Ever, Ever After: The TR Formerly Known as Wishing You Were Here- May 2011

[lbuzz52]

I'm so glad you found your bag! I've hid things from myself like that WAY too many times.
I don't blame you for pulling Landon in your bed. Breathing isn't anything to play with. I hope he felt better by the morning.

 

[Doofenshmirtz513]

I'll admit for me that "Good Mom" usually wins with a sick child (of course, I'm a dad, which presents some existential questions we'll save for later) just because I don't want my wife or me getting sick as a result. A healthy kid that just had a nightmare, though, is always welcome.

Love the reports and am eager for each new installment!

 

[afwdwfan]

I love seeing the Illuminations fireworks from Pop Century! It is true that you really can't see them really well, but it is nice to be back at the resort relaxing and be able to look up and see them. I'm glad Carter got to enjoy them while Landon watched a rabbit.

That's too bad that Landon isn't feeling well. Hopefully the Tylenol does the trick. We're bad parents too. We try to make DS sleep in his own bed, but sometimes just for our sanity and so that we can get some sleep, we let him sleep with us. I don't think it is that big of a deal.

 

[amazingact21]

I didn't realize you could see IllumiNations from Pop. Gosh, there's so many things I'm learning reading your TR!
Poor Landon...glad that the Tylenol kicked in and allowed him to get some decent sleep, but sorry to hear you had another unwanted surprise that night. I hope everything became a little easier once Jeremy arrived.

 

[4forWDW]

Great TR so far
I took my DS & DD to WDW by myself but they were DS5 and DD7 at the time.
At your boys' ages you really have to go with their flow and not push them. And by the sounds of it, you are doing an excellent job.
We always try to get the door, help out any time we see one parent trying to juggle while pushing a stroller etc.
My kids know that at one time that was their mom and she appreciated the help she received
It sounds like reinforcements are on their way!!
Also, I'm glad it sounds like Landon will get a good night sleep - but I'm sorry it doesn't sound like you are going to. But I think we all know - that's the life of a mom!
Can't wait to read more.
Amy

 

[CandleontheWater]

I'm sorry Landon got sick! I hope that some mommy snuggle-time helped him to feel better! I've never been one for co-sleeping, because I'm much too paranoid, but every now and again, you have to do whats necessary.

 

[dekkerdisneydreamer]

Hi Kate,

I just read through all of your updates (thanks to your handy links!) and am subbing! I'm sure it's already been said, but goodness, you deserve the mother of the year award for taking two toddlers to WDW, by yourself.

The boys are too cute, I love Landon's curls and Carter's big blue eyes! I can see why they've been getting so much female attention!

I am very interested in seeing what you are accomplishing with boys as I have a 13 month old that we'll be taking in October (16 months at that time). Normally, we'd just go touring commando style (thanks honey.) but I'm so glad for the opportunity to stop and see the little things that tend to get missed each trip.

Looking forward to your next installment!

 

[Shannon84]

I am glad "bad mom" won...first of all...she sounds cooler but seriously, in situations like that you have to bend the rules and do what feels right, poor lil Landon

 

[Mommy2BnB]

I would have been a bad mom, too. Poor Landon, I hope he wasn't too sick to go to the parks the next day.

 

[TeresaG]

OK, all caught up. I'm glad you found your bag! I would've been freaking out. When we stayed at SSR we would walk to DTD every night, but after circling the parking lot for 20mins I would've decided not to go back too.

Sorry Landon was starting to get so sick. Poor baby. I'm totally a bad mom on vacation. That's the only time we cosleep with the kids. We usually divide and conquer. When we're home there are only a handful of times I've slept in my bed with one of them, but on vacation we're so out of sorts anyway that I don't worry about them getting used to sleeping with mommy or daddy.

 

[tammy]

Awww...poor Landon!

 

[Shell & Ted]

I just found your trip report and am loving it. I'm well past the toddler stage but did a trip to Disney with my boys while my hubby was at a business meeting years ago. I'm happy to say that we all survived but I was never so happy as when my husband showed up after his meeting.

