We had another long and busy day today, so, at the suggestion of one of the BBA staff members, I ordered room service for myself and Jonah this morning. Having a fresh blueberry muffin, cereal and hot chocolate for two delivered to our beautiful hotel room was a treat in itself. Room service is not something I do; it's decadent and indulgent, and my life has been defined by the phrase "Project Save" lately, so trust me when I say that having this delicious breakfast delivered to our room at 6:30 this morning was more than just breakfast - it was a GIFT!
Jonah was definitely quieter than usual this morning. I think he was still recovering from whatever sickness he felt the past 2 days, plus I think he was scared of getting sick again. He kept asking me for more medicine (the anti-naseau pill I finally got him to take yesterday), so I gave him one again today because I figured it couldn't hurt, and if it was going to make him feel better - at least in his head - then it was worth it.
We all went to Animal Kingdom first thing today for a safari (and Jonah didn't throw up on the bus, so that was a relief)! It was pretty cool, as we got to see all kinds of animals - lions, elephants, giraffes and so many more. But the big highlight of the morning was after the safari when we all went to Animal Kingdom's big - and I mean B-I-G - roller coaster, Everest. Jonah kept saying he didn't want to do it, but when we got to the entrance and I told him I would be sitting right next to him, he changed his mind. He barely made the height requirement, and we walked in. Everyone was saying stuff to him, like "You're going to love this, Jonah!" and "Aren't you excited?" and I think all of that attention made him feel pretty proud of himself.
So we get on the ride, and I start to seriously rethink the whole idea, but it's too late to do anything about it. It looked pretty scary, and I was a little panicked because I just wanted him to love it...and not be mad at me for taking him on such a scary ride! I put my arm around him and held him TIGHT and CLOSE, and then we were off. It didn't ease us into it either! We went fast and steep and down and through the dark, and then as we went up a big incline, we stopped, and there was the abominable snowman and he was tearing up the tracks stopping us from going any further. Then, all of a sudden, we fly backwards and the roller coaster reverses our direction through the dark so we have no idea what's coming next. There was one point where I looked down at Jonah's face and he was looking at me and looked absolutely terrified, but he didn't cry or scream. When the ride ended he looked at me and said, "That was awesome!" When he got out of the car, he was all wobbly, but you could just tell he was so excited. He was clearly the smallest and youngest one on the ride, and I was so proud of him! I asked him if he liked it, and he answered with an enthusiastic, "Yes!" So I asked him if he wanted to ride it again, and he answered with an equally enthusiastic, "No!"
Stacey, Bert's wife and the president of Bert's Big Adventure, was our staff person today, and Jonah was set on going to Hollywood Studios because that's where the Toy Story ride was. As soon as we got there, we ducked into a bathroom so Jonah could put on his Buzz Lightyear costume, then we headed for the ride. It was a really neat ride, too. It's like you're a toy in Andy's room. You are surrounded by all of these life-size games and toys from Andy's room, and then you get in the car, and it takes you through this "maze" of "games." You wear 3D glasses and the car stops in front of screens where you try and shoot as many targets as you can with your laser gun. It is really cool.
The day was long, so I can't remember the exact order of everything we did, but we also got to meet Lightning McQueen and Mater from "Cars," as well as get Jonah's picture taken with a Power Ranger, Frozone (from "The Incredibles"), Bolt, a soldier from "Toy Story" and...Buzz Lightyear again! But this time with Woody too, plus I snuck into the picture too, even though Jonah protested my presence!
I knew Jonah was feeling better because he ate almost all of Stacey's popcorn - like almost took her hand off chowing down so fast! So after a few rides, we went to eat lunch at Pizza Planet. Poor Stacey tried to win Jonah a prize in one of those claw games, where you guide the claw and then drop it down into a sea of toys and try to grab the one you want. It was impossible to get one, but she must have gone through 10 $1 bills trying! Oh, and since neither of us had any $1 bills, she went to a store and got change by buying more stuff for Jonah than we could even fit in our stroller!
After lunch, we went to the Star Wars ride, but right when we got over there, there was a live on-stage Jedi training. I put Jonah on my shoulders, and he got to watch as a Jedi Master came out on stage and picked about 10 kids from the crowd to come on stage and participate. They each got a lightsaber, and he trained them how to use it. Just as he finished, Star Wars music started to play from the loud speakers, and then 2 storm troopers march out on stage with guns and tell everyone to move to the side of the stage, and THEN this scarier Star Wars music starts to play and red smoke fills the stage, and THEN these 2 doors slide open and Darth Vader walks out!! I couldn't see Jonah's face because he was on my shoulders, but his grip on my hands got a lot tighter! Each child on stage got to go up and fight Darth Vader with their lightsaber. It was really cool, and I just know that Jonah thought that was the real Darth Vader and that these kids were getting to fight him for real.
