Saturday, May 3, 2008

Rolling, rolling, rolling . . .


I've been catching some grief from the folks at work, because right now, Jude and I have four strollers. That's right, four strollers and one child. One small - but getting bigger every day - child. Originally, we had three strollers, all of which we received as gifts from friends or family at baby showers. However, a couple of weeks ago, I purchased a fourth stroller, on-line. It arrived last week and I assembled it last week just in time for our friend's (Cyndi Baines) weekend visit with her daughter, Finn.

Taking inventory, we have two handy, lightweight strollers, the kind we can keep in our vehicles (one in each) and use at the mall, etc. The backs of the those strollers don't recline, however, so we really can't use them until John Patrick is a little older and capable of sitting and holding his head up for an extended period of time.

The third stroller is a Graco stroller. It's the "Cadillac" of strollers - sturdy, lots of strorage space and compatible with our Graco car seat. It's not real fast or overly maneuverable, but it has a nice, dependable ride. The back reclines until it's completely flat, which is helpful since John Patrick generally falls asleep as soon as the wheels start turning.

The fourth stroller is my baby. Well, my other baby, that is. It's a City Elite, made by Baby Jogger. It's the "Land Rover" of strollers. Sleek, trendy, fast but very functional. Also, it's capable of traveling off road. It has three, larger wheels with tread like you'd see on a mountain bike tires. In fact, the tires have spokes, just like bicycle tires. The front wheel can be locked, so it stays straight, or unlocked, so it swivels. The swiveling option of the front wheel makes the stroller very maneuverable. It's also fast and it has a lot of features (or options). There are a couple of storage compartments underneath, wind flaps on the sides to let air in or keep it out, flaps on top to let the sun in or keep it out and pockets attached to the handle to store items (wallets, cell phones, etc.). The back reclines, as well. Also, I ordered separately a small cooler (capable of holding a 6-pack . . . of baby bottles), which attaches to to the bottom of the stroller, between the rear wheels, and a cup holder. Last but not least, it's really lightweight and is easy to fold up to store or load in a car.

I'm very proud of my baby . . . and John Patrick, too.

Stroller number five is coming soon, too. I haven't ordered it, yet, but it's a performance model, also made by Baby Jogger. It's designed for runners - larger, narrower wheels (x 3) and more aerodynamic than normal strollers. The idea, obviously, is to able to go for a run, while pushing your child in the stroller. I don't think John Patrick is quite ready for it, yet, but it won't be long!

Now, where are we going to put all these strollers?

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