One Year Old!

This week was Baby T’s first birthday! It’s amazing that both he and I have survived one whole year. It feels like time has flown by… on the other hand, what is that old saying? Time flies when you don’t get any sleep… ;)

Anyway, to celebrate his first year on the planet, we took Baby to Disneyland. Our trip:

Day one – We pile into the car in the morning, pack a case of diapers (just in case), three bottles of sunscreen (because Orange County hit a record high of 113 degrees the day before – perfect weather for standing in line in the sun all day, no?), and ten DVDs to keep Baby happy in the backseat, then set off for the seven hour drive to Southern California. We pop in The Wiggles DVD that I got from Netflix for the ride into the player. Baby is elated. Unfortunately, the DVD is scratched, so it only plays the first half of the movie. We pop something else in the player. Baby cries. He only wants The Wiggles. So, we watch the first half of the DVD again. And again. I think we hit ten times by the time we finally arrived in Anaheim at the Disneyland Hotel. I kid you not, I can recite the whole thing word for word now.

So, we picked the Disneyland Hotel to stay in this trip, even though it’s a little pricier, because it has the monorail that runs from the hotel to Disneyland – no need to walk, no need to park the car at the theme park. Perfect for shuttling Baby back to the room for a nap mid-day. So, as soon as we check in, we go online and check out the park schedule for the next day. Guess what? The monorail is down for maintenance. I call the front desk and get into an argument with the clerk that ends with the phrase, “We’re going to have to agree to disagree, Ma’am.” If I wasn’t surround by pictures of Mickey’s Mouse, I’d be tempted to be upset.

Day Two – We get up early, lather with sunscreen, and walk the entirety of Downtown Disney to the theme park, praying that the tickets we bought off craigslist before coming actually work to get us in. Wonder of wonders, the guy was legit and they do. (yay!) We take Baby on It’s a Small World as his first intro to Disney rides. At first, he’s in awe, checking out all the dancing dolls. Then, he tries to reach up and touch them. Then he looks confused – “Um, are they ever going to stop singing, Mom?” By the end, he’s totally over it, trying to jump out of the boat. But the ride is 15 minutes of air conditioned bliss (Did I mention the record heat? Oy.), so we’re happy.

We get off the ride and get an ice cream. We do another couple rides, then stop for water. One more ride, lunch in the shade and more water. Seriously, it’s October. A heat wave? No fair. We spend a long, sticky, hot day trying to find the longest, most air conditioned rides we can. Then hit the pool that night.

Baby T on the King Arthur Carousel with Daddy

Day Three – The name of the game today is keep cool. We start off the day with water rides in the California Adventure Park. Baby plays for hours in the water fountains while Big Boy rides the Grizzly Rapids. When everyone is soaked, we hit the margarita stand for frosted cocktails. (Why on earth did we not do this yesterday?) We do a few more water rides at Disneyland, sit in the shade and eat ice cream, then have dinner in Downtown Disney where we do more margaritas. Back to the park after dark for a few more rides, then we hit the shops for souvenirs before retiring to our rooms.



Big Boy in the biggest balloon hat on the planet in Downtown Disney. (Really, he's having fun.  It's just that he's ten, and the Tween Code requires he wear a semi-sulking expression at all times.)  



Day Four – We planned to spend the morning swimming before packing up, but a freak thunderstorm derails those plans. (Bear in mind, this is L.A. It rains twice a year here. When I say “freak,” I totally mean it.) So, we pack up, load everyone into the car, and settle in for another seven hours of The Wiggles. (For those of you curious, yes, I did send the DVD back to Netflix the second we go home.)

Overall, great trip. Lots of fun. I highly recommend the margaritas.


Happy birthday, Baby T!


~Trigger Happy Halliday