Disney Continuing the Fun

After all the excited on Tuesday we were hoping for a little rest on Wednesday. We had our helper scheduled to meet us at 1:00 at Magic Kingdom so we decided to head to Hollywood Studios for a quick breakfast and some rides. Now for most people this might seem silly to go to one park early and expect to get anything done by noon but in the land of Ivey things work a little different. Staying at the Fort Wilderness Cabins we can get to any park in less than 15 minutes then add in the disability parking placard and the life-time Mitchell Fast Pass we are golden.

In less than 3 hours we were able to eat breakfast, ride Toy Story mania and the Great Movie Ride, play in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playset, watch the dance show, meet some character and have ice cream - with time left over. At this rate we will run out of things to do by Friday. Steven went out on a limb and stood in line to see Stitch while the girls & I waited for Daisy & Donald.

What a big change from Steven standing across the street while we had all the fun. March 2007

Next we drove to Magic Kingdom. Rock Star parking again, and as we boarded the monorail we bumped into Tara our helper. Our first stop was going to be lunch and I had to find a place to suit all of our needs. I had the Undercover Tourist app on my phone that gave locations and menus for all restaurants at parks and resorts as well as wait time for rides and parade times. Entering the park, I made a B-line for fast passes at Splash Mountain and met the rest at the restaurant. While eating I reiterated the game plan so we'd be on the same page and not waste any time. Since we can no longer refer to the Haunted Mansion as the Fun Mansion, Steven can read, he opted out and I gave him the choice of waiting outside with Tara or going into the Hall of Presidents. Grace says " I want to go with Tara & open presents!" What? She repeats and then I understand and explain it's a show with people and she would find it boring and go into the story of 2 years ago when she hated it so I took her into the lobby and she wacked her head on a handicap bar while trying to run away from me. Oh the memories. Nope, not doing that again. Moving onto the fun, er Haunted, Mansion, we decide to take in the while experience and bypass the handicap entrance. The wait time was only 10 minutes anyhow. UGH. So it's Steve, Caroline, Grace, Mitchell and I waiting in the queue inside for well over 15 minutes. Lights off, hot, ride is broke down and about 150 people crammed into the holding area. Techs walking in and out, no one saying anything but the recorded lady announcing something about the spirits have disturbed our journey today, please stay seated the ride will begin momentarily. Just as we were about to head out, the motors start turning and we are on our way. We got stuck in the seance room but it worked out OK. Exiting just in time to find a great spot for the parade - facing the afternoon sun. Hey, we were in the front row.

The kids really enjoyed the parade and Mr. I don't like to draw attention to myself was being sought out by characters because of his Chinese hat. Even Mary Poppins leaned out of her float to comment on it. After the parade I took Caroline & Mitchell to Splash Mountain while Steve, Tara and the others went to Jungle Cruise & Tiki Birds. Not sure if I mentioned Mitchell's Dynavox crashed before we left home so he has no voice this trip. Waiting in line I heard what I thought was "potty". Not sure how I heard it over the crowd but my Spidey senses must have been on high alert. I asked Mitchell if he had to go and he said it again. Big bummer we had to get out of line but huge accomplishment for Mitchell to vocalize his need. yay Mitchell. Splash Mountain was a little worrisome for Mitchell but I think he enjoyed it anyhow - he likes excitement as much as Caroline & I. We finally met up with our group and finished our time with Tara without any mishaps as in the previous days. We said our goodbyes and hopped the monorail for dinner at Chef Mickeys. Since we can never be "on-time" for anything we arrived 20 minutes early but the wait was bearable. Between potty breaks and the Chef Mickey's the time went fast and our pager buzzed only 3 minutes after our reserved time.

Many people have told me how fabulous Chef Mickey's is but I never imagine it to be this good. There was constant entertainment, even for my kids. Something that can grab the attention of Steven, Mitchell and Grace at the same time is the like hitting the lottery for us. Caroline loves everything so I wasn't worried about her. The food was like, well, real food. And the way they seat you in rooms makes all the seats close to the buffet and dessert bar. The kids scarfed their food and headed for more. Mitchell had freshly made bacon & fries and the others ate multiple ice cream cones. I even enjoyed chocolate mouse - mousse - covered oreos and key lime tarts. So yummy. They really how now to do it right there, next time we might eat there every day!

