Let the fun begin MAW/GKTW PTR Chase June 23-29-2010

[yinyanggirls]

It seems to vary from chapter to chapter, and you have to check out of GKTW. They are too full to offer any extensions. Some people have been told absolutely NO extending (Liability issues? someone stuck them with the bill somehow?) and others have been told no problem. Thankfully we were told no problem and our chapter just made our return flight for the date we requested. We check out of GKTW and return the rental car and then we are on our own. I read somewhere that you can move your flight for a fee with the airlines directly, rather than go through MAW, but I don't know the details.

 

[kellyw8863]

There is soo much to do in so little time. I really wish I could extend our trip even for a day or two. I wonder if that's even possible.

Well it's finally the weekend. Didn't get a chance to sleep in at all. But I don't mind. Looks like we're going to watch a movie and then see what the day brings!

We were able to extend our trip after signing boatloads of paperwork indicating that we don't hold MAW responsible for any of the planning or finances. We're only able to extend by one day because of our work schedules, but we're all pumped to spend a night at AKL to kind of decompress before heading home. As for the nebulizer, MAW asked us what medical equipment Ali uses on a regular basis. We listed the nebulizer as a strong possibility (we were planning on bringing our own), and when we got the wish paperwork last week, it indicated that one has been rented for us and will be in the villa when we arrive. So if it's something that you do or might use, I would let them know. My guess is that GKTW has a relationship with a local DME vendor.

 

[wish_upon_a_star35]

I will definitely talk to one of th wish granters about the nebulizer. Both of my little ones use it every day. That would be great if all I had to do was bring the meds and not lug the machine! One less thing to pack.

It would be cool to be able to stay at least one extra day! I think some of the tickets are good for two weeks right? That would give us an extra day to at least go to the beach or enjoy another park. Then maybe we wouldn't have to squeaze in two parks in one day.

I guess I will look around and see if I can find a reasonable rate someowhere. I wouldn't have any problems signing any paperwork at all! They've already been so great to us!

 

[kellyw8863]

I will definitely talk to one of th wish granters about the nebulizer. Both of my little ones use it every day. That would be great if all I had to do was bring the meds and not lug the machine! One less thing to pack.

It would be cool to be able to stay at least one extra day! I think some of the tickets are good for two weeks right? That would give us an extra day to at least go to the beach or enjoy another park. Then maybe we wouldn't have to squeaze in two parks in one day.

I guess I will look around and see if I can find a reasonable rate someowhere. I wouldn't have any problems signing any paperwork at all! They've already been so great to us!

That was our thinking, too. It will be nice to have a day to just sit around and do nothing and not feel guilty about it. We booked our room through travelocity.com and paid almost $100 less than what was advertised directly through Disney. I hope that they don't give you a hard time and that you're able to extend.

 

[wish_upon_a_star35]

Haven't posted any pictures in a while!

Here is Selah with her favorite girl Dora!

The kids all trying to squeaze in the picture while we were at the park!

Pictures of the kids in one of the double strollers at one of the parks, lol. I sure can't remember which one!

Selah's Adoption Day Party Cake!

Courtney with her face all painted up at the party!

It was waaay past her nap time!

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

Adorable pictures!

 

[yinyanggirls]

Cute pics! When we adopted Tessa it was National Adoption Day and the courthouse was so festive! I love that you guys had a party for Selah!

 

[wishin' on a star]

Great pics! I can't wait until you get your news about dates!

 

[wish_upon_a_star35]

Hello everyone! I am going crazy waiting to hear about the dates!!!! The wish granter that I've beenin contact with is out of town this week. So I'm not sure if the other wish granter will call me this week with good news or not I can tell already this is going to be a long drawn out week, lol.

So here's what I did last night to keep myself into the spirit of GKTW and Disney! I dug out my Disney bag! I should be ashamed of myself because I haven't put together a scrapbook from Selah's trip yet. I guess I will be busy this summer doing both of the books!

Anyway I pulled out all of the park brochures to try and come up with some ideas of at least which parks to go see. Now this of course is EXTREMELY tentative. But I came up with something that could work.

