Leave it to RP...

As I may have mentioned in an earlier post, RP is still catching up on her vaccinations from being adopted internationally. A week ago today she had her three-year physical and has officially grown 5 1/4 inches over the last year and gained a few pounds. I was concerned that she is still very small for her age, but the doctor was encouraged by the fact that she is now ON the height and weight charts - in the 5th percentile for height, and the 9th percentile for weight. The only concern she had, and it was a minor one, was that while RP is incredible vocal, she is still showing some speech delay in that non-family members should be able to understand 75% of what she is saying, and family members should be able to understand her at almost 100%, which is not the case. I can understand her about 60-85% of the time, depending on where we are, who is around, and what she is talking about, and non-family members probably understand her about 20-50% of the time. She told me to watch this, and if there is still a delay at the end of summer I should have her re-evaluated. Sigh.

Getting back to the vaccines, RP was actually ahead of the vaccination schedule here for some of her shots, but while her medical chart/history showed that she was completely up-to-date on her polio vaccine, her blood work last spring showed that she had never received ANY polio vaccination. Ever. None. Scary - but easily correctable. Last year RP had to have two shots, about 6 weeks apart, to start the series, and she had her third polio shot last week, which is an ugly, painful looking shot to the upper thigh. She also had to receive another shot to the OTHER thigh that same day, and I'm surprised she isn't still the same shade of purple she was that day from screaming - she has quite a set of lungs! After she calmed down (compliments of a red sucker from the nurse!) the doctor informed me that while she tested negative last year for TB, because she was internationally adopted she would like to run another TB test just to make sure - and if this test also came back negative we would be good on tests until RP enters kindergarten.

The TB test was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Monday - the Monday after Easter. Yep - I completely forgot until the office called in the early afternoon to gently remind me that I had forgotten, so we went in Tuesday afternoon instead. I told RP that it was just a pinch in the arm and not to worry, but when we got there and RP told the nurse that she was ready for her "pinch," the nurse shook her head and told me that the test is actually a bit painful and would most likely burn a little, and she brought in another nurse to help hold RP still enough for the injection. I felt like the worst mother in the world for lying to the poor child, and she turned a lovely shade of fuchsia during the process, yelling like a banshee! Again a sucker helped sooth the "boo-boo" and we went on our merry way.

This morning when I was getting RP dressed I checked the injection site because we were set to go to the doctor this afternoon to have the test read and get the results, and while I was happy that there was no reaction at the test site, I was surprised and concerned to discover that RP had broken out in a rash from her elbow to her wrist - only on that arm, and the bulk of it surrounded the test site. When we got to the office and I showed the nurse she was puzzled as well and ran to get the doctor. Both of them informed me that they had never seen anything like it before, but it definitely wasn't a positive test result, but rather it looked like RP came into contact with something that caused the breakout and that I shouldn't worry. I was so relieved at this that I was practically giddy - RP, not so much. While she was happy that this trip to the doctor didn't involve any shots/needles, she was mad (REALLY mad) that all she got for her troubles was a sticker. She wanted another sucker.

The April festivities are over!

It seems as if it has been FOREVER since RP's third birthday, when in actuality it has only been about a week and a half! The house is still in semi-disarray, although we are slowly making strides to bring things back to normal.

A LOT has happened in the last week and a half. I turned the big 4-0 (ugh - it's almost as painful to write as it is to SAY!) 6 days after RP turned three, and unlike her birthday it was a really low-key event. My day was actually spent taking RP to the doctor where she had to have not one but TWO vaccinations (still trying to catch her up from her adoption - good news is that one more shot to go in October and she's done until kindergarten!), which clearly was not a fun way to start our day, then we went to Nana and Papa's house to color Easter eggs. THAT actually was fun, although RP got bored with about 10 minutes of egg coloring left to go, and I left the house with a huge blue dye stain on my face that I was afraid would never come out (luckily it did!)! That night RP and I got dressed up and went to dinner with Nana and Papa to our favorite steak house in town which was yummy beyond words! No big parties, no embarrassing signs in the front yard, etc. - and I was happy!

