whew, it's not that bad

The past couple weeks have been frustrating for my husband and me, for the simple fact that our sweet little baby has been growing and it's time for a new car seat.

A convertible car seat.

A monster car seat.

Our current car, which we love, is a 2008 Subaru Impreza. We did a lot of research to buy this car. We didn't want an SUV or minivan because we wanted something smaller for our small family, something that got decent gas mileage, something that didn't seem too overbearing. We felt like we were doing our little part to make the world a better place by getting a practical car.

Then, we had a baby. And needed to fit a car seat in the car. We just assumed (big mistake) that this car would fit a car seat just fine. I mean, why wouldn't it? It was a four door and had a back seat that adults could fit in. Of course it would fit a car seat, right?

But, when we finally fit Wesley's infant seat in there, we were wrong. Yikes. We had to move the passenger seat up several clicks, and the only person comfortable sitting there on family outings was me, since I'm a lowly 5-foot-2-inches. Shane wouldn't fit. But, whatever, I could live with it. It wasn't that bad.

Then, our little man grew, and we needed an upgrade. We got immensely depressed when we tried the first seat in our car (an Alpha Omega Elite, for those wondering). Like other convertible car seats, it's a monster which has to be reclined at a 45-degree angle per the car seat safety design. We had to move the passenger seat ALL the way up, and it wouldn't even had been possible for me (or any person) to sit in the front seat.

In the week after that first trial run, I accepted that I'd have to sit in the back seat for the next couple months, until 1) Wesley turns 1 and 2) Wesley hits 20 pounds, at which point we could flip the convertible seat around forward-facing, and life goes back to normal.

But, it was hard. Shane and I were really upset. I mean, we try to make good decisions. And in thinking about our decision to buy the Impreza, we thought we were being smart, practical. But in reality, we felt like were the morons. The people who buy SUVs and minivans and gigantic gas guzzlers, they're the only ones who have the luxury of space. The rest of us just sit in our "practical" cars and wish we had that space, right? We felt like we were being punished for being thoughtful.

It just got me thinking. Why? Why is it that the "practical" option is the most unfriendly to families? Why should a family be forced to buy a HUGE car in order to fit a car seat in there? Aren't families with children in car seats generally the younger families that can't afford such huge cars? And, should car manufacturers disclose that their "practical" lower-cost vehicles won't accommodate car seats comfortably?

I'm glad my story doesn't end there, with my unsettled mind.

After steaming for a few weeks, we finally did more research and bought a car seat. We decided on an Evenflo Triumph, in "Sandbox" color.

And I'm happy to report the miracle: it fits in our car. It actually fits better than the infant seat did. Number 1, I'm not banished to the back seat of the car, and Number 2, I can even move my seat further back than I could when the infant seat was in. Wow.

I'm just so glad that at the end of this adventure, we weren't punished (or rewarded for that matter) for buying a smaller car. It just worked out. Buying the car wasn't a mistake. Buying a new car seat wasn't a mistake (we could have forced the infant seat for a little longer, but it wasn't the most ideal option). It makes me realize that we have made good decisions.

I know life isn't always fair, but on this one thing, I wanted to feel like it would work out. I wanted to feel like I wasn't being punished for being practical in buying a not-huge car. I'm just so glad it worked out. Everything is as it should be. The world makes sense.

For now. Ha!