Race Recap: 2017 Wine & Dine Half Marathon

On Sunday, November 5th, I took on my third Wine & Dine Half Marathon (if you want to know about race 1 & 2, check them out HERE and HERE). This was my first time running since runDisney changed the race to a morning race. I have never been thrilled about the change. I loved the night race, the after party, and the uniqueness of the old Wine & Dine. But I digress...

This year, we stayed at the Hilton Bonnet Creek. They have awesome race morning amenities! I started my day surrounded by "cheerleaders" and inspirational signs, while having a bagel and hydrating. It was a great kick-off.

Always a great start to a race!

We arrived at Epcot, then had to do the long walk to the buses to be transported to the start line. This was definitely a drawback of staying off property, but really wasn't too bad (it was definitely worse after the race). Once we were at the Magic Kingdom parking lot, we had plenty of time to use bathrooms and rest before the start of the race.

My running has been way less than stellar lately, so my proof of time got me in corral E. I'm definitely not complaining, because my pregnant self was not planning on a lightening speed race. Boy was THAT the truth!

The course didn't feel much different than the January half or the Princess half to be honest. It was another early morning race, you got a few different areas of WDW, and you finished outside of Epcot. I just did get much of the "Wine & Dine" feel. It was very much like most other runDisney races. Now don't get me wrong, running in Disney on a bad day is better than anywhere else on a good day. I just missed the night, the lights, the wine at the finish line, and the specialty of this race.

Yep, lot's of bathroom stops

Now let's talk about me: I had a terrible race. I wasn't properly trained and little dude was dancing on my bladder the whole time. I ended up taking 7 bathroom breaks and walked the entire second half. It definitely didn't help that I was running on tired, blistered feet from days of non-stop Disney. It was really unfortunate, because the day had the makings of a great race. The weather was perfect, the course was easy to navigate (only got stuck a few times by pacing groups), and the mood was great from other runners. This was my last real "run" of my pregnancy. I'm definitely ready to get back to running well-prepared and happily.

This was my first look at Pandora

Overall, I'd still say Wine & Dine is a favorite race of mine, I just wish it would go back to being a night race. I know it'll never happen, but a girl can dream! I love that time of year at Disney, and we were able to straddle both Halloween and Christmas in terms of special park decor. I like that generally it is a smaller race weekend when compared to Marathon or Princess (still haven't run Star Wars, so I can't speak much in comparison).

Registration for 2018 is now open (and some races are already sold out)! Make sure to register ASAP! Also, I'd be happy to refer you to friends who are Authorized Disney Vacation Planners if the race you are looking for is sold out. I have great friends in high places :)

Glad to have the anniversary Coast to Coast!

So, about this blogging thing...

You know how life gets crazy busy and some things just don't get made a priority? Well, blogging got put on the chopping block for the past 6 months. It's just reality. I didn't have the time or energy to keep up with it. Well, let me give you a quick update and then let's get this thing going!

So, we are still a family that loves running at Disney, but WHOA, a lot has changed! First, of course, there's the whole runDisney cancelling west coast races. Since we ran more of these than WDW, that significantly cut down on our runs. Now, don't let this fool you. Since my last update, I've run the Disneyland Challenge/Dumbo Double Dare and we went down to WDW for Wine & Dine 2017. I'll have to share my thoughts another time. Of course, we're also planning a BIG family trip for marathon weekend 2019. Unfortunately, 2018 does not have us visiting the mouse at all. Seriously. I might need therapy! In fact, this is the first year since Bill and I met that we will not see the big cheese. That brings me to our next big change...

Robby was thrilled to find out it's a boy!

The main reason for no trips (or running) is any day now we will become a family of four! Yes, we are super excited to welcome another little pirate to our family. My official due date is March 27th, but we are all hoping he comes a little earlier so Bill gets some extra time home with him. Life is about to get REALLY interesting!

