Disney World Disasters & Baby's First Flight: Gen X Fatherhood Advice: Episode 34 Part 1

0:00 The level of engagement of parents for Gen X parents compared to kids now. I heard on the last day of school from my teacher in second grade, well, good luck at your new school next year. And I was in a school that as far as I knew was first through sixth. But at the time, they were realigning and combining North Syracuse with Cicero. So they were doing all this shuffling around and I was going to be going to a different school that was on the other side of Route 11, which for me was like saying you were going to go to Zimbabwe.

0:40 It was the other side of the highway. I only go as far as the middle where we pick dandelions. So I don't go over there. I don't take a bus. Like I walked to school and I go home and told my mother, she's like, what are you talking about? Like, no, I know. Yeah. She had to call one of the, one of the younger moms that she had contact with one of my friends and they're like, oh yeah, they're going to go to Riordan next year. There's a relaunch. Yeah. Now there would be 17 meetings and I mean, which is fine.

1:21 We would already have done tours. Right. They would have known everything. This is the gray hair and daycare podcast with a combined age of 111 years and a combined IQ right in that same range. Your hosts, Frank Cereo and Carlo Russo. Welcome back. We're here. I'm here with half of my co-hosts. We were just talking about how blithe, how, how trim Carlo has become since the last time recorded, which means that we haven't recorded in a while. I didn't lose that much weight. It's, it's been, but you've been right.

2:01 I was still doing it. You, you, you had, so this is not, didn't just happen spread out. You did it pretty quick. I've been right. I've been doing it. Let's, let's do the start first and then we can get into the little banter. We kind of dove right in as usual. Um, I am Frank Cereo. I'm 56 years old and this time because it's been so long since we recorded my, my little girl is 10 months and two weeks. Yeah. 10 months and just about two weeks old. Um, which is, it's crazy to me that I'm thinking it's less than two months. It's a month and a half and she's going to be a year old. That's crazy.

2:42 That to me is crazy that we're going to be doing a birthday party. Yep. Smash cake. That was the first thing auntie Gabe, my wife's a brother's wife, your sister-in-law, my sister-in-law, wife's brother's wife, sister-in-law, sister-in-law could be nondescript, but anyway, so she's there. They're a wonderful aunt and uncle. And she, me months ago volunteered. She's like, when there's the first birthday, I would like to make the smash cake. She's a great, great baker and, and, uh, and cook. So yeah, so she's already signed up. So is the smash cake a literal smash? Yeah. So yeah, so we're, uh, we're going to be nuts a year. Oh yeah. It's hard to honestly, like time goes by so quickly and things change so quickly with her.

3:30 It goes back to what my sister Lucille has said. She's a hundred percent right. Everything that happens in the first year should take two years just so you can actually appreciate it and enjoy it. Cause it just, it just, and the first year you're learning everything. You know what I mean? It's like you can't slow down because everything's the first. Yeah. Right. Yeah. There's always something you got to figure out. There's always something that you're, that you're doing, but yeah. Yeah. Talk about time. We were talking about how long it's been since we've been here doing the podcast. It was like what? A while now. It was two months ago. Cause we were, uh, it was the beginning kind of second week of November and we're already through.

4:11 We kind of whistled right through the holidays and all that stuff. So we have a lot, a lot to talk about. And the weather got horrible. Yeah. So it's been moving for me. We don't live, we're only 10 minutes apart and we keep getting these lake effects, snow storms, which is typical. Last year it was, it was where I live. This year, every time I get like six inches and you know, it's just light, fluffy snow. And then I, I call and I said, he sends me videos of him like trying to dig his way out of it. My wife Trina sent you a video and it was like snow over my head. It was crazy. It was four times as much snow as we had here 10 minutes away. It's, it was, you've been getting a lot and you, and it was again last night.

