We’re Having a Baby!
We have something to share that’s very important to us, but wholly unrelated to updates about Walt Disney World or Disneyland vacation planning. Nevertheless, we wanted to post about it because it’s major life news for us, and this is largely a personal blog.
Many of you have been with us since the beginning and truly feel like friends. You saw us a struggling college students, joined as we became engaged at Walt Disney World way back in 2007, got married, and honeymooned at Walt Disney World in 2010. You’ve spent many early mornings and late nights in the parks with us, like the photo above from August 2009. You’ve been along for the wild ride as we moved cross-country…several times…with Yossarian the Cat and Walter E. Dogsney, who are both as spunky as ever at ages 14 and 15 and only took a brief break from play-fighting for the photo below–the best of many outtakes!
You’ve been there as we’ve grown together, and we consider you all part of the DTB family. Even if you’re a more recent reader, it’s fair to say that we have all been through a lot together in the last few years. Well, now you’re about to embark upon another journey as we begin the next chapter and grow even further, this time in the literal sense…
We are incredibly excited to share with you all that we are expecting a baby! This has been a big secret to keep over the last several months, and you’re among the first people we’ve told. We are over the moon and our hearts are filled with happiness as we’ve begun this new journey. It’s been quite the emotional whirlwind for far longer, for reasons we’ll get into below.
It’s also been overwhelming, as we devour every parenting book and try to learn everything we need to know. We go from moments of pure elation–like feeling those first kicks–to true terror as we think about how on earth we’re going to babyproof this or that. Of course, we know these feelings are hardly unique or unprecedented. It seems like everyone goes through this, and the prevailing wisdom is that “it’ll be fine–you’ll figure it out.”
But if you’re learned anything from this blog, it’s that we’re planners. We like to test different strategies and iterate until achieving perceived perfection. That works better when it comes to rope dropping Magic Kingdom than it does for raising a human, it would seem. If an Early Entry approach doesn’t work, it can be retested the next day. The stakes are slightly higher here, so “you’ll figure it out as you go” are not exactly reassuring words.
Worried as we are sometimes, we’re also anxiously awaiting the opportunity to figure it out. To meet our baby. Learn about who they are. See their unique idiosyncrasies that makes each person special. Watch them grow up from newborn to infant and beyond, becoming their own person, with their own personality and preferences. Already, we’ve started to see and feel some of that, with our doctor and sonogram technician already using the words “feisty” and “active.” That sounds about right!
While we’re looking forward to learning about our baby, we’re also excited to shape and raise them. “What we will do when we are parents” in certain scenarios is an ongoing conversation that we’ve been having for years–over a decade. We’re already on the same page in terms of parenting philosophy after having spent years talking through these topics. Obviously, some of that will change and molded by circumstances and experiences, though.
But there are some things that are set in stone. It’s not a question of whether they’ll love Country Bear Jamboree, but rather, which bear will be their favorite. Conversely, our child won’t be an NFL wide receiver; not due to any qualms with the sport, but because…you’ve seen the two of us, right?!
There’s so much more that we can’t wait to learn about our baby as we welcome them to the world. We cannot wait for their first visit to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and beyond, and have adventures as a family of three (plus Yossarian and Walter). There’s so much we can’t wait to experience and discover with our baby.
We’re also really and truly excited to have you along with us for the ride. Watch (or laugh at) us as we endure the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Shuffle, but for the first time, having to navigate that crowd and chaos with a stroller. Join as do more character dining experiences, which we’ve been “banking” since learning this news. Watch as we meet Mickey Mouse for the first time anew, seeing him through the eyes of our child.
One very specific thing we’ve been waiting literally years to do with our baby is meet Figment. Before even getting married, we bought the Figment costume above for our future child to wear while meeting FigZilla. That costume has moved around the country with us a lot, and we almost got rid of it last fall when getting our stuff out of storage. What point was there in keeping it–given the unlikelihood of us having a kid and Figment having a meet & greet. Now that very specific, decade-plus old dream will soon come true.
Speaking of oddly-specific dreams, we will finally get to test strollers, Dwight Schrute style. (This is not really “our” dream, as only one of us has been excited about this for years…but we present a united front!) There’s so much we’re looking forward to seeing, doing, sharing. And frankly, we’re looking forward to picking your brains and soliciting feedback. There’s no substitute for lived experience, and many of you have been there and done that–both in raising kids and taking them on trips to the parks and other travels.
