I'm taking a moment out from my planned posts to talk about a new milestone that we -- well, the Pipsqueak (with all her grownups happy about it) -- passed.
The last of the "baby seats" has been removed from the last of the family vehicles. 😄
Back when AJ researched car seats for "the baby," we had no idea how long she'd need one so my sister did the smart thing and not only purchased a highly-rated car seat, she got a model that could be converted over time into more of a booster and less of a "baby seat" as her as-yet-unmet daughter grew. Her research paid off; despite the Highlander getting T-boned & flipping over in late 2011, leaving Miri hanging upside-down in the car for several minutes before being cut loose, she barely had a mark on her and was able to cheerfully wave and yell, "Hi, Biyan!" when I walked into the ER that evening. (You can read the post with photos of the Highlander's remains here, with my commentary about the accident here.)
A second baby seat of the same make & model was purchased 48 hours later, along with another for Mom & Dad's car, and a third for mine.
That was about seven years ago(!), and in the intervening years we gradually readjusted the seats to accomodate an ever-less-pipsqueakish Pipsqueak. The seat was removed from Mom & Dad's car about a year ago, when Dad began driving a lot less & the car also coincidentally began spending a lot more time in the shop. AJ went on to pull hers out of the van & put in a standard (much smaller) booster seat, then bought a second booster seat to have as a spare, both for when friends' rug rats rode with her or for fast transfers of Miri to friends' cars. Meanwhile, the seat in my car was readjusted to accomodate the largest child possible while we kept hoping/thinking Miri would soon reach the combination of size & weight that Maryland deems appropriate for just buckling in without any booster or risers...
...and even as she kept (keeps on!) growing, she remained tantalizingly below the combined minimums according to state law. Unfortunately that meant that over the past year Miri was more & more squished into the seat any time she rode with me.
UNTIL NOW!
The Pipsqueak still needs a booster, but earlier this week our folks went on safari with our uncle and bought a booster seat for my car -- and the baby/child seat that's been hosting my niece for the past seven and a half years is now rolling around loose in the back of my Rav4. (I'll eventually remember to put it down in my basement, I promise.)
It's kind of a bittersweet moment; the baby of the family, who has taken to sprouting like a weed, has left behind one of the last accoutrements of littleness and is well on her way to being a "Tween" -- but to tell you the truth, it's all good.
Now if I could just stop feeling so, um... old... <8-0
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