Happy Holidays from the Bricker Family!
This was supposed to be titled, “We’re Thankful for Our Readers,” but I got tied up (not literally) on Thanksgiving and I’m not sure that title is still technically legal three days after Thanksgiving. Alas, the joys of being a new parent!
As we sit down for a traditional Sunday-after-Thanksgiving dinner of Wood Fired Naples Pizza and Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s Ice Cream from Trader Joe’s, we’re reflecting on the things for which we’re thankful. And one of the big ones, quite honestly, is the readers and commenters of Disney Tourist Blog.
We’ve mentioned this before in a few other posts since sharing our pregnancy announcement, but we want to once again reiterate it and try to express our earnestness. We are absolutely astounded and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support that you have shared in response to all of our news. This isn’t perfunctory praise or insincere sentiment, like a band shouting “we love [insert city they’re in].” We really and truly mean this, from the bottom of our hearts.
We are thankful for all of you. We’ve been grateful for the joy and happiness you’ve shared for and with us, and frankly humbled that you actually care to read and comment on stories about our personal lives that are wholly unrelated to Walt Disney World or Disneyland vacation planning.
As we mentioned a while back, we really didn’t know what would happen when putting ourselves out there with the original pregnancy news. Would we open ourselves up to potentially painful critique or second-guessing? Were we oversharing? Would anyone actually even care, or would it be a TMI situation? In the end, we couldn’t have prepared ourselves for the positive and uplifting response, but I guess we shouldn’t have been surprised–you all rock.
With all of these posts, we’ve stressed out over what to share and what to leave out. This has been the ‘category’ of content that gets the most second set of eyes editing and, in theory, should have the fewest typos as a result. The rest of this blog is stream-of-consciousness (not that this isn’t) presented without much of a filter. Thankfully, that is now also becoming more true of this type of post as we’ve gotten more comfortable sharing, and you all prove time and time again that you’re great people.
This was once again the case with last month’s news, Meet Megatron: Baby Bricker is Born! Many of you responded and, once again, conveyed an outpouring of kind congratulations messages and shared in our excitement. I mentioned it in the comments there at one point, but we read every single one of your comments here and messages elsewhere. All of them fill up our hearts; some of them fill our eyes.
We are so incredibly appreciative of your support. It’s still kind of wild to us how sincere you all are in sharing excitement and joyousness for two people (well, I guess three people now!) who you’ve “only” met online. Your words mean the world to us–probably far more than most of you will ever know. Thank you so, so much.
It is also worth emphasizing the intensity of the air quotes around “only” above. You are all part of the DTB family, and we mean that. Chatting with people in the comments here, especially those of you who we’ve gotten to “know” (again, air quotes) over the years can feel like talking to old friends.
We truly are thankful to have the best and most thoughtful readers. That may seem like a trite platitude, but we really mean it. We’re so fortunate. Spend any amount of time browsing the comments section here versus most other websites and you’ll see the contrast. There’s a reason why the first rule of the internet is never read the comments.
Thankfully, that has never applied with you all. As we reflect this weekend on all the ways we’re grateful, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to stop and share a very sincere and heartfelt thank you. Again. You all deserve a round of applause.
As long as we’re on the topic of thankfulness, I thought I’d share a quick Baby Bricker and family update in the form of other things for which I’m thankful.
First and foremost, I’m thankful for Sarah. She continues to be an absolute rockstar, even more so than when she was pregnant. As it turns out, taking care of a baby isn’t just a full-time job. Those are only 40-some hours per week, whereas this is 24/7. Unfortunately, Megatron doesn’t even give us weekends or holidays off! And actually, this isn’t a job at all–it’s more like volunteer work…that we’re paying to do?! (Starting to seem like we got a raw deal here…maybe I’m just bad at business, but I’d take that offer again in a heartbeat!)
Sarah is up at all hours. She’s doing it all. I don’t know when the last time was that she got ~3 hours of uninterrupted sleep, but definitely not this month, and probably not last either unless it was the very beginning. I am in absolute awe.
For whatever it’s worth, I try to pull my weight and do what I can to help with the baby. I change her. I carry her around. I rock her. I read to her. I do tummy time, and sometimes serve as the mat for it. I take endless photos of her (not helpful per se, but hopefully important).
But as a practical matter, there are limitations on what I’m able to do as contrasted with Sarah. When Megatron starts crying, there are only two things she wants, and I don’t have those.
