OMG Enough Disney Already

Lucie, though we love her dearly, is a bit of liability in a theme park. I thought it would be nice to have a special Brennan-and-Mommy-and-No-Babies morning while at Disneyland, so I arranged for a sitter Wednesday morning.

Remember how I mentioned skipping the park on a sunny Monday was a mistake?

Per the weather forecast, I'd packed for some 60-degree weather, but the rain caught us off-guard. It's one of those things you don't question - never get involved in a land war in Asia, it will be dry in Southern California until winter, etc, etc. I did at least buy our custom hooded Disney trash bags before we even entered the park, as it was clear that was our only chance of staying partly dry. Actually, we could have just stayed on the Disney train all morning - Brennan would have been content to do so, shouting "that dinosaur is having lunch" every time he saw the animatronic brontosaurus (yes, I know they're really apatosaurus, but this is a 1960's diorama)in the cave between Tomorrowland and Main Street USA. But after 2 full circles, I forced him off in Adventureland - where he saw another train:This was the last time he was happy on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. While tall enough to ride it, he spent next 3 minutes clinging for dear life to the bar and squeezed tight against me like a barnacle. At the end, he declared it "too scary, Mommy". He didn't seem to have any long term trauma, though - we stood outside the railroad and he hooted happily every time the "train" shot by us.

Returning to our safety zone in Fantasyland seemed like a wise decision, anyway.

By the time we reached "It's a Small World", I was wet enough that the company of singing dolls seemed preferable to staying outdoors. Also I thought Bren was its target audience.

It appears I was wrong about that, too.

We briefly wandered over to Toontown, where we discovered it would be 45 minutes to see Mickey (who we just saw yesterday in his yachting ensemble)- no thank you. Brennan declined to ride some Roger Rabbit themed thing because it involved going indoors, which he now associated with alarming noise, flashing lights, and lurching, thanks to Mr. Toad and Buzz Lightyear. So it was back on the train (Yay! That dinosaur is eating lunch!) and then back to the hotel, where we rescued Lucie and took her to lunch downstairs. She enjoyed a spoon, Brennan had chicken nuggets, and Mommy had a well-deserved glass of wine.

I was feeling like I was close to cracking the code on this place. For Day 4, we got up ridiculously early, stuffed Lucie in the stroller, and set out for "magic morning". This is when the park opens an hour early for Disney hotel guests and multi-day ticket holders, i.e., almost everyone going to Disneyland. (note to Disney management: magic morning could be a little more appealing if you upped the exclusivity) I thought I had one trick up my sleeve - the monorail from Downtown Disney to Tomorrowland was only open to hotel guests during the "magic" hour. Unless, of course, there's some random construction going on, which there was.

Oh, well. It was a lovely morning, and Bren got his first chance to ride the teacups at the Mad Tea Party. He was a little hesitant at first -

- but quickly warmed up to it -
and was pretty happy at the end.
Or just watch the action here.

Yeah, we rode 'em again.

I finally figured out how to get Brennan over his fear of giant Disney characters - flooding therapy! Not really - but I had noticed him excitedly peeking in the windows as we passed the hotel restaurant during the Chip n' Dale breakfast the past 2 days. So I booked a reservation for "Breakfast with Minnie & Friends" at the Plaza Cafe, hoping he'd like it. And he did! Somehow the approach of large animal-like things became non-threatening once surrounded by upholstered chairs and waffles.

Lucie, not so much.

While the characters were too much for her, Lucie did quite enjoy the Mickey waffles.

It was already a pretty special day, but then it got even better - Daddy got out of his conference early! He met us in Disneyland for a little fun, then we went swimming and had lunch by the pool. Then we went to California Adventure and made him go on rides that make him edgy -

Like the big ferris wheel -
and the jumping jellyfish -
As much as it pains me to admit, I actually had fun in the Magic Kingdom, rain and all - perhaps deep down I am a theme park person, after all. Of course it helps to have a 3 year old along - his happiness and enthusiasm must have been contagious. I think Lucie even caught a little.