Obviously, some things are going to change on the blog with a baby on board. We’ve never had posts field-testing stroller speed, strength, and agility. All of our past character meal reviews were just the two of us as we attempted to awkwardly interact with face characters; that shouldn’t be as much of a problem now.
For those couples and solo travelers who liked this site because it wasn’t a family blog, there will undoubtedly be some posts to ignore. But a lot will also remain unchanged. For the duration of its existence, this blog’s writing sensibilities have skewed towards “dad jokes” and dated pop culture references. Hard to imagine that getting any better/worse than it already is.
Fundamentally, nothing is going to change. This isn’t like your favorite television show jumping the shark by switching showrunners or bringing in a new character to keep things fresh. This is not going to be Poochie, the “baby with an attitude.” Minor content additions aside, this site’s “voice” has not meaningfully changed over the course of the last decade–for better or worse–because it’s our voice. Rather, this is an addition to our family, and the DTB family by extension, and we want to share our happiness with you.
It has not always been this happy and joyous. In fact, if there are four words we did not expect to write on this blog at the start of 2023, they are “we’re having a baby!” This has been a painful process, and one that began several years ago. Many of you longtime readers might recall regular references to “when we have kids” in older posts; those quietly vanished a while ago.
We have been trying to conceive for the better half of the last decade, which is obviously not a normal timeline when things are going swell. Our journey reached its nadir during COVID, around which point we started seeing specialists and consulting professionals. The ordeal became an emotional albatross that weighed us down at a time when things already weren’t going exactly swimmingly in the world.
Our diagnoses were largely inconclusive, with various tests indicating different exacerbating factors, but it was essentially ‘unexplained infertility.’ That led us to pursue a variety options at a number of fertility centers. The whole process was less like medical treatment and more emotionally manipulative salesmanship, tugging on our heartstrings in an attempt to prey on us at our most vulnerable.
Worse yet, nothing worked. It’s impossible to overstate just how isolating and emotionally draining this was. Infertility was always front of mind or lurking nearby, with depressing and intrusive thoughts drowning out happiness at a moment’s notice. We withdrew as a defense mechanism, and struggled to put ourselves out there as much.
Sharing our own struggles with infertility was also a challenge. In general, few people know how to react to this sort of thing; some offer unsolicited advice, awkward silence, or unintentionally hurtful comments. Outside of our immensely supportive family and circle of close friends, this is the first we’ve opened up been about our struggles–and it’s only happening from the ‘safety’ of coming out the other end. It’s hard to fault anyone for not knowing how to approach this uncomfortable topic, as this is something people don’t really talk about.
Even having been on the receiving end of that, it’s still difficult for us to talk to people going through the same thing. It’s impossible to know what others needs to hear, what will help and what will hurt. (To that point, we will never forget the pain that led us here and sincerely hope the tone and tenor of this announcement is not hurtful for those who have or are still struggling with infertility, as our goal is comfort and not callousness.)
It took years, but we slowly started to come to terms with not being parents. We were finally ready to move on from what was, for us, truly the Dino-Rama of life experiences. It thus came as the ultimate surprise–in the best way possible–when the test came back positive and we learned that we would actually get to be parents.
We don’t want to weigh down happy news with heartbreak and grief, but such is life. Perhaps these words will bring some solace to those going through the same, or a bit of better understanding for those who have not faced reproductive challenges and heartbreak.
Part of the reason for sharing our struggles is offering solace, but admittedly, part is offering a bit of a glimpse behind the scenes and context for the future. We’re excited and we want to share this process…but we also have trauma from the past few years.
Part of this is probably normal for any new parents, but we find ourselves worried and fearful quite often. That something is going to go wrong and we’re going to have our miracle baby stolen from us. (We’ve postponed sharing this announcement several times, opting instead to get past the “next” milestone doctor’s appointment.)
This has been deeply personal and, honestly, we don’t know how much we’re going to feel comfortable putting ourselves and our child out there going forward. Even this blog post has been a challenge, taking far longer than you’d probably expect with several scrapped drafts along the way.
We’ve tried to thread the needle on over and under-sharing, while also trying to be mindful about sensities and scars others may have, and not inviting more painful questions in the process. We’d appreciate it if you’d please be patient with us, as we find our footing and prepare to be parents.
