Caelin's Journey: July 2013

Check out my pin! 1st Visit!!!!!!!

Saturday July 6^th, 2013 Sean and I drove Caelin to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World for his VERY FIRST visit. And let me say, magical, wonderful, spectacular is nowhere near descriptive enough for our day together yesterday. This blog post will never be able to properly express what it was like living it… watching our son dance, try to sing, point to objects and talk to us and completely glow and radiate happiness. I do apologize in advance because a moment like this one could never be properly recreated, even by the most talented writer on this planet… even by Walt Disney himself.

For many months we contemplated taking Caelin to Walt Disney World but it never felt like the right time. Plus, the thought of spending two weeks worth of groceries on one day seemed unpractical. *Now that we went, the money spent was 100% worth the memories we made. I would give Disney my money any day to experience such genuine awe and happiness with my family. These memories will forever be a part of us… but of course, that’s exactly how Disney owns half the world, after all. But since June 14^th, the day we decided to move back to Michigan, the desire tremendously increased to experience Caelin’s first visit to the Magic Kingdom and meet Mickey Mouse in person before we leave Florida. My best friend’s dad blessed us with a one day park ticket at the beginning of the year so we knew we would have to purchase only one adult ticket since our little man would be free. Well I wanted to wait to take Caelin when he was walking well on his own because I hoped he would be able to explore more, walk up to the characters and feel more free instead of strapped to one of our hips or detained in his stroller. Then on Wednesday, July 3^rd Sean texted me while he was at work saying there was a really high chance of rain the following evening so we probably would not be able to take Caelin to his first fireworks show. I cried, not hard, but I did have involuntary tears rolling down my cheeks accompanied with a frown and chin quiver. I know it seems silly now but last year Caelin was in the hospital for this holiday, so this would have technically been the first time we could really “Celebrate America” as a family and introduce him to fireworks. It did end up pouring, by the way. But we went to the park in the morning when it was warm with a cool breeze then in the evening we did Sparklers and Pop-Its together and our neighbors across the street let off some of the box, ground fireworks. So the evening was still special and we celebrated our Independence together, after all. But back to Disney… after I sent a text response explaining my disappointment, Sean replied, “So I was thinking we will go to Disney on Saturday…Weather is 86 and partly cloudy. We will only have one other weekend to go and that’s the 20^th and I don’t want to not be able to go cuz of weather… Still bummed?!?” At first I said, “Yes because I want Cael to be able to walk at Disney.” But as Sean explained, we could wait for him to walk and miss the opportunity to embrace this potentially beautiful day in Florida during a heavily rainy Hurricane season and get not so lucky with the other weekend… or we go this weekend and have a great day together. Well, that’s a no brainer! But Friday came and the chance of rain increased slightly, so I, being the reserved mother I am, decided we probably shouldn’t go. But with a little encouragement from my husband and my aunt Sheri with trust in The Lord, I changed my mind and wasn’t going to let a 30-40% chance of isolated thunderstorms get in the way of our first family magical Disney experience! So we went.

I packed and prepared as much as I could Friday evening so we wouldn’t be scrambling in the morning. I also made a list of attractions and rides Cael could partake in and it totaled 26! We had no idea there would be so many toddler-friendly things to do! We all went to bed early in preparation for the extravagant day to follow. But of course I reverted back to my childhood anticipation of driving underneath the “Walt Disney World” sign and that first sight of Cinderella’s castle and experiencing all the magic. So yes, you guessed it, I had the worst trouble sleeping. The alarm clock went off at 6:20AM and we happily started our day. Our little bug must have known what we meant when we told him we were going to Disney World because he awoke at 6:35AM instead of his usual 7:30-8:00AM. We were all packed up, full of smiles and on our way at 7:15AM.

Cael did excellent in the car ride, as usual! He watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while snuggled in his Mickey blanket and hugging his Singing Mickey Mouse; he was all ready for a day full of Mickey! J We got to the park, paid $15 for parking (INSANE!), purchased Sean’s park ticket and received a “My 1^st Visit” pin for Caelin! Here, the magic began! We took Caelin’s very first boat ride on the ferry over to the Magic Kingdom. He enjoyed looking over the side of the boat and watching the water ripple as the boat coasted through and pointed to the trees and plants as we passed by them in the water. He is incredibly fascinated by the simplest things of life; it’s really sad that as we get older, we lose that innocent appreciation for everything our World has to offer but what a blessing that I get to go back in time and experience life all over again through the eyes of my son.

