Stitch's Great Escape...A Mom and Me Birthday Celebration! *7/26 Link to new PTR*

[29apr00]

Poor stitch! Oh it sounds so painful! Poor little guy! Glad that the CM's were so helpful...i always just seem to fall apart when the kids are hurt!

 

[marsa1969]

Great trip report! Thanks for the info on the sparkle Disney t-shirt you were wearing on your last day. My friend got me one when they went to the world in June - I even gave him your picture to show a CM what I wanted. Sorry to hear about Stitch's eye. I burned my cornea when I was in high school and it hurt like heck.

 

[momoftriplets]

Hey, Sweetie!!! Just when you think I've fallen off the face of the earth.... Here I am!

Life has gotten in the way of posting lately, but, rest assured, I have been reading every word.

Love the whole thing. So sorry about Stitch's eye. Glad it's healing well.

Sorry to see it end, but I KNOW you'll be back soon!

Hugs to all ~

B

 

[SkyGirl]

Hey look, right after Barb!!

Jay, the TR was just wonderful from the pictures to all the fabulous stories. I loved it and am already excited about the next one to come!

Poor Stitch, that hurt me just reading it.

Hugs

 

[Illini4ever]

I've been trying to post, but we're on vacation in Myrtle Beach and our resort's internet access is soooo slooooow. Hopefully this works.

Anyways, what a great trip. I'm sorry about Stitch's eye. I know from experience how painful that can be. I'm always sad when we reach the end of your trip reports, but I always know there will be another trip around the corner.

 

[MICKEY4EVER!]

Well, Ginny told me to head on over here, so here I am! I have A LOT of catching up to do! But, the pics of your boys are just beautiful. What a lovely family you have!!!

 

[MovienutNiffer]

I'm glad your Stitch is feeling better! My nephew saw those pictures and felt really bad for him! He almost started to cry until I showed him the smiling Stitch in later pictures. It's great that everyone was so great and helpful. A child's eyesight is no laughing matter, so I'm glad it wasn't too serious. I hope he mended quickly!

Oh and The Boy (he likes to be called this now when I talk about him online here or on my twitter page. Silly little monkey!) was very jealous when he saw the pictures of you guys with Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger!

 

[CJsMom]

Oh, poor little guy! A stinky end to a wonderful trip - but it sounds like the staff at CSR were great. I'm glad to see he still had a smile on his face at the end and I hope his eye is all healed up by now!

 

[MICKEY4EVER!]

Okay, I'm on page 7 and I realize that I have MUCH more reading to do, but I have my son and two nieces right now, so I'm getting in what I can for now. However, I just wanted to comment that I loved when I read about those CM's singing "Happy Birthday" to your sweet boy and I can just imagine how proud and sappy you were at that moment! I was proud and sappy for you, too! Even cried a little with you!

I'm loving your TR so far and I can't wait to read the rest!

 

[MICKEY4EVER!]

Whew!!!! I DID IT! I finished all of your trip report today and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed your adventures. Let me just say, I am TOTALLY jealous of you!! (in a good way, though ). What I wouldn't give for a SOLO trip with just me and my son. I kind of did it in March (the week after you were there). DH wasn't there, but the rest of my family was and we only had like one evening where it was just the two of us. That was the best evening of the entire trip!

I loved all of it and I think that you did a fantastic job making the entire trip memorable and special. Your STITCH will never forget this as long as he lives. Good job! The birthday meal was awesome, the cake was awesome, the whole trip was awesome! Thanks for sharing!!!!

By the way, you are a lovely, beautiful woman and you have a GORGEOUS son! As the mother of her very own "blow you away, brown-eyed son", I can say Stitch is definitely gonna be a heart-breaker someday! All of your sons are beautiful.

 

[jaycns]

How fun that you got to ride EE so many times that morning with no wait.

Oh how I love EE! What a fun ride, a morning full of EE was just the right way to end our stay! I think I could happily ride that coaster all day long!

Jay what a totally wonderful end even with Stitch in pain (which I hate for you and him, I know the feelings you were going through). I can just imagine you arriving at your home airport with you dh there to welcome you both home. What a feeling.

We too loved CSR. All of the CM's we dealt with were so kind and attentive. It makes it tolerable to be away from home and the rest of your "boys".

One can tell how wonderful the trip was for you and Stitch and the love you give and receive from your boy. Your writing style makes me love them too. As I have told you before if they need a grandma I'm really cheap.

I'm sorry to see your report end. It has been a pleasure, as was your other report.

