My husband and I knew it was time to get our little man’s hair cut, but this is a milestone we had been dreading. We adored his little ringlets!

For us, the decision about where to take him was an easy one…Harmony Barber Shop located inside the Magic Kingdom. They actually specialize in first haircuts. Youngsters who receive their first cut at Harmony are given fun items like bubbles, stickers, a set of “First Haircut” Mickey Mouse ears, pixie dust and a certificate. Parents are given their child’s precious locks wrapped in tissue paper.

I made a reservation by calling 407-WDW-DINE and grabbed the first appointment of the day. We were able to enter the park before it opened. I HIGHLY recommend a reservation because half way through my son’s cut, the barber shop started to become crowded.

We lucked out completely! The day of his cut, Disney was shooting a video for their blog focused on the barber shop. Since we were asked to arrive 15 minutes prior to his appointment, we had a front row seat while they taped! My son’s favorite character was the star of the video and he spent some quality time with our little guy. The Disney staff was beyond accommodating, they made our experience something we will never forget. My son received V.I.P. treatment from Mickey, stickers, toys and tons of attention. It was truly magical.

The experience inside the barber shop was just as exciting. Mary H. cut his hair and she was incredible. My son did not want to sit in the chair alone, so she cut his locks while I held him. He stayed occupied with the light up toys and stickers she kept providing him. Mary made sure my husband and I made all the decisions about how short to cut his hair and what she recommended. To be honest with you, I could not imagine taking my son anywhere else for cuts now! His hair is adorable!

I think my biggest fear was that he’d lose his curls, but thankfully his hair is just as curly!

Here’s a little video along with some photos of the special day.

If you decide to have a cut at Harmony, keep in mind the stylists can only accept cash tips. Also, tell them The Unemployed Mom sent you!

My kid has this night time ritual of dumping toys all over the floor when it’s bed time. Last night I was able to intercept before all the books were tossed.

I think someone has too many toys, perhaps it is time for a yard sale!?!?

For the past week or so, my kid has screamed bloody murder when I put him in his crib. He even climbed out the other night trying to get to me. Last night we went to Epcot, if I was not directly beside of him he would start screaming “mama”. On rides, he sat on daddy’s lap but still kept one hand or his head against me.

We saw his regular pediatrician yesterday and she said his ear infection is completely cleared up but his molars are causing some discomfort. I told her about the screaming when he does not want to go to bed and how he clings to me like a monkey. She explained he is having separation anxiety, meaning when I walk out of his room he is not convinced I will come back. This could have something to do with a recent visit from his grandparents. For over a week, they played with him and he loved every second of it. Then one day, he went down for a nap and when he woke…they were gone. Funny, why didn’t I put the connection together? When she was asking if anything in our routine had changed, it clicked! Duh! Thanks mom and dad! 

I was looking at old videos and came across this. I captured my son taking some of his first steps! Check out how excited he was!!! Disregard the scrubs he’s wearing, a kid must be comfortable when learning how to walk! I still remember this moment like it was yesterday even though it was well over a year ago.

My son has been fighting his naps and bedtime lately. Well, tonight he took it to an entirely new level. No sooner did we say prayers and shut his door until I heard a loud thump and stomping…of course accompanied by screaming. Sure enough, he scaled his crib and was stomping on his hardwood floors. I thought there were advantages to living in a historic home, but now I am rethinking it! I thought the glass doorknobs would be great since he cannot turn them. My mind thought he’d stay in his room and play, but no….he panicked and wanted me.

It has been a very long day to say the least. He refused to nap and has been up for over 12 hours now. I think mommy needs a VACATION!!! Did I mention daddy is at happy hour with friends???? Thank God for Netflix because he is watching the Backyardigans!

My son has an ear infection, GRRRR! I could tell he was being fussier than usual. I still wasn’t convinced though, thought perhaps his 2 year molars were causing him discomfort or he was coming down with a cold. My parents were visiting (hence why my blog was so quiet) and unfortunately, they had to listen to the fuss. I tried explaining that he is usually very pleasant, so I hope they  do not think he is this brat all the time!

