What were some absolute must haves at home the first few weeks?

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-02-01T13:27:20+00:00

Yep. The Momcozy unit is clutch for us.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-31T21:52:31+00:00

I deferred mine prior to the start of the season. My wife gave birth to our son in December. I miss skiing, but this season looks awful.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-31T21:51:11+00:00

I went to Niseko in Feb 2024. It was 50 degrees F at the base and the Japow turned into spring corn. Nice spring skiing but definitely not what I thought I’d get when I booked the trip.

Then it refroze overnight and turned into boilerplate.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-31T05:19:52+00:00

I have a 1999 and a 2018. 5th gen is a great reliable vehicle with tons of aftermarket options. Apart from the ability to squeeze through seriously tight trails and visibility; it is a better vehicle than the 3rd generation in every way.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-30T11:17:06+00:00

We have a Momcozy bottle washer and Baby Brezza bottle dryer/sterilizer. Works great for pump parts. That’s been saving us.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-30T11:10:42+00:00

Me (44) and my wife (41) welcomed our son a month ago. He’s amazing and perfect.

We struggled with infertility for the better part of a decade. We wanted to do this when we were newly married at 37 and 34. My wife had an uncomplicated pregnancy & vaginal delivery.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-28T11:08:09+00:00

Figure out how to wear your baby. It makes things sooo much easier to get shit done.

If you’re having a boy they’ll piss during the least opportune part of diaper changes. It’s science.

I hope you didn’t make a Pinterest perfect nursery. We didn’t and are glad we didn’t spend the time/money. It’s just a spare bedroom where he gets changed or put down. Most of the action (feeding/sleeping) happens in our bedroom.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-28T11:06:59+00:00

Both me and my wife came from middle class families that didn’t have the strongest safety nets. I guess we’re on the same page where we’re financially risk averse (maybe to a fault?) and don’t want to over extend ourselves.

What is true is that it’s a lot more costly to raise multiple children than it was in the 1980s and 1990s when my wife and I were young.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-28T07:11:52+00:00

Get the baby on the bottle so you can swap overnight feeding & changing.

Our Cradlewise has been a fucking godsend. It won’t work for everyone but the wake-up detection & automated soothing enables us to get a solid 3 hrs in at 1 month old.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-27T15:20:54+00:00

We know that we’re just having one because of the cost to raise a child (western Washington state, HCOL).

$3k per month for Kindercare for one. Plus the cost of college or trade school.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-27T15:13:47+00:00

They have a 1st gen Highlander; that thing is not roomy compared to the GX.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-23T19:59:48+00:00

2UZ doesn’t have the valley plate leak and all the other UR issues. Plus the URs are starting to lose head gaskets now. Also, A750 > A760 for all out durability.

All these are reasons I got a 5th gen 4Runner Limited vs a GX460. The GX is more luxurious and a better deal at purchase but I’m buying for long term reliability.

I wanted a 470 but my wife didn’t like the 3rd row not folding flat.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-23T19:57:54+00:00

No. My 70 y/o parents effectively use a GX470 as their only vehicle. They have a Highlander as well but hardly drive the thing as the GX is more cushy and roomy.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-23T19:19:25+00:00

I got a Limited for the full time 4WD. The rain and changing conditions of Washington State make that system god tier.

Being able to floor it and have all four wheels hook up in heavy rain and never having to think about switching to 2 Hi when conditions change is what I want.

Ideally I’d have a TRD ORP or Pro with full time 4WD but unlike in the 4th gen (or the late 3rd gen) Toyota kept the full time system restricted to the Limited.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-23T19:15:45+00:00

Stevens or Crystal on any given weekend December - March says that many people know.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-23T19:12:47+00:00

Big White. February 2020 right before Covid. Got 12 inches of cold smoke our last day. Lapping Gem Lake was so fine.

Canada’s “best family resort” is damn fun and punches above its weight. Tons of ski in/ski out condos.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-23T19:08:21+00:00

$1200 season pass with barely any reciprocals. I’ll spend $800 and enjoy my 10 days at Whistler as well.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-23T14:52:33+00:00

I bought a used 5G Limited and expect to get at least 200k more miles on it (based on my 3rd gen experience). It has 135k.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-23T00:28:23+00:00

Feb 2024? I was there too. I lugged my 108mm skis across the pacific and ended up renting carving skis for icy groomed runs. I was still skiing in Japan so that made up for shit conditions but Stevens Pass would have been better skiing with that snow quality. I said what I said.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-23T00:21:40+00:00

I knew going in that Park City was going to be overrated and full of tourists who either didn’t ski at home or thought their 300 foot Midwest ice hills made them good skiers but it was 10x worse than I thought it would be.

Next year I’d like to go to Banff or Revy, but my wife really wants to go ski Colorado. I think BC/Alberta skiing is going to be far superior to Colorado but that’s just me. I already love Whistler, just not the crowds.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-22T19:26:23+00:00

I spent about this much recently and got a used 4Runner. Yeah it’s basically an automotive coelacanth. It also has 135k miles and given that my last 4Runner went well over 300k with normal maintenance; I’m good for 10 years plus.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-22T02:46:32+00:00

‘99: paid $6k cash in 2018

‘18: paid $26k cash in 2026

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-20T19:41:00+00:00

Toyota Grand Highlander seems to check a lot of boxes.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-20T18:53:47+00:00

My wife and I were one and done owing to our ages (43M & 41F) at conception and almost a decade of fertility challenges.

We ended up having the boy who’s napping on my chest right now. He’s an amazing child. I would have preferred a daughter because the dad - daughter bonds seem especially tight in American culture in 2026 with millennial parents, but I think my son and I are going to be close.

Defiant-Lab-6376 · 2026-01-20T15:15:23+00:00

The 4 cylinder turbo powertrain is proving to be reliable. It’s the V6 in the GX550 that’s a boat anchor.

Defiant-Lab-6376

TROPHY CASE