It was inevitable. It could not be stopped. I’d become another statistic. It was fine time that I … DUN DUN DUN

Get. A. Mom. Car.

Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t exactly driving the Barbie Corvette for the past 28 years of my life. My first car was the original ’98 Honda CR-V which was followed by my college graduation present of a sweet lookin’ red Volvo S40. The poor Volvo got totaled a year-and-a-half after I got it thanks to a super fun hit-and-run by an unlicensed driver on my way to work one morning, so we quickly had to get a replacement which was a VW Jetta. LOVED that Jetta, but soon after, I was hired by a publishing company which GAVE me a car, so I rocked the Camry for about 18 months until I left that job to go back to school. My first leased car as a married woman brought me back to a Jetta and I enjoyed the ride for the past three years.

There. There’s my delicious smorgasbord of a car history. Comfortable and safe cars; the meatloaves and cheeseburgers of vehicles. No Batmobiles or DeLoreans with Flux Capacitors (I just scored points with the hubster for that one), but I did enjoy some sweet rides in my 12 years of licensed-hood. With the lease up on Jetta II, and my back breaking from schlepping an infant in and out of it, there was no doubt in our minds we had to get a mom car. An SUV. A small SUV.

We shopped around and Bryan did a thorough job comparing and charting rates on leases and gadgets in each vehicle. We checked out the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Nissan Murano. We fantasized about the Lexus and BMW models, and then slapped ourselves back to reality and set our eyes on the Honda CR-V.

That’s right. Back to my roots.

And thanks to some sweet talkin’ and the luck of timing called “The End of 2011,” we not only scored a reasonably priced CR-V but it came more loaded than a TGI Fridays potato skins platter (again with the food?!). I’m sorry, but can we discuss butt warmers? There is nothing more fantastic in the world than your tushie heating up as you drive on a cold winter’s day. Granted, our winter has been rocking 70s and 80s on the weather reports, but in January, I pretend it’s winter-winter instead of summer-winter and declare mandatory butt warmers!

Also, Bluetooth. Hi. It’s so good to finally meet you! I look like a crazy person when I use you because I appear to be talking to myself when other drivers check out my sah-weet ride, but still, I don’t care. I love that your buttons read my mind and my callers’ voices appear in the air, surrounding my ears like a hug from ear muffs. It’s beautiful.

Satellite radio has also been making my rides more fun. I have had satellite radios in the past, but they’ve all been portable devices with wires and cords and power outlets and… ugh… what a mess. Having an installed system and seeing the songs’ information on the screen? Oh, it’s a delight. And what kind of weirdo has Broadway showtunes programmed in the #1 spot and right next to it in the #2 spot is Howard Stern? Oh yes, that’s me. So? I’m eclectic.

And the storage! So much room for mommy-and-baby tchotchkes and the stroller and the bags! And I can so easily change Madelyn’s diaper in the cargo space because we have a shelf extender. I can’t stop gushing. Honda should pay me. Hello? Honda? Hi. I need money.

Really, though, there’s nothing more exciting than driving a new car, don’t you think? I imagine I drive the way Princeton walks on the sidewalk: proud, tail up, ears perked, with a little bit of a swagger. I just feel GOOD in my new car. It’s a three-year lease and I’m already certain we’ll just turn right around and get another CR-V.

I may not be a Hot Mom these days (more on that later), but I’m driving some Hot Wheels and it’s an honor to be driving Miss Madelyn.

Bryan signs our life away to lease the new car.

The new car in all her fluorescent-light-in-the-night beauty.

Driving at 10 and 2 is for photo moments.

It's never too early to teach a 4-month-old to drive to prepare her for her yellow and red Little Tikes car.