The Easter Bunny came to the house bright and early on Sunday morning, and RP was less than thrilled that I woke her up at 7:45 a.m. to check out her basket, let alone get ready for church. It wasn't until she saw the basket, the toys, and the partially hidden eggs that she got excited, and then she became a whirlwind of activity. I was going to postpone the Easter egg hunt until after mass, but RP found about 1/3 of them before I could even open my mouth. She loved her basket and all the toys, and was thrilled to discover that her eggs contained M&M's and jelly beans, and a few even held money which she promptly deposited in her new piggy bank! Nana and Papa came over in the afternoon for a big lunch/early dinner and Papa helped me finish putting together RP's new trampoline which she has been dying to try! My brother and his family couldn't come down this year for Easter, so we'll be holding our big family Easter this coming Sunday, then we are done with celebrations for a while, and I'm not sure how RP is going to react to having to wait until Christmas now for a chance to rip open presents, but my checkbook is definitely thankful for the break!

I honestly can't believe that April is almost over and it will be May in less than a week. It certainly is true that the older you get, the more time flies, and I'm kind of hoping for it to slow down a bit so I can soak up everything and enjoy the moment without worrying about what is going on next.

RP is officially THREE!

I can't believe that RP's birthday has already come and gone, but sadly, it has. I have to say that despite how stressed out I got myself over her birthday festivities, it all turned out to be a pretty great time! RP LOVED celebrating her birthday, and spent the entire week prepping by singing "Happy Birthday to me!" over and over and over...

The birthday festivities started on Friday morning with RP getting not her normal oatmeal for breakfast, but one of Mommy's pop-tarts. While this may not seem like a big deal, to her it was HUGE, as she has only ever had a bite or two of the pastries and she loves them! After breakfast we took showers, then got ready to head to "Jump Zone" with Miss K and D. RP still takes a while to warm up to people, so when Miss K and D came in the house, she snuggled into my shoulder and would barely look at them, even after we all got in the van and arrived at our destination. Inside, it took RP all of about 2 minutes to warm up to D when he climbed in one of the jumpies with her, and he was her best bud for the rest of the day! Since D is 13, I really didn't want him to feel like he was babysitting RP while his mom and I hung out, but I think everyone had a great time - even Miss K and I got in on the action and climbed up the ginormous slide a few times (and yes, I'll admit it - it was FUN!).

After Jump Zone, Miss K, D, RP, and I headed out for lunch, which was an adventure since RP was overly tired (she was up at 6:45 a.m. and spent a little over two hours at Jump Zone running around like a crazy person!) and by this point pretty grouchy. After lunch she zonked out in the car before we were even 5 minutes from the restaurant, and she took a great nap that afternoon! After nap time, Nana and Papa came over to open presents, and RP was an old pro! Unlike Christmas when she had to personally deliver each scrap of wrapping paper to the garbage bag, RP was like a tornado ripping through the packages and there was literally a sea of wrapping paper all over the floor. She had a BALL and got lots of great presents, all of which she wanted to play with immediately. We then went for pizza, and came home for ice cream cake, and the first of two opportunities for us to sing to her and have her blow out the candles.

Saturday was the party, and RP and I had to run errands that morning, which made for a long day. Even though we managed to condense our running around to one store, it took longer than I expected because the little motorized ATV that I got her didn't work right (the steering didn't work - go figure!) so we had to go through the return process before we could get our last minute items for the party. After the store we ran home to finish decorating, and I completely underestimated how long it would take to blow up all the balloons. I went through two tanks of helium which were supposed to fill 80 balloons, but those must have been pretty small balloons because even with the fairly sizable mylar balloons I bought this year, we didn't have anywhere near the equivalent of 80 balloons in the house, and I ran out of helium with two balloons to go.

RP refused to take a nap for her party, and I learned the hard way that this was a BAD MOVE on my part. She was excited and actually giddy for the party to start, even sitting nicely and posing for pictures in her Minnie Mouse get-up, but she was out of pocket when everyone arrived. As I said earlier, RP takes a while to warm up to new people, and it seems as if everyone showed up to the party within 20 minutes of one another, so she freaked out in a big way, and coupled with no nap, it was a recipe for disaster. Still, we got through it, and with only a few "bumps" in the afternoon, the party seemed to have been a success - RP loved playing with all the kids and getting to hear "Happy Birthday" sung to her again (and let's not forget blowing out those candles!) and I loved catching up with family and close friends!

