A Good Battle Plan

Last week we went on a road trip to Oregon for a friend's wedding. Such a fabulous trip! In honor of the drive, we switched Madeline to a forward-facing car seat. She's been eligible for a while, but I wasn't in a hurry to make the change because (1) it's safer to be rear-facing as long as possible, (2) she takes great naps in her infant seat, and (3) I love being able to carry the seat inside if she falls asleep.

Anyway, a long drive seemed like the perfect time to switch seats, so we did. Madeline didn't really know how to react at first, but she clearly thought it was pretty cool to see the goings-on of the front seat crew. I have to admit, though: I felt a little bit awkward when we first got on the road. I know that sounds ridiculous, but having Madeline looking at us totally changed the family dynamic and I wasn't sure how to act. Talk to her the whole time? Ignore her unless she jumped into the conversation? Like I said, I know it sounds ridiculous. But I still feel like we moved to the next level as a family.

This next picture is for my sisters who said that I never post any pictures of Madeline where she isn't smiling. She did pretty well on the trip, but I think this picture pretty much sums up how she felt about being in the car by the end of it all.

Poor little girl. But the long drive also afforded us plenty of time to come up with battle plans for hypothetical situations. You know, so we could be as prepared as possible in case something unfortunate happened. For example, what would we do if Madeline started choking in her car seat? Or if Dave started choking while he was driving? Or if Dave got attacked when he went into a restroom late at night at a deserted rest stop in the middle of the wilderness?

Unfortunately, we only came up with a plan for the last situation after the restroom visit in question was in the past and we were pulling back onto the dark, dark road. Fortunately, no one was hiding inside the restroom and Dave came out unharmed. Seriously, though. Would it be better for me to jump out of the car and try to help Dave myself? Drive away so that at least Madeline and I would be safe and then call for help?

Keep in mind that although I can speak German quickly and run long distances without getting winded, my biceps are nearly invisible when I flex. And that I had a small, sleeping child in the backseat. Also keep in mind that we had spotty cell phone service, were at least an hour from the nearest town, and saw only two cars during the entire 3.5-hour wilderness drive from Lakeview to Winnemucca.

Now you see why this would be such a difficult choice. Good thing I'm ready for next time.