Makena's 4 month check up was last Monday. She weighs 15 lbs 14.5 oz, and is 25 inches long. She's growing big and now weighs more than the average 6 month old baby! She has found her feet and loves to grab them and tries to eat her toes. She is getting better at grabbing her toys (and anything near her hands including full cups of water and plates of food...) and she loves jumping in her jumper! She makes some really funny loud noises and will shriek and vocalize and then she'll notice you're watching her and smile. She chews/sucks on her fingers a lot, and sometimes has her fingers AND pacifier in her mouth at the same time!
When she got her shot (just the dtap this time, we've decided to stop giving her the Rotavirus vaccine) she screamed and Pam stood up with her to try and distract her with the circus wall hanging. And she stopped crying immediately. It was like a Twilight Zone moment.
Her Dr asked me how my diet is going, and I said I've been eating dairy again. He said that's okay but her wants to check her poop for blood again. I was supposed to bring in a dirty diaper but she's been pooping less (once or twice every other day or so) and I had forgotten to save one. So we're going to bring one by for the nurse to check sometime.
Then Aunt Holli (Pam's sister) came to visit from May 18th-25th.
It was so great to have the first family member from Pam's side of the family come meet her! Aunt Holli got lots of smiles and it was SO wonderful to have an extra pair of hands around the house! On Thursday night I was sitting in the bedroom and Makena had just finally fell asleep in my arms. Pam came in and whispered to me "Do you want to go to Disneyland tomorrow?"
What?!
Pam was offered Saturday off since it was her birthday, and her boss said she could leave early on Friday too, which meant she'd have a 3.5 day weekend. And Holli had never been to Disneyland except for once when she was very little and didn't remember, and I found some awesome last minute hotel deals, and we had 2 free admission tickets from when we volunteered. We had been planning to go to Disneyland in October, but in November we have a trip to Washington planned for Makena to meet all of Pam's family and we were worried about Pam taking off so much time in a short period. And everything just seemed to be falling into place so we packed up the car and left! (I'm leaving out the nightmare of getting an oil change for the car that morning and being told we needed to replace some other part which made our departure time 5 hours behind schedule...)
So we hit the road and headed to Southern California! The ride was exhausting, Makena doesn't love the car, so she either needed to be entertained or helped to sleep. It's SO hard to be driving and have your baby crying. How uncomfortable would it be to have to be strapped into a carseat for hours?! Not fun at all. At one point (thanks to my sisters suggestion) I even leaned over her and breastfed her while Pam was driving. It was not comfortable for me at all, but it worked really well and she fell asleep! Getting stuck in traffic just made things worse, but we made it eventually!
We checked into the Portofino Inn & Suites hotel around 11:30 pm. Makena had a diaper change, got pj's on, had a late night snack, and promptly fell asleep. Pam and I LOVED having a king bed...it made co-sleeping so much easier! Look at all that room!
Normally when visiting Disneyland I have done extensive planning at home in the weeks beforehand. I type up an itinerary with must see events, restaurant reservation times, and what order to ride the rides in.This time, I didn't even know the park hours. We woke up and took it slow and easy at the hotel room (I gave Pam a birthday card and Makena gave her a gift, but the bag was mysteriously empty so I told Pam to go ask Makena what she did with the present...and she was wearing a shirt that I made that says "Mama makes me laugh!") and then we walked over to Disneyland. The walk was super easy, it was maybe 10 minutes. We got to the ticket booth and redeemed our vouchers and Pam asked if since it was her birthday would they let her upgrade to a park hopper ticket. I told her it says everywhere in the fine print and on the website that they won't allow that, but, in all Disney magic, the lady said we could! The we walked over to the gates and the Disneyland music was playing and I started crying. I was so excited and couldn't believe we were there!
We went to the Main Street City Hall and Pam got her birthday button and Makena got a First Visit button. The guy gave us a lot of buttons, VoluntEARs buttons, Honorary Citizens of Disneyland, Celebrating a Special Moment, Happily Ever After...it was great but then got a bit ridiculous and I think we left with about 12 buttons! I saw Pluto and we went over and took a photo with him, but then I spotted Mickey Mouse and even though the line was starting to get long we knew we just had to wait!
Then we took the obligatory photo in front of the Walt & Mickey statue with the Castle in the background. Pam and I always take a photo there, here we are in 2007-
And here we are in 2010 with our baby! (And Aunt Holli)
We walked through the castle to head to Fantasyland.
First Makena tried to pull the sword out of the stone, but she wasn't quite strong enough. Maybe next time! Then we got on our first ride- the Casey Jr Circus Train! I'd never been on it before, but I assumed it was a train...except it's not really on train tracks. It's more of a roller coaster track, and there is even a little hill. It went pretty fast at parts! Makena loved looking at everything going by.
