What's going on!!!!

EDIT - this post delayed by a day due to technical difficulties (UGH don't ask!!!).

Happy birthday to Carmen - who is 2 months old today (Ok, yesterday)!!! Still no more pictures or video - those both could arrive any day. So much of this process is variable, it all depends on when her foster mom takes her into the office and who's around when she does. As for actual case updates, those come and go as well. All of this takes time, and much of it is in the hands of govt agencies over which we have no control. The process sure has its ups and downs. Seems like we've been in quiet mode for a couple of weeks now, but not really down. But in light of it being little Carmen's B-day, I'm keeping it fun today.

Being an expectant parent "dates" you in strange way, I feel like I have a new vibe about me lately. Can anyone out there confirm that? I will remember everything and nothing that happens this year because it is the year of my daughter's birth. Don't think I'm suddenly going to mature (is that even possible?), but any discussion of the way things used to be has really become very intense for me. We've been getting our pictures printed at Walmart lately. I didn't set foot inside a Walmart until they built one 15 miles from me when I was a teenager. Now there's one a mile from where I grew up and the first one I mentioned is actually being prepped for major renovations. Something build when I was a teenager is old and ugly and requires renovation. What the?

On the way home from work yesterday, a DJ went into the commercial break previewing his upcoming set. Included would be 3 Doors Down, Cheryl Crow, and some "Classic U2". Yeh, he said CLASSIC U2. Upon return from commercial, he played "Where the Streets have no Name." Are you kidding me? I love that song - who doesn't, but is it really a classic? Can any song that I remember it first being aired on MTV be considered a classic? What's going on?

OK one more fun rant. The RH and I went into Baby's R Us on Monday and investigated some car seats. The truth is, we have now registered there and subsequently discovered (reading online reviews) that the car seat we wanted might not work well with her vehicle. So, a few people suggested we just ask them if we can try it out. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a baby to bring with us, nor could we find someone willing to rear end us at 30 MPH with said baby - so just fitting the seat into the back seat would have to do.

It's a good thing we did that because it wasn't even close. We are trying to be as frugal as possible about this considering all the other expenses involved. So we picked out a seat that converts from rear facing, to forward, then into a booster - all the way up to 100 lbs. All in all, it wasn't a bad price for all that. I was also kinda hoping it was really a Transformer as well, so it would convert into a robot and help Carmen in and out of the car.

It was not to be. All of that functionality requires a huge base that when in the rear facing position the bottom of the apparatus ended up sortof in the middle of the actual vehicle seat with a big gap that would need to be filled with foam. Probably too big to be safe. That meant that the top of the carseat was right up against the front bucket seats, also not a good thing. At this point, I have to mention how helpful the sales lady was. She wasn't the least bit pushy, but she could see the wheels turning inside our head and offered some basic suggestions. She also asked a few questions about our situation (do you have other kids, other vehicles, etc) to get a feel for what our needs would be. OK, so far not a rant, but wait for it...

She proceeded to explain that there have been some new safety features added to car seats just in the past few months. Here's the one that caught my attention: Car seats now have an expiration date.

Yes - they expire. In fact, most of them have the date stamped right on them, usually 4-6 years from them they were made. Car seats expire. Huh? Supposedly, the reason behind this is that the plastic starts to deteriorate over time, and weakens enough that the seat is no longer safe after a certain period of time. Car seats expire. I suppose that kinda makes a little tiny bit of sense. Car seats expire. But come on! Car seats expire. Am I supposed to believe that since plastic was invented decades ago, we've actually gotten worse at making it? Car seats expire. I mean, I have plastic toys that are older than me. Car seats expire. The chair I'm sitting in, although not the most comfy, is mostly plastic and dates back to 1993.

Car seats expire. I just don't get it.

But, as an expecting father, I'm just learning to accept it. Oh well. Car seats expire.