Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
tv... broken?!
When we went to church yesterday, for the first half of mass Lilly begged us to go home so she could watch tv. After awhile she forgot tv and decided to participate and had a good time.
But the damage was done. Lilly's mommy decided that for the next week (or until I cave in a few days or hours), the tv is "broken." We unplugged it (at least while Lilly is awake) and there is no Elmo, no Sound of Music, nothing.
Last night when we got home from church, Lilly totally didn't mind that we switched up her nighttime routine by being unplugged. She sat with me and ate her dinner, colored, took a bath, brushed her teeth, got ready for bed, played a game, and read her story before going to bed. No bribes of tv watching were necessary, she didn't even miss it.
This morning, I was nervous. Usually Lilly eats her breakfast in the kitchen while I let the tv babysit her so I can get ready too. This morning, she didn't care that it wasn't an option. She went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, got dressed, ate breakfast (kind of, she ate less than usual), and we made it to school - even though we were 10 minutes late. I managed to shower and put on a little makeup before she even got up, so I was with her the whole time as she got ready. The only thing I didn't have time for was my morning coffee and a bite to eat myself. But she did great.
I promised her "games" when she gets home from school. We have from 3:30 until 7:30 without any tv or computer, but she'll be fine without Annie or Camp Rock. I need to be more creative without it, but Lilly is just as happy. Yesterday we played the "pink or blue" game, separating all her old onesies into a "girl" and "boy" pile, for the baby. Her game before bedtime last night was seeing how fast she could take all the clothes and put them away into drawers. (We both declared that she "won" at the end. Not sure what the rules were though.)
Wish us luck as the week progresses... if we make it!
But the damage was done. Lilly's mommy decided that for the next week (or until I cave in a few days or hours), the tv is "broken." We unplugged it (at least while Lilly is awake) and there is no Elmo, no Sound of Music, nothing.
Last night when we got home from church, Lilly totally didn't mind that we switched up her nighttime routine by being unplugged. She sat with me and ate her dinner, colored, took a bath, brushed her teeth, got ready for bed, played a game, and read her story before going to bed. No bribes of tv watching were necessary, she didn't even miss it.
This morning, I was nervous. Usually Lilly eats her breakfast in the kitchen while I let the tv babysit her so I can get ready too. This morning, she didn't care that it wasn't an option. She went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, got dressed, ate breakfast (kind of, she ate less than usual), and we made it to school - even though we were 10 minutes late. I managed to shower and put on a little makeup before she even got up, so I was with her the whole time as she got ready. The only thing I didn't have time for was my morning coffee and a bite to eat myself. But she did great.
I promised her "games" when she gets home from school. We have from 3:30 until 7:30 without any tv or computer, but she'll be fine without Annie or Camp Rock. I need to be more creative without it, but Lilly is just as happy. Yesterday we played the "pink or blue" game, separating all her old onesies into a "girl" and "boy" pile, for the baby. Her game before bedtime last night was seeing how fast she could take all the clothes and put them away into drawers. (We both declared that she "won" at the end. Not sure what the rules were though.)
Wish us luck as the week progresses... if we make it!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Evolution of a mommy
Lilly's been my girl for 5 years now. When she came into this world, I didn't know what to expect. I knew hazily what Down syndrome was. I also knew what little Gembecki girls are like. I think we made a conscious decision to let Lilly just be herself, no matter what that meant, and to nourish her soul and build her confidence and be guided by God and pure instincts and give her all the love in the world.
Turned out to be a good plan. She is incredible.
We're not amazing parents. We make our mistakes, we lose patience, we often times have no idea what we're doing. Lilly probably doesn't eat enough vegetables, and some people wouldn't think it's bragworthy that Lilly has "Dirty Dancing" memorized, or a pillow with Zac Efron on it. But we've also made tons of good choices as well. We've built our own confidence in what the best decisions are for her and our family.
We have taken the road less traveled, in many ways. Ridiculous amounts of schooling (along with ridiculous student loans), and intense jobs. Interfaith marriage. Moving too frequently, to such diverse places, all far from family and friends. Being blessed with a child with Down syndrome.
Lilly took this picture of herself with her camera. She is quite the photographer.
