We've been up since 2am
Thanks to Steven we are awake at 3.20am. Honestly you’d think that at 7 months they’d have a full comprehension of time zones but apparently not so here we are awake and still 3 hours away from a caffeinated beverage.
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Well we finished the unpacking, had showers, watched the Weather Channel and dressed appropriately: t-shirts and light jackets, and got the buggy and changing bag ready to go for the day. At 5.30am I discover the parking pass that we had been given at check-in and rush down to the car with it, hoping that our green meanie had not been towed away overnight. I return to our room at 5.40am to find Steven fast asleep.
At 6.30am Adrian takes our mugs and goes down for the much needed coffee. He returns a couple of minutes later – our rooms are about as close to the food court as you can get – he returns and informs me that Nanny Lesley is also awake and he’s got coffee for her too. I go next door to find that she has been awake since 3am and has been doing some bead weaving she bought over with her for just such a situation. There’s no sign of life from Big Steve and Lisa’s room. I go down to the food court to search for them but there’s no sign so I head back up to find them just entering their room as I round the corner. Steve turns around, sees me and wails, “we’ve been up since 2am.” They were up, the kids were bathed, everything was unpacked and they were waiting outside the food court at 6am. Apparently Big Steve had been wrecking the drinks machines in the food court. He’d gone to get Harry a Sprite, pushed the mug against the pushy thingy and the whole row of pushy thingies fell down. So he moved round to the next array, pushed the mug against the pushy thingy, and the whole row fell down there too.
Big Steve and Lisa want a proper American breakfast for the first morning so we drive over to Perkins at The Crossroads. On the way there we spot a car with the licence plate: Mrs Fred. This amused us all greatly as Nanny Lesley is married to Grandad Fred so she is Mrs Fred. It was funny. Really. Well I guess you had to be there. We are seated promptly at Perkins and a highchair appears within seconds for Steven.
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Our server tells Harry that he’s very handsome causing him to go red and hide his face with embarrassment. Much ordering and consuming of breakfast is done; Steven has some toast, which is practically in his mouth before the plate hits the table. On the way out, while Adrian is paying for breakfast, Ellie notices some vending machines dispensing stickers or something. Thus began the first of many “can I have,” chants that would become so familiar over the next two weeks. Needless to say she left the restaurant stickerless.
OK breakfast was done with, now we needed baby supplies, room snacks, park snacks and other non-essential items. Our local fairy, Tink, had provided directions from the relevant Perkins to the relevant Publix so off we went. One minor detour into the Premium Outlets Mall lot – see pre-trip report about me taking random turnings – and we pull into a very empty Publix lot. Lisa asks Steve to check Harry’s nappy. Harry is about 90% potty trained but they decided not to risk it for the holiday. Steve sits Harry in the back of the car and emerges screaming a few seconds later waving a finger in the air which apparently has the contents of Harry’s nappy stuck to it. We didn’t stick around for any more details and yelling “see you inside,” we were off and running. Nanny Lesley and myself paused briefly outside to test our ATM cards in the machine by the entrance and – yay I have cash!
Once inside we start looking for things we need amongst the “ack, do people actually eat that,” stuff. We turn down an aisle to find Big Steve and Lisa coming the other way pushing Harry in a truck with a trolley on top. Halfway round the store Ellie joined Harry in the truck cab. Wish I’d had my camera with me. Harry was yelling “hello,” to everyone he saw and did this right the way round the store. We got the essential items – Dr Pepper, beer, and the non-essential items – water, baby food, nappies, cookies, and go back to our rooms to drop these off and to prepare for the day’s onslaught on Downtown Disney.