That brings me to some more personal stuff. I've been working on some college courses to apply for a doctorate program in physical therapy. I'm super excited about starting a new chapter in my life as a PT. I have always been so passionate about helping people with their physical health, this really was a no brainer (except for the whole student loans, going back to school, taking a few years to chop away at some prerequisite courses, blah blah blah)! I'm also going back to being a "work at home" mom--because let's be honest, I have a million work from home gigs going on! I'll still be teaching English online, running my online fitness business, and teaching group fitness classes locally.

Oh, and of course there's that running thing! The honest truth is running has NOT been a priority in my life. I'm missing it greatly, though, and I look forward to getting back out there. I'm going to actually take my own advice and start slow. I know, I'm shocked too! In fact, I'm starting right at the beginning with C25K (like I've advised so many clients and friends to do). I look forward to slowly building distance and speed. Who knows? A sub-2:00 half may still even be in my future!

So that brings you up to date on the major life events. I'm happy to be back on the blog and can't wait to share future updates on Disney, running, and our family! See ya real soon!

7 Tips for Running with a Baby

Even though my training has been less than ideal, I've managed to get out a few times with Robby in the stroller. On these runs, I was thinking about being a new mom and trying to figure out this running with a baby thing. First, my soapbox. Parents, it is NOT recommended that you run with your child before 6-8 months. I got these guidelines from both our pediatrician, many licensed physical therapists, and the good old internet. Please check with your child's pediatrician before hitting the road (we're there all the time anyway, might as well add it to your list of questions). Now, here are my top 7 tips (why 7...well...that's how many I had):

My favorite running buddy!

1. Check the stroller: I have a BOB Revolution (which I love), and the tires do lose air. You want to be sure that the stroller is in good condition and the tires are filled. You will notice a difference when they aren't--the stroller will feel wobbly and unstable.

2. Use one hand to push the stroller (and don't forget to switch): Keep a steady push with one hand and swing the other. It's super convenient if you're using the Galloway method to make sure you're switching hands on each interval. Otherwise, just try to remember to switch from time to time.

3. BUT use two hands over bumps: I found it a lot easier to keep control of the stroller over bumps if I just gripped with both hands for a few seconds. If not, the stroller veered off course and it interrupted my cadence.

4. Keep the stroller away from your belly: You want to keep the stroller about 6-12 inches in front of your belly, which should be about the distance of keeping a 90-degree angle in your arm that's pushing. Keep it at this distance consistently.

Our running path even marks bumps!

5. Don't lose your form: Mid-foot strike. Arm swing. All that good stuff shouldn't go away just because you're also pushing a stroller. I've been keeping Robby in his infant carrier on the stroller, so he's facing me when we walk (not run--again, check your specific stroller for guidance as mine stated not to run with the carrier attached). I've noticed that I tend to look down at him, putting my neck and spine all out of alignment. Do regular checks of your form; you may not even realize how out of whack you are!

6. Don't bring the whole kitchen sink: The stroller is big. Babies come with lots of stuff. Resist the urge to bring it all with you. I like to live on the edge, so I don't even bring a diaper or change of clothes (not that I recommend that).

7. Find a well-paved path: Our new hometown is country (okay, it's really suburban, but it feels country to me!). We don't have sidewalks, streets are curvy, and there's a whole lot of 'nature' around us. Luckily I found a great paved running trail a short drive away. It's made it so much safer to run with Robby!

Baby bonus tip: Remember, your little one is on the run too. Don't forget sunscreen, a hat, and some toys and/or snacks to keep him occupied while you run!

I write this post first as a new mom, then as a running coach. I'm definitely not the end-all, be-all expert. My running mamas-what would you add?

Progress Post: 4/14/16

If you remember, I've been working on getting back to fit after baby S made his debut 3 months ago. Today, I can say that I've made teeny tiny steps toward that goal. Here's where I'm at:

Cardio: I can't do much in terms of intense workouts yet. My knee is really acting up, so I'm basically stuck walking. I taught a few Zumba and Hip Hop classes last week, but by Sunday I was paying for it. A nice 3 mile stroll last night with the baby felt great!

Strength: I'm still teaching my Saturday class, but for myself, I'm hitting daily PiYo workouts. I turned to this program when I was recovering from knee surgery, so I thought it would be the perfect way to ease back into strength training with a ton of gentle stretching. I've only just started, so I have plenty to still work on.