Some of what comes with taking different paths is the freedom of independence. When Lilly was born, I didn't know how to be a mom in general - she was my first - and I also didn't know what it was like to have a child with quote "special needs." Turns out, Lilly's needs aren't very special at all, but we still gave ourselves the ability to do whatever we wanted with this parenthood thing. We gave her every opportunity and no judgments. We saw what she liked, and encouraged her. I never imagined taking a 4 year old to Broadway or a 5 year old to Europe, but somehow it just fit into our plan. (Meanwhile, we cut back on restaurants, haircuts, and new clothes to accommodate those "needs.")
I never took "no" for an answer. I never took someone else's opinion for the truth. I heard John Locke's character on Lost repeatedly say "Don't tell me what I can't do" and that became my mantra. Prove them wrong, Lilly. Prove them wrong, Lilly's mommy.
Lilly can't do everything in the world. No child can. But she has two parents who have the highest level of faith in her imaginable and that has taken her far. She is such a hard worker, a negotiator, an independent thinker. What she lacks in one area, she makes up for in excelling in another. Somewhere inside her she has the secret to success, and we should listen. She is my greatest teacher.
6 years ago, pregnant, I was scared of this child. No one I knew had anything positive to say. And, no one I knew had any experience with a child like Lilly, either. Ironic.
There was a point in the pregnancy when she started dancing in my belly. Silly, funny, I fell in love with all her moves. This child isn't bad, I thought. She's not negative, she's a tiny bit of joy in my belly - she is my future and my future looks bright with her in it. Not a mistake, not an accident, but a tremendous gift.
I've spent the past 5 and a half years loving her so completely. Do I ever worry about anything, have concerns? Yes. But is every single day still like waking up to Christmas morning? Absolutely. I still get so frustrated thinking of other moms in my position who aren't given better guidance and hope for their children. Moms who are given a tiny bit of negative misinformation, and vaguely told to make the best of it, or terminate their pregnancy.
What about love? Support? Faith? Real information coming from actual knowledge and experience?
I spent a pregnancy with so many fears for my child. I haven't spent a day - not a single minute - of her life actually thinking anything negative about her. She's just a kid to me, full of so much beauty and potential. Each day is a gift, with my little gift.
I watch my little girl float around the house with such confidence in herself. I see her learn new things - putting together more complicated puzzles, cooking tons of Christmas cookies (very independently), singing karaoke, modeling new clothes and asking me to take pictures of her. She is happy, well adjusted, has diverse interests. We are proud parents.
Each step of this journey, I didn't know what the next phase would hold. Each time we moved, each year she got older, would it get hard? But it hasn't. Lilly is still the little bit of joy that danced around in my belly, years ago. The biggest difference between the mommy I started as, and the mommy I am today, is that at the beginning I had blind faith - that everything would be ok - because it had to be. Now, I have a more certain faith, based on a very precious little girl, who has proven that she will be just fine. And amazing.
Turned out to be a good plan. She is incredible.
We're not amazing parents. We make our mistakes, we lose patience, we often times have no idea what we're doing. Lilly probably doesn't eat enough vegetables, and some people wouldn't think it's bragworthy that Lilly has "Dirty Dancing" memorized, or a pillow with Zac Efron on it. But we've also made tons of good choices as well. We've built our own confidence in what the best decisions are for her and our family.
We have taken the road less traveled, in many ways. Ridiculous amounts of schooling (along with ridiculous student loans), and intense jobs. Interfaith marriage. Moving too frequently, to such diverse places, all far from family and friends. Being blessed with a child with Down syndrome.
Lilly took this picture of herself with her camera. She is quite the photographer.Some of what comes with taking different paths is the freedom of independence. When Lilly was born, I didn't know how to be a mom in general - she was my first - and I also didn't know what it was like to have a child with quote "special needs." Turns out, Lilly's needs aren't very special at all, but we still gave ourselves the ability to do whatever we wanted with this parenthood thing. We gave her every opportunity and no judgments. We saw what she liked, and encouraged her. I never imagined taking a 4 year old to Broadway or a 5 year old to Europe, but somehow it just fit into our plan. (Meanwhile, we cut back on restaurants, haircuts, and new clothes to accommodate those "needs.")