Sad to think our magical vacation is half over. booo!

Disney In The Middle

What better way to start out Valentine's Day than a breakfast with the Princesses at Norway's Akerhsus Banquet Hall. We had done this before and the girls loved it but this time the boys are coming too.

Breakfast with a Princess is not high on Steven's lists for this vacation but he suffered through it nicely. Princess Aurora teased him so much he scooted off his chair, spending her visit in a corner. Mitchell was was doing very well until he returned from the bathroom, I think mad he was didn't go out the exit, and threw the iPad. Of course it hit a piece of stone wall on the only corner not hidden by the cover and jammed the on/off button. It's out of commission now, moving onto phones to keep him occupied. Grace joined in a procession and helped Aurora lead the way. Each Princess stopped by our table and Grace melted in their arms as Caroline patiently waited her turn

and gave a big smile for the pictures. Caroline has become shy around all the characters, not knowing what to say, but Grace is just like Caroline was at 2, running to them and chatting away. After breakfast we happened upon Mulan and Jasmine for photo ops without any wait.

Mitchell was doing awesome just looking around taking in the sights so the girls could have their fun. I didn't even hear Steven complain at all. The weather was gorgeous and he asked for a hat he saw in China. After hanging out in Germany for a

while Steven and I went to look for his hat. We decided to go to Japan since it was closer than China and maybe they would have a similar hat. I know, not very PC of me. After browsing the large shop in Japan and listening to Steven name over 50 Pokemon stuffed creatures we ran into to Steve and Mitchell running through the courtyard. Something's missing. I appears we have misplaced the girls. We both left Germany thinking the other had them. Oh Crap! We ran back to Germany and the stroller, or girls, are not where we left them. We quickly found a security guard, oddly the only cop looking guy I had seen since our arrival maybe because I wasn't looking before. He took our information and told us to look around for the girls and that they were on it as well. Since I rarely go into panic mode, I remained calm and confident they were ok. As long as they were together I was pretty sure they were fine and if Grace was on her own, there would have been some commotion by now and security would have already been notified. We split up, Steven and I taking Germany on first then I thought maybe Caroline heard us talking about the hat and went to China. Sure enough, as we approached China I saw them coming over a bridge with 2 cast members by their side. The ladies were very nice telling me how great a big sister Caroline was and not passing judgement as I know some people will. They said Caroline was not worried at all and that mom and dad would be around. They had been playing with puppets in a shop and a vacationer notified a cast member they seemed to be alone. The ladies were heading out of the shop to get a hold of security because the cell phone weren't working inside and then they were heading back to Germany where Carline said she last saw us. When I texted Steve to say I had the girls, security had just called him to inquire the color of Caroline's dress. It seems they had 2 girls in Mexico that matched our description but in pink that had been misplaced as well. I'm sure this is just another day for them. After that, Steve was spent (yes, his stress level was at boiling point) and we decided to call it a day. After buying Steven his hat, it was the least I could do, we went back to Fort Wilderness to swim. Much to my chagrin, this through off my schedule completely. We missed a parade at Hollywood Studios and dinner at Pizza Planet. We ate at Magic Kingdom after we struggled to find a place with something for everyone. I spent the rest of the night rearranging our agenda to make sure we would do everything we came to do. At the pool Steven & Caroline found kids to play with and Grace made a new friend as well. She also no longer needs me in the pool with her to cling on to - yay! Mitchell did his usual run along the edge until he found a good spot to jump in. When he started jumping into the hot tub and splashing people Steve went to relax over there.

The earlier struggled seemed miles away as the day ended. A view of the castle lit up at night is a magical sight.

