Carpe Diem

Hello everyone!  This is going to be my first post in a series I am writing about taking babies and toddlers to Disney World.  This post is going to focus on my back story and why it was so important for my family and I to take my son on his first Disney Vacation at such a young age.  I hope that you all enjoy reading and I am asking anyone that has had any experience with taking very young children to Disney to please comment and share your experiences and advice!

Our Disney Souvenir Jr

I have two children John (or Jr as we call him) 2 years old, and Sophia 5 months.  My husband and I had some fertility issues so when my son John finally came along he was such a blessing!  I remember the October trip my husband and I took before we were pregnant with Jr, we bought “My First Disney Bear” in the hopes of someday being able to give it to the baby we so desperately wanted.  While at Disney we would longingly look at the families with babies and kids in tow, and plan how we would travel with kids.  We would become teary eyed watching as a dad and son battled each other on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin; and when a mom and her daughter skipped into Bibbity Bobbidi Boutique.  We dreamed of what that would feel like.  The good news is 9 months after that trip Jr was born! 

I feel like I was planning Jr’s first trip while he was still in the womb…O.K. the reality is I was planning his first trip before he was even conceived!  Even being the seasoned Disney traveler, I had never been so excited to go back!  I even tried to get my husband to fly my 9 month pregnant rear end down for some Tonga Toast, stating “the baby would love to visit Disney and get a taste of all of the food before he makes his appearance.” (For the record I didn’t get down there as my husband considered me a “flight risk”). My husband and I were not sure of when we were going to take Jr for the first time but we did know we wanted it to be within the first year or two of his life!

My brother in law Marc a few days after Jr was born

A few months after Jr was born our family experienced a huge tragedy.  My brother in law was killed suddenly in a hunting accident.  This tragic event rocked our world.  We lost such an amazing man who had such passion for his son, family, and life in general.  As a matter of fact in December 2008 we had an amazing family vacation at Disney World!  My brother in law Marc was beyond excited to take his son there for his first time.  Losing a loved one at such a young age really makes you stop and think.  We decided that life is so short, we have to start to really live life.  Marc would have wanted us all to go on with the same passion for life as he did!  We knew that my mother and father in law could use a break and a pick me up so we all decided that a trip to Disney World was just what we needed.  We kept seeing commercials for the new Disney Dream!  I broached the subject with my mother in law and she thought it was a great idea (great minds think alike)! I will never forget the look of pure joy and excitement on my mother in laws face when we were researching rooms on board the ship!  She went home and after staying up half of the night called me the next morning to say she booked the cruise!

Jr with his Disney Bear at 4 months old

When people heard we were to take our 9 month old not only to Disney World but on a Disney Cruise we were told things like “you’re crazy,” “what a waste of money,” “he won’t even remember it,” and the list goes on and on.   My response was always the same, life is too short…we can continue to wait for a certain age, or developmental stage, or a specific year; but the unfortunate reality is that day may never come.  After my brother in law’s death we adopted the phrase “Carpe Diem” or “Seize the Day.” 

My next post will focus on all of the planning that goes into taking a small baby on a Disney world/cruise trip.  The best part is there are so many tricks that make traveling with a baby so easy on all! Let the planning begin!