December MaGiC or was it?!? TR starts Pg. 39

[roxannensteve]

Hi everyone (atleast I am hoping someone reads this)

Let me start off by introducing my family & myself; which will be the cast for this upcoming trip. I will probably go off course now & then but hopefully you all will enjoy meeting my family as much as I enjoy getting to know yours.

I am....

Roxanne (31) I like to compare myself to Tinkerbell - even though my family thinks that our Disney vacations just magically fall together perfectly; its actually me doing so much planning that makes it all so special. You see I secretly have pixie dust ...but shhh...don't tell DH - he thinks I'm always on DIS getting ideas....Seriously though, I over plan everything - I like everything to be just right.

I am married to....

Steve (31) I'll compare DH to Donald Duck. He does this great little Donald Duck voice & quite frankly sometimes him & Donald have the very same attitude. Sometimes. Not often. I have to say, most of the time he is my Prince Charming but since I'm no Cinderella - we won't refer to him as Prince Charming. Instead I'll call him DH or maybe Donald Duck.

We have 2 children - sons that is. First is....

Taylor Think of him as Pluto, no real reason except that he sleeps with a stuffed Pluto every night. He absolutely adores that thing. Notice how Pluto's ear is always up - well thats my Taylor - can't miss anything being said. So, maybe they are more alike than I thought....I may refer to Taylor as DS1

Next is....

Matthew (3 1/2 months) Well, I'll use Baby Mickey for him because he is the head honcho right now. I may refer to him as DS2. He also loves the sounds made by Daddy Donald.

Now, let me give you a little background on us...I'll start with DH & I. We are highschool sweethearts. We met at the end of our 11th grade year through a mutual friend. During that summer (1992) we became best friends which developed into something so wonderful. In 1994, for my birthday actually, he proposed & I accepted. We married in 1996 & planned a WDW Honeymoon.

(MY STORY)
I had been to WDW twice before Once when I was a baby myself & then again when I was 6. I obviously don't remember much from my 1st trip. But everything I remembered from my 2nd trip was great. I so much wanted to experience that feeling again. It was a wonderful memory. Me being the youngest of 3 sisters with the closest in age to me being a 9 year difference made it hard for my parents to keep up with the family vacations. Once my older sisters started growing older, money needed to go to other places. Not to mention things in the faimly life changed drastically. My father became an alcoholic (though no one will ever admit that) which lead to verbal abuse on my mom, who just ignored it all & acted like everything was okay. Anyways, I just wanted to have that magical feeling that only Disney could bring.

(HIS STORY)
DH's family was totally different that mine. They NEVER did anything as a family. No vacations, no outings...he mostly done everything with his mom. Which is part of the reason I believe he is the person he is today. He is very caring & understanding & everyday I thank his mom for that. He is also a terrific dad & I think its because he wants to be more involved than his was.

(OUR STORY)
After mentioning WDW to DH, he was reluctant. He thought he wouldn't enjoy it. He thought it was geared toward kids. But he loved me & wanted to make me happy so agreed (secretly thinking he'd have a horrible time) I started 2nd guessing myself as well....it had been a long time since I'd been & I was a kid back then, so maybe it wouldn't be the same. That's when my obsession began. I went out a bought a guidebook & read it front to back a few times. I was also planning a wedding so couldn't devote as much time as I wanted though.

We decided to stay at Buena Vista Suites, outside WDW as we planned on going to Universal & SeaWorld too.

We were married on a Friday night and left for Disney on the Saturday afternoon. Its a 12 hour drive from our hometown. We proudly drove through the Florida Turnpike with cans rattling from the back of our vehicle (thanks bridemaids & groomsmen) so happily in love We had the best time ever - never thought it could get any better. We done & saw everything we wanted. It was so much fun We then decided to go back every other year for our Anniversary.

We returned in 1998 & making the most of more guidebooks - stayed at ASMu - had another great time.

In 2000 we convinced my sisters & their familys to come with us. A group of 9 at ASMo. I loved planning the trips & they thought I planned too much but they all had a wonderful time - they too think that it all magically worked out the way it did...but shhh... it was secretly me again.

