Sunday, January 16, 2011

Lions & duplos & scissors, oh my!

Eleanor’s first trip to the zoo cemented our reclassification as a family of four. With the double stroller out, two kiddos strapped in, and several bags of gear stashed in the cargo pockets, there was no question that our kid to parent ratio had doubled. Wheeling the stroller’s bulky profile down the zoo paths, it felt as if even the zoo’s fiercer residents (if freed) might pause to let us pass given the width of our berth.

Last summer I did my research on double strollers and settled upon the Baby Jogger City Mini (double) as my wheels of choice. One never showed up on ABQ’s Craig’s List, but during our August trip to NC, serendipity struck and we left with the perfect gently used City Mini double. Erik calls me a Craig’s List fiend since I buy things there even 1700 miles from home. But on its first few uses it’s already proven itself worth the extra baggage hassle, maneuvering dreamily and keeping our kiddos super comfy.

The zoo’s attractions couldn’t compete with the smooth ride for Eleanor and she spent her first zoo trip peacefully asleep. Luke would sweetly peek in at her from time to time to make sure she was still there, and so would we!

Luke was even happier when we took him OUT of the stroller and let him run around. A fallen tree trunk to climb on might have been his favorite zoo ‘exhibit’.

Albuquerque’s Craig’s List may be limited in the stroller category, but not so in the toy department! We used it to buy Luke a Duplo collection last weekend and he has been playing with it nonstop since. All of the sudden he can put the pieces together on his own, a perfect activity when Mom is busy with the baby. He still gets frustrated sometimes and brings them to me for ‘elp’ (help) but he is making major progress! He now has almost as much fun creating structures with them as Daddy does. (:

Our final news item is a little emotional. It involves one of our son’s most charming features. And scissors. On Friday we took him to Jungle Cuts Kids’ Salon and he went from this:

to this:

Dramatic, right? I learned that Disney movies are the secret weapon for children’s haircuts and that while I know how to describe a cut for myself, I don’t yet have the vocabulary or precise enough opinions for boys’ cuts. Thanks to my inability to articulate what I wanted, it didn’t come out exactly as I’d intended. Plus I miss the blond highlights that showed up when it was longer. But I do love the way it is so neatly cut and it is wonderful not to have hair in his eyes anymore. I’m hoping that in a month or so it will grow out to become the perfect cut and in the meantime I’m enjoying the way it eliminates his tangles problem!

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