And Megan Makes Four.

The car seat challenge was the last thing Megan had to do before we could take her home. Babies her size tend to slump in car seats, if they fit at all, causing airway constriction. To make sure this doesn't happen and that Megan will be safe we had to bring the car seat in and test it out.

The test is an hour long and she gets hooked back up to the pulse oximeter and the three leads on her chest. She has to fit snugly and safely in the car seat and stay there for one hour with no "events." An event would be a drop in her oxygen level, a drastic change in her heart rate, apnea, or any other indication that she wasn't able to breathe well or tolerate the angle.

We brought our old car seat that Caleb used. It said it was rated for infants 5-35lbs. Megan was 4lb 1oz. We put it on the smallest setting and tightened it as much as we could. You could have fit two of her in there. We couldn't even start the test. She failed already. We left the NICU without Megan, again, but this time went to Babies R US.

There aren't many car seats that are rated down to 4lbs. Even the ones that are don't all get small enough. We tried to mentally picture her in it to see if it was small enough. If you know anything about us and buying car seats you know this is not an easy task. Once while choosing a seat for Caleb (for the second car, mind you we already had one) we debated in the store for 5 hours and left with nothing.

Do we get the infant one? Do we get a convertible? Ok, if we get this one, and she needs another one for your car, and then a second base... But if we get that one she'll use Caleb's when she out grows it... Caleb will only need a booster by that time... But the other one will last longer.... But in a month we can use the one we already have... That one is on sale... Absurd.

We finally picked one and the manager gave us a heck of a deal because we were so pathetic. In the end after a discount, a coupon, and the managers generosity we got a $170 car seat for $55. To top things off and make us look even more pathetic, I started crying. I'm obviously still hormonal. He just looked at me and said "I get it." Thank you, sir, for not judging me.

Back to the hospital we went and she fit in the new seat. An hour later she passed!! I was given all our discharge papers and I never even had to take her out of the seat, just scooped the whole thing up and out to the car we went.

After exactly one week in the NICU Megan came home on Halloween and we officially began our crazy adventure as a family of four.