The house is still in a state of post-party semi-disaster, and with the Easter Bunny coming this Sunday, I'd better get my butt in gear getting everything put away and cleaned up. As much fun as everything turned out to be, I'm glad this happens only once a year - I'm still exhausted from last week!!!

The birthday festivities begin

While RP's birthday is not until Friday, the celebration of her turning three started in earnest today. While at pre-school today there was a classroom birthday party in her honor, and she was THRILLED! The class played games and got to decorate their own cupcakes (always a hit with the toddler set!) and RP's teacher even bought her the cutest little art set as a present.

I can't believe my baby is going to be three years old this week. Where has the time gone? I still remember planning her birthday last year, which also coincided with her baptism. Even her teacher today commented that she couldn't believe how much RP had grown and changed over the last year, and it's somewhat sad that soon RP will be leaving her classroom to join the 3-4 year olds in the pre-school room.

Tomorrow RP is spending the day with Nana and Papa so I can get the house cleaned and organized for her party on Saturday. I finished her cake today, and while it isn't my best work, it didn't turn out altogether heinous (although Minnie turned out more orange than "flesh-colored - looks like she spent too much time in a tanning bed with the cast of 'Jersey Shore!'), so it will have to do for Saturday. Friday we have a fun outing planned with friends in the morning, then presents and dinner in the afternoon/evening. Finally the big party is Saturday, with our family and closest friends attending.

I'm not sure what RP is going to do next week when it ISN'T her birthday, because she has really gotten into the spirit of understanding that birthdays are a special celebration of an individual, unlike Christmas when everyone exchanges presents. Lucky for her she only has to wait another week before the Easter Bunny comes, but then she is in for the long wait until Christmas!

Eff this, and eff that...

I can't believe we've been home from Disney now for over a week. In one respect it seems like we JUST got home, and in another it seems like our vacation was so very long ago. Things here have been busy, busy, busy, as we always are in April as I have LOTS of family and friends with April birthdays (including RP and myself!). RP knows her birthday is coming and is really excited to celebrate. She has been practicing singing "Happy Birthday" and blowing out candles, and will tell anyone who will listen that she is going to be three. We celebrated Papa's birthday yesterday, which gave RP another opportunity to practice singing her song AND Papa let her help him blow out the candles, which was a bonus for her! With all the excitement of vacation, birthdays, and the impending Easter Bunny visit, I have to say RP has been really good (well, to an extent). She has had her moments, and a few meltdowns, but all in all she has been really well-behaved, helpful around the house, and getting more and more involved in imaginative play (today we were jumping into the "pool water" in the family room and swimming!). That being said, I started noticing yesterday that every time she became frustrated with something she would mumble an unrecognizable word under her breath. The more I listened, the more I noticed this trend, and the more it became obvious what she was saying. Finally tonight she dropped something on the floor and muttered "****," at which time I asked her, "RP, are you saying 'f@#*?" "Yes Mommy. F@#*." Then she shook whatever it was that she had dropped, as if for emphasis. In disbelief I said, "RP are you REALLY saying 'f@#*? That is a bad word." "Yes Mommy. F@#*." I couldn't help it and burst out laughing, trying so hard to hold it in that I got tears in my eyes. When I finally composed myself I told RP," Darling, you cannot say that word any more. It is a bad word, and it is naughty to say. Please do NOT say it again. Ever." My little munchkin looked up at me with a crazy look and proceeded to inform me," Mommy says f@#*, so me say f@#*." She looked very proud of herself. "Mommy does NOT say that word (well, hardly ever except when referring to my idiot neighbors) and I don't want to hear you say it ever again. Do you understand me?" Again, RP looked as if she could not believe her ears. "Me no say 'f@#*' Mommy? Me no say it?" "No. Never again." "O-tay." She then went on her merry way, where she proceeded to slip and say the word at least three more times tonight. Let's hope this is the last of it (and trust me, I'm watching what I say more now than ever!) and that it DOESN'T happen at pre-school this week. Yikes.

