an old friend ... and a new one

Let me start this post by saying it has been a looooooong time coming. The other day in her organizational communication course, Ashley told a story to illustrate a particular type of decision-making process. Her story's protagonist was a man who went "crazy" in his decision making about buying a new stroller. This "man" went through a series of phases about a series of strollers (starting with finding a "perfect" stroller only to discover its faults, searching endlessly on the Internet only to be disappointed that a stroller with everything does not exist, moving through the "we-have-three-strollers-at-the-house-but-can't-use-a-single-one-because-if-we-do-we-can't-return-it" phase, and then finally settling on a stroller). Whew. I get tired just thinking about how much trouble this "man" went through.

The other day, Ashley's TA asked me, "Hey. The other day Ashley told a story about a male "friend" who went through a laborious decision-making process to find a stroller for his baby girl. Was that you?" I smiled and responded, "No. That was her. You should ask her about that."

Indeed, if you want a good story you should ask Ashley about her process of finding Eden's new stroller. Here is a brief version ...

Eden officially outgrew her infant carrier around Christmas. Since we're not sure when Eden might have a brother or sister and we're already paying to have many things in storage, we decided to put the infant carrier system for sale on Craig's List.

Ashley especially loved this system because of the lightweight frame for the carseat as opposed to the bulkiness of the travel systems. Although we are having to buy a new stroller now, her being able to fold this one up and put it in the trunk by herself was a nice feature. We'd definitely recommend this stroller option for new parents.

We said good bye to this old friend one evening shortly after putting it up on Criag's List. Parting was such sweet sorrow (the 90 bucks was the sweet part).

We did not really expect this to sell right away. So, over the next month, Ashley got a bit obsessed ...

Since we needed a lightweight stroller, we purchased the Babies R Us basic ... $20 and just the basics but super lightweight. It worked since we bought it just to see how we used it and what we liked ...

Then, Ashley convinced herself (before looking into strollers and prices) that an extended leg support was a definite need for a "short" person like a baby - when she was pregnant her doctor told her that having her legs supported was essential. When short people sit and the back of their knees press against chairs, circulation is cut off ... not good ... she convinced herself that this applied to Eden - a baby with poor leg circulation is not good ...

So started the looking. Then came the frustration. Then ... what? the PERFECT one? So she thought when she ran across the Graco IPO. Great price, leg support, cup holder, recline, cute ... When she tried Eden in it at Babies R Us, Eden HATED IT. She kept trying to sit up more. She squirmed. She pitched a fit. The sales woman said, "Of course, there is the Maclaren." Indeed, she sat up straight in that one. So, Ashley left empty handed because she couldn't bring herself to spend that much money. Her thought? "Surely I can find the perfect stroller for a better price!"

Enter the Mia Moda Facile ordered through Sears ...



... almost perfect. The wheels were, however, just a little too big for Ashley's liking. Result? Graham picks up the Maclaren Quest floor model from Babies R Us. It was $40 cheeper.

At that point we had the Quest and the Mia Moda in the house ... next to each other of course ... Unfortunately, the first time Ashley pushed the MacLaren around the den it started clicking - an annoying, repetitive sound Ashley was devastated to hear. So, it was back to searching since she had convinced herself the Mia Moda wasn't "just right" and the MacLaren had an annoying sound (plus the canopy didn't come down very far). So, I took the Mia Moda back to Sears, and after more searching, Ashley discovered the Inglesina Trip (red stroller below) ... with extended leg support, extension on the canopy, top window for viewing baby, cup holder, lightweight, umbrella fold, sits nearly upright and three recline positions ...




Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Eden FINALLY got to go for a walk around the neighborhood ... and it came just in time for her birthday! On Sunday, Ashley made a new slip-cover out of some material she already had. Eden approves ...

Here she is relaxing after the walk on Tuesday. (As you can see she now knows where her tongue is ... this is what she did when Ashley asked her where her tongue was ...)

... sharing the part of the fern she tore off ...

... copying Ashley's silly face ...

So it is FINALLY OVER!!!! I'm relieved ... although I think her students think I'm crazy (as I'm sure they think I am the "friend" in her story). Funny.