"You want to ride Dinosaur again?" - New 10/21 - The End!

[Happydog]

Well... I finally did it! I caught up! This second AK day sure did look fun, as the rest of your trip has! You got some great animal photos, I love your Tshirt!! Very cute!!

Re your kids getting back into routine and the swing of things, that isn't easy and with a new environment even more so, but I hope that things get to be positive soon..

 

[DisMomAmy]

Hi Everyone - A couple little updates:

First: Thanks so much for your support - it's been a really long week! Monday was a holiday so no school, Tuesday was a BAD morning. I walked Zach into class and he wouldn't let me go. He was sobbing and the teachers had to pry him off me. I left the school in tears. They suggested I try to drop him off out front and not enter the building the next day. They would make sure one of his classroom assistants was outside to greet him. Wednesday morning rolled around and the assistant wasn't there... so the principal had to pry him from the car, kicking and screaming the whole way! Again, I left the school in tears. Wednesday morning I met with the principal, his teacher and the school OT. We talked about his anxieties and they reassured me that he was doing OK in class and seemed to pull it together well not too long after I left each day. They filled me in on all the things available to him if he wants them - a quiet area to sit, weighted bean bag animals, other OT/sensory things. Plus he had brought his noise cancelling headphones to school Wednesday and he wore them. (He's been wearing them in the lunchroom every day since.) I left the meeting feeling OK. I was surprised by this, but the OT recommended that I let Zach play his DS for a little while right when he gets home from school to unwind before I even try to ask him at all about his day. (Funny suggestion coming from a school person.)

Amazingly, the next morning he hopped right out of my car and headed in to school. He was a little worked up after school, but I let him play his DS. And we had OT that day too which helped him level out a bit. Then again today, he jumped right out of the car and was in the building before his class assistant could say good-bye to me. He had a great day - they went to the library AND the computer lab today. Plus he was class helper today. He got to be line leader and read the thermometer. He was so happy when I picked him up. Today was a complete 180 from Tuesday & Wednesday. And even a big improvement over his mood after school yesterday.

Now let's just see if the weekend helps or hinders his progress on Monday morning...

Second: Remember the gray Finding Nemo "mine, mine, mine" mug we bought at Mousegears? Remember how the writing had worn off? Well the seagulls were starting to come off so I contacted Disney through their website explaining my situation and here's the response I got:

Dear Amy,
We apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced. We have processed a replacement order for you...order number XXXXXX. It will be shipped via Ground and you may expect delivery in 10-20 business days. If you experience any additional challenges with your replacement order, please contact us at (407)363-6200 or via this e-mail address.
Thank You,
Barbara
Walt Disney World
Merchandise Guest Services
9/11/09

No picture, no receipt, no nothing... Disney is awesome.
I'll let you know if the new mug holds up better than the old mug.

That's it for now... I'm watching the "102 Minutes that Changed America" documentary from 9/11. It's very sad, but important to remember. Jeff worked in Manhattan and was in the city that day. Luckily he wasn't near the World Trade Center but he was trapped in the city for a long time that day and couldn't get in touch with anyone. They moved the Florida not long after that day. I was working and one of my co-workers had moved from NYC within a year before the attacks so she knew many people in the area and was a wreck trying to reach people. My thoughts are with anyone who was directly affected that day.

Up next: Another school update & Back to the TR: Our last park

 

[DisMomAmy]

Well... I finally did it! I caught up! This second AK day sure did look fun, as the rest of your trip has! You got some great animal photos, I love your Tshirt!! Very cute!!

Re your kids getting back into routine and the swing of things, that isn't easy and with a new environment even more so, but I hope that things get to be positive soon..

I know what you mean about getting caught up on TRs! I'm getting there but I feel like I fall behind again in just a few days...

Things have drastically improved!! Thanks!

 

[KathyRN137]

Hi Amy!

I'm so glad to hear that the week ended better for Zach!

Sending pixidust for Monday Morning!!


Kathy

 

[cjackearl]

That's great news Amy. Here's hoping Zach continues to become more comfortable and happy in his new classroom. Its so hard to see our kids upset. I would have been a wreck myself.

 

[mrsksomeday]

Thank you so much for that info on facebook!!

I am so sorry there were other bad days, but thank goodness it turned around. I will be thinking about you on Monday, I hope it goes well.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Oh, Amy, I am sorry that Zach had a rough time starting school, but I am glad Friday seemed to go better! Hopefully, Monday will go just as smooth!!!

Gotta love Disney customer service!!!

9/11 is always such a sobering day...