A visit to the Easter Bunny

Since we are working on getting back to "normal" after our vacation, RP, Nana, and I went to the mall today to find RP an outfit to wear to her birthday party, finish buying decorations and favors for the party, and so that RP could see the Easter Bunny.

Unlike Santa, RP wasn't too thrilled about seeing the Easter Bunny and truly could have cared less. When we got to the Easter Bunny's gazebo at the mall and she saw him for the first time, she was NONE too thrilled to go meet him, let alone sit on his lap for a picture. That all changed when I pointed out that the Easter Bunny comes to the house the night before Easter and leaves presents and candy, particularly M&M's inside Easter eggs that he hides throughout the house. I probably could have left that explanation to "he brings M&M's," because as we all know, she'll do anything for an M&M (proof in point, potty-training is back in full-swing after it's own "spring break" while we were on vacation. She hasn't had an issue yet, and makes sure that I know she is entitled to her M&M's for success on the potty!). After that she went over and felt his furry hand, gave him a few high-fives, then jumped up on his lap and shouted "Cheese!" like an old pro.

After the pictures she hopped down and waited with Nana while I waited for the prints of the picture, and I didn't think RP paid it any more attention, as she was enthralled with the little mall choo-choo train going round and round and round (and yes, she got to ride on the train thanks to Nana and a really slow day at the mall!). However, she seems to be completely captivated by the fact that the Easter Bunny wore glasses. She mentioned this to Papa when he asked her if she saw the Easter Bunny today, then mentioned it again to me tonight when she was getting ready for bed. It is so funny how the littlest detail, which I truly glossed over and honestly didn't even notice, is what stuck out for her out of the entire experience!

The Disney Adventure comes to an end

After a long, fun-filled week, our Disney adventure finally came to an end. We had to get up at 5:15 a.m. on Saturday to check out and head to the airport for our flight, and it was sad to see the vacation end already. Why is it that just when you are starting to truly relax and enjoy, the vacation is suddenly over? Around 4:30 a.m. I felt a little tugging at my blankets and blearily opened my eyes to see RP standing next to my bed, her pillow, stuffed Goofy, and Duffy the bear in hand. She wanted to climb up and snuggle, and I welcomed her, not really knowing what prompted this. I wear earplugs when I travel to drown out the noise, and what I didn't know what that RP was awakened by her Nana, who was in the middle of an awful asthma attack. When I finally took the earplugs out and heard what was going on, I was alarmed and wanted to call the paramedics, but "Nana" wanted no part of heading to the hospital, and tried valiantly to get ready to leave. Unfortunately, Nana was too sick to travel and we ended up leaving Nana and Papa back at the resort. We headed off to the airport without further drama, but everyone was shocked at how the vacation ended, and that we were heading home with two less than we arrived with. RP was a trooper again through the airport, and slept all but 30 minutes of the flight, falling asleep before the wheels even left the ground. Next time we travel I am definitely bringing in-flight entertainment for myself, because I was bored out of my mind on both flights, not bringing anything for me because I figured I would be too busy trying to keep RP entertained and quiet! Landing is always bittersweet, because while I am thankful that we have arrived back home, this is truly when it sets in that vacation is over, and we are headed back to reality. We picked up our bags, and headed off to the limo, which was waiting for us when we arrived, and home we went. I should note here that Nana and Papa arrived home on Monday after a couple of days resting in the resort in Florida. RP and I picked them up at the airport, and she was SO excited that they were finally back home, as she truly didn't understand everything that had transpired. So now, back to reality. Ugh.

Day 5 of our Disney Adventure!

There are four main parks at the Disney resorts in Orlando, and we managed to hit all of them before our last day. Therefore, we had to make a decision on what we were going to do for our final day on Disney property, and our group of 10 was divided over how to spend it, so we all went our own way. RP and I decided to sleep in (yes, you are seeing a pattern here - she may not have needed all the rest but I was exhausted!) and spend the morning/early afternoon taking advantage of the beautiful weather (it was 80, sunny, and not humid at all - in other words, PERFECT!) by going swimming and hanging out at the pool. We then showered, changed, and headed over to Hollywood Studios to meet up with everyone else for dinner at the Hollywood Brown Derby. It was a low-key day, followed by a really nice dinner with the entire family, but it was all over much too quickly. Before I knew it were were headed back to the hotel to finish packing and get to sleep, as 5:15 was going to roll around REALLY early the next day!

