I Feel Like A Grown Up
Hello to all.
After months of talking about it and shopping, we finally bought Xavier a booster seat for the car to replace his infant/toddler seat. The problem has been, though Xavier has gotten long enough to graduate into a booster, he hasn't matched the weight limits, and shoulder seat belt positioning has been a concern.
Still, months ago Xavier grew too long for the five-point bucket. His legs and feet interfered with the driver's arms and elbows, no matter which car he sat in.
Our first effort to actually buy the booster (we had cash in hand and went to a store with the intention of purchasing one), did not turn out well. They were out of stock on all but the floor demo of the model we wanted. So, we bought a Lego kit and some gardening supplies instead.
Rebecca found a booster with all the required/desired features at another store several days later and bought it.
We installed it that evening and Xavier loves it! He can buckle himself in and unbuckle himself. He gets into the car by himself and closes the door (if you try to help him, he barks at you "I can do it!"). He can roll down the window to get "fresh air" in the car; this he likes to do when pulling out of the garage.
He shows it off to his teacher every day (his teacher assists the kids getting into their cars; it greatly helps the traffic congestion and provides greater safety for drivers and children).
After getting home from school the first day he used the seat, he went into the house and gathered some toys. He brought those toys to the car and placed them in a seat pocket. Now he can entertain himself and—most importantly—he can reach his toys himself while in the booster seat.
Also, these past two weeks, Xavier has been claiming he has a loose tooth. The jury is still out on whether it's loose or not, but he believes/hopes strongly it's loose.
The combination of the loose tooth, the big-kid booster and the new freedoms it offers brought Xavier to voice this conclusion: "I feel more grown-up now."
Of course, we only budgeted for one booster seat this month. We put it in the vehicle which ferries Xavier most often: the 90.
I loaded Xavier up in the 60 this past Tuesday to take him to swim lessons (the 60 still has the toddler bucket style seat in it). The drive to his lessons takes about fifteen minutes.
For fifteen minutes all I heard was "Daddy, I hate this car seat", "Daddy, you need to buy another booster seat." "Daddy, you need to put another booster seat in this month's budget." (Yes, he said budget). "Daddy, can we get another booster today after swim lessons?" "Daddy, when are you going to get a booster seat for the 60?"