I Like Warm Hugs! - Mommy/Toddler Trip ~ Updated 6/20: New Trip Report Link!

[Jackiemarie21]

All caught up here too! The boneyard looks like lots of fun! We missed it last time, we will get there someday!
A dole whip with cocoanut rum sounds so yummy! But I know what you mean it being heart breaking when you can't share and your kiddo wants a bite

That stinks about the ME! The ride back to the airport is a very unmagical experience as it is, despite having complications!

 

[liloca]

I just finished reading your TR and I must say I am amazed by you!

I can't believe you got so much done in so little time with a toddler by yourself!

I will be taking my son for the first time in September when he will be 23 months - same age as Izzy in this trip. I will be happy if we get to half of the stuff that you did!

 

[RGirl]

But, of course, as we strolled along, we passed a cast member that was announcing something to the crowd. I was several feet past her when what she had said finally hit me: “Daisy Duck down here!” I did a U-turn once the words processed in my head and asked the CM if the wait was long. She said it wasn’t too bad, so we headed down the path and were in line at 12:52pm:

Where is this? Is it down where Winnie the Pooh and friends used to be? Or are they still there? I feel like AK is going to be unrecognizable to me when we go back this summer.

Apparently duck eyes are irresistible.

So precious!

I was enjoying looking around:

Really cool shot.

The other thing I’d nearly forgotten was even more important: Dole Whip with Rum!

Say what???? I have never been tempted to try a Dole Whip, but what's this about Dole Whip with booze????? I am IN!

We left off as we took our journey out of Animal Kingdom. 2:08pm with a 3:25pm Magical Express pick-up looming at Pop Century. So, why not go to this other bus stop instead?

You are giving me an anxiety attack, woman!

They did a fantastic job of theming this area! It looked amazing and I’d love to stay there someday. Really cool and immersive! It made me want to go to Disneyland and see Carsland even more (and we will likely get to do so later this year…woohoo!! )

It looks awesome - they did a great job! And you are going to LOVE CarsLand!

Well, turns out they go first-come, first-served by bringing the notice to the driver. And they overbook! I never knew this about the Magical Express. I asked and they did not have one single seat left on there.

WHAT??? I had no idea!

I barely had time to drag my stuff closer to the bench and sit down and think about this, though, when the next ME came rolling on in

Thank goodness another bus pulled right up.

I decided the only way I could manage our stuff was to make a couple trips and just hope nobody messed with anything left curbside (and continuing to carry Izzy).

I have done this dance many times when Willow was younger. Car to airport, airport to car, etc. always involved moving a few bags ten feet while leaving the rest, going back and moving the rest, wash and repeat. Not exactly fun, but it gets the job done!

 

[Dugette]

You crack me up. You're running behind schedule and you still make time to go through two sections of AOA.

Gotta do what you gotta do.

The bread looks tasty but it does look awfully small.

That's just what it was - tasty enough, but certainly not a substantial lunch or anything worth a lengthy wait.

I didn't know that about the ME, either! I've never been on a full bus, though (at least on the way back to the airport), so perhaps I've never had to worry.

Yeah, it's never come up before for us, but the driver was very matter-of-fact about the overbooking being a standard practice.

Karma is a great and wonderful thing.

Indeed it is!

Glad you (barely) made time for a quick swing by AOA!

Me too!

Wait times for food were never short at LOF when we were there. I know they make pretty much everything fresh which I appreciate but speed is a factor at times!

Yeah, I didn't think that some cheese bread would be a big production. If we weren't in such a hurry, I'm sure it would have been fine, though. I'd love to try more of the food there sometime!

Yes! With the Cars and all other areas. But I think the Cars area really puts you in the movie with the characters and landmarks all around.

Really love how immersive that area is - doesn't even look like a value resort at all - just a scene from a movie!

WooHoo! Hope this wroks out!!

Me too - I think it's going to happen.

All 3 boys loved it! Perfect play area for them to run and splash.

I can imagine it was a blast for them! Looked great!

How frustrating! I can't believe they overbook and that the driver gave you no indication that you wouldn't be able to board BEFORE you folded the stroller, etc.

Same here. It was all such a surprise. I mean, I was there, I had the letter saying to be on this bus... I guess they plan for people missing it and never filling it up.

I'm glad another ME bus pulled up so quickly AND was empty AND pulled off first!

Couldn't have worked out better.

I wonder what it is about duck eyes...they seem to be too tempting to poke.

I don't know what it is, but I guess they are just irresistible.

Oooh, the Dole Whip with Coconut Rum. That was my favorite treat from the Flower and Garden Festival last year. I found it to be perfect "adult dessert." However, in your situation, it just sounds stressful! That's too bad about Izzy's ice cream melting and then her not understanding why she couldn't have any of yours.

I am looking forward to having one at F&G (next weekend! ). I'm hoping I can enjoy it a bit more this time. It was a bit on the stressful side last time.

I've gotta say, if there was a DIS award for most utilized time in WDW, you'd win. You got a ton done in that last hour before the ME arrived.
And with a toddler in tow...in the FL heat. I will easily admit, I was impressed.

This whole trip, I still can't believe how much we managed to do. I mean, it was SO short - we had one full day and two partial travel days and that's it. But so many memories and so much fun!

AoA is such a cool resort. You know, if you were ever thinking about a May trip in 2016 you should consider Art. Because Izzy would totally have a friend (I.E. Landon) to play in the splash pad with.

