Tag: Mickey Mouse

Twinkle, Twinkle In His Eyes

On By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

It was completely unmistakable. It was a light I had never seen in the two years he’s been on this earth. I knew there would be excitement, but to what level, I was unsure. Truthfully, I’m not sure who was more excited about the trip.

We climbed into the mini-van (something I protested from the moment we rented it, and something I will NEVER drive) and started out on our trek to the most magical place in all the land…the home of Mickey Mouse himself. That’s right, we were on our way to Disney World!

Cinderella's Castle

As we made our way along the winding Buena Vista Lake Boulevard, I watched as Davey took everything in. I worried he may have a small case of whiplash as his head moved from one window to the next. There were larger than life statues of Mickey and Goofy and Minnie and Donald. With each one we passed, Davey would scream with delight, “Look, Mama, it’s Mickey! Hi, Mickey. Bye, Mickey.” And so he went with each character statue we encountered before parking the mini-van.

Then, of course, there was the tram to take us to the entrance from the parking lot. Wow! That part was free (well, not really considering that it was $17 to park) and I was amazed as to how exciting it was for him. Just seeing the look on his face made the long drive worthwhile, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. The real excitement was still to start.

Riding the Tram

After entering Disney World and riding the Monorail (which definitely topped the tram) to the Magic Kingdom, I watched the sense of overwhelming excitement engulf Davey. He stood frozen for a few moments, unsure where to start. What was he to see first? Who was going to be around the corner? The vibrant colors of the shops on Main Street USA coupled with the beautiful rainbow of flowers, the singers dashing out from the trolleys in their Soda Pop uniforms and the amazing display of balloons was just the greatest thing in the world for Davey. Words can never describe what I saw on my son’s face. But that was just an inch into the tip of the iceberg.

Hello, Eyeore

Oh, Bother!

There was breakfast at the Crystal Palace with friends from the 1000 Acres Woods. We had Eyeore and Piglet, Pooh and Tigger all join us for breakfast. There were Mickey Mouse shaped waffles and Honey Pot yogurt, bacon and eggs, cereal and danishes, custom made omelets and breakfast pizzas. It was a meal fit for a king, or more like fit for the greatest fans of the greatest entertainment empire ever built.

Piglet!

Mickey Mouse breakfast

Davey’s face lit up with each character and at one point he yelled, “Pigwet, come see Davey. Pwease come see Davey.” I’m pleased that my boy is not afraid of the characters and eagerly hugged each one before getting autographs and pictures. Tigger was by far his favorite as he demonstrated what Tiggers love doing best…BOUNCING!

Woo-hoo-hoo, Tigger

After breakfast, there was Cinderella’s castle, riding on Dumbo’s back, a quick dash on Goofy’s Barnstormer, followed by a meet and greet with Stitch, a space battle with Buzz Lightyear, parades and Pirates of the Caribbean. We rode It’s a Small World twice and even toured a haunted mansion that didn’t seem to slightly scare my 2 & 1/2 year old. A lunch of Mickey Mouse shaped ice cream bars (it was vacation after all) and a train ride through the entire park quickly summed up our morning.

There were no naps that day, no real breaks, and very few meltdowns as Davey toured through the Magic Kingdom. He cried only slightly when it was time to leave.

Explorers

It’s been over 20 years since I was last at Disney World and I never experienced it as a young child Davey’s age. I guess I really never knew how exciting and wonderful this place could really be. What I wouldn’t give to have seen the whole thing through Davey’s eyes. What I wouldn’t give to know what was really going on in his brain as he sat quietly on his daddy’s shoulders and took in the Fantasyland Parade complete with a fire breathing dragon.

Fire Breathing Dragon

As the day winded down, we caught the tram back to our mini-van. Davey quickly recounted some of the exciting events of the day before finally succumbing to the exhaustion that seemed to plague all of us after a heat filled day of excitement. The day couldn’t have been better.

My Sensitive Little Man

On By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

If my husband knew I were writing a blog about our 2 year olds’ sensitivity, he’d probably give me grief.   I guess I really never understood,or perhaps I underestimated, Davey’s level of emotional comprehension.   We used to worry that he didn’t understand pain, as it’s very unusual for him to cry even when injured.   Truthfully, it used to worry us, but not so much anymore.  

Of course these days, Davey’s had to deal with my emotional roller coaster especially on these final few weeks of my second pregnancy.   He’s seen me cry more, although I do try to leave the room if I feel the tears coming on.   He’s seen me get upset and lose patience.  He’s seen me exhausted.  Frankly, he’s had to deal with mommy’s entire emotional spectrum, but he’s handled it pretty well. 

