Meredith's Disney Adventure: PICS added to first post; includes first haircut

[Meredith'sMom]

With Daddy, waiting for Pooh

On It's a Small World . . . she was fascinated!

Meeting Pooh at Crystal Palace . . . he made a point of noticing her Pooh Bib

And Tigger too . . .

First haircut at Main Street USA. First they distracted her with stickers.

Then, just as she was about to eat them, Beverlene started cutting.

All done!

And a fancy toy Meredith loved almost better than her light-up Mickey globe . . . LOL

Thanks for looking!

Whew! Disney wears me out!

Hello all!

I was going to wait to post until I had photos of the trip to include, but I thought maybe a few people are leaving for Disney soon and would like to hear about our trip, April 3-10th, before they went! I'll add the pics soon.

Cast of characters: Me, 32; DH, 37; Meredith, 8 months; my mom, 54.
Stayed: Wilderness Lodge, room 5026 (can see the MK fireworks from here!)

SUNDAY, travel day. Whew. Today we got our first lesson in traveling with baby, aka how NOT to travel light. My days of reading magazines while waiting to board and sleeping on the plane are decidedly over. Despite the added difficulty, though, things went fairly well. Meredith cried near the end of the flight (and wouldn't take a bottle to help her ears) but was fine overall. Tiffany Town Car was great, as they were on our honeymoon, and DH was able to get the carseat installed, albeit with a little difficulty (they have shoulder belts in all three positions in the back seat and he's used to lap belt only). At the Wilderness Lodge, we waiting a short time for our order from We Go Shop. How awesome were they? So friendly and helpful, with great communication. I had a very specific order (only wanted a certain kind of baby food) and they came through. After unpacking, we met my local relatives for dinner at Artist Point. It was as spectacular as it was on our honeymoon, if a little more stressful trying to feed Meredith while I ate.

MONDAY, Magic Kingdom Up at 6am. DH showered, then Mom, while I got Meredith dressed. After I showered, we had the fun pre-breakfast entertainment that would become our daily ritual: Let's See How Much One Baby Can Cry Whilst Being Covered in Sunscreen. Off to Roaring Fork for breakfast, then to the boat. For anyone staying at the WL, the "big" boat allows for strollers to be wheeled on, while on the small boats you must take the baby out and fold the stroller. You'll know which is which when you see them. Meredith did not nap as well in her stroller this day as I expected, but I soon realized it was b/c my mother walks slowly and Meredith needs velocity to help her sleep. For the rest of the week I finally just said "see ya" and took Meredith for fast walks when she seemed sleepy and it worked fine, though invariably there would be some kid who'd scream right near the stroller (or at Epcot, an entire bus full of characters) and wake her up. Meredith rode Pirates today with no problems. She cried briefly at the end when our boat hit the boats in front of us. Highlight of the day: Baby's First Haircut at the Main Street Barber Shop. The CM, Beverlene, put big stickers down Meredith's pant leg and that kept her amused the entire time. It was adorable, and we got a certficate and hat.

TUESDAY, EPCOT Here we met Meredith's most hated attraction, Spaceship Earth. Who knew? I think it was just too loud. The good news, which never occurred to me before the trip, was that most rides are so loud that if your baby cries briefly no one is going to notice. DH and I got to ride Test Track and preview SOARIN', so that was a blast! I decided to forego Mission Space, as I spent the better part of a day of our honeymoon with my head down on a Pure n Simple snack bar table after stupidly refusing to heed Gary Sinise's warnings about motion sickness. Why Gary Why? Why didn't I listen? Fortunately, I was smarter this time around.

