Thank You!!!
Wow. We are absolutely astounded and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support that you all have expressed in response to our news that we’re having a baby. Honestly, we didn’t know what to expect in response and were quite apprehensive about sharing our story.
About one thousand of you have responded to the post and many others have sent private messages. A lot of these are deeply personal, with journeys that differ in detail but generally ‘rhyme’ with our experience. We’re humbled by the joy and happiness you’ve shared for and with us, and incredibly thankful for all of you wonderful readers. We are also honored and grateful that so many of you have opened up about your own pain. We know that isn’t easy.
We’ve already spent hours–staying up late into the evening last night (by our current standards)–reading every single message that you all have posted or sent. All of them filled up our hearts; some of them filled our eyes. Your words got us choked up repeatedly, and we are so incredibly appreciative of your support. Whether a “congratulations” message or a personal story, it all means a lot to us. Again, we didn’t know what would happen when putting ourselves out there…but you all have easily exceeded our expectations.
As indicated in the announcement post, writing that was tremendously difficult as we tried to thread the needle on over and under-sharing, while also trying to be mindful about others’ sensitivities and scars, and not inviting more pain in the process. While some entire paragraphs flowed to us with ease and were done in a matter of minutes–words we always knew we wanted to write–we struggled with some single sentences for hours.
We had been working on that post since the day after our first doctor’s appointment and, as recently as last week, threw out an entire draft (minus a Dino-Rama joke; those never miss!) that would’ve ended up being longer than the published piece. It probably goes without saying, but the portion about infertility struggles was the tough part to tackle. That originally included more detail about the actual process and a lengthy rant about fertility clinics’ using emotionally manipulative tactics and spurious statistics. (Google “fertility clinics exploitation” for a small samping of eye-opening articles on the topic.)
For those who haven’t struggled with infertility, it would have come across as bitter. For those who have struggled, the missing words can easily be filled in with your lived experiences. If you know, you know. In any case, writing it out–even if throwing it away–was cathartic and perhaps brought some semblance of closure. It was also the right call given that we’re sharing happy and not angry news!
Suffice to say, we stressed greatly over what to share and what to leave out. Beyond our own pain, we didn’t want to imply that having children is the only means of achieving fulfillment, and those who walk other paths in life–whether by choice or involuntarily–are somehow lesser than or without purpose. That’s pervasive (even if often implicit) sentiment, but we certainly do not believe it. Nevertheless, it took us years of grappling with exactly those ideas before we had finally started coming to terms with being a childless couple late last year.
We also didn’t want to cause anyone else to revisit unpleasant memories or be callous towards those who are still struggling. As more than a few readers noted in the comments, this type of announcement is itself painful to read for many, and those complicated and conflicted emotions can be hard to understand if you’ve never been through it.
The sentiment to “never give up hope” starts to ring hollow after so many years of trying. How much heartbreak are two people supposed to endure while still retaining optimism? Words of encouragement are easy for those who haven’t struggled, or who have ‘successfully’ come through the other side.
The point is that we wrestled with what to say and what to leave out, finding excuses to kick the can down the road on sharing the news. Sharing the good news! We braced ourselves for possible judgment or negative reactions. One day later, reading all of the actual, unequivocally supportive and gracious comments…and those concerns seem laughably silly now.
We were instead greeted with an outpouring of comfort, support, and kindness. Your own heartwrenching and heartwarming stories about going through infertility treatments that bear strikingly similarities to our struggles. You opened up and shared your own vulnerabilities, excitement, and joyousness for two people 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. We started out the pregnancy announcement by calling you all part of the DTB family and concluded by saying how greatly we appreciate your support and readership. We mean that. Megatron is going to be so loved.
How we wish we could’ve heard some of your wisdom and experiences at our lowest points. It’s one thing to read about others’ journeys in online support groups and whatnot–it’s another entirely coming from people who know you.
Many of you seem to have surmised what we were going through, so maybe we should’ve said something before. Of course, hindsight is 20/20 and sharing this years ago would’ve been a different, half-written story with potentially different outcomes and responses.
Okay, enough of that. Let’s look forward a little. Not to Megatron’s arrival and that glorious first meeting with Figment, but in the more immediate future. As some of you already figured out, there’s already been a lot that Sarah has not been able to do in recent months. You can probably think back and fill in some blanks, such as why Tom is the only one in the TRON Lightcycle Run on-ride photos (looking like a very cool dude).
