Disney Trip Report: Days 1 and 2

We're back from our family trip to Disney. I've written out some pretty long entries about each day, so I'm breaking them into separate posts with pictures. Here is Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy!

Saturday: We flew out on Saturday morning on JetBlue. The airport was relatively easy, and although the flight was bumpy, we did fine. Eric sat with Deacon, while I sat with Piper and Fletch. I packed backpacks for P&F that were full of new toys and books, as well as earphones to watch TV on the plane.

We arrived in Orlando around 11am, and took the Magical Express from the airport to the hotel. This was probably the most challenging part of the trip because they wouldn’t allow carseats on the bus, and Deacon didn’t want to be held. It was like holding a 25lb squid for 90 minutes. The only good thing about it was that it made me glad we got Deacon his own seat on the flights because there is no way he could ever be a lap baby. Anyway, we got to the hotel, and checked in. We didn’t know you could check into Bay Lake Tower itself, and instead checked in at the Contemporary, where the lobby was crazy crowded. We finally got to our one-bedroom suite, and it was gorgeous. I just loved everything about it. After unpacking a bit and having our groceries delivered, we headed down to the Contempo Café for a quick-service meal/lunch. I got the lobster roll, and it was so good. I had it three more times throughout our stay. The benefit of the dining plan is that you don’t worry what your lunch costs because it’s already paid for, so eating lobster four times in one week was no big deal.

After lunch, we walked to Magic Kingdom. We had our single City Mini GT from home and a double City Mini that we rented from Orlando Strollers. When we got to Magic Kingdom, we did Ariel’s Under Sea ride, the Tomorrowland Speedway, and the Casey Jr. Splash Station. It was a good way to start the vacation with just a little intro to Magic Kingdom and for us to get our bearings. We just went back to the hotel after that and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Sunday: We had breakfast in the room, and then took the bus to Hollywood Studios. The bus ride was very rough because we had to hold Deke, and it was a 30 minute ride since it stopped at three other resorts. We got to the park, and did a bunch of shows and rides, including the Disney, Jr. show, which was awesome for the kids and meeting Buzz and Woody at Pixar Place.  The best was the Frozen Sing-a-Long, where Piper got to sing her heart out. Everyone around us was laughing because she had her eyes closed and was just full of emotion while singing. We ate lunch at 50s Prime Time Café, which was delicious, and then visited Lightning McQueen, saw the Muppets show (good), and rode Toy Story Midway Mania (awesome). We attempted to see Mr. Incredible but the line was too long.

We stayed at Hollywood Studios until 5pm, and then took the bus back, so we were there from 8:30am-5am. Deke napped a bit, but P&F didn't. We came back to the hotel, and I got takeout from Contempo Cafe for dinner while Eric did baths. The kids ate dinner, and then Deke went to bed. P&F watched TV, and then I took them to the bonfire at our hotel to roast marshmallows. Thankfully, everyone went to sleep easily because it was such a big day.

Deacon: 15 months

Birth: 7lbs 9oz, 20.5 inches

2 weeks: 8lbs 9oz (49%), 20.25 inches (32%)
1 month: 10lbs 8oz (66%), 21 inches (31%)
2 months: 13lbs 1.6oz (70%), 23 inches (47%)
4 months: 15lbs 13oz (61%), 25 inches (46%)
6 months: 18 lbs 9oz (71%), 27 inches (68%)

9 months: 21 lbs 15oz (85%), 28.5 inches (57%)

12 months: 23lbs 1oz (76%), 29.75 inches (43%)

15 months: 25lbs 0.9oz (81%), 31.5 inches (73%)

Here are Deke's latest stats. Like I mentioned in my previous post, life is crazy so this post isn't going to be as long as I'd like. But, Deke is doing great. He's crawling, pulling up, and starting to cruise. He's still doing two naps/day, although some days he only takes one nap. He sleeps all night, going to bed around 6:30pm and waking around 6am. He also is eating more and more foods. Current favorites include grapes, graham crackers, peanut butter, bananas, and his brother and sister's birthday cake. He has a few words: cup, mama, go. Overall, he's just the best baby boy we could imagine, but he's becoming more and more toddler everyday.

Piper and Fletch: 4-Years Old

Fletch: 
6 months: 27 inches (66%), 18lbs 12oz (68%)
9 months: 28.5 inches (59.9%), 22lbs 7.7oz (79.4%)
12 months: 30.5 inches (74%), 24 lbs 10 oz (76%)
15 months: 31.5 inches (64%), 27 lbs 8.5 oz (86%)
18 months: 34 inches (93%), 29 lbs (95%)
21 months: 34 inches (although measured at home so maybe not accurate), 32 lbs (93%)
24 months: 35.75 inches (71%), 33.4 lbs (97%)
30 months: 37 inches (85%), 37 lbs (97%)

36 months: 40 inches (95%), 40 lbs (97%)

48 months: 43.5 inches (97%), 46.3 lbs (97%)

Piper: 
6 months: 25 inches (19%), 15lbs 11oz (39%)
9 months: 27.75 inches (57.9%), 17lbs 13.7oz (32.5%)
12 months: 30 inches (79%), 20 lbs 1.9 oz (34%)
15 months: 31.25 (76%), 23 lbs 1 oz (55%) 
18 months: 32.5 inches (73%), 24 lbs (87%)
21 months: 32.5 inches (again, measured at home), 26.4 lbs (63%)
24 months: 34.75 inches (71%), 27.6 lbs (75%)
30 months: 37 inches (85%), 30 lbs (66%)

