Adventures in Disneyland

See that look on Josh's face?  That pretty much sums up our trip.

Of course I didn't take pictures of the boys smacking each other as they rode in the stroller, or of the tantrums when Josh had to get off a ride that he loved, but you get the idea.  This trip was a LOT of work, but worth all the effort when we were able to see Josh's face light up like that.

The plane rides could have been worse and only one person got snippy with us when Josh started having problems when electronics had to be turned off.  Both he and Ben freaked out on the first flight back home (a wee bit exhausted and stressed out, I think...) but it really could have been much worse.  TSA in Eugene was fine for helping Josh through security, TSA in Santa Ana, not so much.  The lady was not happy that Josh wouldn't walk through the dectectors by himself and when I told him he was autistic and didn't understand her, she told me I had to calm down.  I was very calm, for a woman trying to control a screaming three year old while holding a crying baby in my arms.  Oh boy, did I ever want to say something snarky to her, but I didn't want to end up in an interrogation room.  So Josh's screams were heard all over the airport.  Literally.  David's brother was down at the other end for his flight and texted asking if that was Josh he could hear.  Yep TSA, you brought that one upon yourselves. And David got treated like a dangerous criminal because of the metal in his knee brace.  They even insisted on patting down Ben!  But this isn't a rant post against TSA, so I shall move on now before I end up on the No Fly list.

The name of the game surviving DL with an autistic child is DISTRACTIONS.  I do not exaggerate that the trip would have been a disaster if we hadn't had the itouch.  When we allowed Josh to have it (all places except rides, and even then he got it if it ended up being a ride that scared him, like Alice and Haunted Mansion) he was able to block out the sensory overload.  Of course it also meant that he ignored a large part of what was happening around him, but it allowed him to come out of his shell on his terms, when things interested him.  I also packed an entire backpack full of treats.  Between those, we were able to avoid most meltdowns.  Having the Guest Assistance Pass allowed us to go in through the ride exit, dramatically cutting down the waiting time and allowing us to actually ride rides with Josh.

Josh liked the characters better from a distance, though he wasn't scared of them.  Pretty much he ignored them once they got close, though they did a really nice job of trying to get him to interact without being too pushy.  When Chip tried to 'help' Josh play his game Josh even gave him a rare smile.  Ben was a bit cranky in the bright sunshine (poor Oregon baby) and only wanted to grab their noses.

Ben was a good trooper, considering that we spent most of our energy focused on Josh.  His favorite thing was for me to take him on the carousel while David and Josh rode rides.  He also LOVED Small World, laughing and clapping through most of it.  He also learned quickly how to fall asleep in the stroller.

I'm glad we were down there for four full days because it allowed us to take things really slow.  We came back for a few hours in the afternoon and were back at the hotel by 6:30 so the boys could wind down before bed at 8pm.  It made it difficult to hang out with family, since everyone else was much more active with their (mostly) older children.  It's the one part of the trip I regret, but at least we got to see everyone at least once a day at the family meal.  David did get to spend some time with his parents and siblings, so I was content with spending time at the hotel with the boys while David went back out in the evening.

And while I normally end up not showing up in any family vacation pictures, I did make of point of including myself this time.  I think these are the most photos I've ever gotten of myself on a trip!

All things considered, I am so happy for this opportunity, generously provided by David's parents.  It was a magical experience.  I will never forget how Josh laughed and smiled on all the big spinning rides that he loved.  The very first ride we went on was the teacups and when it started moving, Josh's face lit up like I've never seen before.  I will treasure that memory.  Thank you, Yorgesen Family for such a great family reunion.