Tired librarian, and baby equipment...

This week is really flying by. I had a reference shift this morning, followed shortly thereafter by 2 sessions of library instruction for English Composition. I'm pooped.

After I finished teaching, I actually took the elevator for the first time in as long as I can remember. My office is on the 4th floor of the library, and I always prefer the stairs. No waiting and good exercise. The past week I've been noticing that I get out of breath real easy on the stairs. I remember this from my pregnancy with Hank. More pressure on the old diaphragm. It's ok, means the baby is getting bigger and will be here with us soon. :) I took the stairs all day today, but I'd reached my limit. I'm officially winded.

Thus, I'm taking a quick break to try and wrangle up some energy before I go home. Let's talk baby equipment. :) We have 2 items that I'm concerned with and would love feedback on. It is your mission if you choose to accept it. :)

(1) Diaper Pail. Wait. I'm having a flashback. I already asked about this right? PREGNANCY BRAIN. I think I'm going to go with deltaflute's suggestion of a plain old metal waste basket. Doesn't absorb the smell as much as plastic. I was looking at the Diaper Genie again, and I just don't think I can do it. The expensive refills just seem like a pain in the you-know-where. And I don't want to stick my hand in that claw part with a dirty diaper in it. Moving on...

(2) Infant car seat. So, we still have an infant car seat that I LOVE LOVE LOVE. It's a Graco Step 1 Safe Seat, and it's an infant bucket that has a weight limit of 30 lbs. It was brand new when we had Hank, and I adored it. I still do. Unfortunately, it expires after December 2011. Hank was a GIGANTIC infant and surpassed 20 lbs in a shocking amount of time. Even though it sounds crazy to cart around a 30 lb baby in a tote seat, it was a lifesaver for when he fell asleep in the car, and you could carry him into the house or store asleep in the bucket.

So....We can use it for a few months, but by January 2012, I'm not going to want Baby CL to make the switch to a convertible car seat just yet. I love my bucket. Hank stayed rear facing in his until well past 1 year.

Now, Graco has infant seats that go to 32 and 35 lbs! Sweet Graco. They're Snugrides now, but they seem just like my seat with just a slightly higher weight limit. Does anyone have one of these? They're pricey, but I'd rather get something we like and know will last a decent amount of time. We may even get a gift card to put toward it. Maybe I can wait until Babies R Us has their next trade-in event? I do have some time to play with, since our current seat can still be used through the end of the year. Decisions, decisions...