Trip Report ASD and Pooh Sized Dec. 2009

[C&G'sMama]

Sunday the 13th.
Time to leave. We’ve been gone since the 3rd of December. We’re tired. But we don’t want to leave, we don’t want to go home. Usually on the last day we get on the road by 10 or 11:00. This day DP wakes up and looks at me. We could go to one of the parks for a couple of hours. We had a day (or maybe even 2) left on our passes and something like 5 counter service and some snacks. What the heck. We thought about MK but figured that would be hard with DP’s ankle. We’d have to go from the car to the Tram to the Monorail or boat to the wheelchair rental. While we had only been to DHS one day and not at all to AK on this trip we still settled on EPCOT. I think we got there around 10 or so.

We rented the wheel chair and we were off. We’d had to return the stroller before we left so that meant DS would be walking.

We went over to the Living Seas and went through the ride. Then we went to Turtle Talk with Crush. DS was picked out for questions, it was a trip. Don’t ask an Aspie if you don’t want an honest answer Crush: “What’s your favorite thing at Epcot?” DS: “Figment” Crush: OK 2nd Favorite” DS: “ Nemo” Crush: “Okay 3Rd favorite” DS: “Well we haven’t done it yet, but Spaceship Earth” Crush: “This isn’t happening is it” Us: “No” Crush asked a couple of more questions and then talked to his mommies. It was fun.

The best part was after when DS insisted on pushing DP in the wheel chair. Poor DP was a nervous wreck. The only rule I made was that it had to be on a flat spot, no hills. And maybe not through the gates at Nemo. I’m not sure how many times she was driven into the wall.

You know our kids can be a bit stubborn and he insisted on pushing her. When some people looked I was tempted to say “Keep pushing son or you’re not going on any more rides” But, I behaved.

We went to the other side of Innoventions where the kids made paper. I thought that was very cool. The whole time I was tempted to see if we could get a room for the night at one of the resorts but we decided that we would at least get started at some point and get out of at least Kissimmee.

So off to Sunshine Season for Lunch. It was very busy. We found a table and DP sat in the wheelchair. The kids and I went and got food. We ate. Now it’s time to leave. We are at the long bench along the back with lots of tables between us and the walk way. And the place was packed. Getting out was interesting to say the least. But a lot of very nice folks helped us maneuver through.

I don’t really remember the details of the rest of our day. I do know we got fast passes for Test Track for one last time. This was our first time without the stroller so even with the fast passes we had a bit of a wait (we almost always (there was one time we didn’t) use fast passes to get on the rides). I didn’t realize that we bypassed the pre-show with the stroller until that last day. It was hard for him to wait without the stroller. It was a good reminder of why we use it. But all in all he did great. I’m sure we went on Spaceship Earth on the way out.

We had one counter service meal and a snack left on the DDP so we decided to swing by POP century to fill up our mugs and use up our credits. We shared a burger and fries among the four of us and left “The World” at about 6pm.

We made it to Jacksonville at around 9:00 and returned to the hotel we had stayed at on the way down. It was freezing but the kids insisted on swimming. They didn’t last long but they did get in. (I stayed on the deck wearing jeans and a sweatshirt). We went back to the room and went to sleep.

As I mentioned at the beginning we like Hampton Inns because often times they have queen size beds. DS and I always share a bed and DP and DD always share a bed. DP and DD always have the bed farthest from the door and DS and I closest to the door. It’s a routine thing (and DP’s theory is if anyone breaks in they’ll steal us first).

 

[koolaidmoms]

Yes, it is true. We did not want to leave. So after figuring out which park I could best handle in a wheelchair we packed up the car and kids for an extra day of unplanned fun.

The Sunshine Seasons Food Court was a nightmare. DP parked us over in the back away from people as DS did not have his stroller and sitting for any length of time with all this stimuli around is tough for him. The colors, sounds, lights are really very overwhelming so we wanted to be away from most people.

By the time she returned with our orders I noticed it was starting to fill in but my back was to the rest of the room so I really didn't notice. Then we went to leave...

I was literally blocked in at every turn. There was not enough room to get the wheelchair through anywhere. We started by having to ask people to move their chairs and by the time we got out people were having to move tables out of the way.

Most people were very nice about it. A few glares but what am I going to do? I can't walk out... Oh well.

By the way the ramp out of The Land is harrowing when you are heading down it. I knew DP was trying to control the WC to the best of her ability but we were moving FAST! Almost knocked down a couple people but I tried to use my good foot to steer around them. I will be much more conscious of wheelchairs and down hill momentum after this.

We ended our day with a last ride on Spaceship Earth. No one wanted to leave but we made our way to the car.

I thought stopping by Pop Century to fill our resort mugs and use our last CS credit and snack credit was brilliant. We almost stayed but I really felt we needed to get at least a bit of a jump start on getting back. We really did need to return to "the real world" soon. So with a sad good bye to the world we were off.

