Dollywood (aka Home of the ZaZa)

For months now, PopPop has been talking about taking Max on a trip to Dollywood, so that he could ride on a real-life ZaZa. I mean, sure, he has ridden on the miniature train at Heritage Park, and on the wannabe train at the Riverbanks Zoo, but the train at Dollywood Express is pulled by a REAL steam engine! I have been wanting to take him, but have been unsure how Max would hold up on a long car ride (over 3 hours) and then a long day at a theme park, and then a long ride home. But I realized that at this point in the year, we are running out of nice weather AND quickly running out of time to take trips like this as far as my pregnancy goes. So, basically, it was now or never.

As a bonus, Dollywood currently has all their lights up for Christmas and Max is very into Christmas trees, lights, snowmen, Santa Claus, Reindeer...and pretty much everything else Christmas right now. So, last Friday, PopPop, Mimi, Max and I all loaded up in Mimi's car and drove the 3 hours up into the Tennessee mountains. The drive went much better than I expected, with Max passing the time playing on the IPad and just in general enjoying the attention. He particularly enjoyed driving through the tunnel as we got into the mountains, although he did wish to be "out of tunnel" as soon as we were inside it. (Oh, he did manage to sneak a 30 minute nap in there at the end of the drive. Way to fight it off, buddy!)

When we got into Pigeon Forge, Max was overwhelmed by everything there was to see...sensory overload for a little kid! After a quick lunch at Calhoun's, we were on our way to the park!

At this time of year the park opens at 2 and the lights come on at dark, which would leave about 4ish hours to fill in the park. PopPop had some concerns about how we would fill those hours with Max. He also expressed concern about the fact that I had not brought a stroller for Max. Max is pretty much over the stroller these days, and when we bring it along we find that we are just pushing around an empty stroller which ends up just being one more thing to keep up with. I had faith that my boy would have the stamina to keep up for the day.

Max was having fun from the get-go. From the parking lot, we had to ride a trolley to get up to the gates of the park. Max was happy to believe that he was riding a ZaZa already!

And once we were actually inside the park, he was raring to go! Dollywood is definitely a "Dolly-fied" version of a themepark. It's cute and quaint whereas others are gaudy and tacky. Both types are fun, don't get me wrong (love ya, Six Flags!), but Dollywood definitely has more of a family, laid-back feel to it. And it was the perfect day to be there.

 Nice and cool (but fine if you had a jacket) and so much fun to see all the Christmas decorations. They were everywhere!

And look! Another ZaZa!! Train count at this point (including the parking lot trolley): 2! So far, so good.

As we made our way over to the actual train station, where we could catch a ride on the steam train, we ran into these guys, who were a big hit with Max.

(Well, they were sort of a big hit, as long as he was able to keep his distance. Pop Pop tried to get Max to feed the ducks, at which point Max decided to seek shelter by a tree. You never know when a duck could decide to go rogue, after all).

 

We also passed by the Ferris Wheel on our way to the train station. After a debate as to whether Max would be scared, it was decided that we should try it. Well, not we exactly; apparently the Ferris Wheel is MUCH TOO DANGEROUS for a pregnant woman, so I would be sitting out. But the 3 Muskateers managed to make in onboard. Max's very first themepark ride!! And....he did great. Not scared at all. Apparently he spent the whole ride stating "Going up" or "Going down" as appropriate. Let's face it, Ferris Wheels aren't exactly terrifying (unless you're afraid of heights, I guess).

Soon after the Ferris Wheel adventure, we made our way to the train station. And there she was: the Dollywood Express. (ZaZa Count: 3!!) We were concerned that the noise might scare Max. He was unphased. Mimi, however, was terrified that she might get a cinder in her eyes.

 

 

We did have to kill some time once we had boarded the train. It was also necessary to employ some distractionary tactics so that Max didn't notice the cotton candy cart that was parked directly beside PopPop.

But soon enough, we were on our way...riding the rails on an actual train! As I imagined might happen, Max didn't really "get" that he was on a train. But, he did enjoy waving to the people as we rode along and checking out the scenery and Christmas decor that was set up along the way. It was about a 20 minute ride. A good start for Max I think.

(The best thing about this video is definitely the country accent this guy is rocking. Everyone at Dollywood seemed to talk like that.)