That would be so awesome! I'm sure they'd have a blast together. Not sure at this point when our next WDW visit will be, though.

Oh my gosh, that lady in the Pop Centuy splash pad. I guess if you're hot you gotta do what you gotta do...

Just made me laugh to see her laying there so contently.

Oh no! That ME bus situation sounds horrible! Didn't you have a stressful ME bus when you took Izzy on her first Disney trip, too?
Not going to lie, I smiled when you said the new bus you were able to get on left before the original one. Serves everyone right for leaving a mom by herself up the river with zero help.

Haha, you're right - we nearly missed the ME bus on her first trip! So, I was feeling pretty good about being at this one before the bus even arrived, but didn't work out the way I thought. So glad the new bus was awesome!

You got guts, I'll give you that. I guess it's at least close by. But still... you got guts.

Haha, yeah, I guess I like to squeeze every last Disney experience out of my trips. I remember leaving later than planned for the airport (in a rental car) last June too.

This photo cracks me up. Not really sure why though. Yup, just hanging out on a bench.

If they had like a "hall of chairs" in WDW, that would have been Izzy's favorite attraction. She could sit on various things all day and be one happy camper.

I guess you know Disney hit a home run with a resort when you make this much of a point to see it with time ticking away.

I'd really been wanting to see it the last couple trips, but there was just never an opportunity. I figured this was my best chance, as it was walkable from the resort I stayed at. I still want to go back and see more of it, though. But probably not this trip either.

And you doubted me, why? She gets it!

I didn't doubt you, I'd just never seen the "spa" before.

That is quite impressive. Not only do you got guts, you also got skills!

We were certainly cruising along through Cars - Lightning McQueen would have been proud of us.

Oh my good Lord!! I had no idea either, and honestly, there is no excuse for this. I can't help but think about this being someone's final memory of their first Disney vacation, and it is decidedly not a good final impression.

Totally agree. My jaw dropped when he told me that - just couldn't believe they do that. And he was so casual about it, like it happens all the time.

OK, this actually makes me feel better.

Me too - I was very relieved!

 

[Dugette]

obviously added a bit to the stress/took time, but the Daisy meet looks really cute ... and go Izzy with the fine motor skillz!

It was really cute - I'm glad we took a few minutes to meet Daisy. I don't regret any of our character meets, actually - those were the best parts of this trip!

The boneyard is definitely fun although we had similar experience where I finally got Peter over to the "dig" part and he was like "ok, that's cool, let's go back to the stairs and other really fun stuff" I did go down one of the tube slides after him and definitely was a bit tight for an adult. You could have made it I am sure, but not the best. Definitely a tough area for little ones and only one parent

Haha, stairs are clearly the best feature! Good to know on the tube slide - I just wasn't up for taking a chance. If we do make it over there this trip, though, I think she'd be okay.

Glad you did get your Dole Whip with Rum - even if it too was a bit stressful. Was it good/worth it?

You know, I was so distracted and rushed that I think it was good, but really didn't get to enjoy it. Hoping to savor one a bit more next weekend at F&G!

At least you had a little time to explore AoA - we took slightly longer exploring the Cars area as the kids had to pose in front of ever. single. Cars. car. But definitely really well themed - definitely would like to stay there some day especially with the family suites.

The family suites would be great! I love all the pics your kids wanted with the cars. I think I'd have a really hard time dragging Izzy away from there now, as her car love has only grown. She wore Lightning McQueen socks today, her choice.

Sorry you had to rush at LoF though - we really enjoyed it but definitely not the quickest location

I've heard great things about the food, but I guess it's not the best place if you're in a big hurry.

That is pretty annoying about the line for the ME and not just taking people in the order they were there - though I bet if you knew the next bus literally was going to be there 2 minutes later that would have made it a bit easier to deal with (driver probably should have mentioned that - especially given that the bus was overbooked). Definitely some karma there with your bus taking off first. Glad it worked out in the end

Yeah, I was thinking I'd be waiting awhile and cutting it close and the other bus was so quick! Turned out to not be too big a deal.

Glad you made it on the ME despite that fiasco, and having to drag your stuff. Ugh! But you made it with seats to spare. Still waiting for a good deal to pop up on AoA, it is a pretty resort

Such a weird ME experience, but all worked out okay. I'd love to stay at AoA someday. Love having such a cool option for a value resort.

I'm an update behind. I will have to save the most recent for a little later, but you are now starting to make me nervous about being ready for the ME on time.

Well, we've been the last ones before and not had a problem, so maybe this was just a fluke.

Those PP pictures with Daisy are absolutely adorable and I just love Izzy's outfit. It's so cute. I don't think I commented on it earlier.

Aw, thanks!

Oh My to the messy Dole Whip. And how hard it must have been to tell her no to having some of yours. How do you explained spiked Dole whip to a child????

That was the hardest thing - she was so sweet, asking me for more and how do you explain that to a toddler?

OK, Be back soon!

See ya then!

Glad you made on a ME bus, and it even wound up leaving first!

So glad that it worked out well after that initial disappointment.

Sad that your trip report is coming to an end, but excited to hear about your next trip!

I cannot believe that we leave on Thursday!

Wow, great pics of the AoA's Cars section! So realistic -- it looks like you are right in the movie!

I was surprised I managed to get some decent pics with how fast I was walking through it. I just love it, though.