Ginny

It was WONDERFUL to see dh standing there. I really missed him and my other little guys. It was GREAT to be able to hold them all again!

I think the CMs at the CSR are first rate! The only other stays at WDW we have had that even comes close customer service wise were are stays at AKL. The CMs at AKL were beyond amazing as well during both of our previous stays there. I was very impressed that the service at a moderate even came close to a club level stays at a deluxe! What great CMs all around!

I am so happy to that you all enjoyed your time at the CSR. I need to get back over and spend some time catching up on your trip report. I have been so busy this summer that I haven't had much time at all to stay up with things here at the DIS.

How unfortunate that Stitch got injured on the trip, at least it was on the last day and wasn't too serious! It is also nice to see the level of care that Disney gave you.

I was so sad for him...but yes, I was glad it was on the last day, wasn't serious and very glad that no permanent harm came to him. It was also great to have such wonderful CMs helping us out when we needed it.

Oh, Stitch hurting his eye sure put a damper on an otherwise amazing trip. Poor little guy, I'm sure that hurt like crazy! I am impressed with how well Disney handled the situation though, whether they were doing it for insurance purposes or not, it was still very kind of them to treat you the way they did.

Looking forward to your final thoughts AND hearing about what you have planned for Goofy's birthday trip!!

I think it was great, the way Disney handled the situation. They did way more than I would have EVER expected. I am very thankful for the level of help they offered. They were very kind/caring indeed!

Hi Jay! I can't believe your wonderful adventure with Stitch has come to an end! I really enjoyed following along.
I'm so sorry Stitch had the eye injury, not fun at all! I'm glad you guys were given the "Disney treatment" and were so nicely cared for.
Thank you so much for all of your EE photos! I couldn't take it all in when we were there so it was fun to really look at your photos and read the signs, etc. The detailing is just so amazing! I love that INDIA brick you found. I have a picture of a pile of them from somewhere in AK.
The meeting in the airport with big hugs sounded wonderful!
Looking forward to your final thoughts and a new TR!!!

I wish I would have taken MORE photos as we walked through the EE line. Seriously though, I do. There were so many details I didn't get to capture yet! I guess that means I need to take some more pictures next time!

Ha ha ha, I am glad to hear you took a picture of bricks too. I feel more normal that way. HA HA. I really do love the detail that seems to be just about everywhere the entire time you are at WDW!

Once again, Disney proves that they really do care for their guests. I love reading your trip reports, Jay, cuz you really bring out what Disney is all about. Impecable detail, customer service, and the importance of family. I love being a part of your trip reports and I can't wait to be a part of another one, whenever that may be. I cannot wait to read your final thoughts.

Awww, thank you! I love those things about Disney. The impecable detail, service and how they provide a place that really brings family together. I always seem drawn back to planning our 'next' vacation at WDW because of those things. Being at WDW just leaves you with a good feeling.

I will be writing another trip report after Goofy's birthday trip this fall. I am in the final planning stages for his birthday fun!

Ooh, the poor little guy, that must have really hurt. scratching his cornea. Eye injuries really give me the willies, you handled it so calmly! I would've been a wreck having to go to the ER right before your flight home. So glad to hear everything turned out okay in the end, and you still found reasons to smile! What a great trip report, hope you'll start a PTR for the next one!

Ha ha ha, I don't mean to give the impression that I was calm on the inside...I was flipping out, I just tried to appear calm for Stitch's sake. Scratching your cornea is very painful...I think Stitch has learned NOT to rub on his eyes if he feels something get in them again.

Jay -

I'm crying, not only because Stitch is hurt, but because you always take the time to notice kindness in everyone around you...

You are a great inspiration!

Mrs. Spratt

Thanks...you just made me blush! I think life is so much more wonderful if you make an effort to look for the good around you instead of dwelling on the bad. In all honesty, you will always find both...so why not try to focus on the good while you can? At least that is what I tell myself.

It's kind of next door to the HBD at the top of the road leading to ToT

So so true, I really loved my December training trip but it made me really realise that Disney is best shared withyour family


Sounds as though you had a fantastic ride packed morning but poor little Stitch needing a hospital visit. The CSR sounded fantastic though

Thanks for letting me know where it is. I will have to check it out next time we are hungry at DHS.

Your training trip looked so amazing! If anyone is looking for a great MAGICAL trip report...read Jo's Disney Mom's Panel Training Trip TR! It was such a fun read!