I never took "no" for an answer. I never took someone else's opinion for the truth. I heard John Locke's character on Lost repeatedly say "Don't tell me what I can't do" and that became my mantra. Prove them wrong, Lilly. Prove them wrong, Lilly's mommy.
Lilly can't do everything in the world. No child can. But she has two parents who have the highest level of faith in her imaginable and that has taken her far. She is such a hard worker, a negotiator, an independent thinker. What she lacks in one area, she makes up for in excelling in another. Somewhere inside her she has the secret to success, and we should listen. She is my greatest teacher.
6 years ago, pregnant, I was scared of this child. No one I knew had anything positive to say. And, no one I knew had any experience with a child like Lilly, either. Ironic.
There was a point in the pregnancy when she started dancing in my belly. Silly, funny, I fell in love with all her moves. This child isn't bad, I thought. She's not negative, she's a tiny bit of joy in my belly - she is my future and my future looks bright with her in it. Not a mistake, not an accident, but a tremendous gift.
I've spent the past 5 and a half years loving her so completely. Do I ever worry about anything, have concerns? Yes. But is every single day still like waking up to Christmas morning? Absolutely. I still get so frustrated thinking of other moms in my position who aren't given better guidance and hope for their children. Moms who are given a tiny bit of negative misinformation, and vaguely told to make the best of it, or terminate their pregnancy.
What about love? Support? Faith? Real information coming from actual knowledge and experience?
I spent a pregnancy with so many fears for my child. I haven't spent a day - not a single minute - of her life actually thinking anything negative about her. She's just a kid to me, full of so much beauty and potential. Each day is a gift, with my little gift.
I watch my little girl float around the house with such confidence in herself. I see her learn new things - putting together more complicated puzzles, cooking tons of Christmas cookies (very independently), singing karaoke, modeling new clothes and asking me to take pictures of her. She is happy, well adjusted, has diverse interests. We are proud parents.
Each step of this journey, I didn't know what the next phase would hold. Each time we moved, each year she got older, would it get hard? But it hasn't. Lilly is still the little bit of joy that danced around in my belly, years ago. The biggest difference between the mommy I started as, and the mommy I am today, is that at the beginning I had blind faith - that everything would be ok - because it had to be. Now, I have a more certain faith, based on a very precious little girl, who has proven that she will be just fine. And amazing.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
December 1: Getting there
We left for Disney World at about 4 am on Thursday Dec 1, flight left the airport at 7 am and landed in Orlando at 9. Magical Express, the free bus service, was super easy and not crowded, and we arrived at our hotel before 11.
Our room was ready, and at that point - while Lilly had been super excited all morning - she was ready to crash. We convinced her to get a quick bite to eat with us at Beaches and Cream, but the whole time she said she was "sick" so after we scarfed down our food, we brought her back to the room to rest. We thought it was just her being exhausted from traveling, but realized that she really didn't feel good the whole trip. But while her body was a little sick, she still was such a good vacationer and had a fantastic time!
That night after a good nap, we went to dinner at Hoop de Doo Review - Jon's favorite for all their meat - and a cute show while you eat. Lilly still didn't feel good, and by this time developed a headache and fever. We sat through most of the show, and the waitress even brought Lilly a piece of toast which was the only thing she wanted. We left before dessert, but the server brought us some strawberry shortcake to go (it's included).
Lilly and I stopped off at the store at Fort Wilderness on our way back to the Yacht Club and Lilly took some medicine which helped. The three of us were in bed by 8pm that night - ready to get some much needed rest, and be ready for an early morning at Magic Kingdom the next day.
Our room was ready, and at that point - while Lilly had been super excited all morning - she was ready to crash. We convinced her to get a quick bite to eat with us at Beaches and Cream, but the whole time she said she was "sick" so after we scarfed down our food, we brought her back to the room to rest. We thought it was just her being exhausted from traveling, but realized that she really didn't feel good the whole trip. But while her body was a little sick, she still was such a good vacationer and had a fantastic time!
