't as good as Cafe Du Monde!

looks like a pretty successful practice run.

He really did have fun, so it was a successful & enjoyable practice outing, for sure!

We never did try the beignets at POFQ on our honeymoon, but we are thinking of staying there again for our "parents only" trip next year, so we may have to give them a try. I don't think anywhere's would ever top Cafe du Monde! I was also happy to enjoy them inside the air conditioned Riverwalk, because I think we would have definitely skipped them had we gone to the original CDM...it was just way too hot to be eating hot beignets outside!! I usually enjoy them with hot chocolate, but this time I had to go for the chocolate milk instead.

 

[CandleontheWater]

I'm a little behind, but I just wanted to say that those are some CUTE baby pictures! Your photographer did a great job and the outfit he is wearing is just adorable!

I'm also happy to see that Paxton did such a great job at the aquarium. All of the photos were great, he looked like he was having such a fun time! My DH and I visited that aquarium while we were dating, and we have a photo of us in the sharks jaws too!

 

[vamassey1]

Sounds like a great test run at AOA. We haven't been there since 12/08. He will have lots to see at Disneyworld to keep him entertained.

 

[khertz]

I'm a little behind, but I just wanted to say that those are some CUTE baby pictures! Your photographer did a great job and the outfit he is wearing is just adorable!

I'm also happy to see that Paxton did such a great job at the aquarium. All of the photos were great, he looked like he was having such a fun time! My DH and I visited that aquarium while we were dating, and we have a photo of us in the sharks jaws too!

Thanks so much! He has always been so cooperative for his photoshoots, and his 9 month shots were no different except that we couldn't get a big smile for anything! He would always grin as soon as the flash went off!

We had a blast at the aquarium, so that will hopefully translate into a successful morning at Epcot checking out the aquariums at the Seas. We always say we are going to spend more time exploring there & never do. So our next picture inside a sharks jaws should be Bruce's!

Sounds like a great test run at AOA. We haven't been there since 12/08. He will have lots to see at Disneyworld to keep him entertained.

It had been a long time since either DH or I had been either, so it was a nice little outing for all three of us in addition to being good practice for Disney. I'm really hoping it'll cool off enough in the next couple of months that we can spend a day at the Audubon Zoo as well before we leave for Disney!

 

[khertz]

DAY 5 - November 9th

Moving on with our plans...

Wednesday November 9th will probably be our earliest morning of the trip. I hope everything goes off without a hitch, because this is the morning we get into the Magic Kingdom before park opening!!

I'm hoping to be at the park gates by about 7:35-7:40 am so that we have a few minutes to wander down an empty Main Street USA and take some family pictures in front of the Castle.

After our pictures, we are headed to the Crystal Palace for our 8:10 am breakfast with Winnie the Pooh & friends!

DH and I have never done this character breakfast, so we are excited to try it. Neither of us are big fans of Winnie the Pooh, but we loved getting into the park before opening on a previous trip for our KTTK tour. And since we weren't interested in spending the money for breakfast in the Castle, and we can't do the tour with an infant, this was the only way we were making that happen again! I'm a little concerned about having both of our character breakfasts 2 days in a row, but it was just the way it worked out the best for our schedule.

Since we will have already done one morning for Rope Drop and done the power walk to Dumbo, I think this morning we will go to some of the other places/rides/attractions in the park that are not as popular first thing in the morning.

I feel like our first morning in MK will be spent knocking out the big stuff, so on this day, we can take it easy, see the things we missed the first MK day, and maybe even do some shopping. Also, we can probably re-ride some of the attractions DS enjoyed the most on our first MK day.

Since I'm usually stuffed after a big breakfast, we'll probably do a late lunch at our favorite CS place, Cosmic Ray's, before heading out of the park for our nap/break.

After our break, we'll be hopping over to Hollywood Studios for the afternoon.

Since it will be the afternoon and riding the headliner attractions will probably be out of the question (except maybe Single Rider on RnRC or grabbing a FP for ToT), we'll probably take a more laid back approach and enjoy the shows.

Maybe if DS takes a nap in the stroller, or if he just wants to burn off some energy, we can let him run around in the Animation building and take turns at an Animation Academy class!

Not counting on that one. But it would be nice. If nothing else, I do want to get our picture taken with Sorcerer Mickey and maybe catch the explosion of characters that sometimes happens there. If DS has not completely spazzed out at character greetings, that is! I really wanted to "practice" by taking him to our local zoo to meet Elmo a few days ago, but it just didn't work out.

I'm thinking we will be grabbing dinner in the park, more than likely at a CS restaurant both DH & I enjoy (but others seem to hate!), Toy Story Pizza Planet.

Hey, we are not too picky when it comes to CS pizza!

There is a 6:30 pm Fantasmic that night, so I'm hoping the park is not crazy crowded, but that's why we are going into it not planning to do the big attractions. Hopefully since they are having it more nights of the week (maybe every night?), it won't be as chaotic as is has been in the past.

I doubt we will stay for Fantasmic ourselves, just because I don't think either of us want to have to entertain DS for an hour in our seats waiting for the show to start! We will probably be out of there by the time the show starts so we can also avoid the mass exodus to the parking lot.

UP NEXT: Our last full day in the parks!

 

[afwdwfan]

Looks like a fun day. I've never done the character breakfast at CP, but we have one scheduled this time. I'm excited about it, I've never been in the park before RD before and I look forward to walking down an empty main street. We've had lunch at CP before... as far as food goes, I didn't think it was bad, but not necessarily fantastic either. Just a standard Disney buffet. Character interaction with Pooh and friends was a lot of fun though.

 

[khertz]

Looks like a fun day. I've never done the character breakfast at CP, but we have one scheduled this time. I'm excited about it, I've never been in the park before RD before and I look forward to walking down an empty main street. We've had lunch at CP before... as far as food goes, I didn't think it was bad, but not necessarily fantastic either. Just a standard Disney buffet. Character interaction with Pooh and friends was a lot of fun though.

I usually try to stay away from buffets because I never eat my money's worth at them, but breakfast is usually a little easier to take on than lunch or dinner for me. You will love being in the park before opening...it is so surreal how calm and quiet it is! Hopefully DS will enjoy the characters so that we can all 3 have a good meal without too much freaking out!