And when Sarah is done with all of this, and it’s time for us to go on a family walk, guess what? Sarah insists that she wear Megatron so that she can get stronger and healthier. Like all of the great rockstars, Sarah is arguably a little too “hardcore.”
Speaking of wearing Megatron, I’m thankful for our BabyBjörn Baby Carrier. If you followed the pre-birth saga, you might’ve seen that I was “cautiously optimistic” about baby wearing, despite receiving countless words of warning from friends and family against it. Given that, I tried to contain my enthusiasm and not get ahead of myself because every baby is different, she might not like it, we might not like it, etc. etc.
All three of us love it. We have yet to use our stroller.
While that’ll likely change when we visit Disney for the first time (we’re already counting down the days!), so far we’re perfectly comfortable wearing Megatron for hours at a time. Of course, she’s only ~12 pounds now, so there is that.
The surprise twist (to us) is that Megatron is the biggest babywearing enthusiast among us. When she’s not crying for her two favorite things, being worn almost always calms her. Well, being worn…and moving.
That’s a pretty big asterisk, but you know what, we’re okay with it. We’re able to do work while baby wearing (so long as we sway in place). We’re able to watch movies together while baby wearing (so long as one of us circles the room like a shark). We’re able to eat an uninterrupted dinner (so long as it’s before 5 p.m. and one of us stands). It’s awesome, really.
Speaking of which, I’m thankful for standard time–also known as “winter time.” I’ve always been a Daylight Saving Time hater, and for good reason. There’s too much daylight. No need to “save” it. We have lists of the Top 10 Magic Kingdom Rides at Night and Top 10 Disneyland Rides at Night, but no lists of the best rides during daytime. And you know why? Night is better. It’s just science.
In any case, I’m thankful for regular time because it helps put an end to the witching hour and allows us to go to bed at, like, 7 pm.
On the other hand, I am very much not thankful for the witching hour. I knew this was “a thing” but also kind of figured it was overblown. It’s also possible that I had hoped or assumed that we’d have the perfect baby and some of the bad things other parents experience wouldn’t happen to us.
Well, our little angel is perfect…except during this time of day “when demons, monsters, and other horrifying supernatural creatures are at their most powerful and wicked.” (European folklore’s words, not mine.) Suffice to say, whatever awful things you’ve heard about the witching hour…it’s true, all of it.
Next, I’m thankful for the Snoo Smart Sleeper Bassinet, slayer of the witching hour.
We debated buying this thing for weeks due to its high price and polarized reviews. After much deliberation, we splurged during the summer sale on a certified ‘pre-loved’ sleeper, knowing we could resell it for pretty close to what we paid.
It has been a godsend for us–we’re absolute true believers. In general, it’s absolutely wild to me how much technology exists that has made being a new parent easier than it used to be. We have older friends and family telling us stories of strapping a car seat to the dryer (is that safe?), driving around in snowstorms (same question?), and doing other questionable things that are just a complete non-issue for us.
Honestly, it feels kind of like we’re going through this with cheat codes–a GameShark for parenting–and it reminds me of traveling internationally in the era of mobile phones with Google Maps and translate apps. The really crazy thing, though, is that this is still really difficult! Even with the cheat codes! It’s like Elden Ring, but 24/7/365…and much more rewarding!
We’re also thankful that our miniature dachshund, Walter E. Dogsney, can no longer hear. Now this might seem harsh, but hear me out. Walter is mad at the world. He’s upset at anyone or anything that would dare encroach upon his kingdom or threaten his family. Walter’s list of enemies is as long as it is diverse, encompassing such threats as the vacuum, our neighbors, any visitors to our home, all birds, reflections, FaceTime, and much more.
Walter has, historically, hated children. They move too much, and too fast. He has also not been a huge fan of anything that comes between him and us. His anger is surpassed only by his anxiety, so we were understandably a bit worried and had spent a few months this summer “weaning” him off Sarah just in case.
He’s been totally okay. He gets along with his sister just fine. This assuredly would not be true if he could hear her. Naturally, we talk for Walter in dog voice, and “he” often obliviously comments about how quiet she is. Unlike all of you, he is a big fan of Genie, and someday dreams of breaking into it and having a fancy feast.
