It is such an amazing job and responsibility that when I am having an off day I feel like a total failure. I think to myself, "You are molding a little person! You are in charge of his safety and well being! Pull it together woman!" Yesterday was one of those days where I felt like I was not on the top of my game. Terr-bear and I drove up to my parents for a visit with them, my sister Claire and my niece as well as my aunt and uncle. I figured we’d visit, take a dip in the pool, have some summer time fun. We drive up to Connecticut and hit no traffic for the first time in 2 months, smooth sailing, this day was going our way! We got to the house and I took the bear out of his car seat and decided to just carry him and and then head back out for all of our many bags that carry all of the baby accouterments. After depositing Terr-bear into my Mothers arms I head back out to the car and realize the car keys are in my bag...INSIDE THE CAR!!! And being a good German car it has of course locked and armed itself in the time I was in the house. So, my purse, his diaper bag, his food bag, toys, bathing suit, EVERYTHING, is locked in the car.
Excellent, I have a hot, tired and hungry baby and have no supplies. We call AAA and the guy they sent was useless, after messing around for maybe five minutes he turns to me and says, “You don’t have a spare key? Like a valet key or somethin’?” Oh! You mean THIS key? Would that help? Silly me, let me just unlock the car! NO! I don’t have a “spare” key, I wouldn’t have called you If I had a spare key. Whatever. He left and mumbled something about us never having to worry about our car being stolen. Thanks for NOTHING.
My parents during this fiasco were amazing, my Mother had some food and diapers stashed away for her grandson so we weren’t completely destitute. My Father was going through the garage looking for tools to jimmy the door open. My sister arrived and was immediately solicitous and offered to run to the store to get him more food, a change of clothes, whatever we needed. As I’m feeding Terr-bear I hear my Mother on the phone, “Hello, this is Eileen McCorry, my daughter is here visiting and she came with the baby and locked the keys in the car and AAA came but couldn’t open it and well, all of the babies bags and such are still in the car....oh, no the baby is not in the car thank God! But perhaps you could help us? Well I live in Wilton, but quiet close to New Canaan, to tell you the truth sometimes I feel like a man without a country! Yes, I am in Wilton. Oh! You could! Well wonderful! Thank you so much!” I’m listening to her thinking, is she talking to the Police? No. Is she? Well they either will think she is insane or be totally charmed by her. Well check one off for charmed because she hung up and said, “That was the police, they are going to come and unlock the car!” Woo-hooooo! Nice one! I was thrilled! And couldn’t believe she did that and they agreed to come and unlock the car! Terr-bear had pureed peas all over his face and when Nana told us the good news he began clapping and chanting “Nana! Nana!” Seriously, this kid is beyond.
So up pulls the police car and a handsome young officer gets out, so of course my sister Claire practically shoves me out the front door to greet him. Excellent. I am sweaty, frazzled, and wearing a pool cover-up. Not my most glamorous moment. He is really patient and sweet and helpful and he is armed with he same equipment the AAA guy had but the officer seems far more competent and helpful. He attempts to unlock the door, pull the handle from the inside, pop the back door, he keeps trying everything in the scorching heat and this damn car won’t open! After a while it is looking like he won’t get it open, I am losing hope and mentally kicking myself in the head, “Stupid, stupid, STUPID! How did you lock the keys in the car!” So my Father says, “May I try?” And my Father, A.K.A Pop, A.K.A MacGyver gets it to open! I have never been so excited to hear the sound of a car alarm in my life.
So we get all of Terr-bears things, I feed him, change him and we take a dip in the pool. The poor bear is exhausted, all the excitement and tension has worn him out. So we say our goodbyes and by the time the car rolls out of the driveway he is sound asleep. As I drive home I reflect on how lucky we are to have such a loving and caring family and that they all made a miserable situation better with their help and patience. Last night when my sister got home from work I apologized for bothering her at work and interrupting her meeting with my calls about the keys being locked in the car and she replied, “You are doing an amazing job with him, don’t apologize. Things like that happen, he wasn’t in the car when you locked it, he was fine. That is all that matters. I don’t care if you destroy the car, as long as he is ok and you are ok.” So I have stopped mentally berating myself for locking the keys in the car and said a prayer of thanks that he was in fact not in the car when it locked and reminded myself how blessed and lucky I am to not only have the best job in the world but a family that loves and supports me.