{A-Z} V is for Vacation

V is for Vacation

What is a vacation?  I don’t remember the last time we went on vacation as a family doing something other than watching my son play baseball.  Actually I do remember my last “real” vacation and I loved it!  We went to Disney World to celebrate my mom turning 60.  She took the entire family {my family & my brothers} and we stayed one week in Florida to enjoy the wonderful life I know as Disney World.  

Let’s talk about Disney World.  Yes, it is probably the most talked about Family vacation destination spot in the world, simply because it IS the best place on Earth!  For some reason, you just get sucked into all the fantasy of a magical world and it’s quite refreshing.  I wish I felt that way where ever I went, but that is what makes Disney World so very unique.  It does have a special place in my heart though and always will.  

You see, my oldest daughter will be turning 16 this June and while that is the most terrifying age that I have be put up against as a parent, every birthday is a gentle reminder of how much Disney World has played a role in her being.  When my husband and I first decided we were ready to add children to our family, we didn’t know it wouldn’t as easy as we thought.  I had become pregnant almost instantly after trying.  I was beyond excited.  I was over the moon in love with the little being that was slowly growing inside me.  I had gone to the doctor for confirmation which was a piece of cake.  I went to every scheduled doctor appointment, took my pre-natal vitamins even though they made me sick to my stomach, had morning sickness, the whole nine yards.  Until one day I started spotting and cramping.  I remember leaving work and going to get an ultrasound.  It was on Halloween.  It was there that I completely had a switch in emotions.  They discovered the the fetus was no longer viable and I was in the process of experiencing a miscarriage.  I remember having to drive home by myself with this huge pain in my heart, not to mention the pains in my stomach.  It was the worst experience ever.  I did not have a D&C, I was left to deliver a fetus at home, in my bathroom and bring what ever came out to my doctor.  That right there was enough to send me into an emotional breakdown.  I was so upset at that doctor for making me go through that!  I switched doctors.

Not knowing what caused the miscarriage was frustrating.  I am sure it was a girl even though I’ll never know.  It was just a very strong feeling I had.   After visiting the new doctor with whom I LOVED, she and I came up with a plan.  Unfortunately, I became pregnant again and lost it.  I became pregnant for a third time and lost it too.  Something was going on and we needed to figure it out.  I was scheduled for some blood work and had a test {forgot what it was called, but it basically blew air up in there and cleaned out the tubes and what not}, and it was determined that when I get pregnant, I just can’t carry it because my progesterone levels drop so badly that the only way to fix that was to take suppositories during my pregnancy.  OK FINE…a somewhat uncomfortable but EASY fix!  I was so exhausted physically and mentally that I decided on a whim to schedule a trip to Disney World.  It was a place I remembered going as a kid and loving it and my husband had never been there so I wanted him to experience the magic too.  SO, equipped with all my medical supplies, JUST IN CASE {progesterone on ice, lol} we headed to Disney World.  It was planned that as soon as I started ovulating, I would begin the progesterone.  So after I did the ovulation predictor test and it came back positive, that’s exactly what I did.  We had the BEST time that week!  I just forgot about everything that happened previously and focused on the moment.  They say Disney World is magical and I couldn’t agree more!  

As it turned out, my first, real life child was conceived while vacationing in Disney World.  {May be TMI but it’s how she came to be.}  I continued to take the progesterone for three additional months just to make sure she was going to stay put and after nine months, I delivered a very big baby girl who weighed 8 pounds 8 ounces.  She was such a cute lil chubby baby!  She looked like a little Eskimo with her dark hair and dark complexion and I loved EVERY ounce of her.  She had become my miracle baby and after seeing what magical moments are created at Disney World, we re-visited when she was two.  My pregnancy issues didn’t end there though, I had a miscarriage in between my first to second child and again between my second and third and each one was just as painful as the first.  We continued to visit Disney World when my son was two and again when my third child was two.  Then we hadn’t gone back until my moms birthday.  I miss going to Disney World.  It has such strong and powerful memories for me that no other vacation destination spot will ever compare to.  

That is why Disney World is my favorite place on Earth!  Who knew she would love Disney World this much? —^

What is your favorite family vacation destination spot?