Nutrition: This is the piece that I'm being most aggressive with--I'm sticking to the 21 Day Fix plan, and doing pretty well. Of course, my weekends are my enemy, and Chris & Katie are heading out to visit for a few days, so I'm sure I'll be a little off-track. I definitely notice a difference when I get all my veggies and proteins in. My energy is so much better!

Health: My knee is the nagging problem these days, so I made an appointment to meet with my orthopedic surgeon on Monday. I'm not planning on another surgery, but I'd like his opinion as to some options. I'm holding onto the hope that when I regain some strength and flexibility, my knee issues will resolve themselves. 

So there it is! Some progress--definitely NOT perfection, but I'll take progress any day!!!

The Honest Truth

On Sunday, Robby turned one month old! It's been a whirlwind month, full of happiness, ups and downs, and trying to figure out my new role as full-time mommy. You want the truth? I have NOT had any focus on nutrition OR working out! Yes, I took a few walks, but I have mainly been at home, on the couch, vegging out in front of the TV and binge eating junk food. I stocked my fridge with healthy options, but even eating a ton of healthy foods makes the scale move in the wrong direction.

So it's time to get real, get honest. I spent (almost) all of my pregnancy eating healthy and staying fit. Yes, I slid a bit toward the end--I was just too tired to workout hard and well, I have no excuse. I just got into some bad habits. So I'm putting it out there--I'm changing things up and getting back to my healthy self! Here's the plan:

Nutrition: I'm going to follow the 21 Day Fix meal plan, adding extra calories to ensure I have enough to continue to breastfeed. Lots of water too to keep myself milky. Of course, Shakeology daily to get in my daily dose of dense nutrition!

Fitness: This one is a bit harder because I feel like I've lost a lot in this area. For the rest of this month, my goal is walking at least 3 days per week and running 1-2 days per week. I have the inaugural Hot Chocolate 15k at the end of the month to keep me on track with this goal. I'm also planning on adding PiYo twice per week. It's the perfect new momma workout since it focuses so much on the core.

Time will definitely be a challenge, especially when I go back to work next week. I tell my clients all the time that time is just a terrible excuse, I can't use that as an excuse either! It's time to practice what I preach! Let's do this!!!!

Welcome to the Family--Part 2

I'm still recovering and adjusting to life with a newborn. It's hard to believe he's already 2 weeks old!!! Time is FLYING!!! If you missed Part 1 of my labor & delivery story, be sure to check it out HERE before reading. And now, here's the fun part--where we actually get to meet our little prince!

We got to the hospital around 3 a.m. and they brought us straight to labor and delivery. To be honest, I really could have lived without the wheelchair, but it was their policy, so I just wheeled along. We headed into triage and I was just hoping not to be sent home. There was something about being admitted; in my head that indicated we'd meet Robby soon. They checked me and I my water did break the evening before, as I had thought, but I was only 3 cm dilated. We headed to our room and I was immediately hooked up to IVs and monitors. My birth plan was to move as much as possible, so we kept disconnecting the monitors so I could walk, rock, even use a "birthing ball" (yep, fancy name for an exercise ball that they probably charge people 5 times as much for since it's for labor).

Once we hit the 24 hour mark, I was really tired and pretty much over it. The staff turned over and we got the BEST nurse! She was awesome and so supportive of me and my choices. The hours kept ticking by, and Bill need to make some important phone calls. At around 27 hours into labor, they checked me again and I was at a 3.5 cm dilated. The nurse tried to make me feel better by saying a 3-4, but really I wasn't making much progress. My midwife finally came to check on me, and we had to have a tough conversation--she wanted to prepare me that since I was progressing so slowly I might have to start on Pitocin, since once my water was broken for 24 hours the risk of infection becomes a factor.

