Feb 2016: The twins are turning 1 and I'm running the Princess Half Marathon! Update 11/5

[holleypie]

For Christmas 2013, my husband gave me a bunch of Disney scrapbook stuff so I could...make a Disney scrapbook. Because I am a procrastinator, I didn't actually start working on it until a few weeks before Christmas 2014 (I figured if I didn't start using last year's presents, he might not buy me more this year). I usually try not to think about Disney between trips, but working on the scrapbook has given me the Disney Fever.

It is waaaaaay too early to start a pre-trip report. But here I am anyway.

So--introductions!

This was my little family, back in June.

This was the last picture of us as a family of three. About two weeks later, I would be pregnant.

My name is Holly and I'm a part-time librarian. I like reading, writing, and running. My favorite ride is Tower of Terror but my favorite park is Epcot. My favorite character is Winnie the Pooh (but I swear my son picked out that Halloween costume all by himself!) My favorite trip so far was our 2012 birthday/Christmas extravaganza.

My husband Brian is a customer service rep who likes TV and games and all things nerdy. His favorite park is Magic Kingdom and his favorite rides are Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. I think his favorite trip was the two-week trip we took for his birthday in 2010.

Together we're DVC owners (AKL), spent our honeymoon at Disneyland in 2010, and went to WDW four times pre-kids (while dating in '07, engaged in '09, married in '10, then pregnant in '11).

We have a three-year-old son named Luke who has been to Disney World three times (at ten months, one year, and ~22 months). Yeah, that was the year we had annual passes.

To save money and DVC points, we skipped Disney in 2014. It was HARD. We'd been to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party four years in a row, and it felt weird to miss a year. Because I feel antsy if we don't have a vacation on the horizon, we tentatively planned to go back in the fall of 2015.

Okay, but ACTUALLY, I was hoping to get pregnant in early 2014 and have our second child that fall--and then plan a trip around new baby's first birthday. But of course that's not something you can really plan, and we didn't get pregnant until June. That put my due date at March 6.

I briefly wondered if we should stick with a fall 2015 trip, or wait a few more months and do a birthday trip. Luke traveled well on his first trip at ten months, but he actually HAD FUN during his birthday trip, so it seemed totally worth it to wait a few more months. It was just a shame that the baby wasn't due a little earlier, because then we could have combined a birthday trip with the Princess Half Marathon. On our last trip, I ran the Tower of Terror 10 Miler and it was AWESOME, so I would love to do another Disney race.

In August, I had my first ultrasound.

We saw our baby. And...our other baby. We were having TWINS.

Twins meant there was NO way I would go full term, and my doctor set their eviction date at 38 weeks--which would be February 20, coincidentally the weekend of the Princess Half Marathon. This means if I don't go into labor too early, a combination birthday/race trip might be possible.

My parents and wee siblings plan to join us for a few days to celebrate the babies' birthday, and my mom is hoping I will give birth near my youngest brother's birthday (February 15) so that we will all be in Disney on his birthday too.

I scheduled my maternity leave to begin on February 13 (37 weeks), and I hope the babies stay put at least that long. I can't believe it's just a month away. It's been an easy pregnancy, all things considered, but I'm huge and it feels like I've been pregnant FOREVER.

It was totally logical to start a PTR since there's not much planning I can do at the moment. Basically all I can do is wait on the babies and see what our dates will be.

Anyone else planning a 2016 trip already? Anyone running the Princess Half Marathon this year so I can live vicariously through you?

 

[Reddog1134]

Anyone else planning a 2016 trip already?

Yes, I'll start planning as soon as these babies decide to make an appearance.

 

[skier_pete]

Stopping by to say congratulations! Looks like your gonna have a double stroller next trip! I stopped over here after seeing your PTR in DHs signature over on the rumor board.

To fit in with your PTR question - we also have a tentative plan for early December 2016, though it's not our next trip (THAT PTR I just started - link in my sig) This one would be hopefully a DISboard / ABD / 2013 Backstage Magic reunion. Nothing down in stone, but one of the group was from NZ and is planning to come with her family to WDW in 2016, and several others of our bunch said if she ever came back to the US we would converge on WDW. Dates aren't set yet, so the PTR is yet on the horizon.

