Monday, April 25, 2011
Saturday, Day 3
Because we had been out pretty late on Friday night at the Magic Kingdom and getting lost on the way back to our hotel, we weren't in any hurry to get up and get moving on Saturday morning. We had a leisurly breakfast and visited with the Schantz Family before they took off to the air show for the day.
Our third day we were headed to Animal Kingdom. Not even I had been there because the last time I was at Disney World - in 1996 - it didn't exist. We were pretty confident Addison would like Animal Kingdom. Our little girl LOVES any and all animals! Something I am confident she gets from her daddy. And boy were we right! She loved Animal Kingdom - it was the first time was saw her get really excited to be at "Mickey Mouse's House" - her name for Disney World. The plan was to only spend a half day there, but once we got there we realized we needed to spend the whole day there because she was having such a great time.
Animal Kingdom was also the park where Addison finally showed some interest in meeting the characters. They have "Camp Mickey" there which is an area designated just for meeting the characters. While we were in Camp Mickey, Goofy, Minnie and Mickey were out meeting guests. We started with Goofy and with Daddy's help, she got to meet Goofy. When she saw Minnie, she had to put on her Minnie outfit and Minnie was so exicted to see Addison dressed like her. By the time we got to Mickey, she was an old pro - even though Daddy still had to go with her.
The one thing I was really wanting to do was the safari in "Africa." Since I will probably never actually make it on a real safari, this is as close as I will get. However, the sign clearly said "No pregnant women." Booo, hisssss! But a lady came up to us in line and gave us some fast passes so Charlie and Addison were able to get on it in 20 minutes rather than an hour plus. Charlie took the camera to take pictures for me, but I was still bummed that I didn't get to go. Oh well, I guess next time.
One of the biggest things that happened while we were at Animal Kingdom is that we got a phone call telling Charlie that one of the jets was broken. And broken pretty badly. Either he or Joker (Dan Arkema) was going to have to stay behind until it was fixed sometime MID-WEEK. I quickly volunteered Charlie to stay behind, as this would give us at least one more day to play. Our passes were four day passes and if we went with our original plan we were only going to use three of those days. To me, that was a waste of money - I wanted one more day. Normally, I would have been upset about a broken jet, because it usually means he is stuck TDY somewhere longer than expected without us. But not this time! I was ok being "stuck."
We left the park around 6 and decided to have an early night. Epcot and Hollywood Studios were on tap for Sunday....
Friday, April 22, 2011
Friday, Day 2
Addie and I must have been tired from the stressful drive on Thursday over to Lakeland. We didn't even think about waking up until 8:30 that morning. Charlie hadn't called so I immediatly started trying to get ahold of him, but having no luck, I started texting my girlfriends that were there with us. He must have just has his phone off for the flight because I was told that yes, they did get out of Tyndall and they were expected to land at the airfield around 9:30. And true to what we were told, I got a text from Jennie at 9:30 that the boys were on final approach. Our day WAS going to happen! Hooray...
Knowing that Charlie would be at the room by 10:30 or so, Addie and I started getting ready for the big day. Having showered, dressed, and packed our bag for the park - we headed to the lobby for waffles - Addie's favorite breakfast these days. (Which for whatever reason, we got for free!) This was not the breakfast that we had planned. Our original plan was to have breakfast with the characters that morning but because of the change in Charlie's plans - we had to cancel it. Sadly, because I was trying to re-schedule at the last minute, on a weekend no less, there were no more reservations available to have breakfast with the characters. I guess that will have to wait until next time.
Charlie did get to the hotel around 10:30, took a quick shower and we were on the road. From the hotel we were in, it took about an hour to get to the parks.
We decided that Magic Kingdom would be our first stop. By the time we got there, parked and got into the park it was almost 1 and we were starving. In fact, none of us were even interested in anything we were so hungry. After a (surprisingly) good lunch we headed back to Main Street in time for a parade. It was the first time Addison saw Mickey and the gang and she was really surprised. The look on her face was priceless and I regret not getting a picture of it.
We went and rode a few things but because the weather from the day before, the park was extremly crowded and the lines were long. Maybe even too crowded and too long. Addie acted pretty funny about being there that day. Some things she was really excited about - other things she was not interested in at all. Overall, I think Charlie and I were a little disapointed in her reaction the park. I think we both forgot she is only two and expected a HUGE reaction out of her.