And after all that hustle to the ME for your return to the airport, to be cut off at the door for them being over-booked -- what a downer! (we have a trip booked to WDW next month, I'm totally going to be dashing to that bus driver as soon as he/she parks it at the curb!) I'm so glad to hear that you had some pixie dust sent your way, and that another ME bus showed up to take you on your way almost immediately!

I was so surprised they do that! But good plan - once you give them your notice, you're in (from what I can tell).

Wow - you really made perfect time to the ME bus. But it stinks that you missed the first one. Wow - sometimes the logistics of traveling with a small child really make it tough. I applaud you because I don't think I could have handled that by myself. Of course, I had two that were under two so my hands were tied big time.

Two under two?! Yeah, I've got it easy - I don't know how people do that.

That cheesy bread looks yummy.

It was pretty tasty. Probably would have been better right away too, versus carting it around with us first.

Too bad you had to rush through AoA. I was there when it first semi-opened, but really need to go back to explore the entire resort. My brother and his family are staying there in June. I'm jelly!!!!

Lucky them! I definitely want to explore it more sometime!

 

[Dugette]

All caught up here too! The boneyard looks like lots of fun! We missed it last time, we will get there someday!

Someday! It was really fun and there was a lot more there to do than I had realized.

A dole whip with cocoanut rum sounds so yummy! But I know what you mean it being heart breaking when you can't share and your kiddo wants a bite

I'd love one right now. I felt so bad, though - she asked so nicely and I had to deny her. Luckily, she handled it well and accepted the counteroffer.

That stinks about the ME! The ride back to the airport is a very unmagical experience as it is, despite having complications!

For sure!

I just finished reading your TR and I must say I am amazed by you!

Aw, shucks.

I can't believe you got so much done in so little time with a toddler by yourself!

I can't believe we did so much either. It was pretty easy, though. I loved it! (as did she)

I will be taking my son for the first time in September when he will be 23 months - same age as Izzy in this trip. I will be happy if we get to half of the stuff that you did!

Good plan to keep expectations low and not overplan. I did have a solid touring plan for this trip, but knew that we may not get to everything and tried to stay flexible - a lot of those character meets weren't in the plan, so I'm glad I strayed a bit, as they were great. I hope you have a fantastic trip!

Where is this? Is it down where Winnie the Pooh and friends used to be? Or are they still there? I feel like AK is going to be unrecognizable to me when we go back this summer.

Someone else said that too. Maybe? I never saw them in AK, so not certain. It is a big area just for Daisy, though.

So precious!

Thanks!

Really cool shot.

Thank you!

Say what???? I have never been tempted to try a Dole Whip, but what's this about Dole Whip with booze????? I am IN!

Haha, make sure to stop by Tamu Tamu in AK!

You are giving me an anxiety attack, woman!

Haha, sorry.

It looks awesome - they did a great job! And you are going to LOVE CarsLand!

I cannot wait to see that! I think that is what I'm MOST excited about!

WHAT??? I had no idea!

I never knew until this trip. But the driver acted like it was pretty common.

Thank goodness another bus pulled right up.

So glad to see him!

I have done this dance many times when Willow was younger. Car to airport, airport to car, etc. always involved moving a few bags ten feet while leaving the rest, going back and moving the rest, wash and repeat. Not exactly fun, but it gets the job done!

I think it would be so hard to be a single parent! Not having that extra set of hands (and eyes and ears) around would certainly have its challenges. I think you've done a great job with Willow and it's nice that she's old enough that you can separate briefly and have a bit more freedom and ability to do things.

 

[Dugette]

Please Go Back Home. Your Life Awaits.

We settled into our seats on the Awesome Magical Express Bus that whisked us right away to the airport and left the Not Cool Magical Express Bus in the dust. Izzy enjoyed looking out the window:



She kept saying, “Mama, I see cars!” She loves cars and was very excited about this. I have a bit of video too:

(click to watch)

She also amused herself by playing with my Magic Band:



I eventually took both our bands and packed them away, telling her “the Magic is over.” Strangely, she seemed okay with that.

She also got a kick out of the video (at least parts of it):





There was a mom with her toddler daughter across from us on the bus. Her daughter was about 1 year older than Izzy (so, right around her 3rd birthday). I was so amazed to see that little girl enthusiastically naming off every character and princess that appeared on the screen. I remember thinking how cool it would be when Izzy could do that. And, now, 8 months later, she surely can. How quickly they grow up!

The mom and I got to talking, as she asked about Izzy’s Pacigrip (the clip that keeps her pacifier from falling on the ground). Her daughter had the same paci, but was constantly dropping and/or losing it. I told her what it was and then she told me about how her daughter was really attached to those pacis and she had made several unsuccessful attempts to get her to break the habit. She had done some of the things I’d heard recommended: tell her daughter the “paci fairy” was going to take them and leave her a gift, ask her daughter to put them in a package for a new baby that needs them, etc. Nothing worked, though. Her daughter was just too attached and refused to entertain any offers. So, this is where the story gets strange. The mom decided to take a different approach and took all the pacis one day, then told her daughter that “the mean witches came and took them.” Strangely enough, it actually worked and her daughter was okay with that explanation because, well, that’s what mean witches do. The only problem was that the “witches” only hid them instead of disposing them and failed to inform the babysitter. Naturally, the babysitter gave them all back the next day. So, now her daughter is always paranoid that the mean witches are going to come back and steal them from her. If anything, it made her even more irrationally attached to them. Yikes!