We headed back in 2002 this time we gained an extra family member - DS1 was just a little over a year old - YES I actually planned his conception & birth around Disney trips. I told you a I plan everything. We also brought one of my nephews, who happens to be DS1's godfather. Of course since he was just over a year we had to do his 1st haircut there...

And we decided to do pictures to compare his growth - couldn't have chosen a better place...

We stayed at ASMo again since DS1 would love the atmosphere.

Of course we headed back in 2004, this time staying at POP same people as before

We done all sorts of things that we had never done before on this trip One being the Kitchen Sink at Beaches & Cream

Another was Chip & Dale's Campfire

Oh I found a picture of us (just so you can know who we are

What made this trip extra special was we were trying to have another baby and after riding a few rides & getting sick to my stomach, I went & bought a pregnancy test. I made up some crazy excuse about needing some Mylanta so that DH would drive me to a drug store - I wanted it to be a surprise for him if I was pregnant. I tested & it was positive so now, so now I needed to do something special to tell DH & DS1. I carried that pregnancy stick in my pocket all day & decided while we in the Castle to tell them. Everyone was so happy. DS1 wanted to buy a stuffed Chip & Dale - 1 for him & 1 for the baby - which of course we allowed - We all love Diney!!

Well, that brings us to the current trip that I am planning basically & its time for bed but more to come.....

As to how that happiest moment in the Castle telling my family about my pregnancy turned into something so sad (I had a miscarriage)

Hope to see some of you follow our journey, until next time

 

[sunlver]

Great start to your pre trip report I enjoyed reading it. We are going back in mid June. I thinK I am more excited then the kids.

So sorry to hear about your miscarriage...I can understand I had 4

Looking forward to reading more.

 

[roxannensteve]

Great start to your pre trip report I enjoyed reading it. We are going back in mid June. I thinK I am more excited then the kids.

So sorry to hear about your miscarriage...I can understand I had 4

Looking forward to reading more.

Thanks for reading my pre-trip report - I hope you continue. And guess what - we have something in common (something horrible, of course) I didn't get there yet in my report, but we missed our every other year in 2006 - you see from that there miscarriage; I went on to have another 3 - which made my total 4 as well. Its so common but you don't realize how common untill you are in that situation. But as you can see I now have my little

so its gotten easier. I also am so sorry to hear you had to endure the pain of 4 miscariages. It gets easier but we never forget.

 

[sunlver]

Thanks for reading my pre-trip report - I hope you continue. And guess what - we have something in common (something horrible, of course) I didn't get there yet in my report, but we missed our every other year in 2006 - you see from that there miscarriage; I went on to have another 3 - which made my total 4 as well. Its so common but you don't realize how common untill you are in that situation. But as you can see I now have my little

so its gotten easier. I also am so sorry to hear you had to endure the pain of 4 misccariages. It gets easier but we never forget.

Your right, we never forget. I have a 12 yr old son and a 7 yr old daughter, no problems. Then I went on to have 4 miscarriages in a row ....
I got pregnant again, and I knew if that pregnancy made it, and it was a girl her name had to be "Faith"
Well on Aug 13, 2004 Faith was born beautiful and healthy, and will be turning 3 this August.

 

[roxannensteve]

Your right, we never forget. I have a 12 yr old son and a 7 yr old daughter, no problems. Then I went on to have 4 miscarriages in a row ....
I got pregnant again, and I knew if that pregnancy made it, and it was a girl her name had to be "Faith"
Well on Aug 13, 2004 Faith was born beautiful and healthy, and will be turning 3 this August.

In my next post on planning I'll include more information on my m/c(s) but I had to tell you about Matthew's name. It means "A gift of God".

 

[sunlver]

In my next post on planning I'll include more information on my m/c(s) but I had to tell you about Matthew's name. It means "A gift of God".

My sons name is Matthew

 

[roxannensteve]

Back to where I was...2004...how perfect , finding out we were expecting a new baby in Disney..ah the castle, great memories. That is untill I was 3 months & had a miscarriage. No problem, it happens. I was devestated. We all were. But I've already had DS1 so having another shouldn't be a problem, or will it? It's now 2005 & this lost I am now talking about has already happened this year. I go onto have 2 more in that year. Toward the end of 2005, we start talking about our next planned trip - Dec. 2006 - how will it ever be the same? Something I once loved now was giving me bad vibes. I guess partially because I found out I was pregnant there. The Castle doesn't feel magically anymore like it once did.

