Bear Hugs & Piggy Kisses - Baby's 1st Trip ~ Updated 12/6: Aulani TR Started!!!

I'm glad that the CM's allowed you in the FP+ line. I am not so enterprising to even think to plead my case. :rotfl2:

How absolutely adorable was that meet and greet.

Hahaha, that picture of Izzy looking at the Mickeys is hysterical! I can see her thinking "I just want them!"

She was down for the count! Oh littles. They always pass out at the most inopportune times.
 
Aww, I feel like Izzy and I have a lot in common; I get super sleepy and as a baby my hair would not grow! :rotfl:
 
Talk about getting every last second in! I love it!!! But I couldn't do it lol you guys are awesome!
Ha ha, I'm not so sure we are awesome so much as we are foolish, but thanks! :rotfl2: It really all goes back to the solo night at the MK that I missed - there was a strong desire to make up for that, even if I had to take a bit of a risk.

Bahaha love bobble head babies! Figures you can't wake her when you WANT her awake. But try and transfer her from a stroller and she's ready to party. Lol
She totally was a bobble head! Her little head was flopping around everywhere as we tried to wake her, but she just slept through it all. :rotfl: I know...babies! :confused3 Never sleeping at the right times. :sad2: :lmao:

And dang you guys are cutting it close! Lol we always aim to leave the park an hour before we are getting picked up and I'm always just a bit nervous.
Um, yeah. Well, at least 2 out of the 3 of us did that. You know, I work in accounting and we are generally a pretty non-risk-taking bunch, but when I'm not at work, I do have a bit of a high-ish risk tolerance. I pretty much ran through things in my head: "walk really fast, use FP+, ride really long ride, walk all the way out of the park, catch monorail, eat lunch, get bus...hey, sounds possible, let's do it!" :thumbsup2 We actually did debate a bit, but in the end, that's how it worked out.

Haha, Izzy was one tired baby. She did NOT want to wake up. I'm glad she did, though, and that she got to experience Small World for the first time. I mean, there's some iconic rides that you just have to go on with a baby, and that's one of them.
Right, the whole trip we'd been looking forward to taking her, since it had been closed. And, finally, we had the chance and she'd rather nap!? :confused3 :rotfl2: Guess the trip finally caught up with her on the last day.

Hmmm, sounds like ominous foreshadowing with the Magical Express comment.
You'd think we'd have learned by now to take Magical Express departure times seriously (we've nearly missed it before). But, when it comes down to it, we like to squeeze every single drop of fun out of our trips. I wasn't a whole lot better in June (driving back later than one should for a flight) or August (on time, actually, but not as early as some would like).

I'm glad that the CM's allowed you in the FP+ line. I am not so enterprising to even think to plead my case. :rotfl2:
Well, when it's your only chance to have your little meet talking Mickey, you pull out all the stops. :rotfl:

How absolutely adorable was that meet and greet.

Hahaha, that picture of Izzy looking at the Mickeys is hysterical! I can see her thinking "I just want them!"
The meet was pretty darn cute! And she was just SO excited to see all those Mickeys when we got to the gift shop. I had never heard her say, "Oh, WOW!" before, so it was pretty memorable.

She was down for the count! Oh littles. They always pass out at the most inopportune times.
Exactly! It's like they haven't read the pre-trip plans or something! :confused3

Aww, I feel like Izzy and I have a lot in common; I get super sleepy and as a baby my hair would not grow! :rotfl:
Ha, yes, you are practically twins! :rotfl: She's still got pretty short hair, but longer and thicker than it was then - just not nearly as much as most other kids her age that we encounter. Oh, well, someday!
 
After Dug and Izzy split off from me, I used all of my fast-walking and crowd-weaving skills to make my way back to Splash Mountain. It was pretty:



I documented my journey, despite the hurry:



Whew, there it is:



Meanwhile, back at the castle, Dug was working on his artistic shots:



I was careening my way through the FP+ line while this group filled the standby:



I also saw a train go by:



But back to the artsy castle shots from Dug:





Then it was time for artsy balloon shots:





Dug and Izzy saw a horsie:



Looks like the Trolley Show:





Decorations:



Somebody is sad to be leaving the Magic Kingdom:



Meanwhile, while he was leisurely taking pictures, I had finished my (awesome and totally worthwhile!) ride on Splash Mountain and started on my way towards the exit (yes, not terribly far behind them):



Then I had a bit of pixie dust – I found myself a crowd-breaker to follow! pixiedust: This guy was by himself and also making a beeline for the exit at a fast pace, weaving efficiently through the crowds:



(Also, I guess I caught that lady making an interesting gesture…:eek:)

I followed that guy all the way to the exit, pretty much right behind him. I wonder if he felt like he was being followed. :lmao: He never looked back. I’m sure most people thought we were together, since I was trailing his every move. But, it worked – he managed to part all the crowds for us to get through.

