Princess Phoebe's Pre-WISH-Trip Report (arriving in MK 4/17/10)

[Millie12591]

Merry Christmas Everyone!!! Melissa and family, be blessed.

 

[dawnbu40]

Wishing your family a magical Christmas!

 

[pacrosby]

Merry Merry Christmas Melissa!! Here's hoping you and your family are having a day full of joy and laughter

Pamela

Matty's Wish Trip http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2325607

 

[kellyw8863]

Hi Melissa! Just wanted to stop by and wish you a Merry Christmas! I also wanted to thank you for posting the crowd information for both February and April. I appreciate you taking the time to do that. I hope that all is well with you and yours and that you had a wonderful holiday!

 

[Wee Annie]

Hi!

Your thread caught my eye because we are going to GKTW on 4/17/10 too! I have three daughters, and my youngest DD3 is my wish kid. She has leukemia, and is in remission but will be in active treatment until February 2011, God willing.

We have our dates (4/17 - 4/23), and then are planning on extending and staying at WDW until 4/29. I know my daughter's stamina will be very low, so we want to relax and not plan a lot on each day. I guess I'll have to figure out how she will get her biweekly IV antibiotics while there....

Your daughters are beautiful, and you sound like wonderful people. I hope all works out and we meet at GKTW!

I may do a wish trip report, but just feel so overwhelmed with caring for the children and updating her caringbridge site, I'm not sure if I'll have time (I take my hat off to all of you who manage to do this!!!). I will try to check in here every now and then, though!

I do not log in every day, so will let you know when I pop in and say hi!

Ann

 

[yinyanggirls]

Hi!

Your thread caught my eye because we are going to GKTW on 4/17/10 too! I have three daughters, and my youngest DD3 is my wish kid. She has leukemia, and is in remission but will be in active treatment until February 2011, God willing.

Hi Ann! One of my best friends went through the battle of leukemia with her DD at the same age. I'm happy to say she has been cancer free for 5 years! I'm glad to hear your DD is in remission.

Thanks for letting me know about your trip and dates. I've been getting lonely as everyone here plans (and takes!) their trips and no one else has April dates yet. (Still voting for Kelly and fam to choose April, if I get a vote, hehe!) I hope you do find some time to share a report. Even short and sweet would be fun. To tell the truth, I spend too much time on the computer, and not enough time sleeping. I usually get 4-5 hours a night, but I just can't turn my brain off, so even when I do make myself lay down early, I lie awake for an hour thinking of what I could be doing if I were still up. Anyway, glad you found us!

 

[yinyanggirls]

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!!! Thank you for the holiday wishes from DISers. We had a nice Christmas. Relatively low-key for our family. With the exception of 4 years in Texas, we have always lived close enough to our families to be with SOMEONE for the holidays, if not everyone, so it feels strangely quiet to be just our little family. My parents are taking care of my mom's parents and can't travel unless another sibling relieves them. My sister said she was going to be at her in-laws and then ended up flying out to my parents instead. So I was a little jealous of my whole family being together for Cmas without us, but I have to admit it was nice to have a relatively stress-free holiday. Tessa woke up at 5:30, but since it was still dark out she missed the stockings and presents and got into our bed. She chattered away until we finally gave in and got out of bed at 5:45. We let her empty her stocking and bring us ours to kill some time until Phoebe woke up. At 7 we were all opening and by 8 we were done and just playing with all the new toys. Phoebe napped with me in my bed while Daddy napped on the couch with Tessa lying on top of him playing her new Leapster Wall-E game. She was so quiet and absorbed in the game, he said, he had no trouble sleeping. So in the afternoon I mentioned a couple of possibilities to DH and he chose "go to the movies".
I threw some ingredients in the crockpot for dinner and we headed off to the theatre in town to see....

Anyone? Anyone?
Yep! The Princess and The Frog
The kids' first Theatre screening of a movie! This was an outing I had been planning for several weeks and just waiting for the right time. It was a last minute decision to do it on Cmas, but why not. I've never done a movie on Cmas day before, but apparently it's quite popular as there was a pretty big crowd! In preparation for Phoebe (and maybe Tessa) being bored I ordered quite a bit from the snack bar. Thankfully this theatre has a small hot food menu, and I was able to get some "popcorn chicken" (nuggets) for the girls, in addition to a big bag of popcorn, candy and lemonades.
We had to sit in the front section because of the wheelchair, but maybe it was better anyway, so as not to be distracted by the other people. The neck strain wasn't too bad. As the movie started, both girls were really into it and I was feeling pretty happy with the decision. As it progressed, I was impressed with Tessa for handling the villain well (she'd snuggle up to my arm for those scenes) and for paying attention. I was even more impressed with Phoebe. She is legally blind, but probably due to sensory processing issues more than vision, she has always looked AWAY from the tv when it sounds interesting. She'll glance at it and then turn to the side and use her peripheral vision to follow the action on the tv. She also never made direct eye contact until fleeting moments recently. Well, lately she's been getting better at facing the thing that she's interested in and actually following it with her gaze instead of turning away. I said she's better, but still looks away most of the time. During the movie I kept looking over at her to see what she was doing and I'd say about 50% of the time, maybe even more, she was *watching* the movie! I was amazed. Now, granted we were right up front, so it was HUGE, LOUD and the rest of the room was dark...but she was watching the movie!

