Disney World

Going to Disney World as a child is fun and exciting, but going as a parent, and watching your child's face as they see all the wonder and amazement, is by far, the best experience. We were so happy to have the opportunity to go to Disney World. Liam was ecstatic to see all his favorite characters. Dave and I admit that we got choked up several times while watching Liam's reactions to everything he saw and experienced. We created many memories that we will remember for the rest of our lives.


Day 1 - Liam went on his first flight. He was such a trooper. Security at the airport was painful (staying still and waiting in lines are not among Liam's favorite activities). I almost turned around to go home when they took Liam's Mickey away to put it through the scanning machine. Liam was not happy. Once we got on the plane and settled into our seats, Liam did really well. He LOVED flying and even said, "Wow!" when we experienced turbulence. Other than Liam throwing up on himself, it was an uneventful trip. We brought plenty of activities and toys to keep him occupied. We were hoping he would sleep most of the trip, but he didn't fall asleep until we started landing.

Once we got to Orlando, we quickly changed out of puke clothes and got on the bus (another first for Liam) to head to our resort. Thank goodness there was a TV with Mickey cartoons playing.

After eating and resting, we headed to EPCOT, which is right behind our resort. Liam played on a playground, met Chip and Dale, and then we went on the Finding Nemo ride and to the aquarium. We found a fountain that Liam thought would be fun to swim in. When he started undressing, we took that as our cue to leave. We ended our busy day at one of the pools at the resort. Liam is becoming a great swimmer - I think it's time for classes this summer.

Day 2 - We started the morning at a Character breakfast at our resort. Liam was so excited! He thought Goofy and Donald were funny, but was especially smitten with Minnie. 

We then spent the rest of the morning and first part of the afternoon and Disney's Holloywood studios. We saw Mickey Mouse Clubhouse live, which Liam was crazy about. We ate at Pizza Planet, played at the Honey I Shrunk the Kids park, and met some Pixar characters. After Liam took a nap in his stroller we watched the parade. It was so much fun to watch Liam's reactions to all the characters he saw in the parade.

That evening we took Liam to Magic Kingdom to watch the light parade and see the fireworks. Liam recognized the castle from the beginning of his Disney movies. Liam was so excited to see Mickey on the float during the light parade that he actually starting shaking. Liam thought the fireworks were amazing.

Day 3 - We started the day by having a private meet and greet with Mickey and Minnie backstage in their dressing room (this was a gift from guest relations in regards to the letter I wrote them. They also got Liam his own personalized Mickey hat). We let Liam run down the hall to greet them and then we took pictures in their dressing room. It was a dream come true for Liam.

We then went on classic rides at Magic Kingdom like the Dumbo ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, the carousel, and the Winnie the Pooh ride. Liam loves rides. He will be the one to go on roller coasters with dad when he is older.

Liam enjoyed an ice cream Mickey, a short nap (with Christopher Robin hat), and then lunch with Winnie the Pooh characters.

We ended the day with more swimming at the resort and a relaxing evening in our room.

Day 4 - We spent the morning at Animal Kingdom. We got some family pictures taken by a photographer. We're hoping some turned out, since Liam wasn't really in the mood for a photo shoot. We then looked at animals and met some characters.

We ate dinner at the Rose and Crown in EPCOT (one of our family favorites) and enjoyed some live music. Then, Dave and I left Liam with Grandma and Grandpa and went with Rem to downtown Disney for drinks at the House of Blues and did some shopping.

Day 5 - Sadly, we had to get packed up to go home. We did manage to fit in some swimming before heading to airport. Liam swam for a little bit in the private beach at the resort and then in the pool, which had a sandy bottom and buckets and shovels to play with.

We had such an amazing trip. It was truly magical!

Happy Easter

Easter is such a great day of celebration for us. This year Dave played the timpani in church and Liam and I enjoyed the service with Uncle Rem and our friends the Castens. My men looked so handsome. I was thrilled to find matching ties online.


Christopher and Connor were with us in spirit and memory. We bought a purple hyacinth in memory of them. The beauty of the flower reminded us of the beauty they are experiencing as they celebrate Easter in heaven. We love them and miss them, but are so comforted that we will all celebrate together some day. Alleluia!

Liam is 2!

Our little man turned 2 on April 8th. This year we had a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse themed party. Liam loves all things Mickey, and with our trip to Disney World during spring break, this was an appropriate theme for Liam's 2nd birthday. We started the day by giving Liam one of his gifts - his own, official Mickey Mouse hat. Liam said, "Wow, I'm Gickey!"

I had so much fun preparing for the party. I was sure to laminate the decorations I made, since I am sure we will have another Mickey party at some point. My mom and I even found Mickey plastic plates and bowls on sale after Christmas.

