Echoes from the womb

Dear Jade,

Earlier this week I read somewhere that your dad might now be able to hear your heartbeat if he'll just put his ears to my belly and waits quietly.

We tried.

As I went to bed on Tuesday evening, your dad put his ears on the middle-right section of my belly and waited for a bit. He then asked if I had moved and I said "no". It was you.

So he moved a little bit closer to the center of my belly and started picking up on a heartbeat. My heartbeat.

Slightly disappointed, he didn't give up and moved toward the left-middle section of my belly and said he could hear all sorts of noises: movement of liquids and your every motion. He then quickly turned his head to face the belly and told you "tu bouges donc ben!!" (you move so much!!)

It was simply adorable to watch him hunt you down and try to track your heartbeat across my belly. We knew his chances were probably thin, given the placenta is between you and me, but it was nice to see him try so hard and get excited about feeling you move a lot more than usual.

Love,

Mom

First family car review - VW Golf Wagen

We went to a Volkswagen dealer yesterday evening, in our search of the perfect family car and were proposed the Golf Wagen TDI (clean diesel technology).

I like:

• The roomy cargo area (my dog can fit as well as the stroller)
• The low floor (easy to load and unload)
• The completely collapsible seats to increase cargo space
• The assisted opening of door in hatchback
• The panoramic sky roof that comes in option

He likes:

• Its fuel economy
• Its looks (cannot be called a mini-van)
• The panoramic sky roof that comes in option

What would be nice:

• More leg-room for passengers in the rear.
• Electric opening and closing of the hatchback (as in the Passat Wagen)

We also had a quick look at the Passat and loved the electric opening and closing of the hatchback at the touch of a button and the increased space in the driver and passenger seats in front. However, the panoramic sky-roof and the Diesel engine are not available on the Passat.

We have been scheduled for a test drive of the Golf Wagen tonight. Will keep you posted!

The quest for a family-friendly car

Our current family situation:

• Full-time working dad-to-be who drives 20 min. to work every day + loads his music gear in on the weekend to drive usually over an hour to get to the venues he performs at. 
• Full-time working mom-to-me who commutes to work (train and bus)
• Bernese mountain dog who takes up the whole back seat space 

Our current car:

• Toyota Celica 2000

In the coming months, I'll be on maternity leave and will "need" a car with me at home while DF is at work with his. Time to start shopping!

The first car's mission = "daily trips to work and weekly trips to bars and venues". It needs to be:

• Cheap on gas
• Easy to manoeuver and park
• Easy to load with his music gear (hatchback)

The second car's mission = "family car and backup when first car is gone". It needs to be:

• Roomy (must sit 2 adults + 2 babies/kids + 1 large dog + some cargo)
• Safe
• Kids-friendly (anti-stain fabrics, assisted doors, sun protection in the back, easy to climb into and out, are all bonuses.)
• Dog-friendly (hatchback)
• Easy to load (hatchback + floor must not be too high)

Restrictions:

• DF will go on a hunger strike if I ever try to force him into a mini-van.
• I will go on a hunger strike if the whole family cannot sit in the same car with their essentials (read strollers).

Since the Celica we have meets the needs for our first car, our search will be focussed on adding a family car.

Are you an anti-minivan mom? 

If so, what do you drive? 

How do you like it? 

Do you have any suggestions of what might the perfect-family car if minivans are out of the question?