Although we’re not quite ready to share everything, there are a couple of things we can say to get out ahead of a couple questions. First, we do know the sex of the child and will be sharing that soon. (It took a surprising amount of effort and editing to not reveal it by accident here!)
Conversely, the baby’s “official” name won’t be shared until birth. We have a couple of frontrunners, but haven’t settled on a final pick…and aren’t looking for public feedback. What we can share is the baby’s nickname: Megatron. It started as an inside joke between us, but it’s such a strong and great name that many people are saying it should become the official name!
We can also share that Megatron is approximately the size of a Green Alien from Toy Story. Seriously. Well, not actually…those Green Aliens are fictional and their size is not canon, but that’s the claim of the “What to Expect” app, which has given us some highly-dubious size comparisons about Megatron on a weekly basis. Because we know “how big is the baby as compared to a fictional character?” was front of mind for all of you. (This wouldn’t be a DTB announcement without one pointless and rambling anecdote with zero payoff!)
Here’s one more thing we are happy to share–more maternity photos from the beach and Disney:
(Huge thanks to our friend Guy Selga, who graciously waited in line with us for characters and took these and many other photos of us all around Disneyland! Photos from the beach were taken by us.)
Ultimately, we can’t wait for what’s to come and for you all to join us on this journey! This is obviously huge and life-changing news for us, and an announcement that we’ve been waiting to share with you all for years. (Literally. We talked about taking maternity photos on the Future World fiber optic pavement and doing a “Tomorrow’s Child” announcement back when the Giant Epcot Dirt Pit™️ was a mere twinkle in Bob Chapek’s eye!)
We took for granted that we’d be parents back then, and have gone through so much since. The road here has been paved with heartbreak and heartache, but we find ourselves immensely grateful and excited to start this new chapter of our lives. Our thoughts go out to those who continue with a similar struggle; we know just how difficult and isolating it can be.
We’ll be back with more updates (and questions!) as pregnancy continues and our baby comes into the world. For now, we offer a sincere thank you for taking the time to read our story and, as always, we greatly appreciate your support and readership–that is not something we ever take for granted!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Any thoughts you have in response to our pregnancy announcement? Think Megatron would make a strong name that absolutely would not get a child picked on in school? (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!
Congratulations!!! I’m much more excited about this news than I probably should be, considering I do not know you personally. As soon as I saw your email come in, I texted all of my immediate family members to let them know. I probably became a regular reader ~5 years ago, converted from an occasional down-the-rabbit-hole reader. At times when I’ve been caught up on all your new posts, I’ve gone back and read old trip reports, and gotten excited about your occasional references to “when we slow down and have kids.” I always held out hope that would happen, odd as it is to hope for something in the lives of people I only know through blog posts! But, I love your writing and trust your judgment thanks to your opinions on Trail’s End, Country Bear Jamboree, Carousel of Progress, etc. which I and my family also share. So I feel that I know you, and we could be great friends! Thank you for the hours of quality reading, and the helpful tips. Best wishes to you and can’t wait to read about the next chapters. I have a 10 month old, and it’s been wonderful. It will likely be a long time before we venture back to Disney with her, but I’ll keep reading!
Congratulations! This is such wonderful news!
Wow, congratulations you two!!! I can’t actually imagine just how excited you must be. I’ve been following your blog since my own honeymoon to Disney in 2018. Can’t wait to see what you guys get up to as a family!
The most magical news to read you two are expecting. Infertility is hard and many of us grieve our ability to have our own biological child. My husband and I have followed that path and we are so grateful ours also ended with a blessing through adoption! Congratulations on your extremely loved, extremely prayed for child that will no doubt love Disney as mush as this little one loves mommy and daddy! Congratulations!
First time commenter, but years-long follower and reader. The happiest of congratulations to you both. As a dad of 4, parenthood holds a very special place in my heart. And after experiencing both WDW (numerous times) and Disneyland with my wife and kids I can honestly say there’s nothing quite like it!
Came here to get your take on the Star Wars hotel and find this happy news. Congrats and best wishes from a long time reader!
Congratulations! Thank you for sharing this wonderful news with us. We are thrilled for you both and can’t wait to hear about your adventures in the parks with baby in tow! May the remaining days of permanency be smooth sailing!
make that “pregnancy”!!!! Ugh, autocorrect!