Once we got our bags checked and walked through the turnstiles, we were in the Magic Kingdom! I couldn’t help but start singing to Cael, “We’re walking right down the middle of Main Street USA!” Upon hearing that familiar favorite song, Caelin couldn’t help but smile and rock side to side in his stroller.

First on the agenda: Getting Caelin an autograph book for the characters to sign their names and to place pictures of Cael with each one. Our next stop was going to be to meet Mickey Mouse, but we figured that many other families had the same intention, so we decided to head back to where the best rides are: Fantasyland. This area used to be called Toontown and was where Mickey and his friends’ houses were located. I was sad to see all of their little homes gone but I guess change is inevitable… Fantasyland is not yet completed but it does look really great so far.

So Caelin’s VERY FIRST RIDE was “it’s a small world.” He loves this song on his Disney Sing Along Songs DVD and I thought it would be a nice introductory ride having lots of fun colors, friendly, familiar music and smiling faces. It was a success! At first Caelin had no idea what was going on as his wide-eyed, puzzled expression showed us. But as the day went on and he rode more rides, he became more engaged and enthralled in all the details and enjoyment of each ride!

We then rode “Peter Pan’s Flight,” which was ridiculously dark, although Caelin didn’t seem to mind. During this ride Sean mentioned how crazy it is that Caelin can ride on our laps for this one being suspended from the ceiling in a flying boat and followed the comment with, “I wonder if anyone has actually dropped their kid?” Leave it to my husband to think these wonderful thoughts… good thing he didn’t have pixy dust.

On our way to these first two rides, Sean saw something called, “Mickey’s Philhar Magic.” We weren’t so sure what it was but he looked it up on the application he downloaded onto his phone with ride descriptions and approximate wait times; as it turns out, it’s a 10 minute 3-D movie. We agreed it sounded like fun so we went that direction. Caelin was incredibly adorable in his 3-D glasses! He kept them on almost the whole time and was incredibly good during the whole film! Next up, Monster’s University or Despicable Me 2? When the movie first began, Caelin was staring at the screen and actually reached out to the objects that appeared to be in front of him. Sean asks, “Was that Cael’s arm?” I chuckled, “YES!” Our little boy is the most adorable little 15 ½ month old around… reaching out for the 3D objects! That really shows that he was paying attention and engaged with the attraction! He also danced and laughed during the movie. Melt my heart with his sweet, loving reactions!

After the movie we saw Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, too, standing outside next to the “Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” ride. So we waited in line for Caelin’s very first character meeting, to get their autographs and take some pictures. This is probably the longest line we waited in all day. The characters took a couple minute “snack break,” which prolonged our anticipation for Caelin’s first character greeting. Much to my surprise, he did not cry but he was predictably hesitant and resisted their greeting. He liked pointing to them and watching them from afar in line, but up-close Caelin was not impressed. He did give them high-fives and we got their signatures so although the pictures or meeting wasn’t Disney commercial-perfect, it was still a perfect memory for our family.

The characters were right next to the Mad Tea Party so of course we had to ride the tea cups. He smiled and giggled throughout the whole ride! He would look at me then throw his head back and laugh! I think this one was Caelin’s favorite ride. And he also tried turning the wheel in the middle; it was like he knew that was how to make it spin more. But I did not want to turn that wheel and make him vomit when our day had only just begun. Daddy did not join us because he gets severe motion sickness (wimp) but he did get some great photos of our enjoyment!

Dumbo the Flying Elephant is now located right next to the tea cups so that was our next stop. With the new Fantasyland also came a new Dumbo rid featuring not one, but two identical Dumbos for less wait time. Cael loved this one, too!

After riding Dumbo, we went and got Goofy and Donald’s signatures at “Pete’s Silly Sideshow.” Daisy and Minnie were here, too, but the line to see them was estimated at 45 minutes to an hour… too long for our little warrior.

Then we ran through the Casey Splash ‘N’ Soak Station, which was a ton of fun! Cael was starting to get sleepy so Sean and I decided it might feel good for Cael to play in the water and cool off then try to rest. The plan worked quite perfectly, actually. I ran his naked body, equipped with a Mickey diaper, through the splash pad and he crawled and splashed around a little, too. Although my clothes and hair got nice and wet, it was a refreshing escape from the hot Florida sun! I do really wish Caelin was big enough to ride Splash Mountain… next time!

After playing in the water, we walked to Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café and ate a little lunch while I rocked Caelin back and forth in his stroller where he finally fell asleep.

