It was inevitable. Sooner or later our son was going to gain enough weight to outgrow his baby car seat. That time seems to have come sooner rather than later. My wife did all of the web-based research on car seats and finally found the one that seemed best for us (in, of course, a desirable color and pattern). It was delivered to our door. We signed the slip, my son clapped his little hands, we ripped off the tape and began the laborious process of figuring out our new travel friend.
I’ve got to be honest: I’ve never seen anything so complicated. I’ve built a number of stage sets, I’ve read “how to” guides about complex graphic design programs, I’ve built a wine rack completely on a table saw (not exactly recommended), and I’ve put together a crib and other somewhat complex items but I’ve truly never seen anything so complicated. When I opened the “guide” for properly putting things together I was shocked to find out that our new child’s seat was certified for use on an airplane. (Who knew?)
After a couple of long hours we finally put it together and got it into the car. There are still some unknown straps, though, so we’re currently revisiting the manual. (I’ve never seen so many straps and hooks and things). One of the problems we’re running into is that our car is so old that it doesn’t have many of the newer hookups… so we’re forced to proceed the more difficult route in the manual. I’d hate to state this as a rule… but it kind of seems true: get a newer car. My parents and my brother have a car with the newer hookups and it is so much easier to get the car seat into and out of the vehicle that way. I’ll tell you one thing… that part of the manual is clear and short. I wish we were using that section. And so the trials continue…