After riding the "coco" - Addison's term for trains - we were able to get a really good spot for the next parade which had all the characters along with the Princesses and their Princes in it. We parked Addie in her stroller right along the curb and waited - surely this would get her excited. Boy were we wrong! Mufasa from Lion King came right up to her during the parade and scared the junk right out of her. And to be honest, he really was a scary looking fellow!
From that point on - that day - she had no interest at all in meeting the characters. (Thanks a lot, Mufasa!) So maybe not getting to go to the character breakfast was a blessing in disguise? She did settle for rides though and getting lots and lots of stuff from her daddy - balloons, candy, etc., etc. She loved the tea cups, the carasouel, the astro-orbiter, Monsters, Inc. and bobbed up in down in her seat during Small World. (Charlie thought Small World was cheesy! Careful, Chuck Schuck - those are fighting words!!!) I don't do well on rides that go around and around so I sat out most of the day, which I am ok with. (I ate a lot and watched people.) We even took her on Pirates - which we thought might scare her, but she handled it like a champ!
Overall, even though at times she wasn't very interested, she did well. She lasted all day and was ready to go when we decided to leave at 8:45 that night. She passed out in the car - which was a good thing since we got lost on the way back to our hotel. Whoops!!! We all slept GREAT that night.
On tap for Day 3? Animal Kingdom...........
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Thursday, Day 1
Thursday was our travel day. The reason we were even doing this trip is because Charlie and another pilot from the squadron were tasked to take two Raptors over to Lakeland, FL for the demonstration team to use for the airshow. (Lakeland is about an hour outside of Orlando.) Because it was technically a TDY, the Air Force paid for the hotel room and for Charlie's meals. What a great and (Less) inexpensive way for us to take Addison to WDW!
Originally the plan was for Addison and I to drive over Thursday and meet Charlie, who we thought would get there a few hours before us. We were than going to head to Epcot for some dinner and the evening festivities. However, this is not the way Thursday worked out. (Again key to being a military wife - FLEXIBILITY!) I got Addie and I up early to leave by 7 - our original plan. Charlie left at about an hour before we did, having to go get ready for his flight. However, it was hazy and rainy out - not good flying conditions. True to the plan, I got Addison up and in the car by 6:45 as a little morning trip to Starbucks was also in the plans on the way out of town. As I was sitting in the drive through at Starbucks gearing up for the long drive ahead of me, Charlie called and told me to go home. "We might not get out of here today!" Orlando was under tornado warnings - even worse flying conditions! So, I went home and Charlie kept calling every few minutes with updates. Mainly they were "ok, go ahead get on the road!" Followed by "no, hold on - we aren't going." When it was finally determined that I would be able to stay in Charlie's room whether he was there or not, Addison and I got on the road.
The weather here was not great, but being a native Washington girl, it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. Finally we got a break in the weather around Tallahassee, two hours into the trip. And while the sun didn't come out, the rain stopped! However, from the phone calls I was still getting from Charlie, the weather in the Lakeland/Orlando weather was NOT getting any better. In fact, the airfield where they airshow was being held was actually forced to close as a very strong wind gust came through completely knocking over airplanes/jets and collapsing a tent that people were actually in. (No injuries, luckily!) However, with this new news - there was no way Chuck was going to be able to fly into Lakeland that day. So there went day number one!
And true to what I had been hearing, the weather continued to get worse the closer we got to Orlando. I mean, REALLY bad! To the point that even with the windshield wipers on full speed it still wasn't enough and I was unable - at times - to see five feet in front of me. Talk about stress! My hands hurt from gripping the stearing wheel so hard. Luckily Addison had fallen asleep during the worst of it so I didn't have her distracting me, which would have made the situation worse for my stress level. The weather was so bad in fact, I was actually watching for tornados and wondering what in the world I would do with us if I came across one - we weren't exactly in a metropolitan area - we were in the sticks!
It was a long trip, about 7 hours total, but we finally made it and found that there was a Target across from out hotel. While waiting to meet up with Shadow Schantz - the demo pilot - who had our room key, I took Addison into Target loaded up on some snacks and a new toy. I figured if we were going to be cooped up in our room for the night with no daddy and not being able to at least go to the (outdoor) pool, the least I could do was get her a new toy - she did so great on the way there too, I thought it would be a nice reward for her.
In the end, the night ended up being pretty fun - without Charlie. Shadow's wife and kids - whom I have known for a long time were also there. As well as Kristin Arkema and her boys. (Kristin's husband was the other pilot from Tyndall brining in the other jet for the airshow and they were doing Disney just like us.) Since we were all alone with the kids, we piled them all into Kristin's room with toys and movies, etc. They had fun playing while we got to sit and have some girl talk. It was nice since Jennie and her kids live up at Langley again, so we got to catch up. We let the kids play, ordered dinner in the rooms. Overall the only thing that would have made it better was a bottle of wine - but since Kristin and I are both pregnant, that wasn't really an option. (But next time for sure, ladies!)