Sean and I finished lunch then explored the shops throughout the park. We made it back to Main Street USA where I realized I needed to get myself some caffeine because a headache was creeping in from not drinking my daily cup of Joe in the morning. I know what you’re thinking… I must have been really excited if I didn’t even remember to make myself my routine coffee! Trust me, if I had pixy dust, I would have been hovering over the Magic Kingdom with my kid on my back before the park opened. All I cared about was having all the necessities to provide my son with a successful and awesome first trip to Disney World! So I got an iced coffee, Sean got a smoothie and we got a cup of ice water. Of course the guy calling out the completed order was yelling in the loudest, most obnoxious manner and woke up Cael. But at least he slept for an hour… perfect catnap to pop him up out of the stroller with a smile accompanied with a reach toward Daddy and a yell for more attractions and magic… or maybe just for ice water thanks to the irresistible triad of scorching sun, wet sticky air and 92 degree weather (which felt more like 105). We then sat outside and waited for the “A Dream Come True Parade” to march down Main Street. We got great seats right on the curb, just passed the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor.

The parade was AWESOME! This was Caelin’s very first parade and he really loved watching all the characters dancing down the street and up on the floats. He was constantly pointing, clapping, talking and chuckling. The craziest but coolest part about the parade was the number of characters who came over to Cael; at least half a dozen came over and gave him individualized attention. Believe me, I have been to my fair share of parades and it is not common for characters to just stop to have a conversation with a child who isn’t going to talk back to them. These characters sat in front of him, rubbed his head, hugged him, asked for high fives, etc... The ones I remember are Jessie, Woody, Drizella, Smee, & Tweedle Dum but I feel like there were one or two more. It was seriously insane!!! I told Sean I had never seen so many characters come over in the middle of the parade and be so close to one kid for so long!!! Seriously… I never have. I am still shocked at how these characters just kept coming and how much attention our son got. Especially from Cinderella’s ugly step-sister, Drizella. She kept touching his cheeks and his head and talking about how their outfits were the same color and she would not leave until he blew her a kiss. She got to be a whole float behind Anastasia (the other sister) before she bid Caelin farewell. Even the characters on the float would point to him and wave and mouth with a bright smile “AWE” or “He’s so cute!” I told Sean, “It was like our kid had a spotlight on him! Was that not the craziest thing?” I sincerely wish we had videotaped this! We didn’t even get pictures of the characters coming up to him because it was so unexpected and we were so cramped as people crowded so tightly around us with the start of the parade.

After the parade we checked the app on Sean’s phone to see the estimated wait times for each ride in the park. We decided to head to the “Haunted Mansion” in Liberty Square because the wait was only estimated at 15 minutes. We parked the stroller, ah yes, this reminds me: they now have what I call “Valet Stroller-parkers” everywhere in the park. You leave your stroller unattended or turn your back from it, you can count on a Disney worker swiping it and “putting it where it belongs.” I still have not decided if I like or dislike this service. It’s nice because it keeps all the strollers in order but still unsettling when you turn around and your stroller is gone, which happened to Sean while Cael and I were on the Dumbo ride. Anyway, we went into the Haunted Mansion entrance and as we walked through we received a red card which helps them keep track of accurate wait times, or so we were told. While in line, you come to a fork that gives you the option to go through the graveyard… Do Not Do It! The graveyard is nothing spectacular and the line is 2x as long. Learn from our mistake. Once we got in the mansion, I think Caelin started feeling a little apprehensive. It was very dark and eerie with loud, scary noises. He did not cry but he was very wide-eyed with furrowed brows and quiet. When we got in our car, Cael sat in-between Sean and I. He looked so small but I felt like he was so big! Throughout the whole ride he was pretty quiet but seemed to be intrigued by the ride and all the ghosts and sights he was seeing and spooky sounds he was hearing. Of course while we were riding I was singing the “Grim Grinning Ghosts” song to him and he did start swaying back and forth to the melody (or lack thereof).

Once out of the mansion, we got on the Liberty Square Riverboat and waited for it to start but we got impatient after about 5 minutes of going nowhere; so we got off on the lower deck and decided our time would be better spent elsewhere. We ventured over to Tom Sawyer’s Island in Frontierland! Here we explored the cave, climbed up and down the hills, Cael crawled through the tunnel of the play structure and we crossed the barrel bridge. Daddy crossed first then took pictures of Mommy holding Cael’s hands while we walked over the bridge together. Wowee! Was this a core workout! An excellent work out for both mom and toddler but also so very fun! Cael was giggling the whole time as the barrels rolled underneath us. We sure did wobble a lot but we never lost our balance!

