Disney on Ice and Mini Road Trip

Last Sunday, I took Jordyn to see Disney on Ice. I wasn't planning to go until I found out I could get discounted ($12 each) tickets through work. But that made it worth it! It went pretty well. She spent most of the time on my lap instead of her seat, and she was distracted by the kid behind us who had one of those light-up spinny thingies that I refused to buy her (they were $22, and I can get similar ones at work - we order them in bulk for maybe $3-4 each!), but she did watch a lot of the show. She loves Minnie Mouse, and she also likes Mickey, but she isn't familiar yet with many of the other characters (Cruella Deville, the princesses, etc).

This was the first time she's been to such a big venue, with such a big crowd of people. It may be a little ridiculous, but I decided I wanted to put some basic info in her pocket in case she somehow got separated from me, since she can't yet tell anyone her name, my name, my phone number, etc. I wrote a little note that said, "If lost: My name is Jordyn <our last name>. DOB: 8/7/12  My mommy's name is Robyn. Please call her at <my phone number>. In an emergency please call: <my mom's name and number> or <my dad's name and number>. Thank you!". I thought this was pretty genius, actually... until I realized she didn't have a pocket! I ended up tucking it into the hood of her fleece jacket (we left our heavy coats in the car since we parked in the garage underneath the venue), which was long and pointy. That worked fine, but when we got up during intermission, we left our jackets at our seats. So, probably not worth it, but now I know for next time to make sure she wears pants with pockets! And, of course, I ended up carrying her most of the time, and held her hand tightly when she walked, and all was well.

Her face didn't really light up, but she was definitely focused on the action!

Right after we got home. The people behind us gave her the Mickey ears hat,
which apparently came free with their cotton candy.

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This past Monday through Wednesday, Jordyn and I drove out to central Massachusetts (Chicopee/Springfield, about an hour-and-a-half away) to visit friends of mine who hadn't met Jordyn before. J and B live in Chicago, but they used to live in Cincinnati when I lived there, and J and I worked together there. We also became close friends, hung out all the time, and I was an usher at their wedding.  B travels a lot for work, and J sometimes goes with him, since she doesn't work. They were going to be in the Chicopee/Springfield area for a couple of days, and invited Jordyn and I to drive out and crash in their hotel room with them (that may sound weird, but it really wasn't awkward at all - we're that good of friends).

I'd originally planned to drive out on Tuesday morning, since I had to work on Monday, and so that we'd only spend one night, since I pre-emptively felt bad that Jordyn and I were going to take over the hotel room, and J and B were going to have to leave the room while I put Jordyn to sleep, etc. But then snow was forecast for Tuesday, so we drove out Monday evening instead. I was glad we did! She stayed awake on the drive while I'd been worried she'd fall asleep and then I'd have to try to transfer her in without waking her up, and we ended up having more time to hang out with J and B.

On Tuesday, J, Jordyn, and I went to the Dr. Seuss memorial garden in Springfield (turns out Dr. Seuss was born in Springfield- who knew?). It was snowing, and there was a ton of snow and ice on the ground, so we didn't hang out too long. The Springfield library was right there, so we went in and found the children's section and hung out for a while (and warmed up!).

Jordyn and I in the snowy Dr. Seuss memorial garden.

Jordyn and J. (That's not my car/license plate number).

Then we met B for lunch, and went back to the hotel for naptime. We all took naps - it was wonderful! Later, we went out for a quick dinner, and then after Jordyn was asleep, J and B and I sat on the floor by the door (Jordyn was in a pack and play all the way at the other side of the room), and played Phase 10 (a card game). On Wednesday, J, Jordyn, and I went swimming in the (indoor) hotel pool, and then we all ordered in Indian food for lunch so J and B could watch the Olympic hockey game (I couldn't have cared less, really). Then, sadly, J and I had to leave to head home. I'd planned to drive home during her nap time, and I think she was asleep within 4 minutes of getting in the car. It was good that she was asleep, because I had to concentrate on driving... It wasn't the most fun drive home, since it was snowing, and then sleeting, and sometimes a mix of the two, and then finally raining at the very end. Yuck.

But it was such a great trip! Jordyn warmed up quickly to both J and B (she usually does with anyone), and they loved her! B was the usual male "bad influence", or at least we gave him a hard time about being one, since he was doing things like bouncing/jumping on the bed with Jordyn, and getting her all riled up right before bedtime. She had a great time, though. She could sort of say his name, but it was funny that she kept calling him "man", which she pronounces "mon". She quickly decided she loved running up and down the hall, and around the lobby, and I had to be really careful because the front door opened automatically!

Our drive home.