And we're Back - Our Disney experience

I can't believe that our week at Disney World is over. But, it was the most amazing trip ever.

We stayed at the Walt Disney World Resort's Polynesian Hotel. (also known as the "Poly") and it was this beautiful hotel on the monorail line. Actually, it was a group of longhouses (or mini hotel buildings) that at all had Hawaiian names - ours was Tokelau. At the centre of the complex is the Great Ceremonial House that houses the monorail station, gift shops and restaurants. So, it was pretty neat in that when you arrive you're at this tourist place, but when you leave there you are in paradise. It was absolutely wonderful.
There were 2 hotel pools - the quiet pool which we faced, and the volcano pool that had a huge slide. We loved it!
And of course there was the World itself.
After we arrived we had a swim and unpacked, and then we went to the Magic Kingdom. We decided to hit a couple of rides (Jungle Book!) and then head for dinner with Pooh and friends at the Crystal Palace.
Matt told us that he is far too old for Winnie the Pooh, but we explained that this trip was for him and Coco, and so some things would be more focused on her.
There wasn't much protest, and as it turned out, Matt loved visiting with the Pooh characters as much as the rest of us.
This was Coco first time seeing large characters since she was a tiny baby, and we weren't quite sure how she would do.
As you can see, she was just fine. In fact, she screamed and laughed every time that one of the characters came near. We realized that we have a Disney nut on our hands at the age of 1!
The downside of this dinner is that we realized from about 10 minutes in that as great as it is to meet the characters, neither child was on their best behaviour at the character/buffet meals. It was kind of funny because the restaurants we didn't initially book were the quieter ones where you stay in your seat the whole time.
After a couple of experiences at the quieter restaurants we soon learned that both kids needed the break from the Disney excitement.
So, we stuck with the restaurants with characters we *really* wanted to meet (like Cinderella), and then switched for non-buffets.
The irony? Our family's favourite meals ended up being at the restaurants we didn't expect either child would handle (think a swanky steakhouse at the Contemporary Hotel).
Over the next few days I'm going to tell you more about the trip. There's too much to tell you in one post!
But, for now, one of my favourite pictures!

My Birthday Girl is 1

My little girl turns one today. I can't believe that one year ago today she was born. This has been a quick, wonderful and overwhelming year.

Happy Birthday, Coco!

And ... she's on the move. She's now officially walking. I can't believe how quickly this year has flown by.

Happy Birthday, Little One!

Stupid Parenting

I try to be a good parent.
I'm not perfect, but I do try my best.
So, tonight when we decided to go to Bad Boy to look at appliances we made a big deal of it so that Doodle would be excited to go.
It went well for quite awhile.
He sat in comfy couches and watched the Matrix while Mike, Coco and I looked at washers and dryers.
For close to an hour we had a really easy visit.
And then it came time to figure out the financial stuff. I was fully involved in the negotiating process. And then we debated. And debated some more and made a decision.
Voila ...








Nice, eh?
Anyway.
Once we got through negotiation we had to figure out paying and delivery and about a million other things that should have take 5 minutes but took 45.
So, in my attempt to be a good parent, especially since it was approaching bedtime, I entertained my kids. Somehow that turned into playing hide and go seek with my 4 year old.
I LET MY 4 YEAR OLD HIDE IN A FURNITURE STORE.
It was fun till I lost him.
He was hidden, thank God, in a bedroom set. I walked past the set 5 times, but did not see him.
It took Mike and I, 5 staff members and some freaking out to discover him.
What was I thinking? Seriously.
We were having fun. Until I lost my kid. And ran around the store panicking.
And that was my stupid parenting decision of the night.
Who found him? A sales associate who totally guessed where he would hide. Smart guy.
We left moments after and decided to watch a video in the van while Phat Daddy finished the transaction.

One Year

It's been one year since I went on mat leave. And, in 2 weeks our princess will turn one.
And, she has a nickname!
Somewhere between our nanny arriving and me going back to work, we started calling the baby CoCo.
Phat Daddy hates it.
I love it.
Even funnier is that it sometimes gets turned into "Coco Koala" (I don't know why) and "Coco Puff".
And, the best part is that people truly believe that is her name! I love it. In the past couple of weeks she's really changed. First she learned to dance. She's attempting to walk and is taking steps and stands on her own.
And she blows kisses. We made a movie last night and I will figure out how to post it. It's pretty cute.
And Doodle? He's moving right along.
I haven't talked much about his diagnosis. We needed some time to let the whole idea settle and to think about it and to talk to people about it.
Where we're at?
Of course we have spoken to our family doctor. She's referred us to a pediatrician who specialized in ADHD. I'm not sure I need a second opinion on the diagnosis, but I do want a more fulsome explanation of the medication.
And we also went to see our naturopath.
We decided to put Doodle on a stronger regimen of homeopathic remedies and see how does. So, we're trying it. We started on Saturday, and you generally need a couple of days for remedies to kick in.
It's hard to see if there has been a difference. It's good to start a regimen on a weekend because you can see if there are any adverse reactions. But, for me it's hard to see if there's a difference, really, in his activity level. Seriously, it was beautiful weather and my child who has been cooped up all winter was allowed to go crazy and play outside! How do you guage hyperactivity? I was going just as crazy as Doodle and even Coco was extra excited.
So, we'll wait and see.
This week is a funny week anyway. There are no evening activities because of March break, and since the weather is nice he'll get a lot more fresh air.
But, I'm remaining hopeful.

And, seriously ... i'm loving this weather!