Next stop was the Country Bear Jamboree. This was never one of my favorites, but I had a feeling Caelin would love it because he loves when they come on the screen during his Sing Along Songs. Of course I was right. ;) He was dancing from the beginning of the show until the very end! He was sawing back and forth, from side to side, attempting to sing along with them, clapping his hands, kicking his feet and smiling at both Sean and I. I may sound repetitive but during all of these attractions and rides I was constantly wonderstruck at how obvious Cael’s enjoyment and happiness was. He was completely comfortable in these new environments where many toddlers his age would appropriately feel apprehension, terror and distrust. But not Cael. I really do attribute part of this to his obsession with his Disneyland Adventures Sing Along Songs DVD because so many of these characters, attractions, and places appear here and play the associated songs… I really think Cael felt like he belonged here.

That’s about all that Cael could go on and enjoy in Frontierland so we strolled over to Adventureland! This is my second favorite area of the park. We first went in the “Enchanted Tiki Room.” Birds fascinate Cael so I knew he would love this attraction, just like the Country Bears. Again, Mom knows best! J He was a bit frightened and jumped when the thunder struck and echoed from the angered tiki gods but otherwise, acted with just as much enthusiasm in here as he did during the bear jamboree!

We followed the bears with the “Jungle Cruise.” Cael liked the other boats we rode and we knew he would like this ride more with all the animals. He got to see some of his favorites, like hippos and elephants in the water and zebras, lions and giraffes on land, including a zebra being eaten by a pack of lions- it’s just nature! ;) Good teaching moment about the circle of life. He also enjoyed floating by the waterfall and waving to some of the other passengers on the boat. Caelin is very much a social butterfly.

Then we went on Great Aunt Sheri’s favorite ride, “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Just like all the other rides, we timed this one perfectly and nearly walked right on! Cael sat on Sean’s lap as we explored the life of a Pirate, yo ho! Cael was starting to get sleepy at this point so he wasn’t as interested in it as much as the rides he rode earlier but he still pointed to some of the objects, like a bird and a dog. Plus he wasn’t afraid of the darkness, deep voices or loud noises, so that was good, too!

We thought about finding a place to eat after the pirate ride but instead we popped a squat on the deck in between Frontierland and Adventureland and each chowd a corn dog while Caelin enjoyed some of his food, snacks and formula from home (we offered him some small pieces of corn dog but he was not interested… his erupting molars have been really bothering him). It felt good to take a break from walking and just watch our little man look around, people watch and reflect on what a great day it had been thus far (and would continue to be).

Well we now had full bellies and Caelin was rubbing his eyes. At this point, we decided it was time for Caelin to meet the big man himself… Mickey Mouse! He was at the Town Square Theater with the Disney Princesses. We waited in line for only about 10 minutes before Cael got to finally lay eyes on a life-size Mickey Mouse standing right in front of him. This meeting was not like the others; Mickey was in his own dressing room so it was a much more private visit in a relaxed environment. When Cael first caught sight of Mickey, we didn’t even have to say anything; he smiled and let out a deep chuckle, “uhhhh huh huh huh.” Sean and I both laughed because we knew that Cael knew exactly who stood before him. Now although Cael did not take his first steps to Mickey Mouse, nor would he stand there alone with him, he still gave him plenty of hugs and kisses and lots of smiles. Mickey Mouse was the only character he really smiled for! Of course, Mom made an oopsie! I was so caught up in the beautiful, priceless magnificent moment that I forgot I wanted to get a family shot with Mickey. After we walked out of the room, I realized this. Of course it was after and not right before we walked out so we could not turn around and ask for one more picture. But I shrugged it off and started looking through the images that the assistant took while I was video recording. Of course, me being the dummy I can be, left the camera on MANUAL focus instead of automatic, so EVERY. SINGLE. PHOTO. was out of focus. My eyes instantly started filling with water as I told Sean what happened. So he, being the gentleman he is, suggested we go wait back in line. Thank God we did, too, because the line was less than 5 minutes long and we got a BEAUTIFUL family photo with Mickey Mouse. Praise The Lord!

Our last ride of the day was the Walt Disney World Railroad. What better way to end the day than with a nice, relaxing ride on the train for a last farewell to the park?! As the sun finished setting, we rode it all the way around the park, with a nice breeze cooling our overheated faces. We boarded at Main Street USA, stopped at Frontierland, then stopped at the Storybook Circus in Fantasyland then finally headed back to Main Street, getting a tour of some of the park’s biggest attractions along the way. The whole ride was about 20 minutes and we arrived back to this station at 8:53PM, just before the Main Street Electrical Parade began. We grabbed our parked stroller, situated Cael inside and heading down off the train platform to Main Street.

