We planned our trip to Disney on one of the last weekends Emily felt okay being on her feet all day during her third trimester. A two and a half hour drive got us on the tram at around 9:00am. We crowded onto the tram with our stroller which refused to fold all the way shut. Maybe it was because we had so much stuff crammed into the stroller, but Zoe was so excited that I didn't mind the water bottles poking into the small of my back. She was so excited for her first time to Disney World, that her enthusiasm was contagious. We headed to Fantasy Land and got in line to see the princesses after only 3 rounds of wrong directions. Fifteen minutes later, Zoe was in the presence of her adored Cinderella. A usually talkative Zoe, wearing her Cinderella costume, was speechless. She stood there with a giant grin on her face, literally wringing her hands. Cinderella, Belle, and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty for those of you without a little girl) all showered her with attention and Zoe barely managed a syllable. Next we got in line for the fairies, and waited for a good 45 minutes. Thank goodness we brought plenty of snacks (seriously, there is no other way to keep a toddler waiting in a line - even physical restraint wouldn't work for very long). Silvermist, Tinkerbell and Rosetta were waiting to greet us, and Zoe was - once again - star struck. Mommy had removed her costume (despite her screams of protest) to reveal a red sundress with tiny flowers that all the fairies remarked upon. It was one of the few times we had no need to ask Zoe to smile for the pictures. After fairy hugs and kisses, we tugged Zoe away as she declared - not "goodbye" - but rather "I'll see you again later" to Rosetta. The pictures of her with the princess and the fairies are all over her room and in an album that brings back joyous memories of a two-year-old. We headed for the carousel, which we revisited twice more that day, and which she was never satisfied to leave. She referred to It's a Small World, as the the "boat ride with dolls." She endured an excruciating long line for Dumbo, that included several tantrums, an almost nap, and an adult-sized helping of ice cream. While picnicking on the sidewalk, we were surprised by a parade including Toy Story's Woody and Jessie, with whom she danced. Several other parades had Zoe wide-eyed and waving at characters who often waved back, if they spotted her, as the tiny red-headed tot in the front row who was truly captive to the magic of Disney. Mom searched through a crowded store, while I took mini-laps with Zoe in the stroller just outside, trying - in vain - to get her to take a nap. She moaned and kicked and screamed until I spotted Emily at the door. I headed over to her and, somehow, Zoe conked out, just before i reached her. We draped a temporary canopy over the sides of the stroller and let her doze as we wandered through the noisy park. We set up camp along the sidewalk of Main Street with dinner from Casey's, and ate while she slept. She awoke as it was getting dark and the parade route was reaching its most crowded. Soon the evening parades began with all the lights and revelry that Disney could muster. Zoe could not sit down. She smiled and jumped up and down while waving frantically, right through the fireworks. We muscled our way to the store in Fantasy Land for Zoe to pick out her special toy to remember the day. With some "help" from Mommy, she chose a soft and cuddly pink polka-dot Minnie Mouse that she will cherish for a long time. The monorail and tram were so crowded that it's amazing we only lost one thing on our way back to the car (her tiara. And, no, we didn't tell her it was missing). Never mind, she snuggled into her car seat with Minnie, and was soon asleep, no doubt reliving the colorful, musical, noisy, crowded day that Disney never fails to deliver. At home, a week later, she said to one of us - "You know Disney World? I go there sometimes." We can hardly wait to take her there again (preferably on a day when Emily isn't pregnant and having contractions caused by trekking all over from "Land" to "Land"!).
