As if the rest of my posts this week haven’t made it obvious, life’s been kind of stressful lately, with “kind of” meaning “I’m considering buying my wine by the case instead of just the box”. Except that wine has too many points so I’ve been binging on grapes and broccoli. It is highly unsatisfying.

Sunday:

Caroline refused to drop her truck even while she was nursing.

Because what I need right now is MORE living things acting needy.

LOUD NOISES.

Monday:

Don't even THINK about trying to help her.

He's replaced actual at-home naps with 5 minute car naps.

I put in my headphones and cleaned, including this COMPLETELY filthy mirror

Tuesday:

Obsessed with baby dolls.

Despondent dinosaur is despondent

It's much easier to control two kids at Target when you give one of them to someone else to deal with.

Life is SO UNFAIR when your mother dresses you in leggings.

Wednesday:

Let me tell you a horror story. Once upon a time there was a teething baby who screamed ALL THE TIME! Ahhhhh!

First gymnastics class! Some of the moms were a little...intense when it came to their TWO YEAR OLDS but we liked it.

Oh good, I was worried about nuclear fallout.

Outside in January, enjoying the 60 degree weather before the ice caps all melt and drown us.

Thursday:

10 am nap from ALL THE CRYING.

Stripey legs

And then THIS ONE fell asleep on the floor and refused to wake up. Even after Caroline jumped on his head.

Friday:

You'd think I don't feed this kid, what with the trying to eat his stroller.

I am smiling because Stroller Strides is over.

More floor naps. I took the hint and on Saturday he got a real nap.

Saturday:

The reason ALL MY PICTURES this week are of sleeping kids is because it was the only time they weren't covered in snot and screaming.

Even the packed grocery store was a nice change from the angry babies.

"Oh I see now Daddy! You fly on the dragon to defeat the wizard because you're a HUGE DORK. Got it!"

Besides these weekly iPhone round-ups I’m doing the monthly photo-a-day challenge from Fat Mum Slim. I’m posting them on Instagram (my user name is bebehblog, let’s be friends!) but all my IG photos are also on my Flikr page – you can get there using the button over there in the left sidebar <———- because my mom would be really mad if I took pictures of her grandkids and DIDN’T let her see them.

Tomorrow we’re going to a Superbowl party where we will eat a bunch of food and probably come home before the game even starts so the kids can go to bed and I can put on stretchy pants. Go Patriots!

Did you take any camera phone photos this week? Link up with one or lots using the linky below and grab the code (so it shows on your blog too!) over at Amy’s . It’s really fun!

Today I’m going to write a love note to my stroller.

Dear Baby Jogger City Select,

Can I just call you BJ? I feel like we’re definitely close enough for nicknames, since we spend so much time together.  I just wanted you to know I love you and appreciate you. You were a wise choice.

xoxo
Suzanne

Right now my husband is wondering why I don’t ever write HIM such nice love notes. Usually they just say “Make sure you watch when the dog poops. I think he ate a sock.” We’re super romantic.

Back when I was pregnant with Caroline, I decided that this time around I was going to shell out for a good quality stroller even if the price sent me into early labor. Because holy CRAP do you know what a “mid-range” stroller costs? I could practically buy a BABY for that much money (disclaimer: I do not actually support or condone baby buying). But I was never crazy about the stroller(ssssssss) I bought for Little Evan and figured I could put all the money I was saving with hand-me-downs towards something nice. E practically choked to death when he saw what I wanted to spend, but I think he agrees now it was a good purchase.

After much debating and ordering and cancelling and blog posting, I eventually settled on the Baby Jogger City Select with the doubles kit. I loved it the second I took it out of the box, I loved it when I was using it as a single stroller for Little Evan, but I love it even more now that it’s been 6 months and I’m ready to recommend it.

My little monkey in the CS as a single while Caroline was still an inside baby

PROS:
– Can be a single stroller or double stroller (with kit)
– HUGE sun canopy
– Easy to steer
– HUGE basket under seats
– Adjustable handle height for tall or short people
– Folds with (one) seat attached in either position
– Has an adapter for my Chicco car seat
– Folds with seat attached in lower position & car seat adapter in upper position
– Disassembles really easily & quickly to fit in small spaces
– Hand brake on the side is easier to use than a foot brake (especially in flip flops)
– My diaper bag hangs easily from the handle (which it says VERY CLEARLY you shouldn’t do, but I’m a rebel)
– Toddler likes it
– Baby likes it
– Good telephone customer service
– Parts are easy to replace (I replaced a broken brake/rear axle myself in less than 2 minutes)
– Straps are easy to adjust
– I think it looks nice and stylish (totally an important factor)
– Super easy to reconfigure seats
– Seats can be assembled a zillion different ways

I was CONVINCED having all the different seating arrangements was SUPER IMPORTANT in a double stroller, as if forcing my children to just sit facing forward was some sort of parenting travesty. When obviously the parenting travesty is that I’m using a stroller at all instead of wearing them in an organic cotton and hemp wrap I wove myself (I LOVE my babies. Why would I want to PUSH them away from me?). And even though I’m sure everyone would survive perfectly well in a standard side-by-side, we use the different seat configurations ALL the time.