As a side note to that story, I didn’t have a set time in mind to get rid of Izzy’s pacis at that time. She liked them and used them in moderation (more when we travel, for the comfort during such a different experience). I remember Dr. Harvey Karp (of Happiest Baby on the Block fame) came to speak to our moms’ group at work and someone asked him about pacis – he was VERY clear that it wasn’t something to be pushed, caused no problems, and they’d give them up when they were ready. I took comfort in that and just didn’t bother pushing the issue. Izzy had generally used them mostly for sleep, car rides, or times where she was needing extra comfort. But she really, REALLY liked them and was getting very possessive about them. At her 2.5 year old pediatrician appointment recently, her doctor recommended that the two we were down to go “missing” (as all the others actually had gotten either lost or broken). Well, I didn’t really want to lie to Izzy, so we kept with what we’d been doing and kept emphasizing to her that “big girls don’t need pacis” and “pacis are for babies”. Sure enough, shortly after that doctor’s appointment, she bought our reasoning and declared, “I’m a big girl, I don’t need this!” Now she only uses them to fall asleep and throws them back into her crib each morning! So, thankfully, I don’t have to be that woman on the bus this trip.

Back to that bus ride: to supplement the story, the daughter did indeed drop and lose that paci on the bus ride. It was nowhere to be found (I know from experience that those things can bounce like crazy and end up way far from where they were dropped). They searched around (I tried to help look too), but gave up and left the bus at the first airport stop without her beloved paci (though I’m sure they had more).

Oh, one other story about them: the daughter started saying to her grandma in the seat behind them, “You’re driving me nuts!” Then she switched it to, “I’m driving you nuts!” which cracked us all up.

We got off at the second airport stop. Our driver was super nice and even opened up the stroller for us. He was so great and I felt terrible that I only had $1 left to tip him (I’d tipped more than I planned with luggage storage, etc.) I made sure to thank him profusely.

I felt okay on time when we got inside, so we took it easy. Stopped in our favorite family restroom to change into travel clothes. I had previously looked up the location of Chick-Fil-A, so we headed there next. I got an 8 piece nuggets to share and a water for me. We sat at a table with this view:



Izzy sat in a chair across from me and even ate some nuggets (along with her milk):



In general, she doesn’t like chicken nuggets , but she approves of the ones from Chick-Fil-A (and we discovered the other day that Wendy’s also received her seal of approval). At any rate, it was a tasty second lunch/snack before the flight. Oh, the receipt said 4:46pm and it was only $3.83.

After we finished and headed out, Izzy spotted the “doggie”, so we stopped for some pictures:





And then we got in that crazy obnoxious security line :



I am really hoping this isn’t bad on our next trip. I think most people will be leaving on Memorial Day (or prior) and we don’t leave until the day after. Fingers crossed the airport will be fairly quiet that day!

At any rate, I didn’t luck out with any TSA pre-check or family lane this time. (I think it was June that they just sent a bunch of us through pre-check to move the line along). I tell ya, the Disney Magic just ends right here :



It was 5:04pm and there was a huge bottleneck right after the ID/boarding pass check. All the lanes merged together and it was chaos. Izzy decided to take her shoes off, as she often did in her stroller this trip. Unfortunately, she managed to drop a shoe in front of her stroller and there was no way I could go around and get to it with the crowd pushing in around us. Some super “helpful” guy told me she lost her shoe. Yeah, no kidding, but I can’t get to it. I said something to that effect and he thankfully took a hint and gave it to me. I think I kept her shoes after that. As a side note, throughout the whole trip I’d had to keep telling her things like, “[such and such character] wants you to wear your shoes, so you should put them back on.”

It felt like the line took forever , but we made it though fine and it was only 20 minutes. They had me walk Izzy through the metal detector in front of me, while holding her hands, which was different from what I'd done before. I couldn’t find my shoes afterwards, then realized they took them away with the milk they had to test, since they were in the same bin. Everything was fine and we made it here at 5:24pm:



Mini-monorail time! We arrived at our gate and went directly to the gate agent to see if there was any chance of getting an empty seat for Izzy (she was just under 2 and still flying free). Unfortunately, they informed me that the flight was 100% full with 5 standby passengers. They said they’d love to let me bring her carseat on, but there was no chance of having a seat, so I’d have to gate check it. I put it in the gate-check bag, bummed that this sleep-deprived kiddo was going to have a hard time sleeping on the flight (on my lap). Overall, though, we did pretty well – in all of Izzy’s free flights, she got a seat about 50% of the time. Not bad.

I stuck around in the open area near the desk so that I would have room to fold her stroller and such. We were here (gotta love my terrible pic of some guy eating ):



Izzy chilled in her stroller while we waited (guess I'd given her shoes back):



We were supposed to board at 5:50pm, but the gate agent had informed me that we’d be delayed because the plane wasn’t there yet and it would be about 15 minutes for them to get it ready after the passengers got off. I decided to wait for the plane to arrive (around 5:40) and all the passengers to unload before getting Izzy out of her stroller. Give her as much time to rest as possible. There were a couple of kids that arrived carrying Mickey and Minnie plushes and they were really sweet and stopped to talk to us about getting autographs from characters.

Once the flow of disembarking passengers trailed off, I started getting things ready to go. Foolishly, I put Izzy in the Ergo carrier (front) before folding up her stroller and putting it in the bag. That didn’t work out so well and I had to take her back out and have her stand while I packed it up. I stashed a bag of don’t-need-on-the-plane stuff in the stroller bag too and then Izzy helped me zip it up. Because we’d only have one seat, I also moved a bunch of not-a-must things into Izzy’s backpack and then stashed that in the carseat bag, as I knew I wouldn’t have much room and one backpack under the seat would be plenty – I’d never be able to access anything with two under there and Izzy on my lap.