Disney Learning Curve

After our recovery day, it was time to get to work! We had our park-hopper tickets and weren't afraid to use them, even if Daddy had to be in school. Family reunion groups in matching t-shirts, barely legal honeymooning couples, pushy 5 year olds, normal people wondering who in her right mind would be squiring a baby and a pre-schooler around a theme park without another adult...BRING 'EM. We're going in.

We did, however, have a few lessons to learn.

Lesson #1: You can travel too light.

Tuesday started grey and sticky, and the forecast called for afternoon rain. So I thought we'd just pop into Disneyland for an hour or two, before the rain. I put Lucie in her carrier (strollers aren't allowed in any lines, plus she'd nap most of the time) and only took what would fit in the carrier pocket, planning on returning to our hotel room when a diaper change or bottle was due. I paused at the door and ALMOST grabbed Bren's hoodie, then decided I didn't want to carry it around when it got hot. About 50 yards past the entrance, I felt the first rain drops, but pressed on. We're San Franciscans, it's still pretty warm, what's a little light rain? By the time we reached Fantasyland (?), I could no longer pretend it was "just misting".

We took refuge in the covered lines for Peter Pan (above), Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (too wild for Bren, BTW), and the carousel (below). I should have just bought the $10 Disney umbrella right away, because I had one by the time we left.

Lesson #2: if you have to take a non-ambulatory baby into a theme park, maximize your baby-toting options.

Shortly after returning to the hotel for lunch and dry clothes, the rain stopped and it turned into a beautiful afternoon. I decided to drag everyone into the other park, California Adventure. I made sure to overcompensate for my "travel light" morning by dressing all of us just a little too warmly, and stuffing the diaper bag full of snacks, milk, and our new umbrella. I paused at the door, saw the baby carrier, remembered my mistake re: Brennan's hoodie, and jammed the carrier in the bag, too. This was one of the few smart moves I made all week, and become my theme-park MO: use the stoller to cover ground, then park it and switch to the carrier for lines, rides, etc.

Lesson #3: California Adventure is the place to meet all the characters.

Unlike the 45 minute wait (on a rainy morning!) at Mickey's House in Disneyland, we more or less blundered into a number of Brennan's favorites just strolling from place to place in California Adventure. I don't know why Pluto was just hanging around a wall by the Tower of Terror, but the line was 3 people long:

Of course, that's no guarantee your kids won't have more fun at the drinking fountain outside the can-

Or they will even want to meet said characters once within a 6 foot radius.
That's 50+ pounds of reluctant kid weight I am hefting, for the record.

Lesson #4 Take breaks.

You don't have to cram all the fun into one day. Stop for a Mickey pretzel. Take a short swim before dinner. Whatever. It will all still be there tomorrow.

I'm glad we stayed at the Grand Californian - it turned out to be a pretty family friendly place. The kids' meals weren't outrageously priced, and there was a coin-operated laundry on the 2nd floor. The room had a mini fridge (empty, not full of tiny $10 liquor bottles) and a Pack & Play, and we had a great view of the fireworks from our balcony (not that Bren could stay awake for them). They have storytime every night by the big fireplace. And, best of all -

you don't get the stink-eye for having a glass of wine with your squirmy, shouty kids in lobby.

Disneyland?!

Welcome to Anaheim! Actually, I have no right to use the city's name, as all I saw of it was John Wayne International, the highway between the airport and the hotel, and the micro kingdom of Disneyland. Lucie seems to be expressing the question I was asking myself as of October 2nd: how did this happen?

Well, Daddy had a conference to attend, and Mommy had a choice: stay home alone with 2 monkeys for the week, or go to The Happiest Place on Earth. I hoped Brennan would enjoy the Disney experience despite being a little young for it - but the prospect of some SoCal weather and a nice hotel pool tipped the scales.