When she wasn't watching the movie, she was eating, and a little bit at the end she trying to fall asleep. I love these shots I got of everyone stuffing their faces. Tessa even has popcorn sticking out of her mouth.

There were a couple of unexpected thumps that made Phoebe jump, and something at the end that made her chin quiver (not necessarily scary, because she'll do that when a baby cries, or a train goes by, or anything that is especially stimulating to her). Tessa did this a lot during the loud scenes (action or scary) which is something she has done since she was a baby.

I accidentally forgot to change the setting after I turned the camera back on and the flash went off for that one. A funny side note, there was a young, teenage couple behind us that came in late. That's the only reason I remember them. After the flash went off (aimed to my side) the girl behind us said to her boyfriend "somebody just took a picture of us!". A few minutes later I glanced back to see if she was annoyed with me, and I saw the reason for her paranoia! They were completely reclined, entangled in each other and not watching the movie. I'm pretty sure her eyes were closed when the flash went off, and she had no idea I was the one who took the pic, even though they were (thankfully) not in the frame.
So anyway, it was a wonderful movie, that even DH and I thoroughly enjoyed. I can't wait for it to be released on DVD and have even thought about going again, except that I don't want Tessa to think that we will go to the theatre on a regular basis. Even with the kids' tickets and matinée prices, with the food it came to $50 for the activity. I truly did love the movie though and was so happy we chose it for the girls' first. So I'd call it a Happy Ending.

Phoebe and Daddy clapping. Yay!

Oh! I forgot! I did have some Christmas dinner ingredients but since we decided to go to the movie I changed the menu. The ingredients I threw into the crock pot before we left were for Jambalaya! Unfortunately, Tessa was out cold on the drive home and since she had eaten quite a bit during the movie, I put her straight to bed. Phoebe, Daddy and I did have some and I dare say it was really good. I went easy on the spices. When the In-laws called to say Merry Cmas, they asked DH what was for dinner and upon hearing the answer were completely befuddled as to why anyone would cook jambalaya for Cmas dinner, but DH explained to them the correlation to the movie. I think they still thought I was the worst wife ever, to deprive my family of their tradition, but I think we all had much more fun than if I had stayed home to cook all day. I have fond memories of my mom doing that, hehe, but I think we created a great memory all our own.

 

[pacrosby]

Hey Melissa,

Sounds like a very nice relaxing Christmas you had there. Good plan to get out and go to the movies. I can understand how it may have been maybe a tad too quiet at home, seeing that you were missing family and all.

I'm sorry that you are feeling lonely now that many of us have had are trips and deserted all of you who are still planning Shame on us!!!!! I've been so focused on trying to go through our px and start our TR that I haven't been keeping up with all of you who were so great supportive when I was planning ours. (ok, I'm hanging my head now) I will fix that I assure you!! And perhaps I can actually finish our TR in a reasonable timeframe. If so I'll be back planning a shorter WDW trip for my dd, mom and I (dd is dancing in DTD) in the Spring (end of April/beginning of May). We'll be back on the same page at that point and can resume planning together!!

Pamela

Matty's Wish Trip PTR http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2325607

Matty's Wish Trip TR http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2356739

 

[Charleston Princess]

I think seeing The Princess and the Frog and eating jambalaya for dinner is the perfect way to spend Christmas!!! So glad everyone enjoyed the movie -- it's one of our favorites now!

 

[pipersmom]

Hey Melissa..glad to see you back, though I knew you were just busy with the holidays! Hooray for seeing the Princess and the Frog! I'm so happy it went so well, and so awesome that Phoebe was more attentive to it than you expected. Jambalaya (sp) sounds like it was a great way to end the evening! Glad you had a good holiday, hon.