We hadn't eaten breakfast yet, so we went next door to the Village Haus but they had stopped serving breakfast at 10:30 just a few minutes before we got there. So we had lunch for breakfast! Makena nursed and I saved a table for us while Pam and Holli got the food. The iced tea was so delicious, we went back to get another one. Makena fell asleep so we sat there and let her nap for a while. Then we walked over to the Matterhorn and she and I sat on a bench and Pam and Holli went to get in line. But then the Monorail went by overhead, and honked super loud mere feet above where my baby was trying to sleep. So she woke up and we went to find the girls. But they had texted saying the line was too long and they were in line at Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters instead, so we met them there. Yep, we cut in line. But apparently if you have a baby you can do that! It worked out perfectly. And Makena rode her first "real" ride!I was nervous as I sat down in the car alone with her, but she was totally into it! I think she's too young to be scared of anything right now, she just watched all the lights and I even scored pretty high considering I had her on my lap!
We went back to get in the long line for Dumbo, and Makena was super sleepy and getting fussy. But she made it! I was afraid she would fall asleep the second it was our turn. When you are the next riders to get on they give you a plastic feather sorta as your ticket to get on. I had no idea about that, it was a cute touch. Disney never fails to impress me! Of course the second Makena held the feather it went into her mouth. Gross. I wonder how often they disinfect those things...
I've never been on Dumbo before, and this time Pam held her and I took video while Holli took photos! Definitely not worth the wait, I think it was close to an hour. By far the longest line we waited in. And it was HOT! Most of it was in the sun until then end where they had umbrellas set up. I'm pretty sure that's where Pam and I got our lovely sunburns. At least we made sure Makena was wearing her huge hat and covered as much as possible! But worth it because you just have to ride Dumbo with a kid. Unless you're that couple behind Pam, who waited in a long hot line to make out for a minute in a flying elephant.
Then we rode Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Once again, Makena was mesmerized by all the action! We stopped and took a photo in the teacup where Pam and I took a photo a few years ago. Can't find the photo now, but basically it's me, and Pam, and no baby. But it's a much better photo with our baby in it for sure! (Kinda nauseating with all the pink, but I digress. I loved wearing pink while pregnant, and I'm still rocking the maternity clothes daily so it is what it is! And we can't help but buy Makena pink clothes because they are just so adorable. lol.)
Right by the teacups is the Mad Hatter's store, so Makena tried on some Minnie Mouse ears! Isn't she beyond precious?!?! I love her so much.Next we walked over to It's A Small World (and this was the first time and I think only time we put her the stroller) and I knew Makena would just love the music and dancing kids. We took her out of the stroller and left it in the insanely massive sea of stroller parking. While in line she got fussy and I realized I needed to feed her, so I did, while standing and walking in line! Haha! They say mom's are generally great at multitasking, but come on, I think this tops the cake. I'm ready for my award.
She drifted off to sleep and it was time to board the boat. So on we went, and she slept through the entire ride. So much for her loving it! Oh well, at least she enjoyed an uninterrupted nap!We were ready for lunch so we headed over to Tomorrowland to eat and kill some time before Pam and Holli rode Space Mountain. They had picked up Fastpasses earlier, and it worked out perfectly to sit and eat and take a little break until their time slot arrived. We ate a delicious salad and some more iced tea. Pretty sure I had 3 large iced teas throughout the day. I could've had more too, man it was tasty!
They went on the ride and I went to save a spot on Main Street for the parade. Right before the parade reached us, Makena did a huge poop, and she needed an immediate outfit change. So I quickly pulled the stroller aside and changed a very poopy mess and then we went back to watch the parade. She loved it, kicked her feet and smiled and squealed the whole time. She especially liked the little bikes that went by carrying the characters and the dancers with sparkly dresses.
As soon as the parade was over we went to Adventureland and the Tiki Room had just opened up so we went right in and sat down. The last time I was in the Tiki Room I was 16 years old and in a completely different time of my life. Crazy how much things change!! I had a feeling Makena would enjoy all the singing animatronic birds and the water fountain, and she did. She looked up and around and back and forth. Then we went on Pirates of the Caribbean, and she tried to fall asleep in line. By the time we got inside she was wide awake, so there went another very short 25 minute nap...