And yes, the staff at the CSR certainly was fantastic when we needed an extra bit of help!

awww...thanks for the shout out! i have big shoes to fill...you are the queen of surprises! i am hoping to do a "princess dream" trip for my 10 year old niece who has never been to disney!

btw...what a great last day except for that blasted sand!...bad bad sand! glad he is okay and think of all the memories you now have to treasure of your one on one time with him

Oh how fun...a "princess dream" trip! Let me know if you start a planning thread for that one! I love dreaming up surprises!

I do have memories I will treasure for a life time from our trip together. It was amazing to have that long block of time to dedicate soley to having fun with him. I feel like I got the present for his birthday in being gifted with time with him!

What a GREAT last morning - EE, Dogs, Gliding through time, Dinos, MICKEY BARS, and Pooh & Pals!

The time at CSR sounded really nice too, up until the eye incident! Poor Stitch! And poor Momma! I cannot imagine how worried you must have been. But, I am very pleased to read that CSR was right on top of things with it all. Very, very good!

Henry recently poked Joe in the eye just right and he too ended up with a very badly scratched cornea. He didn't have the patch, but he did have the eye drops and now has 3 months of salve he has to put on. Blah! BUT, the important thing is, his eye is healing. I'm VERY glad to read Stitch is doing well.

Looking forward to the final thoughts...are you going to share bits about your next trip???

OH NO...poor Joe, those things really hurt! We were putting salve on Stitch's eye well into April. I guess it is not normal to patch an eye for that anymore. Something about how you would need to really patch both eyes to stop the eye from moving (since it tracks with the other one even if it is 'in the dark'). However, the doctor suggested they do it to keep him from touching it anymore. He had a persistant habit of reaching up to keep rubbing it. He only had to wear the patch for the first 48 hours and then he was patchless.

It was a great last day. Despite the injury. The staff of the CSR went above and beyond to offer whatever we needed. They truly were great!

AK is a great park. You had so much fun! I like the pictures of the queue for EE. We did FP and never saw that side.

Poor Stitch with the eye patch. That had to be very painful. I hope it healed quickly.

By the time we went back in for his first re-check (48 hours later) he was ready to be done with the eye patch and couldn't understand why anyone was still concerned about his eye. HA HA. By his two week appointment, he had almost forgotten all about it...other than having to get a ribbon of salve on his eyelid morning and night he was totally over it.

I am glad you liked the EE pictures, I couldn't stop my fingers from snapping away. Ha ha.

 

[jaycns]

Jay - what a wonderful trip for you and Stitch. I have so enjoyed reading it. Sorry to hear about Stitch's eye. I guess thankfully it was at the end of your trip and not the beginning. I hope he is doing well.

I have to say, my eyes got teary with your plane photos and goodbye's to Orlando.

Can't wait to hear your final comments.

We did have a great time. I feel so blessed to have had that time with my little Stitch. I have to admit, I got teary eyed writing about that part of the trip. Endings are always bitter sweet (even when you have a house full of sweet guys to get back to).

Tears in my eyes. I hope Stitch is all healed with no ill effects.

Glad you are home, but sad the trippie is over. Hope you go again SOON!

Grandma Linda!! I have some more pictures for you (if you will PM me your address once again if you even want them ). The boys got new ones taken. He is 100% eye wise. He had two rechecks and about a month of salve after his week of antibiotic drops and he was great to go. He couldn't understand why he had to go in for rechecks once we got home. I am glad his memory is so short when it comes to being hurt. So...no permanent harm was done. And I think he may have leanred that is better to try and flush your eye out than to try and rub something out of it.

We will be there again for Goofy's birthday this fall. I am already excited about that trip! I am looking forward to having a great bit of one on one time with him as well! My sweet little Goof.

Poor stitch! Oh it sounds so painful! Poor little guy! Glad that the CM's were so helpful...i always just seem to fall apart when the kids are hurt!

I had no choice but to hold it together. I was so frazzled inside...but Stitch needed a calm mom (on the outside at least). I am thankful that it was something that was not a permanent problem. I never imagined a little bit of sand in your eye could cause that much pain!

Great trip report! Thanks for the info on the sparkle Disney t-shirt you were wearing on your last day. My friend got me one when they went to the world in June - I even gave him your picture to show a CM what I wanted. Sorry to hear about Stitch's eye. I burned my cornea when I was in high school and it hurt like heck.

I am glad you found one...I really love that shirt! Ouch on your burned cornea. I cannot even imagine the pain of that. Thanks for reading along!

Hey, Sweetie!!! Just when you think I've fallen off the face of the earth.... Here I am!

Life has gotten in the way of posting lately, but, rest assured, I have been reading every word.

