Arriving and getting to Orlando!

Again we were rushed at the airport. We just can't seem to win in this department. We even got there according to my very specifically laid out schedule. Check in was somewhat slow as our self check in didn't work, but then things really got slow at customs when our line was switched to "crew only" right in front of our faces. Poor Mike would have been sipping a Starbucks for an hour at the gate with his Nexxus pass on a normal day. And then to add further insult, Mike was selected at customs as a person to be searched. For whatever reason, he chose a pat-down instead of the new body scan machine. I guess that's a guy thing...maybe he saw that the scanner person was a woman, and the pat-down was a man.

After check in we only had time to visit the washroom and buy a package of kleenex for Paige's extremely runny nose. Then we had to hop on our plane which sat there for a super long time and then had to get de-iced. Eventually we took off for a uneventful flight. We all watched TV, Rose had a nice sleep in my arms, and we ate some early lunch. No turbulence at all either, which was unusual.

Upon arrival in Orlando we took our time getting to baggage claim, and once we got there we literally picked up all 3 bags in a matter of seconds and went to get our rental car.

They had a Lincoln Town car waiting for us as we are "preferred guests" with Avis, but we chose for a downgrade to a much smaller KIA. The trunk barely fit our stuff, but who wants to dirve a massive Town Car? And the ghetto car seats they gave us wouldn't have matched the leather interior...I really appreciate our seats at home now. Rose is swimming in a toddler car seat that looks completely uncomfortable, and not nearly as safe as ours from home. And to install it rear-facing was a pain and took forever.

When we got to our hotel, or so we thought, we realized that the credit card company had booked us in at the wrong hotel! The hotels have almost exactly the same name, both Sheratons, but at different addresses. Mike called the company, and as we were waiting for them to look into it we drove to the hotel we were actually booked at and it was just as nice, so we decided to let it slide and just check in. When AMEX got back to us they appologized, but also noted that the one we wanted was more expensive. We were happy to take the cheaper room. And seriously, we are living in at least 1300 square feet or so of luxury. Two massive bedrooms--a master with whirlpool tub in the room (beside Rosies crib), king bed, tv, and separate vanity, and then Paige's room with bathroom, tv, and 2 double beds. Then we have a huge living/dining/kitchen area, and separate pantry and laundry room. There is also a large screened in porch with full patio table with view of pond. This place isn't even expensive...$150 a night i think--and we save majorly on food as we are cooking meals. The only thing that needs to be done is the showers...they are a bit old. And that's because I'm searching for something to find wrong. This place is awesome. Right now I'm sitting at our breakfast bar with my coffee as Paige is having a snack and a show and Rose is sleeping in her crib. Actually--her crib kind of sucks. Metal bars that she smashes into in the night. We could have chose a playpen, but I think that the crib is probably more clean. We're going to make our own bumper pads tonight with towels. Paige really enjoyed a bath last night with the jets. We asked for a non-slip bath mat and they came with a new one right in the package. If we forgo housecleaning on any day we get 500 starwood points on our account, so we chose to forgo it yesterday. We don't need the room cleaned every day.

After we checked in Mike went grocery shopping and got himself some beer. Then we watched some TV, listened to Paige's Backyardigans CD over and over again, and rested up for our first day at the Magic Kingdom!

If you only have one child...a baby or a preschooler, you have to spend a lot of time entertaining them. Don't get me wrong, I still have to and want to entertain the 2 kids, but they actually entertain each other! This is fantastic. Now that Rose can play and move around, I just plop them down in the living room while I make meals and they play together. No one is whining or pulling themselves up on my legs or slamming their finger in the bottom drawer beside the stove. I try not to take advantage of Paige, but I can often ask her to go and play with Rose if she's getting fussy. Win win situation!

Here's a little clip:

Getting ready for Disney...

I'm feeling both nervous and relaxed about this trip. I'm relaxed in that our hotel room has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and washer/dryer. Practically like home. It takes a lot of pressure off in the packing department as we don't need to bring as much stuff. Also, we can cook meals in our room, without worrying about restaurants with the girls. Paige like restaurants, but won't really eat anything at them. And the nights and naptimes will be nice with the separate rooms. Rose will bunk in with us and Paige will get her own room. I can't wait to see our hotel...I'm hoping it works out. It was very reasonable. It has a bunch of pools, and a couple of playgrounds.

I'm a bit nervous about travelling somewhere new with practically no toys...I'm planning on bringing crafty stuff, and maybe mike will make the diaper box house again. I hope on rainy days we can find things to do. And I hope that Rose doesn't get into too much trouble in the hotel room. Also, she'll be spending a lot of time in her stroller at the parks, which I hope doesn't cause a problem--she prefers to be crawling or held. And even though we have a washer/dryer, the weather in Orlando has been all over the place and we'll need to pack for both extremes. Luckily coming from a cold climate, I guess we'll at least have jackets, mitts, etc.

