A pre-baby family trip
We took a much-needed break about a month ago. Shortly after finding out we’ll soon be adding another little addition to our family, and took a little road trip out to Barton Creek Resort for a night.
I don’t think this will end up being our last-hurrah as a family of three, but it was a fun way to celebrate our family growing.
I worked a half day (that week I was working sometime like 10 days in a row) and picked Lil’ J up from school early. We headed out to the resort, got a tour, and chilled while we waited for her daddy. On the tour I realized it was the same place American Idol filmed in Austin last year. Neat random fact.
We were hungry when we got there, and I was in a hurry so we didn’t stop for lunch. We ordered room service up to our spot. Lil’ J wanted “noodles”… her current favorite food. And I got a juicy cheeseburger. I think she was surprised to see food come to our room and even more excited to eat on the bed.
We headed down to the pool, where on our way we ran into a giant chess board. I’d never seen anything like it before… Well, except on an episode of Sesame Street. She was fascinated, so was I.
My husband showed up and joined us at the pool. That night was her first night sleeping in a “toddler bed” of sorts. The love seat folded out to a little bed, that we made for her (she’s too rowdy to sleep with us, plus we wanted our own space). She kept sitting up and asking if “We go night night?” YES! We told her 10-million times. I decided I’d “pretend” to sleep to get her to fall asleep and ended up passing out before she did. Since then, the hubs is convinced she’s still not ready for a toddler bed (I disagree).
The next day was the day I desperately needed and was waiting for. We got up early, went to breakfast, then Lil’ J went to the Kids Club to play, her daddy went to golf at Fazio Foothills, and I went to the spa.
My husband never gets to golf anymore, we’re so busy, and it gets expensive with all the clubs, rounds, etc etc. So I was really happy that he could go play at a really nice course and enjoy himself. He deserves it!
Massage, sauna, hot tub. Peace and quiet time to myself. It was even more than I had dreamed it would be. They have some kind of girls getaway spa package where you can go to the spa, pool, and have lunch. I think it’s something I’ll have to hint to the hubs for my birthday or something.
I felt bad cause Lil’ J cried when she realized she was going to a kids area and that I’d be leaving her, but when I came back after leaving the spa she was giving hugs, dancing around, and having a good time.
The resort reached out to me and invited us to check it out. To be honest, at first I worried it wasn’t going to be a good fit for us. Resorts usually give me an upscale vibe and make me worry about bringing the whole family there, but this place is about as family friendly as they get. They have fun family seasonal packages too.
Lil’ J was so excited to pack her own suitcase and bring it to and from the room. It’s definitely a little adventure we’ll have to treat ourselves to more often. Especially a time or two before she becomes a big sister. Next I’m sorta debating Disney World pre-baby while pregnant, or post-baby, years later? Decisions decisions!
aah! she’s getting SO big! sounds like you guys had a blast, i’d love to find someplace like that around here to go to.
She is so adorable playing with the huge chess pieces.
btw, de-lurking to say that I think Disney after baby but when still an infant is the best time. While pregnant you will be exhausted and swollen OR BOTH! But, I’ve been told by friends they enjoyed Disney (during off-season) with their first kid when their second was ~1-3 months and slept through everything.
Great advice! Thanks! This makes me feel better cause I’d love to go during maternity leave or go on a Disney cruise next fall!
Disney world is what you make it for the kids. I’m not in to the princess and castle stuff so I rarely talk about it at home. When we got to disney, my kids were not feeling it. I should have amped them up about a month before with all things disney instead of trying to surprise them.I will take them back in 2 years. The pregnant people I saw looked miserable with fake smiles on their face. They were all 7+ months though. So I think disney after you have the baby would be better. You can carry the baby in a sling and keep it moving and plus he or she will have some pics at disney world.
Looks like a great trip!!