Of course Main Street was ridiculously packed with no spare spot for stopping in sight. So we walked to the Ice Cream Parlor, Sean waited in line for a treat and Cael and I went on the hunt for even the smallest opening. I saw a lady wearing a Fedora right outside of the Starbucks so I ditched the stroller in front of the store (hoping no one would move it or biddidy-bobbidy-boo it away) and asked the lady if we could fit in the line next to her. She invited us to squeeze into the space while simultaneously expressing that her husband would be joining her so we need to make sure we leave room for him. People are funny. Sean found us with two desperately melting ice cream cones in hand. He held onto mine with its cute little mint Mickey mouse ears on top and his (which was conveniently in a cup with a cone on top) while I adjusted Cael onto my shoulders. So I had a backpack on my back, my camera slung around my body, Caelin on my shoulders and a mint ice cream cone in my hand which was melting faster than I could eat. Life is so good! God is so good! Here we were, ending our magnificent day at Disney with an exquisite light parade! And we didn’t even have to waste an hour and a half of our evening just so we could have good seats for the parade (Yes, people started lining the streets before 7:30PM…crazies)!

We ventured into the gift shop from which we purchased Cael’s autograph book and got him his first Disney World tee shirt. It’s a 3T because they didn’t have one that was as cute as this one in his size. But he will grow into it! After we left this gift shop, it was to the exit we went. We stopped right in the front and snapped a few last photos then went back through the turnstiles, with which our day began, and onto the same ferryboat that brought us aboard this truly magical place. It was very sad leaving. That really is the worst part of the day- saying farewell to the place where many of our most treasured memories were just made. But as we were walking to the parking lot, the fireworks began. Caelin was almost falling asleep in the park after the parade so we did not wait for them to begin… He was clearly and reasonably exhausted. It’s probably better that we didn’t wait because we had a great view of them right over the water and above Cinderella’s castle. I pulled back Caelin’s shade on his stroller and he was still awake, so we stopped and watched them for a few minutes. At first he wasn’t showing much interest because exhaustion had overcome him but then as we were leaving, he smiled and pointed to them. He did in fact acknowledge and enjoy his first fireworks during his first trip to Walt Disney World. And with that, we arrived at our car parked in Simba 13 and Caelin was fast asleep. I pulled him out of his stroller and laid him down to change his diaper and put pajamas on him. Of course he woke up uncomfortable and screaming. So upset, in fact, he vomited all over the parking lot. Poor little guy had met his breaking point. He slept for most of the car ride back but woke up screaming again about 10 minutes before we got home. Although we were all so happy and full of magic while we were there, we all still had a long day and needed some good rest.

You know what’s bizarre? While I was there I had flashbacks of visiting while I was younger but they were distant, almost foreign. Although the park still has so many familiar rides, attractions and décor, visiting it now is different. I don’t just mean their elimination of the outdated Toontown or the lack of characters freely roaming the streets but also the feeling of the whole experience. For the first time, I was not there for myself. I was there for my son. So although they still mist their special concoction of Disney crack into the air, as a lovely, close friend metaphorically describes it, the magical high I got from this day was better than any visit I had in the past. And I am so grateful that God blessed us with this perfect day. I know He arranged this special day just for us, I could feel it all day long. The way none of us got burnt on a stroke-worthy Florida summer day, the way strangers and characters were (almost annoyingly) magnetized to and fascinated by Cael, the way we didn’t have to wait longer than 25 minutes to experience the most popular attractions on a Saturday at the most magical place on Earth… I could go on and on.

As I write this, my emotions overwhelm me and of course I am crying. And here is my sweet little boy playing in his foam letter corner who keeps stopping everything he is doing to come over and kiss me. I swear, you can’t teach these things to a 15 month old… I am speechless and completely smitten at how much sweetness and genuine love The Lord put into his little body. He was born for great things and he carries a little angel in his pocket while walking around with a spotlight from Heaven shining down on him… I just know it. I am so thankful Cael was sent to us and that we are the ones who were chosen for him. And I am forever grateful for every moment we have with him but especially for Saturday, July 6^th, 2013… This day is a day that will forever be remembered and goes down in the books as an all-time favorite. Until next time, Disney. Until next time.