Anyway, we took him to the Downtown Disney MarketPlace and he begged to get on the carousel. The second it started moving, the screamfest began. The red flag went up immediately, it was at that very moment I knew something wasn’t right. My kid would NEVER cry at Disney and especially NOT on the carousel.

I decided to take him to see his pediatrician. Well, we didn’t get to see one of our usual doctors, instead we saw “Lucifer”. I am baffled how this woman is a pediatrician because she appeared to hate children and did nothing whatsoever to warm up to my son. Instead, she immediately called for a nurse to pin him down so she could look inside his ears. This attempt is not necessary, or at least not with his usual doctors because they engage him and he cooperates. I truly believe if I wasn’t in the room, she would have hit my son over the head with a sledge hammer to knock him out before trying to be nice. I am hoping she was just having a bad day and since we were  the last appointment, she was just eager to go home.

Once the exam was over and my traumatized child was near vomiting from wrestling with the nurse, it was confirmed. His left ear was very red and infected while the right one had fluid on it. He is taking Augmentin for 10 days, then we have a follow-up appointment (obviously, I will beg to see one of our regular doctors).

It has been a rough couple of days with my child refusing to nap, so I have been determined to do whatever it takes to make him sleep! As I mentioned last week, I took him to the Magic Kingdom and thought I wore him out to the point of exhaustion. The plan backfired, the only person exhausted and wanting to nap was me! But, that didn’t happen because my kid was running around with endless energy.

This weekend, my husband and I both tried to enforce nap time. Saturday, we were unsuccessful. After playing in his crib for an hour, we finally let him out. On Sunday, we took him to the Animal Kingdom. It was hot, humid and miserable. We stayed for over 3 hours and needless to say, my son was exhausted. He fell asleep the second he was strapped in his car seat. I didn’t have the heart to wake him even though I knew sleeping in the car meant there was NO CHANCE of him taking a nap at home. Just look at how peaceful he was!

After the long day we had yesterday without a nap, I woke up with one goal today…to wear my kid out to the point of exhaustion! Since we live in Orlando, visiting the Magic Kingdom in almost 100 degree weather seemed like a fun way to do it!

We arrived when the park opened and made a mad dash to the Dumbo ride. It was actually quiet until lunch time, then we made the mistake of visiting Frontier Land and could hardly walk through the crowds! But, we rode several rides, played on the playground, enjoyed some delicious snacks and danced on Main Street USA with some of our favorite Disney pals – including Mickey!

It was a  fun day! I definitely wore myself out and he seems to be sleepy…but only time will tell. Fingers crossed that he gives in and actually naps. I know I could use one!

Today is a day that I hoped I’d never see…the day when my son refused to take a nap. I have heard other mothers talk about how their child gave them up and I prayed this would not happen to us. But sadly, it has. My only hope now is that today was just a one off and tomorrow, he’ll beg to nap like usual. Also, you can rest assure that I will make him so exhausted that he willingly climbs into his crib!

No one said life was fair. Instead of complaining that I didn’t get my “me” time today, I’m going to go snuggle with my fussy little man. Tomorrow is another day.

I have had a lot of friends tell me to keep my kid in his crib as long as possible and not rush the crib to bed transition. He sleeps well in his crib (naps at least 2 hours during the day and 10 – 12 hours at night). He does not try to escape (or not yet at least and he turned 2 in April). But, I started thinking about how long the transition could possibly take and the fact if he ever becomes potty trained (LOL) then he will need to be able to access the bathroom whenever necessary.

Give me your advice and let me know your experience. Do I convert his bed into a toddler bed or just go for a twin bed? What worked and what didn’t, what to do and what NOT to do. Tell me what I need to know about the crib to bed transition and whether I should just put it on the back burner for now. I know all children are different, but I want to know what I am in for.