Last week, I recorded “Mickey’s Christmas Carol”, which of course is Disney’s version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”.  I thought how wonderful it would be for him to watch especially since he’s a HUGE Mickey Mouse fan.   What I didn’t anticipate was the fact that my two year old was able to completely understand what was going on.   And why didn’t I anticipate that?   He’s a very smart child, very intuitive, and always eager to know more.   He’s constantly questioning things and doing his best to regurgitate what he’s learned.   So, why wouldn’t the movie have an emotional impact on him?  

He was glued to the television for the entire 30 minutes of the production and when the Ghost of Christmas Future showed what was to come, Davey seemed to take it to heart.   It wasn’t so much Scrooge would die alone, as it was that Davey understood what was to happen to Tiny Tim.   As he watched Mickey kneeling at Tiny Tim’s graveside, Davey climbed into my lap and said, “No, Mama, Mickey sad.  Tiny Tim go to Heaven.”   And he put his arms around my neck and hugged me.  

How did my son know this?   My husband and I have never really talked about life and death.   I love to tell him stories of my younger brother who died of leukemia.   He’s been with me to my brother’s grave to put balloons and flowers on it.   Perhaps his memory is so astute that he remembers all of this.   I never cry at my brother’s grave, but I do become slightly misty when I tell Davey that his uncle is part of his namesake.  

I smile, though, as I’m writing this because I’m proud of my son for having a sensitive side, an emotional side, a side that can hurt and understand even emotional pain as complex as that of losing a loved one.   I smile because I also know that my husband and I are doing a good job raising him to try to deal with all of life’s little nuances.   I smile because I also know that my husband and I are doing a good job in raising him as a Christian boy.  

We haven’t watched Mickey’s Christmas Carol again.   Not because I don’t think it’s acceptable, but more so because we all have been just slightly too busy preparing for Henry’s impending arrival.   I am concerned that Davey may cry when he sees Mickey at Tiny Tim’s grave again.   I don’t like seeing my baby cry, but to know that it’s not because of fear but because of a level of sympathy and love makes me feel good as a mom.  

Big Boy Bed

On By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

Try to say that three times really fast!

So, last week I took advantage of the Labor Day holiday, which meant my husband was home and could entertain Davey, in order to start work on Davey’s new big boy room. I’ve put it off a lot longer than I did with his first bedroom. I’ve toyed around with ideas on what would be best. Did I want to do a room devoted to Mickey Mouse or did I want to do one with a different Disney theme? Side note…anything Disney rocks this child’s world!

Then I thought of practicality. Did I want to redo a room again in a few years when he’d outgrown some of the kiddie/baby phase? Not really. I needed something easy, something convenient for me, and something that would grow with him. That being said, we quickly decided to avoid a themed bed (he has a racing car bed at his Grammy’s house in NY), just because I didn’t want to fork out the money again for another new bed in a few years. We landed on a contemporary, with a hint of the traditional, full size wooden bed. Bedding can always be changed.

For a month the bed sat in our garage as the days ticked by as we awaited anxiously the ultrasound that would determine whether we were having a boy or a girl, hence dictating which room the bed would actually be placed. After a trip to Rochester to see family, and a quick jaunt to Myrtle Beach to kiss summer goodbye, we began work last week, and I must say so far I’m pleased.

enjoying some quality time on the new bed
enjoying some quality time on the new bed

It’s a nervous arena, being the parent of a child who’s growing, one that you wish would stay your little baby forever. I cried when we converted Davey’s crib into a toddler bed! How the heck was I going to react to this? Truth be told, I was second guessing moving him into another room. First, the nursery is a tad bigger in size than his new bedroom. There’s more closet space, more playroom. Second, what if he became really irate about giving up his room? What if he didn’t want to move? Of course, this hasn’t been the problem and we haven’t even referred to the nursery as Henry’s room.

Finally, with the walls painted, the bed up, and new bedding on top, we decided to let Davey have a “go” at the room on Saturday. Naptime is much more different. No longer do I rock him to sleep. Instead, I say “nap time” and he runs up the stairs (just like he always has) and I tuck him into his bed, give him a kiss, read a book, and then close the door. it takes about a half an hour to 45 minutes of him “talking” to himself or “reading” one of his books to his stuffed animals before he finally goes to sleep. Bed time is much the same, which has become quite shocking to both me and my husband. We both thought we’d have a bigger issue with getting him asleep in the big boy bed.

first official night
first official night

From time to time, I see my little baby in his big bed and I do get a lump in my throat. I love the new stages and his growth and development, but I am super sad to know that one day he may be much too big for that bed.