We're Doing Disney Again Someday...Plus One! ~ Come Read my Trip Report!!!

[Dugette]

Okay, here's the 5-month photos:

Minnie, you're looking particularly tasty today:

Oh, Minnie, I love you:

Bailey kissing Dug Baby:

Not sure she liked it :

She does, however, like her feet lately:

I can't believe her next month-birthday will be half a year already! How does that happen?! Time sure flies by.

Anyway, I mentioned an extra source of Disney Dollars. My former boss/current Disney planning buddy mentioned this one to me. I now have an iPhone (Dug's old one), so I was able to download an app called "Shopkick". I had maybe heard of it before, but never paid any attention. The way it works is that you get "kicks" for walking into various stores and can also get kicks from other things, especially scanning items in stores. You can then redeem those kicks for various gift cards. Well, one of those options is a Target Gift Card and with that Target Gift Card, you can go on to purchase a Disney Gift Card. My boss/buddy told me that his system was to get enough kicks for a $25 Target Gift Card, then go buy a $50 Disney Gift Card with his Target team member discount and use the $25 towards it. So, essentially getting a $50 WDW Gift Card on the cheap. Great idea!

I've already done that once and am about 2/3 of the way to another. Dug is almost at his first one too. So, we can easily have a few hundred extra dollars we wouldn't have had because of this. If you are looking for a little extra Disney cash, this might be worth your while to check out. I will say that I have an advantage working in downtown Minneapolis, since I literally walk THROUGH a Macy's and right past a Target in the skyway on my way from the bus to work, so I can get the walk-in kicks for those locations without making really any effort. Also, the app does have it's glitches and can kind-of be a pain at times. I might not have the patience for it if I wasn't linking it directly to "evening drinks at the Poly" in my mind!

Anyway, just thought I'd share for any of you that may get some benefit out of it. I'm excited to cash in those WDW Gift Cards next December!

*I did not post this for this reason, but I probably should mention that Shopkick also has referral bonuses. I "referred" Dug by sending him a special link, so he got some extra kicks when he signed up and I got a bonus based on his first two weeks. I'm not putting this on here to try to get tons of kicks, but it makes sense that if any of my DIS friends was going to sign up because of this, without a referrer, you may want to PM me and I can send you the link so that we both get a bonus. We all win! Your choice, though, just wanted to put the offer out there.*

 

[cindianne320]

Ah- our babies our getting so big! Acacia is 6 months old today! I cannot believe it!

I do Shopkick as well, though it is glitchy. Will have to take your advice about using it towards a Disney GC from Target- never thought of it that way!

 

[Dugette]

Ah- our babies our getting so big! Acacia is 6 months old today! I cannot believe it!

I do Shopkick as well, though it is glitchy. Will have to take your advice about using it towards a Disney GC from Target- never thought of it that way!

6 months old! Wow! It goes so fast!

Yeah, Shopkick is glitchy. The Disney Gift Cards are definitely my motivation to deal with it. Glad it was suggested to me to do that.

 

[Leshaface]

Love all the pics of her. She is such a doll!

DS still hasn't rolled over by himself yet. Not sure if it's because of his huge gut or what Hopefully it will happen soon.

I'll check that app out and send you a PM soon

 

[AprilRenee]

Love all the pics! She's a cutie!
And it does go so fast!! I'm planning Caden's first birthday party!! He turns 1 on the 18th of next month. Oh my goodness. I'm gonna go cry

 

[Dugette]

Love all the pics of her. She is such a doll!

DS still hasn't rolled over by himself yet. Not sure if it's because of his huge gut or what Hopefully it will happen soon.

I'll check that app out and send you a PM soon

Thanks! Dug Baby rolled twice during the Superbowl, then one other time, all from her belly to her back. But now she seems to have forgotten how to do that. She did finally make it from her back to her belly the other day (during the 20 seconds I was out of the room, of course!) and she can't get enough of that now. But she keeps getting mad when she's rolled herself onto her tummy. Wish she would remember that she knows how to roll back! Silly baby!

Love all the pics! She's a cutie!
And it does go so fast!! I'm planning Caden's first birthday party!! He turns 1 on the 18th of next month. Oh my goodness. I'm gonna go cry

Wow, I can't believe Caden is almost a year!!! Time really flies! (My ticker is confusing the heck out of me right now, though. It says that her birthday is 6 months and 4 weeks away right now, but it's 6 months and 12 days. And I know the ticker is set right. Weird math, I guess). What are you planning for Caden's birthday? You should post some recent pics of him!