That night after a good nap, we went to dinner at Hoop de Doo Review - Jon's favorite for all their meat - and a cute show while you eat. Lilly still didn't feel good, and by this time developed a headache and fever. We sat through most of the show, and the waitress even brought Lilly a piece of toast which was the only thing she wanted. We left before dessert, but the server brought us some strawberry shortcake to go (it's included).
Lilly and I stopped off at the store at Fort Wilderness on our way back to the Yacht Club and Lilly took some medicine which helped. The three of us were in bed by 8pm that night - ready to get some much needed rest, and be ready for an early morning at Magic Kingdom the next day.
Daddy's Little Girl
Once upon a time there was a little girl who adored her daddy. And her daddy worshiped her.
Note: Lilly's coat was mine (and my sisters!) and her dress belonged to me as well. She is so lucky that my mom saved our old clothes to pass on!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Disney Yacht Club Review
Yes, we went to Disney World again. And it was oh so needed. It was planned a couple months ago as a "babymoon" - a time for Jon (and Lilly) and I to hang out in our current family status and to relax prior to baby coming this April. We went to WDW when I was 20 weeks pregnant with Lilly as well, almost 6 years ago, and thought it would bring us good luck.
After the last two weeks of November, the trip turned from "nice relaxing vacation that we don't totally need" to "oh my goodness I need a vacation." Plus, with all Lilly's hospital stuff it was nice reassuring her: "When we get through this, we're going to Disney World."
It was, as always, a wonderful vacation. Instead of getting into all the specifics- going to wait until I've uploaded and organized all the pictures - I'm going to first review our hotel, the Yacht Club.
Background: We've stayed at most Disney resorts. Pre-Lilly, I've stayed at the Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Boardwalk Villas, Old Key West, Swan/Dolphin, Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness, Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans Riverside, and All Star Sports. (Yikes!) On our babymoon when I was pregnant with Lilly, we stayed at Wilderness Lodge and loved it - it was the end of January and it just feels so warm that time of year.
Since Lilly, we've stayed at Port Orleans Riverside (12 months), Saratoga Springs and Port Orleans French Quarter (20 months), Coronado (3rd birthday), Bay Lake (3 1/2), Polynesian (4th birthday), Polynesian (1 night before 5K race; the rest off property), Animal Kingdom Villas and 1 night at All Star Movies (4 1/2), and Polynesian (almost 5). It sounds ridiculous, right?
I love Polynesian - for its location and its atmosphere (I never liked it prior to actually vising the South Pacific/Fiji/New Zealand and now think it is amazing). But, I wanted to try something new. Grand Floridian was on my "potential" list - if it had a deep discount. I could be persuaded into Contemporary although not on my "must do" yet. Wilderness Lodge was high on my list since we stayed there when pregnant with Lilly and I love it, plus not too far from Magic Kingdom, but discounted rooms never were available. Animal Kingdom Lodge was available, but since we had just stayed at the AK Villas, I wanted to try something new. Coronado would have been a fine option, but it wasn't available, and in the winter I'd rather be in a traditional "hotel" style hotel, without having to be outside to get to different parts. And if we were doing a moderate this time, I'd rather be at Coronado than the Port Orleans' hotels and Caribbean Beach (just because I love Coronado, the other mods are definitely good), so we ruled them out. All Star was definitely not bad the times we've tried it, but when you do actually spend time in the room - like we were planning on doing on this somewhat relaxing trip - I'd rather be in a little nicer room. And for a "babymoon" kind of trip, I pictured a ton of walking the way we did 6 years ago, and while Saratoga Springs and Old Key West rooms are so nice, I'd rather be somewhere walkable to the parks. Boardwalk was a maybe, but for the same price, Yacht/Beach sounded better because of the pool.
We've wanted to stay at one of the hotels in the Boardwalk area for awhile now. So when I received a 35 percent off code, and looked to see what was available, Yacht Club popped out. Beach Club was available occasionally when I looked, but only club level rooms, which was more than we wanted for this vacation. So, I took a leap of faith and booked Yacht. And then I did some research.
And I got nervous. Everything I read talked about how far it is from things, how there isn't easy access to food. How it's great - for couples - but stuffy for families. How the pool is in fact amazing, but it would be too cold to use it, and Lilly would be too young to appreciate the slides anyway. But we were locked in, and I figured we'd give it a try.
