OKWMom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2006
- Messages
- 2,219
We returned from our December 9-16th trip and I was too busy with Christmas preparations to post, but I wanted to let everyone know we had a wonderful trip. DD9 has autism and is non-verbal with a LOT of sensory issues. But this year, we watched Wishes from the beach at the Poly and she LOVED them. She was awestruck and would sometimes squeal with delight. I never thought she would be able to watch Wishes due to her issues with loud noises and I wouldn't have thought of the Poly without the information I received on this board.
Our next biggest surprise for this trip was that she actually ate in the parks and in various restaurants. She normally would not eat a single bite in any of the parks or restaurants and I would fix her meals in the villa. But this trip, she ate a burger at the food court at POFQ and had......(drumroll please).....FRIED CHICKEN (her first ever) at 50's PT. She ate pancakes and doughnuts and french fries and ice cream and oh my, please don't call the nutrition police. I was just so happy she was eating, I let her eat whatever she wanted. I did not have to fix any of her meals in the villa.
To assist with her mobility needs we rented a chair from Care Medical and received great service from them. I plan on using them again. (Thank you Sue for the information in the sticky). If we received any strange or mean looks while using the chair, I did not notice. I don't know if we truly did not receive any such looks, but as the mother of a disabled child, I have become so accustomed to the stares of others I usually don't notice them. I know we did not receive any strange or rude comments - those I would not have ignored.
In past years, she wore a pull-up in the parks because she would not request a potty break. This year, she wore panties and did not have a single accident. Once again, to the great surprise and appreciation of her family.
The only thing that was not a surprise was how much she enjoyed herself. Disney is truly a magical place for her, and consequently, for all of us. She laughed and smiled and for those 8 precious days was as "typical" as any other child in Disney. The pictures of her soaking wet and grinning from ear to ear on Splash Mountain were my best Christmas present and have me eagerly planning our next trip in April.
Happy Holidays to everyone!
Our next biggest surprise for this trip was that she actually ate in the parks and in various restaurants. She normally would not eat a single bite in any of the parks or restaurants and I would fix her meals in the villa. But this trip, she ate a burger at the food court at POFQ and had......(drumroll please).....FRIED CHICKEN (her first ever) at 50's PT. She ate pancakes and doughnuts and french fries and ice cream and oh my, please don't call the nutrition police. I was just so happy she was eating, I let her eat whatever she wanted. I did not have to fix any of her meals in the villa.
To assist with her mobility needs we rented a chair from Care Medical and received great service from them. I plan on using them again. (Thank you Sue for the information in the sticky). If we received any strange or mean looks while using the chair, I did not notice. I don't know if we truly did not receive any such looks, but as the mother of a disabled child, I have become so accustomed to the stares of others I usually don't notice them. I know we did not receive any strange or rude comments - those I would not have ignored.
In past years, she wore a pull-up in the parks because she would not request a potty break. This year, she wore panties and did not have a single accident. Once again, to the great surprise and appreciation of her family.
The only thing that was not a surprise was how much she enjoyed herself. Disney is truly a magical place for her, and consequently, for all of us. She laughed and smiled and for those 8 precious days was as "typical" as any other child in Disney. The pictures of her soaking wet and grinning from ear to ear on Splash Mountain were my best Christmas present and have me eagerly planning our next trip in April.
Happy Holidays to everyone!
I thought my boys MAW trip would be our first and only WDW trip. But the trip was so fantastic and the boys enjoyed themselves so much we are trying to plan another trip. Everyday my oldest son watches the computer screensaver with pics of our trip and wants me to narrate it! Now I just need to figure out the best way to get them down to Florida with their wheelchairs and all their gear.
