The "NorthCoast" Ohio adventure - PTR July 10-22 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Well, I really enjoyed writing the PTR and TR's for our previous two Disney trips. Coach suggested that I create an itinerary for our upcoming "Cleveland extravaganza" as he's taken to calling our final (tentative) plans for our summer vacation this year. I also find writing cathartic because it allows me to process through things, as well as to pass on helpful tips and information.
Well, with the birth of my nephew, Gabriel Joseph, last week, we decided to move our Disney idea from this August to next summer. While a little sad that Coach had dangled the idea in front of me for scheduling a trip this August, and we could financially swing a tone-downed trip, we decided it would give us a better chance of having the new Mine Train coaster opened, plus....My parents will be joining us again on the trip.
So, we went BACK to the drawing board for a summer vacation. This is the first year in almost 20 that Coach isn't going to be coaching football. It was a really tough decision for us to make, but with the changes for the program - the practice was going to be from 6-8:30 during the week, and they were going to be on the sidelines for all home football games, plus mandatory Saturday morning practices - way too much to ask of JH students IMO...Coach felt it would take too much time away from the kids. This is also Coach's (hopefully) last year as a classroom teacher as he's been looking for an administration job which would make coaching tough.
So...the cast:
Me, Melissa - the stay-at home mom, hoping to return to the classroom full-time and currently teaching adult enrichment classes on Tuesday and Thursday evenings through a local trade school. I will be turning 40 during our Cleveland Extravaganza and Coach is under strict orders to ignore the birthday. We'll see if he manages that
Coach - my darling husband of nine years, and my best friend for the past 19 Wow that's a big number typed out like that. I stated in my last TR, that family vacations are a big deal to him because his family only took one though his parents traveled a lot, they just didn't let he or his brother tag along.
Nolan, he's now officially 8 and an official third grader. His favorite things (today) are reading (he reads on a six grade level), swimming and torturing his brothers. He's been able to accomplish two of the three so far this summer. With the cool, wet weather we've been having, it's safe to say swimming isn't one of his three activities right now.
Patrick - he's five and anxiously counting away summer because he wants to start Kindergarten and can't wait until August. He's recently learned to read and enjoys our Monday trips to the library so he can get new books, though he did confide that he's worried the library is going to run out of books for him to read.
Cullen will be turning four this August. He's had a bit of a rough transition from his special preschool to summer and we noticed this past weekend, he's starting to regress with his speech again and seems to be loosing words that he cold readily say even a month ago. He was diagnosed with a Developmental Delay in October, and last month the pediatric specialist confirmed that he is indeed "on the spectrum". We also have a tentative diagnosis of speech apraxia, This particular speech disorder does tend to occur in autistic children, and it can create symptoms/behaviors which appear to be autism but which are really attributed to his speech disorder. Confusing? I have an entire three year binder just full of various assessment data that we're still trying to sort through. What does all this mean? Life can be calm, but it can also be challenging with Cullen and it definitely requires a lot of extra planning!
Travel with a child on the spectrum presents many gift and challenges. Food allergies also increase those gifts and challenges. Patrick has a a severe allergy to Milk protein and Cullen has an allergy. We think Cullen's is milder than Patrick's simply because we caught it much earlier - he was assessed and diagnosed at 6 weeks of age vs. 12 months for Patrick after repeated exposures (but that's a whole different topic).
I'll end today with a general introduction of our plans:
July 10th - Coach and I's official 9th wedding anniversary - though we are planning to celebrate at a later date. Today we will meet up halfway to Cleveland with my parents and I will be going to their house, he will be returning home with the boys to care for them for a few days while my mom and I head to NYC to visit my brother and I get to meet my new nephew!
July 11th - will be a bright and early day for me. Mom and I are driving to NYC. Well, I'll be driving and she'll be riding because Mom won't drive on any highway. We're planning on leaving their house at 5:00 AM which will put us arriving in Brooklyn around 3:00p.m. and theoretically missing NY rush hour traffic. Matt has leased a two bedroom unit in his brownstone for us for our stay. My sister-in-law's sister and family will be arriving the day Mom and I leave.
July 12th - weather permitting, we're planning on heading to the Central Park Zoo with my brother and nephew. It's also Jill's first day back to work from her maternity leave. Matt is working on a surprise for us for that night
July 13th - We plan on heading to Coney Island or my brother and I may possibly head to Fire Island to look over the house reconstruction. Jill's family home was damaged in the hurricane last year and they've finally gotten the go-ahead from the insurance to begin rebuilding.
July 14th - Mom and I will be leaving at 6:00 this morning It will be hard to leave my little nugget of a nephew, especially since it isn't there year to come for Christmas (but I've started working on Matt to think about coming in for Thanksgiving). I will be happy to arrive back at Mom and Dad's because Coach and my boys will be there.
Next update - I will include the itinerary for the Cleveland portion of the travel extravaganza!
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Ch-Ch-Changes July 2015
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Wow that's a big number typed out like that. I stated in my last TR, that family vacations are a big deal to him because his family only took one though his parents traveled a lot, they just didn't let he or his brother tag along.
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Coach and I's official 9th wedding anniversary - though we are planning to celebrate at a later date. Today we will meet up halfway to Cleveland with my parents and I will be going to their house, he will be returning home with the boys to care for them for a few days while my mom and I head to NYC to visit my brother and I get to meet my new nephew!
It will be hard to leave my little nugget of a nephew, especially since it isn't there year to come for Christmas (but I've started working on Matt to think about coming in for Thanksgiving). I will be happy to arrive back at Mom and Dad's because Coach and my boys will be there.
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