I went to Disney around 11 weeks last time (almost five years ago–we had planned the trip before we knew I would be pregnant) and it wasn’t that bad. I crashed pretty early at night most nights, but I really felt pretty good. It made my all-day sickness pretty much disappear, too! This time around we’re going in November. I’ll be 23-24 weeks, I think. This time we couldn’t help it because my in-laws are taking the whole family (they got a timeshare when they went last year) so it’s not like we could be the party poopers! We did plan around it so I wouldn’t be massively pregnant or have a REALLY new baby, so this is really as good of a scenario as we could have had, aside from having a three-ish month old or something that would sleep. The bummer for me is that for the second trip in a row I won’t be able to go on any roller coasters or big rides, which kills me because I LOVE that stuff. I wouldn’t miss my son’s first trip for the world, though! I’m a little nervous about getting tired or sore, but with five kids among us, we’re only doing a park every other day and I’m sure we’ll take a lot of breaks. It’ll be fun, I have no doubt, but you just have to consider your desire to ride rides, how much energy you’ll have, and how you’d feel about nursing every three hours in the middle of the park 🙂
I wouldn’t take this as any indication of a toddler bed. I was terrified to move C who is a month younger than Lil J, but she did remarkably well with it. I just have to be firm and tell her to stay in bed on occasion. She is absolutely terrible to share a hotel/guest room with though. She just will not go to bed if she can see/hear us. We usually end up hiding in the bathroom until she passes out…
My parents had the firm rule that you had to be five to go to Disney World..which meant that when my brother turned five and I was two, I stayed home in Michigan with my grandparents. But you know what? I was SO ridiculously excited and grateful to go when I was five, and I still remember it twenty years later! Plus, no one had to worry about who watches the baby/toddler when everyone else wants to go on the fun rides.
My hubs and I now live 25 minutes away from Disneyland, but I think I’m going to keep my parents’ rule so my son is aware, grateful, and capable of remembering the experience always..though hubs and I might sneak off next month with free passes before I’m pregnant with #2!
I can’t believe how big she’s getting. So tall. She’s going to make such a great big sister, look at those smiles. And I say Disney pre-baby. If you are at all uncomfortable you can always rent a cart and precious girl can get a ride sitting on mommas lap. 🙂 My cousin is 8 months prego (she’s a surrogate) and she rented one and said it helped a whole lot
Glad that you all had a good time! What a great way to celebrate the soon to be new addition and getting in some bonding time with J.
I’d say Disney pre-baby, but as soon as possible. I went 12 weeks pregnant and had a blast. I had just gotten over the morning sickness and was getting some energy back. I don’t think I would have gone much after the halfway mark. I did see some big baby bumps, but those women all looked exhausted. When we went, it was definitely a slower paced Disney trip than we’re used to, which was fine since it was just the 2 of us. As far as the rides, as someone above noted, you won’t be able to do the rollercoasters and bumpy rides (I think water slides are out too if you went to the water parks), but you should be able to ride most of what your daughter can ride (with the exception of things like the safari in Animal Kingdom – no height restriction, but I wasn’t allowed on due to bumpiness), so that should work out nicely. The only potential problem with my suggestion of “as soon as possible” is that if you were interested in doing character meals, they can be hard to get into unless you book a reservation well in advance. But look into it if you’re interested. You can book meals 180 days in advance. I’d also suggest looking into their non-peak seasons. We just got back from a trip last week and lines were super short. We’re going back the first week of December for my daughter’s second birthday and hopefully lines will be somewhat short like they were that time last year, but they’re opening a new section of Fantasyland the week we’re there, so I’m doubtful. January-Feb is also a good time, crowd-wise and temperatures are great. Just avoid holidays/times kids will be out of school.
We went again for my daughter’s first birthday and she had a blast (even if she won’t remember a bit of it!), as did the rest of us (we took all grandparents and aunts and uncles), but I’m not sure how well she would have done much younger. I did see a few VERY little babies – some happily asleep, some screaming. I guess that would have to depend on your next baby’s temperament as well as your postpartum state of mind (I had PPD) and level of energy. Plus keep in mind, if you’d be staying in a hotel, everyone would be in the same room as the newborn, so you may all end up exhausted from the parks and with no one sleeping because of the baby.
If you want any other advice on Disney, we go a lot, so I’ve got tons of experience – just email me!