Many people would be worried about the flight, but we have flown with Paige 12 or so times now, and I realize that it is not a big deal at all. The bigger deal is us getting to the airport on time! I have broken down our morning schedule into parts: Wake up 5:45, leave house 6:45, arrive parking lot 7:30, arrive airport 8:00 (you take a monorail in from the parking lot). check in 8:15, Plane leaves 10:15. I need to break it down like this or we will be late, as we always are. We always forget how long it takes to park and get in, and then by the time we're in, we have to run! And then it's "hurry up Paige! Keep it moving!! We have to go!!!!!". And then it's Mike, "I need a coffee!! Is there time for coffee!!???" and then there's me... "Keep it moving, no time for coffee, we need to get on the plane at the preboarding!!!!!!!!!" This will be our first time through customs as well so we need extra time. Poor Mike is used to his Nexxus pass, and now has to stand in line with us commoners.

A couple of weeks ago we took advantage of my CAA membership and bought our Disney tickets at a slight discount. We wanted to include the "park hopper" option in our purchase so we could come and go as we pleased--key when travelling with an infant and 3 year old. This way we can go for a morning and evening, or hit different parks in 1 day (Disney World, Hollywood studios, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot), or go home for a meal, or a nap. Or just go for the fireworks at night. The difference between a 2 day park hopper pass and a 5 day was only like $50 total for all of us, so we just got the 5 day. It doesn't even have to be 5 consecutive days, so we can take breaks. The cost was atrocious though--wait for it--over $900!! Yikes! But like I said, the 2 day was barely cheaper. They just want you there for longer, spending more money I'm sure.

I have been prepping Paige and we have been checking out the rides online. Her first stop--The Dumbo ride, followed by Cinderella's carousel. Disneyworld is going to blow her mind. She has no idea what she's in for. I keep telling her about the weather and how there will be no snow there and we'll have to wear sunscreen. I can't wait to see her reactions to everything...that alone will definitely will be the highlight of the trip. Secondly I'm looking forward to warmer weather, fresh air, and enjoying the rides as well. I may even get to go on one of my favourites--the Tower of Terror--alone of course. Apparently babies can tag along on a lot of the rides too, so Rose may get to enjoy being held a bit as she takes in the sights of the Winnie the Pooh Ride, for instance. We're bringing our MacLaren umbrella stroller with us too. It's ridiculous to expect Paige to walk in the parks without complaining and the cost of renting one is $14 apparently. It'll be nice to stroll along without having to worry about her trailing behind! And she'll enjoy herself a lot more if she can just relax and take in the sights.

Bath time...

Rose loves baths, especially now that she can crawl. It requires 110% supervision though as you need to physically have your arms in the bath at all times touching her body. She crawls around on the bathtub floor playing with all of the toys and pulling herself up on the sides. We have a bathmat in there, but still, she has slipped. I tell her no when she stands up, but it is fun for her to splash and explore in 2 inches of water. She frantically grabs at everything she sees and shoves it in her mouth.

Last night we decided she didn't need a bath, but Paige was in the water as Rose and I walked by to my bedroom. Rose caught a glimpse of Paige in there and squealed with delight and practically launched herself into the bathroom from my arms. I tried to continue on into my room with her and she started to cry. She wanted in on the action! We let her get in with Paige for a while. It gets a bit crowded in there with all of the toys and her constant motion. Luckily our climate is not dry because she really enjoys herself in there and it's a great evening activity.

Privatizing the blog....

I have decided to make the blog private...ie require a log in. Especially now that Paige is going to school soon. I just don't want it out in the open. And when I see that people have accessed the blog from all over the world, it is kind of weird....mainly because I put my mother's Russian maiden name on once, and Mike's Hungarian name, I assume. I will have to sign everyone up who will be allowed to log in. I know of the usual suspects who read the blog, but if you are a blog reader and would like to be signed up, please comment below and I will sign you up. I don't want anyone to miss out who enjoys reading about Paige and Rose!

I'll do this in a week to allow people time to read this and sign up.

Oh--and please leave your email address, as this is how you will be signed up.

Hilarious...

We were at Second Cup a couple of weeks ago and the song "Heartache Tonight" by Michael Buble came on the radio. Paige was busy lining up her dinosaurs on the arm of her chair as the first verse of the song came on...."Somebody's gonna hurt someone, before the night is through....". At this moment she looks at the dinosaurs and says, "No heartache tonight anybody!"

She obviously had been passively listening to my new CD in the car for the past week and knew what song it was before those lyrics were even sung! She is hysterical sometimes...and definitely knows how to be funny. Apparently she cracks jokes in her pre-school class. I wonder who she gets this from---daddy????

Kindergarten Registration.

Kindergarten registration started this week. Paige will be entering Junior Kindergarten, or JK as it is usually called, in September. This is something new for me, as there was only 1 year of kindergarten where I'm from. She'll have 2 years of kindergarten--JK and SK, before beginning grade school. I downloaded and filled out the forms and gathered all of the neccessary documents. Before going to the school I ran into a neighbour who reminded me that I would have to select whether we would prefer the "Monday/Wednesday/every other Friday", or the "Tuesday/Thursday/Every other Friday". It's not guaranteed, but you get to submit your preference. There's something like 14 Kindergarten classes at her school in our young family focused neighbourhood. It's not the only school either--there are about 5 or 6 more schools in our subdivision. At any rate, there are a million classes, and I get to decide which day I would like her to go on. My preference is the Tuesday/Thursday track so that we get lots of extra long weekends during cottage season.