I had wanted an all natural birth--no medication and definitely no drugs to induce or move things along. I had watched all the Netflix documentaries and really had put a lot of pressure on myself to do things as nature had intended. Finally, after somewhere between 27 and 28 hours of labor, I very teary-eyed looked at Bill and asked for an epidural. It was not what I had wanted, but I was exhausted and knew that we were in for a long day. About half an hour later, I got the epidural and was finally able to rest. I could not help but to feel like I had somehow failed; I was weak and not doing what was best for my child. That feeling sat with me for a few days, but now that he's here, I have no regrets.

As an added bonus to the epidural, the anestesiologist asked "did you know you have scoliosis?" Great. Just add insult to injury. Because of that I had some difficulty getting my right side to numb up. I ended up needing an extra boost a few hours later. It's really a weird feeling, but I don't know if I could have gotten through labor without it.

Pitocin was started to help move things along. They were super conservative and I only needed the very lowest dose. It got me moving, but also put Robby is a small amount of distress. Add in the oxygen! My all natural, granola labor was a faint memory! I don't know how, but the hours just ticked and ticked by.

I finally started to progress, and around 7 p.m. my midwife came back for delivery. We tried pushing once, but they wanted me to labor down for another 15-20 minutes to get him moving down. They positioned me, and of course, as just one more boost, I threw up. The midwife and nurse said this was a good sign that he was moving down. Finally, it was time to really push. That was the best and easiest part--5 pushes and he was here! I guess all that working out was helpful for something.

Photo Credit: Bella Baby

He was absolutely perfect--ten little fingers, ten little toes. 7 pounds, 12 ounces. 20.5 inches. A little bit of strawberry blond hair. All 39 hours were worth it, for sure, when I saw his little face. We had waited 40 weeks and 3 days for this little one to arrive; it was amazing. We are actually parents!

We've already had him in some great Disney outfits and imagined what our first trip to Disneyland will be like in September. He's already primed for a big finish at the 2016 Disneyland Half Marathon Diaper Dash! The future of this Disney baby is bright, and we can't wait to share some of his best Disney moments with you all!

Welcome to the Family Robby!

It's official! Disney Runs in the Family has grown! We welcomed our little prince Robby to the world on 1/7/16 at 7:53 pm. No, it's not really running or Disney related, but trust me, this little guy (and I) participated in the marathon of all marathons, ironically enough during the WDW marathon weekend. And hey, since it's my blog, I can share what I want--and I can't wait to share my labor story.

The newest member of Disney Runs in the Family

I'll start with a quick summary: 39 hours. Yep, that says it all! With that in mind, I figured a multi-part post was in order.

My due date had come and gone (I was due January 4th). Oddly enough I never even thought I'd go this long; I always assumed I'd have him early. He apparently had different plans. There's something really strange about waiting to go into labor. You're just sitting around, hoping to have a sign that something was going to happen. You take everything as a sign--I stubbed my toe, must be labor; the light twitched, must be labor; my hair looks bad; must be labor. I think we Googled "what does a contraction feel like" at least 100 times. People kept telling me "you'll know" but that wasn't good enough.

Our little runDisney family

It was true, though. Around 5 a.m. on Wednesday, January 3rd I was woken up by some significant pains in my belly. They were different, more painful, and I had the urge to get up and move through them. I paced in my bedroom for a little, then decided to grab Bill's phone and start timing. Yep, it was different, and I was having contractions every 7-8 minutes. Woohoo! It was finally starting. I had planned a beautiful, natural labor, so I took a long, hot shower to get myself in a relaxed mind and body.  When Bill woke up, I let him know that I was pretty sure I was in labor. It was all very calm and relaxed. My mom was still at our house, and I really just wanted to be alone, so we spent a lot of time in our bedroom just being quiet.

To move things along, we headed out for a morning walk. It was peaceful and relaxing, but the contractions weren't really progressing any quicker. I also tried to nap but the excitement and anticipation combined with the contractions didn't leave much room for rest. My contractions slowed (even to as little as once every 10-11 minutes) but they never stopped. I ate small, energizing meals. I was doing everything I had read and seen to move labor along and make sure my body was ready to welcome this new little one into the world.

