The plane flight there was pretty uneventful... our first flight out of Eugene, James played with the toys in the waiting area and we had no problem boarding (well, some people at the ticket counter were rude and the person who issued my tickets spelled my last name Gasso, but other than that everything was fine). The whole first flight, we just played with James and gave him a snack, and he did well (for his FIRST flight ever on September 15, 2011!). He even knew the sign for Airplane and we practiced it while we were pointing out the airplanes.
Our second flight was delayed and oversold, so by the time we had hauled our ridiculous amount of stuff through TWO gate changes, we boarded the plane an hour past James's second nap time, after he'd already missed his first nap that day. Needless to say, he was cranky and exhausted, as were we. He finally fell asleep on my lap while we were in the air... I took the opportunity to practice my crossword puzzles. :-)
Us with all our stuff waiting for the supershuttle. What is not pictured is the diaper bag in the bottom of the stroller and the backpack on Eliot's back. Please also note the carseat rigged up on the suitcase.
So after getting to our hotel (the Park Vue inn right across the street from the entrance to Disney), we settled in quickly and got James to bed. The next morning, we got up for our FIRST Disneyland day bright and early (6:30am) and had a free breakfast up on the terrace of our hotel.
James liked the birds that were trying to get our breakfast. We then packed up and headed for Disneyland, since we had a magic morning hour starting at 8am (one hour before the park opens) and wanted to make the most of it. We arrived only a minute or two late, and practically ran to the rides. We first stopped at space mountain and rode that because I knew it would be closed the rest of the trip. One of us stayed with James while the other one rode the ride... I let James walk around the Captain EO line (which was empty at the time). Then we walked past the finding Nemo submarine ride (MINE!) and rode the Matterhorn before hitting up Alice in Wonderland with James (His first ride ever!! He did very well, didn't cry once thought it was loud and dark) and then... DUMBO!!!
James and Daddy waiting to fly!
We picked a blue Dumbo for James. :-)
Next, we went on Peter Pan's Flight. I think James liked the Pirate ships.
Then, Eliot and I switched off for Splash Mountain (we sat in the back so we wouldn't get wet and by using the single rider line, we had no wait!). James hung out in his stroller and had a snack.
Eliot enjoying Splash Mountain!
We took James on the Winnie the Pooh ride next, as you can see the honey comb behind us that we were about to climb into. James was a trooper, just took it all in and wasn't scared at all.
The Haunted Mansion was closed to prep for Halloween, so we just took a pic outside it. They deck it out with Nightmare Before Christmas stuff.
We then took a break and enjoyed some pineapple floats! James didn't like it much, so he had a toddler cereal bar instead.
Riding the train to Toontown! Choo choo!
In Toontown, we tried to go see Mickey, but the wait was too long. So instead, we let James run around Goofy's Bounce House. He LOVED it! It's a special area for kids 2-5, and it has rubber flooring so if James fell, he didn't get hurt. We let him play there for quite a bit, I think it was his favorite part of the park!
Then we went to explore the rest of Toon Town... some things were even James's size!
After Toon Town, we went on the Teacups! :-)
Casey Jr. Train!
For dinner, we enjoyed a quiet dinner at the Big Thunder Ranch. It was relaxing, a peaceful corner of the park with BBQ and live music. The waiter played with James and James loved his hat, and the guitarist played many songs my dad used to play for me when I was little. As we were packing up to go, he even played Sweet Baby James. <3
The rest of the night concluded with the Fantasmic show around the Rivers of America, followed by a spectacular fireworks show over the castle. We cheered for Tinkerbell as she zoomed across the sky, and I teared up as they played the song "Baby mine" while James fell asleep snuggled against me in the Ergo. It was a dream come true to take my family there, especially my son for the very first time. Our first day was truly a day to remember!
And now, for some videos!
James's first Dumbo ride!
Goofy's bounce house with Mommy
Goofy's Bounce house with Daddy
First ride on the Teacups!
Casey Jr. Train!
James exploring Toontown
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