When we were making our list of needs and wants for our first child we categorized items based on cost. Then we made additional lists, detailing items that we thought we could get used, or borrow and from whom, etc... This made our separate lists of To Dos more reasonable. My husband decided to take ownership of the stroller and car seat category, and both were adventures to say the least. For the moment I only have the energy to detail the Saga of the Strollers, but will tell the Tale of Twenty Car Seats soon.
Kevin isn't pushy or possessive, but when he sets his mind on a task he is determined. This was something I didn't discover until we were planning our wedding and I learned to quickly aim this determination towards something that had to be done a certain way within certain constraints. He used every bit of this stubborn determination to find the best stroller possible and in our price constraints, which were definite.
Here is the list of requirements that he greeted the craigslist world with:
* An adjustable handle. I am 5 feet tall, so most strollers hurt my back because the handles are so high.
* VERY compact. As you will see in following posts, our space is small.
* The ability to lay down flat. We intended to only have one stroller, which meant this one needed to lay flat for an infant and for sleep when they got older.
* A car seat attachment for the first few weeks.
* Impeccable ratings. I needed it to be light weight, as well as sturdy and reliable.
* Gender friendly and stylish. We wanted to be able to use it for additional children without being asked if it was a boy or girl every time we went out. And heck, the stylish part should go without needing an explanation!
He took this list seriously and every day would send me multiple links. Many times after calling to see if it was still available. We learned that great strollers, like great housing, goes lightning fast in the city. Ones that are under priced, well you needed to be able to look at them that day. So the hunt began, and so did the discussions. We debated how heavy was too heavy, compromised on colors and designs, took every opportunity to take one for a test drive and became those people that stare from across the street trying to figure out if it is an Uppa or a Bugaboo. Drives to the 'Burbs became a regular occurrence as did the proverbial small talk and basic questions about our pregnancy and our undeniable "excitement"(which got less exciting the 11th time around). Finally we bought one. A gorgeous black Peg Perego Viaggio, similar to the one below found on craigslist.com.
We brought it home, took it for walks, tested it in the car, in the elevator and at the store. We loved so much about this stroller but the more we looked at our space and considered our needs the more we were inclined to get just one stroller and to have it be a jogging stroller. Of course it would need to be a different type of sturdy as I jog on trails and up hills. So it needed to handle rough terrain and haul groceries, all while collapsing easily. These were added to our stroller crave list and we set out once again to find that "it" stroller. By this point I cringed every time the phone rang, knowing that the first words out of his mouth were going to be "so I found this stroller..." Finally, we sold the Peg Perego and found our dream stroller. It had everything we were hoping for and more. I have since convinced a number of friends to purchase one as well and haven't for one moment regretted the decision to make a jogging stroller our only stroller for the better part of the first year of parenting. Take it from me, it was worth the dozens of home visits and close to one hundred online viewings.
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Our find, a lovely Bumbleride Flyer Jogging Stroller, much like the one above, but ours was in the bloom pattern, blue with yellow and brown starbursts. A perfect fit for us!
I think he agrees, "good purchase mom".
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, put on a broiler pan lined with foil in the oven at 350 degrees. 