. . . to be continued

 

[Meredith'sMom]

WEDNESDAY, Animal Kingdom My mom, who was having a very hard time with all the walking, stayed behind at the hotel. DH and I did much better than we thought we would by ourselves. In fact, it was somewhat easier b/c, even though we didn't have Mom to watch Meredith (which she was all too happy to do when a bench was nearby, which was always) we got to walk at our regular pace. We got to the park a little late (to DH, this is anytime after 30 minutes before opening) and so there was a 20 minute wait for the Safari already. We got FASTPASSes and headed to Kali River Rapids. I rode twice (they let us stay on b/c it was uncrowded) and then DH rode twice. Each time we just took turns riding the stroller around so Meredith could take her morning nap. It turns out that this would be our approach more often than the Baby Swap. It was easier in most instances to get Fastpasses and then take turns going through the line; that way Meredith could stay in her stroller (not always possible with some Baby Swap situations). Meredith rode with us on Kilimanjaro Safaris (I had the Death Grip on her b/c of the bumps) and we later did Baby Swap (where you don't have to take the baby out of the stroller) for Dinosaur. We saw the rollercoaster EVEREST under construction--can't wait! Wednesday night Mom watched Meredith while DH and I went to extra magic hours at the MK.

THURSDAY, MGM -- Mom was back in action after her day o'rest and we headed straight for the Tower of Terror. Mom rode alone while DH rode Rock n Roller Coaster, then DH and I rode ToT, then Mom and I rode it again. We just swapped out so that someone was with Meredith the whole time. Today Meredith did the Backlot Tour (loud noises frightened her, which I knew would happen, but I kind of got railroaded on before I thought about it) and Millionaire. DH and I were in the top 10 every time, which I consider a personal best since, though I was in the top 10 on my honeymoon, I was not then, nor did I imagine that I ever would be, balancing a squirmy baby on my leg, pressing the button on her Mickey light globe to stop the cranky pants-fest from escalating, AND trying to answer more quickly than the next guy. DH was #1 for the hotseat as the last contestant got the answer wrong and . . . you guessed it, time out. HIGHLIGHT today: Meredith met Mickey (in sorcerer hat) and she loved him! She was truly in awe. He even held out his hands to show me that he wanted to hold her (he sat down first) and she went to him. This is a girl who screams bloody murder when her Pop-pop tries to hold her, but with Mickey she was A-OK.

FRIDAY, Epcot --Once again we spent the better part of the day away from my Mom, though she met us for dinner in Japan. DH did Mission Space again while I watched all the alternately elated and nauseated victims exit the ride, then we took Meredith to the Living Seas. The fish were a big hit. After lunch in France we snacked our way around the World Showcase . . . churros and funnel cake and school bread . . . oh my!

. . . to be continued . . .

 

[Meredith'sMom]

SATURDAY, Magic Kingdom My mom left for home at 4am (yikes) and so we headed off to the MK on our own before the park opened. Our plan was to attack Fantasyland, which had been a nightmare on Monday, but Meredith was sleepy as we were waiting to get in. Instead we walked briskly to Frontierland (the stroll put her to sleep) and DH and I took turns riding Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain. We were able to ride Thunder twice and Splash once (each) in 45 minutes. It was awesome! As soon as Meredith woke up we went to FantasyLand and rode Pooh. She was bemused rather than amused, I'd say. Next we got FASTPASS for Peter Pan and rode It's a Small World, which Meredith loved. She had this weird smile on her face the whole time, kind of a cross between "this is the best thing I've ever seen" and "just what the heck is this, anyway?" Peter Pan was fine, then she rode the carousel (in the little seat, not on a horse). She was getting sleepy, so after she ate and started to nap Tony and I took turns seeing PhilharMAGIC. I highly recommend it, but it is WAY too loud for Meredith! Next was our 1pm PS at Crystal Palace. Meredith was very cranky. Though we thought we timed it right for her to be "happy" at 1pm, we had to wait 25 minutes after that to get in, and she was in downward cranky spiral by then; nevertheless, each time she saw a character she was awed and all smiles. After lunch Tony and I took turns on Pirates (there was no wait and Meredith was sleepy, so we kept her in the stroller) and then went over to Tomorrowland. Meredith rode the TTA, Buzz (she looked mostly at the console and so wasn't overwhelmed by the ride as I thought she might be), and the Carousel of Progress. She loved the Carousel and kept laughing and kicking her legs at the animatronic figures. Of all the rides!!! After dinner at Cosmic Ray's we were out . . .

SUNDAY, resort + travel day-- And so it ends. We had breakfast at Whispering Canyon, finished packing, and then took a walk over to Fort Wilderness and back. We are already talking about the next trip!!!


