Sunday, April 20, 2008

Disneyland for the First Time

Now that the RSV season is nearly over and Emma got her last Synagis shot of the season we were able to seize the opportunity to take our girl to Disneyland for the very first time. Our friend Ajay, who works at the park made it possible for us to go. He also made the day very special for us; as he bought Emma her first mouse ears. We had such a great day filled with wonderful memories. The pictures speak for themselves but, of course I will narrate for you all.

Thank you Ajay for making these memories possible.

Emma and Ajay at the Magic Kingdom..Ready for some fun.

Emma's new Ears...


Waiting patiently for the Disneyland Railroad. Emma was so excited to see the train coming down the tracks. She just smiled and giggled with glee. She would look back and point to make sure that we saw the train was arriving. Emma loved hearing the whistle blow. What a great experience!




Listening for the train....Can you hear it???


Emma and Grandpa Jack on the train together...She loves her Grandpa and he loves his Bug...



Visiting Winnie the Pooh...She signed "think think think"(which comes from My Friends Tigger & Pooh the TV show) the whole time we were within visual distance. We didn't get too close though because Emma is still afraid if the BIG head and costumed characters.


All together at Disneyland. (From Left to right) Alissa, Grandma Julie, Emma, our friend Melinda (and nurse for the day), Grandpa Jack, & Mark. The day was absolutely perfect. It was filled with so much fun as we watched Emma explore and experience the magic of Disney first hand.





We all rode the Casey Jr. Train together, sitting in the Monkey Cage car. Seeing the excitement on Emma's face was thrilling. She kept signing train and smiling with such joy. This was a great ride for her and we all loved it too.


Sitting all by herself on the chair in Toontown. The pride she has just shines through her smile; like she's saying look at me I'm a big girl and I'm at Disneyland.
Before we went to Disney's California Adventure, we ran into a few Princesses. They were so pretty and sweet. Emma really enjoyed meeting them. Check out the way Emma is looking at Princess Aurora. I love it!!!
Emma met Snow White who was so amazing. After giving Emma an experience of a life time by the way the spoke to Emma; she left the line of children waiting to see her and walked us over to meet her friend Cinderella. This was so special and will forever be a favorite memory of mine. She said, "Cinderella, I want you to meet my special friend Emma isn't she just beautiful?" I was overcome with emotions and started welling up. It was as if they were talking about Emma like they were old friends and showing off their own daughter. I still can't believe what an impact it had on me.

Mommy, Emma, & Cinderella. What a beautiful memory the Princesses gave us. One we won't soon forget.


We saw Playhouse Disney Live on Stage. It was Emma's first time seeing a production like that. After she understood that it was like watching TV and that they weren't going to come up to her she started enjoying it. After a few minutes she waved to them continuously. Then asked for more when it was all over. This is a picture of Emma watching the production.


Melinda and Emma danced to the music from the nearby parade that was going by. Emma loves spending time with Melinda. They are great pals.




Daddy and Emma cooled off in the water park area in the Bug's Life section of DCA. Apparently, Emma loves getting wet. She and Daddy had a ball running through the water. It was a great day for it too as it was a very warm day.


Emma loves to play in the water. She would sit at the sink and run her hands in the water for hours if she could. She really enjoyed this time and I think it was pretty special for Daddy too.


On Daddy's shoulders...Emma got a big kick out of her new vantage point. What fun she had being so high up. Even though she was very tired and was ready to go home, she squealed with excitement when she was up there.



Mark & I spent a little time in DCA together before heading off to our hotel. You see the day at Disneyland was the first day of a mini vacation for us. We spent Friday and Saturday nights at the Embassy Suites as a getaway together and Emma went home to be with both sets of grandparents. It was a wonderful and a much needed break from reality. We had a nice time playing RACKO (a fun card game) and just chillin' out. We are SO THANKFUL for our parents and our nurses.








Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Thanks Uncle Eddie

Emma has not been very motivated to use her walker since getting out of the hospital 3 weeks ago; until now, thanks to Uncle Eddie and his new custom table he made for Emma. Now she stands and plays at the table for short increments like a big girl. She is so cute and proud of herself. Thanks Eddie!