I was a bit ambitious with the food this year, but it turned out well and was a lot of fun. I made a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake. Fondant is a wonderful thing!  I also wanted to try to make my own edible fruit arrangement. We received a picture of one with pineapple Mickey ears. I thought it would be cheaper to make my own. This turned out to be more work than the cake.

During the party we had a craft time - the kids could make their very own Mickey or Minnie ears. They turned out really cute.

Liam opened his first gift and was so excited about getting a push Mater truck with bubbles, that he wasn't interested in opening any more. He finally opened his gifts and was so pleased with all his new toys!

Because Liam's party was the day before Easter, the kids searched for eggs in the yard.

We enjoyed the food, fellowship, and of course the cake! Liam did a great job blowing out the candles, but needed just a little help.

Liam really loved all his new toys. He even thought he should hide, so he wouldn't have to share them.

We were blessed with beautiful weather. It was a great day! We were so happy Liam enjoyed the party.

Liam's Heart (Another Update)

Today, I took Liam to the pediatric cardiologist to have the fluid checked around his heart.  This was a concern they found at his last check-up.  It was probably caused from the stomach virus the whole family had over Christmas break.  He still has the same amount of fluid around his heart, but it hasn't increased.  So, for now, we are letting it take care of itself and hope it heals on its own.  We will go back in 2 months and check again.  At that point we will assess whether medication or surgery is needed.  The doctor assured me that this may take 6 months to heal on its own and medication usually decreases the fluid and surgery isn't needed.  He is cautious about using medicine as a "quick fix," since there could be stomach related side-effects.  We will continue to monitor him, and pray that this minor issue clears itself up.  

Spring Has Arrived!

It's Worth a Try

I am not above asking for free things... Through the adoption process, I have perfected the skill of writing and asking for grants. So, I had the idea of writing to Disney to ask for the opportunity to get Liam's pictures taken with the characters. It's worth a try, right? Liam will turn 2 on April 8th, the day before we leave for Disney. I will keep you posted with their response. I figure the worst they can say is no. (The letter we sent included pictures, but I could not copy them into the post).


March 4, 2012

Michelle Baumann

Walt Disney World Guest Communications


P.O. Box 10400


Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Dear Ms. Baumann:

I wanted to take the opportunity to share our Disney story with you as a testament that dreams really do come true at Disney World. I am sure that you receive stories like this frequently. However, ours is truly a unique story and one we share often. We thought it only fair to share the story with you.

           

Two years ago my husband and I took a trip to Disney World for spring break with my family. Before traveling to Disney, we had experienced some difficult times, including the loss of twin sons and a failed adoption. We took the opportunity to travel to Disney as a way to get away from the stress of life, if only for a week, and reconnect as a couple. Little did we know that our trip to Disney would be the start of a new chapter in our lives. On April 9^th, 2010, we were enjoying a beautiful day at the Magic Kingdom. We got to the park when it opened and rushed around like children to meet as many characters as possible and ride all the rides we could before the lines got too long. At 1:30pm we were in line to get a fast pass to Thunder Mountain before heading to lunch at the Crystal Palace when my cell phone rang. It was our social worker, calling from northern Indiana. She explained that a birthmother had chosen us, our son was born, and we needed to get to the hospital before he was discharged. We had waited and prayed for a child for so long and now in the happiest place on earth we learned that we were parents. We scrambled to locate my family and tell them the news. We decided to go ahead and eat as a family before setting out on our adventure home. We could barely eat, but decided to snap a picture with Pooh to show our son, Liam, when we explained his adoption story to him.

After trying in vain to change our flight, we rented a car and set out on an 18hour ride home, through the night. We couldn’t make it to the hospital in time for Liam’s discharge, so our social worker brought him to our house.

We refer to Liam as our Disney baby. We have such an amazing story to tell him. Liam is such a Disney fan as well. He does everything with his stuffed Mickey, which he refers to as “Gickey.” He is a big fan of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Winnie the Pooh. We decorated his room in Winnie the Pooh in tribute to the place where our dreams came true.

For Liam’s second birthday we plan to return to Disney World. We will spend the week of April 9^th-13^th, 2012 in the place where our family began. We are looking forward to seeing his reaction when he meets his favorite characters in person. We are also so excited to see his face light up when he sees the castle in person and watches the fireworks. Whenever he sees the castle and fireworks at the beginning of Disney movies, he squeals with delight and says, “Wow, what’s that!?”

         

We would like to personally thank the Disney family for being such a big part of our family. We would also like to ask for the opportunity to have pictures taken in front of the castle with Mickey Mouse and friends. We would love the opportunity to take Liam’s 2year pictures in the Magic Kingdom to commemorate how far we have come as a family and show where our dreams came true.

Sincerely,

Tiffany Herman