I know I've probably left out some of my best baby tips, so PLEASE ask me anything and everything. Since I'm so sad to be back, I'd like to relive this trip as long as possible. LOL.

 

[cbrfan]

What a great trip report! Thanks for sharing with us. I'm looking forward to taking my DGS very soon. Did you get a pack n play for Meredith? I've been curious about what kind of shape they're in.

 

[Meredith'sMom]

cbrfan -- I forgot to include the crib info! Oops! Here's what happened. We rented a full-size crib from A Baby's Best Friend, www.abbf.com, and it was terrific! Immaculate and nice. However, we also got to see the resort Pack n Play. My Mom checked in before us and mentioned the baby and that we needed a crib (she forgot that I had rented one from ABBF, or was just confused). So, after we were there for a few minutes up came housekeeping with the "crib." It was an OLD Pack n Play with green trim and no mattress in the bottom. There's no way my picky DD would've slept in it. As it was, she didn't want to sleep in the nice crib either, but that's another post entirely. HTH

 

[cbrfan]

Thanks for the info. I think I'll forget the Pack N Play idea. Think I'll check out ABBF instead.

P.S. Your baby is ADORABLE!

 

[*Susan*]

Yay! I have been anxiously awaiting your report as we are bringing our 6.5 month old to the World 3 weeks from today

How did your Type-A (and I say that in a good way!) diaper bag work out? Too much stuff, not enough or just right?

Did you pack any baby supplies (diapers, food) or just get them from wegoshop?

How much was the rented crib if you don't mind me asking? I'm a little worried that the pack & play didn't even have a mattress - yikes! We have requested one at the CR & I'm planning on bringing our own P&P sheet from home but if we got one without a mattress I'd have a major problem.

Did you guys come back in the middle of the day or generally just let her sleep in the stroller?

Did you have any problems at sit down places getting a high chair for her? Any 'infant' high chairs, or were they all 'regular'. I'm a little worried about DD b/c she can't sit up 100% by herself & I envision her teetering all of the place in a 'regular' high chair.

Thanks & I'm glad you had a great trip!

 

[pattyT]

Good timing as we leave Thursday with our almost 9 month old!
Whom I was hoping would have more hair by now She is still getting at least ONE HAIR cut
hmmm the pack and play thing has me concerned - las ttime ds was almost 2 and the one we got was in good condition! Probably to late to get anything else now though!
I will let the rest of you know how it goes for me when I get back in the beginning of May.

Glad she really enjoyed tha characters!

 

[tjmw2727]

We have always had a PnP that was either brand new - or in very good condition so to those who are yet to arrive don't worry. If housekeeping should bring you one that you don't want, have them bring another. The Deluxe resorts, Dolphin and Coronado Springs offer a full size crib but you have to ask for it. In rare circumstances you **may** be able to get a full size at another resort if you need one.

In 10 years of trips, with my kids and various neices and nephews we have never had a problem with cribs. My sil used a PnP in December and she said it still had the original packaging on it. My neice was fine in the PnP but the prior December she requested and got a full size crib for my nephew at CR.

I always bring my own sheets and any lovies for the kids, I bring a full size and a PnP so the feel and smell will be familiar and I know its clean.

OP= I love your trip report, thanks for taking the time. I don't want to step on your thread but just want ease any worries of those yet to go.

TJ

 

[*Susan*]

TJ - I had no idea you could get a full size crib - thanks so much for this info!

 

[GingerbreadCoffin]

What a great report!We have only taken the kids on day trips so far.This gave me alot of hope for our five night trip this October.How did she do on the safari?I have been a tad worried about taking my youngest on this one.

 

[Meredith'sMom]

Hi all! I'm glad so many of you enjoyed the trip report. I left out a bunch and it's a little scattered, but I myself have been a little scattered since having a baby.