4:53 I shoveled more this year than in the last five years total. Yeah, I believe it. It's, it's, it's not. So, so we're back. We are back. And we have a lot to talk about. We do. We do. So now we also have one that I'm, I think I'm using a lot of license in our sections that we do because this one, it's an, I was wrong, but it's a little different. So here we are for, I was wrong. So the first I was wrong. It was a very nice, I was wrong. This made me feel good. Okay. And it was, and I w I got an email from honestly, probably the only friend I have that I have been friends with longer than I have been friends with.

5:36 Wow. I met this guy in third grade. Yeah. We met when I, when I went to Riordan elementary school, I went my first two years at Roxboro and then I went to Riordan. And that's an, that's an example of one of those things, how the level of engagement of parents for Gen X parents compared to kids now. Yeah. I've, I heard on the last day of school from my teacher in second grade, well, good luck at your new school next year. And I was in a school that as far as I knew was first through sixth. Wow. But at the time they were realigning and combining North Syracuse with Cicero.

6:19 So they were doing all this shuffling around and I was going to be going to a different school that was on the other side of route 11, which for me was like saying you were going to go to Zimbabwe, right? Like it was the other side of the highway. I only go as far as the middle where we picked dandelions. So I don't go over there. I don't Okay. Uh, so how long is it going to take for me to get to school now to take a bus? Like I walked to school and I go home and told my mother, she's like, what are you talking about? Like, no, I know. Yeah.

7:00 One of the, one of the younger moms that she had contact with one of my friends and they're like, Oh yeah, they're going to go to Riordan next year. There's a real, I was like, yeah, now there would be 17 meetings. And I mean, which is fine. We would already have done tours, right? They would have known everything. I was like, no, it was, it was very different. So you got moved on second grade. We went kindergarten for a second. This was the beginning of a very dangerous thing that I think we talked about was we, my class was the first class going through this new realignment. So we ended up being the oldest kids in the school for years because we were the oldest kid at Roxborough. Then we were always the senior.

7:44 We were always the biggest kids in the school until we went to CNS and we had been the biggest kids forever. And then there were kids with like mustaches and they were grown men and we, every, all the guys in my class that thought they were tough, got their asses. That's great. But that was a big reality check for us. But anyway, so I met Chris in third grade when I went to Riordan cause he, he lived on the other side of Mattydale and he had, he watches and listens. And he was, and he said, he sent me an email. He's like, I disagree. Even if you had been a parent when you were young, you would have done it. You would have done a good job.

8:24 And I thought, Oh, okay. Cause I've said, I've said things. I'm like, I wouldn't know. I would have been a horrible dad. So that made me feel good. Chris, you're wrong. He would have been somebody. It made me feel like that's nice. Somebody, somebody that knew me then I'm sure cause we step up. I mean, that's exactly what he said. You would have stepped up and I think that's probably true. I still think though, even as, even as hard as I would have tried back then, I think I'm better prepared now. The older and wiser edition of us is going to always win. But I think we were what we were because we didn't have the child and wife and this, so we were what we were.

9:04 But like Chris said, we would have stepped up to a point where now would have been better. Maybe not right. Cause financially we're better now and mentally and all that, but it would have been different. Don't miss any of the fun. Subscribe to this show on YouTube. Like this episode, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Tik TOK, or give us a five star review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. And then the other one was, I wasn't sure. And I'm still not sure if I'm going to include this one when I edit. I was talking to a long time friend or family member of the podcast, my niece, Marie, who was responsible for baby Josie's name.

9:46 I talked to her and she had been, she had got behind on listening, but she was catching up. And I talked to her and she was saying, I think she must've just come back to start listening. And the episode she started back to, I must've said something about my brother, her dad, that was, was, was a little teasing, a little teasing. We've said stuff. Yeah. And she's, and she was like, you gotta be nicer. So he basically was like, you gotta be nicer to my dad. And I'm like, my first, my first response was he doesn't listen anyway. But, uh, I, I do think I will put this in the fun. I mean, I love my, I love my older brother and say, I love my sisters.