Disney Part II

We made it to Orlando and are ready to start our vacation. Even though we will be renting a car on site at Disney we opted to take the Disney Magical Express from the airport to our hotel to save us the trouble of handling our luggage. Back in Chicago I had misplaced 2 of the Magical Express tags so we need to claim our 2 car seats before heading to the bus check-in. Sounds easier than the Iveys can make it of course. We rode the elevator up & down then up again before we figured how to make it back to B to catch the Express, baggage claim was on side A. After 1 hr and 2 stops on the Magical Express we arrived at the Fort Wilderness Campground. There is a overwhelming feeling I get at the Walt Disney World. It's a mix of relief (that we made it) and excitement, but it's a great feeling! Unfortunately we had to travel with our winter coats as the weather was dipping into freezing this particular night but promising the rest of the week. Check-in went smooth and we settled into our cabin close to 10pm. Luckily I thought to pack PJs in a carry-on, as our luggage didn't join us until 11pm or so. If you've never been to the Fort Wilderness Cabins it is perfect for larger families. Consisting of 1 bedroom with bunks and queen bed, full kitchen and family room with murphy bed and couch, it works extremely well for us. Like always though, I get the raw end of the deal with sleeping arrangements. Grace likes mommy alot as may know so I get her, but then Mitchel needs darkness and quiet to sleep, so here we are in the bedroom, lights off, silence. Caroline on top bunk, Mitchell on bottom and Grace in bed with me sitting on edge, searching for movement from Mitchell and occasionally putting my hand up in a stop motion and saying "get back in bed". Luckily everyone was pretty tired by now so it wasn't long before I could put my head down as well. Big days lie ahead and I'm going to need some rest. 9:30 Breakfast reservations at Wilderness Lodge will be here before I know it.

I awake to Steve telling me it's 8:30 and I shoot out of bed thinking he missed the shuttle to get the rental car but he assures me it has already been done. Wat a nice guy! Heading to breakfast we are wearing our coats but 10 minutes later we don't need them. 60 and sunny in Orlando is way different than the same in Chicago. We eat breakfast at the Whispering Canyon at the Wilderness Lodge and the kids are so excited to have milkshakes to start their day. Grace joined a parade of galloping stick ponies and Mitchell's nut allergy lead to meeting the chef.

We spent the day at the Magic Kingdom and Steve referred to our hired helper from Kids Nite Out as an insurance policy. It was nice to not force Steven to go on rides he didn't like because we could have him do something else with our girl. She also came in handy when Mitchell had the runs and Steve had to search every store for pants only to end up with pajamas from the first store at the park entrance. Grace fell asleep in the stroller and we didn't need to wake her to go on a ride. It worked out well. The kids had a great time at Magic Kingdom on our first day. The t-cups were a big

hit and Steve took a video too, check it out on the youtube link. Steven traveled outside his comfort zone and onto Alladin's Carpet Ride but balked at the idea of Pirates of Caribbean. Baby Steps.

We ended the night at Epcot. Steven and Caroline thought they'd try the Kim Possible Missions and they loved it. The phone they give you to search for clues and complete the missions has a magical effect on certain items within the countries of World Showcase. Throughout the week they made instruments play, chimney on buildings smoke, beer steins open their lids and sing, train whistles blow, lanterns light up and many more. The missions they were given kept them interested in the countries and I think may have even learned a few new facts along the way.

Everyone was exhausted and ready to hit the hay when we returned to our cabin at night.

Disney Part I

Sorry I have been MIA. I was all wrapped up in planning our Disney vacation and then there wasn't Wi-fi at our resort so I took notes and will try to tell our story in the next couple of days. Well we made it onto the airplane as if we had done this a million times. Steve says it's nice how he gets up in the morning, works out, comes home & everything is ready for vacation.

The ride to the airport was uneventful and I was very surprised how empty the check in area was. We only stood in line for maybe 10 min before it was our turn. Checking our luggage, we discovered we were traveling with over 100# of personal items. We did a little shifting around at home after figuring out steves clothes were quite heavy. It was touch and go for a few minutes about my dad getting an escort pass for security but I gave a woeful look and the manager said security wasn't too busy so go ahead. She commented since it was only 2 children to each adult they might not see the need for extra help. I wanted to tell her that a child with Autism was the same as at least 2 kids on his own, I kept my mouth shut & told Steve I would handle it. My dad got his pass and we headed to security. That went surprisingly well too. The "family & people with liquids" line was off to the side and no one else was in it! It took us some time to fill the 9 bins we needed and they had to stop the conveyer so we could get everything off but they didnt argue with me about food and juice I had and the TSA agents thought it was cute when grace started screaming & crying for her bear that had to be xrayed. We are almost to our airport destination.