We similarly thankful that Yossarian the Cat is scared of his sister. Judging by his reactions to her, he can hear perfectly fine, and is terrified of the little noisemaker we brought home last month. He definitely prefers the vacuum.
We weren’t as worried about Yossarian since his baseline attitude is indifference, but there was a little trepidation that he would sit on her. Yossarian is a big fan of anything that’s warm, and likes nesting…pretty much everywhere. So there were some concerns that he might nest on the baby. He doesn’t go anywhere near her.
Fortunately for Yossarian, his good friend the Christmas tree is back. So he spends much of his time trying to climb that, trying to eat that, trying to bat at ornaments on that, and getting yelled at for doing all of the above.
Most importantly, we’re thankful to have a baby who is doing well.
Our girl loves to eat, and is growing at an astonishing rate. Could be a world record. The pediatrician seems slightly less impressed than me, but she does agree that Megatron is doing a good job eating. I’ll take that a step further and say that Joey Chestnut better watch his back!
Our hearts continue to grow every morning when she wakes up with a smile on her face, waving her arms all around, just elated to be here. The way her mouth slowly opens wider and wider, and she laughs for no particular reason whatsoever–vibin’ on life–is incredible. Words cannot do it justice. When she wakes up is our favorite part of our day, every single day, and judging by her reaction to seeing mom and dad for the first time each morning, she feels likewise.
Her unbridled sense of happiness and excitement every time she discovers something new around her is contagious. We didn’t think it was possible to love her any more, but it keeps happening. We can’t wait to see what she’ll do next. Every day is a blessing.
Finally, we’re thankful for our families. That they’ve been so helpful and supportive and genuinely excited for us and Megatron. We are second fiddle to her now, but that’s okay, because she is more adorable than us.
Above all else, we’re thankful to be so loved, to have a healthy and happy family, and to get to spend this holiday season with our new baby. We never expected to be in this position a year ago–wow, how quickly things change–and we absolutely wouldn’t trade it for the world. We hope you likewise had a nice Thanksgiving with family and friends, and have a happy holiday season!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Any thoughts you have in response to our latest update on Baby (Girl) Bricker? Anything else you’re interested in reading about with regard to Megatron, babies in the parks, etc? (Again, we don’t know how much we’re going to feel comfortable putting ourselves and our child out there, so we’d greatly appreciate you granting us grace and patience as we find our footing and prepare to be parents!) Hearing your feedback is always appreciated, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I’ve been following the blog (and your advice!) for ages, and this one just makes me smile so much and feel such happiness for you. I’m a mom of three, and they are all so wildly different and amazing and fun. A bit older now, with the youngest at 13, but the other day I found some videos that my middle took when he was about three, with his little play camera, and the memories of those kid times just flooded back. It’s truly a magical time!
We hope to see you next year maybe in person, as we are doing the post-Thanksgiving zag and already reserved Shades of Green for Dec 1 through the 8th, 2024. I’ve often loved mid-Januaru but I really want to feel the holiday vibes next year. Wish us luck!
Wow, just wow! What a wonderful update! Thank you for sharing. Megatron will continue to rock your world. Being a parent is such a gift. I think I can speak for the other readers—keep sharing what you’re willing to share. I look forward to every update! Wishing all 5 of you a joyous holiday!
Hey Tom
The witching hour usually goes away when they are between 3 and 4 months old so hang in there! Both of our girls who are now 34 and 38 went through this stage peditrician said it was normal that they all scream at the end of the day after they wake up that is it starts about 6 weeks and ends after they are 3 to 4 months old
I LOVED the diaper Genie joke & the fancy feast that Walter dreams of. I immediately reread that line, as I wanted to ensure I wasn’t making it up in my own head. A classic!
And I will just echo that I am very happy for you all. It’s great to read the updates – takes me back to those days (my son is 20 now) when I read about your awe of and love for Megatron. And I am thankful for all of your help – just got home from a trip to Japan for 3 weeks plus a few days in Hong Kong, seeing HKDL for the first time. (I’ve added an Albert to my plush collection!) And I was constantly saying things like “Tom says to arrive later, Tom recommends this, etc, etc”. As others have commented, it’s like we are referring to friends, and we are! All the best!
Don’t know how I missed the news but congratulations! I can’t wait for you to get to experience Disney with your child!
