Disneyland. 2011. Again!

We are back! 

Back from our second Disneyland trip in 2011. 

We had a wonderful time.  To be perfectly honest it wasn't as awesome as when we went in January, but it was still an excellent trip.

There were several reasons why we didn't have quite as good of a time this time around.  Some of them were BIG reasons.  Some were small reasons.  Don't get me wrong. We really did have a fabulous time, but these were the main "issues" we had, ordered from minor to major:

1) Pirates of the Caribbean (our favorite ride) was closed for refurbishment.  It's closed for several months so it's not like we could have changed our trip by a few weeks to have gone on it.

2) There were way fewer characters available for autographs and pictures.  See number 4 for an explanation as to why there weren't a lot of employees milling about in body encapsulating fur covered costumes.

3) It was just ever so slightly more crowded.  Still not crowded like during the summer or over winter break, but there were noticeably more crowds than in January (when we shared the park with about 27 other people).

4) The heat.  My god, the heat.  Tuesday it was in the low 90's.  Wednesday it was 103.  Thursday it was 101.  If it hadn't been so hot we wouldn't have really noticed that there were more people, but waiting in line for 10 minutes when it is 70 degrees is way more tolerable than waiting in line for 10 minutes when it's 103 degrees.

5) There was the issue of me being a patient at Anaheim Regional Medical Center for 17 hours.  I'll talk about that in a future post.  I'm fine.  Elliott is fine.  Those 17 hours were a real damper on the trip though.

It was reeeeeeeeeeeally hard to do, but we kept the whole trip a secret from Spencer until the morning we left.  We told him right after he woke up on Monday.  We actually had the foresight to take a video of us telling him.  It's really cute. I've been working on trying to upload it for, like, 2 hours.  I'm giving up.  I'll try to share it at some other time.

This is Spencer on Monday morning right before we left.

He was ready to go!

Tuesday morning.
On the way to DISNEYLAND!

It was all decked out for Halloween.

We went to Fantasyland first.  For some reason the Peter Pan ride always has a long line and we wanted to go on it first while the line was short(ish).

We bought a real Disneyland sanctioned photo/autograph book this time.  That's why it was disappointing that we didn't meet quite as many characters.

This is Pirates of the Caribbean.

They are either remodeling or fumigating.  Not sure.  Those dirty pirates do go from port to port.

Critter Country was closed in January, so Spencer was pretty thrilled to meet the Winnie the Pooh characters.  And go on the ride.  About 100 times.

The Haunted Mansion was extra spookified for Halloween.

We got our daily dose of ice cream.

This time we actually watched the parade.  We had a great spot and it was a really fun parade.

Spencer was ROCKIN' out to the music.

Best picture.  Ever.

Disneyland closed early on Tuesday  for a special trick or treating night.  Tickets for that were an additonal $50 (each) so we headed to California Adventure to end the day.

Here's what you can look forward to on Day 2:

More characters

Us looking hot and sweaty

Me heading to the ER

Too funny

I have to share Spencer's list of medications a lot: every time he has a doctor's appointment or we go to a specialist or I fill out forms for school or we end up at the ER.  I made a chart of all of his stuff months ago but I have yet to print it, laminate it and stick it in my purse/the car as was my intention. 

Every time I have to list his medications I have to think reeeeeeally hard about what the real names are for the stuff he takes, because this is what we call his medications:  medicine, breathing, nose, hair, yellow and blue.

Medicine is children's liquid Zyrtec

Breathing is either one of his inhaler's (Proventil or Flovent)

Nose is nasal spray

Hair is scalp oil

Yellow is hydrocortisone cream for his face

Blue is triamcinolone cream for his body

This is what yellow looks like:

Spencer's eczema is so well under control that we have not yet had to fill the new prescription for yellow that we got at his check-up in February.  The above tube is 1 ounce.  Each refill came with 5 tubes, so 5 ounces.  We had 2 tubes left at the time of his appointment 7 months ago.  Those 2 tubes have lasted us until now. 

That's how little we use.

Let me repeat, because this is important.

We used 2 tubes, or 2 ounces, in 7 months.

I called in his refill a few days ago.  Michael went to pick it up.  He comes home and all wide-eyed tells me I need to take a look at this (indicating the prescription).

This is new yellow:

What you are looking at is a 16 ounce vat of hydrocortisone ointment.  Yes.  1 pound. 

We put a tiny bit on Spencer's cheeks and ears at night. 

That's it. 

At the rate we use it we'll finish this vat in four and a half years.

Yes.  I did the math.

Yes.  I needed to use a calculator.

Yes.  It took an excessively long time to calculate and may have included a chart on the back of an envelope.

Here's a side-by-side comparison of old yellow and new yellow.

And here's the cute kid at 4 years-1 month.

I might have to start a semi-yearly "vat of yellow" usage update post.  It'll be really boring.  I'll just take a picture every 6 months of how much is left until Spencer is almost 9. 

I'll think about it. 

For the birds

My friend Elisa and I have been friends since the day I was born (in as much as two newborns can be friends).  Our mothers were friends before/during their pregnancies and Elisa was born 2 months before me.  She and her mom came to visit me and my mom in the hospital when I was born.  We've been close ever since.  She was a bridesmaid in my wedding and I was one in hers.

She is also Spencer's godmother.

Obviously we need to get these two into a photo studio because the most recent picture I could find of the two of them together is from Spencer's 1st birthday.

Elisa got Spencer a subscription for Chirp magazine last Christmas.  He loves it.  We read them over and over and over.