It was amazing. Loved it. Might be Jon's favorite Disney resort.
I'll begin at the beginning. We woke up at 4:30 for our early 7 am flight and arrived in Orlando at 9 am. Love getting there early - we're exhausted at first but there are no lines for Magical Express and we have the whole day ahead of us. Lilly was in a great enthusiastic vacation mood - which is normal for her. Girl loves to travel. I got nervous when the Magical Express stopped at 3 or 4 other hotels first, dropping off tons of families to bustling hotels, and then we got to our resort.
Only 2 other people were still on the bus with us, and they got off with us. The front of the resort was totally dead. People were not coming and going, it was like a ghost town. I was nervous! A guy who worked there immediately came up to us before we even got inside, and asked our name. He walked us inside directly to the counter and, thanks go online check in, got everything for us in less than a minute. And - at 10 am - our room was ready! So, the fact that they weren't all that busy definitely worked in our favor. So far, all was good.
We got to our room and it was a beautiful water view room. Two queen size beds, a bathroom with a double sink, desk and sitting area. We overlooked the boardwalk on the first floor, it was a beautiful view. So far, all was good again.
Lilly ended up feeling sick the first couple days of the vacation, but it was so easy staying at the Yacht Club. We walked to Beaches and Cream to have an early lunch, but when Lilly didn't feel good, Jon walked back with her and we all took a nap.
It was really easy to walk to the Dolphin (they have a great spa there) and Boardwalk, and we were connected to the Beach Club. We easily walked to Epcot and it's only a slightly longer walk to Hollywood Studios. Buses to Magic Kingdom were fast (never more than a 5-10 minute wait, but we were lucky), and this time we skipped Animal Kingdom since we were only there for a short trip.
Regarding my food concerns, each morning the bar off the lobby has coffee, fruit, and baked goods set up for purchase, so we didn't have any problems finding something perfect for our family in the morning. The Beach Club next store has a quick service dining location, if we wanted something more, but we didn't - bagels, muffins, bananas, coffee, and milk were exactly what we wanted. We usually ate in the parks for lunch or dinner, and one night when we had a late lunch, we walked to the Boardwalk for a easy snack for dinner.
On my concerns that the Yacht Club was stuffy - it was and it wasn't. The atmosphere was more formal than the Beach Club and the other resorts, but it was absolutely kid friendly - the rooms, the cast members, the hotel generally has the Disney quality that we love - but at the same time, I felt that there were less families here than at other resorts, so it was nice to feel like we were at a quieter resort. They had a great TV setup in the lobby - they have this at all the resorts - but the kid sized chairs were better than any I had seen elsewhere, and Lilly loved hanging out there watching Mickey cartoons for a few minutes at the end of a long day. During the day - not sure what the hours were, but usually around 2 or 3 when we'd be walking by coming in from the parks, there was ice water and glasses for a couple hours (good tasting water, not Florida water) for guests to grab a cup, which was a nice touch. There is a nice store with the typical Disney merchandise and essentials.
The pool was nice, but we didn't get to use it very much as Lilly was sick and the weather was a little chilly, but in better circumstances it would be ideal - the water slides, a pool with sand on the bottom, lots of things to do. There were also events all day near the pool - kids activities, dance parties, etc, which we didn't do this time but would be nice to look into next time. Also each night there was a bon fire on the beach, and later a movie shown on the beach. It really is a nice resort - much more going on than I had anticipated, having previously only just walked in the lobby or passing it on the boardwalk.
The cast members were very helpful as well. My parents came down for one night and they easily printed out room keys for them just for the day/night. When Lilly was sick, we weren't sure if it would turn into something worse, and they gave us a bunch of brochures for nearby medical facilities, some with free transportation.
And speaking of free: free wireless internet in the rooms. Perfect. And probably more storage than anywhere we've stayed before, we all totally unpacked with room to spare. And the tv was so easy to use, Lilly was an expert by day 2. Beds - and bedding - were more comfortable than ever.