36 months: 38 inches (74%), 33.5 lbs (76%)

48 months: 41.5 inches (85%), 38.4 lbs (75%)

Here is the update on their stats from their 4-year appointment. The doctor declared them healthy and perfect (knock on wood). As you can see, they are big kids, especially Fletch. Looks like our days of shopping in the toddler section are over. :( 

Overall, having 4-year olds is wonderful. They are such smart, sweet, social kids. For a long time, when I was at work, I thought about them but didn't have this yearning to be spending all my time with them. But, as they get older and you can have more conversations with them, take them more places, etc., I've started to miss them so much when I'm at work and can't wait to pick them up at the end of the day. While 4-years old isn't without its challenges, I can tell we're finally heading into the "kid" territory that seemed so far, so distant, so unreachable when we were struggling to keep two squirmy newborns alive.

I wanted to do an update on Piper and Fletch individually, but life has been so busy and crazy lately. Instead, I leave you with this new version of the interview I did with them on their third birthday last year.

Piper:

Nicknames Pipes, Piper Peppercorn

How old are you? 4

What is your favorite color?  Pink

What is your favorite animal?  Rainbow fish

What is your favorite book? My Little Pony

What is your favorite TV show?  Busytown Mysteries (also known as just "Huckle")

What is your favorite movie?  Frozen

What is your favorite song?  Let it Go

What is your favorite food?  Ice Cream

What is your favorite drink?  Milkshake

What is your favorite breakfast food?  Bacon

What is your favorite snack?  Candy

What is your favorite outfit?  Dresses

What is your favorite game?  Tag

What is your favorite toy?  Balawat (stuffed sloth bear toy)

Who is your best friend?  Kate

What is your favorite thing to do? Watch TV, get some candy

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play hide-and-seek

What is your favorite holiday?  Thanksgiving

What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Balawat, Puppyface, Huckle 

Where is your favorite place to go? Movie theater

Where do you want to go on vacation? The candy shop

What do you want to be when you grow up? Princess

What did you do on your birthday? Little Gym

Fletch:

Nicknames Fletch, Fletchie-boy

How old are you? 4

What is your favorite color?  Yellow

What is your favorite animal? Lion

What is your favorite book? Planes Fire and Rescue

What is your favorite TV show?  Animal Mechanicals

What is your favorite movie?  Planes Fire and Rescue

What is your favorite song?  "Real Gone" from the Cars soundtrack

What is your favorite food?  Spaghetti and Meatballs

What is your favorite drink?  Apple juice

What is your favorite breakfast food?  Pancakes

What is your favorite snack?  Cheerios

What is your favorite outfit?  Planes Fire and Rescue Shirt

What is your favorite game?  Soccer

What is your favorite toy?  Planes Fire and Rescue stuff

Who is your best friend?  Piper

What is your favorite thing to do? Play games

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Races

What is your favorite holiday?  Memorial Day

What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Tigger and Thomas

Where is your favorite place to go? Zoo

Where do you want to go on vacation? Huntley Meadows

What do you want to be when you grow up? Blade from Planes Fire and Rescue

What did you do on your birthday? Played with Bumble Bee

Birthday Celebration, Parts 1-4

It's finally happened. Piper and Fletch have gone from toddlers to little kids--they turned 4 years old last weekend. I can't believe it. After their 4-year appointment, this Friday, I'll do a post on what they're up to. For now, here is a post about how we celebrated. I intended this to be a few separate posts so it wasn't so photo heavy, but I got lazy so now you just get one giant post.

Birthday Celebration Part 1:
The first part of the birthday celebration came when Mom and Danny came to visit. We started their trip with a voyage to the National Building Museum, which happens to also be where we spent P&F's 3rd birthday. Maybe it will become a tradition.

After a long morning of exploring the museum, we headed home where we had a mini-party at home with gifts from mom and brownies (of course) instead of cake.

Birthday Celebration Part 2:

The trip to the museum was on Saturday. On Sunday, we had their friends' birthday party at The Little Gym. It was so, so, so awesome. They made it really easy on us, so we could just sit back and enjoy watching Piper and Fletch play with all their friends. It was probably one of my favorite parenting moments yet--just watching them have fun without a care in the world.

Birthday Celebration Part 3:
So all of that stuff was the weekend before their actual birthday. On the Thursday before their birthday, I brought cupcakes to school so they could celebrate with their new classes. I loved seeing how they behave in class and interact with their teachers. So fun.

Birthday Celebration Part 4:

Finally, Saturday, August 30 arrived. I couldn't believe we had celebrated 4 years of keeping these children alive. We had a super fun day. We started out with a donut breakfast, and then headed to the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

We also went to the little park across the street from the aquarium and played for a bit.

This was so great, although we had a little incident that put a slight damper on things. On the elevator at the garage, Piper got a little too close to the door, and her elbow got sucked into the door jam. Lots of screaming and crying ensued as Eric and a couple of others dislodged her arm. It was scary and awful, and I sobbed crying when she was set free. Thankfully, within about an hour, she was fine--just a small bruise on her elbow.

After all that excitement, we came home and had their final birthday party. Eric's parents came over, and we had opened presents, had a cookout, and did cake and candles.

Overall, we couldn't have celebrated any better and been more happy to cross this 4th birthday milestone. It was a fantastic week with our fantastic kiddos.