Oh yeah. by this time I was seeing a fertility doctor. So in March of 2006 we opted for IUI (Intrauterine Insemenation) or artificial insemenation as some would call it. My egg, DH's sperm. Now realize if it worked, I'd be due in December so this trip (our 10th Anniversary trip at that) may have to be postponed.

Well it worked!!! I was pregnant with twins!!! (Remember my problem wasn't getting pregnant in the first place) but my dr. found my problem & I was having to do daily injections of heparin. Well, at 3 months, one of the babies hearts had stopped. Yep, I lost another one. This time due to Vanishing Twin Syndrome. But I had to be strong, I still had another little baby growing inside of me. I didn't cancel my vacation until the week before I was scheduled to give birth. I had my little miracle

2 days after Christmas. And thats when the planning of this trip began.

We decided to go in 2007 to make up for 2006 & then continue our tradition in 2008. That means 2 years in a row

Next part will discuss this year, 2007's trip in more detail.....stay tuned...

 

[roxannensteve]

My sons name is Matthew

Great minds think alike.

 

[sunlver]

Hey, I did Heparin injections as well with Faith. They found out through bloodtests that I had some bloodclotting disorder that only effects you when pregnant. I took 2 shots of heparin every day for the entire 9 months. It was scarey at first, but so glad I did.

 

[2BusyPlanning]

Yay, I found your pre-trip!

So sorry to hear of your losses. You have a beautiful family from your photos, you are very lucky!

I can't wait to hear more from your past trips and planning!

 

[roxannensteve]

Hey, I did Heparin injections as well with Faith. They found out through bloodtests that I had some bloodclotting disorder that only effects you when pregnant. I took 2 shots of heparin every day for the entire 9 months. It was scarey at first, but so glad I did.

What do you know....me too!!! Isn't this crazy!!! Mine was called Antiphospholipid Syndrome. Was that yours too?

 

[roxannensteve]

Okay, so now where am I?

Oh yeah - 2007 trip

I forgot to say, on most of those last trips, I always picked up a few "new" guidebooks. For the 1998 trip I started searching the net for help too. I had previously been a member of another site but then one day in March I came across the link to DIS - food porn section & since we had never done the dining plan before & gave it a quick look & was hooked. DH commented so many times about how could I just sit here & look at pictures of food...he'll never understand You know, when I was looking at other people's pre-trip & trip reports, he said something to effect of, "So now, you going to just look at people's pictures all day?" And of course I give him a strange look & answer "Well, yeah." Any of you see anything out of the ordinary about that?

Back on track.....

First things first. We always go the same week when we go. The first full week of December. That way we are always there for our Anniversary on the 6th of December. Its usually the same week as Pop Warner but we've never had a problem with that. And normally we stay at a Value Resort. We'd usually see them in the morning in the food court - never in parks though. Sometimes in the evenings back at the hotel they'd be practicing but still not a problem to us. So, at work I have to turn in a slip for my vacation ASAP because its first come first serve. So we already knew what week we were looking at. My vacation at work was scheduled for Dec. 3 through 7.

Normally we drive to Disney but when we originally was planning the 2006 trip, we decided to fly. DH always wanted to, I never did. For some reason now though I am willing to give it a try. I've just reached a point in my life that it doesn't scare me anymore. I am sure I will be somewhat nervous the closer it gets, but I'll survive. Having decided on that, I looked at airfare & picked our days. 11/30 which is a Friday through Dec. 8 which is a Saturday. Delta had times that worked really well for us. I know, I know, those times will probably change by the time our trip comes around but for now it is great. I figure even if it changes it'll still be good. Anyways, I will be able to go to work half a day & still make the flight on 11/30 & Saturday midday is good to come back home. So that was what I was planning. I watched the airfare a few weeks, not knowing if it was a decent price or not since we had no experience flying. I decided when my income tax refund came in, I'd book. It was $188 per person round trip. So when our refund came in, I decided to wait till the weekend to book. MISTAKE!! By that time it was now $221 per person round trip. So I booked it at that point. I was scared it would go up even more. So, as of now our flight schedule is:

Depart from MSY @ 6:45 p.m. 11/30 Arrive @ MCO 9:35 p.m.
Depart from MCO @ 10:35 a.m. 12/8 Arrive @ MSY 11:30 a.m.