By the time we got to our gate it was 3pm, so 1 hr to kill til boarding. Originally when I called SW air I was told our whole party could preboard with Mitchell but the gall at the gate advised 1 could board with him and try to save seats but she would suggest we do family boarding for travelers with kids under 4. I took our chances and I was getting nervous when all if boarding class A started on but when they called for family boarding there was plenty of room for us. I might try for an A slot on way home to be safe if I am by a computer at the right time. The flight is going well. Grace is sleeping, Mitchell is on the ipad and Caroline and Steven think the plane ride is so cool. Caroline also likes that she can order a beverage and eat it with her snack on the dropdown table. I don't know why I was so worried. I think flying may be the way of the future for the Iveys. This is actually very relaxing, enough where I can blog at least. Florida here we come.

Full Moon & Storms

The full moon isn't just for werewolves anymore. Like most kids with Autism, Mitchell has heightened sensory awareness. He can feel energies in his body the rest of us don't pay attention to. The full moon and storms can send Mitchell's body into chaos. We started noticing about a year ago that after the moon reached the end of it's cycle Mitchell became a little sillier, distracted and his sleep patterns changed. Then I read a study about Astrological signs and Autism and started to make sense. It might sound like quackery to most but when I mentioned it to our therapist she agreed she has definitely seen changes in the kids she treats over the years. All with the same reactions as Mitchell. Google fuul moon and Autism and you'll see I am not alone. So now I have an App in the my phone tracking the moon's schedule and sending me alerts. The same situation occurs when a storm system heads into to town. When the air pressure changes it causes a disturbance in the force and Mitchell can sense it. It is so hard for him to process daily activities and sort them out, imagine with having to place the weather and moon cycles in there somewhere too. The full moon was the 7th but combined with the weather changes and snow, here I am this morning awoken at 4:30 but sounds of laughter and a wide awake 5 yr old who didn't want to go to bed even at 10:00pm. Doesn't he know the rest of us need sleep? We are hoping he can work thus out before our trip. We need to start planning better I guess.

Time for Chillaxin

I made a list this weekend, at Steve's urging of course, of things to get done each day before our trip. The Lord works in mysterious ways. For today I only had phone calls to make. Steven chose today to develop an ear infection so Dr for him and no school. Mitchell's Monday therapy was cancelled so I don't need to leave the house at 3:30 and return at 5:30. It's so nice to not have such a structured schedule today. I could have taken something from tomorrow and added it to today's list but I figure that will just throw off my chain of thought. So I was able to hang with the kids, have grandma & grandpa over for Sonic chili dogs and surf the web for airport security measures. Mitchell is home now but Caroline has Art Class which Grandma picks her up from. After dinner I am taking Mitchell to our 2nd support group at Easter Seals in Joliet. This day turned out to be sorta all about me and I like it. Tomorrow's list isn't so bad either with more phone calls added onto dance class for Grace, pick up Mitchell at 1:00 for therapy, back home to get kids off bus at 3:30 then back to pick up Mitchell by 4:30. I'm not complaining at all but when it slows down here for a day, I can really feel myself relax a bit.

Clean Bathroom

I've managed to get through 13 yrs of marriage & 4 kids without the messy toilets I hear about from people who struggle daily to keep them clean. Steve is a clean person, a little OCD, Steven sat to pee until 1 st grade and Mitchell chose to sit when we potty trained 6 months ago. I always loved that my bathroom didn't require as much maintenance as others. Out of the blue, last night, my dad went to check on Mitchell in the bathroom and found him spraying it with his pee. Why wouldn't he it looks like so much fun? So everytime he went to bathroom today I had to follow with paper towels & clorox wipes. I was amazed at how far that spray goes. Wow! And now it seems like he's going less often so he can get a longer/higher stream. Maybe yhat's just in my head. Is this what I have missed all these years. Our bathroom is getting much dirtier but ends up even cleaner because it's bring disinfected every couple hours. I am curious though what caused this chane in his behavior. He doesn't watch anyone else go potty so is it just an instinct that kicked in? The way he does it, like not pulling his pants all the way down, isn't something we taught him, he just does it. So messy, gross bathroom and all this is a HUGE step for Mitchell. Might be considered a minor milestone for other people but a relatively large one for us in that it makes him more typical. Wish I could get into that brilliant mind of his and see how he figures it all out.