Stroller Fun

Before Abigail was born, I went back and forth trying to decide if we wanted to buy a stroller. I knew we probably wouldn't get much use out of one. Small towns in Asia just aren't very stroller-friendly. First, you have the problem of bumpy sidewalks with lots of holes and missing bricks. Then, you also have the problem of no sidewalk ramps or escalators. And the biggest problem is crossing the street: crossing the street in our town involves just walking out into traffic and kind of "flowing" along with the traffic until you reach the other side. I was worried that with a stroller it might be hard to maneuver across the street. We can walk pretty much anywhere in town in about 30 minutes, or take a taxi for 5 minutes, so I ended up not buying a stroller. Abby has loved traveling in the Ergo baby carrier or sling.

Well, now that I am 18 weeks pregnant, it has become pretty much impossible for me to use a baby carrier. My stomach gets in the way, and I get exhausted a lot quicker. So I realized I needed to break down and buy a stroller. Then, I remembered--our friends gave us their stroller before they went back to the States, and it had been sitting in our closet collecting dust. So I got it out and took Abby for a stroll. As long as I don't need to go in stores that require me to climb stairs, the stroller is perfect! Abby just loves being pushed around town, and all the attention she gets. Lots of older ladies stop us and ask if they can take her out of the stroller so they can hold her. She doesn't always like that, but she will gladly smile for any pictures they want to take of her :)

And in case you're wondering, I leave the stroller at the bottom of our stairs when we are done using it. If I had to carry both the stroller and my child up 6 1/2 flights of stairs every day, we would never leave the house!

Abigail loves to smile for the camera!

Making a new friend

Playing at our gazebo

On a side note, we have been told that the first week in May it is very common for people in our town to get food poisoning. We think it has something to do with the fact that it is probably one of the hottest weeks of the year, and meat is not kept well-refrigerated. We prepare most of our food at home, so I don't think we have much to worry about. But we definitely have been using the fan more and more as temperatures get into the mid-80's. (which doesn't really sound that hot, but without A/C it feels pretty warm!)