The guy behind me was super nice and helpful. He kept offering to assist me and I finally agreed to let him carry the stroller down. He said he had 9 kids (older now) and he understood what it was like to have to deal with all that stuff. He was in boarding Zone 2 and I was Zone 1, so I had to wait for his zone to be called, but that was fine. We were right in front. He walked with me and we deposited the stroller and carseat in the gate-check area. So nice to have that help, as the stroller is always so heavy/awkward to carry, especially with a carseat in the other hand. (Oh, I also remembered to get the pink gate-check tags this time! ) I thanked the nice guy and we boarded.

We were towards the back, in row 31 – a window seat. There was nobody else in our row just yet, so I let Izzy sit on an empty seat and play with the Flight Safety Card of Awesomeness (guess the shoes went away again!):



I have a cute picture of that couple across from us smiling at Izzy, but probably shouldn’t post it, as I have a personal story about them later. They were amused by Izzy, though. I let her play there until a guy came along for our aisle. Izzy agreeably moved to my lap, as I think the tall stranger scared her. Another solo guy took the aisle seat. The guy next to us was nice and actually picked up several of Izzy’s dropped items during the flight, not to mention tolerating an occasional position-adjusting kick from Izzy.

We took off pretty close to on-schedule, just after 6:30pm. The sky was really pretty:



Izzy’s new interest was using my arm as a control of my hand to open and close the two window shades we had – I could grip them easier than she could. I was just her puppet and she was pulling all the strings. I figured it wasn’t hurting or bothering anyone, so why not to keep her happy? We opened and closed those shades a LOT of times!

We also looked at the flight magazines – there was a dog raincoat with umbrella hood in Skymall that I found hilarious :



We looked for doggies in that magazine and there were a bunch. We also looked at/played with whatever would could reach from the backpack. The Buckle Toy worked for a while. She threw a lot of things on the floor. This is the only picture I took in flight:



The snack service started, but nowhere near us. Izzy knew pretzels were coming, though, and wanted them ASAP. She was getting so upset and impatient that I pulled out the snack box from the last flight and we split that. We ate almost everything before the snack service got to us. She liked the fruit snacks and goldfish best and got really excited when she saw the Oreo 2-pack…until she opened it and one was already broken. Broken food is the worst thing ever! She was so upset. So, I ate it and gave her the other one that was still whole. She was happy again – until she took a bite and it caused the cookie to break. End of the world!!!!! I ate that one too. She was cheered up by more goldfish and, soon, pretzels from the snack service. I got a can of Diet Coke too. I also used the remainder of our credit to buy another one of those snack boxes to bring home – Dug ended up eating that one.

Izzy was much happier with the tray table down. She played a game where she slid the flight safety card over it and into the pocket, then back out, over and over and over again. I drank my Diet Coke as quickly as possible, since I had no safe place to put it, with her on my lap.

A bit later, they came around with water in little cups. Izzy WANTED one. But, again, they were starting way ahead of us and working their way back. She finally got to us and Izzy’s upset calmed as I gave her a small glass of her own. She did pretty good!

With water in hand, she was happy again. We did more playing with tray table and dropping things and she eventually fell asleep on me for the last hour or so of the flight. We landed and the girl across from us (that I mentioned earlier) got a text that some young people she semi-knew had died that night – I heard her calling her mom and saying, “remember so-and-so? Her niece and nephew died tonight.” I think I heard her say they were 32. Ugh, that’s not the news you want when you turn your phone back on after a flight. Reminds me of when our honeymoon flight landed 10 years ago and my mom called to tell me my grandpa had passed away. So sad. Overhearing that conversation made me even more grateful for all I have.

I waited for everyone to get off the plane again. I set Izzy in the seat next to me so I could gather all the things she’d dropped and spilled from the backpack when she’d stood in/on it. Flight attendants came over to giggle at her half-asleep bobbing around-ness. It was pretty cute. I got all our stuff and got her in the Ergo (which I was wearing the whole time). I had like 4 flight attendants become personal attendants – one helped put on each Ergo strap and I nearly thought one would buckle it, but I got to do that. Izzy stayed half-asleep/half-alert/calm in the Ergo. I got the backpack on and headed out.

At the gate-check area, I took the carseat bag in one hand and put the stroller bag over my other shoulder. I made it about halfway up the jetway before the flight attendants were practically demanding to help me. Well, okay, if you insist. One put the stroller on top of her roller bag and another took the carseat, so it was easy-peasy for me.

I got up to the gate and opened the stroller (they helped and didn’t mind the extra bags I’d stashed – whew!) and put the carseat and backpack in it, as Izzy was in the Ergo. Ready to go! One flight attendant stuck with me and wanted to show me a shortcut out, as she was leaving too (and made sure someone was picking me up – they all were like, “I don’t know how you do this!”) We went nearly the whole way together until she left me in the elevator that went to bag claim. She was great! Here we are in the elevator:



I realized at that point that I hadn’t taken my phone out of airplane mode or contacted Dug. I called and he was driving in, almost to the door I was near. He said the area was being heavily policed and he’d have to drive around again, since I didn’t have my bag yet, but I told him to pull up and load all the stuff I had with me while I ran and got the checked bag (figured it was just waiting there, as I was last off). So we did that and they didn’t quite kick him out. We got Izzy in her carseat (she was happy to see daddy pull up!) and headed home.

