On the spectrum at the happiest place on earth....

 After much debate, and well general stalling on the part of my husband and myself a spring break destination was agreed upon. We would head for the happiest place on earth. In the car....
I was already unhappy.
     The kids were thrilled. My husband was excited and because we hadn't taken the children since my son was in a stroller, I was coming around to the idea. I don't mean to sound like such a sour pot, it's just the worst thing you can ask me to do is stand in one spot or walk for hours. My hip just wont take it....my son who use to complain about joint pain, still gets tired easier than most ten year old's, and my daughter seemed to be having a relapse of her illness....so I was a bit concerned about our family trying to tackle the two big parks.

So we borrowed a wheel chair, I brought my cane and we went in with good attitudes. This paid off ten fold. My first stop once we got to the actual park was to head straight for the office. I stood there with my cane and explained to the front desk that I was a disabled person who couldn't stand for long periods of time, we would be staying just at Disneyland that day. The worker suggested renting a wheel chair and when I told him I already owned one, he smiled. "Perfect! You will need this....." He handed me a "magic book" that told us how to bypass all the lines for the rides....Just go to the exit and there will be someone to assist you....
Seriously?
Yes. It was that easy....after he had told me this, I said "thank-you because my son also has Autism and can't wait in these long lines"....Again I was just met with a smile and a no problem attitude....Wow....
So I was a little worried about how many people would be glaring at us as we waltzed to the front while they waited and waited and waited.....it never happened....at least that I could tell. We had a great day....we let the kids take turns in the wheel chair and I hobbled along behind them.
    Day number two's plan was California Adventure....I had read in my "magic book" that all the lines accommodate wheel chairs at California Adventure so just proceed to the regular line.....uh no.
This just wouldn't work for my son , so I found myself back in the main office at Disneyland to request a pass. It is called a Special Assistance Pass. They do not like to give these out.....apparently they will tell you on the phone that they do not do this anymore....they do. The lady who helped me wasn't as nice and happy as the  person I had day before but she still gave me the pass....(Which is all I cared about.) She did kind of scold me for not bringing in my son so she could see him with her own eyes....Clerk and diagnostician I guess.....I wanted to say, "would you like him to throw an fit in here so you can envision what the long lines would be like for us and anyone around us?"
But I just told her I was sorry for leaving my son outside with his father, took my pass and left.
It was again a blessing to have a magic pass....the lines were unbearable. We went to all the rides and shows we wanted and made it to our Pirate Dinner with time to spare. The park personnel was fantastic when it came to the pass, and they were all very nice to me and my family as they let us ahead of others in line.... There were a few things that surprised me. They should not have but they did...when put in a large very crowded environment my son, who usually appears quite normal, becomes a full blown handflapper. He was a wreck. It made me sad to see this since I thought he was getting better.....but he was having fun, so I let the weird repetitive hand movements and the horrid mouth sounds go unhampered. Well for the most part. I would occasionally snap and tell him to, "Stop making that noise with your mouth or you are going in the water!"
I just am not good with stuff like that.....Mom of the Year....remember. I also was surprised that I brought four tank tops and no razor.....ewwww. Not sure what I was thinking about when I did that....but I digress.....
     Besides the two day park hopper pass we had a special Pirate Dinner to attend and then one day at Knotts Berry Farm.  The Pirate Dinner was a blast. There was a huge ship in the middle of the room and all sorts of audience involvement. I only thought to look over at the kids once or twice because I was so busy having fun, but when I did see their faces it was a look of pure joy. This is where I know my son has improved, because it was set up like a competition. We were on the red team....there were four or five teams total. My son use to loose his mind if there was a game that he lost....he just couldn't take it! This time, no problem, he just enjoyed the show! Neat. Really really neat.
Knotts Berry Farm was okay. I was a little theme parked out by the time we got there and our first ride was the big wooden roller coaster that has probably been there since I was born.....I hated it. The rest of the family loved it, although my son said that he couldn't breathe when the coaster went down hill because it moved soooo fast. I held on, closed my eyes and screamed, "It will be over soon, it will be over soon!"
Not very grown up of me.....but that is okay. It was too loud for anyone to hear me!
We went on a few more rides as a family but mostly it was just my husband and son who rode. There was one ride that went 0-82 miles per hour in like 2 second....uh.....no.
My husband checked and rechecked my son's seat belt like a hundred times before it went.... I guess he could picture that skinny little guy just flying right out the top!
     We rarely encountered other people using the handicap entrance.....sometimes we waited with others, but for the most part we were alone, so the lady at the main office of Disneyland who told me "You know, everyone asks for these..." was apparently wrong. Or we just didn't see them....We did encounter one other family with a small girl with autism. We rode a little train ride together. We had been placed in the front car, and then it pulled forward to pick up the other riders....a charming gentleman rode with us. He was probably in his 30's and had autism. He must have had socialization classes because he was very good about looking you in the eye and shaking your hand and introducing himself. He did this with everyone in the car....then he remembered my name and checked on my throughout the ride.... It was a bit dark and scary in parts. He was concerned..... When the ride ended he raced to the gate so that he could go stand in line again. This was, I am sure the only ride he goes on while there....over and over and over again. Rusty Rides The Rails.....would be a great movie....
We are still recovering from the whole "break"
I am ready for the kids to go back to school, they are ready to go back to Disneyland...