OK, Walt, it's been 20 years, let's see what you've got -

Upon arrival at the Grand Californian, we were separated from our luggage by a young man in a peculiar Alpine uniform. While I was frantically digging out the items we would need to get through the afternoon, I briefly and inappropriately recalled a variety of train-related scenes from various Holocaust films I have watched. This would not be the only time this happened. I don't know if it was all the trains, or all the lines that triggered these thoughts.

Bren, however, quite liked the trains - and we rode a number of them. Above is his favorite, the one that runs around Disneyland - which is where we went, after our luggage went to the holding tank. Disneyland, on a sunny Sunday in early October, was a shockingly hot and crowded place.

We had 4-day park hopper tickets - not that 5-day tickets cost that much more, but at the time I ordered them, even 4 days seemed egregious. That's as many days as I devoted to Rome on my last trip to Italy, for crying out loud. Since Monday promised to be another hot day, I thought avoiding a 20 minute wait in direct sun to ride Dumbo was the right move. (I was wrong, by the way. More on that later.) So we ambled the length of Downtown Disney and shared breakfast at the La Brea Bakery. The water fountains alone can provide a morning's entertainment for small children - but in addition, there's about the biggest Disney store I've ever seen.
Much to my disappointment, the longest either child would wear mouse-ears was about 2.7 seconds. The only way I got this photo was distracting Lucie with the second set of ears.

Even though 3 is a little young for full-on theme park appreciation, one benefit is that it's also young enough that the gift shop/souvenir concept is still alien. Brennan happily played with the full roster of Winnie-the-Pooh for a while, then put them all back into the appropriate bins. Seriously, the only thing the kid bugged me to buy all week was chocolate milk and a pumpkin muffin.

After a morning in the commerce district, it was time to swim- and the pool situation at the Grand Californian did not disappoint. There's a water slide pool, a quiet pool, a kiddie pool, 2 hot tubs, and one other pool who's theme I could not determine. There are piles of children's life jackets available for use, servers to bring lunch (and wine!), and tons of comfy pool-side lounge chairs for mommies and little sisters to relax while admiring the aquatic adventures of big brothers.
Up next: into the belly of the beast!

Playground Time

We're lucky to live close to the Koret Playground in Golden Gate Park - it's a nice walk, until you have a second child and have to push a double stroller uphill on the way home. So we're also lucky that they have a good-sized, FREE parking lot. I don't get the pleasant walk through the park, but on the up side, I no longer have to run the gauntlet through the Gutter Punk Sleepover & Marijuana Emporium at the park entrance.
Lucie is big enough now to enjoy time in the swings, or just bask in the sun while she munches on some grass.

We got Brennan a little riding board attachment for the stroller - he's supposed to stand on it and hold onto the handles when he's tired of walking. We tried to sell it to him as a fun skateboard for 3 year olds. So of course he hates it, and has come up with his own technique - sitting on the front "bumper" and holding his feet off the ground.

I try to pick Bren up early on Wednesdays, since I'm not usually at work that day. He doesn't always seem to think this is as fun as I'd hoped he would. So when it's sunny, we take a detour by the Bi-rite Creamery for ice cream. Above is post-vanilla soft serve with chocolate sprinkles. Now he's happy when I show up early.
Another entry in the "hurry up and put this on her and take a picture before she outgrows it" department. I couldn't even do up all the buttons on the back.

Brennan had a playdate with his cousin Ian - I picked him up and the 3 of us went to the Koret Playground, while Lucie stayed home with Daddy, who asked on my way out, "Are you going to be OK with 2 boys?" I waved him off, saying I'm used to juggling 2 monkeys, and that Ian is always such a good boy when he comes over. What I didn't realize is that 2 little boys playing trains on the bedroom floor is one thing, and 2 little boys loose in a busy playground is entirely another. I was finally able to get them to stay in one place by declaring snack time and breaking out the cheddar bunnies.

The big hit of the afternoon was the carousel - we went for two rides, Ian's choice of animal first, then Brennan's. I thought this would be fair, but did not anticipate it would involve the carousel equivalent of musical chairs up to the moment the bell rang and the music started.

And, finally - Lucie's 9 month picture:

Hang in there, it's off to Disneyland next!