Hello. My name is Abby. I'm eight years old and I was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome when I turned two. My parents work hard to help me make sense of the world around me and this blog is meant to help others understand my world and my journey with Rett Syndrome.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

The Happiest Place on Earth


What an amazing week! Following our trip to the Rett Clinic at UAB, we headed to Disney World.  It was the first time either of the kids had been, and the first time in 10 years for Wes and I.  I was apprehensive taking Abby to Disney.  I've heard that it's a great place for kids with special needs, but I feared she would get over-stimulated.  That could make her have lots of seizures or just sleep the whole week. Thankfully, she did neither.  We all had a wonderful time!  It really is the happiest place on earth.  The people who worked there went out of their way to accommodate Abby.  They were courteous and polite and helpful.

For the most part, we went to the parks in the morning and rested at the pool or in the room in the afternoon and evening.  I use the term "rested" loosely because Abby rarely napped the entire week.  I don't think she wanted to miss anything.  I can't believe how calm she was in the middle of all the chaos that surrounded us.  She took it all in.  She did get a little too excited on the way to her breakfast with the princesses and had a seizure.  But even then, she stayed awake after and was able to attend the breakfast. I'm so relieved that she recovered so quickly because the breakfast was perfect.  She met all the Disney princesses and seemed to enjoy every minute of it.


Logan said he didn't want to go and certainly didn't want to hug any princesses, but his mind was changed by the bikini-wearing Jasmine, who assured him she was not a real princess.


We spent our first day in the parks at Animal Kingdom. Abby and Logan both loved the raging rapids and the safari.  We also spent a lot of time in Dinoland USA.  Logan is a little obsessed with dinosaurs lately.  We spend about 4 hours at Animal Kingdom, and then headed back to the resort.  It was a beautiful day, not too hot or humid. 
                                 

The next day, my parents flew down and spent the rest of the week with us.  It was great to have them there to share the experience with the kids and to help out!  For the rest of the week, we went to Hollywood Studios and revisited Magic Kingdom.  It was so much fun!  Abby rode almost everything that we did, with the exception of a few fast or jerky rides.  She really seemed to enjoy herself.  

                                 
She loved the electric parade!




2 comments:

  1. so awesome! this gives me hope that this is in our future!

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  2. I had hopes that this would be fun, but I expected it to be a very hard vacation. Surprisingly, it was the easiest vacation we have taken with Abby. Everything was accessible and everyone we encountered was happy to help her. Now, Abby was in her chair most of the time at the park, so wheeling her around was a breeze. She walked at the resort and the pool, but not at any of the parks, except to walk from her chair to the ride. Now that Avery has a comfy ride, maybe she'll be up for it soon! I figured it would be a one-time trip, but now I see why families with kids with special needs make it their go-to vacation.

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