Luke is still at the hospital fighting off his juandice, and in the meantime I’m getting as many things ready as possible. I got a second base for our travel system so we can take the baby in either car. Today I put those in both cars and secured them super well. Now when he’s ready to come home we’ll be able to transport him safely. These things are big! It fits in the new Jetta just fine, but in Stacie’s car I had to make the driver’s seat back more upright.

Yesterday our furniture came, so now we can get all his clothes/diapers/baby stuff all organized and put away. We bought it from USA Baby in Torrance, and the brand of furniture is by Baby’s Dream. Growing up Stacie used the SAME furniture her whole life. Her parents bought it when she was a baby, and she used it until she moved out. We used a similar philosophy and bought something nice that should last for years and years. We also got a nightstand that matches, and the crib can turn into a toddler bed and then into a full size bed.

I took some breastmilk for Luke this morning, and we’re going over at 5 pm to feed him. His bilirubin levels are still high, but they expect that to improve over the next couple days. Have I mentioned yet how cute he is?

In an earlier post I talked about a new 2007 Camry we bought, which I then subsequently began to hate. I know hating things isn’t nice, but I think it’s ok to hate a car. And really, I hated it.

Selling a new car and losing money isn’t my first choice when it comes to car financing, but that’s the way it had to be. After driving Stacie’s Jetta for over 3k miles on our roadtrip, I decided to test drive a new Jetta. Thankfully it drove just as well, and I was excited. I test drove an Altima, a Civic, and they both drove similar to the Camry. The Jetta however drove completely different.

I’m happy to report the Camry is out of our lives, and I now have a car I can drive for 15 years and actually enjoy owning.

Isn’t it so cute that we both drive Jettas now? Yes, a little gay (is it offensive to insinuate that gay men tend to be effeminate? I did a lot of research on this during vacation, just watch HGTV. Or what if I add the word “could,” so that it doesn’t imply that all gay men are effeminate?). Yes, it could be gay. I might have to buy another one of these to put on the back. And I mean the punk rocker, not the gay butterfly (was that offensive too?).

Life is good. Life is simple.

Today we woke up semi-early and took Stacie’s car to the dealer. Her blinker was out and she hadn’t had any service performed in quite a while, so we played catch-up. The car is over 6 years old and barely has 30k miles on it. It’s not a Toyota (which, granted, I knew going into the relationship), but it’s entirely paid off. Here’s hoping the little Jetta can have a long and useful life.

We went to Panera Bread for lunch a little before noon. There were two familes with young children talking. One kid was nuts and couldn’t sit still. The Smokehouse Turkey is good.

Came home and cut the jungle in the backyard. There were a few blades of grass that easily topped 1 foot long. After it was cut, edged, raked, and watered down, it was very satisfying.

We picked up the car from the dealer and brought home some El Taco. Stacie had a tasty margarita and I made a cherry Coke. We watched the movie Invincible, which isn’t very new, but it was a feel good story.

And finally as I’m about to retire to bed, I must say, life is good.

Or maybe it’s my allergy decongestants that I had to sign for at the drug store. I’m not sure what’s in them that they’re afraid people will use for drug related purposes, but maybe it makes you happy and optimistic. UPDATE: It’s called pseudoephedrine, and it’s similar in structure to amphetamines, so people use it to make methamphetamines. According to wikipedia methamphetamines “stimulate the mesolimbic reward pathway, causing euphoria and excitement.” I’m sure Denise can provide more exciting trivia about my drug use.

Have a merry day everybody.

The last couple days I’ve been reading up on CARS! I love my Celica and I would drive it until it died, but it’s not family friendly. Let me clarify. That means I am thinking about the future, and since I intend to buy a car and drive it for 10-15 years, it will need a backseat big enough for a car seat. That isn’t possible in the Celica.

I’ve started looking and I have some ideas, but I thought I would poll my small group of friends online for advice. Until recently I had vowed to only buy a Toyota, but I’ve always considered Honda to be of a similar quality. Feel free to suggest car options outside of those two makers, but it’s unlikely you’ll change my mind.

Here are some of my priorities in a new car, in order of importance:

1) Backseat – Must have one. Doesn’t have to be enormous, but big enough for a carseat.

2) MPG – I pulled in a pathetic 18 mpg last fill up. Gas prices increasing without end, and this is important.

3) Price – Cheaper is better, but I’m not talking a Kia. Under $25,000 would be preferrable.

4) Utility – It would be nice if it was different from the wife’s Jetta (or future Camry), but the previously mentioned priorities have pushed utility down on the list. A truck bed or sport utility of some sort would give the family more options, but it’s not as important as it once was.

There are the priorities. I’m officially old and boring. My car likes/dislikes are being shaped by practical reasons, not cool factor. Any suggestions?