This update makes my day. I have just loved watching your family grow. As an IVF mom I have been cheering for you. We took our girls to Diseny young and my second daughter’s thrid word was Dumbo! I can’t wait to follow yall and Meagtron on her Disney adventures as she travels the world with the coolest parents around!
I’m so thankful for the posts! I love hearing the updates on your expanded family and knowing you’re getting on so well. It is amazing how much you can love and be in awe of these tiny humans – and the best news is that it doesn’t stop! Mine are 3 and 5 now and I still can’t believe that my love grows more each day when I feel like I’m already going to burst with it. And you never stop being awestruck by those developments and milestones. All of the time, I think, ‘THIS is my favorite age.’ And it’s just because it is so fun to watch their developments, celebrate their victories and even help navigate the challenges. I think every day with these littles (even the hard ones) is such a gift. And in reading your post, it seems you and Sarah feel that way too!
I love hearing how Megatron is doing & how how your lives have changed. There is nothing as heartwarming as seeing your child get all excited just to see you! The big smiles & arms & legs going. It just makes your day. I am so happy for both of you as a couple! I look forward to your Disney trips & also the comical stories I know are in store now that you have a child. That child is very lucky to have you & Sarah for parents. Christmas will be fun but next Christmas will be great! I can’t wait to hear all about it. Enjoy!
Hello Brother.
1) You two (now three) are great peeps. That is why you only receive positive comments/feedback!
2) The following is because the baby feels happy for being the closest she can be to still being in the womb (i.e. it is normal/par for the course):
>> The surprise twist (to us) is that Megatron is the biggest babywearing enthusiast among us. When she’s not crying for her two favorite things, being worn almost always calms her. Well, being worn…and moving. <<
Being in contact with mommy's body and moving… What she lived for 9 months. Very comfortable and happy like that.
The comfortableness ends SUDDENLY – keep an eye out for when she starts struggling/kicking when you try to put her in the baby carrier… Those will be the signs to let you know when she has outgrown it.
3) Am absolutely unable to wait to see the photos from when you first take her to WDW. Please post immed when it happens! Am taking my kids (again) in a couple of months, and although it is wonderful to see them enjoying the parks, I can never forget the first time taking them. Just awesome. Want to live vicariously through you! 🙂
Warmest Regards and Keep up the great work!
Faux Pas for replying to my own post!
But forgot to mention…
When Megatron is big enough to start going on rides/attractions with you, tie a balloon to your stroller handle and/or airtag it before going to the parks (particularly MK).
You are about to enter the bizarre world of Cast-Members-Moving-Your-Stroller-For-No-Explicable-Reason while you ride.
Have fun!!
The best part of those baby bjorn carriers is when, in the coming months, you can turn her around and she’ll be facing the front, Their world changes forever. To be able to explore and experience all the sights and sounds.
And the best part is once they figure out you are behind them, and they turn their head to catch a peek of mom or dad and squeak with delight.
Love this post, the baby stuff warms my heart and the pet stuff makes me smile. Merry Christmas to your sweet family! My cat, Atlas, is also happy to have his friend the Christmas tree back 🙂
I wish I had whatever device you spoke of a few years ago when my firstborn was keeping us awake during the witching hour! We literally rocked him for hours it seemed.
Long time reader, first time commenter here… so happy for all three of you and love reading these Megatron updates! I’m sure we all feel like we know you (pointing at every blonde man in the parks like, “Is that Tom??”), so getting to hear about this happy stuff is really heartwarming. Whatever you’re comfortable sharing, we’ll read and enjoy!
Also, please explain what sorcery allows Sarah to wear her hair down in the parks in summer…
If I could explain it, I would! There are many photos of the two of us together at Walt Disney World where it seems like we’re standing on two different planets.
I have thought the same thing about Sarah’s hair! She always looks so adorable in her dresses and I have to wear wicking shirts and ponytails until November. 😉
I only started following a couple years ago but whenever I say to my husband “Tom and Sarah say…” it’s like we’re talking about friends. Thank you for sharing your joy with us! Eagerly anticipating reading about Megatron’s first Disney visit, should you choose to write about it.
There is no rational explanation for Sarah’s hair. Always perfect, every photo. Some people are just blessed with great locks.
Happy Holidays (especially Wookiee Life Day) to you, The Bricker Family! I’m looking forward to seeing your posts about the (presumably) upcoming Bricker Family World Tour 2024!
We are hoping to hit most of the (Disney) world in 2024 (minus Shanghai), but we shall see how realistic and achievable that ends up being!
