Disney ... Where Dreams Come True

Most people dream of Disney, but we're not most people. Still, when given the opportunity to join Dave's entire family for a week of fun at Disney World, we packed our bags and headed south. We were quite concerned about how things would go with Teddy, and it turns out that most of our concerns were completely unfounded. (Turns out we were worrying about the wrong things ...)

Our week's adventures started in Animal Kingdom, and we had a full day packed with fun. We headed to the park fairly early in the morning and rode the triceratops ride twice without any line. Those were the first two trips of seven on that ride for Teddy for the day because he kept asking for it by clapping and pointing any time he saw it. We snuck on a roller coaster with AJ while the grandparents rode the triceratops ride a few more times with Teddy.

Teddy LOVED this triceratops ride. He loved it just as much the 7th time as the 1st time.

Our full family group did a jungle river rapids ride, a smoother boat ride and the animal safari, which was super cool. Teddy and I checked out Scrooge McDuck, which was the litmus test for how Teddy handled meeting the characters. Normally, he's pretty freaked out by Santa and the Easter Bunny, but he was completely intrigued by the Disney characters. He wanted to approach them on his terms and then try to pull their noses (for the dogs) and stick his head in the beaks (for the ducks). It was so cool to watch him interact with them during the meet-and-greets and at the character breakfast we attended. I was super nervous about how Teddy would react to them, but one of the highlights for me was watching his interactions with them, particularly since they are all non-verbal, just like he is!

We went back for a short break at the resort before heading back for a few more hours of fun in the evening. We even managed a quick dip in the pool that night before bed after having a day with two children who didn't complain and truly enjoyed the Disney magic.

The middle of the week was really rough for us because of a health concern for Teddy, which is the next post. So, Teddy completely missed Hollywood Studios, and I couldn't tell you much about it except I went with AJ and grandma for an hour or so to build a light saber and meet one bad guy from Star Wars. Dave didn't see much more except for 1-2 rides with AJ and AJ's highlight of becoming a Jedi. We're extremely grateful to Dave's parents and brother's family for adopting AJ into their groups to ensure he had a fun-filled day and got to check all the wishes on his wishlist.

AJ and I explored Magic Kingdom Wednesday while Dave and Teddy rested after the character breakfast. We got a few hours of family fun in the evening when Dave and Teddy came to the park, although we spent a good portion of our time worrying about Teddy.

This was one of the happier moments at Epcot for Teddy.

Thursday was Epcot, and Teddy managed to explore the whole day with us as a family. Now, that's not to say that he enjoyed the day because he just wasn't digging any of the rides. He had enjoyed everything in Animal Kingdom and was freaked out by things that he'd normally find pretty fun. We even had to leave the line in one of the rides, causing folks to create a pathway for us, because he just couldn't handle the wait. He was having a meltdown, so I took him outside to allow Dave and AJ to actually enjoy the ride that AJ was so excited to do. Of course, the minute I took Teddy outside, he was all smiles to play in the model car of what we were actually supposed to ride. In hindsight, I don't think he was feeling the best, but it came across as just grumpy and wanting to do things his own way. He did perk up a bit Thursday evening when we went back to Epcot to meet some friends, and he clapped and smiled through the Frozen ride, which was my victory for the day.

Instead of riding the Test Track, Teddy spend 20 minutes playing in the demo car.

Friday was our final day in the parks, and Teddy was feeling well enough to enjoy the entire day. He was back to his usual self of loving the rides and wanting to high five all the characters. It would have been a truly magical day for our family, if not for AJ succumbing to the same illness that struck Teddy earlier in the week. He managed most of the morning without being too miserable, went back for some swimming with his cousins and resting and rallied for about two more rides before becoming completely miserable. I give him credit, though, because he rallied for Space Mountain.

So, if not for the illness that struck our family, I think our low expectations for Disney would have been blown out of the water. Monday truly was a magical day, and there were some other really great memories created as well. It's to the point that I'd actually like to go back to Disney for a day or two to try to make up for the days and memories we missed.