gramercy r us?

So on Saturday we find ourselves at Babies R Us researching new carseats, you can actually try them out there, and then cheap me buys the same one online for much less. Babies R Us is the Bend Over Market of baby stuff.

Bend Over Market = Amish Market = very expensive grocery store that I shopped at when living in TriBeCa.

Ok so as we are shopping we pass this couple pushing a baby, I happen to glance down at the baby and notice the most stunning eyes I've ever seen. This tiny baby, whose eye color shouldn't even be fully obvious yet, had the most electric blue eyes. I had to do a double take. I then told his mother how beautiful they were. She said he had his father's eyes. Which he did, only his were brighter. The couple was so nice, we talked for about 15 minutes. In my head I thought, I could totally be friends with these people, they seem like us. Same ages, not a super young family, same dress, just the same. We finally go our separate ways.

We are at the car seats and the mom comes back over and tells us they don't live in Arizona and wondered if we knew anyone who would have use for a co-sleeper and bouncy chair as when they ended their vacation they would just be tossing them. They have 2 more weeks on their vacation, so the stuff will be brand new. As we looked for a pen and/or business card I asked where they lived. New York. Oh where in New York? Manhattan. Of course you do.

We exchanged info and then joked that we should do a house swap. The mom (Cheri) was totally into it as they just rented a house for a month in AZ (her parents live here) and her husband can work anywhere. She loved the idea of having a house already equipped with baby stuff. Our babies are 3 months apart. Then she casually mentions that they live in Gramercy Park and have a key to the park!! There are just a few dozen that have this key.

I have met people in stranger ways, you just never know how or when you might meet someone.

ooooh say can you tow?

hopefully i never hear another person talk about keeping money in the states and supporting our local car manufacturers again. there is a reason we buy more foreign. it's because we like to get to where we are going.

today marks the 5th time mr. cookie's crap company car has been towed to the shop in less than a year. he got his company car just as they changed the policy to keep the cars for 100,000 miles. it is pretty much impossible to ask such a miracle of an american car.

let's go down crap car memory lane, shall we?

1. the first time the tow truck came was the day before i gave birth. it was july 31, 2008. the hottest day of the year. we were dropping our condo keys off, mr.cookie shut the car off to run inside, i turned it back on to get some air. it never went back on so i sat outside of the car having contractions with our puppy panting nearby. want more fun details? click here!

2. the second time was also the day before i gave birth. we got home from the condo incident, parked in the driveway. the car was shut off too far back and the garage door would not close. mr. cookie went to move it up a foot and the car wouldn't start. glorious.

3. the third time we didn't actually get towed at the time of distress. this time we were at a company event in california and made a weekend out of it. we had our newborn baby (hint: newborn baby = summer) with us all ready for the long drive back to phoenix. in the hottest and most desolate part of the drive the air went out. we proceeded to drive the rest of the 4 hour drive home with no air. joy!

4. the fourth time the tire went flat and a tow truck came to get it, you might think it was just a flat tire so why didn't we change it ourselves. because we shouldn't have to!!!! that's why. this car blows.

5. today, marks the 5th time. i was on the way to drop ava off at my mom's. half way there it sounds like i've put chopped glass in the gas tank instead of gas. it starts smoking like mad and rattling. it truly wouldn't surprise me if this car blows up. i am in the middle of a 6 lane road so i proceed to make a left across 3 lanes to get off the road. this is precisely when the power steering goes out and i can barely make it turn into a pet resort driveway. the girl at the pet resort saw the whole thing and knew right away that something was wrong with the way i was driving. ava and i spent a while at the resort, grandma picked her up and then i waited for mr. cookie to come as well as the tow truck. the shop knows mr. cookie now. let me tell you, i don't want to be on a first name basis with the mechanic.

he is getting a new car it looks like. still a giant american thing but new.

Should I get a Maternity test done?

On Tuesday Ava and I had to get passport photos. Ava was getting her first passport and I was getting a new one with my married name in it. Here they are. Do you think Mr. Cookie cheated on me? I think I need a maternity test. Meanwhile Ava and Mr. Cookie are twins. Not fair.