So between this and the Star Wars ride, which we went on immediately after the Jedi training, Jonah decided that he wanted to become Darth Vader. Stacey bought him a Darth Vader costume (mask and all), as well as a lightsaber that lights up and makes that special lightsaber noise. So, of course, we had to go straight to the bathroom and take OFF the Buzz Lightyear costume and put ON the Darth Vader costume. I mean, this whole costume thing really cracks me up. First of all, every single photograph we got of Jonah with a Disney character yesterday and today has Jonah in a Buzz or Darth Vader costume. When he is 20 years old and we are looking at these pictures, I'm sure we'll both be thinking, "Didn't he have any regular clothes?" Second of all, for the rest of the day after putting on the Darth costume, he kept swerving and walking into walls because he was so impressed with his big black cape that he kept turning his head back over his shoulder to try and look at it, and he couldn't walk in a straight line!
By the end of the day, Jonah was exhausted. He kept asking if we could go back to our apartment. That's how nice our hotel room is - he thinks of it as an apartment. I carried him onto the ferry boat, and we wedged into a seat, and he put his head in my lap. He didn't sleep, but he was so tired, so Stacey and I decided to go back to the hotel for an hour or so before going to Epcot tonight. There was no way I could push him another few hours or he would lose it. Sure enough, as soon as we got to the hotel room and he had a quick snack, I turned out the lights, put him under the covers, and he was asleep and snoring in about 30 seconds.
It was tough to wake him up but totally worth it. We walked to Epcot with Stacey, Frankie (another BBA staff person), Kimberly and Devon. Kimberly is another single mom whose son is quite simply precious. Jonah has "clicked" with Devon. At Epcot, we ate dinner at the aquarium, but before dinner, we just all hung out and had drinks and the kids ran around and played. The room was 2 levels, separated by 3 stairs. One wall was all glass and was the wall of the aquarium, so we got to see all the fish, as well as the divers. At one point during dinner, the divers swam over to the glass wall and held up a sign that read, "Epcot welcomes Bert's Big Adventure!" For some reason, it was really emotional. It was just so special that they acknowledged us in that way.
I also got to meet the mom of the little girl who had a liver transplant a few years ago. This was another trip highlight. Maddi had her transplant at the same hospital where Jonah will have his, and she has the same doctors. It just makes me feel that much better about our situation, especially when I see Maddi running around playing with the other kids, happy and full of 5-year-old-energy.
While most of the adults ate dinner, the kids ran around playing. They all get along so well, it's kind of crazy! But they are all sweet to each other, and they all play well together, and they all have a nurturing side to them in the way they treat each other. Each person got a glow-in-the-dark necklace, but instead of hoarding them all and trying to get the most, the kids universally decided to "donate" them all to make one giant glow-in-the-dark loop on the floor. And then, as Jonah was running around with Devon, who has ataxic cerebral palsy and uses a walker on stairs, Devon ran down the 3 stairs - without his walker! It was really to see. He just saw the other kids doing it, he wanted to do it, and he did! Kimberly was crying from excitement, and I think it also made us realize just how special this trip is to all of us. It is truly magical, and for people who aren't here with us, you can't understand, but it is magical.
After dinner, we had a special place set aside just for us right on the waterfront where we watched the show Illuminations. It was a light show of sorts, with fireworks over the water. There was a dessert buffet set up for us as well, and Jonah and Devon ate Mickey Mouse ice cream bars together before we all walked back to the hotel.
On the walk back, Jonah decided to play a game we'll call "I Win." This is a new game I have never seen him play before where he basically says,"The first one to get to ____, wins," and he picks a place about 15 feet in front of him. Then he immediately runs to that spot, and yells, "I win!" But the great thing is that he played it the whole walk back to the hotel (not a super long walk, but also not a short walk for a tired kid who is up 3 hours past his bedtime), and he did it with Devon. So the two of them were running so energetically and so enthusiastically that I actually got run down by Devon and his walker at one point along the way!
When we got back to the hotel room, I promised Jonah we could go get his gifts that Amy bought yesterday at the Magic Kingdom and had delivered to our hotel. When we got them, they were tied to their boxes with those plastic ties that are impossible to get off without a knife or scissors. This was torture for Jonah. Absolute torture. I told him he could sleep with them in the bed with him even thought they were still in their boxes. It goes without saying that he was asleep within 5 minutes of getting in bed, but when I checked on him, he had fallen asleep sprawled out across the bed in full reaching position towards the boxes - like he was trying to reach for them, and then just passed out asleep in mid-attempt. Bless him.
Monday, March 2, 2009
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