And to be honest, with the weather being what it was, it was ok they didn't get there on Thursday night - we wouldn't have wanted to go to any of the parks in the pouring rain! It would have been miserable!
During the evening, the boys kept calling with updates as to what time they would land the next morning. We were all hoping early so we could have as close to a full day at one of the parks as possible, but again, that kept changing. Addie and I went back to our room, watched some tv and hit the hay. That night I had dreams of Mickey Mouse - I was pretty darn excited too. I just hoped we could get there on Friday.......
Originally the plan was for Addison and I to drive over Thursday and meet Charlie, who we thought would get there a few hours before us. We were than going to head to Epcot for some dinner and the evening festivities. However, this is not the way Thursday worked out. (Again key to being a military wife - FLEXIBILITY!) I got Addie and I up early to leave by 7 - our original plan. Charlie left at about an hour before we did, having to go get ready for his flight. However, it was hazy and rainy out - not good flying conditions. True to the plan, I got Addison up and in the car by 6:45 as a little morning trip to Starbucks was also in the plans on the way out of town. As I was sitting in the drive through at Starbucks gearing up for the long drive ahead of me, Charlie called and told me to go home. "We might not get out of here today!" Orlando was under tornado warnings - even worse flying conditions! So, I went home and Charlie kept calling every few minutes with updates. Mainly they were "ok, go ahead get on the road!" Followed by "no, hold on - we aren't going." When it was finally determined that I would be able to stay in Charlie's room whether he was there or not, Addison and I got on the road.
The weather here was not great, but being a native Washington girl, it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. Finally we got a break in the weather around Tallahassee, two hours into the trip. And while the sun didn't come out, the rain stopped! However, from the phone calls I was still getting from Charlie, the weather in the Lakeland/Orlando weather was NOT getting any better. In fact, the airfield where they airshow was being held was actually forced to close as a very strong wind gust came through completely knocking over airplanes/jets and collapsing a tent that people were actually in. (No injuries, luckily!) However, with this new news - there was no way Chuck was going to be able to fly into Lakeland that day. So there went day number one!
And true to what I had been hearing, the weather continued to get worse the closer we got to Orlando. I mean, REALLY bad! To the point that even with the windshield wipers on full speed it still wasn't enough and I was unable - at times - to see five feet in front of me. Talk about stress! My hands hurt from gripping the stearing wheel so hard. Luckily Addison had fallen asleep during the worst of it so I didn't have her distracting me, which would have made the situation worse for my stress level. The weather was so bad in fact, I was actually watching for tornados and wondering what in the world I would do with us if I came across one - we weren't exactly in a metropolitan area - we were in the sticks!
It was a long trip, about 7 hours total, but we finally made it and found that there was a Target across from out hotel. While waiting to meet up with Shadow Schantz - the demo pilot - who had our room key, I took Addison into Target loaded up on some snacks and a new toy. I figured if we were going to be cooped up in our room for the night with no daddy and not being able to at least go to the (outdoor) pool, the least I could do was get her a new toy - she did so great on the way there too, I thought it would be a nice reward for her.
In the end, the night ended up being pretty fun - without Charlie. Shadow's wife and kids - whom I have known for a long time were also there. As well as Kristin Arkema and her boys. (Kristin's husband was the other pilot from Tyndall brining in the other jet for the airshow and they were doing Disney just like us.) Since we were all alone with the kids, we piled them all into Kristin's room with toys and movies, etc. They had fun playing while we got to sit and have some girl talk. It was nice since Jennie and her kids live up at Langley again, so we got to catch up. We let the kids play, ordered dinner in the rooms. Overall the only thing that would have made it better was a bottle of wine - but since Kristin and I are both pregnant, that wasn't really an option. (But next time for sure, ladies!)
And to be honest, with the weather being what it was, it was ok they didn't get there on Thursday night - we wouldn't have wanted to go to any of the parks in the pouring rain! It would have been miserable!
During the evening, the boys kept calling with updates as to what time they would land the next morning. We were all hoping early so we could have as close to a full day at one of the parks as possible, but again, that kept changing. Addie and I went back to our room, watched some tv and hit the hay. That night I had dreams of Mickey Mouse - I was pretty darn excited too. I just hoped we could get there on Friday.......
