Shannon Phillips

So as you can see, we broke down and bought a stroller. Robin’s big enough now that carrying him in the sling is starting to hurt my back. Our first trip to the grocery store wasn’t without its own difficulties, though: it’s hard to carry a handbasket and push a stroller at the same time. A backpack like the Baby Bjorn might be a better answer…

On the way home we stopped to vote:

Well, Robin didn’t vote, he’s too young! Wait’ll you pay taxes, little buddy.

While we were there a mother with her little girl stopped to admire him, but when they got close he burst out crying. He’s never done that before! I guess we’re getting into the stranger-anxiety phase the baby books tell me to expect.

In mental health news, last week we spent a lovely vacation in Las Vegas with Nina and Elizabeth, and it’s done wonders for my happiness quotient. Flying with the baby wasn’t as bad as I’d feared: we got cheap upgrades to first class both arriving and departing, and after a little initial fussiness both times, Robin fell asleep for the majority of the flight. Nina had scored a very nice suite, and we all had a great time going around to the buffets and gawking at the outrageous decor of the Strip. Just having extra players in the endless game of Bounce the Fussy Baby makes such a difference to my stress levels.

I’ve realized that we need to live much closer to family or close friends—going it alone is far from ideal for any of us. The sad thing is that our families are scattered all over the map, so it’s hard to pick a place to settle. The deciding factor will have to be Sam’s job prospects. Probably in a few months we’re going to start taking a serious look at relocating.