Day 4 of our Disney Adventure: Animal Kingdom

After a long day at the Magic Kingdom, we decided to take it easy and allow everyone to sleep in on Thursday. We had a special "Grand Gathering" dinner and safari at Animal Kingdom planned for that day, but it wasn't until later in the afternoon so it was nice to be able to sleep a bit longer and recharge after a really long day. Imagine my surprise to wake up on Thursday to thunder, lightening, and LOTS of wind gusts. Lucky us got to experience "severe weather" in central Florida as we were under a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch (turned warning, turned watch again). We sat in the room for a few hours watching the weather reports on the news, when my brother called to say that they were going to chance it and head over to Animal Kingdom. Not being as brave (and, quite honestly, still feeling a bit lazy) we waited a bit and headed over there at lunch time. To say that we were SOAKED by the time we got to the bus would be an understatement. The torrential rain never let up and we were all soaking wet before we even got on the bus, and didn't dry off much before we got to the park.

Needless to say there weren't many people at the park so we waltzed right in and headed for somewhere indoors to enjoy lunch and plan out what we wanted to do. After lunch, we headed over to check out "It's Tough to be a Bug" which was playing in the Tree of Life. I was a bit concerned that RP would be scared as it's a 3D bug presentation, complete with interactive parts such as being sprayed with water and getting "stung" by a bug. It turns out I didn't have to worry at all - she LOVED it and kept trying to catch the 3D bugs the entire time. She was grinning ear-to-ear when we left and kept chatting about the "buggies" she saw on the screen and how she couldn't catch the butterfly that was right in front of her. After the "Bug" show we headed over to catch "Lion King," which was one of my personal favorites from my visit in 2009. Again, RP loved the show and sang and clapped throughout.

I should have mentioned that I am a bad mom. I dressed RP in a sundress and bloomers for the day, thinking it would be warmer out than what it was, and I couldn't have been farther from the truth. Luckily I had also put a sweatshirt and raincoat on her, but by the time we got to the "Lion King" she was soaked to the bone and shivering. I had stopped earlier to buy her some pants, but I could only find one pants outfit in the entire park, and it was a pair of boy's "Cars" pajamas. I bought them anyway and asked the clerk to take the tags off so I could slip them on under RP's dress, but being the idiot I am, I left the pants on the counter and took the rest of the outfit with me. Luckily the "Lion King" show wasn't too far from the gift shop, so we headed back there after the show, retrieved the pants, and I slipped off to the Baby Care Center to change RP. Let me tell you, she was quite the sight - purple and white dress, white sweatshirt, blue and red striped pants, and bright pink raincoat. Yes, they could certainly see us coming! The best part was that the store staff was SO nice and fashioned a plastic cover for my bag to keep it from getting any wetter, and they slipped RP into a plastic shopping bag to keep her newly covered legs from getting wet and cold - you could certainly tell they had done this before!

We finally met up with my brother and his family for the safari and traditional African dinner. The safari was great and we got to see a lot of the animals really close up which was awesome. What wasn't awesome was that RP kept poking me and telling me that her tummy hurt, which I chalked up to her being hungry after not eating breakfast and only poking at her lunch. I should have paid better attention to this (and remembered the puking incident with my nephew from the day before) because we no sooner sat down at the table for dinner when she leaned over, told me LOUDLY that her tummy hurt, and suddenly made a horrible face, complete with gagging sounds. Next thing I knew she puked all over herself and all over me! We ran to the bathroom and I cleaned her and I off as good as I could, then spent dinner time snuggling with her against my chest, any desire to eat that I had completely gone. Getting sick must have made her tummy feel better because by the time Timon and Rafiki made their appearance at the dinner RP was ready to get up and dance! She ran out on the dance floor with her cousins and completely let loose when the music started, running around like a crazy person and dancing BETWEEN the characters, instead of behind them like she was supposed to (and like all the other kids were).

We ended the evening without further incident, and by the time we headed back to the bus the rain had stopped (what timing, eh?). We all slept great that night, and geared up for our final day at Disney.

Day 3 of our Disney Adventure: The Magic Kingdom!

