January is not proving to be a good month for me. If you read my blog last January, you’ll remember that Parker, at 14 months, got stuck in the bathroom and we had to call 911 so the firemen could saw the door in half and get him out (
click here to read). Well, this January (the 11th to be exact), we had to call 911 again.
I had a MOPS meeting at church and because Blake was going to need to eat during the time I was gone, I just took him with me. Shaun was home with the big boys. When I got home I pulled in the garage, like usual, and shut off the car. So good so far. I then threw the keys in the seat, typical, and unlocked the doors. The only thing different in my routine was the sound of the click as I “unlocked” the doors. I went around to get Blake out but, the door didn’t open. I checked all the other doors and all of them were locked. I panicked and realized that I had somehow locked the doors instead of unlocking them… Which would explain why the sound was a little louder. I had horrible flash backs of last years trauma as I quickly walked inside to tell Shaun I needed him now! Shaun is always rescuing people from being locked out of their cars. However, that’s at work where he has all the resources on the engine. As he tries all the doors he looks at me and says, “You aren’t going to make me call 911 are you?” I didn’t care about his pride at this point or that those that typically rescue don’t like being rescued. I replied back, “I don’t care what you have to do, just get my baby out and do it fast!” He was beyond calm because Blake was fine and just talking to himself. However I was quickly going down hill because my mind had already fast forwarded 30 minutes and saw the tears pouring from my babies eyes ‘cause he was still trapped in the car! Shaun called our road side assistant insurance (similar to Triple A) and told them we needed help unlocking our car. Shaun gave all the info they asked for before telling them a child was locked inside. I would have blurted out immediately that my child was trapped and then given them all the info! Again, Shaun was way too calm for me. They said it would be 25 minutes or less. I freaked out! Way too long for me! Blake was getting louder at this point and wanted out. Shaun tried to assure me that he was fine and that I just needed to understand that we’re doing everything we can but it just takes time. Now on the verge of tears, I told him, “When you understand what it’s like to be a mom, I’ll understand what you have to say!” I know, lame… But it was all I had! I felt helpless. Just like last year I knew 911 needed to be called but, Shaun had control of the house phone and my cell phone was locked in the car. Ten minutes later Shaun told me that the tow truck was still too far away and that the fire truck was on its way. I was relieved! They were supposed to come code two (no lights and siren) but when we heard them a mile away Shaun hung his head. They were coming code three!
Blake was full on crying when they arrived! They quickly got to work but weren’t having any luck. During this time Isaac is hyper and thrilled that we have company and Parker is marching around humming the Star Wars theme song and telling them that he was Darth Vader because he had on his Darth Vader shirt. I’m canceling the tow truck and then calling them back when we realize we still need their help. So, 15 minutes later and Blake is now screaming! My child’s tears are like a knife to my heart! I’m aching to rip that door open and cradle him in my arms! These were the exact same feelings I had last year when a bathroom door stood between Parker and me!
It has now been a total of 45 minutes that Blake has been locked in the car! For some reason the unlock button on the door wouldn’t click when they stuck the metal rod down the window. In the last attempts to unlock the door and free Blake, Shaun grabs the closest thing we have to a special tool he uses for this kind of stuff at work… A zip tie. He was able to slide it into the side of the door and hook it around the lock. With one swift pull, it unlocks, and the alarm goes crazy! He opens the door, presses unlock, and Blake is in my arms within seconds! He had spit up all over himself and his little body was soaked from all the crying! It took him a long time to calm down. I had never seen him so worked up before!
There were cheers from everyone! This of course all happens right as the tow truck guy shows up. We said our many thanks and then let the neighbors know that this is just what we do in January.
After we put the boys to bed, Shaun and I laid in bed and went over the details of the night. Of course we could find humor in the drama now. He admitted to me that he tried to get a hold of his friend that works for Riverside Fire so that he could get the stations direct line and not have to call 911. We also ordered a second key! That was our biggest mistake… Being too cheap to buy a second key!
A few days later we went by the station to thank the guys and give them some yummy dessert! Isaac wanted in the picture too... No way Parker was going to do it though! Punk!
Application:
Looking back now, it doesn't seem as bad and I can even find some humor in it. However, there is always a lesson to be learned when something like this happens. When I think back to that night, the word that comes to mind is "urgent." The urgency that I felt to get my Blake out of that car was so strong! It's forced me to think about other things that I consider urgent in my life... Laundry, entertaining my boys, meeting my needs, etc. Yes, laundry has to be done and it's ok to have some fun, but that's not what should be "urgent" in my life. Bottom line... It's sharing God's love! His grace! He wants to rescue us just like I wanted to rescue Blake from the car! It's my heart's desire that my boys know how much God loves them and not how many times I let them watch Star Wars so I could clean the kitchen!
