Summer Update

It's been a few weeks since I've posted and a lot has happened! The family trip to Disneyland went as well as expected. Jacob was crazy with excitement when he met Mickey Mouse, and Madison especially loved the dancing and singing that happens in the "It's a Small World" ride.

The trip was excellent, and my children behaved well, although they were exhausted. I will say that Madi had enough of the stroller before our two days in the park were up, but she was a trooper. It is definitely a different experience, enjoying the park as a parent. I have always been a fan of Disneyland, and have been to the park with my parents as a child, and also as an adult. Last time I went, it was just Austin and me, which was great because we were able to do whatever we wanted without worrying about the agendas of various group members. I have always been a thrill seeker and lover of the "big kid rides," but this trip I found myself getting excited about the little stuff and the shows. I was more interested in seeing how my children reacted to their surroundings than having fun myself. Needless to say, they did not disappoint and I had a blast!

I downloaded the Disneyland app on our iPad before the trip to help give Jacob an idea of what we were going to do. It was a great tool for helping to prepare him and I'm so glad I did. (The app was free, for anyone who is interested). He still looks at it almost every day, and he calls out certain places he remembered and liked. This has been a great activity for recalling memories with Jacob.

Another great thing from our trip: Since we have been home, Winnie the Pooh has been loved in our house as much as The Rodent (Mickey Mouse), and for that I am thankful.
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I have some other exciting news! In the past month, Austin and I have finally set a date for our wedding (you know, the one that was supposed to happen and then Madison happened instead. ;)

We will be married this October in a Masquerade Ball wedding inspired by the Phantom of the Opera. I am so excited- this theme encompasses the geekyness in my soul. It's going to be a small backyard wedding, and I'm attempting to DIY for almost everything, so it has kept me very busy! (Which in turn has kept me from posting).

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The kids have been busy too. Madison is seven months old now, and she is crawling all over and cruising the furniture. She is an incredibly busy lady who is difficult to direct. She's also started getting some solids,  and she is OBSESSED! Every time she sees someone eating something she has to crawl over and open her mouth as wide as she can. It's cute and very funny.

I am slightly concerned because she doesn't seem too interested in making a lot of closed mouth/syllable type sounds. She babbles all the time, but it's mostly open mouth sounds. I'm trying not to be too paranoid, but given Jacob's delays, it's proving difficult.

Jacob is doing well. He's started spontaneously using some sentences to make requests, and his vocabulary is growing every day. Unfortunately, he's also adopted a nasty temper, which has been very trying on my patience. Any time he hears something he doesn't want to, such as the word "no" or a redirection when he is misbehaving, he puts his hands over his ears and screeches a most horrible banshee screech. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with that one. It's really hard to reason with a child who can't hear what you are saying because he screams every time you try to talk to him. I'll let you know if I crack this code in the near future. Any suggestions are always appreciated.

I finally got Jacob in to see the developmental pediatrician that we have been waiting to see for some time now, so we are on the road to finally determining a diagnosis for him. Hearing problems were ruled out by the Audiologist, and he no longer has tubes in his ears. I'm pleased to hear that he can hear fine, but I can't help but mourning the news a bit because it means his delays are developmental and there is another cause somewhere. Some people might judge me for that, but it's just how I feel. It's hard for me to cope with the knowledge that my baby might struggle socially and with communication for his whole life.

Anyway, we are going to do some bloodwork to rule out genetic disorders like Fragile X, and if nothing is found he will go through extensive testing for Autism.

No matter what, I love the little guy and putting a label on him is not going to change that. The only reason I want answers is so we can find out if there is anything else I can be doing to help him.

Thanks for reading this update! Hopefully it won't be too long before I post again.

Taking a Toddler and a Baby to Disneyland

I am very excited to say that I will be taking my children on their first trip to Disneyland this year. Austin and I had originally planned to take Jacob when he turned three, before we even imagined Madison might be a part of our life by then. Our plan had been to go at the end of this year, but our extended family planned a trip together this June, so we've been put in fast forward mode for planning.