CONS:
– In some of the positions, the seats only fit if they’re not reclined/have the footrest down
– Seats don’t recline very far
– Brake sometimes doesn’t fully disengage
– My brake broke after only 4 months of use (covered under warranty)*
– Email customer service wasn’t great*
– Everything costs extra (the bars across each seat, cup holders, rain canopy, etc)
– A little front heavy, which means it takes a little effort to get it up onto a curb (but not INCREDIBLY HARD, which some reviews I read online seemed to imply)
– Sometimes the folding mechanism sticks and I struggle to get it closed
– The seat is a LITTLE on the smaller side, so if you have a very tall toddler they might be kind of crowded (but I think that would be a problem with ANY stroller)

Wow, my list of negative stuff sounds REALLY negative, but I swear I really do love this stroller. I use it 4 times a week at Stroller Strides (including sometimes jogging), walking around my hilly neighborhood, at the crowded aquarium, on the gravel paths at the Seaport, and at the mall. I had no trouble hauling it in and out of the van when I was 9 months pregnant or when I was 4 weeks post partum. I’m planning to buy the ride-on glider attachment soon, so the toddler can stand during the kind of mostly-running-around-but-he-might-get-tired outings we often take during the summer. It also makes it a TRIPLE stroller, so if we have another baby we’re already all set.

I don’t miss the snack tray and cup holder from my old travel system stroller, but I DO recommend buying the belly bars. It keeps Little Evan in the stroller even when I *ahem* don’t buckle the straps and is perfect for attaching toys.

I purchased my stroller (the 2011 version) from PishPoshBaby and was very happy with them – good customer service, very fast free shipping, and no sales tax. I also tracked down a teeny tiny discount code after a few minutes Googling, although it was only applied to the accessories and not the stroller.

So was that EVERYTHING YOU EVER DREAMED OF? Are you jealous? Are you bored to death? Are you going to buy one of your very own right this minute?

*So the story with the brake is one tiny spring somehow got twisted and it locked up my wheels. I called to ask if I could get just that ONE piece replaced and the person I talked to asked me to email a picture. I did, waited, emailed again, waited, emailed again and then gave up and called back. Second customer service rep just said “Give me your serial number right now. A whole new rear axle is on its way.” I had it within 2 days at zero cost. Eventually CS rep #1 emailed me back that she was still checking on sending me just a spring and I told her the problem was fixed. I did NOT say “WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST SEND ME THE WHOLE THING SINCE IT WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT THAT HARD??” But I wanted to.

Back when I did the post on baby carriers, commenter bellegourmande asked if I could also do a post on strollers, since the world of baby-pushing devices is hard to navigate. Unfortunately, my knowledge of strollers is divided into two categories: “the one that came with my car seat” and “ones I can’t afford”. Pretty much every stroller worth buying falls into that second category. Or at least they did until last week when I found my AWESOME NEW STROLLER on Craigslist.

Before my AWESOME NEW STROLLER, I was using my Chicco Cortina Travel System stroller at Stroller Strides and it was…meh. The Chicco is really more for mall walking/shopping/casual strolling* than for pushing a baby around trails covered in leaves and pine cones so I’ve been keeping my eye on Craigslist for a jogger. Not that I plan to do any actual jogging (I’ve never been much of the jogging type, and even less so now that I’m in danger of giving myself a black eye at every bounce), but the rugged style of a jogger is more suited to the park. And then the stars aligned, the heavens smiled down and my AWESOME NEW STROLLER appeared on The List as if by magic.

BEHOLD:

It's a Quinny Freestyle, bought in Canada as a gift for a nice mommy down in Niantic a couple years ago and hardly used. It has amazing shocks, great steering, and is easy to push even though it's ginormous. My favorite part is the baby can face in towards me...OR...

...out towards the world! Baby Evan loves both directions, but having him face in is especially nice when I know he's going to take a nap.

As you can clearly see, Baby Evan likes it. The padding is very comfy - especially the pillow. It's basically a giant, squishy recliner. I wish someone would push me around in one of these all day.

Total cost? $80 plus $4 for a Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Latte. (The Starbucks was RIGHT THERE next to their condo complex! And I was ten minutes early! I needed to stall!) Original cost? Over $300, and the super fancy Quinny’s they sell in the U.S. go for $600 or more. I luuuuurve it. Lurve.

Ok, here are the negatives of my AWESOME NEW STROLLER: It weighs a ton, doesn’t fold up very small and takes up the whole back of my Jeep. I doubt it would fit in the trunk of a smaller car. I can’t switch the direction the baby is facing while he’s in it. It doesn’t have cup holders or a snack tray. None of those end up being real negatives for my strolling needs, so my lurve continues.

*Quick review of my Chicco: Very easy to fold, light enough for me to get in and out of the car no problem, Baby Evan likes it, basket can hold my whole diaper bag plus more, cup holders. Negatives: too big for shopping in some stores (women’s section at Target, Gymboree), no really suspension, steering isn’t great at faster speeds or with one hand.

And while I’m at it, here’s the review of my $7 consignment store umbrella stroller (Babies R Us brand, you can buy them for $20): Best $7 I’ve spent on the baby so far. Tiny, light, fits in even the smallest, most crowded clearance sections of the outlet stores, Baby Evan loves it and didn’t make a peep during three hours of shopping. Negatives: doesn’t recline, no basket for storage (although it does have a bag that hands on the back I can keep a burp cloth or a blanket it), no cup holders, probably not tall enough for E to push comfortably.

So right there is everything I know about strollers. Which one do you use? Do you like it?