Tatyana Grechina, Everywhere but the Car, 5 × 7 inches, oil on canvas, 2026.

In my continuous quest to document bits of daily life, this car seat pad seemed important. It’s one of those small things only a parent would immediately recognize. Yet, it marks a very specific moment in our lives — those times when something (or, ahem, someone) has caused you to remove it from said car seat to wash it, and in those days before it finds its way back into your car, it floats around various corners and surfaces of your home for just a little too long.