*Susan* -- The diaper bag worked out fine. I think I did have a little too much stuff in it, but I don't think I would've been comfortable having "just enough" if you know what I mean. I thought we might stay at the parks longer than we did (if Meredith napped well in the stroller, which she did) but I didn't plan on my mom being utterly exhausted so soon. We ended up waking at 6-7 most days (Meredith gets up then anyway) and getting to the parks either right before or right after opening. We came home around 4pm most days; Wednesday we left AK at 2pm and rested until Extra Magic Hours, but of course Meredith stayed in the hotel room with my mom that night. On Saturday when my Mom was gone, we stayed at the MK from 8:30-6pm. Meredith didn't have too much difficulty being up past her regular bedtime, as long as she got some stroller naps in. She is the type that can sleep much more easily in the stroller when her schedule is off--going back to the room doesn't work for her as well (yet). Anyway, back to the diaper bag. We usually returned to the room with an extra bottle and a few extra diapers, but no biggie. We packed 20 diapers and Meredith's baby oatmeal in our luggage on the way there and got the rest through WeGoShop. We ended up bringing 20 diapers home with us--LOL. We got a bag of 58 through WeGoShop and it was enough. Still, it never hurts to be prepared. They're pretty light in small numbers, too. We didn't haven any problems with the high chairs, and we always got the regular ones. Meredith still capsizes when she sits up by herself on the floor (I can't leave her sitting unattended yet) but she did fine in the high chairs, even though she'd only been in one once before. She slumped here and there, but was fine. A few times when she got really cranky I just held her in my lap. That should be fine. Sitting in a high chair or shopping cart is not exactly the same as sitting up on the floor since they have something to lean on. Finally, the crib rental was $70 for the week. It was something we ultimately didn't need, but I had no idea so it had to be done! Let me know if you have any other questions.

PattyT -- You'll have to see the pics of Meredith's haircut once I get them back. She has so much hair. I thought she'd be really cranky and just get one cut so we could say "first haircut," but she was good for the whole thing. Really, though, all you need is one little snip to get those cute photos, hat, and certificate!

tjmw2727 -- Thanks for offering your experiences with the PnP. I didn't mean to scare anyone. I think if your baby does well in a PnP at home it'd be fine, but mine definitely does not. I also confirmed with my DH last night that the one they brought us definitely didn't have a mattress. My mom said at check-in (when she wasn't even supposed to ask for a crib, remember?) that they told her they were running low and we would be on a list for the PnP. That's probably just because not everyone had checked out yet, though.

GingerbreadCoffin -- Glad this helped! Believe me, Meredith has only been on a 2-hr car ride once when she was 2 months old, and a few times to her grandparents' house for the day. We've never been anywhere overnight before this. To tell you the truth, it was much easier caring for her at Disney than at my in-laws' house, because there was stuff TO DO at Disney and she was in her stroller a lot. She likes that (and finds it easier to nap) much better than being stuck at someone's house. I was super scared before we left, but it was so much easier than I expected. The safari was fine too! I planned to skip it and let my Mom and DH go on it, but my Mom wussed out on AK day so we gave it a go. We sat in the first row and it was much, much less bumpy than the last row (which we did on our honeymoon). About the only thing Meredith wasn't too crazy about was the loudness of the speaker, but she didn't cry at all. For her, though, motion is a magical elixir.



Thought I would add that the table service restaurants we went to asked us if we'd like to bring in the stroller!! There have been conflicting reports about this on the DIS. Also, we noticed (this is a generalization) that restrooms in the parks had changing tables in the men's and women's room, while many in the restaurants had them only in the women's room.

Here's a list of places we ate, in case anyone has questions about where you can sit with a stroller, highchairs, etc. Let me know!

Wilderness Lodge:
Artist Point
Roaring Fork
Whispering Canyon

Magic Kingdom:
Pecos Bill's
Crystal Palace
Cosmic Ray's

Epcot:
Le Cellier
Electric Umbrella (snack)
Boulangerie Patisserie
Yakitori House
Kringla og Bakeri and Cafe

Animal Kingdom:
Flame Tree BBQ

MGM:
ABC Commissary


A far cry from our honeymoon of Victoria & Albert's, Citricos, California Grill, Flying Fish, etc., but some good eats nonetheless! To tell you the truth, the fast food joints (especially with outside seating) were less stressful than the table service w/ Meredith.

 

[savs]

Thanks so much for the great trip report. We are heading in a few weeks with our 3 boys (7, 5 and 9 months) and I really enjoyed hearing about some of the rides she liked and some she thought were too loud.