We are also new DVC owners at AKV (Hiya neighbors! Get your dang giraffe off our lawn!!), though haven't stayed there yet as owners, but likely will in 2016.

 

[princessbelle2015]

Joining in. Congrats on the twins. I look forward to your ptr. I remember reading ur other try that you took with DH and DS.

 

[Reddog1134]

Stopping by to say congratulations! Looks like your gonna have a double stroller next trip! I stopped over here after seeing your PTR in DHs signature over on the rumor board.

To fit in with your PTR question - we also have a tentative plan for early December 2016, though it's not our next trip (THAT PTR I just started - link in my sig) This one would be hopefully a DISboard / ABD / 2013 Backstage Magic reunion. Nothing down in stone, but one of the group was from NZ and is planning to come with her family to WDW in 2016, and several others of our bunch said if she ever came back to the US we would converge on WDW. Dates aren't set yet, so the PTR is yet on the horizon.

We are also new DVC owners at AKV (Hiya neighbors! Get your dang giraffe off our lawn!!), though haven't stayed there yet as owners, but likely will in 2016.

Joining in. Congrats on the twins. I look forward to your ptr. I remember reading ur other try that you took with DH and DS.

Thanks for joining.

We hope to have an update soon, but things are a little hectic right now while we wait for the twins to arrive.

 

[holleypie]

It's taking me a while to warm up to the new look of the disboards. I hate change!

Stopping by to say congratulations! Looks like your gonna have a double stroller next trip! I stopped over here after seeing your PTR in DHs signature over on the rumor board.

To fit in with your PTR question - we also have a tentative plan for early December 2016, though it's not our next trip (THAT PTR I just started - link in my sig) This one would be hopefully a DISboard / ABD / 2013 Backstage Magic reunion. Nothing down in stone, but one of the group was from NZ and is planning to come with her family to WDW in 2016, and several others of our bunch said if she ever came back to the US we would converge on WDW. Dates aren't set yet, so the PTR is yet on the horizon.

We are also new DVC owners at AKV (Hiya neighbors! Get your dang giraffe off our lawn!!), though haven't stayed there yet as owners, but likely will in 2016.

Thanks! Yeah, I've been shopping around for double jogging strollers and wondering, "how easy would this be to take to Disney?"

AKV is awesome! When we were deciding between buying there or Bay Lake Tower, we really had no frame of reference to make the decision and I'm sooooooooooo glad we went with the giraffes.

Joining in. Congrats on the twins. I look forward to your ptr. I remember reading ur other try that you took with DH and DS.

Thanks!

 

[Elevationist]

I don't have a 2016 PTR, but I did start one for December 2015 waaay back in August of last year. So I TOTALLY understand. And my trip is only a mere two months before yours, so I too am playing the waiting game! I will happily follow along and pass the time in good company!

 

[holleypie]

I don't have a 2016 PTR, but I did start one for December 2015 waaay back in August of last year. So I TOTALLY understand. And my trip is only a mere two months before yours, so I too am playing the waiting game! I will happily follow along and pass the time in good company!

Yay for December! It looks like we have the same birthday week (I'm the 6th and my son is the 8th). I'll definitely pop over to your PTR and live vicariously through your plans.

 

[holleypie]

Brian and I have been talking about resorts, but before we can REALLY nail down what we can afford points-wise, we have to look EVEN FURTHER into the future and figure out The Cousins Trip.

The Cousins Trip was proposed years ago, and we decided five would be a good age for it to happen. The cousins in question were our son Luke, and my brother's son Louis, who were born three months apart. They'll be five in 2017. And now we've got more cousins on the way--we'll be having the twins this month, and they're due with a baby girl in May, so again our kids will be three months apart. So, assuming no one gets pregnant again (I definitely won't!), that puts the final cousin total at two five-year-olds and three two-year-olds. I get kind of scared just thinking about it.

My brother's wife is a teacher so while we've traveled to Disney with everyone else in my family, my brother and his family have never come along because we always go during the school year. But we love them, so we figured we would make an exception and do a summer trip JUST THIS ONE TIME.

