First Birthday in Disneyland

Recently, my baby girl turned 1!  I am in serious shock over this, still!  To celebrate her first birthday my husband, parents and in-laws took Sofia to Disneyland.  We had the most amazing time.  She loved the rides, but not the characters, loved the parades, but not the Tiki-Room and most of all we loved seeing her face light up.  I consider myself a Disney connoisseur.  I have been going there on vacations for as long as I can remember, many years more then once or even twice.  I have stayed at all three hotels on property and quite a few "good neighbor" hotels.  I know my way around without a map, can tell you where just about any restroom in the park is and I am also the first to help those poor wanderers wondering about where certain rides are.  Traveling with a toddler is a whole other ball game!  Here is what I learned...


Watch the parade, preferably, at night! Disney knows how to outdo themselves when it comes to parades: the music, the costumes, the characters, the story that unfolds as it marches past you!  But it is so much cooler at night when the floats light up.  Sofia was enthralled...definitely a hit!

Watch the fireworks from New Orleans Square.  We did this by default, because we were eating dinner right there (make reservations ahead of time for Disney resort restaurants if you can), but it turned out to be fantastic.  It was not nearly as crowded as main street which meant Sofia could get down and we could wander around to find the "sweet spot." It was also not nearly as loud which is perfect for little ones!  The downside, the "show" might not make as much sense since you can't see ALL of the extras Disney is so famously known for.  But for me, who has seen the fireworks show countless times, it was the perfect way to watch with a toddler.

Beware that not all kids like the characters! Sofia liked them from afar, but SCREAMED once they came near.  We did try multiple times, but it wasn't going to happen.  Just be prepared to possibly not get those cute photo's of kissing Mickey's nose or grabbing Pluto's ears.  The plus side, not waiting in those long lines to meet Mickey and Minnie and we were able to go in through the back to see Minnie's house and still got all of those cute pictures!

If you can, bring your own stroller, makes for more comfortable napping for baby!  We didn't have to head back to the hotel for nap time.  Sofia usually naps better in motion anyways, but it was super nice to have our own stroller that could lay flat for her to sleep.  It would have been nice if the hotel was a little closer (we stayed at the Hilton across the street, which isn't a far walk, but was too far for just a nap) but having our own stroller was worth lugging it through the airport for sure.

We had a fantastic trip and we are headed back there in just a few weeks.  I'll post an update if there is anything else I learn on the next adventure.

sleep...what's sleep?

My baby girls newest thing is to not sleep at night.  Well she will eventually go to sleep, but I have myself a night owl, which would be great, if I didn't have to be up at 5AM.  So I'm sitting here, at 1 in the morning, listening to her cry :( after nursing and putting her down for the umpteenth time!  As soon as her butt hits the mattress she freaks out.  I hate listening to her cry, but I need sleep and so does she.

So...no pointers coming out of this post...I was hoping for some help from your end...so whatcha got???

In a few short weeks I will be embarking on a journey to help end Breast Cancer.  For the second time, I will be walking 60 miles over the course of 3 days to raise awareness.  Too many of us have friends and family that have fought this horrible disease and I don't want anyone else to have to fight that fight!

I am asking for your help.  I need to raise $2300 in just under 30 days.  I have no doubt that I will raise that and beyond, but I'm dedicating my blog to the cause today in hopes that someone out there in the blogosphere will be able to help.

Please, if you can help by donating (a few small donations goes a long way!) I would very much appreciate it.  If you can help by sending others to this post, I would appreciate that too!  Below is the direct link to my page to donate.

Thank you, from the bottom of my "soles" :)

Click here to Donate today! 

Happy Trails

Before we left on our vacation to Maui, I asked every mom I know what I should or shouldn't bring with me on our trip with an almost 6 month old.  Here is what I found the most useful (in no particular order)...