Shortly after we got off the train, we found ourselves in front of the carousel. Max expressed an interest in riding. PopPop didn't take much convincing. Max wanted to ride the reindeer; somehow he ended up on the goat. Note his displeasure:

My kid is apparently good at math; particularly ratios. He quickly realized that he was the only child in our group, with 2 adults who were also ride-eligible (because apparently EVERY ride is dangerous for a pregnant lady). As soon as he and PopPop were done with the carousel, he recruited Mimi. Because he really wanted to ride the rooster. He did also manage to get his ride on the reindeer; I don't know why I don't have any pictures of that one.

We next made our way over to this baby roller coaster, which Max naturally assumed was another ZaZa. (ZaZa count: 4!) While he was eager to ride, I was really apprehensive as to how he would actually react to this one. It did pick up some amount of speed and include a little drop, which I figured he wouldn't be expecting. Added to that was the fact that the children riding were screaming like they were being dropped off a cliff. Well, I figured PopPop could handle it and deal with the aftermath. Max managed to JUST SQUEAK BY on the height requirement for this one. I hoped the little ears on his "chicken hat" would help him out!

Look at the tiny little head just barely poking over the edge!

Since I couldn't really see his face during the ride, I had no idea how he was faring. I don't know what I was worried about. Apparently at the end of the ride, as they pulled back into the "station", Max turned to PopPop with wide eyes and said "Ride Again?!" Max's bravery even convinced Mimi to go for a spin!

 

"don't worry kid; I'm an old pro at this ride...it's no big deal!"

 

I think he rode this thing 3 times. AND, a roller coaster lover is born. (PopPop even had him assuming the correct roller-coaster form by the last ride: hands up in the air as you go down the hills!) And apparently he also expressed disdain towards the little girls who squealed as they rode. Wimps!

After that, Max literally could not get his fill of rides. Pig, bumblebee, duck; whatever, they were all baby-stuff compared to the roller coaster zaza.

"Oh no, more squealers behind me."

The Flying Elephants were slightly more fun, though.

Before we knew it, then sun was setting (and it was getting cold!). We managed to make it back to the train station in time to watch the Dollywood Express pull in. ZaZa count: 5!

Pop Pop and Max discussed the finer points of steam engine maintenance and care.

And then Max informed us that time was a-wastin' and it was time to move on:

Miniature train set with Christmas Lights: ZaZa Count up to 6!

We concluded our visit with a walk through the park looking at the lights as they came on. They were so pretty, but so hard (ok, impossible) to capture correctly on the camera.

My little birdie was definitely fading by this point.

He INSISTED that I take his picture here, after refusing to let me take his picture in front of cute things throughout the day. Perhaps he just wanted to rest. The irony of the sign is not lost on me.

The prettiest tree in the whole place (that I saw). I loved it. See below for video. I want a tree like this at my house for Christmas!

(I could have watched this all night; but PopPop was basically sprinting towards the exit at this point and we had to move along).

To give credit where credit is due: Max was starting to fade at this point and Mimi carried him for a bit...and apparently bruised or threw out her shoulder. Perhaps we overstayed and pushed our luck with him a little bit, but all-in-all he did well with keeping up (or we did well with keeping up with him!)
Somehow I still feel like we barely brushed the surface of the park, but I definitely saw lots of roller coasters that Max will be wanting to ride in a few years. Oh, and speaking of what's going to happen in a few years, this little preview of Max driving was enough to give me nightmares!


So we finally made it back to the car after one last ride on the trolley (ZaZa count: 7!), changed Max into PJs, cranked up the heat, and got on our way. After a quick stop at Burger King, where Max wolfed down more nuggets (4) than I've ever seen him eat in one sitting, we were back on the road towards home. Max managed to stay awake to see the 2 tunnels we got to go through on the way back, and then passed out for the duration. We got back to Simpsonville around 10:30 and Chris and I tucked a very tired little guy into bed. He evidently had a lot to process, because he woke up throughout the night more than he usually does, and he even was talking in his sleep! (I'm not sure what he was saying, but I thought I heard "duck, no!" at one point. haha, not really!)

Thanks to Mimi and Pop Pop for a wonderful day at Dollywood. Max (and I) really and truly had an absolute blast. (And PopPop's fears about how we would pass the day were unfounded; fastest day ever!)

Has This Started Already??

I think it's been a known fact for a while now that Max is an adrenaline junkie. Since he was teeny tiny, he has loved to do things that I imagine would terrify most children his age, like being thrown around upside down and jumping off the diving board into the pool. But over the last week or so I have seen him really pushing his limits and it's given me a glimpse into the future that terrifies ME! (Um, hello, I never want you to get your driver's license!!)