The night kept progressing, but the contractions never got more frequent than every 7-8 minutes. We binge watched a few new shows on Netflix (that I now have to go back and start over, because apparently I wasn't actually paying attention). Around 9 pm my water finally broke. That started to move things along, but not nearly as fast as I thought it would. We kept timing contractions and debated going to the hospital. My plan was to labor at home as long as possible. I wanted to be in a comfortable place and able to move around without being constantly monitored. We finally decided to go in around 1:30 a.m. so I took a long, hot shower, finished packing the hospital bag, even put on a little makeup and fixed my hair (hey, I knew there were some really important pictures in my future). The hospital is less than 2 miles from our house, so we arrived around 3 a.m. It was our last time driving anywhere as a family of 2. Our lives were about to change!

Stay tuned for part 2! I know you already know the ending, but it's about the journey!

Pregnancy, Nutrition, and Running--Oh My!

Well, we're getting close now, and it's almost D-Day! My due date is right around the corner and we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the newest member of Disney Runs in the Family! Sitting here at 38.5 weeks in the middle of the holiday season, I'm feeling a little reflective of my pregnancy journey and how proud I am that I have made staying healthy a top priority for myself and my little man! Yes, I'm bragging, but why not? It would have been much easier to "eat for two" and spend 9 months living on Netflix!

During this pregnancy, I ran 3 race weekends: The Tink Half, The Disneyland Half, and The Avengers Half. The first two, I did the challenges with the 10k on Saturday and the Half on Sunday. I'm pretty darn impressed by that. My training wasn't perfect. It was actually far from perfect, but it's still a major accomplishment that I am very proud of. One half marathon per trimester--that just sounds really cool! I also managed to keep up with my other workouts, still teaching classes at the gym until 35 weeks. I had to eventually give it up, though, because I couldn't get through the hour of jumping around without using the restroom. I'm still taking classes and getting my workouts in, but I've really had to modify now that the baby is sitting low and we are close to the end.

One thing that I KNOW helped tremendously has been my nutrition. I really tried to stick with a healthy diet, rich in protein, fruits and veggies. Of course I had Shakeology daily to fill in any gaps with nutrition and drinking lots and lots of water was a top priority. My energy was a little low the entire time, but luckily I haven't had too much trouble sleeping except for the past 2 weeks. I also have not had any medications and only had to suffer through one quick cold right after Thanksgiving. All in all, I was super healthy. Of course, I attribute part of that to the choices I made, but I have to admit that I was lucky too.

Now, we are at the sit around and wait part. Depending on who you ask, I'm either already full-term or will be within a few days. I personally really wanted to get through Christmas, and that looks pretty good. Once I hit 39 weeks, though, the eviction notice will be served!

I have to admit, I'm really excited to get back to running fast and working out hard. Between my knee surgery last year and pregnancy this year, I haven't been able to work on speed in a long time and I'm ready to set some big goals! My first race will be the Hot Chocolate 15k in Vegas on February 28th. I know I won't be breaking any records, but it will be nice to be on a course with friends for some fun running! (By the way, if you're interested in this race, use my code LASVEGASBUFF3 to get extra swag in your bag) I'm hoping recovery from labor is quick and I can get a good month of training under my belt before race day, but I won't make any promises.

Stay tuned for our big birth announcement--hopefully sooner rather than later! We can't wait for our little monster to arrive!

A Gender Reveal Fit for a Prince!

During the 2015 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend, we had BIG plans, not just to race, but to officially find out the gender of Baby S! When we knew we'd have the ultrasound just a few weeks prior, we instantly thought of Disneyland as the place we'd want to find out. Since our families both live in different states, it just made sense to have us all meet at the Happiest Place on Earth and celebrate.

We started with Disney Dining--We made our reservation for dinner at Carthay Circle for the night of the Half Marathon. We knew we wanted to be done racing and be able to stay out late and enjoy. When I called, I explained that we wanted to do our gender reveal for dessert and they were able to start the process right then and there.

In less than 24 hours, I was put in contact with a Disneyland Pastry Chef. From there, it was pure magic! She helped us in picking the size, design, flavors, and even sent pictures of images so we could decide what we wanted. A few emails back and forth and our cake was all set. Well, except for one small thing...we didn't know the gender.