She was elated to “go nigh-night” in our bed (for play) once we got home:



She was also very happy to see her crib again. We got her right to bed and I went to bed with a headache that turned into a stomach flu the next day. But, despite the aftermath, it was a great trip and so worth $100!!! Loved all the mommy/toddler time and made so many great memories in such a short time!

That wraps up this report, but don’t you worry – we leave on Thursday for our next trip and I will be starting that TR fairly soon after we return, I’m sure. I’ll post the link here and see you real soon!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

I eventually took both our bands and packed them away, telling her “the Magic is over.” Strangely, she seemed okay with that.

Kids. I guess Disney really is just for adults.


Oh wow, that whole pacifier story is the very definition of "backfire"

Oh dear, the MCO security line. The last queue of the trip, but sadly, no magical goodness on the other side.

What a wonderful trip and magical memories you had. Wishing you even more on your upcoming epic journey.

 

[kroseycorn]

Those pacifier stories are hilarious! The witches took her paci's? That's terrifying! I try not to worry about pacifiers... Maple has already started to naturally wean herself sort of like Izzy. She just has one during bedtime, if she starts to get sleepy, or if she's someplace new/traveling. I've only seen one 10 year old boy with a pacifier in his mouth -- and he was Italian. Not too worried about it!

Maple has been on flights three times so far in her young life. We've not tried to bring her car seat on board, but now that she's bigger, I'm really hoping we score some of those empty seats. I'm a slightly nervous flyer, and it makes me a bit more nervous to know that she's not secured. Given all of the regulations the airlines have, it seems AMAZING to me that we can just hold our human children on the plane! I wish they had real discounts to secure a seat... on Southwest, its a discount on the most expensive rate. Lame.

Looks like a fun trip, though!!

 

[jane2073]

I enjoyed your trip report a lot! I have also been following your trip planning for SWW. I cannot wait for that to start! We will be there on Saturday and I am so super excited!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Interesting stories with the pacifiers. I know as a kid I used one and my mom had trouble getting me to stop so with my younger sister she tried to avoid it - which resulted in her being a thumb suclerk - was much harder to get her to stop. So probably not the worst thing.

That's great you wound up with so much help especially getting off the plane. while you are experienced, those plan aisles are not designed for mule packing that much.

And how great you finish this TR just in time for your next trip!

Hope you had a nice Mother's Day!

 

[heathsf]

But the pig was up for a massage:

These were round tables with individual backless picnic bench type seats. She sat on one with her back facing towards a nearby table and I sat facing her with my back to another table. Just about knee to knee. I figured I’d take this quiet moment (there was literally no one around) to try to look into the storage settings on my phone. I just messed with them for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on, and in that quick second I looked at the phone, Izzy apparently decided to lean back in her “chair”. I don’t know if she forgot what she was sitting on or what, but she was going headfirst towards the pavement very quickly. I saw her in my peripheral vision immediately and reacted fast, grabbing her left leg, which was the nearest thing for me to catch. I caught her and stopped her fall inches before her head hit the ground, but now she was dangling over the bench by her bent left leg. I was worried about hurting her leg if I tried to pull her back up by it, so I decided the safest thing was to very slowly lower her down, just gently touching her head to the ground as I lowered her onto her back and got her up. Keep in mind, this all took place in like 1-2 seconds, but it seems like slow motion in the moment. Once I had her down and unscathed, she burst into frightened tears. She wasn’t hurt, but we were both pretty shaken up by her fall. I hugged her and comforted her and double-checked that she was totally fine. I was so glad that I’d been so close and reacted so quickly. And that the bench was just tall enough that she could be dangling over and not hit her head. Scary.

Then I had a chance to look up. And it got interesting. I’m just going to copy and paste this part straight out of my detailed “notes”, as I don’t think I can phrase it any better than I already did:

After that excitement, I looked up to see an older woman on an ECV staring at me, somewhat bewildered. I can only assume she watched the whole thing go down. I felt like she was judging – mom staring at her phone, ignoring her kid – or something. However, I was trying to get my camera to work so I could take more pics of my kid – not hanging out on Facebook or something. I assured her that Izzy was okay and explained what I was doing and all. She seemed better then. But weirdly chatty. And tried to “relate” with me by telling me how “things happen” and once she was driving and went through like 2 walls and a building or something crazy and her car was a mess, but she went into work anyway and maybe that’s why she can’t walk super far and uses the ECV at WDW …Okay, I don’t think this is the same thing at all. Thankfully, her hubby came by and distracted her.

That sounds horrifying for those 2 seconds -- that felt like an eternity! Ack! And then that lady's reaction.. weird. But amazing mommy reflexes on your part!

I don’t know if Chip & Dale knew what had happened or if it was just a coincidence, but they both stopped at our bench for an impromptu meet with Izzy! Talk about making her feel better! It was so sweet and she was so happy to see them again, after getting turned away a bit ago.

How awesome!!

One of the great things about Disney is how sometimes everyone just starts off in the default mode of “friends” – it made the time pass much more quickly during that part of the wait.

Agreed!

Izzy did not hesitate to run straight up to Minnie for a hug.

That video was adorable. She just makes a beeline right for her! I melted.

She did also try to poke Daisy’s eyes out too, just as she had with Mexican Donald. Apparently duck eyes are irresistible. I redirected her to the “nose” before she got in trouble (the CMs all jump when duck eyes are in danger ).