Meanwhile, Dug and Izzy had made it back to the Poly. They apparently saw a hula lesson:



Ah, back when the Poly was pretty and not too heavily under construction:



Bye-bye tiki guy:



Dug took care of getting the food from Captain Cook’s. I think I told him to get whatever for me - he knows what I like from there.

While he was doing that, I was on the resort monorail loop:



That photo was taken at the Contemporary stop at 12:48pm. Yeah, not cutting it close at all! :faint:

Up next: Will we manage to leave Disney?
 
Wow you really do like to cut it close! I don't know if I'll ever do that again after missing one flight and almost missing a second last year :lmao:
 
I love that you pushed it to ride Splash even though you were cutting it so close! I don't think I could do that - I'd be too nervous. That is funny that Izzy wouldn't wake up. They always seem to sleep when you want them to be awake, and won't sleep when they should!
 
haha, I like the term "crowd breaker" ... glad you got in that last ride on Splash Mountain. That is one thing I found much harder now with 3 kids - for one of us to go off and do something like that was just not a possibility

As you went back and forth I had in my mind the background music changing too ... like fast pace / chase scene like frenetic music for your part, and slow classical type music for the parts with Dug taking the artistic pictures ... and then back to your aggressive music, etc.

Aw, still nice to see pictures of the Poly without all the construction
 
It's good to hear you were able to go on Splash Mtn before you left. A mom deserves some coaster time every once in awhile. :rotfl2: Especially when you didn't get a night to yourself like Dug had.


Haha, it's always smart to find the crowd-breaker in the parks. I'll admit, that usually Alex and I. We've got a knack for cutting through people. I guess they see my six foot husband and fear they'll be brun over. :lmao:



Wait, the tiki man is gone now too? Whyyyy? Man, they are really ripping my heart out by removing all my favorite things from the Poly. I'm sure the refurbed lobby will look great, but still...:rotfl:
 
I am glad you got to ride Splash Mountain. That is what I am most bummed about being down when we are there in January.
 
Wow you really do like to cut it close! I don't know if I'll ever do that again after missing one flight and almost missing a second last year :lmao:
Yes, your experiences are not something I would ever want! :eek: We should really be better at not cutting it close. Oh, well, at least I got to ride Splash! :thumbsup2

I love that you pushed it to ride Splash even though you were cutting it so close! I don't think I could do that - I'd be too nervous. That is funny that Izzy wouldn't wake up. They always seem to sleep when you want them to be awake, and won't sleep when they should!
You know, I knew it was cutting it close, but I thought Dug would move along a little faster and have things a bit more ready-to-go when I rejoined him. :rolleyes1 But I love Splash and am so glad I got to ride! And, really, worst case scenario? Probably take a later ME to the airport - it was still 3 hours until our flight time, after all. Ha, yes, toddlers and their sleep - whatever you want, they'll do the opposite, I guess. :rotfl:

haha, I like the term "crowd breaker" ... glad you got in that last ride on Splash Mountain. That is one thing I found much harder now with 3 kids - for one of us to go off and do something like that was just not a possibility
Oh, I never thought about that. I can't imagine doing that with three kids in tow (unless they were sleeping, maybe). Maybe you could bring one to ride with you, though...:idea:

As you went back and forth I had in my mind the background music changing too ... like fast pace / chase scene like frenetic music for your part, and slow classical type music for the parts with Dug taking the artistic pictures ... and then back to your aggressive music, etc.
Ha, I love that! I went through and re-read it with the music in my head too. Perfect!