More to come...keep on reading....

 

[sunlver]

What do you know....me too!!! Isn't this crazy!!! Mine was called Antiphospholipid Syndrome. Was that yours too?

Yes, Im pretty sure thats what they called it. See my problem wasnt getting pregnant. I got pregnant pretty easily, it was keeping the babies in. It was frustrating as I had my first two kids no problems. Of course the drs thought it was due to my age. Faith was born 11 days before my 40 birthday.All I know is I did go on to have Faith after all my losses, and that is what is important
Now I am on to read the rest of your report

I wanted to add.. I found out too I was pregnant at Disney, that was with my first miscarriage. I remember telling my husband to take me to the Publix so I could get diapers for my 2 1/2 yr old, and bought pregnancy test. We went back to the room and did the test and it was positive. I was not scared, I mean I had two other kids already.
A yr later we went back, and I got pregnant at Disney world LOL...that ended in a miscarriage as well. So for awhile Disney held some weird vibes for me.
I can say, with all 3 of my healthy pregnancies, I went back to Disney. I think I was 6 months pregnant with the 3 of them while at Disney, now those were the fun memories I like to think about.

By the way.. your baby is so, so cute

 

[roxannensteve]

Okay, now if you are following, you know we've never flown before. Another reason I like Delta's flight is because you are allowed to pick your seats, but which seats to pick? I needed help so relied on some of my co-workers/friends. They told me to get seats in front of the wing so that we could see better. They said sitting on the wing or behind; we'd have the wing in our view. Is that right? Anyone have any input on this? Let me see if I can do a diagram of the plane so you all can see where we'll seated...

We are in Row 8 - all 3 seats across - baby will be on lap. We have the same seats going & coming.

Are those okay? Should I opt for anything different?

Stay tuned, next post - picking a hotel....(maybe a few other little posts in between )

 

[roxannensteve]

Yay, I found your pre-trip!

So sorry to hear of your losses. You have a beautiful family from your photos, you are very lucky!

I can't wait to hear more from your past trips and planning!

Thanks for joining - glad to see you here.

 

[roxannensteve]

By the way.. your baby is so, so cute

Thank you so much!!!

 

[roxannensteve]

It usually doesn't matter how many bags we bring since we drive to WDW but flying & using ME, we will be arriving late at MCO so I started thinking that may be the perfect way to ask DH if we can get new luggage. It went a little something like this..

Me: DH, since we will be arriving at WDW so late, I've heard it takes a whie to get your luggage to your room. So maybe if we bought 2 new 29" wheeled suitcases it would make it easier on you to haul to the ME bus on arrival night. (you see a friend of mine just went for Easter & bought 2 of these for her family of 5 & it worked great for them - she also got them for $30 each)

So of course he agreed, since its making it easier for him.

Really though, do you think we could put all our stuff in 2 of those? I planned on maybe sending a box fedex to the room ahead of us with diapers & a few other odds & ends (but DH got me worried about - what if the box doesn't arrive, etc., etc., etc.)

We've never used ME either. So, either DH will tote luggage to ME bus or we'll pack what we need that night & next day in carryons - sounds like I'll need to work on possible packing lists to see if that'll work.

 

[stacey_leah]

Thank you for sharing. I became pregnant for our first child about a month after our last visit in 2005. Unfortunately I lost the baby at 12 weeks in February 2006. We've been trying again for 8 months with no luck. I'm hoping our June 2007 visit to the World will be our magical boost we need!

 

[roxannensteve]

Thank you for sharing. I became pregnant for our first child about a month after our last visit in 2005. Unfortunately I lost the baby at 12 weeks in February 2006. We've been trying again for 8 months with no luck. I'm hoping our June 2007 visit to the World will be our magical boost we need!

Lots of luck.

 

[roxannensteve]

Well, I caved in and subscribed to TGM after hearing timandlesley compliment it so much on their PTR. So now, I am all caught up in that.

I pretty much had an itenerary that still looks good according to him - after I finish all the details, I'll share our itenerary here.

Loving it so far.