 

[basketkat]

Well my very first Vinylmation came today from DMR....

I got......



WHEEZY!!!!!

I am pretty happy with him!

 

[DisneyMomma09]

What a nice surprise to be able to see some of the Illuminations fireworks! I love finishing my Disney days watching fireworks.

Oh! Poor Landon! I never get a good nights sleep when my baby is sick, whether he is sleeping in my bed or his own. While we try to keep Colby in his own bed as much as possible, we have certainly brought him into bed with us, especially when DH is not home!!

I hope Landon is feeling better in the morning! It seems like colds are always the worst at night and a bit better during the day.

 

[KatMark]

Bad Mom is the RIGHT mom. There is nothing wrong with a sick baby sleeping with mom. Our youngest developed bronchitis when he was about 14 months old and he had it really bad off and on until he was three or four. The only way the poor kid could sleep is if his dad or I slept in the reclining chair with him at just the right angle so he could breathe. I don't believe a LOT of what those books tell you. I am so you listened to Bad Mom...she sounds like more fun too!

 

[Thadine]

Ooh I have been "bad mom" all the time. If they are sick, if they had a nightmare, or if they just want mommy. I always felt so much better when I had my kids next to me.
Don't see any harm it has done them, both didn't need mommy more around the age of 5. It was way to cool to sleep in their own room.

Hope Landon felt better the next day.

 

[PirateKate]

I'm glad bad mom won...I don't think there is anything wrong with a sick baby sleeping with his mommy I actually think everyone has a better sleep when they're sick! I had a great pediatrician...when I told him Jasmine was sleeping with me everynight and everyone was telling me how bad and wrong it was he said to me "do you realize that we are the only mammals that make our offspring sleep away from us" ....I loved our pediatrician!

Your pediatrician sounds great! I wish I had a pediatrician I liked. Most of the ones I've visited seem to think they know everything and parents are idiots. It's hard to find the right place. I'd never thought about mammals being the only ones sleeping away from their offspring, but I do know that if we had the boys sleep with us every night, we'd need a bigger bed.

Hmmm.. Guess I've been "bad mom" from the start. I couldn't imagine sleeping any other way when my little ones were babies. Oddly, they both sleep fine on their own, too. Must've been all that bottled water to balance things out. I'm glad you brought him to bed with you. I think it's safer that way really, especially if he isn't feeling well. Hope things didn't get too bad for the little guy.

I am kind of surprised that your boys sleep fine on their own, too. I know so many people who let their kids get in bed with them and then can't get the kids to sleep on their own any more. Of course, the power of bottled water is an incredible thing. I'm not sure which way was safer, but it was nicer to have Landon right by me.

Poor little Landon! I sure hope he didn't get too sick while y'all were on vacation.

Okay, I was totally laughing & clapping reading about good mom vs. bad mom. And I want to know if you're spying on me because bad mom sounds EXACTLY like me! As I'm reading your update, I'm drinking a very tall glass of sweet tea & it is 11:25 at night!!! Now, Reid does go to sleep on his own, in his own bed every night. However, at some point in the night, he always finds his way to my bed. And I'm bad mom so I don't make him leave.

I just have to take a moment to tell you that I really love your writing style for your TR. It always makes me laugh. You should write books!

I hate it when the boys get sick, but it is the worst on vacation. At least I had the number for Centra Care, though.

Lucky! I wish I had a sweet tea right now. Or a coffee. In the afternoon, either is acceptable. Instead, I have a lukewarm bottle of water that I've been working on for the past hour. It used to be cold. At least Reid starts out in his own bed.

How fun that you could see the fireworks! I've been meaning to ask you...how was it to go from CSR last trip to POP? Did you miss being at a moderate? I know so many people love POP.... so I was just curious!

Poor little Landon! It is so hard when your kiddos aren't feeling 100%!

