Everyone looks forward to falling back in the fall, right?  Because it means we all get an extra hour of sleep, right? 

Well, allegedly, this is true.

In reality, it is a lie.

So if we were smart, we would have kept our little Prince Charming up an hour later so that we could sleep until the “normal” time or get an extra hour or what have you.  Said Prince Charming was extra tired Saturday night and decided he was down for the count at SEVEN THIRTY instead of the normal eight thirty to nine.  Yeah.  We knew we were in for a treat but had the highest of hopes. 

Know what time he got up?  Any guesses?  Five o’clock in the morning.  Meaning that the clock said 6 but it had not been switched back yet so the old 6 was the new 5.  Perhaps he just wanted a bottle after going to bed so early that he didn’t get his last one Saturday?  Yes, please.  He took the bottle and then proceeded to stay up for hours and hours and hours and hours. 

Thank GOODNESS that we had spent the night with his grandparents and they swooped in and volunteered to baby-sit him so we could go back to sleep around 7am.  It’s a good thing they did, too, because he never took more than a 30 minute nap all day.  He took a few short naps but nothing that amounted to any relief. 

Daylight Savings Time.  Pssh.  I used to be all for it.  Pssh.  What a joke.

~C~

We have had Theo’s newborn, 3 month, and 6 month pictures done at Picture People at the mall.  We’ve spent no less than $400 on said pictures so far and it would be so, so super easy to spend a whole lot more.  We have tried to just get the minimum for ourselves and for the people we think would really appreciate the gesture the most.  Maybe I’m a tightwad, but that’s how I was raised – to be thrifty.  It’s not that the Picture People don’t do a good job.  So far we have been pleased with the results.  But you get maybe 15 – 30 minutes in front of the camera, then you wait an hour for them to edit them or whatever they do.  They finally come out and try to get you to buy the most expensive package and show you about 25 or 30 images total. 

I hate the digital camera we have now.  Despite the good reviews, I HATE it.  I say that every time I use it and we have had nothing but problems with the camera itself as well as Samsung customer service.  I won’t launch into the whole story but let’s just say that we bought the camera while I was pregnant to take pictures of my growing belly and our newborn baby.  Well, when the baby was 3 weeks old the camera crapped out and Samsung told us we would have to wait up to 8 WEEKS for it to be repaired.  EIGHT WEEKS!?  Do you know how long that is in the life of a mother to a 3 week old baby?  It might as well be years. 

The point I’m getting to is that I have been debating for a couple of months about whether or not I should get a professional grade camera.  My argument against doing this is obviously the insane cost.  We have plenty of other essential things to spend money on and a purchase like this wouldn’t be made flippantly.  Also, what if I’m too dumb to use it?  Maybe I would be in way over my head.  I don’t really know anything about real photography or even how to effectively use PhotoShop.

My argument for getting it is that even before I had a baby, I had a love of photography and have been told (by a handful of people who love me very much) that I even have “an eye” for photography.  Maybe that’s kind of like the people whose mothers tell them they can sing and end up on the Best of the Worst on American Idol.  I don’t know.  Anyway, I think if I had a professional grade camera (that I knew how to use) I would be able to take pictures every bit as good as what we get at Picture People, if not better.  At least there would be some variation and not every picture would have a plain white or black backdrop.  And I wouldn’t be paying $100+ every time we wanted to get some good pictures taken.  I sort of feel like the camera would pay for itself over the course of a couple years.  What better time to make an investment like this to preserve my baby’s childhood?  After all the years go by, what’s really left other than the memories? 

Like a little tennis ball, I go back and forth.  Back and forth.  Back and forth.  I just can’t bring myself to bite the bullet and make the purchase. 

~C~

I have a sassy little Toyota Solara that I absolutely adore.  I wanted this car as soon as Toyota came out with them and waited until June of 2006 to get one.  It’s an ’07 model so it was hot off the assembly line with single-digit miles when we signed the paperwork and drove it home.  I love this car and I don’t want to give it up but it’s like this.  We’ve had a good 4 year run together.  We’ve gone a lot of places, seen a lot of faces, and the ol’ girl now has nearly 70,000 miles on her. 

More importantly, Theo is at the tail end of needing to be hauled around in his infant carrier for a couple of reasons.  1: He’s big enough to sit in a high chair now (and will be sitting up independently enough for a shopping cart very soon).  2:  It weighs somewhere close to one ton with him in it. 

Soo, that means I no longer will be able to just reach into the backseat and click to release the entire infant carrier from the base.  I will have to crawl into the backseat, sit in the middle, unfasten him, get him out, hold him, stand up, lean over, and try my best to get myself and him out without bumping anyone’s head on the doorframe on the way.  That’s a bad scene.  I can already see my foot getting stuck on the seat belt or the floor mat and go flying face first out the car door onto the pavement with baby in tow.  Now we’re talking about a safety hazard, people!

A not-so-random sidenote is that 3 weeks ago some jerk backed into my car while we were at Theo’s 6 month doctor’s appointment.  Naturally, they forgot to leave a note with their contact information or insurance information.  There are some pretty deep scratches on my bumper around the driver side headlight).  I got an estimate and it’s going to cost $540-something to repair the damage, which means nothing except that it’s more than my $300 deductible.

So one night last week, we went by the Toyota dealership because I’d seen a couple of cars on their used lot that I wanted to look at.  I also wanted a straight answer from a salesman (is that an oxymoron?) about whether it would be worth it to get my car fixed.  You KNOW they can get it fixed cheaper than I can.  While we were there (he said not to bother getting it fixed, by the way), I was looking at the crossover SUVs and wasn’t in love with any of them.  He mentioned a minivan and I immediately turned up my nose. 

Then he showed me one.  Then I drove a Toyota Sienna.  It really does feel like driving a car.  It didn’t feel like driving a boat and I loved having so much interior space.  The sliding doors are great for tight parking spots and friends/kids/kids’ friends that fling doors open with reckless abandon.  I picture myself having no trouble at all unloading little children from the wide doors and up-high captain’s seats.  That would be nice.

But then, after we left, I caught myself looking around at all the other minivan drivers on the road and they felt foreign to me.  I know FOR SURE that I’m not too cool for a minivan, but I just couldn’t get rid of this feeling that if I get one, I’ve somehow given in or given up on me.  When you become a mom, things are certainly not about you as an individual anymore, and I’m okay with that.  Really.  But there’s something about a girl and her car.  I’ve been asking people if they regret getting a minivan and I have lots of same-age friends that absolutely love their mini.  Maybe I could adjust.

Saturday we drove by a Nissan used lot to see if they had any Muranos, because I think they are cute and I had not had the chance to get inside of one yet to check out the space.  I test drove a black one with dark gray leather interior.  Oh, this baby fit like a glove.  It was comfy, it felt cool, and I felt good driving it.  I felt happy and proud.

I’m not sure what’s gonna happen, but during our baby-free day this Saturday, I intend to get a different vehicle one way or another.

Wish me luck!

~C~