How we get around

The Buick lives to ride another day. Not sure what was going on but it starts like a dream again. So for now we keep both. However, yesterday was a great exercise in thinking about how we structure our time. I've decided to commit myself to bicycle transportation as much as possible and only use the car for backup. I am really excited about this the more I think about it and am looking forward to putting together a nice bike/trailer combo.

Changing Family Size, Changing Transportation

So we have some transportation issues to decide ASAP. We currently have 2 cars which happened almost by accident. We love our Buick that was given to us by G&G. That car has seen us across the country and back and on numerous adventures for the last five years. We also have our much loved 88 Volvo wagon which drives like a tank and shows no signs of slowing down.

For the first few years living in Portland we were a one car family, the Buick met all of our needs. We used the bus and train all of the time and whoever had the furthest to drive that day got the car. Of course those were simpler times without car seats and strollers. Since then I've become really, really used to having my own car. I drive more often then I should, driving to the grocery store or my office which are both only a few blocks away.

All of these thoughts are fresh in my mind because unfortunately the Buick is not faring well. In the last few weeks the blower fans have stopped working, the turn signals have stopped working, it's developed a gas leak and then last night the starter went out. We were ready to take it into the shop until the starter went out. Now I'm not so sure it is worth the cost of all those repairs.

So here we are with a baby due any day wondering what we should do. We are still about a year away from being able to purchase a new car so that leaves us with the option of taking a chance on a used car. We don't want to finance anything because that would require taking out full coverage insurance which would be a huge monthly strain to pay. We are also not excited about the idea of hitting our savings to pay for a used car with the hope that it holds up mechanically.

After all these options I am warming more and more to the idea of just being a one car family again. This would have many benefits including less money spent on gas and insurance and of course a lower impact on the environment. However, the day to day reality of being car less would inevitable fall upon baby and me as Scott has to drive across the city to get to work every day. I am now trying to imagine what it would look like to have the babe and no car. In theory it wouldn't be too painful as I have purposefully constructed a lifestyle that is all within close range to our house. The grocery store and my office are all within walking/biking distance. I have done a bit of research and found two possible day cares very close to my office. I am beginning to believe this could be a good thing.

The change to a one car household would require investing in a nice/comfortable/functional bike for me and a baby trailer for baby and groceries to ride in. A quick Craigslist search shows a plethora of nice trailers of for reasonable prices. I called a local bike shop today that specializes in family transportation and they have both of these beauties on markdown because the new models are arriving soon:




Decisions, decisions, decisions.......
What do you think? I would love to hear from anyone who uses alternatives to get around with a kiddo.

The other question I have to ask myself is what if there is an emergency and I need a car asap? For that I have checked out Flexcar which some of my friends use and really like. This is a program where you sign up and use one of their cars for an hourly rate whenever you need it. There is a Subaru Flexcar that is permanently located just a few blocks from our house. So in theory if I needed a car I could always walk down to that one and for under $10 an hour use it to run errands or go to doctors appointments. Gas is included and you have access to a car without paying insurance or any mechanical upkeep. Hmmmmm.......

There will be lots of discussion around here tonight and mainly me pondering if I can do it. Can I make a big change in our transportation situation while simultaneously welcoming a new baby into the mix and saving us a ton of money in vehicle maintenance? Time will tell and I need to decide soon while the nice bicycles are half off their normal price.

Oh yes, and no baby yet. And Olive's obsession knows no bounds. This is me typing this post:

No Baby Yet

But I made it out to a show last night. My fear of swine flu and other illnesses kept me at home for much of this pregnancy. One thing I've been missing horribly is live music. When I saw that one of my favorite bands (The Akron Family) was playing a free show last night it seemed overdue.

I wasn't sure how it would feel going to a music venue to stand in a sweaty horde of fans while almost 10months pregnant. Luckily I secured a great spot standing on a riser next to the mixer. It offered a great view over the crowd and a protected shelter so I wasn't bumped too much. Kate was with me and we had a great time listening to the show. The Akron Family played last at which point I had been standing for 2 1/2 hours and was beginning to feel really stiff and achy in my hips. I made it through most of their set before Kate and I both were wilting from the heat. I tripped out of the club dizzy with happiness and the sounds of great music trailing behind me. And I was home by 10:30! A perfect night and much needed. Since it was an all ages show there were many parents there with their kiddos which reminded me of how exciting it will be to take our daughter out to see music, that will be a great day.

RJ (my youngest brother) is in town for the weekend and Scott is in the kitchen cooking up an exciting biscuits & gravy brunch for all of us. So far it's been a brilliant weekend! I have slept really well the last few nights and my spirits are high. The baby room is coming along really well and I'm getting ready to organize all the baby clothes. We were in desperate need of a new vacuum cleaner to keep up with all the pet hair and Scott found a great one at thrift store for $20. It works fantastic and just in time for my nesting to kick in:)

I am officially done working for the remainder of the pregnancy which is a relief. I am proud of how long I was able to continue to massage during this pregnancy. I have such a physically demanding line of work and my approach was to stay focused on listening to my body and receiving lots of massage & chiropractic and occasional acupuncture which helped me to stay pain free. There was even a bout of pretty serious carpal tunnel that I was able to work through thanks to the help I received. Now here I am at the end of that journey and I never would have guessed that I would work up until 2 weeks before the due date. Feeling pretty good about that :)

Thanks for all the great phone calls/emails/comments. We are feeling the love big time and excited to share the news with everyone when she finally decides to arrive.