Out and About

Since I had a C-Section, and we live on the third floor, getting out of the house was pretty uncomfortable for the first several weeks after baby was born. Once I had recovered from the surgery, though, I started getting seriously stir crazy! I am not used to being in the house all day, and even though we have a nice balcony where I tried to sit outside a few minutes every day for some fresh air, I really needed to get out and move!

But then the anxiety hit... I hesitated to go to town because I wasn't sure how to run errands with a baby. I was surprised at how much courage it took for me to leave home with him. My fears were unfounded, though, because it turns out Romania is an extremely baby-friendly place to live.

For our first few outings, the stroller I'd ordered was back-ordered, and I wasn't sure how baby would like the mei-tai carrier. (But he likes it.) I actually managed to take the baby AND Spike down to the gelato shop and get myself a treat!

I now realize I did not have this tied correctly...

Then the stroller came, but I wasn't sure if he'd sit in it. (But he loves it.) I wasn't sure about getting in and out of all these stores in historic buildings with steps and no ramps. It is an issue in some places, but overall, we manage. Sometimes, if we're just out for a walk, we even take Spike with us and he walks beside the stroller like our big bad bodyguard.

He uses the safety bar as a foot rest!

Then I needed to run some errands that required driving around town -- new challenge. How many times can I get baby in and out of his car seat in one day? We did it, and felt like we deserved a trophy afterwards.

Then I needed to go to the grocery store (one we have to drive to) on a weekday when Dani wasn't home to babysit, and I needed a whole bunch of stuff. Now that was a real challenge. I could do the pedestrian thing, and I could handle holding him on my shoulder at the ATM machine, but buying groceries? How? I texted a mama friend and asked, "What am I supposed to do with my baby in the grocery store? He can't sit up yet, and his car seat would take up the whole buggy!" She kindly offered to come with me, and look what we found when we got to the store -- an awesome grocery buggy designed to hold an infant car seat. They even have special parking spaces outside for mothers with children, right next to the handicapped spaces.

Gold Star, Kaufland stores! You make parenting doable!

Three months into parenting, and I finally feel like we can do this. Next month's challenge -- crossing the Atlantic Ocean with baby!