So Long Old Friend....

It's with a bit of a heavy heart that I (we)...no, me more than anyone else here, had to say good bye to a loyal, steadfast fixture that's been a part of our daily life for the last 7 1/2 years....

No, not Baby Trey...he's only 2 1/2, remember?  Plus, some days I'm not sure where his loyalty lies.  The highchair!!!  I put the highchair out by the trash yesterday...and maybe I did pause to reflect on the meaning of getting rid of something that has been an integral part of life here for so long.  The fact that my baby is big enough to sit at the table in a booster seat makes me a wee bit sad and nostalgic...I have to tell myself that getting rid of the highchair does not erase the possibilities of more babies.  The truth is, the highchair's heyday has been over for quite some time.  The seat belt didn't really work anymore, there was a crack in the frame, the seat cover had been laundered too many times to count.  That's why I put it with the trash instead of passing it along to another family.  But, this chair has seen it's share of....well, everything.  Of course, every meal for every child every day, but also, it was a safe place to put a child when I needed to contain one of them...we used it to hold children as they opened gifts...I've used it to restrain injured kids while I figure out what to do next...it's been a part of holiday and birthday celebrations, too.  Maybe some kids have even puked on it resulting in brand spankin' new safety straps.  It'll be weird to walk into the dining room and not see old faithful, but it's great to have Baby Trey sitting at the table with us...sometimes.