Now that the cat is out of the bag, we can switch up our approach. Obviously, there will still be significant limitations, with a decent amount of Tom-only stuff for the foreseeable future. But that’s nothing new, so if you haven’t already noticed in the last few months, you won’t see any change there. (Suffice to say, our divide and conquer approach to Early Entry is not going to happen anytime soon!)
On the plus side, no more clandestine visits to Disneyland. We now can spend more time in the parks and, as many of you suggested, work on “What to Expect (at Disney) When You’re Expecting” posts and strategy. And of course, more photos of us as we continue on this journey, which has already gone by so quickly. Oh and speaking of which, thanks for all the complimentary words about the maternity photos; those were also much appreciated!
We’ve also made notes of some of the books, strollers and other products for babies and children you’ve recommended, and have a lot of research and learning to do. (The Dwight Schrute stroller testing remark was not a joke–it’s a goal!) Beyond that, we have to catch up and keep up with all of the ongoing changes at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, which would be a herculean task in normal times given the volume of recent news. It has been especially challenging as we’ve juggled it with all of this and everything else.
(Above is our last character photo before learning the news–also technically one of our first maternity photos–with OG DCA Mickey & Minnie Mouse. Fitting, as we now embark upon our own new Disney California adventure!)
Ultimately, we just wanted to stop and share a very sincere and heartfelt thank you. We truly are fortunate to have the best and most thoughtful readers. That may seem like a trite platitude, but we really mean it. 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.
We’ll be back with more updates as pregnancy continues and Megatron (or Baby Bricker, Disney Tourist Baby, etc.) comes into the world. In the meantime, we’ll return to your regularly scheduled programming about reservation modifications, minions, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, etc. Again, thank you all so, so much for your support and opening your arms and hearts to us. It really means a lot to us–more than you can probably imagine!
Need Disney trip planning tips and comprehensive advice? Make sure to read 2023 Disney Parks Vacation Planning Guides, where you can find comprehensive guides to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and beyond! For Disney updates, discount information, free downloads of our eBooks and wallpapers, and much more, sign up for our FREE email newsletter!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Any additional thoughts you have in response to our pregnancy announcement? Disney planning and pregnancy posts you’d be interested in reading? (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!
As I’ve said before, congratulations! One thing I’ve noticed reading through your blog is that there are at times an understandable blindness since you were missing out what a parent’s view. I’ve very deliberately not said, “Wait till you have kids, then you’ll understand…” because my wife and I have been in that situation ourselves. As did my sis-in-law. And, having no way of knowing whether you were childless by choice or unhappy circumstance, I made no such comment.
Parenthood is an amazing thing, as you realize that you are truly seeing things from the other side. Soon enough you will reach the memory zone where you’ll be going through events that you did as a child, except now you’ll be seeing it from the parent’s point of view., by which point, of course you’ll already have gone through any number of experiences that you’ll know that your parents went through. It does broaden your perspective.
You will find that new insight into well-known sights and experiences when you see it through the wonder of your child’s eyes.
We also expect reviews of the top 10 diaper changing stations for each Disney Park, starting in a few months. 😀
Enjoy the ride, because it’s the wildest, most unpredictable ride on which any of us embark !
As everyone else has said, congratulations!!
I tried to post the night of your announcement post but I was in a hotel room with poor wifi and it wouldn’t send. Ironically the reason for that stay was I was helping my son move to Orlando as his partner got a job at Disney and my son can work remotely.
That son and his sister came to us the hard way. 5 years of infertility for the now 35 year old daughter and adoption of the now 22 year old son. You create your families how you can.
As a retired physician and a mom with fertility issues I will say that being able to talk about this needs to be normalized. It’s so hard on people (don’t need to tell you), as they go through this. Knowing you aren’t alone out there is somehow helpful.
Regarding advice, my only advice I give parents is don’t listen to anyone. (Of course those busy-bodies in the grocery store line do know best)!:)
Keep keeping us updated as we are here with you!
I just thought that Sarah was working as a nurse to feed Tom’s Disney needs – haha!!
I love hearing about good people bringing a child into this world. Brings a smile.
As my mom told me when I became a dad… if everything goes according to plan, you’ll know your son/daughter a lot longer as an adult than a child, so enjoy it and do the best you can raising them.
Sincere congratulations! 🙂
I’ve been reading your posts and articles for a few years now and think that you are both such a lovely couple. A baby is such a gift and you’ll find days where being the awesome parents we all know you will be, will be filled with priceless joy and days where you want to cry. And, you will enjoy everyone of those days. God bless you both on this unforgettable adventure. Such a lucky baby.