10:30 And, uh, but yeah, I think I do have to, I I'm going to put it in the, I was wrong category and I'm going to try to do better and say nice things about my brother. So honestly, it's not that your brother feels bad. His daughter that hears it gets to feel bad about what you said. He's a good dad. Yeah. I mean, this is part of entertainment. I mean, we're talking about being parents at 56, 57 years old. There's going to be a lot of stuff that we're going to throw out there from our past, you know, growing up and you know, so, and we have to put humor to it because it'd be very boring.

11:12 And it was funny because I've had like, I was talking, I talked to my sister, Paula all the time. She's local here. We talk almost every day. And we were talking somehow or we got on the subject of when I was little and they were still all home. Yeah. Cause by the time I was in like first kindergarten, first grade, my brother had already graduated from college and moved away. And my sisters were in the process of doing the same thing. And she was telling me, and I don't think about it anymore because my brother's 20 years older than me. I've, I've been a grownup for a long time, but he was 20 years older. So he was 20 when I was born. And as a parent in a, in a child age, when I would go around with my, as a kid with my sisters, they would think I was there, but she's, she was telling me how, when he moved away, he graduated from SU, he moved away to Ohio.

12:02 And she's telling me how he was homesick, but he would come home. And the first thing he would do was go find me in my, like, go see me. I would be asleep because I was getting a little, and he would go run upstairs to see me cause he missed me. And I thought that was very sweet. And I don't, I don't, I don't see that in him anymore, but, but I thought that was very sweet to think of him, you know, missing, missing. And I, I, I know like there had to be something because when I was a little boy and I knew he was coming home to visit, I would literally like four hours before he was supposed to get there.

12:42 I would like stand in the driveway and wait. So was he your like Superman instead of your father? I'm not trying to be bad against your father, but right. No, absolutely. Absolutely. And he's not 20 years. He was much more the one I looked up to. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I had the same relationship with my brother, not having 20 years apart. We're only, we're not even three years. It's what they represent. Yeah, absolutely. So there was that. So there, I even said something sweet about your dad. So you have to be pleased with me. Yes. That was good for you. Sticking up for your dad. That's right. Very admirable to stick up for your dad. He deserves it. So next up, we'll just get right into what this time that shouldn't stay. It shouldn't be, it should be a lot has happened.

13:24 Not what just happened, but here we are with what just happened. So real, I had to buckle in guys. I had to like, I had to like, like flow chart this out to remember everything that has happened because it's been such a long time. We're going back a ways. And I kept remembering things. Actually, my sister reminded me, so I had already written this and my sister reminded me this morning of something that was, I want to talk about it. It wasn't even in there. So I had to, I had to add it in. Let's get started, Frankie. I'm so excited. So turn back your mind to the second week of November. And we were at that time looking forward to our cruise that was going to in December, but we were a little concerned because that will be the first time for baby Josie to fly.

14:09 Right. And I had the opportunity to go to a convention in Orlando for my work. So because I was going to be there for two or three days and Kelly has some time off that she needed to use, we thought, okay, it's the same flight because we would fly to Orlando. So I we had a dress rehearsal trip, Kelly and the baby joined me. And then she hung out and relaxed at the hotel and did some stuff with the baby while I was at the convention. And then the last day we were able to actually go to, and this was very fun, fun experience.

14:50 We took little baby Josie to the magic kingdom. She did really, really well on the flight. Like everybody in our row, I was ready to like be buying people drinks, but she, so, you know, Kelly had figured out when, when you're first taking off and the changes in air pressure and stuff to, to get her to feed during that. And that helps alleviate any of the ear popping stuff. So she did that and we had a couple books and little toys and we did, we did really, really well. So it was a, it was a nice flight down. Nice did well. The hotel had a couple restaurants in it and we took her out to eat several times and everybody was just having a good time with her.