Even though it seems sooooo far in the future now, Brian initiated a conversation about dates this week, and surprisingly my brother's wife said she would be able to swing going during the school year. She gave him a list of potential dates planned around days that she (and the kids! the older boys will be starting kindergarten in 2017!) would already have off. The dates that most appealed to me were mid-October, because I really like going in October, I think they would enjoy it too, and because my husband's birthday is the 15th and my brother's is the 16th. You might have noticed I have a slight obsession with celebrating birthdays at Disney World. Mid-October just seemed perfect, all around.

Our DVC use year starts in October, so an October trip instead of a summer trip gave us more leeway with what we can afford points-wise. We asked their opinion on resorts, and they didn't really have one and left it up to us. So here are some options we were thinking of for 2017:

-Animal Kingdom Lodge: Our home resort, so the obvious first choice. BECAUSE WHO DOESN'T LOVE WAKING UP TO GIRAFFES?
-Old Key West: I really love OKW. The rooms are spacious and the whole resort gives off a very relaxed vibe. The parking situation would be convenient with all the kids.
-Boardwalk: We haven't stayed there yet, so it would be a new experience for us. It would be good for getting to Food and Wine Festival and DHS.
-A monorail resort: The Grand Floridian would cost about 50% more than AKL or OKW, so that's not a strong contender. The Poly doesn't have two bedroom units so we would have to get adjoining studios, and do without the kitchen and washer/dryer. I'm not sure if I'm down with that. Bay Lake Tower would be our best option--it's affordable and you cannot beat the convenience of WALKING to Magic Kingdom. But...Brian and I and our friend Tom spent one night in a studio at BLT in 2011 and I ABSOLUTELY HATED IT. A two-bedroom, though, would presumably be a lot more spacious than a studio, so I'm willing to give the resort another try.

So I think that leaves AKL, OKW, and BLT as my top three choices for 2017. If we plan on going to Magic Kingdom on multiple days, BLT might get bumped to the top of the list. Otherwise I think I would be happier at AKL or OKW.

So what about 2016? Figuring out our tentative 2017 plans actually left us with an interesting dilemma. We thought we would need to conserve points in 2016, but it turns out that (because of the rules for use years and banking/borrowing that I don't understand enough to adequately explain) we're actually going to have an abundance of points that we need to use or lose. So, much to my delight, we'll be getting a one-bedroom instead of cramming all five of us into a studio.

But where to stay? Originally we were thinking about Wilderness Lodge, which would be new to us. But then Brian mentioned that we could probably afford concierge level at AKL. My inner snob got really excited. Free snacks all day long? Sounds amazing! So I think that's our plan at this point--try to book concierge at AKL, and if we can't get it, then go for either Wilderness Lodge or a regular room at AKL. We're even considering a split stay if we can only get some of the days.

As far as my parents' 2016 plans, I misunderstood them--instead of just a few days, they're actually planning on going down for an entire week. They want to do all four Disney parks, a day at Universal, a day at the campground, and a mystery day that my dad insisted on planning since my mother always plans everything and is always so militant about her plans. Except for the babies' birthday, I don't know yet how closely our dates will correspond, so we might actually just end up spending a few days with them. They're going to be camping at the Disney campground, which they've done before and really enjoyed.

So, I'm obviously still pregnant. My doctor has always said she would induce at 38 weeks if they didn't come on their own, but I wasn't sure if she meant THAT day (it's a Friday) or if we would wait until the following week. At my last appointment, she said she's going to consult with the high risk doctor I've also been seeing each month, and they'll either decide to do it at exactly 38 weeks on the 20th, or maybe even a few days earlier since the babies look to be a good size. Of course I'm still hoping they'll come on their own. Either way, we have less than 10 days to go!

 

[skier_pete]

Hey there! Two five year olds and three two year olds? Yikes! Sounds like lots of pool time!

A few comments on your post, based on my learnings of DVC.

