The Kindness of Strangers

Steven: He's coming. LeSahre is contracting and dilating and effacing... all meaning that she is likely to deliver soon. Or, if not, she will be induced on Tuesday. I'm still kind of in denial, haven't packed yet, haven't even figured out what we're bringing exactly, except we did make a list in a Word document ("Things to Bring to Houston"), but it's bare-bones and incomplete.

One concern we've had (when we -- at least I -- are not worrying about quotidian things like where to send Kofi for preschool and whether to repair the stained glass on the front door) is what kind of transportation device we will need for Kofi and the new baby, i.e. The Great Stroller Debate. It turns out, you can spend a LOT of money on strollers. And double strollers are nearly as beguiling in their Darwinian variety as, well, finches on Pacific Ocean islands. Tandem vs side by side? (Tandem: we want it to fit through our front door without having to fold it.) Bugaboo vs Bob vs MacLaren?

You may remember that I received 5 strollers when I got Kofi as gifts: a new MacLaren (thanks, Flour crowd), a new Bob for jogging (thanks, BU SPH buddies), a snap-n-go (thanks, Erika? Terri?), and a couple of umbrella strollers (compact portable species that fold easily and are light) (thanks, Elizabeth and...? Sabrina?) So it's daunting to think about actually having to purchase a new stroller and have to make a decision myself/ourselves about what brand/type/style/color to get.

So 2 days ago, I went for a run after work. It was a perfect summer afternoon in Boston, low 70s, no humidity, skies crystal ball clear. I stopped every man, woman, or couple I saw with a double stroller and asked them if they liked their stroller and why (or why not). It was my own version of Consumer Reports and, frankly, helped to break up the monotony of the run. Well, almost all the couples had a tandem Phil and Ted's stroller, and the last one, a lovely woman named Nicole was on her stoop in the South End with several boxes and an empty stroller. When I asked her if she liked her stroller, she said "I love it! I was taking it to Goodwill... do you want it?" And off I jogged with a free, slightly worse-for-wear double stroller. After a scrubbing with a sponge and copious amounts of 409 spray and the backyard hose, it has been deemed suitable for use by young Kofi and I took him for a walk today to Starbucks (where I now sit) (free wi-fi, you know) typing away at my blog.

But, I have to tell you: I feel a little bad walking poor Kofi (and future baby ______) in a used stroller that despite my assiduous efforts at cleaning and refurbishing still has an air of mild decrepitude and ruin. So, we'll see... maybe we'll splurge for a new stroller when the baby actually arrives.

Whenever that will be.