i feel like a real city mom now

A few days ago, Aaron had a playdate with a kid in our neighborhood. I'd never been to their apartment before, but I knew they lived on the fifth floor, and I'd cased the building from the outside beforehand so I knew where to go and so I could decide whether or not to bring our stroller (faster and easier, but difficult without an elevator) or to walk/carry him (more exercise, but easier if no elevator). The building was pretty big, and it looked elevator friendly, so I figured it would be fine to go either way. They live a block away so either option would've been fine, but I was running late the morning of the playdate, so I opted for the stroller. When I entered the building, I spotted the elevator right away (yes!) and there was a sign on it, indicating that it was out of order (no!). Some buildings in the city are really strict about personal items in public spaces, so I didn't know if it would be okay to leave my stroller in the lobby, but more importantly, I'm a bit paranoid about leaving my stuff in semi-public spaces. So I made Snap Decision #1 and pulled the diaper off the stroller, slung it over my shoulder, pulled Aaron out of his comfy seat, collapsed and folded the stroller, and we began to make our way up the stairs. Now Aaron is pretty good with stairs - he's been proficient at climbing up and down for a long time now, but these stairs were fairly steep and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to spot him if he stumbled, so I made Snap Decision #2 and scooped him up under my right arm, mannequin-style. That's right! I carried a 15 lb stroller, a 20 lb toddler, and a diaper bag up 5 flights of stairs by myself! I NEVER thought I'd be able to do that, and I'm still pretty surprised that I did. But at least now I can kinda imagine taking the subway with him by myself. But I'd still prefer a cab.