I cried happy tears as I read this post–I’ve been following for years–as a mom by herself often at both Disneyland and then Disneyworld–and although those moments are easier now with slightly older kids, you have a whole new world to unpack in magic stroller land!!!!! We just had our first trip without THE BOB DUALLIE and I don’t know how to do Disney anymore hahahahahaa xoxoxoxoxox I’ve been in infertility land too–and I am so excited for you both and Megatron. What loving parents you will be.
Congratulations!! We *also* nicknamed our son “Megatron” when he was in the womb, because he was trending huge at all his scans! Don’t worry, by the time he was born he was just average-sized at 8 lbs–and now that he’s 10 he’s just a little tall for his age–so you’re not going to give birth to Baymax or anything. 🙂 Good luck with the remainder of the pregnancy, and the birth as well!
LOL @ giving birth to Baymax.
Well said, all. Your care and compassion is clearly conveyed, and is, as always, appreciated. Thank you, and Warmest Congratulations to you both!!!
I am the mom of a wonderful adopted son and biological daughter. They are only 7 months apart as we went through our own infertility h3ll and chose adoption only to have nature play a little joke on us! We wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’ll be thinking about you as we go to Universal and Disney in June with our two who are now teens. Mostly because I’ve used this blog for so much research, but also… snickering a bit because I get to go stroller free for the first time.
Can’t wait to watch your journey continue.
WOW! We’ve never met, though I’ve read your work for some years now. So lovely to hear this news and experience your joy in a secondhand kind of way! I’m a childless adult, not by choice or desire, but just because that’s just kind of what has happened (I haven’t been actively trying or on the infertility journey that I have seen can be so exhausting – so happy that things fell into place for you and also a friend of mine this year!). I have actually weirdly found a little comfort in reading this blog that is run by a seemingly awesome couple a little younger than me who have made a very cool life traveling and building this business – and without children. I’m also a career-changer (got out of big law). That said I of course didn’t know whether that was a choice and I’m thrilled that life has taken this new turn for you! Hope you get to enjoy this special time. Hope to follow along with the community!
Congrats! And thanks for sharing your miracle with us. We have two couple friends that walked through what you walked through and also, after pretty much giving up, here comes the baby. Having endured this trial for so long, you will now get to endure the joys and trials of parenting. And God will give you more love and strength as parents than you could ever imagine in your “planning” brains… well, and no doubt Megatron will stretch y’all in every way. Congrats again, tears at your story.
Huge congratulations!!! Your post brought tears to my eyes- we had a very similar journey to ultimately conceiving our now almost 11-year-old daughter. We’re so so happy for you both, and you are going to be wonderful, loving parents. Having gone through so much has opened your heart that much more and created even more empathetic, kind souls. Sending loads of good energy and joy!!
Oh this is so wonderful- congratulations!! Everything about this post is beautiful (that pic with Pluto! )- thank you for sharing such a personal story. Mazel tov!!
Congratulations! I am so happy for you both! My husband and I have been reading your blog for years. Though you do not know us, like so many others have said, we feel like we know you so well. Thank you for all you do, letting us all into your lives and your perspective of all things Disney. I know we enjoy Disney so much more from your insights. Cannot wait for the Schrute style stroller reviews and the new Disney insights with an infant/toddler/child! Welcome Megatron!!
Congratulations and your growing family. I’m sorry you had to endure struggles and isolation in your journey. Welcome baby Megatron to the DTB family. We are looking forward to meeting you and hearing all about your wonderful adventures with your parents.
So happy for you! Just know I understand too well your situation. Both my daughters have infertility and one has come to grips with the fact she will probably never have a child after many miscarriages and 3 (yes 3) ectopics. One just had a miracle baby last summer after 2 ectopics and failed IVF x2–third time was the charm! The one who just had a child is also a therapist working on her PhD and her research is trauma of infertility because that is what she knows and is in good company! Congratulations again and soak in every sweet moment!
Wow! Many, many congratulations to you both. I’ve followed along with this blog from the UK for many years, and I’m so pleased to see your family growing.
Congrats! You’ll be amazing parents. (We, too, went through fertility struggles. I can relate to the feelings of hopelessness.) I’m so happy to see your joy during this wonderful time!