Walt Disney World Trip
As many of you know, earlier this month we took our little Princess to the most magical place on earth to meet her favorite Princesses - Walt Disney World! It was such a fantastic trip and I am so very glad we were given the opportunity to do it with just Addison before our newest addition arrives in the fall. It was also very exciting for Charlie as he had never been to any Disney park. At times I wondered who would be more excited about it - him or Addison! (Turns out, it was a toss-up!)
It was a fun-filled long weekend and rather than put it into one post, I am going to break it down into all of the different days of the trip as each day we did something different with her. We saw too much and took too many pictures to put it all into one.
It was a fun-filled long weekend and rather than put it into one post, I am going to break it down into all of the different days of the trip as each day we did something different with her. We saw too much and took too many pictures to put it all into one.
Week 17 Check-up
Just returning home from our week 17 check-up. All in all, it was a good one. My blood pressure was back down to normal this time around - proving just like I suspected that the last check was a fluke. My iron levels are really good. In fact, she said they are better than most pregnant women. My weight was only up 2 pounds this time! YEEEEES!
We took Addison with us so she could hear the heart-beat. And although Addison talked the whole time - and not using her inside voice mind you, I think she really like hearing that. Her eyes got really big and she said "OOOOOOOH!" (She actually did stop talking long enough to listen.) When Addie was asked if she wants to see the baby next time, she got really excited - so it looks like we are taking her next time too! By the way, the heartbeat was sitting at about 150 - very similar to Addison's.
One of the biggest concerns that I had is my level of pure exhaustion this time around, and more specifically the last few weeks!!!! There are days when I can hardly function because I am so tired. Sleeping all night and waking up tired, needing a two hour nap in the afternoon, and needing to be in bed by 8 is really taking a toll on me, my house, and my family. Hard to chase after a three year old having no energy what so ever! When pregnant with Addie, I was tired but really only the first trimester and this time around I never felt tired during the first trimester, but this second one is killing me. This issue is really the only thing I was desperate to talk to the doctor about. Because my iron levels are good, anemia is not suspected. Tammi, my nurse practioner, thinks it is simply from chasing a three year old and being outside in the heat. She suggested we chill out a little bit on all of our activities! Boo for Addison, ya for me! I feel bad that I am going to have to take away some of our fun with Addie, but I have to be able to function. I won't completly cut out everything, but there is no reason we have to have something going everyday. However, I will be looking for GREAT indoor (and quiet) fun activities for my munckin until she starts her school program in June. Suggestions welcome!
Our next appointment in May 12. This appointment is the BIG one! First we have an sex-determining ultrasound - hooray, because I am so anxious to know that I can hardly stand it. Immediatly following this ultrasound is our 20 week - HALF WAY - appointment. (Hard to believe that half-way is rapidly approaching.)
We took Addison with us so she could hear the heart-beat. And although Addison talked the whole time - and not using her inside voice mind you, I think she really like hearing that. Her eyes got really big and she said "OOOOOOOH!" (She actually did stop talking long enough to listen.) When Addie was asked if she wants to see the baby next time, she got really excited - so it looks like we are taking her next time too! By the way, the heartbeat was sitting at about 150 - very similar to Addison's.
One of the biggest concerns that I had is my level of pure exhaustion this time around, and more specifically the last few weeks!!!! There are days when I can hardly function because I am so tired. Sleeping all night and waking up tired, needing a two hour nap in the afternoon, and needing to be in bed by 8 is really taking a toll on me, my house, and my family. Hard to chase after a three year old having no energy what so ever! When pregnant with Addie, I was tired but really only the first trimester and this time around I never felt tired during the first trimester, but this second one is killing me. This issue is really the only thing I was desperate to talk to the doctor about. Because my iron levels are good, anemia is not suspected. Tammi, my nurse practioner, thinks it is simply from chasing a three year old and being outside in the heat. She suggested we chill out a little bit on all of our activities! Boo for Addison, ya for me! I feel bad that I am going to have to take away some of our fun with Addie, but I have to be able to function. I won't completly cut out everything, but there is no reason we have to have something going everyday. However, I will be looking for GREAT indoor (and quiet) fun activities for my munckin until she starts her school program in June. Suggestions welcome!
Our next appointment in May 12. This appointment is the BIG one! First we have an sex-determining ultrasound - hooray, because I am so anxious to know that I can hardly stand it. Immediatly following this ultrasound is our 20 week - HALF WAY - appointment. (Hard to believe that half-way is rapidly approaching.)
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