15:33 The wait staff was coming over and it was, it was really nice. But then we got to go to the happiest place on earth, Disney world. We went to magic kingdom and, and it, what I think the first thing that I thought was super funny was we went from being here, which is like Syracuse. If you're not familiar with Syracuse has as many cloudy days as Seattle, right? It's cloudy all the Seattle without the grunge. It's overcast constantly. Like it's not even like Buffalo is not far away and it's sunnier than here. So we go down there and the, and it's a beautiful sunny day. And the baby's like, like, what is this? What planet have you brought me? Like we couldn't get a good picture for a while because she's just like a big orange thing in the sky.

16:17 That's funny. Um, it was, uh, yeah, it was really, it was really rough, uh, in that way. But the weather was nice and she did really well. All the things that you would think, okay, maybe she was good with all the parades and the noise. And what was entertaining for me was watching these people like we're going there now because the cost is, is ridiculous, right? One, one day you're like 140 bucks a ticket for the, for me and for Kelly. Then you buy lunch because we don't want to wait in a line or wait forever. You get, you know, you're going to pay 50, 60 bucks for lunch.

16:59 You do whatever it's not you do in the food. Well, actually this was, this was a place like in the American square and it was an all you can eat Thanksgiving dinner. Oh, that's, but they, but it was not a buffet. They would bring you. So they, they like come out with a salad for like a family serve, but family style. Then they come out with pot roast, uh, pot roast Turkey and ham and vegetables and macaroon cheese, like a whole spread. It was delicious. And you could have as much as you want. And then because usually you get nailed with the price and no good food when you're at those places, Oh yeah, yeah. No, but this was, this was, and I think it was like, it probably was like 30 or 40 bucks a piece, but still it was nice because there was no waiting cause it was expensive.

17:43 And as you'd walk in, air conditioning, and yeah, and we were probably, cause we weren't, that's the other thing too is we went in with very low expectations, right? Then you see these parents that are like getting to do this once with their kids and they're trying to pack everything in and it's just, you know, the kids are having meltdowns and crying and stuff. The thing that was interesting for me that I had never had to think about before, cause I've been to the parks a lot, like I'm a big fan. I never got to go as a kid, but I probably went for the first time in my maybe mid twenties or something. So I've been there a lot, but this is the first time I've ever had to think about stroller parking.

18:24 So we got the stroller, I remember, but it's so weird because there's thousands of strollers and people just leave it and people and you just leave it there. And then you come back and it's still there. And I was amazed by that. And then you don't realize cause you never look for it, but there's a whole, there's people who that's their job. They're like the stroller parking attendant. They're just keeping check and the funny thing is even things organized. If you come up there, if you're really wanting to take somebody's stroller, how are you going to remember who's strollers, who you could have a random person come up and take a stroll? That's why you take all your good stuff out. And yeah, it's like a motorcycle bar. It looks like they're all crammed in there.

19:07 And yeah, but have fun just walking around, seeing things. And then we did the first ride we went on was, it's a small world and she fell asleep in the queue. So she didn't see it. She didn't even, she was asleep through the whole thing. Sometimes kids will go crazy crying and scared because that's kind of a weird little thing. It is. It's certainly like a different environment than she's been in. But so when we came out, we're like, okay, we did it. Yeah, we did it. I was happy to see the first time I ever, and maybe the last time I ever went through a small world, there was only one Italian kid. Like there's all the different worlds. There was one, like there's a gondola and there's one little Italian kid.

19:47 They have added now there's more. They've added some, like six more, some Italian young ladies dancing or something. Yeah. Doing singing or dancing and stuff. But yeah. Cause it was just the one kid I wonder. And I was like, this does not seem right for them to change. A lot of people must've complained. I bet like a threat from the mafia, like, Hey, what's with all the German kids. Right. Like, but yeah, so I was happy to see that. That's good. But so we, we went from there. We took her on Peter Pan's flight. That one could be a little bit scarier. Cause you're going, you're going up and down because of the small world.

