DCA & Disneyland

Yesterday we went to Disneyland & Disney's California Adventure (DCA) for the first time this year. It was Jacob's first visit ever. He loved people watching with me, and Ethan had a great time going on rides with Josh. It was fun spending the day with Josh's parents and Aunt Sue, who were all super helpful with our kiddos. We took two strollers since Jacob is too little to sit up in our double stroller. We spent most of the day at DCA since it was less crowded. We went on the new Toy Story ride and found it to be quite enjoyable! It is very similar to the Buzz Lightyear ride in Disneyland. The ride moves around to different screens where the rider gets to shoot their cannon at different targets building up his/her score. We then spent a lot of time in the Bug's Life area of DCA. The rides there are appropriate for kids Ethan's age, so he was able to go on all of them. Jacob even went on one ride with us ... the Heimlich caterpillar train ride. We finished off the day at Disneyland, where it was more crowded (but not terrible, considering it was a holiday weekend). Josh and I went on the Buzz Lightyear ride, while Josh's parents and Aunt watched the boys for us. All of us enjoyed some delicious ice cream before heading home. All in all, we had a wonderful day. We are going back in September and October because we have the $99.00 Southern California 3-day hopper passes, which expire in the middle of October. It's fun experiencing the Magic Kingdom through the eyes of a child. What a fun place to create lasting memories with our family!

A note to moms of babies: Going to Disneyland with a new baby can be somewhat of a challenge. It wasn't terribly hot yesterday, but it was humid and Jacob kept sweating around the back of his head whenever he was in his stroller. I took him out as much as possible so he could stretch and air out his neck and head. Nursing is also a huge factor when taking a new baby. When we took Ethan to Disneyland for the first time, Josh's mom informed me of the Gerber Baby Station located on Main Street. Inside they have a private area with rocking chairs for nursing, another area with changing tables, and a nice little kitchen with a microwave and high chairs. It makes it so convenient being at the park with a baby. This time around, we discovered that there is a similar baby station at DCA, just next to the Mission Tortilla Factory. It has the same conveniences, except there are only two nursing areas which are completely curtained off for privacy. The nursing area at Disneyland is a private room, but it has about 8 chairs in it for nursing, which means you are in there with other moms.