The Vacation That Almost Wasn’t…

Mom a la mode is back from her family’s Disney Dream Vacation, and it was truly one of the most memorable vacations on many levels. 

For starters, it was my son’s first time on an aircraft and sea vessel, and it was our first time traveling as a large group.  As you might have read in a previous post, I was quite nervous about how everything would shake out.  And many of you were so kind to contribute advice for traveling with a tot, things to see/do/eat within Disney, etc. — so much so, that I was starting to feel officially pumped and prepared to embark on our summer adventure until – wait for it – my son had uncontrollable diarrhea for two solid weeks leading up to the trip, capped off with a fever and head cold just 18 hours before we were supposed to leave.

Sigh.

What was a mama to do?

What any calm, level-headed mother would do — in this order:

Called my mother; had a mini-meltdown of my own; called the pediatrician and brought my son in to be seen; cancelled my day-before mani/pedi appointment; cursed the MMR shot (which I was convinced suppressed his immune system, thus leaving him more susceptible to catching bugs); inquired about our trip insurance; called the pediatrician again; put everyone in the family on alert that Roc, the hubs and I may not be going; cancelled a small family birthday party for my husband; put a game plan together for driving down to Florida (in the event that Roc developed an ear infection and could not fly); scoured the blogosphere for tips on traveling with a sick toddler; rescheduled my mani/pedi appointment; started to catch my breath and regain my sanity once I read that this is not uncommon in the least – that the Murphy’s Law of traveling with kids is, in fact,  that the more kids you have, the more likely you are  to either be:

a. travelling with a sick kid
b. vacationing, and your kid becomes sick
c. returning home with a sick kid

A shimmer of hope could be seen upon my third visit to the pediatrician when the wonderful Dr. Smith gave us his blessing — just 18 hours before takeoff — that Roc’s ears were clear, his poop situation was under control and his low-grade fever could easily be managed by Advil and Mickey Mouse.

Jiminy Cricket, we were going on vacation!

I kept telling anyone who would listen to me that I didn’t need to go on Space Mountain once we eventually did get to Disney World, because I felt like I was spinning in a dark, otherworldly centrifuge with all of my boy’s health concerns leading up to this trip.

But, alas, we did get to Disney World, my son started to get better and I did get on Space Mountain. 

As I gripped the ride’s safety bar, screaming my head off as my hubs and I were whipped around the pitch black Tomorrowland, I nearly forgot all of the drama leading up to the trip.  And from that point forward, any worries or fears that I might have had were washed away by giddy laughs from rides on the Flying Dumbo, and later in the week, the gentle waves of clear blue Caribbean water — as any good vacation tends to do.

More to come later this week!

oxox

-mom a la mode

{Throughout this week, I’ll be posting various accounts from my family’s trip to Disney World and our cruise on the Disney Dream.  Stay Connected: to receive automatic updates of these new posts (and others) simply click “Follow” in the “Stay in the Mode” section on the right.}