Some of our more unusual moments on the way home was when DS decided after 2 days in the car he had enough and wanted out. Well we were only in Maryland and live in NY. He was tired, his clothes were too tight, the seat belt bothered him... In other words he was done. We still needed to drive about 4-5 hours that day so he asked to take his clothes off. We let him. He stripped naked we covered him with a blanket he put his seat belt back on. He was happy as a clam.

We were just worried about getting stopped by the police for something. How do you explain two woman and a naked boy in a car in 25 degree weather?

Then we stopped for dinner in PA at a cute little place that DP went when she was a child. It was a HUGE restaurant with a buffet at one end and everyone was there for their close to Christmas luncheons.

DS and DD decided to try pickled eggs. DS and his weak stomach started to throw up on the table. DP grabbed him and dragged him to the bathroom to finish getting sick. Then she had to go find out where to dump the napkin he got sick in. Then she had to come back to the table and get rid of the pickled egg because DS did not even want to see it. The waitress thought she was crazy going back and forth to the dirty dish area but you do what you have to do. DS has decided no more pickled eggs for him.

It was a great trip and we can't wait to do it all again!!!

 

[cm8]

Yes, it is true. We did not want to leave. So after figuring out which park I could best handle in a wheelchair we packed up the car and kids for an extra day of unplanned fun.

The Sunshine Seasons Food Court was a nightmare. DP parked us over in the back away from people as DS did not have his stroller and sitting for any length of time with all this stimuli around is tough for him. The colors, sounds, lights are really very overwhelming so we wanted to be away from most people.

By the time she returned with our orders I noticed it was starting to fill in but my back was to the rest of the room so I really didn't notice. Then we went to leave...

I was literally blocked in at every turn. There was not enough room to get the wheelchair through anywhere. We started by having to ask people to move their chairs and by the time we got out people were having to move tables out of the way.

Most people were very nice about it. A few glares but what am I going to do? I can't walk out... Oh well.

By the way the ramp out of The Land is harrowing when you are heading down it. I knew DP was trying to control the WC to the best of her ability but we were moving FAST! Almost knocked down a couple people but I tried to use my good foot to steer around them. I will be much more conscious of wheelchairs and down hill momentum after this.

We ended our day with a last ride on Spaceship Earth. No one wanted to leave but we made our way to the car.

I thought stopping by Pop Century to fill our resort mugs and use our last CS credit and snack credit was brilliant. We almost stayed but I really felt we needed to get at least a bit of a jump start on getting back. We really did need to return to "the real world" soon. So with a sad good bye to the world we were off.

Some of our more unusual moments on the way home was when DS decided after 2 days in the car he had enough and wanted out. Well we were only in Maryland and live in NY. He was tired, his clothes were too tight, the seat belt bothered him... In other words he was done. We still needed to drive about 4-5 hours that day so he asked to take his clothes off. We let him. He stripped naked we covered him with a blanket he put his seat belt back on. He was happy as a clam.

We were just worried about getting stopped by the police for something. How do you explain two woman and a naked boy in a car in 25 degree weather?

Then we stopped for dinner in PA at a cute little place that DP went when she was a child. It was a HUGE restaurant with a buffet at one end and everyone was there for their close to Christmas luncheons.

DS and DD decided to try pickled eggs. DS and his weak stomach started to throw up on the table. DP grabbed him and dragged him to the bathroom to finish getting sick. Then she had to go find out where to dump the napkin he got sick in. Then she had to come back to the table and get rid of the pickled egg because DS did not even want to see it. The waitress thought she was crazy going back and forth to the dirty dish area but you do what you have to do. DS has decided no more pickled eggs for him.

It was a great trip and we can't wait to do it all again!!!

that was too funny!!! I am so glad that you all enjoyed the trip...

 

[C&G'sMama]

My final installment.

Monday morning we left Jacksonville at about 9am or so and hit the road. We made it to Fredericksburg, VA at about 7:30. They were having a manager's reception (which some but not all Hampton Inns do from M-Th nights). We had planned on ordering pizza when we got to our room. But they said we had until 8:00 and put more pizza on to heat for us and they had a nice salad. I took the kids down to the pool and we went to bed.

We then headed home. We stopped on Route 15 in Lewisberg, PA at the Country Cupboard for lunch. A place where I remember going as a kid the couple of times we headed down to DC and Baltimore. Each of the kids got a Wooden Nickle to buy penny candy (something I remembered doing).

As DP said DS decided he DOES NOT like pickled eggs and he has a very weak stomach (he sees a garbage bag and he starts to heave, it doesnt even have to have grabage in it). I took him by the hand grabbed the napkin he was using, found a place to dump the napkin, got him into the bathroom, took him back to the soup and salad bar with a clean plate, grabbed his old plate he sat down and I found a dirty dish bin. I'm sure I got a few funny looks. But what people don't know is I was able to keep him from yelling that he threw up over and over for the entire restaurant to hear and to keep from making everyone else in the place sick.

We got back in the car, DS took his clothes off and we headed home.

The End.

Thank you so much everyone for riding along with us and letting us share our time. We had a lot of fun doing this.

 

[C&G'sMama]

Here's a couple of more photos from the Photo Pass