Disney Eats

A BIG thanks to my parents not only for the trip itself but the FOOD.  We ate lunch at the parks so burgers, sandwhiches, etc. but dinner that was 5 star every night. 

Fulton's Crab House

I ordered crab cakes with lobster mac and cheese (for William).  I enjoyed the crab cake but the mac and cheese was spicy (really??) and way toooo cheesy.  Rudy ordered calamri which was terrible (we get this dish all the time) but luckily Mom did not eat so he enjoyed a filet.  The dinner was ok but I guess we were all tired because this ended up being our least favorite place.  The service was not great and he delivered a sob story about walking up stairs delivering food.  I do not think begging for a tip in a restaurant where the meals cost no less than 20 bucks each is necessary.  We will not go back here.

Coral Reef

This was my favorite and yes it also made me sick.  All I had was a salad and lobster soup but my stomach hurt the rest of the night.  Rudy got lobster mac and cheese which was great.  Dad got mahi-mahi which I stole some of the sauce covered rice for my soup.  Amazing!  The service was great and they had William's pizza out in .2 seconds.  We won't say the reason the service was 5 star was due to William tossing a sippy cup as we were settling in at the table.  :)  We will definitely eat here again.  Check out the link; the place is beautiful.

House of Blues

I ordered the wrong 20 dollar plate and I was bummed.  I had fried chicken and I hated the taste.  Even ranch did not help it plus they gave me 4 huge pieces.  I think everyone else enjoyed the meal and I would be willing to try it again. 

Mikado

Yumo, japanese food ordered from the hotel.  I was exhausted and wanted to eat at home.  Of course Mom was all for it.  I loved the steak and fried rice is always a hit with me.  Rudy had a meat and two from a place at the hotel.  My dad ordered a steak from one of the steakhouses.  Anyway it was worth all of the running around to eat in peace and quiet.

Nine Dragons

This was a last minute decision on my Dad's part.  We had a night open for dinner and I wanted to visit Epcot again.  I loved it!  Rudy and Dad ordered meals and we all shared.  Mom got eggrolls as an appetizer which William loved the little shrimp in them.  It was funny all of us digging for tiny shrimp.  Rudy ordered honey chicken and we both had hot and sour soup.  The soup was not my favorite but was still tasty.  His meal also came with strawberry ice cream which William had the pleasure of eating.  I would want to eat here again.



I can not express my appreciation for these meals! 

My Personal Tips for Disney

For my future reference.  I do not want to forget how exhausting but FUN the trip was for us.  I believe some of why it was stressful for me was William's sleep routine.  Ever since he was about 3 months old he has had a bedtime.  Then I did sleep training and we try to be home for naps and home for bedtime.  So for me to be in Epcot at nap time throws me for a loop.  I have trained him to love his crib and because of this naps in the stroller and our arms seem nuts to William.  Of course he slept while we were out but not without a fight.  We were out late only once and he was out by 8PM in my arms which was not comfy for me at all.  Anyways, tips:

• A new toy for the plane ride.  We bought William the Build and Read lego set for the plane.  The first time he saw it was in the plane and he loved it so much he played with it all week. 
• Tylenol-he was teething the entire week
• I carried cheerios for him and juice.  He was so funny the entire week.  William sleeps with lovies but during the day he clings to his sippy cup and snacks.  I think holding his "stuff" made him feel secure in a new place.
• I thought Huggies Slip Ons would be a good idea but no they leak.  I found out Luvs are decent diapers.  We made a trip to Wal Mart for random items for the week.
• If possible get a room with a kitchen.  William had his normal banana each morning and we were able to keep milk and juice on hand.
• Choose kid friendly restaurants.  My parents treated us to very nice dinners but some were not William proof.
• We felt like William needed to be a little older to really enjoy Disney.  He was hot, tired, and wanted to walk around which was dangerous.  I wish he would have been potty trained and could walk in crowds holding my hand.  Also eating was an issue.  This may seem minor but after being in the heat all day the last thing I wanted to do was feed William.  He should be able to use utensils. 
• This is a no brainer but a back pack not diaper bag.  I used an old LL Bean which was perfect.  It hung on the stroller but could easily go on my back without William trying to get into it.
• If you do take young children bring reinforcement.  My parents were great and watched William while Rudy and I enjoyed a couple of rides.

I have always said Disney World is my favorite place on Earth.  Now that I have been on the "Mom" side I still think it is fun but now it is also exhausting.  We will never go in the summer, ever.  I want my kids to remember it so they need to be about 10ish.  This way there should not be an issue with height requirements.  I would pack lunches and not eat at the park everyday.  Not that the food was not great but I feel so gross.  I have not eaten a vege all week.  It was fun but now I need a vacation or staycation in my bed!

Think this was the first night before dinner.

In my arms after passing out on a ride.

So hot!

Disney World

We flew to Orlando but my parent's drove so they left on Saturday.  William did not sleep any on the way there but was well behaved.  We went to Downtown Disney for dinner on Sunday and slowly took in the sites.  William prefers to walk so it takes us at least double the time to get to the destination.  Then we headed back to the hotel which was very nice.  Thanks Dad!  It was actually more like an apartment with two bedroooms, living area, and kitchen with a washer/dryer included.  I washed no less than 5 loads the week we were there.  It made our trip a lot less stressful. 

This was at our hotel and he loved moving them around. 

On Monday Rudy and Dad played golf so William and I relaxed.  We walked to the pool and played in the kid's area.  He even surprised me by falling asleep in the stroller as we walked.  This was the best day at the park.  Epcot had a lot of "chill" rides for our bud.  It was raining so there was not as many people and William was 100 %.  Dinner was amazing but did make me sick.  I guess the soup was too creamy but I was happy to see William eat his whole pizza. 

