Driving Miss Chase

Or more like pushing. Up until now we've been using a Snap n' Go to wheel her around when she's not in our Ergo. But as she gets older and we find ourselves out and about more, it becomes very clear that we need something more substantial very soon. Cobblestone streets and old European walk ways are not very forgiving and we need a stroller with a splendid shock absorbing system. When I first started researching strollers while still pregnant with Chase, the frustration level was beyond what my hormone-ravaged body could handle. All the names I was accustomed to and interested in were either unavailable in Germany or could not be shipped to an APO address. The German strollers and prams were as big as I was at the time and it just seemed incredibly overwhelming to push them around and uphill. Most of them have enormous fixed wheels, very bouncy shocks, come with their own infant cots that are even bigger than some umbrella strollers, and weigh more than my noodle arms can lift comfortably. But I've come to realize over this past year that those are the kind of strollers one probably wants to brave the German element comfortably. So while I don't want to become one of those crazy stroller collectors, I don't think we'll be able to have just one stroller for everything we'll need. We're looking at a Pliko P3 for an everyday running around and perhaps will add a giant German stroller for Chaster once we move off-post and have a garage (hey, I can dream). I really want a BOB, a Phil & Ted, or an Mountain Buggy but don't think it's in the cards for us. First they have no authorized retailer here (except for the MB, which I MAY be able to find on Monday during our Trier trip!) and I'm not about to shell out 400 bucks just so it could hang on a big ship for the next foreseeable future (if I could get it shipped at all). In a way, the inefficiency of military mail system has really saved me a lot of money. I'm too cheap and impatient to spend the dough and not see what I buy in two or three weeks (or more if it weighs more than a loaf of hearty sour dough bread). Also I'm thinking that if they are not for sale here, maybe they are not really meant for this weather and environment? Now I'm uber thankful for the VAT forms. Combining that with a slightly more favorable exchange rate that we're having lately and we can almost save enough to feed and cloth the child, too. I did say "slightly" favorable, didn't I?