20:28 It's on a little boat ride going around, but that one, she, she was awake for, and she liked it. She was watching everything. What was neat about that one is they have a really high tech. Like they've done a very good job of upgrading the pre-ride. Oh, so there were cute little interactive sets as you're going through the line and she was having fun with that. And it's like, you're walking through Wendy's bedroom and then you're out on the balcony on the roof. Very cute. So she loved that. And then we took her on aerials and I think it's called aerials adventure under the sea. So it's aerial. Yep. Like that one too, looking around.

21:09 And then we happened to come out of one and there was no line. So we went to small world again and she went through it and she loved, loved that one too. So she did well with the rides. We didn't do any of the, you know, like the Dumbo or the teacups and that stuff. But it was fun. We had a great, we had a great time. It was nice to see her engage with stuff. She got to see a couple characters, but not, not as many. And the good thing is, cause you're prepping all this for your next trip, which is also going to be a lot of people, a lot of things happening. I want to, I'll let you explain what your next plan is. It's not like she's going to daycare or she's out a lot where she's, other than her life is home, church, Wegmans.

21:54 Very limited to like people. So she did well at the airport. She did well with the time at the parks and out to restaurants, eating out. So it was a, and then the flight home also went well. So we felt really good. Like, well, okay, it's not going to be like a, a horrible experience leading up to the cruise. There'll be nice and easy. It was like what, three weeks in between was it? Yeah. Cause it was like, it was, that was the week before Thanksgiving and our flight, our cruise was like the week and a half after Thanksgiving. Oh, so it was, yeah, just a couple of weeks before. So we did that and it was nice. And then we rolled, came home and rolled right into Thanksgiving.

22:34 So with Thanksgiving, it was nice. We had everything here. And again, I love doing holiday meals, but it is a whole different game with, with the baby, right? Just the level, the amount of time you have for prep and all that stuff. And then things change in a second. Yes. Oh, they're sleeping. Oh, they're up and now they're crying or another. So yeah, things change. It was a little bit more challenging, but I did a, I did a dry brine Turkey and that worked out well, but I had not done it that way before. But Turkey came out good. I did my usual stuffing and a couple of sides. So dinner was nice. And then usually that weekend I can put up all the Christmas lights.

23:15 We go get a, a live tree from Hafner's that we then plant in the spring. But so we go get the tree, we go get a tree. I do all the Christmas lights outside and we decorate the inside, put up both trees. And by, by Sunday we're ready for Christmas. Nice and easy. It's like that this time, not so much. It was like, it was literally like just getting a tree was a hassle. So I invite my sister and say, yeah, we're going to go get the, we're going to get the tree at Hafner's. It'll be the first time with little baby Josie wants to come. So it's, and it's like a blizzard. Remember that weekend of Thanksgiving coming down hard. So, but I'm in the pickup truck.

23:57 I got the plow on and we'll be okay. So it took us a little extra time to get there. We get the, we go through and it was a nice surprise because at Hafner's they had Santa and Mrs. Claus. So, you know, a little baby Josie got to interact with Santa and we got a couple of cute pictures. It was nice. Didn't like Mrs. Claus quite as much. No, liked, liked Santa. He did well. So, but then we, we got the tree and got it back and that was about it. Like, because it's a blizzard and I got to get this tree, the tree weighs like, I don't know, it's got to weigh 300 pounds with the, with the ball. So I use the tractor and I hook it up to the bucket. Yeah. So it's a whole thing.

24:37 I got to get out there and put it, but I got it in place. I got the lights up the Christmas lights on the outside done on Friday. And then the snow hit on Saturday. We got that. I was very lucky because that was it. I mean, normally we get all this other stuff done. And yes, but that was it. But it was a nice weekend. We had nice Thanksgiving. You, you, what did you guys do for a year? Yeah. I went to my brother, my older brother's house. We had Thanksgiving dinner. I imagine that Pete is a good cook. Is Pete a good cook? Pete is a good cook, but his wife is better. She's the cook. Pete is a good cook. All three of us cook. My brother, Mike is a really good cook as well. Really? Yeah. And I think I, I'm pretty good in the kitchen myself.