All we did at Animal Kingdom was the safari which William loved.  As high energy as he is William did wonderful on our laps during the rides.  We visited Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios as well but everything seems to blend together; I should have taken notes each day.  :)

Rudy and I went to Cirque de Soleil.  It was AMAZING!  I loved every second of it and wanted to hit the replay button.  No pictures allowed so there is no proof Rudy and I had a date.  This show was sooo much better than the one we saw in Vegas.  I hope to see more of there shows!

Our navigator.

26 bucks for two drinks; yes do take a picture.

Just tall enough for the race car.

Big fan of Grammie. 

He does not like cotton candy.  Not sure he is mine anymore!


This and That

This weekend has not been great and this is an understatement.  Rudy worked all day Saturday and the only good thing about Saturday was seeing Erin.  William and I met her at the Galleria; he passed out on the way there and ending up sleeping over an hour in the car.  Erin just sat in the car with me and talked which I loved.  I am so happy she is back in Alabama and we can hang out all the time.  My main reason for the Galleria trip was face cream.  I found these dark spots on my face and I almost screamed at the mirror.  I do not like wearing makeup on the weekends so I had to do something about these spots.  My friend, Yachira, from work suggested Clinique.  I can not use their makeup line but figured I would give their corrector a try.  The lady took me to it and I saw the price: 49.50!!!  So I then asked for a cheaper one.  She thought I was NUTS.  I am not cheap but I have a family now and can not be spending 50 bucks on face cream.  My face is a prominent feature (duh) and I owe it to myself to care for it.  I spent the money but the good thing about Sephora is I can take it back.  I marked it on my calendar and if in 4 weeks the dark spots are not basically gone I will return it.  Then we had lunch and that was it for Saturday.  William and I just hung out around the house and he found these: 

He just wanted them put on then he would take the sunglasses right back off.  It was entertaining for the both of us for about 10 minutes.  And that hand is frozen and its the only teething toy he will use.

Now onto Sunday and this day was horrible.  We knew we would be taking William to the doctor so that was not a surprise.  However, our pediatrician's office closing on weekends without any formal notice angered surprised us.  Plus the fact that no one knew the correct hours of the After Hours Clinic did not help our mood.  I am going to spare you the boring details but this guy...

has croup.  He had a cough for about 2 months over the winter and I knew this one was different from the start.  It was dry and he whimpered after each cough.  His temp spiked and it just got worse.  William is not an eater but now he has pretty much quit eating.  Loves the juice and milk but has quit eating.  I managed a popsicle and 3 cheese puffs this afternoon.  The doctor gave him steroids for the swelling in the airway and we are using the inhaler for weezing the allergist prescribed.  William has been such a trooper this weekend and hopefully he will fight this off sooner rather than later.



17 Months

Taken one day late and this is the best out of probably 50 tries.  :)

• At least 11 teeth
• Size 4 Diapers
• 18 Months and 2T Clothes
• Size 5 or 6 shoes
• Our bathroom scale reads 25 lbs.
• We (I) brush his teeth 2x a day.
• Eating about the same which is not much.  Loves fruits, cheese, crackers, and yogurt.  Pretty much anything that is not meat.  I swore up and down I would never take food with us to a restaurant but I have 2x now.  I have taken a PBJ with us so I can eat.  If we go somewhere that does not have anything he will eat no one can enjoy the meal.  I know this is a phase and one day William will enjoy a burger, maybe.
• Will eat a snack out of a small bowl without too many spills.  He never did well with the bowls with the lids you stick your hand in.
• Milk about 3-4x a day and juice in between.  He drinks a lot more juice on the weekends than at daycare.
• Bedtime around 7 and wakes up anywhere from 5:30-6:30.  Naps are getting weird.  We were doing great with a nap after lunch but then he has been playing outside and gets worn out early.  Naps once at daycare around 1.  On the weekends its usually not the same time each day.  Again, I know he goes through phases and one day he will sleep until noon. 
• Just walks around ALL the time.  Wants everything in his hands and will get VERY frustrated if it does not all fit.  Not a TV fan.  Does not like diaper changes at all; its horrible for everyone.  Loves boxes and bags.  I swear he never plays with the toys we buy him.  Car seat is hit or miss.  Sometimes he chills and chats; other times he is very upset.   
• Only new word: "golf ball" and only family can understand it.  William will talk in his own time; I try not to worry.
• Loves being outside but is smart enought to know when its time to go in due to the heat.  He will put his arms out, I pick him up, and he lays his head on my shoulder.  I ask William if wants juice and he waits on the floor for his drink.  He may not talk but he knows exactly what we say to him.
• Zyrtec dose is now 5ML and he is still snotty most of the time.
• Getting ready for 2nd trip on an airplane.  Disney World is July 22.  Last time we flew he was around 7 months old and was content on our laps.  I am not sure how this trip will go but I know its better than driving 10 hours!

William makes us laugh all the time.  He is all boy.  He does things that just make us shake our heads.  We never taught him to climb into the jumper.  Ha.  William is a sweet boy.  He has moments where he wants to snuggle and drink his milk.  He can laugh so hard and so loud; just makes your heart melt.  I always hope the best for him and that he is happy in life.

Back in Time

William reverted back to his jumping days.  He actually jumped for a few minutes before wanting out.  I remember he would stay in the jumper on and off all day! 

Overalls

What child growing up in the South does not wear overalls?  I wore them a lot and even in highschool I think (maybe not my best choice).  I do not feel boys should wear them pass the age of 5 unless they need them for work.  Budsy might could pull them off until age 10; he looks real handsome in these pictures (in his Mommy's opinion)!

This bag was used for his bottles and now he puts his things in it. 

Will not put the bag down.