Day three of our Disney adventure started bright and early. Since we were traveling in such a large group, we were able to participate in what Disney calls their "Grand Gathering Experiences" which are open to groups of eight or more. Since there were 10 of us on this adventure, we definitely qualified and signed up for two experiences - the first being a special character breakfast at the Magic Kingdom. The only downside of this experience was that we had to be AT the Magic Kingdom at 8:30 a.m., which meant getting up at 6:30, not something I was too keen on while on vacation!

RP and I got up, showered, and dressed, and ran next door to get her cousins. I was greeted at the door by my brother who was a tad distressed because one of the kids had gotten sick at 4:30 in the morning, and they weren't sure if he was going to be able to join us for the breakfast. He decided to try, and we all headed to the bus where we waited for just a few minutes before boarding. Luckily we were among the first on board, because we no sooner sat down than my poor nephew got sick all over again... and all over the back of the bus. We all jumped off the bus and after a brief discussion it was decided that my sister-in-law and I would take the non-sick kids to Magic Kingdom for the breakfast, so it was back up on the bus and away we went.

Despite the fact that the person at the gate sent us to the WRONG character breakfast, we made it on time and were actually surprised that it wasn't much more crowded. We were seated at the front of the restaurant and soon we were all surprised with Mickey waffles, eggs, bacon - the works. After eating Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy were introduced and made their way to the tables. RP was in HEAVEN when she saw that Goofy was back, although she was also excited to meet Donald Duck, and see her old friends Mickey and Minnie again! After the breakfast the MC called up one couple to dance that were celebrating their 38th wedding anniversary, and Goofy came over to our table to ask RP to dance with him. She was so excited and looked so cute up there dancing with Goofy and the other characters, and afterwards all the kids were called up to the front of the room to dance the "Hokey Pokey" with all the characters. RP had so much practice "hokey-pokeying" while we were at Disney that she is more than ready to kick butt on that dance at the next wedding we attend!

After breakfast we managed to luck into another opportunity to meet characters because they were opening a new character location at the same place we just finished the breakfast, and we were first in line for the girls to meet three of the Disney princesses. My niece was in heaven because she LOVES the princesses, and RP took her cue from her big cousin to really enjoy the opportunity as well. After meeting Belle, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty (and posing for LOTS of pictures with them!) we took the train to Frontierland and wandered around with the kids. RP loved the train, but she REALLY loved the Aladdin ride we went on next, and squealed in delight each time the ride went up or down. We hit the carousel for not one, but TWO rides around on that, which she also enjoyed, then we set off to find something to drink in the heat, during which time RP promptly fell sound asleep in the stroller.

After RP's nap it was time for the princess luncheon at Cinderella's Royal Table in the castle itself. This luncheon was a "girls-only" gift from Nana, so the five of us met at the castle and proceeded in, where we discovered that the girls would again get to spend time with Cinderella, have a photo session with her, and then have a royal luncheon where they received princess wands and special wishing stars. During lunch we were visited by Snow White, Ariel, Belle, and Sleeping Beauty, and the girls learned how to cast special wishing spells (which my niece is still practicing and perfecting!).

After the lunch we headed back to the hotel as the park was ridiculously crowded and RP was tired of being hot, sweaty, and standing in line. We hit the timing just right because it started to rain again that evening, and later we headed out in the rain to Downtown Disney where we stood in line forever to eat at Wolfgang Puck's Express restaurant, which was delicious, but anything but express. The day started early and ended late, but was a great day nonetheless, and it was time to rest up for the next day which would be an adventure at Animal Kingdom!

Day 2 of our Disney Adventure: EPCOT!

After a good night's sleep we all decided that we would hit EPCOT for our second day at Disney. The weather was MUCH improved, and it turned out to be a warm, breezy day. The kids were all excited for what was to come, and we hit the Disney buses with enthusiasm, especially to be outside in March in shorts!

I really enjoy EPCOT, but I have to say there isn't a whole lot for little kids to do there, and what there was to do was mobbed! The "Spaceship Earth" ride I wanted to take RP on had an hour long wait when we first got there, and since she was good for no more than 10-15 minutes in a line, we skipped it and headed off to explore.

