TWO (completely different) types of trips in ONE month? Baby updt/prayer request pg3

[brookelizabeth]

I'm here! Kelli posted the link on your PTR.

Oh my...to open your hotel door to that beautiful lobby and Christmas tree PLUS the MK fireworks view....

We quickly threw back the drapes and WOW! I was amazed how much we could see up above the trees and Contemporary resort. We turned out all the lights, and pulled chairs up to the window and all sat there and watched the fireworks. It was a truly magical surprise moment. I was grinning from ear to ear, mom was too. Even the boys I think got that this was a extra special surprise that we weren't expecting. We watched the whole thing. It was a VMCP night so this was a little preview of the Holiday Wishes show and it was awesome! The ending was amazing. I was even more excited to see them in person!

I love this - such a sweet memory!

As always, the pictures of the kiddos are adorable. Henry does the same thing at Jack-Jack, poses and says, "Mommy, do you want to take my picture?"

 

[stayhomemom77]

It's been awfully quiet around here!!

Just sayin'!!

 

[gellybean]

It's been awfully quiet around here!!

Just sayin'!!

Sorry! Just found out today that I've most likely had pertussis (whooping cough) for the last two months! Still trying to get better! Hope to be back posting soon!

 

[stayhomemom77]

Oh man, that sux!!

Feel better soon. We can be patient over here until you are well!!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Sorry! Just found out today that I've most likely had pertussis (whooping cough) for the last two months! Still trying to get better! Hope to be back posting soon!

Oh man! That's awful gelly. I hope you feel better soon.

 

[Jasperann]

Sorry! Just found out today that I've most likely had pertussis (whooping cough) for the last two months! Still trying to get better! Hope to be back posting soon!

I hope you feel better soon!

 

[gellybean]

I'm here! Kelli posted the link on your PTR.

Oh my...to open your hotel door to that beautiful lobby and Christmas tree PLUS the MK fireworks view....



I love this - such a sweet memory!

As always, the pictures of the kiddos are adorable. Henry does the same thing at Jack-Jack, poses and says, "Mommy, do you want to take my picture?"

Glad you're here!!

Oh man, that sux!!

Feel better soon. We can be patient over here until you are well!!

Thanks for being patient!

Oh man! That's awful gelly. I hope you feel better soon.

Thanks Brook!!

I hope you feel better soon!

Thank you!


*****************************

If you guys can believe it, tomorrow will be 13 weeks until my scheduled c-section. Violet may come earlier if I go into labor on my own or if a medical issue arises, but she won't get here any later than June 3rd!

I can't help but compare my countdown to a Disney trip ticker!

13 weeks is double digit dancing !!!

And will be here before I know it, I'm sure.

We are painting the nursery next week and by we I mean everyone but me it seems. We are buying environmental friendly paint so there shouldn't be an issue for me but I doubt I'll have to pick up a paint brush. My mom, dad, niece, and sister are coming to help and it's a tiny room so it should get knocked out in no time. Once we have the crib put together and all the bedding and decorations up, I'll get a pic on here!

The week after we are driving to North Florida to spend a few days with MIL! No Disney side trip though. I'm looking forward to a laid back and relaxing little mini family getaway. It'll be our last family trip away before Violet arrives!

As far as how I'm feeling, if you guys can believe it I'm still coughing! TWO months. Craziness. I am not as bad as I was by any means, gradually getting better with less issues sleeping and less coughing fits but coughing for two months is insane. My ob is shocked I'm not having contractions from all the coughing I've been doing. Thankfully I haven't had any!

I am going to attempt to write an update tonight! I may not be as verbose as I normally am but I am determined to not let this TR die!

Thank you all for sticking around and waiting for me to feel human again!

Happy Spring everyone!

 

[gellybean]

We woke up to an 8:00 am wake up call. I had not slept well that night, which is par for the course for all my first nights of vacation. Too excited!
I got out of bed first, thankfully nausea free, and started getting ready! Then I started working on getting the boys ready. It was our coldest forecasted day so we were rocking the layers!

We all got ready quickly enough and decided we'd go down and eat breakfast at Roaring Forks this morning.

We shared a deluxe breakfast platter with a kids egg and bacon to add more protein! I think the total was $16 for all four of us and we didn't finish all the food! I discovered that you could sub one pancake for the apple sauce on the kid's breakfast so that's what I did most mornings! Worked great!

We bundled up and headed to the bus stop. We waited forever for a bus, trying to stand in the sun to stay warm. It was in the mid 30s so cold for us Texans!