 

[Momofwishkid]

Oh Melissa, that sounds like an amazing way to spend christmas. Im so glad the girls did good at the theatre. We love to do the drive-in in the summer so we dont have to worry about it when the kids get distracted. Loved the pics of them eating their popcorn. That's the best part of movies.

 

[maroo]

Totally off topic.....

Wheelchair Accessible Van pics...

This LINK takes you to what Rachel's Van looks like...

On that one you can take out the front seat...OR you can just have her in the middle - which is what they do for Lauren, since there are usually two people in the front two seats.

AWESOME Accessible Honda Element!


Anyway...there are a BUNCH of options out there...

We did not like the back loading ones...we were afraid Lauren would get hit by a car as she tried to load in a parking lot...we like the side ramp ones (even though it can be a serious pain to find a parking spot).

Anyway...Even if she ends up in a pretty big wheelchair (Lauren's is VERY tall, because she has an elevator on it), it will still fit in most of these vehicles...in fact...BOTH Lauren and Rachel fit in her van (Rachel where the "front" seat is and Lauren in the middle empty spot).

But the back seats on the Braun van are sorta short... they are strange seats back there.


Sorry for the total hijack!

 

[kellyw8863]

Merry Christmas! Great pics - I can't wait to take the girls to go see The Princess and the Frog! How is your planning coming around? Do you know which days you are planning on doing which parks?

 

[yinyanggirls]

Totally off topic.....

Wheelchair Accessible Van pics...

Thanks for the pics and links Maroo. You know that stuff is never really "off topic" in my life. I need to make the appt with a PT to get her new one ordered. I'm wondering if we would want to take her new one on the trip (assuming we have it by then - 3.75 months is not long in equipment ordering time, LOL) or if we would want to use the old one. Since we have a regular minivan I know any rental they got for us would be fine. Plus, since we are extending our trip we will be trading in that can and getting our own. I wish we could get a little compact for just the four of us, but oh well. I may PM you when we get around to car shopping!

 

[yinyanggirls]

Hey Melissa,

Sounds like a very nice relaxing Christmas you had there. Good plan to get out and go to the movies. I can understand how it may have been maybe a tad too quiet at home, seeing that you were missing family and all.

I'm sorry that you are feeling lonely now that many of us have had are trips and deserted all of you who are still planning Shame on us!!!!! I've been so focused on trying to go through our px and start our TR that I haven't been keeping up with all of you who were so great supportive when I was planning ours. (ok, I'm hanging my head now) I will fix that I assure you!! And perhaps I can actually finish our TR in a reasonable timeframe. If so I'll be back planning a shorter WDW trip for my dd, mom and I (dd is dancing in DTD) in the Spring (end of April/beginning of May). We'll be back on the same page at that point and can resume planning together!!

Pamela

Pamela, you have had plenty of excuses for taking a little time off! I was just being whiny about the fact that everyone else on the board is going or has gone already. For some reason our chapter was just way booked but it will all work out fine in the end. I like having something fun to look forward to and plan.

I think seeing The Princess and the Frog and eating jambalaya for dinner is the perfect way to spend Christmas!!! So glad everyone enjoyed the movie -- it's one of our favorites now!

Jambalaya (sp) sounds like it was a great way to end the evening! Glad you had a good holiday, hon.

I honestly loved the movie. Thanks for the reassurance I haven't damaged my family's Cmas memories forever. I actually think it could be fun to something unique like that every year, but we'll see.

Oh Melissa, that sounds like an amazing way to spend christmas. Im so glad the girls did good at the theatre. We love to do the drive-in in the summer so we dont have to worry about it when the kids get distracted. Loved the pics of them eating their popcorn. That's the best part of movies.

Oh, the drive-in would be fun! I haven't been to the one nearest us, but I'm pretty sure they're still up and running a full schedule. Great idea for summer!

Merry Christmas! Great pics - I can't wait to take the girls to go see The Princess and the Frog! How is your planning coming around? Do you know which days you are planning on doing which parks?

For the moment I have it planned so that we do Sea World first on Sunday the 18th, then Universal the next two days. Those were the most crowded Disney days so I figured it would be better at the other parks and even if they were a bit crowded we'd not miss anything too crucial. I have MK planned for Weds, because it's the best crowd day but they aren't having the fireworks show that night, so maybe I'll switch? I'm having trouble fitting all of the Disney stuff into 3 days. I'm also going to look into the Give a Day promotion and see if there is anything in our area we could do for that. Decisions, decisions!

 

[SueM in MN]

Totally off topic.....

Wheelchair Accessible Van pics...

