Car Seat Shopping Can Be So Bittersweet

Last night we spent a few blessed HOURS at Babi.es.RUs. Because, dear, sweet, Lady Bug has outgrown her infant car seat. Yep..little girl is at the 98% for height and weight and has simply outgrown the thing. Her little legs project out past the end of it and are practically smooshed against the car seat. And, we can hardly cart the carrier around because her 21 pounds plus the carrier = hernia.

I swear, every time I go into that store its like I've stepped into some weird bizarro land. It's just so surreal. An acre or so of just kid crap makes your head swim. This time was even more surreal. Seeing all these pregnant girls there, setting up their registry with their husbands/significant others - it brought back so many memories. I remember it being such a blur. What do I need? Should I get this type of bottle or that brand? Which exersaucer, changing pad covers, sheets, diaper pail was the best? I remember feeling so completely out of my element. So completely unsure of what I was doing.

Seeing those girls, with their swollen bellies, so full of anticipation, so unaware of what was to come. I wanted to rush up to them and tell them, "it'll be okay! You'll be fine! Your baby will be fine! You'll make it! It doesn't matter which bottle or how many onesies you have! You'll be a great mom, and your baby will love you, and you'll step through this door into a new and wonderful, yet completely different and challenging part of life.

I also wanted to tell them to try to enjoy each and every minute. Because the sleepless nights and the tiny onesies will pass, and soon your tiny little sweetheart will be too big for her carseat, and so big you'll need biceps the size of texas to cart her around.