Universal (both parks)
Magic Kingdom
Sea World/Disney Studious
Epcott
Animal Kingdom/Wet N Wild or Blizzard Beach

I tried to think of how much fun we had at each park and when I looked at the brochures I rememberd there was a lot that we didn't get to see because the little ones got tired out so much.

I'm sure that we should definitely spend entire days at MK, Epcott and Universal. We could try going early the first time and see how long the little ones will last. IF they get pooped out too early than perhaps we could go later when we have our next "All day park adventure" ? I'm not sure if we'd be up to leave the park, go back to the villa and then go back to the park. That just seems like so much work.

We never made it to Animal Kingdom last year but I'd like to try it this year. From the reviews and just by knowing my kids I don't think that's an all day park for us. I bet if we packed our swim things and got to that park a little after it opens...around lunchtime or a little after they would probably be ready to go. AND they LOVE water parks too.

As soon as I get some dates I'm goin gto plan some ADR's! I don't want to plan too many characther meals because we are going to go to most of the breakfast/character meals at the village! lol

One thing we are definitely doing differently than last year is the shopping. I just found my reciepts from last year. Totally crazy. We went to Walmart everyday and bought most of the souveniers from there. I spent waaay too much money there. About $800 between Walmart and various other little shops. Definitely not doing that. We can take part of a day and hit the outlets or the mall (Courtney LOVES the mall of course) and maybe the first day a visit to Walmart (Nana loves Walmart) that way everyone should be satisfied!

I'd like to really cover some ground at the parks this year. And spend some time at the village as well. Chase REALLY LOVES the train and the candyland park. Chase and Selah BOTH love the carousel and Courtney loves the pool!

I swear I hope we can add at least one more day onto our trip, lol!! I can see why people stay for 2 weeks. If I could afford it, I would definitely do it!!! But we would have to bring bologna and ramen noodles to make that happen lol!

 

[wish_upon_a_star35]

Cute pics! When we adopted Tessa it was National Adoption Day and the courthouse was so festive! I love that you guys had a party for Selah!

National Adoption Day was the coolest! I had no idea what to expect. When we finalized Selah's adoption it was very nice and calm. We were all really happy. But my goodness!! Chase's Adoption was soo different. The media was there, they had a petting zoo, clowns, food and all kinds of things. So we didn't do a party for him because we had it there, lol! I invited all of my close family and we stayed the day and enjoyed the festivities and then went out to eat!

I really would love to adopt again. I'm thinking about it once they get a little older. For the most part I think I could do it. But there are times when I get scared at the thought of starting over from scratch. I'll be 40 soon and wonder if I'll have the energy.

 

[yinyanggirls]

I'd like to really cover some ground at the parks this year. And spend some time at the village as well. Chase REALLY LOVES the train and the candyland park. Chase and Selah BOTH love the carousel and Courtney loves the pool!

I swear I hope we can add at least one more day onto our trip, lol!! I can see why people stay for 2 weeks. If I could afford it, I would definitely do it!!! But we would have to bring bologna and ramen noodles to make that happen lol!

Was the new pool area open when you guys went for Selah? It looks really fun!

We are one that added an entire week to ours, as DH rarely uses his vacation time and lots saved up. We decided to leave Orlando. We haven't explored much past Texas so we really wanted to take advantage of the plane tickets. We also haven't had a family vacation (not counting reunions and visits to grandma, etc) since Phoebe was 3 (5 1/2 years ago). We are driving north to Savannah and Charleston with stops at beaches along the way. We also signed some papers relieving them of cost and responsibility, as well as outlining an itinerary of where we would be.

I hope they say it's okay for you to extend as long as you like!

National Adoption Day was the coolest! I had no idea what to expect. When we finalized Selah's adoption it was very nice and calm. We were all really happy. But my goodness!! Chase's Adoption was soo different. The media was there, they had a petting zoo, clowns, food and all kinds of things. So we didn't do a party for him because we had it there, lol! I invited all of my close family and we stayed the day and enjoyed the festivities and then went out to eat!

I really would love to adopt again. I'm thinking about it once they get a little older. For the most part I think I could do it. But there are times when I get scared at the thought of starting over from scratch. I'll be 40 soon and wonder if I'll have the energy.