That had to wait until we had our ultrasound. The tech sealed up an envelope for us, and it was sent directly to Disney. I had my fingers crossed it didn't get lost in the mail, and within a few days we had an email with a "congratulations" and confirmation that the results were received. I have to admit, it was a bit torturous to know that a tech and the Disneyland bakery knew if it was a boy or girl, and we had no idea. Those 3 weeks dragged on forever, and we were so preoccupied during race weekend, I could barely focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

Finally, we had our dinner at Carthay Circle. It was delish, as usual, but we were all ready for dessert from the moment we sat down!!! In fact, the cake had been delivered earlier in the day, so the whole staff was ready for us to have dessert too--they wanted to know if Baby S was Team Mickey or Team Minnie! The cake was beautiful, but definitely not too beautiful to cut into. A few pictures, and we were ready to cut. There was no mistaking, it's a boy! Team Mickey won!

I cannot thank Graciela, the Assistant Pastry Chef that handled this entire process, enough! She made our experience so special and completely stress-free. I could not have dreamed of a better way to make this very special announcement. I never doubt anything Disney does, but this truly blew me away in how perfect it all turned out!

Have you ever done a special event at Disney? How did yours turn out?

I'm a For Two Fitness Ambassador!

I'm thrilled to announce that I have been chosen as a For Two Fitness Ambassador!  You know that fitness and health is my PASSION, so it has been a top priority through my pregnancy.  I have a new focus--I'm not worried about PRs or pants size--I'm focused on providing the best for my baby and me both through pregnancy and beyond.

I found this company on Instagram and instantly fell in love with their cute "for two" designs, even before I was pregnant.  It should come as no surprise that my first piece of maternity wear was workout gear, and I instantly turned to For Two Fitness for my first outfit.  I put my "Toning For Two" shirt to the ultimate test this past weekend on a 7 mile run in HOT, HUMID Nashville, TN.  (I know...running with a toning for two shirt?  Guess I should have bought the running for two first!)  I absolutely LOVED it.  It was super soft and comfortable, plus it stayed put.  It was long enough for even my torso, plus stretchy enough that it will last through the next 5 months.  As every runner knows, humidity can be your worst enemy (helloooo chaffing!), but I was pleasantly surprised that this shirt did not chafe anywhere!  I will tell you that some other items that I wore that morning did not quite stand up as well...ouch!

I love that this company is dedicated to not only supporting healthy lifestyles for mamas-to-be, but also providing fun, cute, flattering clothes that accentuate your bump.  As women, we spend our lives trying to lose those last 5 pounds, tone up, or find that miracle cream to get rid of every imperfection.  It can be emotionally difficult to watch the scale go up, even though we know that it's for a very good reason.  The last thing we need is a big potato sack to wear when we are doing something great for ourselves and our babies.  While it's great that the apparel is high quality and made in the USA, I appreciate even more that I felt confident and proud while wearing it!

As an ambassador, I not only get to tell you about how great this apparel is, I also get to give you the same deal I get--25% off your entire order!  At checkout, enter coupon code "FITFUNLIFE"  Visit their site www.fortwofitness.com.  I'm headed there now to get that "Running For Two" tank!  Happy shopping!

As an ambassador, I get a 25% discount that I can use and pass along to you.  These opinions are, as always, my own.  I was not compensated for this post, nor do I profit monetarily from your purchases.  I'm just a fit mama hoping to help others!

Pregnant in Disneyland

This past weekend I left Bill at home and took a girls' trip to the Happiest Place on Earth!  It was a blast to be with all of my Disney geek friends!  Of course, Disneyland is a bit different when you are pregnant.  Truth be told, this wasn't my first pregnant trip--we had been there twice while pregnant, but it was before we made the big social media announcement, so we had to keep things hush hush. 

Now that it's out there, here are some tips and tricks to traveling to Disney while pregnant:


1. Bring lots of water and dress comfortably.  My friends were all cute, Disney bounding, and dressed in full Disney gear.  I opted for comfy shorts, a tank, and sneakers.  I also had a refillable water bottle attached to my bag that I kept full all day.  As it bumped my butt while I was walking, I was constantly reminded to drink lots of water.