I couldn't "rate" any of the Disney hotels because I love them all, they all have their strengths and weaknesses, and I feel like at different times and for different people, different hotels are better for an individual trip. But I would recommend the Yacht Club to both couples and families. It was actually nice being able to walk to two parks and not wait for transportation or have to fold a stroller, so in that respect it was better than the monorail or other hotels, and I got tons of Disney World walking, which was good for my pregnant body. (I think we walked about 10 miles each day!)
The problem is, where do we stay next time? Next time being probably a year away, give or take, so once we meet this baby we might have a different list of criteria - but I'm thinking a 1 bedroom at one of the villas might be perfect.
Let me know if there are any questions regarding Yacht Club or any of the other Disney hotels!
After the last two weeks of November, the trip turned from "nice relaxing vacation that we don't totally need" to "oh my goodness I need a vacation." Plus, with all Lilly's hospital stuff it was nice reassuring her: "When we get through this, we're going to Disney World."
It was, as always, a wonderful vacation. Instead of getting into all the specifics- going to wait until I've uploaded and organized all the pictures - I'm going to first review our hotel, the Yacht Club.
Background: We've stayed at most Disney resorts. Pre-Lilly, I've stayed at the Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Boardwalk Villas, Old Key West, Swan/Dolphin, Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness, Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans Riverside, and All Star Sports. (Yikes!) On our babymoon when I was pregnant with Lilly, we stayed at Wilderness Lodge and loved it - it was the end of January and it just feels so warm that time of year.
Since Lilly, we've stayed at Port Orleans Riverside (12 months), Saratoga Springs and Port Orleans French Quarter (20 months), Coronado (3rd birthday), Bay Lake (3 1/2), Polynesian (4th birthday), Polynesian (1 night before 5K race; the rest off property), Animal Kingdom Villas and 1 night at All Star Movies (4 1/2), and Polynesian (almost 5). It sounds ridiculous, right?
I love Polynesian - for its location and its atmosphere (I never liked it prior to actually vising the South Pacific/Fiji/New Zealand and now think it is amazing). But, I wanted to try something new. Grand Floridian was on my "potential" list - if it had a deep discount. I could be persuaded into Contemporary although not on my "must do" yet. Wilderness Lodge was high on my list since we stayed there when pregnant with Lilly and I love it, plus not too far from Magic Kingdom, but discounted rooms never were available. Animal Kingdom Lodge was available, but since we had just stayed at the AK Villas, I wanted to try something new. Coronado would have been a fine option, but it wasn't available, and in the winter I'd rather be in a traditional "hotel" style hotel, without having to be outside to get to different parts. And if we were doing a moderate this time, I'd rather be at Coronado than the Port Orleans' hotels and Caribbean Beach (just because I love Coronado, the other mods are definitely good), so we ruled them out. All Star was definitely not bad the times we've tried it, but when you do actually spend time in the room - like we were planning on doing on this somewhat relaxing trip - I'd rather be in a little nicer room. And for a "babymoon" kind of trip, I pictured a ton of walking the way we did 6 years ago, and while Saratoga Springs and Old Key West rooms are so nice, I'd rather be somewhere walkable to the parks. Boardwalk was a maybe, but for the same price, Yacht/Beach sounded better because of the pool.
We've wanted to stay at one of the hotels in the Boardwalk area for awhile now. So when I received a 35 percent off code, and looked to see what was available, Yacht Club popped out. Beach Club was available occasionally when I looked, but only club level rooms, which was more than we wanted for this vacation. So, I took a leap of faith and booked Yacht. And then I did some research.
And I got nervous. Everything I read talked about how far it is from things, how there isn't easy access to food. How it's great - for couples - but stuffy for families. How the pool is in fact amazing, but it would be too cold to use it, and Lilly would be too young to appreciate the slides anyway. But we were locked in, and I figured we'd give it a try.
It was amazing. Loved it. Might be Jon's favorite Disney resort.
I'll begin at the beginning. We woke up at 4:30 for our early 7 am flight and arrived in Orlando at 9 am. Love getting there early - we're exhausted at first but there are no lines for Magical Express and we have the whole day ahead of us. Lilly was in a great enthusiastic vacation mood - which is normal for her. Girl loves to travel. I got nervous when the Magical Express stopped at 3 or 4 other hotels first, dropping off tons of families to bustling hotels, and then we got to our resort.