Love the whole thing. So sorry about Stitch's eye. Glad it's healing well.

Sorry to see it end, but I KNOW you'll be back soon!

Hugs to all ~

B

BARB! I have missed you! WHERE have you been hiding? PM me about how your trip went (you went to the badlands, right). I would love to hear about your trip. How are the kids doing? How are YOU?

Hey look, right after Barb!!

Jay, the TR was just wonderful from the pictures to all the fabulous stories. I loved it and am already excited about the next one to come!

Poor Stitch, that hurt me just reading it.

Hugs

Ha ha ha, like you two didn't plan it?! I MISS YOU TOO HEIDI! Where has that sweet daughter of yours been hiding these days?

Just so you know, I have plans to try and talk you and dd into a cameo appearence in my next trip report. We will be there in the fall...maybe we could meet for an afternoon? Just think about it! I am so glad you are doing so much better!

I've been trying to post, but we're on vacation in Myrtle Beach and our resort's internet access is soooo slooooow. Hopefully this works.

Anyways, what a great trip. I'm sorry about Stitch's eye. I know from experience how painful that can be. I'm always sad when we reach the end of your trip reports, but I always know there will be another trip around the corner.

I hope you had a tremendous time at the beach. How fun for your kids! How are they all doing?

I'm glad your Stitch is feeling better! My nephew saw those pictures and felt really bad for him! He almost started to cry until I showed him the smiling Stitch in later pictures. It's great that everyone was so great and helpful. A child's eyesight is no laughing matter, so I'm glad it wasn't too serious. I hope he mended quickly!

Oh and The Boy (he likes to be called this now when I talk about him online here or on my twitter page. Silly little monkey!) was very jealous when he saw the pictures of you guys with Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger!

Tell "The Boy" hello! What a sweet (and funny) little guy. And yes, Stitch is 100% healed (thanks for that).

Oh, poor little guy! A stinky end to a wonderful trip - but it sounds like the staff at CSR were great. I'm glad to see he still had a smile on his face at the end and I hope his eye is all healed up by now!

Yes, eye is healed! I wish our final afternoon would have been a bit less full of adventure.

Whew!!!! I DID IT! I finished all of your trip report today and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed your adventures. Let me just say, I am TOTALLY jealous of you!! (in a good way, though ). What I wouldn't give for a SOLO trip with just me and my son. I kind of did it in March (the week after you were there). DH wasn't there, but the rest of my family was and we only had like one evening where it was just the two of us. That was the best evening of the entire trip!

I loved all of it and I think that you did a fantastic job making the entire trip memorable and special. Your STITCH will never forget this as long as he lives. Good job! The birthday meal was awesome, the cake was awesome, the whole trip was awesome! Thanks for sharing!!!!

By the way, you are a lovely, beautiful woman and you have a GORGEOUS son! As the mother of her very own "blow you away, brown-eyed son", I can say Stitch is definitely gonna be a heart-breaker someday! All of your sons are beautiful.

Thanks for reading through all of that!

I bet you cherish that solo evening. A similar night with my oldest a few years ago sort of spurred me on to planning these solo trips. I really cherish the time I am able to spend with each of my boys.

That birthday meal was amazing. I am in awe of the chefs and creative minds at the GF. They are so good at catering to your needs/wants.

And AWWWW thanks for the words about my sweet lil' Stitch. I love looking into his 'Hershey Kiss" eyes (I have always told him that he has two little Hershey's Kisses for eyes). Thanks again for all of your kind comments!

 

[jaycns]

Final Thoughts

I dread posting my final thoughts because it means I am saying good bye to reliving a trip. For me, time away at Walt Disney World is such a treat, so magical and filled with memories that I will always cherish, that it's hard to have to end a trip report. However, the excited feeling I get when I think about planning my next trip always spurs me on. Ha ha ha.

First and foremost, thank you all for sharing this trip down my Disney memory lane with me. I appreciate the chance to create a record of our trip for my children. Without the DIS, I probably wouldn't find the time to stick to it and get it all down. Although many of the memories will never fade, writing a TR is a great way to get it all down and to help me keep things straight. Even now, sometimes I start to confuse what happened during one trip with what happened during another. I guess having four boys will do that to your mind.

Anyway, without all of you wonderful trip report reading DISers, I wouldn't have an outlet for my ramblings...so THANK YOU!

