So there we were basking in the Indian summer heat--a beautiful 85 today--sitting on a park bench downtown where we met Matt for lunch. The kids were crawling all over Daddy, I was grinning, passerbyers were cooing. One of those rare cherubic moments that only lasts as long as it takes for one of the children to start whining.
Matt walked us to the car and buckled Maddy in while I strapped Matthew in and gave him the keys to play with, like I do every day, while I got everything else situated. Only today, the doors that I usually leave open got shut and Matthew pushed the lock button on the key before we even realized that the doors were shut. Two kids, locked in the car. Two parents, locked out of the car.
We were laughing, we were dismayed, we were trying to get our 11 month-old to press a different, much smaller and less interesting button. All the while praying that he would not drop the keys. This was a time that we wished we had encouraged Madeline's recent habit of wiggling out of the straps in her carseat instead of yelling at her for doing it.
We flagged down a police car. He couldn't help us. A woman who had cooed earlier was now babbling on her cell phone about the parents who had locked their kids in the car.
"Maddy," we mouthed in-between laughs and hand-wringing, "Get the keys from Matthew."
There was nothing to do and with every up-and-down shake of the keys in Matthew's little hands I grew more and more certain that he would drop them and all hope of not paying an inflated locksmith fee were fading.
But just as we were fearing the worst, Madeline shimmied out of her top straps and lunged at Matthew's hands just as he held the keys within her reach. And within seconds of having the keys, