Britax B-Ready (Doubles mode) Review

***UPDATE*** 

Britax apparently read my review because they have come out with foam-filled rubber replacement tires! They're $89.99 (currently) and you can only buy them from Britax. I'm looking forward to buying them soon!

*****

A lifetime...also known as six months of deployment and a baby ago, I posted a review on our new stroller, the Britax B-Ready as a single stroller. This review is over the same stroller in the doubles capacity.

First off, I have come to love this stroller more and more. As you may have read in the singles mode review, the convenience of being either a single or double stroller was the whole reason we bought it in the first place. It's perfect for a family in our situation...a 3 yr old boy, newborn girl and deployed Daddy. The ability to use it for my son with just the toddler seat, just my daughter with her infant carrier or both based on where we're at and what we're doing has been a life-saver.

(Sorry, I forgot to get a shot of just our son in the singles mode)

For the record, our 3 yr old really doesn't need a stroller but sometimes, especially with my husband 7,000 miles away, I like the idea of being able to strap him in. That's one of the things I like about the stroller in either single or doubles mode, our very determined son is not able to undo the straps. Also, if you're concerned about size, our son is 40" tall and very skinny. He fits length-wise with no problem...his feet do hang below where the foot rest is but the way the stroller is constructed, he's high enough that it's not an issue. Plus, another great feature on the toddler seat is that the foot rest comes up and he can just chill with a book or toy-which came in very handy when I was pregnant (I was high risk and had 3 Drs appointments weekly...he was contained but also had room to be entertained). He still has plenty of room above his head but I will say one downside is that if he wasn't a skinny little thing, I could see the straps getting too small very soon but the kid is three so I doubt we'll use it in doubles mode after our Disney World vacation and then my husband's deployment ends.

Before I go any further, I want to mention that a couple weeks after our daughter was born, my cousin came to visit with her then 4 month old son who also happened to have a Britax car seat. We went to dinner together with the babies and used the B-Ready to hold both. We faced the bottom baby backwards and the top baby out and then parked the stroller at the end of the table. My cousin and I sat across from each other and were at all times able to see both our babies all while taking up less room than two of the restaurant slings which hold car seats would have needed. Plus they were much safer in the stroller than those slings ever are...I've seen servers nearly knock them down more than once.

(I didn't get a shot at the restaurant with the two babies and since we only have one car seat, use your imagination to put the two images together and that's what we did at the restaurant)

A few things which I had mentioned in the singles mode review that I'd like to now re-address...

I was disappointed that the wheels weren't air-filled. Not-so-much now. I'm surprised honestly because I expected to grow to hate the stroller without the wonderful air-filled tires that I had come to love on our last couple jogger styled strollers. It really doesn't bother me at all because I don't jog and the stroller maneuvers so well...in fact, I think it handles better in the doubles mode even than the singles. Of course, between the two kids, their seats, the diaper bag and the stroller frame, it weighs close to 80 lbs so it's not for the faint of heart.

Speaking of the diaper bag...still loving that the basket has 3 zippers with which to have more access to everything underneath. I have a large-ish diaper bag that holds a surprising amount of stuff. It's approximately 16"x8"x10" and fits through either of the side pockets without a problem which is great in the doubles mode because the car seat blocks the normal access. Although, I will say I bought a couple large carabiners to clip things onto the stroller for our trip to Disney so we won't have to get in and out of the basket since we'll be living out of the stroller for two weeks but on an everyday normal use basis, it's easy as can be.

I thought the enclosed rain cover was great because it came free with the stroller and car seat and I still think that's great but unfortunately I've come to realize it only covers the top child either in the toddler seat or in the car seat so kid #2 is left out in the rain....I don't think it's going to be a problem for us because when we have both kids on the stroller our son is on top and our daughter is below in her car seat which has a fairly  large canopy. Coupled with the fact that the toddler seat will provide some protection, I think we'll be ok but my husband made a good point that with the infant seat connected, our daughter is kind of low to the ground so if we end up running through the Magic Kingdom in the rain and hit a puddle, she could get wet. I will update after our vacation since that's the most likely time it will happen if it does.

I was also excited about the snack cups (sold separately) because I loved the idea of not having to take off a tray to get the boy in and out. Sadly, I came to find out the snack cups are tiny. They're super shallow and would never hold a sippy cup very long. Since I'm not a fan of running after the sippy cup escapee, I nixed the idea of the cups and did some research. I read that the UppaBaby Vista is made in the same factory the B-Ready is made and has a snack tray which fits both strollers. So, painfully (they're about $30-for a stinkin' tray) I ordered one and I'm happy to report it's true. It fits perfectly and I'm pretty excited about it because the tray is dishwasher safe...yeah, you read that correctly...dishwasher safe. That was a brilliant idea-whoever came up with it should get a raise. You can find the tray at Amazon although I recommend shopping around a bit, you might find it for a couple bucks less elsewhere.

I was going to do another Pros/Cons list as I did with the Singles Mode Review but I honestly can't come up with any real cons. It's a great doubles stroller and I highly recommend it!

Britax is having a sale this month, September, if you buy the B-Ready they will include either a car seat/base, a 2nd toddler seat, or a bassinet for free...for more information click HERE

Ten Years

I woke up this morning (too early thanks to baby girl) and there were already half a dozen friends with  facebook status updates remembering where and what they were doing ten years ago. For me, it was my freshman year of college. I was just getting to know my dorm mate and life already felt a little upside down. But this post isn't about me or what I was doing, it's about that day and all the days since.

So many have said that 9/11 was our generation's Pearl Harbor but I disagree. It could have been. Many would say it should have been. But it wasn't because we didn't respond the way our grandparents of the Greatest Generation responded. We haven't been forced to sacrifice and we have forgotten. It's been ten long years of war and though we remember what happened to us as individuals on one day, the battle that has waged on since does so silently. Outside of the 1% of the population directly affected and the minuscule amount of people who actually pay attention to politics, our country has moved on.

Earlier this year when I told our neighbor that Joshua was preparing to deploy, her response was "Really? I didn't think we were still sending people over there." She's not alone in her blissful ignorance. On one hand, I understand...it's easier to change the channel when the news turns to the war. War is frightening and unpleasant and our generation is one which, for the most part, runs screaming away from such things. We bury our heads in the sands of reality TV and our own social networking dramas. But the fact is we are still living with the remnants of that horrific day. We are still at war. There are still people who want America to fall and are prepared to give their own lives in that pursuit.

So, as we mark this historic anniversary, let us not just remember what we were doing ten years ago but more importantly remember those who gave their lives on that terrible day as the first casualties of this war and those who have continued to fight and die for our country every day since.

Florida

Well. We're happily in Florida...sadly it's less sunny Florida and more tropical storm Florida but we expect clear skies again soon. The drive took a total of 18 hours...4 to get to Grandma's house-normally only takes 3 but we had a few stops in town before we could really hit the road. Once we had Grandma in tow, we drove overnight (so the kiddos would sleep more) 14 hours to Nana's house. I'm so proud of my kids! We only stopped 3 times for gas, diapers and nursing and neither of them had a meltdown the whole time.

After arriving at Nana's house, we did what we always do with Grandma (my mom), Nana (my aunt) and GG (my grandmother)...we went shopping. For hours. Surprisingly, both kids did ok-not as great as the drive out because they were fed up with their car seats but overall really good. We got back to Nana's house where we had left Bubba, our Rhodesian Ridgeback. Less than an hour after being back, Bubba fell in the pool and was struggling to get out. I ran barefoot outside hoping I wouldn't have to jump in and save him since I suck at swimming and he almost weighs as much as I do but thankfully my cousin Tommy was home and got to Bubba first. Bubba was clinging to the side of pool and Tommy just scooped down and yanked him out. Nana told us that dogs often drown in pools because they fall in and don't know how to get out but from the look of it Bubba understood the concept of get to the side which gives me some peace of mind but Bubba is worse at swimming than I am-which says a lot! He doesn't kick his back legs...he just sort of flails his front so his bottom half sinks and all that stays above is his little nose. It's pretty pathetic. So, yesterday we went shopping and I bought Bubba his very own lifevest. He loves it and although thankfully he hasn't fallen into the pool again, he's safe if he does. 

Three

I started babysitting when I was 12 yrs old. I began working with children professionally nearly 10 years ago...everything from newborns to teens, only children in the foster care system to triplets I nannied. I have ALWAYS hated when kids turned three. It is my absolute LEAST favorite age. I know I'm supposed to love my child at every age for different reasons...different developmental milestones and all that...and I do love my three year old son. Sometimes, I just want to love him from a distance...does anyone know if there are boarding schools for three year olds?

Anyway, the main reason I've always struggled with three is that at two, they're still obedient because you are (angel's voices sing "AWWW") MOM...and all the glory and fear that comes with it. At four, you can use logic most of the time to explain this is the boundary and this is why it's a boundary in our home or family. But at three you're stuck...they're no longer awe-inspired by your mom-ness but they don't care to be mature enough to listen to the logical reasons behind the various rules.

So, here we are at three. During deployment. All I really want to do sometimes is ship my son to his father but since that would be wrong...illegal...unloving...unethical...horrible...not to mention, pretty expensive since the boy is too big to fit into a flat rate box...and yes, I do love him, I won't ship him to a war-torn nation. 

But seriously, I have a three year old son who is struggling with the fact that his Daddy is still far away and now his Mommy is no longer available 24/7. He loves his sister and (THANK GOD) has not yet started to view her as an enemy. He's confused. He's angry. He's sad. He's frustrated....but he's limited on how well he can express all those feelings because... he's three. 

So I guess we just keep going. I keep trying to give words to his emotions, empathize with his pain but most importantly make clear and maintain the boundaries our family has always had...deployment or not...new baby or not. Eventually, I keep reminding myself, he'll be able to acknowledge his emotions and control them better because eventually he'll be four...then five...six...it goes too fast to really spend a year wishing it would go faster. 

Time

Time is going faster than I ever wanted with my children but not nearly fast enough with my husband. It's a bizarre paradox. I feel like every time I turn around my son is speaking longer sentences with more complex thoughts behind them and now with our baby girl time is a runaway train. She's still very much a newborn but she's begun to smile and hold her head up and I know she'll grow up way too fast. 

My own life, my marriage seems to still be at a standstill. I don't know why I expected my life to be different (other than the obvious) after our daughter was born but I did. It hasn't, however and I'm starting to think this is just what deployment is...at least for me.

Today, my time was spent fight the Red Tape gods...they won the battle but I have confidence that I will eventually win the war. Long story short, I'm still trying to get baby girl into DEERS and thereby onto Tricare coverage. I technically have a couple more weeks to get it sorted but not really because we're leaving soon for our "extended holiday." I will blog more about that when I get the chance...I also plan on posting a review of the much beloved Britax B-ready in doubles mode soon as it has been used many times.

Meanwhile, I managed to get some new pics of the girl done today...hoping to get the boy in his element (dirt) sometime over the next few days. I always hated when people told me that I only took a ton of pictures of my son because he was the first born and once more came, I'd stop. Not. Going. To. Happen. But I will say it does take a bit of effort to not just photograph one child over and over to the neglect of the other. 

Balance

Tomorrow my daughter will be 1 month old. To say it's gone fast would be a massive understatement. I've been fairly successful at coming to a balance with the two kids...mostly because my son is so easy going and loves his sister to pieces. Unfortunately, the rest of my life isn't quite in balance yet.

Other than family and friends who came in from out of town (read: they got the priority) and a handful of local friends, I haven't seen anyone and few have seen the Princess. It's not that they don't want to visit and I don't want to get out, it's a lack of time. I've been swamped with Army stuff and getting ready for our grand exodus...we're going to the beach for a very long vacation (the one upside to this whole deployment situation).

In addition to our extended holiday, we're getting ready for the much anticipated upcoming R&R at Disney World, trying to get baby girl on DEERS, and getting Joshua signed up for his online classes. All while ignoring the news as much as possible because the last couple weeks have been hard for our state. I never thought I'd be the kind of Army wife who would have to avoid the news...I normally love the news and politics (yeah, I'm one of those but I try not to put those opinions up here very often) but I can't. I can't see the pictures...that's the worst part for me. When they show the families, especially the children, I fall apart. I can't do it.

So, instead I bury my head in the sand and focus on my kids, getting the next care packages together and what we'll wear to meet Mickey Mouse.

I'm done.

It's been 5 months. I've learned more about myself, my husband, my children and my marriage than ever before this deployment and now I'm done.

I don't want to hear my son cry for his Daddy to come home. I don't want to be a single mom of a newborn who nurses every two hours 24 hours a day (yeah...went to the pediatrician yesterday and the Princess grew two and a half inches in two weeks...no wonder I'm feeling drained). I want my son to stop being spoiled by his Grandma and Nana...new gifts every week...sometimes every day and it's getting uncontrollable. He was misbehaving the other day pretty bad so I made him throw away one of his prized dinosaur toys...30 mins later he informed me that Grandma would buy him a new one.

I want my husband home. In a weird way, I keep expecting him to walk through the door just because I want him to. I'm not delusional, I know he won't be home for months...many, many months but I guess I'm just selfish. I've pretty much always managed to get what I really wanted until now. There's not enough work or manipulation or begging or praying or anything that will change the fact that he's still deployed and I'm still home with our kids.

On a happy/potentially dangerous-to-the-budget note, my Aunt (aka Nana), my cousin and her two kids will be in town for a long weekend and it's tax-free weekend for our state so let the shopping begin.