Pam asked if it was too scary of a ride for Makena, and I said "No, it's like It's a Small World, just a slow boat." But as we set sail I quickly realized I forgot about the dip. And the 2nd dip. Oops! But she was fine and didn't even notice. And they wouldn't have let us ride with a baby if it wasn't safe to begin with. I really think taking a baby to Disneyland has a lot of advantages to taking an older young child. (like, 2-5 years old.) She could ride mostly everything, has no concept of waiting or being impatient, didn't complain or get frightened about anything, wasn't bothered by any change in a routine since she doesn't have a routine yet, and she was FREE to get in! Sure, she won't remember any of it, but we have adorable photos and had so much fun with her. It was such an easy day, I was so relieved that everything went so well. I still can't wait to take her when she's older and "gets it" and the magic will be so exciting to share with her.Next was the Haunted Mansion, and I fed her and waited at the front door to cut in line once Pam and Holli got there. We went in to the spooky elevator, and there were a few people screaming but then we were waiting in the corridor to board the doom buggy's and more idiotic people were screaming. Stupid people thinking "I'm an adult and this ride is lame so I'm going to pretend I'm terrified because I think I'm hilarious." Makena started to cry and wouldn't stop, and we kinda panicked because we were in a sea of people and there was no cast member around and we couldn't see an exit. Finally Pam just grabbed Makena and hopped over the rope and was pointed towards a door and walked out through a secret exit passage way! I'm kinda jealous, even though she had the screaming baby she got to see a part of Disneyland that I've never seen! haha.
Holli and I went on, and I'm SO glad Makena wasn't there. The jerks behind us continued screaming throughout the ENTIRE ride. It was beyond obnoxious. There was a little girl with her mom in the car behind us and we could hear her crying. I'm sure it was because the people were scaring her more than the ride was! Not cool. When it was done we met up with Pam and Makena had a little snack and then we realized it was getting late so we headed out. Stopped to check out the Mickey Ear hats first though...
Super cute, but we'll buy it once she's older and wants her name on it. The parade was going on as we tried to leave the park, so we stopped in some stores and bought a rainbow Mickey head antenna ball for our car. Before we left to walk across the pavilion to California Adventure we had to take the obligatory photo in front of the entrance Mickey flowers!
Then we took a photo in the last A in CaliforniA.
(I like that you can kinda see the stroller in the reflection. Even though she didn't really use it to ride in, we used it to carry all our stuff and it was great to have. Unfortunately she isn't the type of baby who will fall asleep in a stroller, but somehow she survived on 4 naps throughout the day that were less than 30 minutes each.)Holli and I waited in line to ride Soarin' Over California, and Pam waited by a table with Makena and tried to get her to take a nap. It didn't work and she was fussy the whole time. I sat down to feed her as soon as the ride was over, and Pam and Holli headed over to Paradise Pier to ride the new Toy Story Midway Mania. And a few seconds after the walked away Makena decided she didn't want to eat and needed a diaper change. And I didn't have the diaper bag with me because they took the stroller with them so I wouldn't have to worry about carrying her and pushing the stroller to go meet them. And I didn't have the Baby Bjorn carrier either. I called and texted but they didn't get my messages until I had already carried Makena in my arms all the way over to them across the park. Changed her diaper and we all got in line together.
Makena started to lose it, and we knew it was late and she was way over stimulated. But we got to the front of the line and asked for a parent swap ticket. Pam and Holli went on the ride, and I sat down with Makena on a bench by the exit. They told me it was a 7 minute ride and to just wait there. So I bundled her in a blanket and nursed her and she fell asleep. When Pam and Holli got off they came over to me and I passed Makena over to Holli and Pam and I rode together. What an awesome ride, and SO worth the wait!! It's basically like playing a video game the whole time, and you wear 3D glasses and shoot this little pop gun . As fun as it was, I found my mind drifting to wonder how Makena was doing. We just kinda left them sitting there and what if she woke up and was crying?! What would Holli do with her?? I had no worries that she was safe and in loving hands, but it was the first time we left her anywhere with anyone.
The ride ended and as we were waiting to disembark I craned my neck over the side of the car and saw Holli sitting on the bench with Makena. I gave her a thumbs up and she returned it, meaning that she was still fast asleep! Success! We got off and Holli held Makena outside while Pam and I went to the bathroom.
So sweet. She had her little hand up on Aunt Holli's chin.We left the park and considered taking the bus back to the hotel because we were all exhausted. But we figured by the time we found out what bus we needed and waited for it we could already be back, so we just walked and again it wasn't that bad. Sure our arms, feet, and pretty much every muscle in our bodies were sore, but it was such a great day! We walked in the door a little after 9, ordered dinner to be delivered, and I fed Makena. She fell asleep and stayed asleep for a loooong time! We ate really yummy pasta and all went to bed.
The next morning we got up, packed, checked out of the hotel and drove to Downtown Disney. We had breakfast at The Rainforest Cafe, much to my delight. Makena loved looking at all the huge fish tanks.
Then it was time to shop some more. We wanted to find a shirt for Makena and I wanted a hat. No luck. But we did find a picture frame! The Lego store is always a hit. I can't wait until Makena is old enough to play with my favorite childhood toy!
We decided to hit the road because we were going to have to tackle it eventually. And we wanted to be home in time to watch the Lost series finale! And though we didn't find a shirt for Makena that we loved enough to spend $20 on, we did find this one at a knock off souvenir store as we left. It says "My First Mickey T-Shirt"
And she's just adorable in it!
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