 

[jc040404]

Oh wow. She IS getting big! What a gorgeous little girl she is. I love her wide eyes in so many of these pics. Her big smiles at Bailey are too adorable. It's wonderful to see how well they seem to get along. Our cat, Lacey, did NOT care for Andrew as he got bigger.

Awesome about the extra way to save!

 

[AprilRenee]

Wow, I can't believe Caden is almost a year!!! Time really flies! (My ticker is confusing the heck out of me right now, though. It says that her birthday is 6 months and 4 weeks away right now, but it's 6 months and 12 days. And I know the ticker is set right. Weird math, I guess). What are you planning for Caden's birthday? You should post some recent pics of him!

We're doing a monkey theme (cause he's our little Caden-monkey) and we decided to save Mickey for his 3rd birthday after our disney trip (currently planned for Jan 2015)! I WILL post some pics....I'll do it now actually! Go check out my TR in a bit!

 

[Dugette]

Oh wow. She IS getting big! What a gorgeous little girl she is. I love her wide eyes in so many of these pics. Her big smiles at Bailey are too adorable. It's wonderful to see how well they seem to get along. Our cat, Lacey, did NOT care for Andrew as he got bigger.

Awesome about the extra way to save!

Thank you! Yeah, she has huge eyes most of the time. Pretty cute! And she and Bailey are getting along pretty well. Bailey is getting more tolerant: less barking at baby, more accepting of baby touching, etc. And Dug Baby LOVES Bailey. She dives at her with both hands and wants to pet (i.e. pull fur) her every time she comes near. I held her hand and showed her the proper way to pet Bailey the other day and she squealed with delight. And Bailey liked it too. Now, if only I could get her to throw Bailey's ball... Kitty has no interest in Dug Baby, by the way. Just doesn't care at all. Dug Baby watches Kitty when she's in the room, though. Probably wants to pet her too, but she never gets close enough.

We're doing a monkey theme (cause he's our little Caden-monkey) and we decided to save Mickey for his 3rd birthday after our disney trip (currently planned for Jan 2015)! I WILL post some pics....I'll do it now actually! Go check out my TR in a bit!

Oh, the monkey theme will be cute, I bet! And you know I was already over admiring your gorgeous pics! Thanks again!

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Hi there! I just got all caught up here, since I haven't been on this site since before Christmas (!). I have been sick so there was nothing that sounded better than the couch and the Dis.

I have been really enjoying all the pictures of your baby girl. She is SO beautiful and looks like she has a wonderful personality. She is going to be ready to go to WDW by the time your trip rolls around. How are you feeling? Was it hard to go back to work? I was lucky enough to stay home with Dylan for 4 months before I went back, but it was a hard transition for me.

So happy for your family! It's so fun to read your upcoming trip plans too. The Poly is such a great place and the convenience will be so nice for you.

 

[Dugette]

Hi there! I just got all caught up here, since I haven't been on this site since before Christmas (!). I have been sick so there was nothing that sounded better than the couch and the Dis.

I have been really enjoying all the pictures of your baby girl. She is SO beautiful and looks like she has a wonderful personality. She is going to be ready to go to WDW by the time your trip rolls around. How are you feeling? Was it hard to go back to work? I was lucky enough to stay home with Dylan for 4 months before I went back, but it was a hard transition for me.

So happy for your family! It's so fun to read your upcoming trip plans too. The Poly is such a great place and the convenience will be so nice for you.

Hi, Alison! Glad to see you back on the DIS. I hope you're feeling better! I've been sick with basically one thing after another for over a month now! Darn lack of sleep leading to low immunity mixed with baby bringing me daycare germs! Oh, well. Glad you're enjoying the PTR. And thank you. She does have such a fun little personality...she is a very happy, easygoing baby. Yes, we should have her well trained for WDW! I stayed home with her for 12 weeks, then Dug was able to take about 2 months off to stay with her, so that really helped with the transition for me, since she was still home and he updated me frequently. She got sick her first week at (a small in-home) daycare, but she's been doing well since then and I feel like we're in a good routine. Weekdays are such a time crunch now, though. Can't wait to be at the Poly!

 

[Dugette]

Hi, all. It's been awhile. Not a lot of DIS time lately. But here's a quick pictorial update before I head to bed. The last month or so of fun...