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

That's wonderful that Zach was able to turn it around so completely from the beginning of the week to the end of the week. Yay Zach!

I hope the new mug holds up better!

 

[mousescrapper]

Amy,

I am so happy Zach is doing better and it sounds like the school is stepping up to the plate to help....

Here's hoping for a great week next week!!!!!!

J-

 

[Happydog]

What a difference a few days can make. GOOD for Zach!

 

[MRYPPNS]

I actually read that tip about not asking kids about their day at school right away in Parents magazine. Makes sense.

Glad things are getting easier for all of you!

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Amy,

Great news about Zach! Monday will probably be a little tough-just because of the weekend to week transition...but nothing like the whole starting a new school year transition......fingers crossed for you...

Congrats on Disney replacing your mug!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Hi Amy!

So glad to hear that things seem to be improving for Zach at school. Here's to a great week next week!

YAY for Disney customer service! Ya can't beat that!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

So sorry school got off to a rough start Amy. But it sounds as if things are getting better daily. Hoping that continues!

We had a problem with a toy DS bought at Disney once and they replaced it right away too. I offered to send the defective one, but they said it wasn't necessary.

I finally started my November PTR! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2279178 I'll be in Disney in 8 weeks from today!!

 

[Glite]

Hi Amy,

You are a good mom. Glad to hear that Zach's school days got better; I know you are doing the right things for him to get better and he will.

DW was in Richmond, VA. the whole week and I was Disney Dad taking care of them, ages 1 and 6. It was hectic getting them ready for school, dropping them off(2 different) schools, going to work(driving a lot), baths, dinner, diapers, bottle and much more. DW flew back home on 9\11. I spoke to her this morning and we are going to do a short trip to Disney October 2nd.-5th.

Great pictures of the safari!

 

[eandesmom]

I am so glad the week turned around, what a rough start!

Let me know if the writing holds up on your new mugs. It has worn off of all the mugs we bought through the .com store (via Zazzle) and they replaced 2 of them once, new ones wore off too which really bums me out as they are (were) so darn cute!

 

[hhockman]

I'm so glad the end of Zach's week was so much better for him! I hope tomorrow goes okay.

I'm glad you got your mug replaced. I hope the letters stay on this time.

Here's to a great week...

 

[DisMomAmy]

Hi Everyone! Thank you so much for your support! I really really appreciate it. It's been a tough couple of weeks for Zach (thank goodness school is going well for Alex so far). I'm not going to respond to the last batch of comments individually because I want to get my next update posted tonight. But I really do appreciate every one of the comments you guys took the time to post.

Update on Zach - It's been a great week of school so far. In fact, the boys almost took the bus this morning. But they decided at last minute that I should drive them. Luckily the school is less than a mile away. Zachary got to be "class helper" today AND I was in to help with the lunch program so he saw me at lunch. It was a great day. But even before today, I think it was yesterday morning, he told me that he thinks he likes kindergarten now. (Insert sigh of relief smilie here.)

Next: Our last park

 

[DisMomAmy]

Having just said good-bye to Jeff, Karen & Animal Kingdom, we made our way to the bus stop and jumped on a bus back to CBR. We took some time to have lunch & cool off in the room… I’m sure I did a little packing at that point. A short time later we decided to head to DHS as our last park of the trip. We gathered our things and made our way to the bus.

Once we arrived our first ride was Toy Story Mania – one of our favorites of this trip.

At this point we decided to split up. Tim took Alex over to his other favorite rides – ToT & RnRC. I really wanted to take Zachary to the animation class – he loves to draw and I thought he would enjoy this. We waited for about 10 minutes for the next class to begin. I just hoped we would get the chance to draw a character he recognized. Luckily it was Tigger! Apparently there is some sort of extension for the table for little kids, but I didn’t realize this so Zach & I ended up drawing together with him on my lap. (While we were in there, Zach said, “I feel calm in here.” I think he liked the cool, dark, quiet room. (Something to remember for next time.) Here’s what we came up with:

When we came out of the class, we browsed around the gift shop a bit and I found the elusive Jiminy Cricket pin for my next door neighbor!! I was so excited – there were even a couple different choices! After my small purchase we made our way out to the courtyard area where I spotted the Little Einsteins signing autographs. There were only a couple kids in line. Alex is a huge fan and was a bit disappointed that we hadn’t been to the Play & Dine lunch at H&V this year. I jumped in line and called DH to tell him to high-tail it over there. His response was, “Did I give you my wallet?”

Up next: Where is that wallet?

 

[Charleston Princess]

Tigger turned out darling!!!

Oh, those words from DH are words you never really want to hear!