RP LOVED the interactive water area in EPCOT. Her cousins were MUCH better in the area than she was - they were careful to get only their hands wet and not get too ungodly drenched in the dancing waters. Not my child. She ran full-force into all the "geysers" and was drenched from head to toe, shrieking with delight the entire time. I really didn't care - it was warm out and she was enjoying herself, so I laughed and took a TON of pictures of the fun.

The fun ended when we had to leave the interactive water area. RP lost her MIND - screaming, crying, and literally shaking from head to toe. I honestly thought she was going to throw herself on the ground to complete the tantrum, but she stood her ground (quite literally - she refused to budge and kept trying to run back to the water area!) until I finally had enough, picked her up, and put her on Nana's lap in the wheelchair. She continued to scream and cry for about 10 minutes, but since this is Disney and crying children losing their minds seems to be the norm, I let it go (although it was driving me absolutely crazy!). Once we got to another ride she seemed okay, and we took a boat ride through "Mexico" to find Donald Duck, then rode the "Maelstrom" ride in Norway.

After a few rides we ate lunch at a very nice seafood-y place and the kids LOVED the views of the fish, sharks, stingrays, and one gigantic tortoise we had from our table. After lunch we wandered a bit more, then headed back to the hotel to take the kids swimming and rest a bit before our big day at the Magic Kingdom, which was scheduled for Wednesday.

Another long day went by REALLY fast, and everyone had a great time. RP, for as tired as she was, laid in bed with her new "Goofy" for literally hours before she finally gave in and fell asleep. I think she was afraid of missing any more of the fun, even after being assured time and time again that it was time to go to bed and rest up for the next day!

Our first day at Disney World!

I am happy to report that we had a truly successful trip to Disney World - what a great time! RP LOVED meeting the characters, and she got the chance to meet and interact with several while we were there! I'll try to be brief as I summarize our trip:

Our flight left at 8:00 a.m. on Monday morning, and since the limo was coming at 5 a.m. (ugh!) we were up at 3:45 a.m. to get ready to go. Wait, I should correct that - we were SCHEDULED to get up at 3:45 a.m. RP and I shared a room the night before we left since we stayed at Nana and Papa's house, and RP woke up at 2 a.m. delighted to find me in there with her, so much so that she chatted until the alarm went off. Yes, it was an early start to a very long day!

The limo arrived right on time and RP and her cousins had a blast in the car, even though they were all tired and it was still completely dark out. We got to the airport to find that it was an absolute ZOO, so it was fun to try to wrangle five bags and one overly excited toddler into the airport to check in. I have to say this airport experience with her was quite unlike the last one as she was cooperative, excited, and yes, she slept on the plane (so much for lugging all that stuff to keep her busy on the flight!)!

We arrived in Florida and made our way to the monorail (which the kids loved) and to the Disney bus. I think the kids were just excited to ride on the monorail and see the Disney store in the airport, and for as little as they all are, they all really did a great job taking the long day in stride. We arrived at the resort to find our rooms ready and after checking in we made our way to the rooms to put our bags away and gear up for lunch and the rest of the day.

Did I mention that we were greeted in Florida by pouring rain? Pouring. Not the "it'll soon pass" traditional Florida shower. Pouring rain. It didn't let up the entire first day we were there, but we made the most of it anyway. After lunch we suited the kids up and everyone headed over to Hollywood Studios to see what we could find to do. After one ride and a couple of shows, we discovered that the Disney Clubhouse was open and they were having a dance party for kids! Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, and Goofy were all there and there were only about 30-40 kids in there total, so we got LOTS of time with the characters and lots of great pictures! RP was wearing her monkey backpack (which doubles as a harness - his tail is the "leash" and it was a GODSEND in the parks!) and Goofy even took her for a "walk" using it, then worked on getting her to "sit." Everyone laughed, and my nephew pointed out that it looked like she was actually part of the show, and one woman came up to me and told me that was the funniest thing she had seen on her entire vacation. RP had a ball and LOVED dancing with everyone, and I discovered that she does a mean "Hokey Pokey!"

After the dance party we all left to go back to the hotel, dry out, and head to bed. Since this post is already really long, I'll end this here, and pick up more detail later. Stayed tuned for Day 2 - EPCOT!