1) October 2017 - you mentioned Boardwalk, but unless you have Boardwalk points, there's no way you get in there for October. It's already booked up at the 9 month mark for 2015. BLT is even a little iffy, but there might be a chance. I think OKW and AKV (obviously) would be no problem. Mid-October is really popular DVC-wise. We went mid-October last year when we got our points, we had 127 freebie points (points we didn't have to pay MF for) and when we got them mid-May there were ZERO studios available across ALL of DVC. Fortunately, we had enough excess points for a 1-bedroom, but even that all that was left was SSR five months out. Just FYI

2) AKV Concierge - just so you are aware in case you aren't, the concierge rooms are very hard to get into because there are only 5 2-bedrooms (or 5-studios/1-bedrooms if they are split up). Getting a 1-bedroom is probably do-able, but you better book right at the 11-month mark. In addition my understanding is that the views of these rooms are not great, they are NOT Savannah view rooms. They are on either side of the lobby on the 6th floor. Some are pool view, some are more or less the roof of the lodge/parking lot. I just say that to temper expectations, you would think Concierge would have the best views, but they do not. I was high on the idea of trying concierge until I found that out. I'd rather have the view than free snacks.

 

[Reddog1134]

We booked Beach Club in October at 7 months with no wait listing. Is Boardwalk that much more popular?

Yeah, I researched AKV Club level. We're also considering a split stay within AKV if Club level is only partially available.

 

[skier_pete]

We booked Beach Club in October at 7 months with no wait listing. Is Boardwalk that much more popular?

Yeah, I researched AKV Club level. We're also considering a split stay within AKV if Club level is only partially available.

Was that a 1-bedroom or a studio? I assumed you were talking studios, but maybe that's wrong. I would actually say BC is MORE popular than boardwalk (well, it's smaller anyways). If I look right now, about 8 months out - I see only 7 days total in October available at BCV in a studio and at most 3 days in a row, while most of the month is available in a 1-bedroom. Boardwalks a little better, but between the 9th and 24th of October, there's only 5 days available. (More early and late.) 1-bedrooms again more available. Two-bedroom availability is somewhere in between.

 

[Reddog1134]

Was that a 1-bedroom or a studio? I assumed you were talking studios, but maybe that's wrong. I would actually say BC is MORE popular than boardwalk (well, it's smaller anyways). If I look right now, about 8 months out - I see only 7 days total in October available at BCV in a studio and at most 3 days in a row, while most of the month is available in a 1-bedroom. Boardwalks a little better, but between the 9th and 24th of October, there's only 5 days available. (More early and late.) 1-bedrooms again more available. Two-bedroom availability is somewhere in between.

It was a 1BR at Beach Club. Whatever resort we get for our 2017 trip will be for a 2BR.

 

[holleypie]

The babies are here!

Okay, they've been here for almost a month but it's hard to type when you're always holding a baby.

I didn't go into labor naturally that last week like I hoped, so we showed up at the hospital bright and early on the morning of February 20th for my scheduled induction. Of course I hoped they would miraculously pop out an hour or two later, but I knew it would most likely be an all day event. We'd brought books and electronics to keep ourselves entertained. I was reading I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, a YA novel about boy/girl twins. It was not even intentional--I picked it up because it was this year's Printz winner. I also watched a lot of TLC. A LOT of TLC.

Around 6pm, after approximately 289 episodes of Say Yes to the Dress and Hoarders, I was fully dilated and they transferred us to the operating room where I had to deliver just as a precaution. Alexander Quinn was born at 6:25pm at 7 lbs 10 oz and 21 inches long. Lilia Juliet joined him five minutes later weighing 6 lbs 13 oz and 20 inches long.

We all went to the recovery room and after I'd held and nursed both babies they told us Lex's blood sugar was way too low and whisked him off to the NICU (Lily's was low too, but not as severe). So when my parents and Luke came to meet the babies, they were only able to see Lily.

Luke slept through the whole thing anyway! He refused to wake up.

After I'd made it to 36 weeks or so I'd stopped worrying about NICU time, so I wasn't expecting to be separated from either one of the babies. It was HOURS before anyone came to update us on Lex. He only ended up needing to stay in the NICU for two days and he was discharged just three hours after Lily and I were, but all weekend I didn't know how long he would be there and it felt awful. But of course I'm just glad it was only two days and that we all got to go home together.