I was cracking up reading your description of this

We left off as we took our journey out of Animal Kingdom. 2:08pm with a 3:25pm Magical Express pick-up looming at Pop Century. So, why not go to this other bus stop instead? :

Great idea!

So, despite the fact that I was NOT the last person to the stop, I was the one who didn’t make the cut, since I had to handle more stuff and didn’t run up with my notice right away. I was upset (but, you know, smiling for selfies ):

Okay...this is awful! And so un-Disneylike!! I was infuriated for you reading this!!

Once I’d hauled over my two loads of things, I got on and sat right in the second row - Izzy and I each had a seat. The best part is this bus immediately took off for the airport, leaving the bus I was supposed to ride in the dust :

Although this definitely made up for it! Karma! Thank goodness this hero bus pulled up and made things right!

Goodbye, mean ME bus!

Good riddance!

I eventually took both our bands and packed them away, telling her “the Magic is over.”

The mom and I got to talking, as she asked about Izzy’s Pacigrip (the clip that keeps her pacifier from falling on the ground). Her daughter had the same paci, but was constantly dropping and/or losing it. I told her what it was and then she told me about how her daughter was really attached to those pacis and she had made several unsuccessful attempts to get her to break the habit. She had done some of the things I’d heard recommended: tell her daughter the “paci fairy” was going to take them and leave her a gift, ask her daughter to put them in a package for a new baby that needs them, etc. Nothing worked, though. Her daughter was just too attached and refused to entertain any offers. So, this is where the story gets strange. The mom decided to take a different approach and took all the pacis one day, then told her daughter that “the mean witches came and took them.” Strangely enough, it actually worked and her daughter was okay with that explanation because, well, that’s what mean witches do. The only problem was that the “witches” only hid them instead of disposing them and failed to inform the babysitter. Naturally, the babysitter gave them all back the next day. So, now her daughter is always paranoid that the mean witches are going to come back and steal them from her. If anything, it made her even more irrationally attached to them. Yikes!

As a side note to that story, I didn’t have a set time in mind to get rid of Izzy’s pacis at that time. She liked them and used them in moderation (more when we travel, for the comfort during such a different experience). I remember Dr. Harvey Karp (of Happiest Baby on the Block fame) came to speak to our moms’ group at work and someone asked him about pacis – he was VERY clear that it wasn’t something to be pushed, caused no problems, and they’d give them up when they were ready. I took comfort in that and just didn’t bother pushing the issue. Izzy had generally used them mostly for sleep, car rides, or times where she was needing extra comfort. But she really, REALLY liked them and was getting very possessive about them. At her 2.5 year old pediatrician appointment recently, her doctor recommended that the two we were down to go “missing” (as all the others actually had gotten either lost or broken). Well, I didn’t really want to lie to Izzy, so we kept with what we’d been doing and kept emphasizing to her that “big girls don’t need pacis” and “pacis are for babies”. Sure enough, shortly after that doctor’s appointment, she bought our reasoning and declared, “I’m a big girl, I don’t need this!” Now she only uses them to fall asleep and throws them back into her crib each morning! So, thankfully, I don’t have to be that woman on the bus this trip.

As I read this I was totally taking mommy notes for the future and I definitely like your method the best!
The witches story was totally bizarre and I can't believe it worked...and then the babysitter gave them back! Yikes! Honesty is the best policy I suppose!

they all were like, “I don’t know how you do this!”

Um yeah... that's what I was thinking! It sounds like the airport was the hardest part of being solo throughout the trip!

But you handled it! And made lots of amazing memories along the way. What a fabulous mommy/daughter trip you had! Thanks for sharing I can't wait to read about the next adventure!

 

[MEK]

Awwwww - that was such a great ending to your TR. I agree with the flight attendants - I don't know how you traveled liked that, but how great of so many people to help you! That's pretty awesome!

I was totally laughing at your paci story. My oldest son was totally addicted to his. He got to the point where he actually just chewed on it and would flip it around in his mouth using his tongue. One night I just pulled it out of his mouth when he was going to sleep and told him he couldn't have it back. It worked. He had no problems giving it up. Prior to that I would make him take it out of his mouth whenever we went out in public because I told him people would laugh at him because he was too old. He had to be 3 1/2. It makes me sound like a mean mom, but I eventually said NO MORE!

I really enjoyed reading about your mommy daughter trip. What lovely memories.

And enjoy your next family trip! Bring home lots of stories and memories!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I was seriously addicted to my pacifiers when I was little. I called them my bea (pronounced bee-uh - and no, I have no clue where that came from ). When I was three or so, my parents decided it was time to lose the beas. They told me that the garbage man needed to take them away. On the morning of garbage day, I gathered all of them and then placed them one by one into the garbage can. Before dropping them in, I kissed each one and said, "I love you, bea!" Needless to say, my mother almost caved and let me keep them. I was strong, though, and sent them on their way!

I'm glad you had a nice flight and that the flight attendants were so anxious to help you out!

That's too bad that you got sick when you got home! Despite that, you had a very successful trip and managed to squeeze in tons of fun!

I'm very excited about your next report!

 

[hokieinpa]

I eventually took both our bands and packed them away, telling her “the Magic is over.”

How sad! We "played" Disney World the other day and the boys all wore their bands and Nate pretended he was on different rides. That's one way to relive the magic, I guess!

What a strange story about the little girl on the ME and the pacis! The whole evil witch thing sounds slightly traumatizing!