Anyway, later on in the day it hit me that whatever decision I make is more than just a decision about heading up to the cottage for a few extra days. Whatever class she is in could determine her friends for the rest of elementary school, high school, or life! A large majority of my friendships have been going on for 20+ years! My Kindergarten friends moved away, but other friends trickled in starting in grade 1! It's potentially a big deal. School is a big deal in general, and I can't believe she'll be going this calendar year.

So, we made the 45 second car journey over to the school. We will walk when she is actually going to school, but we need a snow-appropriate stroller for Rose, and a sidewalk free of ice. I handed in all of the documents and filled out a few more and she was all signed up. The school was definitely intimidating for Paige as it was between classes and the kids walking around were a lot bigger than she is used to seeing around the place she takes her preschool classes (the school goes up to grade 8). Not to mention, she slipped on the way in, and had a wet and cold bum. She acted a bit shy and scared when we were in there, but I have no doubt that she will adjust quickly to Kindergarten. She does well with other kids in classroom settings, and she loves to be the silly one in the room. She hasn't napped in a year and a half so I don't worry that she'll tire out. A few things we need to master before school starts are more independence in terms of dressing herself and completing the whole bathroom routine by herself. But we have 8 months for that so I have no worries.

Guests from the West.

That's a picture taken at Grandma and GRandpa's house of all of the girls.

As I said earlier, Grandma Val was scheduled to arrive on the 7th, but at the last minute Auntie Booze and Lizzy came along too! Grandma Val had her hands full with all of her Grandchildren vying for attention. And because of the babies who wake up in the night, Jen had a fan in her room and we had a fan in our room (which we shared with Rose), so we would drown out the noise. This left Grandma Val on Paige duty in the family room. Paige wakes up a couple of times a week in the night now....luckily not every night, like she used to.

The weather in January isn't conducive to getting out very much, and with the 2 babies, we stuck around the house for the most part. But with all of the girls it was busy and noisy and a lot of fun. Well, until Paige got some sort of stomach bug. That was kind of a bummer. She got really squirrely stayhing home and missing her class, but there was lots to keep her entertained.

It's sad to think that we won't see Lizzy for another 6 months. She'll be so huge and walking and talking. She started to wave and clap while at our house which was so nice to witness. Can't wait to see everyone again in the summer. Feels so empty around the house now, and I miss having Rose sleep in our room. We are forunate enough to go for long visits in the summer, which makes up in part for long times apart.

no holding back...

Rose cannot be contained. No jumper for her. Highchair, no way. And forget pulling her away from danger. Pulling her across the room from danger only buys about 10 seconds, and she's right back to slamming her fingers in the cupboard again. Now that she's on the move, she is eager to explore. I spend all of her waking hours watching her like a hawk and pulling her away from things. She can also pull herself up to standing...shelves, stools, toilets, stairs, toys. Hasn't tried the couch yet. And she's not cruising very much. Just standing to stand because it's fun. Oh, and clapping. Tons of clapping. Random clapping, clapping to mimic people on tv, clapping if she hears the words "good girl!". And her hands make a tiny little baby sized clapping noise that is really quite cute.

Luckily she has a tiny pretend kitchen that makes a lot of noise. She plays with it non-stop, so if I need to run and get a sweater for example, and I can hear the little faucet saying "on..OFF...on...OFF" I know she's still there and not following me. I have to bring her everywhere I go though, so she is basically never alone. And I can't trust Paige will notice if Rose shoves a silly band in her mouth, or that she won't pull herself up on something and fall into the tv cabinet.

This is a very busy stage, and I can't even imagine what it will be like when she is walking and I have another child to take care of! CRAZY!!

Here she is halfway up on that kitchen.

We start off the new year....

We started off the new year:

• Mostly healthy...a bit of a sore throat for me.
• Major teething...Rose was not sleeping well at all and required lots of cuddling in the night (and tylenol).
• Getting squirrely...Paige was ready to be back in her preschool classes with her friends, and was happy to be back. She has 1 extra class this "term", which is called music and movement...that makes 3 morning out for her, 3 quieter days for me, and 3 days where Rose's nap potentially gets mixed up.
• Refusing food...Rose's teeth bothered her and put her off food altogether. She is now over the teething, but not very interested in food again.
• Back to work...Mike was back to work, which made the house feel quiet. He'd been mostly off for 2 weeks.
• Preparing for visitors...Grandma Val was coming, and Auntie Booze and Lizzy decided to come at the last minute too! Jen and Lizzy would take over Rose's room and Grandma Val would take her station in the family room like last time.
• Wishing we had a guest room...so our guests didn't have to sleep on the floor.