25:18 It feels so long ago. I want to say, I think, honestly, we had Thanksgiving in my house because my wife, my in-laws, they usually go to Florida. Okay. So we get Thanksgiving with them because they go before Christmas. Before they leave. And then we had dessert at my brother's. Gotcha. So yeah, same, same, same kind of setup. With the snow this time, it felt very Christmassy. Yeah. But the problem was too, when we go get the, when we go get the tree, the thing's heavy. And you know, sometimes you've got to prop it up a little bit, but basically it's, it's, it's the ball is shaped so you can just set it there on the ground and it stays. Well, there was a foot of snow. Yeah.

25:59 So when I put it in place, I kind of centered it on the snow and that was it. And put the lights on it. The problem was in the coming days with the snow, the snow's there. Watson likes to pee on the tree. So he goes out, but now he's peeing. Normally when it's on the ground, doesn't matter. But now he's peeing on the tree on one side every time. And it's literally just getting until finally it's at like a 45 degree angle because he keeps peeing on the one side and melting the snow. And it's all coconut. The leaning tree of peace. Right now, if you go out there, it's still there because I haven't taken the trees there. Well, it's not like that, but I had to prop it up with a brick.

26:39 So you guys plant a tree every what's all the trees basically started five years ago. Okay. The first year we went and got a tree and we plant it. So we've been planting them along the driveway. Okay. On the way in. So when you're pulling up the driveway, they're on the left hand side, those, those Christmas trees are our Christmas trees from each year. Gotcha. And then now we're, so now we're at the point where the first one I planted, you can use, Oh no, well, no, what are you trying to do with them? We just put them in order. We're just putting them there because we want to have them there. And then I put lights on them at Christmas time. Now the one is big enough. The one that we planted the first year we were here, the next year I won't, it's too tall.

27:20 They're, they're, they're growing, growing nicely. Yeah. So it'll be a, so when we plant this one, this is cool. We'll be able to tell little baby Josie, that's your first Christmas tree. That's awesome. Yeah. So we've been, we've been doing it for a while and I like that fun tradition. So the next thing right after Thanksgiving, we rolled into the nine month pediatrician visit. So we went to, went to Somerwood for that. So, and if you recall under six, so it had been three months, she had a six month and then it was three months. So now it's nine months going back, interested to see how she's doing with her weight because her percentiles, you know, she's always been high for height and lower for lower for weight.

28:01 And the estimates were that she should gain in that time, that three months between one and three pounds. Oh, okay. So I was thinking because she's always been on the smaller side, I was going to be happy with like a little over a pound, anything north of that. What was the last size? The last weigh in. So six months she was like four, right at 14 pounds. So we go in and they weigh her 16 pounds, four ounces. So she gained over two pounds. So we were very happy. And we will talk about this later in ongoing updates. But so we got the weight and they did that. But even with that weight gain, the curve, you know, they graph everything on this growth curve, her height stayed about on the same trajectory, but her weight ticked down a little bit, even with the gain, even weighing that much.

28:56 So not overly concerned. They certainly were the pediatricians like everything's good. They're asking her about the asking about the developmental milestones. And we're telling them that she's good for everything. At that point, she's starting to look like she was getting ready to crawl, but not crawling forward. She has she's doing the back up. She shuffles backwards. Exactly. She just keeps backing up until she hits a wall. Everything's good. It was a good visit. And we were happy with that. And then we're ready. That was days before we leave for the Disney cruise, the cruise event. Yeah. So we we literally packed up, did the same trip, except this.