Toes are delicious:

Bailey and Dug Baby like rolling around on the floor together:

She's happiest on the floor lately:

A winter walk (just to the mailbox):

A cute smile greeted Dug on his birthday:

So, Dug Baby had been working and working on rolling from her back to her belly. I took a ton of little videos this particular day, knowing she would make it soon. But it was just not to be. I had to run to the bathroom at one point and guess what I found when I got back? Yeah, a proud little baby on her belly:

Dressed as Minnie:

Bailey and Dug Baby are still buddies:

We're working on sitting. She can't stay up without tipping for very long yet, but she's improving:

A character meet with the Cat in the Hat (at a back-up daycare open house thing):

Dug Baby was pretty indifferent to the character meet. Guess she's no Minnie Mouse!

Dug Baby turned 6 months old on 3/20:

The sticker got interesting to her this month:

Next post will be eating solids and celebrating Easter!

 

[Dugette]

The day after she turned 6 months, we started solids. Because we waited this long, we were okay to skip purees and go right to finger foods (baby led approach, where she feeds herself). She has had a lot of fun exploring the textures and flavors of things and learning the mechanics of getting food into her mouth, etc. Pretty fun to eat dinner with her at the table!

Ready for her first meal:

Steamed broccoli is a hit:

The baby oatmeal is pretty tasty too:

Just hard for her to keep on the spoon between the bowl and her mouth!

Next day, she's ready for more:

Homemade sweet potato fries were also a hit:

Night three was also steamed broccoli:

Night 4 was the messiest with avocado:

We did oatmeal again after that and apparently the spoon just wasn't good enough for her. Suction bowl is nothing compared to baby strength:

The next night was banana (also quite messy):

I haven't uploaded the pictures yet, but last night she had chicken and cauliflower with us and LOVED both! Tonight she munched on some cucumber. Not too messy at all. Overall, she's probably not ingesting much at all, but she is definitely learning how to eat and broadening her palette.

On another note, here she is on Saturday playing with a toy from her uncle:

Easter Sunday gave us an excuse to dress her up for church:

She also got her first Easter basket. You see the fairy basket and Minnie rattle in there?:

Surprisingly, she didn't mind wearing bunny ears at all:

She also changed into her other Easter outfit to pose with her big bear (at the in-laws' place):

Believe it or not, that onesie is a 3 month size! She still fits in some of the 3-6 month things. Little baby!

And, finally, my favorite family picture:

Hope everyone had a good holiday weekend!

 

[Leshaface]

I swear, she gets cuter and cuter with every update!

I love that she's eating those big foods! DS looked like he was having a little trouble swallowing the cereal so I don't think he's quite ready for this stuff yet. Have you noticed if she sleeps any better with solid food in her tummy? I'm hoping that this food will help him sleep through the night. He still eats 3 bottles (4-5 ounces) at night!

DS can still fit into 3-6 month stuff too! Even the 0-3 month Disney onesies, where they have those additional snap-ons so they can grow with baby! I'm surprised he still fits in those at 16.10 lbs!

Hope you had a great Easter! Love the family photo of all 3 of you

 

[Mom&RN]

I've been off the DIS for a while, had some big things come up that left me with no free time but things have eased up and I was thrilled to see new pictures of Dug Baby. She is so cute! Love the Easter pictures.

 

[AprilRenee]

Love it all!! She looked so sweet in her Easter outfits! I loved once Caden could eat food on his own! It's so fun! And now he eats sandwiches and crazy grown up stuff like that! It's so crazy!
Welcome to the best age! I loved 6-9 months the best!! They're so happy and can't move from where you put them! LOL 10 months and up is still fun...but it's a whole new challenge once they start moving and crawling! LOL

 

[jc040404]

Excited for new pics!! I LOVE those bunny ears on her! She is too adorable. They're so funny when they start eating solids.

Funny about still fitting into smaller sizes. Andrew was exactly the same way! His magic size was 6-9. He seemed to be in it forever.

 

[hunterfaimly]

Just joined your PTR. I caught up with the main posts. I will be going the dreaded week between Christmas and New Years. We went the same week in 2011 and this time my inlaws are going as well for a group of 12. Our first trip was in 2010, August and my youngest was 15 months old on that trip. I love the planning almost as much as the trip. Will you send me the link for shop kick? You can PM me.

Noelle

 

[Dugette]

I swear, she gets cuter and cuter with every update!

Aw, thanks! Of course, I can say the same thing about your little guy!

I love that she's eating those big foods! DS looked like he was having a little trouble swallowing the cereal so I don't think he's quite ready for this stuff yet.