I had tried to buy mine and Dash's tickets that morning at the front desk and had been told that the computer systems were still down. I really wanted my ticket on my KTTW card and the CM at the desk said to try guest services at the front gate of Epcot.

Making our way to the entrance!

When we finally arrived at Epcot, the line was crazy for guest services. I parked mom and the boys on a bench and headed to wait. Thankfully there was a CM standing at the beginning of the line asking everyone what they needed help with. I was told that their systems were down too and they couldn't help me. So off I went to buy my separate ticket from the regular ticket line. 30 mins later I finally had our tickets. UGH!

We headed to the left side of Spaceship Earth to pick up Jack Jack's Disney stroller, a first for us. He seemed to like it!

I left Mom and the boys at the bottom of the hill and I went into The Land to get our fast passes. They were for later that afternoon after our lunch ressie. I was just happy that we had FPs! I asked the CM how Jack Jack would ride without a ticket to get a FP. He said to just explain that he was under 3 and it shouldn't be a problem.

Next up was Nemo and Friends. Dash rode with mom and Jack Jack rode with me. I was dying in the heated indoors with all my layers on! I spent more time taking my coat on and off, as we walked in and out of doors.

We waited and caught Crush this time. The boys both enjoyed the show! Next we walked over to Journey into Imagination!

Dash hadn't ridden this since 07 and Jack Jack had never been on it. They really liked it. Thankfully I remembered to cover my nose in the smell lab. Still sensitive to smells!

Dash especially like the 'backwards' fountain.

We walked the back way/short cut to the Canada side of WS and made our way around to Japan for our lunch reservation.

We all enjoyed our lunch, though the chef was better in January 09. Food was delicious.

Jack Jack was starting to get a little restless. I couldn't get him to leave his tongue in his mouth long enough to take a picture! Thankfully he didn't reach full on melt down but he was antsy in that chair!

The only issue I have eating here is that you don't get your protein until you're already full on all the veggies and carbs! I understand why it has to work that way, but I was trying to wait for my steak and shrimp so I didn't fill up on carbs! We weren't able to share as easily at this type of sit down restaurant. Jack Jack ate off my plate and Dash had the child's children. Mom ordered the pork loin. I think our bill was $80 after tip.

We headed back around the same way we came, knowing 1) that we'd have plenty of time to explore WS that week with my sister and 2) that I didn't need the temptation of the caramel place in Germany!

Our fast pass window was open so we all headed to California !

Jack Jack was just tall enough and we had no problems getting him on without a FP.

He enjoyed the ride and I enjoyed the ride through his eyes. The only issue he had was at the end with the loud fireworks. He clung to my arm a little bit. But seemed nonplussed about being high up in the air. If he even realized it. We lucked out and got row A without asking.

Jack Jack on his first Soarin' ride! I couldn't get him to take the hat off!!

We took a spin on Spaceship Earth on our way out and made an early-ish day of it. I think we were leaving the park at 5:30pm.

A quick bus ride back to the resort... I took one for the team and sat down on the cement knowing as soon as I sat down a bus would come and sure enough, it did! So we didn't have to wait long for a WL bus despite the late afternoon time!

I went down and got us dinner around 7pm, brought it back to the room. A cup of corn chowder for mom that I ate most of, a huge Wilderness Salad for me, that was really yummy and that I couldn't finish, an adult chicken nuggets for the boys to share and a bowl of grapes! We all shared. Mom had a little bit of everything. Around $27 dollars for all of us.

We watched ABC Family's 25 days of Christmas and waited for the fireworks to start at 8pm, which that night were the regular Wishes.

Gave the boys a bath and got them into pjs by 10pm. I took a bubble bath and we were all asleep by 11pm.

I had been texting back and forth with my sister all evening and her plane had been delayed out of Austin, with a very short layover in Houston. She made it thankfully but they held the plane for her and the others that were connecting. She arrived about 45 mins later than scheduled but she made it right around midnight!

She just texted me when she arrived at the hotel and I gave her the directions to the room. We had her room key and she was already checked in the day earlier.

She loved the room location as well! She and I talked quietly amongst ourselves for a while, finally going back to sleep around 1:30am!

We had plans for Hollywood studios the next day and had to be up early-ish to make sure we got TSM fast passes!

Up next:
Would we get everyone up and out of the room in time to get FPs for TSM or would Edna's late arrival prove too much to wake up from?

Would I get a second chance at a DIS meet with Dug and Dugette?

Would our lunch ressie at Mama Melrose's be a good choice or a bust?


STAY TUNED!

 

[stayhomemom77]

Who hoo!! That was one GOOD update.

My kids came RUNNING over to check out the pictures and are extremely jealous that the boys got bunk beds in such a great hotel.