As an avid organizer and planner, this has put me in a bit of a panic. How to do all the basic planning and preparing, while also finding ways to prepare Jacob, who has no concept of what Disneyland even is? I'm faced with introducing the park to him, and trying to get him to understand what it will be like, despite the communication barrier. I also need to figure out how to take an infant to Disneyland and still have a good time.

For the past week or so, I've been doing some research to help with the planning and my sister, who is also taking her two year old on the same trip, has been doing the same. We have been to the theme park countless times, but never with small children. That prospect is both exciting and frightening at the same time. My last trip was in 09, when Austin and I went together for my birthday, leaving baby Jacob with my parents for the weekend. I had a blast, and the whole time I could not stop talking about how much fun it was going to be when we were able to take him. There are so many sites and wonders I didn't even know were there, seeing as how most of my Disneyland experiences were during my teenage years, and the "baby" stuff was largely ignored.

Regardless of my excitement, I know this trip is not going to be easy, and I have put a lot of thought into how I can make it easiest on myself and ensure we all have a good time. Here's my list of self-reminders:

• Get rid of any preexisting expectations of what the kids will or will not enjoy.

I have learned from past experiences that Jacob never reacts the way I want or expect him to. Many holidays and birthdays and other events have left me feeling disappointed because I am so worried that he is not behaving like the "normal" children. I know now that I can't do this to myself. It's stress for no good reason. Jacob finds enjoyment in his own way. I am excited to take him to Disneyland because he loves dancing, singing, and all that, and most of all because Mickey Mouse is his favorite! However, I am being real with myself. I know he also can get overwhelmed in crowds, and may not like the rides. He will get tired and cranky. He may not have any interest in meeting Mickey Mouse. (Quite frankly, that's okay with me because the costumed characters kind of freak me out). As far as Madi, I don't expect anything from her. I only hope that she will be happy and content to ride in the stroller and that I will find good places to stop and feed her. 

• I'm not going to be able to do everything. 

Let's face it. In two days with two kids and a large group, there's no way I'm going to be able to do and see everything I want to. To better prepare for that, I picked the top three things I really want to do most. While I'm hoping to work those into the trip, I have leveled myself with the idea that it might not happen. 

• Leaving the park for nap time will probably be necessary

We planned for this little tidbit by choosing a hotel that is a part of the park. It's a little more pricey, but I'm almost positive it is going to be worth it to have quick and easy access to our hotel room throughout the day. 

• Toddlers do not like to wait in lines.

Hopefully we can tackle this obstacle by utilizing fastpasses efficiently for the rides with longer lines, and avoiding the longest waiting times. I will also be bringing a fully charged itouch with games and apps for the kiddos for distraction while in line. We'll see how that goes!

• Toddlers wait until the last second to let you know they need to go to the bathroom. Babies are famous for messing their pants at the most inopportune times.            

I actually found this site called The Happiest Potties on Earth that gives locations and details of all the restrooms in the park, complete with ratings. I'm positive this information is going to be useful. 

Preparing Jacob:

I'm doing my best to prepare Jacob the best I can. I have been showing him videos on Youtube of the park, parades, and characters. We also made a height chart to see what rides he could go on, and I hyped that up a bit-

I'm not sure why I can't flip this picture the right way, sorry about that!

I also had Jacob help make a paper chain countdown for us, and we mailed one to his cousin as well. We pull the ring off each night as part of our bedtime routine, and take that time to talk about Disneyland-

We used construction paper, glue stick, and some Mickey Mouse stickers. The stickers were the most fun for Jacob

And of course, we have been watching all of our Disney movies, and talking about the characters. It's a great time to tell him who he will get to see when we go. Jacob's cousin, who is a bit younger knows that she is going to go on a really big walk in the stroller where she will get to hug Tigger.

Wish us luck, patience, and lots of fun memories!