Oh wow! My baby is THREE!!!
He is talking up a storm, running, jumping, and climbing. He is very smart and clever. He likes to make up songs to sing and stories to tell. Santi loves all things Cars and Planes (the Disney movies) which is why we decided to celebrate his third birthday at Disneyland!
The character breakfast is so fun!
Santi on the big screen!
I know, I know...we were just there! But Santi had the greatest time we wanted to squeeze in one more trip before his Fontan.
For years, Abe and I had annual passes to Disneyland. We live about an hour away from Anaheim, so we used to drive up for the evening, have dinner at downtown Disney, ride a few rides and head home. Short & sweet. So easy, nothing to pack. I probably didn't even carry a purse. I'd just bring my pass in my back pocket.
We would laugh at the parents dragging screaming toddlers and sleeping babies around the theme park, pushing loaded strollers and carrying diaper bags. We'd roll our eyes and say "we will NEVER come here with anyone who requires a stroller or frequent diaper changes!"
We'll guess what?
Sometimes "never" just means until we have our own adorable two and a half year old who we're sure will absolutely love Disneyland and be on his best behavior.
The real deciding factor in bringing Santi to Disneyland so young, is his looming surgery. He'll have his third open heart surgery in October. We want to fill him up with fun and adventures before he faces the traumatic experience of recovering from surgery and staying in the hospital for an extended period of time.
To be honest, Disneylanding with a toddler wasn't as bad as we imagined. In fact, it was SUPER FUN! We did it right. We had a beautiful suite at Grand Californian, 2 day park hopper passes and the helping hands of Coco and Papa.
We made the Best memories!
Santi loved seeing the fireworks (we could see them from our balcony!), which he calls "pop pops!" We surprised him with a huge lollipop! You should have seen the smile on his face when he saw that sucker! He was so thrilled to ride the rides. I think he liked Jungle Cruise the best.