Turning Two: Day 2

Mike and I got up about 5:45am in order to be at Disneyland by 7am.  We left a few minutes late…turns out Blip hates mornings as much as we do, so he wasn't super cooperative at 6:15am.  The hotel breakfast didn't start until 7am, so Blip had a few of the things I brought to keep in the room- a couple little donuts, some banana, and a yogurt.  I was glad I brought a few things with us.

I loved walking down Main Street ALONE.  Too bad it can't be like that more often.  We went straight back to the castle to ride Peter Pan, but the line was pretty long already.  So we went to Dumbo and rode that.  It was flying, so Blip enjoyed it.  Next we hopped on the carousel…and he, of course, loved it.  We decided to just wait for Peter Pan and get it out of the way.  Sadly, I think they've done something to Peter Pan.  I don't even like it anymore.  The boats used to "float" through the ride, but now the boat is clearly on a track.  And it's rigid…and you feel every turn.  It takes the fun and magic out of it.  So I'm over it.  And the long line.

We decided to do Autopia while we waited for Toon Town to open.  All three of us we able to squeeze into the little car for a second time…and it was so much fun.  Blip would let the steering wheel go so the car would jerk back and forth when it would hit the track…and he would laugh and laugh and laugh.  We all laughed the entire ride.  We grabbed some breakfast after we finished driving.  

I like the free breakfast at the hotel much better than paying $30 for it, but it wasn't half bad.  By then…Toon Town was open, so that's where we headed.  The Go Coaster had NO wait, so we hurried onto that while our luck lasted.  Blip seemed to like it, but wasn't all smiles like he was on the other few rides we had been on.  Pluto was out, so we hurried over to meet him. Blip acted shy…it was strange.  As soon as we walked away he started waving and saying "bye bye".  Meeting Mickey Mouse (again?) was next on the agenda…again with almost no wait.  That was NICE.  Then we hit up the Go Coaster on more time and Donald's houseboat, too.

We left Toon Town and headed over to Pirates of Caribbean.  We waited about 10 minutes and then got front row on one of the boats.  I was wondering if taking him on Pirates made us bad parents, but he wasn't afraid of some pretty scary stuff at Halloween, so I didn't think Pirates would scare him either.  And it didn't.  He did hold my hand the entire time, but when he seemed nervous, we just explained what we were seeing and doing and the laughed it off…and it worked.  By the end he liked it.  Especially the boat and water.  He LOVES any and all water…and I'm pretty sure he'd be wet all the time if he was allowed.  The ride ended, so we walked out toward the water through New Orleans Square.  

Blip heard music…so we walked to where the Jazz Band was playing.  Blip immediately started dancing…and earned himself an audience and some beads.  Disneyland was still mostly empty, so Blip had room to shake his stuff for a few minutes.  When he finished we shared a Mint Julep.  And much to my heart's liking, he loved it.

We wandered around a bit, went on Winnie the Pooh, and met Tigger and Pooh before deciding we should head back to the hotel for nap time.  We had agreed to leave around noon, and that time was approaching.  We stopped of for ice cream at the nice cream parlor on Main Street…Blip and I shared two scoops of mint chip.  Oh man…it was good!  We finished our treats and then headed for the tram.

We were blessed with the perfect Angel, so he, of course, went to sleep for about two hours.  I actually had to wake him up!!  Blip snacked on some grapes and a drinkable yogurt before heading back to the Happiest Place on Earth.

Once we parked and were back inside, we got our picture at the entrance.  Then we headed back towards the Astro Orbiter.  We quickly stopped off to get Blip's silhouette done, and then we had just enough time to ride the orbiter once before heading to Goofy's Kitchen for our dinner reservation.

We walked down through Downtown Disney to the Disneyland Hotel for dinner.  I wanted to stay at the Disneyland Hotel SOOOO badly, but with Blip still sleeping in the port-a-crib…we really needed to have a separate room for him.  I also want to save staying there for when he will remember…he needs to be at least a few years older for it all to work out perfectly. 

I can't wait to stay there with him.  You get in every morning an hour early, and I love that it's SO close.  Going back to relax or take naps would be so much easier…not to mention you save $16 a day on parking (and the huge pain in the but that parking/tram riding is).  Someday for the DL Hotel and someday for the Grand Californian, too.

We were at dinner for about two hours.  The food was awesome, as usual…and Blip got to meet a few characters.  We met Chip, Mulan, Pluto, Goofy, and Minnie.  The first time I ate there was the year I turned 30…Richelle took me and her two March 7th birthdays on their birthday.  That was the year you got in for free ON your birthday. That was a good year.  Anywho…I remember there being a lot more characters coming to the tables than the last two times I've eaten there.  It is good food, but it is NOT cheap.  Part of the reason it's worth the money os that you get to meet characters…so you avoid standing in long lines.  BUT if you only meet 3-5 characters, I'm not sure it's worth it.  The food is still good, but I wouldn't suggest making that the only way to meet the characters.

After dinner, we rode the monorail back into DL.  We got off the Monorail and got on the train.  We had promised Blip we would ride that train, so we needed to make good on our promise.  We got on in Tomorrow Land and rode the train around one complete time.  We stayed on the train for another stop, and we got off at the Main Street station.  I think the train is fun, and Blip loved it.  He was a hit with all the passengers too.  He would greet everyone coming and going…everyone fell in love with our little boy.

I was very sad when the portion of the ride that goes through Splash Mountain was just dark.  I know they are refinishing the ride, but c'mon!!  Seeing Br'er Bear and Br'er Fox and Br'er Rabbit is my FAVORITE part.  I wanted Blip to see it, so I was disappointed.  It sucked that Splash Mountain was down and Thunder Mountain was STILL closed.

We got off the train and headed for the gates. It was late, and Mike was done…and I was tired too.  We made it back to the hotel, Blip got a bath, and he was in bed and asleep quickly.  I was too tired to start packing, so I decided to just go to bed and do it all in the morning.