I get it! I am nearing 40 myself and feel content that 2 is it for us, most days. We used to want 4 or 5 kids, but with Phoebe's special needs and Tessa's, well, HIGH needs, I'm burnt out by the end of each day! I admire you so much for tackling adoptive parenthood on your own!

 

[kellyw8863]

My brother and I are both adopted, and we have fostered, so adoptive/foster parents hold a special place in my heart. Growing up, it was never a secret for either my brother or me - it was something celebrated. We always and "Kelly Day" and "Michael Day," which are the days we were adopted, and were more special than our actual birthdays. My mother still says that birth is nature's gift, but adoption is God's gift. In other words, anyone can give birth, but only a special few are matched through adoption.

 

[wish_upon_a_star35]

I think that is so great that you are able to extend your trip! Your girls are REALLY going to remember this vacation. And isn't it nice to just take a break from the day to day stresses for a while?? Aaahhhh I am so looking forward to it!

On top of all of the other delays Chase has he recently started stuttering. At first it wasn't so bad...but now it's getting really bad. He is stuttering about 80% of the time. I spoke with his teacher today and she said that normally they don't worry about it too much. But given his history we should get him evaluated just to be on the safe side. Poor little guy. If he ends up needed speech therapy that is going to be good for him in the long run. But he already has sooo many services at school already. But the great thing is at least we have access to so many great services!

I think part of me wanting to adopt is partly because I was an only child growing up. It wasn't horrible at all, just a little lonely at times. I got over though as I got older and realized that I did get all of my mom's attention! But I always wished that I had a sister or brother.

The other things that led me to adopt were I had an aunt who adopted four children after her biological son was an adult. I LOVE her children they are amazing.

Also when I was in my early 20's, I got a chance to work as a receptionist at a fostercare agency. I saw a lot and knew that it was something that I would consider.

But I only wanted to foster at first. I didn't know if I would be any good at fosterparenting let alone at adopting. But it only took a short while to realize how much it meant to me. The kids I fell in love with each and every one of my placements...and I'll be honest...I had a few doozeys! So I think about returning to fostercare often. But I know right now, there's no way. But maybe someday the time will be right again? Who knows!

Kelly, I love the Idea of celebrating your actual adoption day every year! That is a very good idea! It is so important for children to know that they are indeed blessings no matter where they came from!!

 

[yinyanggirls]

On top of all of the other delays Chase has he recently started stuttering. At first it wasn't so bad...but now it's getting really bad. He is stuttering about 80% of the time. I spoke with his teacher today and she said that normally they don't worry about it too much. But given his history we should get him evaluated just to be on the safe side. Poor little guy. If he ends up needed speech therapy that is going to be good for him in the long run. But he already has sooo many services at school already. But the great thing is at least we have access to so many great services!

Are there any changes in his life that could be triggering it? I know my DH stutters occasionally when he gets excited about something. You can barely notice, and I actually think it's kind of cute. At least you have great services! We have horrible services here. I miss what we had in Texas. It makes all the difference.

I think part of me wanting to adopt is partly because I was an only child growing up. It wasn't horrible at all, just a little lonely at times. I got over though as I got older and realized that I did get all of my mom's attention! But I always wished that I had a sister or brother.

The other things that led me to adopt were I had an aunt who adopted four children after her biological son was an adult. I LOVE her children they are amazing.

Also when I was in my early 20's, I got a chance to work as a receptionist at a fostercare agency. I saw a lot and knew that it was something that I would consider.

That's great that you had so much experience going into it. It can certainly be a roller coaster and it helps if you know what's "normal". I did volunteer work for adoptive couples and adoption law advocacy before we fostered and it helped to have seen a lot of other situations.

But I only wanted to foster at first. I didn't know if I would be any good at fosterparenting let alone at adopting. But it only took a short while to realize how much it meant to me. The kids I fell in love with each and every one of my placements...and I'll be honest...I had a few doozeys! So I think about returning to fostercare often. But I know right now, there's no way. But maybe someday the time will be right again? Who knows!

Sounds like you really have a calling for it! I was terrified of fostering an older child until I was placed with one and she an angel. Much easier than her younger siblings.

