Disney World as a Mom

Is there anywhere in the world that's as magical as Disney World (hint: the answer is no)?  The Disney Channel may be a complete disgrace to Walt's memory, but when you walk into the parks, you can clearly see his imagination, motivation and sheer determination to make families happy everywhere you look.  I LOVE Disney World.  If I had the choice, I would live there year-round.  I would take out a hotel room, turn it into my house and then visit the parks whenever I wanted.  Since that's not an option, I treasure every visit I do get to make to my favorite place on Earth.  At the beginning of the month, we had the chance to take our Avery to Disney for the first time.  Let me start by saying that NO, 14 months is not the ideal time to take your child to Disney for their first trip.  There were a lot of naptimes, snack breaks and diaper changes.  I know she won't remember our trip, but I will.  Disney is so great as a child and as a young adult, but it doesn't compare to Disney as a parent.  No, I didn't get to ride Splash Mountain (my faaaaavorite ride in the history of ever) and I didn't get to spend as much time shopping on Main Street as I would have liked and yes, it was a lot of work having her there, but that didn't matter because it meant I got to spend time at Disney with my little girl. 

There were crazy moments (like her very first haircut):

There were some family moments (on It's Small World):

There were some sleepy moments:

There were some snacky moments (discovering ketchup for the very 1st time at Pecos Bills):

There were some special moments (Avery, her "Gaga" and her cousins):

There were some absolutely magical moments (meeting Minnie Mouse):

There's also some little hidden secrets at Disney for parents that "regular" people don't know about.  Disney World thinks of EVERYTHING.  Even the comfort and convenience of those of us with little babies/toddlers at Disney.  They have this little gem called the Baby Care Center.  At first, I thought it would just be a room for parents to change diapers.  It was so much more than that. 

Although I didn't get pictures of the whole thing (I thought people might not like it if I took pictures of their kids), I can describe it to you--and you can look at pictures here.  There was a room full of everything you would need for a baby that you might have forgotten to pack for a day at the parks:  Infant Tylenol and Advil, Desitin, diapers, baby food, teething gel, baby toys, snacks, high SPF sunscreen, Infant Benadryl...everything.  Of course, you have to purchase them, but they're there for your use.  The next room had chairs for breastfeeding moms to sit in and feed their babies in private, along with highchairs, books, toys and a TV playing none other than a Disney movie (the selection of the day was Tangled).  The next room had changing tables everywhere, complete with fiberglass Disney characters hanging on the wall for the babies to look at.  It. Was. Genius.  To you, it may not seem like much, but to me, as a parent with a baby that needed to be changed 15 times while we were at Magic Kingdom (that MIGHT be a slight exaggeration), it was a Godsend.  And just proves that Disney goes the extra mile to provide excellent service for their guests. Just another reason for me to love Disney World. 

It was amazing to discover Disney World all over again through the eyes of a mom.  And through the eyes of my little Avery.  I hope to go again soon.  Very soon.