So looking forward to Sarah’s article “how to convince my husband to carry the diaper bag” followed by Tom’s article “is it possible to convert my camera bag into a diaper bag ?!?!?”
Congratulations and much good fortune to your family.
Congratulations! Can’t wait to read about your adventures as a family of 3, plus hear about what tips and tricks you learn. We took each of our girls on their first WDW visit at the ~4 month mark (while also mixing in some runDisney races…because insanity :)). Our girls are now 4.5 and 21 months and getting to see the parks through their eyes is THE BEST.
Congratulations! I have been to the parks both pregnant and with a baby (she was 4 months her first trip). I did rent a wheelchair while I was pregnant because I knew all the standing in line would be hard on my already aching body. I have since seen several pregnant women on scooters, so there’s no judgment if you feel you need a wheelchair or scooter in the parks! As far as taking a baby, I absolutely love the HoneyRoo carrier. It’s amazing at taking the pressure off your back and hips! I believe baby has to be 3 months to start using it. I wore our baby on all the rides she could go on. I can’t recommend it enough!
I’ve never been more excited to hear that people I’ve never met but most definitely have shouted “I love your blog” to at the Magic Kingdom are having a baby. Congrats!
Congratulations! I have truly enjoyed your blog and am more than elated for you both! I can’t wait for your take on Disney with a baby in tow, then toddler, then kid and stories of pushing your stroller through the tight spot in Fantasyland by Peter Pan – as parents of 4 kids that is a whole new tool set. Enjoy every moment it may not seem like it now but time will go so fast. Congratulations again!!
This is such good news!! Congrats to you both. My husband and I went through fertility struggles as well. After trying for almost 10 years, we, too, had started to become adjusted to the thought of not having kids. Heck, I wanted at least 5!!! We figured we’d become the cool aunt and uncle who traveled the world. I bought tickets to the 2012 London Olympics, and my husband bought a Mustang. A few months later, we got a call from the organization that had done our home study when we were pursing adoption that a baby was available!! We brought our son home when he was three weeks old after only a two week notice!! I envied everyone else’s prep time. Even though our son, now 11, isn’t a big Winnie the Pooh fan like me, he still loves WDW. He just started riding roller coasters so that’s what he’s all about these days. Thank goodness his dad also rides them as I do not!!!
I haven’t checked on this in a while, but I remember that kids were free until 3 at WDW. We actually waited for our son to have his first haircut at the barber shop on Main Street at WDW when he was a little over 2 years old. He rocked a mullet for a while because I insisted on waiting until that September trip. It was so amazing to “see” WDW through his eyes. I know y’all are going to love doing that with your little one.
Congratulations!! I’m sure you’ll be wonderful parents! I really love the idea of a post on best Disney snacks when pregnant.
Also, I’m very glad you were able to both find joy as a childless couple and also successfully manage to get to this point. My only advice is that even if a baby was very tough to come by, it’s okay to still think that sleep deprivation sucks.
Congratulations Tom and Sarah! I love your blog and we use it before all our Disney trips and have gotten lots of fabulous advice over the years. We too had problems with fertility for many years with people assuming we didn’t want children and often saying hurtful things to us. Our daughter is now 18 and we love her so much but it was a long journey.
Best wishes to you and your growing Disney family.
Oh wow – so awesome!!! Congrats!!! Can’t wait to read about new Disney adventures with your little mouseketeer!
Congratulations such lovely news. We have been to Orlando 3 times with our kids and at different ages it is a different wonderful experience. Though be warned – they don’t always want to do the things you think are amazing – and they might love a wizard more than a mouse! Sending you best wishes from the UK.
Congratulations to you both from the UK.
Anyone who loves Disney as much as you will make great parents ☺.
Congratulations to you both! I couldn’t imagine the rough journey you (and many other couples) have experienced! Definitely excited to read about the parks from a different perspective – pregnancy & parenting! I also think Sara should give a list of Disney snacks/food she can’t tolerate & can’t live without during her pregnancy! And before you announced the Megatron name, I thought “awww a baby Sam Eagle!” 🙂
Congrats again!
Congrats to you both on this wonderful news! You are in for the ultimate E-Ticket ride of your life. The “price” of this ticket will surely be high, both financially and emotionally. But once you have completed the attraction, you will find that the cost was trivial compared to the reward received. Which Country Bear gets the honor of being the godfather/mother? Best wishes.