You can definitely see that Jack Jack was full of beans in those pics.

Can't wait for more!!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Wow, just 13 weeks till princess Violet arrives! Doesn't sound like a long time, but I'm sure you'll be good and ready well before then!

Sorry it was such a hassle getting your ticket, not a great way to start the day, but it sounds like it certainly improved as it went on. I love that Jack Jack got to ride Soarin'! What is the height requirement? He must be an awfully tall 2 year old!

 

[Elianor]

Reading along! I read your cattle prod trip report too and have forwarded it to my dad and my sister! We started going to Disney when my daughter was about 3 (she's 8 now) and we're planning our 4th trip this September.

My husband is not a happy traveller and he decided that he disney. Ah well, at least it's something he likes to do!

Anyway, I know the baby's due soon, but don't let her come before you finish the report okay? Oh, and congrats on the girl. I have a girl and a boy and it's alot of fun to have one of each! I have to laugh though, because Jack Jack reminds me so much of my boy (who's 2 1/2!)

Something about the expression is so similar.

Thanks for posting!

 

[dancin_princess]

Joining in on your story. Can't wait to read more.

 

[Busymom85]

Great report so far. Congratulations on getting a daughter, nothing like having a girl. Looking forward to the rest.

 

[2kids2luv]

Joining your TR... how can a girl turn down a 2 for 1 deal?

The WL looks beautiful for Christmas. How magical that you could see the fireworks from your room! Can't wait to read more.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Mmmm...Teppan Edo. So so yummy! And you have me itchin' for our currently planned December/January trip to be at VWL.

Glad your sister made it in! 1:30 bedtime plus plans to wake up early...I know what our results would be!

Hope all is going well with the pregnancy and little Violet!

 

[norybell]

Joining in! I always love seeing WDW Christmas pics!

 

[gellybean]

Hey everyone!

I'm so sorry that I haven't been better about updating and unfortunately, I'm afraid that things aren't going to get any better on that front any time soon, if ever.

I have been very sick, coughing for nearly three months. Am now on my second round of antibiotics after being on inhalers etc. Caught bronchitis on top of whatever I had originally. Not fun. The boys are both sick. Mr. I has had it for about a month. We're so ready to be healthy again!

We just got back from a week long trip to Florida to visit Mr. I's mother and came back all excited to have another ultrasound on Monday the 21st. A routine scan to check baby girl's growth as a precaution because of my gestational diabetes.

Thankfully I was getting extra scans done or they may not have discovered that there is something 'wrong' with her little brain until she was born.

The words "There is a problem." are words I can live without hearing for the rest of my life, softly spoken by the ultrasound doctor.

Baby Addie (Addison Lea) has fluid built up in the lateral ventricles in her brain, a condition called hydrocephalus. This was not noticed (so presumably not there) at her 20 wk or 24 wk scan.

The ultrasound doctor looked all over for other anomalies that would mean other conditions have caused the hydrocephalus and could find no evidence of Spina Bifida or soft markers for Downs Syndrome. That's good news but doesn't mean they won't find more anomalies on further testing. I passed my first screen back in the first trimester with flying odds but it's only 95% accurate so we're debating the merits of further genetic testing.

The bottom line is right now we don't know what the future is going to hold for little Addie. We are going for more testing next week having been referred to a high risk fetal maternal medicine specialist, then genetic counseling, then a pediatric neurosurgeon and so on and so on. As of right now Addie is better in than out. We need her to grow as strong as she can to handle any possible surgeries after she's born. (70% of all hydrocephalus babies end up with a shunt surgically implanted to drain the spinal fluid off their brains)

Needless to say, focusing on Disney trip memories right now, while it might be good for distraction purposes, I'm just not there yet. I hope you'll understand if I never get there.

I will do my best to update you all, as we know more. For those of you that are on my facebook page, I haven't said anything on there just so you know.

For those of you that believe in prayer, I ask that you all add Addie to your prayer list. We're praying that the fluid goes down on it's own, or doesn't get any larger. We're praying that they don't find any other conditions other than the hydro.

Thank you all so much! I wish this update had better news for all of us!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Oh gelly I am so so sorry that you are having to go through this. Baby Addie will definitely be in my prayers. Focus on your health and the health of your baby and I'll be praying for the best outcome possible.

 

[jenjolt]

You and your family, especially baby Addie definitely have my prayers right now!!!! Thank you for the update and I'm hoping for all the best for you and for her!!!!

 

[mermaid764]

I am sooo sorry to hear the news about your baby girl, I will have her and your whole family in my prayers