Charming's best efforts at getting Scarlett to like Minnie (whom she loves from afar!!) Scarlett at 18 months.
Kincaid never meets a stranger. Kincaid at 4 1/2.
A friend requested that I post the following eBay ad I placed earlier this year.....
Listed for sale – a great little Chicco stroller with only 6 days of use!!
So, why am I selling a great little stroller that I only used for 6 days, you ask? Well, because I have 5 other strollers. Ah, you say, you must have several children! Yes, well, it would seem so when one has 6 strollers, but actually I have just two children. So why so many strollers? Well, if you are a parent you know that there are specific strollers for every possible “stroll”. A jogger, a double jogger when the second came along, an “umbrella” for the 4 ½ year old, and small stroller that reclines for the infant – who is now 18 months old, and recently an umbrella stroller that doesn’t recline for the same.
So this one – this great little stroller with only 6 days of use - where does it fit in? Well, as much as I try to be an organized, got-it-all together, make my list & always have what I need mom, the truth is, I’m not. In fact, I’m a mess, mostly – a typical, love my kids more than life, but do-not-got-it-all together mom!! So this stroller came about on a recent vacation to DisneyWorld. Of all the places that you need to bring one of your five strollers, DisneyWorld would, it would seem, top that list!
As we were driving through Atlanta on our way to Orlando and the happiest place in the world (already 4 hours from home), I was talking to my college roommate about our trip & she wisely asked me, “Did you remember your stroller?”
Uh, oh, sinking feeling coming --- ugh!!!!! I didn’t see any strollers on the top of that pile in the back. I remember being proud of how I had not overpacked – no lecture from MY honey about bringing too much – yes, I was getting good at this vacation thing! We could even see out the back window! (Yes, yes, pride cometh before the fall...) Well, looking out the corner of my eye at my sweet honey, who was happily whistling his way to DisneyWorld (okay, a stretch), amazed as he must have been at my best packing job ever – I was dreading telling him that actually, I don’t quite have this trip thing down as well as I thought – I now realized why we could see cars out the back window on this trip & normally we could not….
No, I didn’t remember my stroller. ARRGGGHHH!!! How could I have forgotten the stroller???? What kind of mom expects her 18-month-old to walk through DisneyWorld without a stroller? Pitiful me, my list - yes I actually made one – my list had failed me!! Yes, I had tried to be organized – but nowhere on my list was the word “stroller”. Cameras, yes. Clothes, yes. Diapers, yes. Autograph book for Mickey, yes. Crocs, yep. Stroller, nope. Not even a mention, not even a thought, until my sweet friend innocently ripped any possible feelings of “I got it all together for this trip!” out from under me.
Okay, so I know if you’ve been to DisneyWorld, your next logical question would be, “Why didn’t you just rent one?” Well, a couple of reasons. First, the reviews of the Disney strollers in my guidebook (which, amazingly, I did get read before the trip) were mediocre. Too big for small kids – no storage space, easily confused (& often swiped) with the other 8654 Disney strollers in use on any given day, etc. Also, it costs almost as much to rent as to buy one. Second, I am kind of picky about strollers. I want them to be very easy to steer, very light to carry, simple to fold & be able to carry a bunch of stuff. And, I needed it to recline a bit, so hopefully my sweet babe could take a nap in it. (FYI – this one fits all those criteria very nicely). For some reason, some manufacturers of strollers just don’t get that a stroller should steer easily & that you shouldn’t look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa when trying to transport it?? And, some don’t even come with a basket/net underneath – WHAT is THAT about???
At any rate, I was out at Toys R Us at 9:30 p.m. the night before our first big day at Disney – trying to pick a stroller that I would enjoy pushing for the 13 miles a day or whatever insane amount of distance we covered each day! In other words, I wanted to enjoy Disney – not spend the trip with a dud of a stroller that I wanted to “forget” on some floor in the Tower of Terror! So, I looked at all the strollers that cost a reasonable amount of money for a six day tour & finally found this one. Light – check. Easy to fold – check. Easy to steer – check. Basket for Mickey ears, sunblock & diapers – check, check, check.
So as stated, this stroller is light, folds easily, steers perfectly with one hand & is easy to transport with carrying strap attached to the stroller. It comes with owner’s manual & carrying case (never used). It has a canopy & reclines a bit for a comfy nap.
Happy bidding!!
And, in case you are wondering, DisneyWorld was, for that week, indeed, the happiest place on earth!!