Oh and I am totally "bad mom" everything on her list describes me to a T!

I don't think I will ever be one of the Pop-loving crowd. I'm used to switching around between deluxe, moderate, and value, so I went into it already knowing exactly what to expect. I knew that Pop wouldn't be as nice as CSR and it wasn't, but the fact that it wasn't didn't bother me, because I knew that it wouldn't be. If that makes sense.

It is hard when they feel bad. Every time they get sick, I sort of hope it will be the last time, but no luck so far.

Bad mom's a lot more fun, isn't she?

I'm so glad you found your bag! I've hid things from myself like that WAY too many times.
I don't blame you for pulling Landon in your bed. Breathing isn't anything to play with. I hope he felt better by the morning.

Whenever I find something that was there the whole time, it's hard to know whether to be happy that I found it, or annoyed that I'd never even lost it to start with. I'm usually just happy, though.

Landon seemed very happy once he realized he wasn't going back in his own bed. He had a content and peaceful look on his face while he was sleeping with me.

I'll admit for me that "Good Mom" usually wins with a sick child (of course, I'm a dad, which presents some existential questions we'll save for later) just because I don't want my wife or me getting sick as a result. A healthy kid that just had a nightmare, though, is always welcome.

Love the reports and am eager for each new installment!

Hmm...I'm guessing that dads are exempt from Good Mom/Bad Mom. I hadn't even considered whether I would catch Landon's cold if he slept with me. If Jeremy had been with us, he probably would have thought of it. Dads are useful like that.

Thanks!

 

[Connie96]

Just wanted to chime in on the co-sleeping thing. When DD was an infant, I did NOT like for her to sleep in our bed. I couldn't sleep when she was there because I was scared she'd get squished. There were a couple nights when she was sick that I slept on the floor in her room next to the crib, though. Anyway, she has always gone to sleep in her own bed on her own and done great. Even after moving from the crib to a toddler bed, it was probably a couple months before she started getting up at night and coming to look for us. Since then (she's 4 now and in a big-kid bed) she goes thru phases of sleeping in her own bed all night long and then phases of getting up in the wee hours and climbing in with us. We all seem to be fine either way.

Looking forward to more of the trip. Can't wait to hear how the boys react when Jeremy finally joins yall.

 

[PirateKate]

I love seeing the Illuminations fireworks from Pop Century! It is true that you really can't see them really well, but it is nice to be back at the resort relaxing and be able to look up and see them. I'm glad Carter got to enjoy them while Landon watched a rabbit.

That's too bad that Landon isn't feeling well. Hopefully the Tylenol does the trick. We're bad parents too. We try to make DS sleep in his own bed, but sometimes just for our sanity and so that we can get some sleep, we let him sleep with us. I don't think it is that big of a deal.

I thought seeing Illuminations was really cool. It never works out for us in the parks, but we could have sat out there and let the boys play in the grass and watched the fireworks in peace. Maybe Landon could have tried to catch his rabbit.

I usually like for my boys to sleep in their own beds and they always do at home, but when we are traveling and Landon's sick, then it seems like that's a special circumstance. I don't think it really hurts anything.

I didn't realize you could see IllumiNations from Pop. Gosh, there's so many things I'm learning reading your TR!
Poor Landon...glad that the Tylenol kicked in and allowed him to get some decent sleep, but sorry to hear you had another unwanted surprise that night. I hope everything became a little easier once Jeremy arrived.

I had heard that Illuminations could be seen from Pop, but I thought it was only from the 3rd floor. I had no idea that I could see it from right outside my door. It was really cool, though.

Maybe I should have taken a dose of Tylenol, too. It seemed to do wonders for Landon. Everything became a lot easier once Jeremy arrived. It usually does.