1.  Umbrella Stroller - we purchased a First Years one for $40 at WalMart.  It was a lifesaver!  It was totally lightweight, folded up nicely, had shoulder straps and was used day and night.  She even napped in it!
2.  Boppy - bring this on the plane!  Whether or not you breast feed, it will save your arms and your lap through the plane ride. Also bring an extra cover for it.
3.  Bathing Suits - if you are planning on swimming while you are at your destination, bring 2 per day.  You don't want the baby sitting in a wet bathing suit.
4.  Hat - be sure to bring 1 or 2 good hats for those outdoor moments.
5.  Disposable bibs - see my previous post
6.  Bath Towels - I only brought 2 and wish I had brought more for after bath times.
7.  Lightweight Blanket - I used mine as a breast feeding cover in the plane, to put her in the grass, as a blanket in the stroller.  I only brought 2, but maybe could have brought a couple more.
8.  Extra PJ's - pack 2 sets for the plane rides (planes are typically cold) and one for each night you are there, plus a couple of extras.
9.  Travel Wipes case - I only brought enough wipes with me for the plan ride and bought wiped when I got their.  I then filled the travel case to go to the beach and out at night.
10.  Buy the rest - If you can buy it when you get to your destination...DO!  It will save you so much space and weight in your luggage.  We bought wipes, diapers, swimmer diapers, baby food and baby oatmeal once we got to Maui.  It may have cost a little extra to buy it there, but it was cheaper then paying for an overweight suitcase!

I really hope that this helps you pack for a trip!  Comment below if you can think of anything else that is essential :)

Toss It

We just got back from a week long trip to Maui.  It was a blast!  Not only was my baby girl AMAZING on the plane, she was so good while we were there. Even with the time change, breaking a tooth through and slathering her in sunscreen multiple times a day, she rarely put up any complaints.  There are so many tips that I could give you but there is one that I thought came in particularly good use (I'll add my list of others to the in the next post). 

She started on baby food a couple of months ago.  She loves it, but she makes a mess!  Her perfectly pristine bibs are now orange and green despite my best efforts to spray and wash every single one right away.  I knew this would be a problem in Maui.  With three meals a day for 7 days, we would need to bring along over 20 bibs.  We don't even have that many at home.  So when I was at Babies R Us, buying essentials for the trip I picked up...

Disposable Bibs

They were heaven sent!  They fit her perfect, were soft against her skin, folded nicely to place in the diaper/beach bag and most importantly, could be thrown away!  I bought a box of 36 and had plenty for our week long trip.  I will continue to use them here at home while we are out and about instead of hauling around dirty bibs in her diaper bag. 

Happy travels...

Yummo!

So just after my little gal hit 4 months she started to wake up around 4:30 AM wanting food.  This may not be strange behavior for most 4 month olds, but for my kiddo, who had been sleeping through the night since 6 weeks, it was not cool!  Since I'm breastfeeding, I thought perhaps she wasn't getting enough to eat.  After all, you can't measure what they are eating from your breast as you can with a bottle.  My mom suggested we start giving her some rice cereal.  So we busted out the video camera, still camera and camera phones and started feeding.  She LOVED it!  So we continued giving it to her twice a day.  She was sleeping through the night again but then she stopped pooping...TMI??  The rice was backing her up, so we stopped with the rice cereal and after 2 days, she started pooping again.  Who knew I would ever be praying for poop!  She started waking up again, so we tried....

Oatmeal Cereal!

Heaven sent!  All systems (literally) were a go again :)  Sleeping and pooping like a champ.  Now we just just need to get her to gain weight.  So we are also doing squash and carrots three times a day.  Fingers crossed that she starts gaining weight.

Bon Appetit!

Under Wraps

Baby nails are super sharp.  Even the most filed, clipped nails are like little razors.  Combine that with the spastic movements of a newborn and it's a yucky situation.  Even though baby's heal super quick, scratches on their face are no fun.  They cry, you want too and it's a no good situation for all.  So instead of letting them scratch themselves, cover their hands with...

Mittens!

It's really quite simple.  My little one had them on for just about 3 months, because every time we took them off she would go straight for her face.  Use the mittens and save face :)