About mom and me trips...I LOVE THEM! For me, being able to spend time alone with one of my sons was an enormous treat. Although I wouldn't have it any other way (being the mom of four I mean) it was great to be treated to a week alone with Stitch. Being able to do Disney with him leading was a fascinating glimpse into his mind. I loved being able to say yes to just about anything and everything all week long. Without having to balance what the rest of the family would need/want to do, I was able to see WDW through his eyes. That was a real treat! It brought into clear focus just how funny, smart, silly, daring, charming and crazy my little Stitch is. It also showed me just how fast he is growing up while at the same time reminded me how he is still (and always will be) my little boy.

I am glad that I gave him the opportunity to pick where we stayed. I admit to being a tad bit nervous when he picked the CSR (or POR) instead of one of the deluxes. I have become more than a bit spoiled by our club level stays. Turns out, I needn't have worried. The CSR was wonderful. It was very well themed, lots of fun and the customer service was exceptional. From check in to check out we were surrounded by friendly CMs who were always willing to help us out, stop just to say hello or do that little something extra to make us feel special. I did miss having a balcony to sit on and watch the sun come up or to curl up on with a good book. To me, that was the only real thing 'lacking' from the CSR and I would not let that stop me from staying there again in the future. We highly enjoyed our time at the CSR.

When Easter falls later on the calendar, early spring is a great time to visit WDW. The spring break crowds came shortly after us but the week we were there was quiet and uncrowded. It was an unexpected bonus.

I very quickly became addicted to working special surprises into our trips. Surprising family and friends gives me great joy. In fact, I know that I have just as much fun planning the surprises and watching those I love be surprised as they do enjoying them. One of the greatest gifts I have been given in life is the gift of watching those I love enjoy their surprises. Nothing makes me happier.

Lastly, I would like to dedicate this trip report to my sweet, sassy, smart and silly Stitch. Being your mom is the greatest joy I could ever know. I love you more than words could write, arms could hug or even Disney could imagine!

And also to my dad (who I lost shortly after this trip). You and mom are the ones who first took me to WDW and started what would become, a life long love of everything Disney. I will never forget walking up Main Street holding on to your big hand with one hand and my other hand wrapped around the string of a Mickey head balloon and thinking that I was the luckiest little girl in the world. Thank you for a lifetime of wonderful memories. I still feel like the luckiest girl because I had you for a father.

 

[shannn]

Thank you, thank you for letting you follow you on all your trips. You have 4 special little boys and an amazing bond with each one that is so obvious. I love the way you know them each so well and surprise them with things that fit their personalities. I'm honored to get a little glimpse into your life.

 

[jmamom]

Jay, Thank you so much for writing your trip reports! I get such enjoyment, inspiration, and many great ideas from them. I know your experiences are going to help me enjoy my trip in September, especially how you take time to relax and appreciate your family in such a magical place. Please keep writing for your next trip(s)!

 

[disneydusted]

Awww, such a sweet ending... your dedications left me teary eyed!
Keep us all posted when you start your next TR.

 

[Aburns8]

Jay ~

Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us!!! I love both of the reports that I have read. When you go to that magical place again I hope that you keep us posted and write another wonderful trip report!

 

[MICKEY4EVER!]

I sooo enjoyed reading the TR and your dedication at the end made me teary-eyed, too! I know just how you feel about that time with your son and I can only imagine how you felt about losing your father. I'm so sorry about that. I know he will live in your heart always.

You mentioned the Spring Break crowds - let me tell you, I was THERE! It was so totally crowded and they had taken EMH pretty much out of the picture, probably not expecting the volume of people they had. But, in the end, I noticed that they began to extend closing times by one hour at MK to accomodate all the people. That was nice!

My mother asked me if I wanted to go with them on Spring Break again for 2010 and I said no. I've been through two Spring Break's and I don't want to do it again. I'll go during a slower time of year!

Anyways, I'm sorry its the end of your TR, but I look forward to reading another. You definitely have a wonderful style of writing!

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Jay, what a wonderful end to a beautiful story. You certainly had a year of joys and struggles and I only hope for nothing but the best in the future. Will await to hear of Goofy's trip.

On a side note. I did have a wonderful birthday surprise. My awesome family pulled off a good for ome and I love them dearly.

It has been a pleasure meeting you on this report and continue a busy pleasurable summer.

Ginny

 

[brookelizabeth]

Aw geez, I was dry eyed (just had a big sappy grin) until I got to the last paragraph....

And don't worry Jay, I only have ONE boy and I can't keep our trips straight half the time!

WONDERFUL REPORT, as always! I'm looking forward to Goofy's! (and bummed we are just missing each other by mere weeks!)