Kelly, I love the Idea of celebrating your actual adoption day every year! That is a very good idea! It is so important for children to know that they are indeed blessings no matter where they came from!!

We have a book called "Happy Adoption Day" and talk about it from time to time but have never had an actual "Gotcha Day" party. We were placed with our girls both very early, so those dates are very close to their bdays so I felt like one celebration kinda covered it all.
Kelly, it's nice to hear that your parents were so open about it and you guys felt good about it growing up. It seems like so many earlier generations tried to keep it a secret and it was worse for everyone in the end. We are very open as well but unfortunately with Tessa we don't have much info to share with her. I hope that not knowing (even though we would share if we knew) doesn't affect her later. Only time will tell.

 

[wish_upon_a_star35]

I have a ton of info and pictures of Selah's birth family...but nothing for Chase. I know that he has two older brothers and a sister born a year after him. (I got called to take her as a placement but I just couldn't).

We have Lifebooks for both of them and Selah's is so huge and detailed. Chase's is a little on the small side. I'm not giving up hope though. Perhaps one day I will be able to add some information in.

Well I haven't heard anything at all about the trip. I'm guessing my wish granter is still out of town Hopefully soon though!! The weather is getting nicer and school will be out before I know it! I'm in the process of making plans for the kids summer activities. That should be a lot of fun!!

 

[wish_upon_a_star35]

Well the weekend is winding down. Why does it have to go so fast?? I didn't get nearly enough rest and I surely didn't get enough accomplished, lol.

Let's pray for a date this week! My wish granter should be back and I am crossing my fingers that I hear something this week!

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

I totally agree. It went way too fast Praying you get dates this week!

 

[wishin' on a star]

Well the weekend is winding down. Why does it have to go so fast?? I didn't get nearly enough rest and I surely didn't get enough accomplished, lol.

Let's pray for a date this week! My wish granter should be back and I am crossing my fingers that I hear something this week!

I am always looking forward to Monday, so I can actually get some rest! The weekend always seems to get me behind on laundry and housecleaning!

I hope your wish granter is back in town and you get some information and DATES this week!

 

[wish_upon_a_star35]

I swear if I didn't have so much on my plate I'd be a madwoman by now!!! I talked to my wish granter yesterday. She called just to check in. She was wondering if anyone had contacted me last week in her absence. She said that she emailed and put a phone call in about my dates. So she should definitely know something soon. Goodness GRACIOUS I'm getting ready to go batty!!!!

Could I possibly find out....today??? I sure hope so!

Aside from that. Things are going pretty well. Selah has severe allergies. Her eyes are red. She is sneezing constantly and has a runny nose. She even had a nose bleed this morning. Time to make an appointment. She is on Singulair but I suspect with this allergy season being so bad...she may need something different.

Chase is Chase :lol: His developmental evaluation is tomorrow! I'm very excited because I have so many question and concerns. Hopefull I can find somethings out very soon.

I went in my shed to find the kids summer clothes from last year. I've already tried on Chase's things so I know what fits and what doesn't. I have a ton of stuff of his to give away.

It's almost time to pick Selah up from school so I guess I'll have her try on all of her old stuff too! That's what my afternoon will be. Plus I'm going to try and get a work out in.

I've been doing very well with my eating and working out over the past two weeks. I'm down 7 pounds but I still have a long way to go. I'd like to lose around 40 pounds. Tracking my nutrition and exercise on the internet is definitely helping with keeping myself accountable.

Hope everyone is doing well! The weather has been beautiful!!

 

[pacrosby]

I just wanted to let you know (having worked as a speech/language pathologist for 16 yrs) that a sudden onset of stuttering on or about 4 yrs of age is developmentally normal and the overwheming majority of kids just stop as suddenly as they start. My 4 yr old went through it awhile ago (just seemed to start overnight and now, nothing) and my oldest (now 8) did the same thing when he was 4. It is much more common in boys.

Anyway............just wanted to let you know that

And as far as losing energy post-40!!!! Nahhhhhhhh It's all in the attitude (that's my motto anyway). I didn't START having kids until 38 and had my fourth at 43. I'm closing in on 50 now and still have one at home fulll-time!!! Lovin' every minute of it........................ I think they keep me young