29:38 What we did was there's a there's a hotel right in the terminal and Orlando Airport. Oh, so it's like you walk through and you see it when you come through Terminal A. So we get there and we stayed at that hotel. So we went the day before the cruise left. So we don't have to worry. Yeah, get there. So we stayed there and met up with Uncle David and Auntie Gabe. It was the five of you. This was going to be the five of us. Yeah. So on the on the cruise, we had a joining cabin. Yeah. Got to the hotel, got settled, and we got there a little earlier. Kelly had some work that she needed to do. And I was rolling around the terminal to the shops with baby Josie to relax a little bit.

30:19 What's the temperature at this point? Like it's in like 70s. It was nice. It was like, yeah, comfortable 70s, 80. Oh, yeah. So it was it was nice. I was surprised by having one more person. Sixteen pound person was an exhaust. How it changes everything. Because what adds to it is we flew on JetBlue and JetBlue is in the new terminal. Not a sponsor. Not a sponsor. I would love them to be right. But that terminal is like way far away from the main terminal where the hotel is. So now it's like you got like a giant suitcase, a pretty big suitcase to carry on two personal items, the stroller bag.

31:05 And it's like it's just brutal. Like I am exhausted. By the time we're getting there, it is so much. And I'm used to and it's not like it's not like Kelly's walking around with a pair. Yeah. She's got it all too. Right. But it's just so there was reminded just by you saying that that's how you're going to be for the next 100 years going to the beach. Yeah. Fifty million things that you're in. I was like, my God. So so you're trying to you're trying to get to your day. You got all this stuff. You got to go through everything. You're walking out. So I was I was and the baby was exhausted, too. It's funny because we're we're rolling around.

31:46 I'm I'm trying to give Kelly some time to do some work uninterrupted. So we're strolling around through the airport terminal. And eventually I'm getting like there are people looking and normally others always people look at babies, but they're like they're laughing. And I'm like, what's she got? So eventually and she is just slumped forward in her stroll asleep. OK, we're going to go back to the room. So I took her back up there and then we were ready for the next morning. We met up with David and Gabe and had a little breakfast. And it's a very what they do is the Disney people set up right in the lobby of the hotel. Oh, and you don't have you.

32:27 So it's a no brainer. You literally you put your bags, you leave your bags inside the hotel room door so nobody else can get them. They they come get your bags and whisk them away to the ship. You go downstairs, you check in and they're like, you're goofy. We give you a sticker when we say Gary, we say goofy. Come with us. And they and I like and they call Goofy. Were you goofy? I think we were Mickey because I've been on. That'd be funny if you were goofy. You guys are goofy. I'm sure at one point or another we've been goofy. But now because we are platinum level on the Disney cruise, we go first for Mickey. You're the main.

33:08 Yes, we go. We're like on the first bus. That's cool. So they call you and they take you down. They put you on the bus and boom, boom, boom. And we're on the Magical Express. So you take the bus out. They have monitors in the bus and they're playing Disney cartoons and ads for Disney Cruise Line. This is what to expect. And I'll just get you going. We have done this so many times. I can narrate the whole thing, but it was fun. We're having a time here. I mean, you're on a cruise. You're on a vacation. Disney makes you feel great. And already what is hitting me is Kelly's been back to work since June. Right. And I've been back to work since before that. Right. So it's the first time where we're other than like a weekend where we got to get stuff done and you're going to church, you're doing all this stuff.

33:53 The first time where we're together as a family and we got nothing we got to worry about. We can just play with the baby and have fun. And it was just by the time I'm on the bus, I'm already saying, oh, this is nice. You're creating the memory that you're going to be. That moment is, oh, this is what people talk about. Do you remember when the kids were this and that? My wife and I used to do this. You're in that memory. You are living in that memory right now. Always remember that. Be present. Often to Kelly, I'm like, no matter how hard anything is right now, we are going to look at this as the happiest time of our life.