Aw, still nice to see pictures of the Poly without all the construction
Yes, especially when all the recent pictures I see seem to be construction walls and sadness. :sad2:

It's good to hear you were able to go on Splash Mtn before you left. A mom deserves some coaster time every once in awhile. :rotfl2: Especially when you didn't get a night to yourself like Dug had.
Exactly! Especially at that point in my mom-hood, I needed that break and "me time". Izzy was so heavily mommy-dependent and was still not sleeping though the night, so I was really worn down at that time. I'm much better now! :thumbsup2 (though do still occasionally think about snapping up some cheap airfare and taking a solo weekend trip with my AP :rolleyes1)

Haha, it's always smart to find the crowd-breaker in the parks. I'll admit, that usually Alex and I. We've got a knack for cutting through people. I guess they see my six foot husband and fear they'll be brun over. :lmao:
That crowd-breaker worked out perfect! I mean, I'm pretty good at walking fast and weaving my way through crowds, but it's much easier to have someone else do it for you. Kind-of like drafting someone else on a bike. Less work for me! :thumbsup2

Wait, the tiki man is gone now too? Whyyyy? Man, they are really ripping my heart out by removing all my favorite things from the Poly. I'm sure the refurbed lobby will look great, but still...:rotfl:
Oh, I don't know about the tiki guy. But it does seem like everything is getting taken down and construction walls abound...but I haven't been there since June and don't know all the details. :confused3

I am glad you got to ride Splash Mountain. That is what I am most bummed about being down when we are there in January.
Oh, that's such a bummer that Splash is down for your trip! :sad2: I'm pretty sure it was down for one of our trips too (probably Jan 2010) and it's so sad to see it all dry and not running. Darn ride maintenance! :rotfl:
 
So nice that the CM's let you go through anyway. Love those videos/pics, so adorable!

LOL! :lmao: Aw poor Izzy! Very exhausted...hopefully that means good things for the plane ride home.

Hey, I would be doing the same thing, squeezing every second I could to not get on the ME.

Dug got some great castle shots!

At Disneyland, especially in Adventureland where there's no room whatsoever to manuever, you HAVE to be behind a crowd-breaker. It's usually ticked off mom's pushing strollers who've clearly had enough of the crowds that force openings. That's when I take advantage of that anger and get right behind them :lmao:

Woah, definitely cutting it close :lmao:
 
I'm sad that your trip report is coming to an end, but excited that perhaps a few trip reports may follow?

I bet you're also getting super excited about your adventure in Hawaii next month! I'd love to know what you thought about Aulani and especially what you thought about riding in style in first class. You will have such a great time! :banana:
 
I'm always thinking about accidentally-on-purpose missing our Magical Express pick up by pushing the tim and just getting stuck somewhere... but then I chicken out and end up early and waiting by the stop like a nerd.
 
So nice that the CM's let you go through anyway. Love those videos/pics, so adorable!
Thanks, it was a great meet! Speaking of, how did Calvin do with the characters at DL?

LOL! :lmao: Aw poor Izzy! Very exhausted...hopefully that means good things for the plane ride home.
You might be on to something there... :rolleyes1

Hey, I would be doing the same thing, squeezing every second I could to not get on the ME.
I think you are the only one so far to say they'd do it too! :goodvibes We need to have a DIS-meet someday! :thumbsup2

Dug got some great castle shots!
Thanks, I thought they were pretty nice. Honestly, I didn't even realize that's what he was doing until now, 10 months later. :rotfl2:

At Disneyland, especially in Adventureland where there's no room whatsoever to manuever, you HAVE to be behind a crowd-breaker. It's usually ticked off mom's pushing strollers who've clearly had enough of the crowds that force openings. That's when I take advantage of that anger and get right behind them :lmao:
Haha, that's a good strategy. And they have strollers to force their way though the crowds. :lmao:

Woah, definitely cutting it close :lmao:
Yeah, it was pretty crazy. I was just hoping the monorail didn't have any technical difficulties.

I'm sad that your trip report is coming to an end, but excited that perhaps a few trip reports may follow?
Aw, thanks! :goodvibes Yes, there will be more TRs for sure! June, August, and soon-to-be Aulani (PTR going now). Don't know how or when I'll do them all, but they will get done! :thumbsup2

I bet you're also getting super excited about your adventure in Hawaii next month! I'd love to know what you thought about Aulani and especially what you thought about riding in style in first class. You will have such a great time! :banana:
I am excited! It's going to be quite the trip! :cool1:

I'm always thinking about accidentally-on-purpose missing our Magical Express pick up by pushing the tim and just getting stuck somewhere... but then I chicken out and end up early and waiting by the stop like a nerd.
:lmao: Love it! We probably need to be a bit more nerdy in this area... :rotfl:
 
Thanks, it was a great meet! Speaking of, how did Calvin do with the characters at DL?

He did okay. We decided to meet Mr. Incredible (since there was no line!) and of course, he had no idea who he was so I knew he wouldn't take well to him. He didn't cry, but he was definitely stand-offish. Then we met Sulley, where he warmed up to him a lot better!

I think you are the only one so far to say they'd do it too! :goodvibes We need to have a DIS-meet someday! :thumbsup2

Heck yes! :hyper:

Haha, that's a good strategy. And they have strollers to force their way though the crowds. :lmao:

That's really the only way to get through Disneyland's Adventureland..with a stroller or wheelchair! :lmao:
 
He did okay. We decided to meet Mr. Incredible (since there was no line!) and of course, he had no idea who he was so I knew he wouldn't take well to him. He didn't cry, but he was definitely stand-offish. Then we met Sulley, where he warmed up to him a lot better!
Aw, I bet he was amazed by how big Sulley was! His sweet monster pillow friend! :lovestruc

Our first meet in August was kind-of like that. Impromptu meet with Buzz and Izzy didn't know him well yet (she LOVES him NOW). She did okay, but just wanted me to hold her while she looked critically at him. :rotfl:

Heck yes! :hyper:
:thumbsup2

That's really the only way to get through Disneyland's Adventureland..with a stroller or wheelchair! :lmao:
Yikes! :eek: Sounds like quite the adventure, appropriately. :rotfl:
 
Man, with a chapter title like this one, you’ll have no choice but to be disappointed! :lmao:

So, we left off with a Magical Express departure of somewhere around 1pm (I wish I could remember the exact time now, but I can’t), Dug and Izzy ordering lunch for us from Captain Cook’s, and me riding the resort monorail through the Contemporary at 12:48pm. :scared:

I was nervous that we’d have some sort of delay. I think I agonized especially at the TTC stop, as I knew I could walk back to the Poly, but the monorail would probably be faster, barring some sort of problem. Pretty sure I chanced staying on the monorail and lucked out with no delays. Whew, back at the Poly in a nick of time! :crazy2:

I remember that we did still have a bit of time, maybe 10 minutes tops, before our ME, so I’m guessing it was scheduled for just a bit after 1pm. And Dug was still at Captain Cook’s when I arrived vs. standing at the door with our luggage, as I’d hoped. :sad2: So, down I went to meet him, expecting them to have at least finished eating and be holding a to-go sandwich for me.

Instead, I found them just barely seated and not at all ready to go. :eek: Dug had just gotten the food and was getting Izzy set up with some lunch. And Izzy was not a terribly fast eater at that point. Back at that time, we felt like we needed to have her eat there, so we just tried to get something in her quick (vs. August, where I purposely had her eat lunch on the ME bus with me – times change! :rotfl2: ) I think we gave her milk and a pouch. I was also surprised to see that Dug had gotten us each a Dole Whip – although a nice gesture, how were we supposed to eat those while running around with luggage and a baby? :confused3

Once we had rushed Izzy through her meal and probably consumed a few bites of Dole Whip (which felt like FOREVER to me, but was probably only a few minutes), we did a divide and conquer. Dug went to retrieve our carry-on bags from Bell Services and I cleaned up Izzy and gathered our food (to-go boxes). Maybe I took her for a diaper change too, I can’t remember anymore. :confused:

What I do remember is that we got to the ME either right at the time or a minute or two late. There are no pictures of this and I’ve probably blocked it out (as has Dug). Everyone had already boarded the bus, I believe. And here we come, all last-second, lugging some bags, a baby, a stroller, meals, and…Dole Whips. The driver was NOT happy with us and not nice to us. Especially because I think we had some frantic issue of having to dig around for the ME letter to give him, as we couldn’t find it and forgot to have it ready. Yep, we’re real winners. :bitelip:

We finally found the paperwork and got Izzy out of the stroller, removed her diaper bag, folded stroller, etc. The whole ordeal. While un-magical driver looked on in disdain. I had wanted to throw away the Dole Whips when we got to the bus (needed my hands), however Dug would not hear of it. But, seriously, how am I supposed to carry a baby, the baby’s stuff, and a Dole Whip onto a bus full of impatient strangers?! And then eat a Dole Whip with an unrestrained baby on my lap? Sounded like a recipe for disaster to me. But, we did it anyway. I swear all eyes on that crowded bus stared us down as we found our way to some empty seats. Probably all angry that we made them sit and wait so we could get Dole Whips. :sad2: Dug said he still remembers that I was NOT happy with him at this time. Can’t imagine why…though I do laugh about it now – but mortifying at the time.

Once we were on the bus, things were okay. We traded off eating and holding Izzy (or trying to, as she was so mommy-needy at that time). Dug said he remembers our Dole Whips getting melty. I had a grown-up grilled cheese, I believe. Not sure what Dug had. I think there were chips and Izzy ate some? She probably had some Dole Whip too. Can’t remember much.