Great TR so far
I took my DS & DD to WDW by myself but they were DS5 and DD7 at the time.
At your boys' ages you really have to go with their flow and not push them. And by the sounds of it, you are doing an excellent job.
We always try to get the door, help out any time we see one parent trying to juggle while pushing a stroller etc.
My kids know that at one time that was their mom and she appreciated the help she received
It sounds like reinforcements are on their way!!
Also, I'm glad it sounds like Landon will get a good night sleep - but I'm sorry it doesn't sound like you are going to. But I think we all know - that's the life of a mom!
Can't wait to read more.
Amy

Thanks! I think a trip with my boys when they are 5 and 6 would be a lot of fun. Much easier than this trip.
I always try to go with the flow and let the boys set the pace for our Disney adventures. The only trouble is when the two boys have two different flows going.
I do always appreciate it when someone holds the door for me. I've found people are usually eager to help out when I'm alone with the boys.
I was so glad Jeremy was coming the next day. If I have to have a sick kid, I can use all the help I can get.
Landon started sleeping very soundly, breathing easily, so despite not getting much sleep myself, I still thought it was a good move. I have noticed that since becoming a mom, I get far less sleep than I used to.
Thanks for reading!

I'm sorry Landon got sick! I hope that some mommy snuggle-time helped him to feel better! I've never been one for co-sleeping, because I'm much too paranoid, but every now and again, you have to do whats necessary.

I think it did help him to feel better. Landon has never liked sleeping in Pack N Plays. He likes his own crib. I think co-sleeping that night was a good decision, since it let him rest. Generally, I don't do much co-sleeping, either, but just that once was fine.

Hi Kate,

I just read through all of your updates (thanks to your handy links!) and am subbing! I'm sure it's already been said, but goodness, you deserve the mother of the year award for taking two toddlers to WDW, by yourself.

The boys are too cute, I love Landon's curls and Carter's big blue eyes! I can see why they've been getting so much female attention!

I am very interested in seeing what you are accomplishing with boys as I have a 13 month old that we'll be taking in October (16 months at that time). Normally, we'd just go touring commando style (thanks honey.) but I'm so glad for the opportunity to stop and see the little things that tend to get missed each trip.

Looking forward to your next installment!

Hi! I'm glad those links are getting some use! Thanks, I was very lucky to be able to take my boys to Disney by myself. It was a really cool experience, and I'd do it again in a second.

Thank you! I love Carter's eyes. I think he has a great shade of blue. Landon's hair is cool, too. It's very wispy and blond and unique. I think it looks good on him, though.

We accomplish a lot more with the boys once Jeremy gets there. When it's just me and them, we never accomplish much, but we still have fun. I'm sure you all with have a great time with your toddler in October. It's a fun age. Commando touring and toddlers don't usually mix well, but relaxing trips are fun, too.

 

[PirateKate]

I am glad "bad mom" won...first of all...she sounds cooler but seriously, in situations like that you have to bend the rules and do what feels right, poor lil Landon

Bad mom usually wins these sorts of things. I think letting him sleep in the bed was the right thing to do. He seemed to improve right away.

I would have been a bad mom, too. Poor Landon, I hope he wasn't too sick to go to the parks the next day.

My boys need a doctor's note to stay home from the parks. A good night's sleep was very good for Landon.

OK, all caught up. I'm glad you found your bag! I would've been freaking out. When we stayed at SSR we would walk to DTD every night, but after circling the parking lot for 20mins I would've decided not to go back too.

Sorry Landon was starting to get so sick. Poor baby. I'm totally a bad mom on vacation. That's the only time we cosleep with the kids. We usually divide and conquer. When we're home there are only a handful of times I've slept in my bed with one of them, but on vacation we're so out of sorts anyway that I don't worry about them getting used to sleeping with mommy or daddy.

I love being able to walk from SSR to DTD. I thought that walk was so pretty. I think DTD seems a lot more crowded than it used a few years ago. Must be T-Rex, pulling in the big crowds.