34:36 Let's not worry about things maybe as much as we sometimes do and enjoy it. No, no, no. But yeah, so we get there and we've been on a cruise. We have been on an Alaskan cruise with David and Gabe. They're great to travel with. They're very experienced travelers. Gabe is probably the only person I know other than my brother that's been on more cruises than I have. Big traveler. So it's nice. We got there and I'll probably tear up repeatedly throughout the discussion of this. That means he's going to make me tear up. So one of the things that they do on the Disney cruise, which I don't think they do on other cruise lines, or maybe they have in the past. Oh, I'll let you know because I just went on one four months ago. So shoot. When you board, they stop you as you enter because you board in the atrium.

35:21 They stop you right before you step on. And it used to be, they don't do this anymore, but it used to be years ago. The first couple I went on, all of the officers would be there lined up meeting you like a reception and they would announce you as you. So they literally are like, what's the family name? And they would be like the cereal family. And everybody would applaud. Why does that sound familiar? Did they do that to us? They, I don't know if they, but I've never experienced. I've been on princess. I've never been on a princess. They don't do the officers anymore, but they have members of the crew and, and the, you know, the staff there and we, we go to the front and I'm like, as we're approaching, I'm like, I've been waiting to do this forever.

36:10 So I told him, I asked him, I asked David and game. I'm like, will you go on first and then record it so we can have the baby's first entrance. Oh, that's awesome. And they're like, absolutely. So David's in there and he's got the, He's got the phone going, the kid comes over, what's the family name? And I say to him, I'm like, can you announce us as the cereal family featuring Baby Josie? He's like, absolutely. And the kid, he's like, and now. And now, the cereal family featuring Baby Josie. And everybody applauds, and it was just so cute.

36:51 And so you get there. So they like, it's a kickoff, right? You're immediately having, you're immediately having this. You're already five stars in, you're like, this is great! And then also, I wasn't sure how excited I would be about Christmas in the Caribbean, right? Because this time of year, the whole ship is decked out for Christmas. And all those special events and stuff. So you walk in the atrium, 20 foot Christmas tree, all the decorations. This is also a ship that we have not been on. It's a new ship. Pretty big, huh? And it's big. So I wasn't sure how excited I would be for Christmas in that context, because it would feel out of place. No, it was awesome.

37:31 Everything's decked out. The characters all have Christmas themed. So Mickey's in his Christmas outfit. Like they're doing all, they do all kinds of special stuff. It was really, really cool. The other thing that becomes immediately apparent is everyone that works there. All the wait staff, everybody that works on the ship is trained to engage with the kids. Makes sense. And they do such a good job. And it was right at this point where baby Josie started to do some new things. One of the things she started to do was waving and clapping.

38:13 Oh! Right? So by like the second day, wherever we go on the ship, because you're always going from one ship to the other, doing different things. She's waving to everybody. Everybody's waving to her. That's great. She's engaging with everyone. The whole time I'm thinking, like this is gonna be nice for us to get away. It'll be fun. I really thought, like she's not gonna remember any of it. It's not gonna be a whole lot for her. She's pretty little still. Absolutely not. She was having a ball. She's looking around at everything. She's engaged with everything. She is, we're getting comments. I'm taking pictures everywhere. We're out on the deck. I'm taking a selfie of her and me. This guy's just sitting there on a deck chair.

38:55 And he goes, wow, she knows what to do when that camera comes out. I'm like, yeah, she does. But we're just having a great time. We've covered a lot of ground and we have even more to tell you about baby Josie's adventures, but we're gonna close for now. So don't forget to subscribe to us on YouTube. And follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Thanks for sticking with us. And we'll see you next week. Well, folks, that's another episode of the Gray Hair and Daycare podcast in the books. Thanks very much for tuning in and spending this time with us. We hope it was fun. If you enjoyed this week's descent into the madness of dadness, be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss any of our future adventures. While you're at it, give us a like and share the cast with your friends on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Carrier Pigeon, whatever you crazy kids are using.

39:44 Have any hilarious parenting stories of your own? Questions about navigating fatherhood later in life or even when normal people do it? Email us at ghdc.podcast at gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you. And now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed.