This meme says so much….Little did I know that on the eve of our trip to Florida for some sun and R&R, it was also the beginning of major Hand, Foot & Mouth outbreak….
The Friday before our trip Teddy came home with a fever. I thought nothing of it because toddlers get weird 24 hour fevers all the time. And by morning he was fine. We had Saturday to recover before our flight to Florida on Sunday morning. At our 5am wake up call, Teddy was all clear. But by the time we were on the plane (my first solo flight with the boys BTW), he was in full rash breakout mode; hands, feet, bum, legs. And that’s how we started our week with Papa and Coco…..
I think I read every mommy blog and homeopathic treatment article for Coxsackie Virus (aka Hand, Foot & Mouth) that exists which explains why poor Tedders was slathered in Coconut oil, chugged elderberry syrup hourly and bathed in Epson salts like it was his job. And poor Papa and Coco had to deal with Mommy’s crazy. At it’s worst:
We were spared and it never spread to his face or mouth- just every where else. And since he was in good spirits and no longer contagious (just gross looking), we tried not to let it stop us from enjoying our time in the Sunshine state.
We rode bikes… A LOT! My parents neighborhood was perfect for Andrew and he loved it! One morning we went on a 5-mile ride and Andrew only stopped twice for about 30 seconds each. Go Andrew!
Teddy enjoyed cruising too from the back seat 
The boys went on scavenger hunts to find the gold the leprechaun had left on St. Patrick’s day:
And they went swimming everyday…even the day it rained. Doesn’t Coco look thrilled?!
By midweek Teddy’s spots had started to fade and he was clearly on the up swing so we decided to keep our plans for Disney World. Daddy was even on his way to meet us there from Chicago, so why not?! But somewhere between Bonita Springs and Disney World, Andrew started to go down hill.
The virus was really fickle with Andrew. Some moments he’d be perfectly fine and then others, he’d be falling asleep. And knowing the timing of how it all works (contagious period, fever & rash), we decided to proceed as planned. Plus I feared what he’d be like if I told him he had to miss Toy Story Land.
It wasn’t always pretty but we did it! Andrew and I started our first day at Disney at the new Toy Story Land with the slinky roller coaster. I thought this was a no brainer. He loves Toy Story and really liked roller coasters last time. Here we are killing time in line and teaching him thumb wrestling:
There are no mid-ride photos on this rollercoaster but based on his reaction I’m pretty sure this is what we looked like:
My bad. Lesson learned…. sort of.
Next up:
Checking out the characters 
Dining with Minnie and friends! 
Teddy still loves Mickey from afar and HATES him up close! 
The boys were super pumped to return home to their Lightning McQueen hotel; a dream for my little boys!
Day 2: The Magic Kingdom!
Riding the monorail to the park is half the fun! 
Teacups! 
Baby’s First Splash Mountain
And we’re spent. I think this picture sums it up after a week of battling illnesses and then tackling the happiest place on Earth.
In between the rashes, fevers, coconut oil, elderberry shots, melt downs (mommy included), and crowded theme parks, we had fun!
Thanks Papa and Coco for the help, hospitality and memories! We’ll be sure to get a doctor’s note before our next trip!