I'm not sure how we're going to manage staying in hotels once Landon outgrows the Pack N Play. I think he's getting close to ready for a big bed. I'm sure that he and Carter couldn't share a bed for awhile still, so dividing and conquering might be the best way to go. As long as they still sleep by themselves at home.

Awww...poor Landon!

He was so pitiful that night. I felt really sorry for him.

I just found your trip report and am loving it. I'm well past the toddler stage but did a trip to Disney with my boys while my hubby was at a business meeting years ago. I'm happy to say that we all survived but I was never so happy as when my husband showed up after his meeting.

Hi! Glad you found my TR. I always figure that there's no better place to be during a business meeting or trip than at Disney. I agree that there's also nothing better than when it's over and you're all together again.

Well my very first Vinylmation came today from DMR....

I got......



WHEEZY!!!!!

I am pretty happy with him!

Cool! I like Wheezy. Anything but Big Baby, right?

What a nice surprise to be able to see some of the Illuminations fireworks! I love finishing my Disney days watching fireworks.

Oh! Poor Landon! I never get a good nights sleep when my baby is sick, whether he is sleeping in my bed or his own. While we try to keep Colby in his own bed as much as possible, we have certainly brought him into bed with us, especially when DH is not home!!

I hope Landon is feeling better in the morning! It seems like colds are always the worst at night and a bit better during the day.

I love fireworks at the end of the day, too. Of course, my very favorite way to end the day is fireworks followed by several EMHs, but that doesn't happen so often these days.

I hate the nights when they are sick. I'm always sort of half awake all night, listening in case they need anything. Since Jeremy was gone, it was very easy to pull Landon in bed with me. I don't think it hurt anything.

I think it's hard to sleep with a cold, especially if you're little and can't understand why you feel so bad. I hope on our next trip everyone stays perfectly healthy.

Bad Mom is the RIGHT mom. There is nothing wrong with a sick baby sleeping with mom. Our youngest developed bronchitis when he was about 14 months old and he had it really bad off and on until he was three or four. The only way the poor kid could sleep is if his dad or I slept in the reclining chair with him at just the right angle so he could breathe. I don't believe a LOT of what those books tell you. I am so you listened to Bad Mom...she sounds like more fun too!

Bad Mom is a lot more fun. I admit, I'm usually more on her side than Good Mom. Landon seemed to be doing a lot better once he was in bed with me. I can't imagine having to sleep on a recliner for so long, though. I guess you do whatever you have to for them, but that would have been really tough.

Ooh I have been "bad mom" all the time. If they are sick, if they had a nightmare, or if they just want mommy. I always felt so much better when I had my kids next to me.
Don't see any harm it has done them, both didn't need mommy more around the age of 5. It was way to cool to sleep in their own room.

Hope Landon felt better the next day.

That's interesting, it sounds like that worked out really well for your kids. I've never wanted to have to fight with them about sleeping in their own bed, but I guess if you don't mind having them in your bed, then it doesn't matter anyway. I can see how a kid would think he was so cool sleeping in his own room at age 5.

Just wanted to chime in on the co-sleeping thing. When DD was an infant, I did NOT like for her to sleep in our bed. I couldn't sleep when she was there because I was scared she'd get squished. There were a couple nights when she was sick that I slept on the floor in her room next to the crib, though. Anyway, she has always gone to sleep in her own bed on her own and done great. Even after moving from the crib to a toddler bed, it was probably a couple months before she started getting up at night and coming to look for us. Since then (she's 4 now and in a big-kid bed) she goes thru phases of sleeping in her own bed all night long and then phases of getting up in the wee hours and climbing in with us. We all seem to be fine either way.

Looking forward to more of the trip. Can't wait to hear how the boys react when Jeremy finally joins yall.

I have heard that the dangers of co-sleeping are only for those under 2, so that makes sense. I've never really been afraid I would squish one of my babies, if they were in bed with me. Somehow I just felt that I would be very aware of them all night, but I did still have to worry about Jeremy squishing them during the night, too. I think it's easier when they're in their own bed.