It's pretty fun to watch her figure out and try things. I honestly don't know that she's swallowed anything, though. Maybe a tiny bit of the chicken and cauliflower, since I saw some small bits in her mouth and didn't notice her spitting it out. She mostly just sucks on and licks the food. And, if she does happen to gum off a bite, she spits it out. She's getting good practice on getting food to her mouth, though. I can't believe she understands how to work a spoon just from watching us eat! (she's not efficient with it, but she has the motion down)

Have you noticed if she sleeps any better with solid food in her tummy? I'm hoping that this food will help him sleep through the night. He still eats 3 bottles (4-5 ounces) at night!

I've heard that it's an old wives tale about sleeping better because of solids. I don't think it makes any difference for us (of course, keep in mind that she's ingesting very little). How's Calvin doing with it? I'm pretty sure it was just dumb luck that Dug Baby slept through the night last night. She only sucked on a cucumber before bed. Hoping for a repeat performance tonight, but we'll see.

DS can still fit into 3-6 month stuff too! Even the 0-3 month Disney onesies, where they have those additional snap-ons so they can grow with baby! I'm surprised he still fits in those at 16.10 lbs!

Yes, those Disney grow-with-you onesies really do last! She weighed in at 15 lb 13 oz at her appointment a week ago, by the way.

Hope you had a great Easter! Love the family photo of all 3 of you

Thanks! Hope you did too!

I've been off the DIS for a while, had some big things come up that left me with no free time but things have eased up and I was thrilled to see new pictures of Dug Baby. She is so cute! Love the Easter pictures.

Thanks! Hope things are going well for you and less crazy now!

Love it all!! She looked so sweet in her Easter outfits! I loved once Caden could eat food on his own! It's so fun! And now he eats sandwiches and crazy grown up stuff like that! It's so crazy!

That's crazy! It's so weird to think about her actually eating these things. It's more like playing right now. She's still all about the milk!

Welcome to the best age! I loved 6-9 months the best!! They're so happy and can't move from where you put them! LOL 10 months and up is still fun...but it's a whole new challenge once they start moving and crawling! LOL

I'm really scared of the crawling! And she's working on it. She can roll her way around a room, but squirms around like she wants to crawl sometimes. Hope she holds out long enough for us to baby-proof this place. I'm glad you liked this age. It seems pretty fun so far! She spends a lot of time laughing and "talking".

Excited for new pics!! I LOVE those bunny ears on her! She is too adorable. They're so funny when they start eating solids.

Funny about still fitting into smaller sizes. Andrew was exactly the same way! His magic size was 6-9. He seemed to be in it forever.

Thanks! I was surprised she didn't mind the bunny ears because she freaked out when we tried a headband on her the day before. Guess ears are more acceptable. She's in her 6-9 clothes now, so we'll see how long they last!

Just joined your PTR. I caught up with the main posts. I will be going the dreaded week between Christmas and New Years. We went the same week in 2011 and this time my inlaws are going as well for a group of 12. Our first trip was in 2010, August and my youngest was 15 months old on that trip. I love the planning almost as much as the trip. Will you send me the link for shop kick? You can PM me.

Noelle

Glad to have you here! How did your trip go when your baby was 15 months? She'll be about 14.5 months when we go, so I love hearing about that age at WDW. Good thing you love to plan if you are going Christmas/New Years week! However, I will say that my husband's sister and her husband's extended family (large group) went during that time this past Christmas and had a really good trip. Yes, it was busy, but they enjoyed themselves. Even got a walk-up for dinner at Be Our Guest! And you've done it before at that time, so I'm sure that will help you have a great trip this time around. I'll PM you with the shopkick link!

 

[hunterfaimly]

Glad to have you here! How did your trip go when your baby was 15 months? She'll be about 14.5 months when we go, so I love hearing about that age at WDW. Good thing you love to plan if you are going Christmas/New Years week! However, I will say that my husband's sister and her husband's extended family (large group) went during that time this past Christmas and had a really good trip. Yes, it was busy, but they enjoyed themselves. Even got a walk-up for dinner at Be Our Guest! And you've done it before at that time, so I'm sure that will help you have a great trip this time around. I'll PM you with the shopkick link!

Our DD did very well at 15 months. She slept in the stroller when she was tired, she will be more likely to fight the sleep now. She loved all the characters, though you never know at that age. Fireworks scare her now but she didn't mind them then. We tried to stay close to her sleep schedule at home. She is an early bird so rope drops weren't a problem but we only saw fireworks once that week and one afternoon parade due to nap times. Meals at roughly the same time also. She ate free at buffets and we shared food from our plates and her sisters for sit down meals. Christmas week definitely takes alot of planning and an adjustment of expectations but it is beautiful and should be fun with all of us together.

Noelle