The Stroller Saga

Howdy Humble Readers...

I hope you all had a great weekend. Ours was productive and enjoyable, for the most part
Things didn't get off to a great start on Friday, as Ginny's teething kicked into high gear and she cut three teeth in one day.  Believe me, she was a mess...  But we are on our way to finally being done with the heavy lifting of teething.  Two more canines and one more molar, and all the basics will be in, thank heaven!

Saturday dawned cloudy, but not cold, and after a breakfast of sausage mc.muf.fins (which I discovered I no longer enjoy) and iced coffee, we managed to get the four of us out the door and off to the farmer's market.  The market itself wasn't all that spectacular, as it's still very early in the growing season here.  I picked up a bag of potatoes from a local Hutterite colony, a very disappointing cherry pie from a local baker, and a handmade necktie for Pippin to wear for his photoshoot in a couple of weeks.  

The big thing we learned by going to the farmer's market yesterday... our current stroller situation sucks!  (I already knew this, but it was driven home hard.) 

Having to haul two strollers in our car (a prius), even when one of them is a crappy umbrella stroller is inconvenient, and the aforementioned umbrella stroller is simply not good for day to day use.  It's place is on nice smooth floors, like those in an airport or a mall.  Not rough terrain like sidewalks, walking trails, or apparently parking lots like where the farmer's market was set up. 

And beyond all that, how in the world am I supposed to get out of this house with two under two without a good double stroller? 

I had, several months ago, strongly hinted to both sides of our family, that in lieu of clothing/blanket gifts for our new little one, we would greatly appreciate contributions to our stroller fund.  I was hoping possibly get enough to pay for a good chunk of this beautiful little gem. 

Baby Jogger City Select

I love it because it converts from a single to double easily and it steers like a dream.  It's got awesome variety in configurations.  It also folds up fairly small... for a double anyway.  The downside... it's bloody expensive.  And when I say bloody expensive, I mean slasher-flick bloody.

Of course, our families are of the general opinion that I'm either wasteful or just deluded.  My MIL called the week after I talked with her about this situation and offered to buy us a $15 thrift store double stroller.  I have nothing against buying used things.  I like it actually, because it saves us money on things that the kids will outgrow quicker than I can blink. 

But a stroller?  I have spent hours researching customer reviews, dimensions, safety recalls.  I have tried out brand after brand, evaluating how they turn, how easy they are to fold, and if I could lift them by myself up and down our staircase (our condo is a second floor walk up... not a big deal unless you've got a baby, a toddler, and a stroller to wrangle). 

I think that money spent on a stroller that will get used, and save me time and aggravation is money well spent.  Just as I think spending $15 on a stroller that I will hate and ultimately never use is money wasted. 

So, what's the point of all this venting of my spleen? 

We have ordered our new stroller. 

Graco Quattro Tour Duo - Ours is a different colour.

I'm hoping and praying that it will do the job.  Everything I could find online was fairly positive.  It was in the top ten of every list I could find, and was the most reasonably priced.  It's still another large hit to our budget, but we needed something. 

It should arrive later this week.  I'll keep you all posted.