One such example is this:

This is Max's balance bike. This thing is supposed to help a kid learn to balance on two wheels so that when they start to ride a real bike (ie, a bike with pedals), they are able to skip the riding-with-training-wheels phase. We'll see if that really happens, but for the time-being I can say that his balance and coordination on this thing have definitely improved by leaps and bounds since he started using it. He's been playing around with it for months now; in fact, when he started using it, he couldn't even touch the ground unless he was wearing his rain boots, which gave him some extra lift.

But for the past week or so, he has been ALL ABOUT this bike. We took it over to Mimi and PopPop's so that he could ride with Benny, who had his tricycle there, and just within the last few days Max's confidence on the bike has soared. In fact, on Thanksgiving, he was "stuntin" on the step in the sidewalk that leads up to the pool, and his rear tire blew. That didn't really stop him, as he proceeded to cruise around, even on the flat.

So after a quick trip to Walmart to replace the tire, he was good to go again with a real tire. He and Benny had a blast yesterday riding up and down the step again and AGAIN ad nuaseum. And today, Max was more than eager to take his bike out for a cruise around the neighborhood. (see happy picture above).

Well, leave it to Chris to decide that we should take Max for some off-road action. At the back of the neighborhood, where the land has been cleared for roads but no roads have been built yet, there is a nice area for breaking a leg having some fun. We didn't have to ask Max twice if he wanted to ride in the dirt. "More bumpy!" he said. And of course, there was no hesitation whatsoever to riding to the top of the hills and trying to give me a heart attack.

As if that wasn't enough, then this nonsense began:


And that was followed by Max's motto for the grabbing all the fun in life (see if you can catch it in this video):



 "Do It Again!" And so...he did. You're probably thinking that a crash is inevitable. You would be correct.



But our young daredevil was undaunted and I predict, unfortunately, many more harrowing moments in our future. (Heaven help me.)

Some Ludwig Family Milestones.

Max isn't the only one around here who hits important milestones. From time to time, the others of us do as well. Last Tuesday, November 6, 2012 was a big milestone for Chris. He was able to vote for the first time as a US Citizen in the Presidential Election. He has been looking forward to this day since he first began paying taxes in the US but was unable to vote. Since he officially became a citizen in June, he was now finally eligible.

So, we all decided to go vote together around 8 AM on Tuesday. I guess I don't really remember voting in the last Presidential Election, but I did not remember it being as crowded as it was on Tuesday! Our voting precinct is actually Mimi and Pop Pop's church, which is right down the road, so the 3 of us rode over there and were surprised to find that the parking lot was filled to capacity and there were cars parked along the road. But we were not deterred.

We headed inside to find a LONG line winding through the church. I was slightly nervous about how Max would hold up in such a line, but he managed to hold it together, even entertaining the other voters with his random exclamations of "Obama!" from time to time. I tried to explain to him that it's unlawful to campaign in the precinct, but he's apparently a political rebel. (Just so everyone is clear here: the Ludwig family did NOT vote for Obama. I just think that Obama is more fun to say than Romney, at least for a kid).

So we finally made it to the front of the line and were able to cast our votes. A big day for our new US Citizen!

Max was pretty excited about it too....

and he spent the rest of the day pontificating on political issues...

Sadly, late on Tuesday night it was determined that our guy didn't win. Looks like we're going to have to endure 4 more years of Obama's style of "Hope and Change", which apparently are his words for "unemployment, gay rights, entitlement, and desperation". Max was less than happy when I told him the results on Wednesday morning.

Sorry, buddy; hopefully America survives the next 4 years and your next voting experience is more positive.

Max conquered a much happier milestone this past weekend, when we finally decided it was time to convert his crib into a "big boy bed", which really just meant removing the front rail of the bed, resulting in this:

There were a coule of reasons why we felt it was time to take this step. #1, Max has been able to climb out of his crib for some time now, although he didn't do it often. #2, we're going to be needing this crib for the baby in a few months so we needed to start the transition to another bed for Max. However, I have been extremely nervous about taking this step, envisioning Max refusing to stay in his bed once he can so freely escape. I kind of liked him sleeping in his little prison that he was somewhat unlikely to crawl out of.

I guess this is just one step of many as Max grows up that Mommy has a much tougher time with than Max does! He immediately loved his big boy bed, and the first night went off without a hitch. He slept through the night with no problem, and even waited for me to come and get him up in the morning. Naptime was a slightly different story, as he took about 2 hours to finally settle down to sleep, but he is slowly getting better with naptime too. (Although I am afraid that he's trying to give up naps altogether - great timing with the baby coming!)

Now if I could just convince him that using the big boy potty is as much fun as sleeping in the big boy bed we'd be golden!!