I love this update and am overjoyed at the new joy in your lives! I look forward to hearing new tips and tricks for navigating the parks with kids. Mu son is now 3 and we took him to Disney at 2. it was both magical (meeting mickey for the first time) and trying at the same time (we were those people with toddler kicking a cup of water out of my hand in meltdown outside the Germany pavilion). We hope to take another trip in the next few years and I love reading your blog in the meantime!
Love reading these updates, so happy for you all and glad to see you both enjoying this exhausting but wonderful time. It seriously gets better and better! Thankful to have this site to help me plan several amazing Disney trips with my own children! You guys rock!
I’m so happy to hear how well the three of you are doing! Megatron is very luck to have you both. I can’t wait to see your adventures in the parks (and be jealous of the tiny stroller you can get away with). Everyone looks happy and healthy. You are doing amazing, eventually there will be sleep, hours and hours of uninterrupted sleep and it will be magical. Our trio still asks about you, but they just remember the giant Figment plush and the big camera bag.
Your comment about loving her more and more each day resonates with me. I have enjoyed all of my children at every age so far (my oldest is almost 12), and I am looking forward to all of the stages of life yet to come. Every time they go through a new stage, I fall in love all over again, and think “Now THIS is the best age! I wish he/she could stay like this forever! How could it get any better?”
And yet, they move on to the next stage, and it does get even better. Sure, not every day is perfect, and there are always challenges and struggles as well, but those are dwarfed by all the positive and rewarding aspects of parenting. Glad to see you’re already enjoying the amazing journey you’ve started.
God bless you and your family; wishing you all the best!
“Now THIS is the best age! I wish he/she could stay like this forever! How could it get any better?”
Hmmm…I dunno. I think I would’ve taken the ~4 week ‘stage’ over the ~6 week one. But I take your general point and am really looking forward to what each stage and even day brings. I could just do without those evening-hour meltdowns! 🙂
I don’t comment very often but have been reading since we were preparing for our first trip to WDW in the spring of 2019. We are heading back in March for trip number seven. There is just something about seeing your wife cry tears when she met Mickey and Minnie for that first time at Town Square.
I have struggled with exactly what to say today and keep getting timed out before I can finish. It is just very hard to convey what you and your family mean to so many people. Your blog is the conduit that has allowed us to see who you are as people and so much more so than just a guy with good advice on how to do Disney. Your obvious passion for what you do is evident in your words and your content. Your thoughts and opinions and your insights are just as important as your “zigging while they zag” strategies. Many come for those nuggets but wind up staying for the friendship (albeit one-sided, ha!). It is as if we are sitting across the table having a nice lunch and we are compelled to lean in to make sure we don’t miss anything while you are talking.
My wife and I have a 12 year old son that was an IVF blessing. Your perspective changes when you find yourself in situations that you never thought you’d ever experience in the first place. And you tend to appreciate things a bit differently thanks to that perspective.
I haven’t commented on any of your baby updates but felt I actually had something to contribute this time around. Your joy in contagious! I am so profoundly happy for you and Sarah and look forward to many more years of following along, hearing stories and watching her grow up. We are thankful for the Brickers!
Thank you for the incredibly kind words. A lot of great and thoughtful comments here and we’re appreciative of them all–this one really got me.
“it’s absolutely wild to me how much technology exists that has made being a new parent easier than it used to be.”
Two words……diaper pail.
Those who know understand. You’ve no idea how much easier.
God bless your family.
Oh, I understand!
Speaking of which, I just want to take a moment to draw attention to what I thought was the best joke in this post, that no one seems to have caught: “Unlike all of you, [Walter] is a big fan of Genie, and someday dreams of breaking into it and having a fancy feast.”
I’d like to believe that you all just missed it, and are not like Sarah, who might’ve rolled her eyes and given a sympathy chuckle when reading that.
I’ve followed your blog for 5 years and feel like I know you (that weird online familiarity). Planned my first VERY successful WDW trip based on your recommendations. Even saw you in the park on that trip and wanted to stop you and thank you for all you do, but I was sheltering in a gift shop during a downpour as you went by and the opportunity was gone. I just wanted to tell you I’m so very happy for you and Sarah and Megatron. What a gift you’ve been given. I think you are doing an amazing job as parents and your love for your family is beautiful. Congratulations!