One last "Hurrah!"

Early in my pregnancy Steve and I decided that it would be nice to take Autumn on a special trip to celebrate her. We wanted to have a couple days to enjoy each other before the three of us became the four of us. An opportunity for all of our attention to be focused on Autumn and give her a chance to feel truly special. So, we decided the perfect place to do that is Disney World.

We waited until early November, when the weather is perfect and the crowds are low, and I am 7 months pregnant (I know, call me crazy!) We headed out on a Friday afternoon and made the drive to Orlando. I don't know what Autumn was more excited about, Disney or staying in a hotel! On Saturday morning, after a restless night (7 months pregnant + uncomfortable hotel bed + a very excited two year old) we woke up bright and early and headed out to the park!

Our first stop was to see Mickey Mouse and the Princesses. The first time we took Autumn to Disney World she was obsessed with Mickey and Minnie Mouse. This time around it was ALL ABOUT the princesses! We got in line, behind several other families with little girls Autumn's age, and wondered which of the princesses we would actually be seeing. Due to the number of magical ladies and the apparent demand to see them, they are on a rotation throughout the day. Now, Autumn isn't picky about her princesses, but like all little girls, she does have her favorites.

As we entered the room, Autumn got her first glimpse of which of the princesses she would be meeting. To my surprise, there were three different ladies there. I quickly scanned them and with a sigh of relief, saw that two of Autumn's favorites were there, Cinderella and Rapunzel, the only one missing was Snow White. Autumn looked at me and with as much amazement and excitement that one little two year old can hold, she said "Mama, that's Cinderella!" She was in awe at the thought of actually meeting Cinderella.

The next two minutes that we waited in line had to be the longest of Autumn's life. Then finally, it was her turn! Rapunzel was up first, and Autumn quickly ran up to show her the Snow White doll she had brought with her (this became a running theme with each character Autumn met.) They talked about Rapunzel's hair and Autumn's painted nails and smiled for a picture. I looked on smiling, knowing how excited Autumn was. The next princess in line was Sleeping Beauty. She is a princess, which places her in high regard as far as Autumn is concerned, but so far she isn't one of her favorites. They talked about princess dresses and fairies. Then, it was time to see Cinderella. Autumn ran, with all of her might, and fell into Cinderella's ball gown giving her the biggest hug she could. She had so many questions, "Where's Gus Gus?", "Why are your sisters so mean?", "Where's the Prince?". Cinderella answered each of Autumn's questions and told her how pretty she is, which made Autumn beam. Then Cinderella twirled Autumn as if they were dancing, and Autumn was in Heaven. I still hear how she danced with Cinderella.

After we left the three princesses Autumn immediately began asking where Snow White was. After all, she had to show the actual Snow White her Snow White doll! So I looked at the schedule that lists character meeting times and when I didn't see Snow White listed, my heart dropped. I was now on a "Mommy Mission", I was going to track down Snow White. One employee I asked directed me to "City Hall" to find out where we might find her, so off I went. The lovely people there called the casting office for me and I left knowing the exact time and location of Snow White's next appearance. We were first in line and before noon, Autumn had met her three favorite princesses. I was a happy Mama.

The rest of the day was spent riding rides, meeting a few more characters and admiring Cinderella's Castle. Autumn was amazed by that castle. Throughout the day, even though my feet started hurting somewhere around 10 am, and I was hot even though the weather was beautiful, I kept thinking how much I love experiencing Disney World through Autumn's eyes. Somewhere along the way we grow up and become jaded and the wonder of all that Disney is gets lost. When I watch my daughter, her eyes as big as saucers, trying to take it all in and I hear the pure excitement in her voice at the thought of getting to meet her favorite princess, I'm taken back. And if I try really hard I can remember when that was me. I hope that Autumn can hold onto that excitement and wonder for as long as possible.