Only 2 other people were still on the bus with us, and they got off with us. The front of the resort was totally dead. People were not coming and going, it was like a ghost town. I was nervous! A guy who worked there immediately came up to us before we even got inside, and asked our name. He walked us inside directly to the counter and, thanks go online check in, got everything for us in less than a minute. And - at 10 am - our room was ready! So, the fact that they weren't all that busy definitely worked in our favor. So far, all was good.
We got to our room and it was a beautiful water view room. Two queen size beds, a bathroom with a double sink, desk and sitting area. We overlooked the boardwalk on the first floor, it was a beautiful view. So far, all was good again.
Lilly ended up feeling sick the first couple days of the vacation, but it was so easy staying at the Yacht Club. We walked to Beaches and Cream to have an early lunch, but when Lilly didn't feel good, Jon walked back with her and we all took a nap.
It was really easy to walk to the Dolphin (they have a great spa there) and Boardwalk, and we were connected to the Beach Club. We easily walked to Epcot and it's only a slightly longer walk to Hollywood Studios. Buses to Magic Kingdom were fast (never more than a 5-10 minute wait, but we were lucky), and this time we skipped Animal Kingdom since we were only there for a short trip.
Regarding my food concerns, each morning the bar off the lobby has coffee, fruit, and baked goods set up for purchase, so we didn't have any problems finding something perfect for our family in the morning. The Beach Club next store has a quick service dining location, if we wanted something more, but we didn't - bagels, muffins, bananas, coffee, and milk were exactly what we wanted. We usually ate in the parks for lunch or dinner, and one night when we had a late lunch, we walked to the Boardwalk for a easy snack for dinner.
On my concerns that the Yacht Club was stuffy - it was and it wasn't. The atmosphere was more formal than the Beach Club and the other resorts, but it was absolutely kid friendly - the rooms, the cast members, the hotel generally has the Disney quality that we love - but at the same time, I felt that there were less families here than at other resorts, so it was nice to feel like we were at a quieter resort. They had a great TV setup in the lobby - they have this at all the resorts - but the kid sized chairs were better than any I had seen elsewhere, and Lilly loved hanging out there watching Mickey cartoons for a few minutes at the end of a long day. During the day - not sure what the hours were, but usually around 2 or 3 when we'd be walking by coming in from the parks, there was ice water and glasses for a couple hours (good tasting water, not Florida water) for guests to grab a cup, which was a nice touch. There is a nice store with the typical Disney merchandise and essentials.
The pool was nice, but we didn't get to use it very much as Lilly was sick and the weather was a little chilly, but in better circumstances it would be ideal - the water slides, a pool with sand on the bottom, lots of things to do. There were also events all day near the pool - kids activities, dance parties, etc, which we didn't do this time but would be nice to look into next time. Also each night there was a bon fire on the beach, and later a movie shown on the beach. It really is a nice resort - much more going on than I had anticipated, having previously only just walked in the lobby or passing it on the boardwalk.
The cast members were very helpful as well. My parents came down for one night and they easily printed out room keys for them just for the day/night. When Lilly was sick, we weren't sure if it would turn into something worse, and they gave us a bunch of brochures for nearby medical facilities, some with free transportation.
And speaking of free: free wireless internet in the rooms. Perfect. And probably more storage than anywhere we've stayed before, we all totally unpacked with room to spare. And the tv was so easy to use, Lilly was an expert by day 2. Beds - and bedding - were more comfortable than ever.
I couldn't "rate" any of the Disney hotels because I love them all, they all have their strengths and weaknesses, and I feel like at different times and for different people, different hotels are better for an individual trip. But I would recommend the Yacht Club to both couples and families. It was actually nice being able to walk to two parks and not wait for transportation or have to fold a stroller, so in that respect it was better than the monorail or other hotels, and I got tons of Disney World walking, which was good for my pregnant body. (I think we walked about 10 miles each day!)
The problem is, where do we stay next time? Next time being probably a year away, give or take, so once we meet this baby we might have a different list of criteria - but I'm thinking a 1 bedroom at one of the villas might be perfect.
Let me know if there are any questions regarding Yacht Club or any of the other Disney hotels!
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