I know it's early but...

I went to go check out strollers today.

Actually, it might not be early since there is a possibility that she's coming home sooner than we thought. I have heard an unconfirmed rumor from parents currently over in Ethiopia that court papers might be filed soon which is 1.5-2 months sooner than I was estimating. So she could be home as soon as three months from now. Everyone keep your fingers crossed.

Anyway, my best friend Christina went with me yesterday to Babies R Us to put together a registry and figure out what the heck Matt and I need to get. We spent several hours there and I am truly overwhelmed. In that brief time, I couldn't process which stroller to get so I figured I would come back later and try them out a bit more.

One of our friends has the Ferrari of strollers, the Bugaboo. It's a gorgeous study of shiny aluminum and cherry red cloth with a price tag north of $1000 counting essential accessories. Matt thinks it is a ridiculous piece of equipment and says we should go for something light and minimalist (maybe he's worried I'm feeble and can't lift 20 pounds). Since he has (as far as I know) fathered no children as yet, I really only half listen to him when it comes to baby equipment but I do think light and easy to use might be nice. So here I am alone (metaphorically) in Babies R US trying to open, close and lift various strollers. And I feel really stupid.

Now I'm a handy person. I fix things, work on houses and have even changed brakes, belt pads and such on my 1967 Mustang back in the day. But I can't for the life of me figure out how to fold these strollers. And when I finally figure out how to close one, I can open it back up.

I actually have to take off my jacket as I'm starting to sweat.

So here I am in the stroller aisle surrounded by all these folded strollers and I'm looking around wondering if anyone is noticing my increasingly violent attempts to open these things. All the while, happy families are walking around in their perfectly opened strollers giving me sympathetic glances. So finally I buck up and ask a sales associate how to open the danged stroller. Easy as pie, he opens it as I watch on. Ah, so that's how it's done.

So what do I do? Close it again (which I have now mastered) and damned if I can get it open.