First and foremost: 
I have to start this blog post with a story about this sweet smiling face. We
recently purchased new portable DVD players to go in our car for long trips. Caleb was told if he put his feet on them, they would be taken down until the next long car trip. Well, after the Disney trip, wouldn't you know, he put his foot on it. Several days later, he asked about them and we told him that he broke the rule so they had to be taken inside. The conversation that followed almost brought tears to our eyes:
Stephen: Does that make you sad that you can't watch tv in the car anymore?
Caleb: No.
Stephen: No? Well, it should make you sad. You broke a rule and now there is no more movie time in the car for a very long time.
Caleb: But, I like to be happy. I try to always be happy instead of sad. It makes me feel good.
My dear Caleb, I hope you will always keep that outlook in life. No matter what. And thank you for the reminder!
Disney:
I don't even know where to begin with describing our trip to Disney. I have been to Disney a few times before and had a wonderful time. I have to say I never expected this trip to be seriously one of the happiest times of my life. To see your child's eyes light up with excitement with they see the Castle or Mickey Mouse, in person, for the first time in their young life is just beyond what words can express.
Caleb loved every single aspect of the Magic Kingdom. When we walked into Hollywood Studios, he spotted some characters right away and began shouting "Hi!!! hi!!!! Hi Minnie Mouse!!!!" over and over and over again. So much excitement! Caleb has always been a happy little boy, but I have seriously never seen him smile as much as he did in Disney World. The parades were also a huge hit. He waved at all the characters and danced to the music as the parade passed by. I especially loved the Main Street Electrical Parade. How neat!
His favorite things about Disney were riding the tram to and from the parking lot, riding the monorail (what is it with the monorail and kids? Don't they all just love it?), the Dumbo ride, the magic carpet ride, and meeting the characters. He was a little timid at first when meeting the characters, but soon grew to love it.
One of my most favorite moments from the trip was a conversation I had with Caleb before going back to a park one night after his nap.
Me: Caleb, how about we go back to Disney and eat some....ICE CREAM!?!
Caleb (with a sad face): But, I allergic. I no can have ice cream.
Me: But, Caleb, we are in Disney. Mickey Mouse makes sure ALL of his friends can eat ice cream at Disney. He has SPECIAL ice cream made just for you!
Caleb (gasps with excitement): Really???
Me: YES!
Caleb: YAY!!!!!!!!! Let's go eat ICE CREAM!!! Let's go NOW!!
Seriously, for a mother of a child with food allergies, you do not realize what a big deal this is. What kid goes to Disney and can't eat ice cream? The folks at Disney are AMAZING when it comes to food allergies. They make sure all their guests are treated fair and are taken good care of. A chance to be like every other "normal" kid is well worth the money you shovel out for a trip to Disney!
The last night we were there, we went to a character dinner at Chef Mickey's. Again, this was another great dinner and they were awesome with Caleb's allergies. We got seated and the Chef came to our table to personally take Caleb on a tour of the buffet. For those of you who don't know, a buffet is NOT an ideal dinner for a person with food allergies. Think about it, the serving pieces get tossed back into the wrong dish, a guest drops a piece of cheese while making it's way to their plate and so on. For someone with severe allergies, a buffet is a part of their worst nightmare! BUT, not at Disney. As the Chef took us around, he pointed out all the foods Caleb could eat and what we should avoid. Once Caleb decided on his meal (oddly, his favorite thing on the buffet line was the vegetables!), the Chef wrote down what he wanted and then went to the kitchen and prepared the food personally for him on clean dishes, clean pots and pans and ruled out the possibility of any cross contamination!! He devoured his food. The Chef came to check on him no less than four times during the meal to see if it tasted good or if he needed anything else. He also brought him out another special bowl of ice cream and a cupcake made without nuts, eggs, wheat, or milk. (They keep these made for their gluten free guests.) Would you believe Caleb had the nerve to tell me that "These are even better than mommy's cupcakes?!!?" Geez! I lost a baking competition to a mouse! ;) They treated Caleb like a king and all the characters came to our table not once, but twice! They made Caleb laugh, they gave him hugs and high fives and they even danced and had everyone wave their napkins up over their heads. This meal was pricey, but probably the most memorable meal I have ever had! Look at the smiles on this child's face!!!
Trip to the Zoo and other fun things:
As if going to Disney wasn't enough, the weekend after we got back, we took an afternoon to go to Lake Lanier to the Arts and Craft Festival and Boat Show. Caleb had fun (and so did Daddy) getting on an off the big boats and yachts. That evening, we went to an outdoor restaurant on the lake and listened to some live music from the Brat Pak (80's tunes) and had a blast. They had a big sandy beach area, so Caleb played in there for a while.
The following weekend, we made a trip to Zoo Atlanta. Caleb said his favorite animals were the elephants. The Zoo was a lot of fun and came on the heels of a zoo learning theme at Caleb's daycare.
So, as you can see, it has been very busy in our home! We have had lots of good, quality family time. Caleb is growing so very fast. It is just such a bittersweet thing to watch. I tucked him in to bed the other night and realized that this, right this very moment, is such a wonderful moment and I am so very blessed to get to experience this stage of life. To have a young child and mold them and teach them new things every day. You can't get these moments back.
I will conclude with that. This blog post has already turned into a novel and I appreciate you if you made it this far! :) On a side note, be on the lookout. This blogger format is about to drive me batty. I think we will be "moving" to wordpress in the near future. I can't take these crazy formats and I know my blood pressure will rise again after I hit post and it looks funky and crazy and not like what my "preview" looks like. I will keep you updated and where you can find me. In the meantime, enjoy some time with your family and friends and savor every moment you have with them!