 

[*Susan*]

Thanks Joyce!

We made a lot fewer PS's this time around b/c I'm thinking that the CS places will be easier than sit down, as you said. Who knows, we might have to cancel some of our PS's in the end!

Your mom getting tired reminds me of MY mom - we took a mother/daughter trip back in 2001. I told her literally months and months in advance to start walking until she could walk up to 5 or so miles per day b/c she would need the stamina in the parks. Did she listen? Noooooo She got tired early on each day and we ended up resting a lot or back at the hotel. Still a great trip, but we missed a lot including all of AK!

 

[Meredith'sMom]

*Susan* -- That is just like my mom!! I told her to start practicing her walking, plus I told her every day for two weeks ahead of time to buy sunscreen. Instead she shows up with no sunscreen, no shampoo, etc. LOL. One day she was talking about how tired she was and I looked at my watch and saw it was 10:15am. She was a very good sport about it, but it was so hard for me to deal with my go-getter husband and my lag-behind mom. There was one in front of me and one in back of me the whole trip. A few times I felt like just taking the stroller and leaving them both in the dust! If anything, though, this has been a wake-up call for me to get back to healthy eating. I've allowed myself treats because I'm nursing (and tired) for far too long. Even though I need to lose weight, I did better than Mom and DH (who is relatively thin!); still, seeing what could happen to me in 22 years was SCARY.

 

[*Susan*]

We are doing to Disneyland for Caroline's 1st b-day in October. I have already told my Mom that if she lags, she gets left behind! LOL!

I am right there with you regarding the healthy eating. I had no problem taking off the weight I gained during the pregnancy and have taken off another 19lbs, but have some more to go! It's hard. Also my exercise has fallen behind and I don't want to end up next month and be tired like my Mom was so we have been walking every day when the weather allows. Luckily it is in the 70's this week so we are building up our momentum.

 

[Meredith'sMom]

LOL. I think my mom just WANTED us to leave her behind.

I hear you on the nice weather. The Wednesday before we went to Disney it shot up to 60 and I walked a three mile round trip to a shopping center w/ Meredith. I used to be a New Yorker so I wanted to see if I still had it. Now I should get off this computer and go walking! The only problem is my walks invariably end up in spening at Janie and Jack.

 

[CrzyforPiglet]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! for such a wonderful and detailed trip report. DH and I are expecting our first child on Halloween and are already planning a family trip next May so they'll be 6 months old and I have been looking for others with similar experiences. We'll be going with my sister, niece (who'll be 6 at the time), and my mom (who'll be almost 68). I know my mom won't keep up with our prior commando pace which I think will be a good thing for us so that we don't overwhelm the baby. I'm counting on her wanting to sit down so we can do the big rides! I had one quick question when you had a chance - how hot was it when you went? I'm expecting 80s when we go next May but wanted to get an idea of if it is hot and not humid or both.

Thanks in advance and any other baby tips you could think of would be greatly appreciated!

Laurie

 

[Meredith'sMom]

Laurie-- Best wishes on your upcoming bundle of joy! The weather was great this week, highs of 80 or so with low humidity. May will be a little warmer, but you should be fine. DH and I went in August and I'm a native Floridian who should know better!!! My mom actually LIKED staying on a bench with the baby (she lives far from us and doesn't get to see her often). Her quote, I believe was, "Now I'm the nice grandma who watches the baby while you ride, instead of just the fat lady who can't keep up." At least she has a sense of humor, right? Also, I saw many many people with rental scooters, young and old, but my mom was too proud for that. Silly!

There were many babies much younger than Meredith too, so it's not at all unusual. Have a great trip!

 

[Music Mole]

For her, though, motion is a magical elixir.

This is our DD too!

Thought I would add that the table service restaurants we went to asked us if we'd like to bring in the stroller!

Joyce - how was Le Cellier in regards to the stroller? I have been wondering about this because our philosphy is "Never wake a sleeping dragon (or baby!)" and if DD happens to be napping it would be so great to be able to just wheel her tableside and let her sleep. We do this in restaurants at home and it works great. We have a pretty slim stroller that we use for our day-to-day errands and that is the one we are taking to WDW.

Thanks for all the info.

Elisabeth