So now that we know when the babies' first birthday will be, we picked our dates--February 13th through February 22nd for the five of us, and my parents and siblings will be going home on the 21st. We're staying the extra day, obviously, so I can run the Princess Half Marathon! The downside of the babies being born during this particular week is that crowds will be high, but we'll deal with it.

Brian booked our room last week and at this point we've got a standard view room at Jambo House. The original plan was to switch to Wilderness Lodge at 7 months, but Brian is becoming convinced that we're not going to get in, so we're considering alternate scenarios. My parents have already booked their campsite, and their golf cart. Can't forget about the golf cart!

That's about it for trip-related updates, so here are some bonus pictures of my adorable kids.

Their first photo shoot:

And from today--Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Peace out, guys.

 

[skier_pete]

Congrats! They look like wonderful healthy babies. Glad to hear the issues were minor, even if I'm sure it was stressing you both out.

Are you looking at a 1-bedroom or studio. Studios will be GONE by 7-months. This is one of the prime weeks that us Northerners travel to Disney because our kids have the week off, and I thought we might go in 2016 (but we will be likely going to Disneyland instead). SO, I tracked the studios at 7 months, and only SSR was open. Even AKV was full at 7 months. 1 bedrooms I don't know.

 

[princessbelle2015]

Congrats on the twins safe arrival. I am glad that you were all able to go home on the same day. The pictures of your twins and older DS are cute.

 

[kathleen27]

Congratulations!!! Your babies are adorable, all 3 kids are! Glad that your son was not in the NICU for long.

I finished the Princess Half this year - my first half marathon! It was so much fun! I will be back again next February and am planning to do it again! I think our dates will be 12th - 22nd. My daughter's birthday is Feb 12th and she has been waiting a few years for her birthday to be close enough to school vacation that she can spend it at Disney. She will be 18 next year!!!

 

[holleypie]

Congrats! They look like wonderful healthy babies. Glad to hear the issues were minor, even if I'm sure it was stressing you both out.

Are you looking at a 1-bedroom or studio. Studios will be GONE by 7-months. This is one of the prime weeks that us Northerners travel to Disney because our kids have the week off, and I thought we might go in 2016 (but we will be likely going to Disneyland instead). SO, I tracked the studios at 7 months, and only SSR was open. Even AKV was full at 7 months. 1 bedrooms I don't know.

Thanks! They are pretty wonderful--I think we got lucky.

We don't get the week off here but I knew it was a thing in other states. I think we're only looking at one bedrooms now. I guess they don't go as quickly as the studios?

Congrats on the twins safe arrival. I am glad that you were all able to go home on the same day. The pictures of your twins and older DS are cute.

Thanks! I don't know what I would have done if we hadn't been able to bring him home that day. I have no idea how other moms deal with real NICU stays.

Congratulations!!! Your babies are adorable, all 3 kids are! Glad that your son was not in the NICU for long.

I finished the Princess Half this year - my first half marathon! It was so much fun! I will be back again next February and am planning to do it again! I think our dates will be 12th - 22nd. My daughter's birthday is Feb 12th and she has been waiting a few years for her birthday to be close enough to school vacation that she can spend it at Disney. She will be 18 next year!!!

Congratulations on your first half! I'm glad to hear you had a good time and are going back. I haven't had time to hunt down any race reports from this year yet, but I can only imagine that it was amazing. So exciting that your daughter finally gets to spend her birthday at Disney.

 

[skier_pete]

We don't get the week off here but I knew it was a thing in other states. I think we're only looking at one bedrooms now. I guess they don't go as quickly as the studios?

I think you are doing the right thing, I would book at your home resort to be sure you have something, and see about switching at the last minute. The real issue will be the 2nd half of the week during the marathon. I checked my data, and it looked like the 1-bedrooms at WLV were also booked up at 7-months, but I don't know if that was "day of" booking or not.

You could always do a split stay, and spend the first 4-5 days at WLV, and then move over to AKV.

 

[Reddog1134]

You could always do a split stay, and spend the first 4-5 days at WLV, and then move over to AKV.

We considered a split stay but ultimately thought it would be better to do a single resort since its our first trip with two 1-yr olds and a 4-yr old in tow.