They had me walk Izzy through the metal detector in front of me, while holding her hands, which was different from what I'd done before.

Glad she was a brave girl! Security alone with a toddler, stroller, car seat, and carry ons must be quite the task! I'm impressed!

Broken food is the worst thing ever!

I have eaten so many broken crackers, it's ridiculous.


It sounds like a pretty nice flight! And it's great that you found lots of helpful people along the way. That makes the flight so much easier! On our return flight we had a man complain because he didn't want to sit on the same row as a baby (Jake). He demanded to switch seats but he was the last one on the flight so And he also wanted the window seat (where Jake was in his car seat) and just caused a big stink in general. Not a pleasant 2 hour flight home.

She was also very happy to see her crib again. We got her right to bed and I went to bed with a headache that turned into a stomach flu the next day.

Oh no! Disney germs are no fun!

Loved all the mommy/toddler time and made so many great memories in such a short time!

It's hard to believe it really was a short trip. It seems like you two did so much! Lots of Frozen fun wrapped into just a couple of days!

 

[amazingact21]

The Happiest Baby on the Block saved my life when Landon was a newborn. My kid was one of those that needed all 5 steps to settle down. People thought we were nuts swaddling him up and using an app that "shushed" in his ear. But, hey, whatever works.


Landon's like Izzy with food. He loves the kid's grilled chicken meal from Chick Fil A, but won't eat any other kind of nugget. And if one of his Horizon Crackers is broken off...oh goodness. They all have to be perfectly intact. Yeesh.



So sad that the trip came to an end. The airport sounds exhausting. Every part of it. From the long security line to having to gate check the stroller and carseat to having to keep Izzy entertained in your lap the whole time. Thank goodness there were kind people around to help you. (Too bad there weren't any of those types at the ME bus area...)

Oh dear, sorry to hear you got the stomach flu the next day! Yikes. Not the way you wanna come home. But I guess it's good that it stayed away until after your trip was over. That would have been TERRIBLE.

 

[cindianne320]

Glad the flight went well and you made it home safely! What a bummer that you got the stomach flu. I hope it passed quickly.
Can't wait for your next TR!

 

[Fastpassminus]

Great TR! You were very brave taking a little one by yourself! Loved all your pictures!

 

[sparkle.castle]

Just read the whoooole thing! Phew, I'm tired just from reading all you accomplished. Super impressive solo with a toddler! Seems like you had a blast and made the most of everything. Fun, fun, fun. Curious how/when you make your trip notes? Do you do it in the moment on your phone or write things down that night?

 

[RGirl]

I think it would be so hard to be a single parent! Not having that extra set of hands (and eyes and ears) around would certainly have its challenges. I think you've done a great job with Willow and it's nice that she's old enough that you can separate briefly and have a bit more freedom and ability to do things.

Awww - thanks! I chose to become a parent on my own, so I try not to think too much about how much easier it could be. And I know that there are some things about being an only parent that are easier - I've never been great at compromise.

I eventually took both our bands and packed them away, telling her “the Magic is over.” Strangely, she seemed okay with that.

Awwwww - so cute.

She had done some of the things I’d heard recommended: tell her daughter the “paci fairy” was going to take them and leave her a gift, ask her daughter to put them in a package for a new baby that needs them, etc. Nothing worked, though. Her daughter was just too attached and refused to entertain any offers. So, this is where the story gets strange. The mom decided to take a different approach and took all the pacis one day, then told her daughter that “the mean witches came and took them.” Strangely enough, it actually worked and her daughter was okay with that explanation because, well, that’s what mean witches do. The only problem was that the “witches” only hid them instead of disposing them and failed to inform the babysitter. Naturally, the babysitter gave them all back the next day. So, now her daughter is always paranoid that the mean witches are going to come back and steal them from her. If anything, it made her even more irrationally attached to them. Yikes!

Yikes! It's so funny how these things can backfire on us. I hope you don't mind, but I just have to share how Willow gave up her binkies. So she never had binkies except in her crib, so for nap time and bedtime. That should make her less attached, I suppose, but she really loved them when she was in her crib - she had, like, 6 or 7 of them stashed in there. I can't remember for sure what the age was, but I had a set age in my head of when they needed to be gone for fear of affecting her teeth or something (can you tell that I am now a parent of an 8 year old and can't even think back a few years? ) - I think it must have been 2 years old. Anyway, we were coming up on my deadline for getting rid of them, and I was so worried about it. Well, one night, I put her in her crib, and she started toddler-mouthing off to me and getting really mad about something (I don't even remember what it was now). I was across the room from her, and she hurled one of the binkies in my direction. I picked it up and calmly said, "You don't want to be throwing things at me. If you do, you won't see them again." She looked me dead in the eye, stooped down in the crib, picked up another binky and chucked it at me. I explained to her that she was never going to see it again, so she might want to stop. Well, you can see where this is going. She threw every single binky at me that night, and she never saw them again. And, you know what? She never had a single moment of missing sleep or being worked up into a frenzy about it - I had been worried for nothing (like all those other baby milestones that I feared like getting rid of bottles, switching to a big-girl bed etc.).

We got her right to bed and I went to bed with a headache that turned into a stomach flu the next day.

Oh, that's such an awful way to end a vacation.

That wraps up this report, but don’t you worry – we leave on Thursday for our next trip and I will be starting that TR fairly soon after we return, I’m sure.

Oh, gosh, I probably missed your departure by about 12 or so hours. I hope your trip is AMAZING! And I can't wait to read all about it.