2. Get a map.  If you're anything like me, you know those parks inside and out.  I never take a map, but on this trip, the map gave me two important pieces of info: where the closest bathroom was and what rides I needed to avoid.  Look for the red triangle, but common sense would tell you that it's most of the roller coasters.

3. Use FastPasses!  You can't ride the rides, but your friends and family will want to, so to make your wait at the exit shorter, take advantage of the FastPass service.  When all else fails, the single rider line works too.

4. Drink up!  We usually will stop for a drink at some of our favorite spots like Trader Sam's and Carthay Circle.  Of course, alcohol is off-limits, but I was surprised to see how many non-alcoholic options were available.  I'm talking fun mixed drinks, not just soda and lemonade!

5. Take a break.  I'm still deep into my "fatigue" stage of pregnancy where there is not enough sleep to be had.  Each day, mid-afternoon, we headed back to the hotel and rested for a few hours.  It was exactly what I needed to make it to midnight!

6. Enjoy the "others" at Disney.  There are a million fun things to do that have no big drops or free falls.  Parades, fireworks, and my personal favorite, the Animation Academy, can provide a ton of fun and entertainment.  Take this time to ride all the Fantasyland rides that you might skip for a spin around Space Mountain.  Oh...and don't forget about all of the great food (that could be it's own blog!).

Six isn't quite the best round number, but hey, that's where it ended!  Any other mamas-to-be have any other tips?  I have two more Disneyland trips planned while pregnant.  What am I missing?

Disney Runs in the Family is Growing!

I've been a little quiet lately--on the blog, on FB, on IG, on Twitter.  Maybe it's because I'm the world's worst liar.  Maybe it's because I can barely lift my head off a pillow when I'm at home.  And maybe, just maybe, it's all of the above for a very good reason: Our family is growing by two ears!

Photo by Disney (THANKS for a great picture!)

I wanted a place to share the story, because it's pretty funny and so appropriate for me and Bill.  Why?...well, we found out at Disneyland, of course!  It was Monday, April 27th and we took an impromptu Disney trip for a special Annual Passholder Event.  We arrived on Sunday evening and on the walk back to the hotel, stopped at CVS to pick up a pregnancy test.  Honestly, I didn't expect anything, but since we'd been trying, I wanted to be sure before riding Space Mountain and hitting up Trader Sams!  I woke up early (as I always do), and took the test.  I was stunned when after three minutes there was a faint line.  I shoved Bill in bed telling him to "Wake up--I need you to look at this!  You can go back to sleep after you look!"  See...hilarious!  Like he'd actually go back to sleep after seeing the test!

The geeky two we are jumped right onto Google; me on my laptop, him on his iPad.  Our conclusion was to go back to CVS and get a digital test.  We threw on some clothes and headed out--it must have only been a few minutes past 6 am at this point.  Grabbed a digital test, headed to the hotel, three more minutes, and "YES" appeared.  We were really, truly, 100% pregnant!  We weren't quite ready to share the news, so it was going to take some finessing, since we were meeting up with Chris and Katie at the park.

Oddly enough, Katie's first conversation was about the weird dream she had the night before--I was pregnant and had to move back a corral for the Tinkerbell Half.  Whoa.  She should be a psychic.  For the record, I didn't move corrals, but yep, Tink Half was baby's first half marathon!  This secret was going to be HARD to keep!  We waited a few weeks to tell family and close friends, but now, it's officially out there.

On Tuesday, before going home, we were able to snap a few pictures to help announce the big news.  Of course, we also bought Baby Stater his (or her) first Mickey Mouse.  A special thanks to the photographer at Disneyland.  Isn't it the most perfect picture?  We snapped a few more for ourselves.

I'm so excited for this new adventure, and I'm sure it will be quite the adventure!  We have a long way to go before January 4, 2016, but I'm sure it will fly by.  Diaper Dash here we come!

First visit!