Soon enough, we made it to good ol’ MCO. Once we got inside, we stopped at a bench (near a trash can) and reconfigured all of our stuff. We’d left in the midst of such chaos that nothing was TSA-ready. After re-arranging our luggage and Izzy’s stuff and throwing away all our trash, we headed for security. Neither Dug nor I remembers why he was making this face:



This must be after we got through security:



I think it was when we stopped at the restrooms to change into travel attire. Switched off staying with Izzy in the sitting area.

Goodbye MCO Christmas tree:



Such a welcome sight only a week earlier!

Pre-departure, we got Izzy loaded up in the Ergo so that we could bag and check the stroller and hopefully get her to sleep during the flight (lap baby):



And it turns out that a week at Disney can really wear out a 14-month-old. She fell asleep almost immediately and woke up when we had about 30 minutes left to go. So peaceful:





When she did wake up, she wasn’t very happy about it, though. I think she was confused and scared, not knowing where she was, then realizing she was restrained (in the Ergo). Poor kid. She screamed and cried for a bit before calming down. :sad: At least most of the flight she was a model baby, I guess.

We arrived back at MSP in their fancy little waiting area:



Took the moving walkways:



At the baggage area, we split up. Dug hopped into his sister’s waiting car to get a ride back to our car, in her driveway. Izzy and I went to collect the luggage. The reason we had to split up is that we would not be able to fit all of the luggage and all of us in his sister’s car AND we didn’t have a carseat for Izzy. What I didn’t think about was all of the stuff I’d have to move around by myself. It was pretty amusing. With one hand, I rolled our two new checked bags:



Thankfully, they are the kind that roll in any direction and were easy to deal with one-handed.

The other hand was more awkward. I was pushing Izzy’s stroller while pulling the other (old) checked bag:



The problem with that was that the pulling handle for the bag had broken. So I had to manage it very carefully (can you see? One side of the handle is not there). I managed, but it was not super easy. The hardest thing is that I was a wide load with these. I couldn’t squeeze through small spots and people were oblivious. Luckily, I did manage to make it to the door and meet Dug and get loaded up.

We came home to a balmy 12 degrees:



Side note, we discovered at the airport, when we pulled out the Ergo, that Izzy’s hat, gloves, and jacket had been stashed in the back pocket of the stroller our whole trip, under the Ergo. Wish we’d realized that – it would have made it easier to fold the stroller without that extra fluff adding resistance. We just thought it was the bulk of the Ergo that was causing us to have trouble snapping the stroller shut. Oh, well.

We got home and Izzy and Bailey were reunited (I think my dad and step-mom had dropped Bailey off at our house earlier that day):



This gives you an idea of the energy level of those two:



And (last picture!) we had dinner:



We had planned ahead and made a Tator Tot Casserole and put it in the freezer – easy to warm up a homemade meal when we got home!

By the way, you can see how our cat survives when we leave – check out all those bowls of food and water on the island in the background!

I think we got Izzy’s stuff unpacked after dinner (well, what she would need for bedtime, at least) and got her to bed with her normal routine. The nice thing about coming home on a Saturday was that we had a day to rest before going back to work.

And that concludes Baby’s First Trip!

I am going to do a wrap-up post, though (only the second one I’ve ever done!) I most likely will completely rip off amazingact21’s recent awesome wrap up – but replace Landon pics with Izzy pics, of course! So, stay tuned for that soon!
 
Oh my gosh! What a crazy exit! Hahaha
And yeah, I probably would have spent most of the ME ride glaring at Andrew for that! Haha. Did he ever tell you WHY he took so long getting his tasks done? Lol

Sad to leave Disney but it's always a little nice to be home. izzy looks pretty content. :)
Good idea on the frozen meal!
 
Aw your last bit of time in the MK sounds fun but oh my on the exit!! :rotfl2: glad you got on and still got to enjoy your dole whips. Yay for a mostly sleeping baby on the flight.

Cute pics of the craziness of being home. We just experienced that sunday! Our lab Annie was nearly on the kitchen counter with excitement at seeing us, and our grey cat Max got a LOT of love from Aria. SO fun!
 
I hate being late for anything, so your departure had me really nervous as I was reading! I'm glad you guys made it and got to eat your Dole Whips, though! That sounds just like something my husband would do.

Yay for Izzy sleeping most of the plane ride home! Again, she needs to give lessons to Rory.
 

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