A Stroll Ahead

You know when you have a baby and you have 9 months (or 8 or whatever) to prepare? People throw you a baby shower and you shop and shop and by the time baby gets there you are pretty well set?


Well it doesn't work that way for us. We get a call and get a baby a couple days later, or in this case 2 babies. And then when we get those babies, we understand very completely that we may or may not get to keep them. 


There's no baby shower. I did have a friend offer to throw a baby shower when we got these babies, because we really did need stuff for them (like another crib that a friend graciously gave us), clothes, etc. But here's the deal. Would I want a baby shower for these 2 babies, only to have them return to parents in 6-12 months? Then if we fostered again, another shower for another child? Different age/gender perhaps so we need more stuff? You can see why this can get a little sticky. Plus, having a shower feels very attaching. Like I "had" (or adopted) this baby and I'm keeping it.


So given that situation, how many of you would want to spend a lot of money on those babies? I mean, lets get real. Of course they need clothing and necessities, and you want them to look cute but if there was a chance you couldn't keep your kids (which aren't technically yours), how much money would you actually spend on them?


When we got the babies I really needed a double stroller. I wanted one I could attach the infant seat to since Avery was just 2 months. I really wanted a nice stroller but didn't want to spend the money because, once again, who knows? So I went to the local 2nd hand kids store and bought the only double stroller they had. I was very fortunate that it absolutely met my needs and has been great. However as the kids have grown a little this year, I continue walking them (and the dog) to the park often. I pull that stroller in and out of the car often, I crash into aisles, doorways and sometimes, unfortunately, people with my long stroller. Now, I also have an umbrella side by side stroller that a friend loaned me before I got the double long. That one is much easier to pull in and out of the car and set up. With the long one I have to remove both seats before I can fold it so it's just a couple extra steps. With the side by side I struggle even more to get through door ways and then the kids are spread across the aisle in the store so they can both reach out and grab things.


I've always been a stroller person, just ask Matt. We used to have at least 3 strollers for Aliyah because each stroller served a purpose. Big & comfy, smaller & more compact, and umbrella. I want a stroller to handle well, even with one hand if possible so I can walk the dog with the other, grab a running child, take a drink or whatever. I told Matt that in August if things go our way in court, I'd like to buy a nice stroller that fits all my needs {wants}.


Well towards the end of June we started to realize that things were looking really good for us with the babies...and I started to stroller shop. After all, we're taking some mini-trips this summer and a good stroller would be awfully nice.

Here's what I found:

This stroller has the "footprint" of a single, the 2nd seat can actually be removed to make it a single stroller AND I can leave the seats on when I fold it up. (I could go on and on about all the cool stuff this stroller does but I won't bore you with the details)

I have butterflies in my stomach even as I write this because I'm letting a part of me relax a little and look forward to the future with these babies. Certainly buying this stroller was a big step for me and it still makes me nervous to just let go and accept that we will most likely, hopefully, maybe be able to adopt these babies. I can't completely let that go and feel comfortable until August 29th. But in the mean time, we'll be strolling more comfortably.