This LINK takes you to what Rachel's Van looks like...
On that one you can take out the front seat...OR you can just have her in the middle - which is what they do for Lauren, since there are usually two people in the front two seats.

The new 2009 and 2010 Entervans are more boxy because that's what the new Dodge vans are like. We just got a new Dodge Entervan this fall and REALLY LIKE IT. Ours is like this except that it is kind of a burnt orange color.
There are a number of better features compared to the 2005 van we traded in. For one thing, the back seats can be folded forward for more cargo space. And, they are a lot more comfortable than in the older van.

We would be able to remove either front seat - that is a good resale feature because the van could be sold for someone to drive from their wheelchair with hand controls. Or the wheelchair can be in the passenger front seat.
We have ours set up for DD to sit in the middle area because that works best for us and is probably safer.

AWESOME Accessible Honda Element!


Anyway...there are a BUNCH of options out there...

We did not like the back loading ones...we were afraid Lauren would get hit by a car as she tried to load in a parking lot...we like the side ramp ones (even though it can be a serious pain to find a parking spot).

Anyway...Even if she ends up in a pretty big wheelchair (Lauren's is VERY tall, because she has an elevator on it), it will still fit in most of these vehicles...in fact...BOTH Lauren and Rachel fit in her van (Rachel where the "front" seat is and Lauren in the middle empty spot).

But the back seats on the Braun van are sorta short... they are strange seats back there.


Sorry for the total hijack!

We looked at the rear entry vans. The advantage is that you can park in any spot, but one disadvantage is the kind of pulling out blindly into traffic, like you mentioned. Some other disadvantages were that the storage space is mostly taken up by the ramp. So, when we travel, we would have to put suitcases in the ramp area. Then, when we wanted to get DD out, we'd have to remove all the luggage, get her out, put the luggage back in and then close the ramp and the door. Seemed like a royal pain to us.

PS- the new Braun back seats are actually fairly comfortable (I have taken 3 5 hour round trips sitting on them since the end out August and can tell you they are a lot more comfy than the old ones were).

 

[maroo]

The new 2009 and 2010 Entervans are more boxy because that's what the new Dodge vans are like. We just got a new Dodge Entervan this fall and REALLY LIKE IT. Ours is like this except that it is kind of a burnt orange color.
There are a number of better features compared to the 2005 van we traded in. For one thing, the back seats can be folded forward for more cargo space. And, they are a lot more comfortable than in the older van.

We would be able to remove either front seat - that is a good resale feature because the van could be sold for someone to drive from their wheelchair with hand controls. Or the wheelchair can be in the passenger front seat.
We have ours set up for DD to sit in the middle area because that works best for us and is probably safer.


We looked at the rear entry vans. The advantage is that you can park in any spot, but one disadvantage is the kind of pulling out blindly into traffic, like you mentioned. Some other disadvantages were that the storage space is mostly taken up by the ramp. So, when we travel, we would have to put suitcases in the ramp area. Then, when we wanted to get DD out, we'd have to remove all the luggage, get her out, put the luggage back in and then close the ramp and the door. Seemed like a royal pain to us.

PS- the new Braun back seats are actually fairly comfortable (I have taken 3 5 hour round trips sitting on them since the end out August and can tell you they are a lot more comfy than the old ones were).

You are a super hero, you know that!

I am so glad that the new Braun seats are better. The ones in Rachel's van made me want to DRIVE the whole way to Orlando!

 

[yinyanggirls]

I'm sure I already know the answer, but it's worth asking...do you ladies know of any way to get assistance with the price of the vans? Insurance? State aid? Grants?

 

[kellyw8863]

We have MK planned for Monday, as I really want Ali to see Spectromagic and Wishes. It'll be such a long day that I'm afraid if I plan it for the end of the week, she'll just be done. And, I already planned AK for Thursday because that seemed to be the best crowd day. I think we're doing US on Sunday, SW on Tuesday afternoon, and EP on Wednesday. I hope I interpreted the crowd information you gave me correctly!

 

[yinyanggirls]

The crowd info was from Touringplans.com and the number is pretty self-explanatory (scale of 1-10) but then there are letters next to that. They are the park names in two categories, best park for that day and worst park for that day. The way they come up with that distinction is if one of the park offers Extra Magic Hours, they recommend staying away, or if there are any special shows, etc. So the rating is for all of Disney in general but the names can help you choose between Disney parks if you can't decide.
Here is the post where I laid out our itinerary so far. http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34494407&postcount=52
I just don't know what to do about Weds not having the fireworks at MK. I avoided doing it Thurs because of the Cmas party at GKTW...Will have to ponder that one some more.