One of the issues from the summer had instructions for making a bird house out of a juice carton and popsicle sticks.

Spencer "made" the bird house with Papa (Michael's dad).  By made I mean Papa did ALL the work and Spencer "supervised".  By supervised I mean he played and occasionally stopped by the table to see how things were going.

Once it was done and the glue dried for a few days he painted it with Gramme (my mom).  He really did paint it. 

It is now hanging off the porch in the back yard.

So far no birds have moved in. 

They're probably offended by the residual orange juice smell.  Either that or they take one look and think, "well, the space is nice, but we'll have to repaint the whole thing before building a nest."

We're very much looking forward to the day our tenants arrive.

We have a list of birds that we do not expect to live in there:

ostrich

peacock

duck

crane

eagle

flamingo

The only type of bird we can think of that is able to live in there is "small". 

So, come on small birds.  A rent controlled, shady spot is waiting for you.

Michael

I have two Michael stories that are too good not to share.

#1.  The three of us were sitting at the table eating dinner.  A typical night.  I was looking at our glasses and just sort of thinking out loud.  I told Michael and Spencer that we got those glasses as a wedding shower gift, so we've had them for almost 10 years.  I thought it was amazing that we had a set of glasses that we have used every day for almost 10 years, have moved 4 times and have never broken a single one.

The next morning Michael knocked one of the glasses over in the sink and it shattered.

Now we have 9, because, also strangely, although we registered for 12 somebody gave us 10 and I somehow never went and bought 2 more.

#2.  All three of us got up on Thursday morning and were getting ready for work, work and going to Megan's house (me, Michael and Spencer respectively).  I was telling Michael and Spencer that I had a funny dream that we were at the grocery store and were at the check-out line.  All of a sudden I remembered that we had forgotten the coffee creamer and I sent Michael running to the back of the store to get pumpkin spice coffee creamer.

Then Michael tells me that he also had a dream about the three of us.  He said, "we were driving in the car.  You (meaning me, Natalie) were driving and all of a sudden, with no warning, you just drove us off a bridge."

Well thanks a lot.  Shows what my husband's unconcious mind thinks about me.

Rain rain don't go away

Right now, as I type this, it is Tuesday night.  9:33 pm.  It's 64 degrees outside.  Let me say that again. 

64 DEGREES. 

We haven't felt temperatures like this since May.  Maybe even April.  The front and back doors are open and there is a glorious cross breeze blowing through the house.

We had a nice storm tonight.  It was preceded by a nasty dusty storm.  That part was yucky, but the wet stuff falling from the sky was lovely.

My poor, rain-deprived, Arizona kid couldn't get enough.

Yes.  We let him play in the rain run-off from the roof gutters.  He probably has asbestos in his lungs now.  We did make him take a shower after.

This little lady was not so enthralled by the storm.

She stayed inside and shook with fear.  She tried to find some comfort from the Thomas tent because she wasn't getting any from us.

The summer monsoon was a bust, so I'm hoping for more of this delightful fall rain.

Pearly Whites

We have fabulous health insurance.  I really have no complaints about it.  I gave birth to Spencer, in a hospital, and stayed for 2 days and we owed $0.  Nada.  Not even a co-pay.  Not even a penny.  We got all the statements showing what insurance covered and it was in the tens of thousands of dollars.  And we paid nothing.  Now with Elliott I paid $10 for my first visit and every visit since has been covered by the original $10,  since they are considered follow-ups. 

Our dental insurance, on the other hand, is terrible.  It sucks.  It's ridiculous.

Way back when Spencer was a baby our dentist told us that he should start going when he was 2 1/2 to 3 years old.  We had an open enrollment when Spencer turned 3 so we added him last year.

Problem?

Our insurance covers no pediatric dentists.  None.  Not a single one.  They will not pay for anything.  I called around and found that the cheapest we could self-pay at a pediatric dentist was around $500.  Ouch.

O.K.

Brainstorming.

We thought....we'll just take him to a family dentist.  So I called every office on our plan within 25 miles and found that none of them accept kids under the age of 4. 

Great.

So, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists recommends that kids go to the dentist at age 1 (if not sooner) and we can't get a 3 year old in to see any dentist with our insurance. 

Stupid.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

You have no idea how frustrated I have been about the whole thing.

But now that 3 year old is 4.  So off to the dentist we went.

The verdict?

No cavities.

Hardly any plaque build-up.

Healthy gums.

We're brushing his teeth correctly.

Hooray.

In 3 weeks we go back to see the orthodontist (who was my orthodontist) for the 2nd time.  We went last year when Spencer turned 3.  They weren't able to take any x-rays or pictures because he wouldn't cooperate.  We're hoping to get both this year.

He's starting orthodontic treatment in a year so we can avoid the catastrophe that was my jaw.  He'll wear a little mask at night that will slowly stretch his bones as he sleeps.  Then he won't have to have the same surgery I had.   It's going to be expensive, but avoiding that surgery (in my opinion) is worth about 2.4 BILLION dollars. 

Spice

When we were in Tucson last weekend Spencer and I got some late birthday presents from family we hadn't seen because we hadn't gone down there for 2 months.

My Aunt Karen and Uncle Terry gave me this pack of Penzeys Spices.

 Two cinnamons, nutmeg and ginger.

The very next day my brother, Nick, gave me all of this: a bottle of Florida Sunshine Spice Blend, Italian Fair Spice Blend, Coconut Sugar, Blueberry Sugar, Black Truffle Sea Salt and Lime-Coconut Smoked Sea Salt.

Do you think my family is trying to tell me that my cooking is bland?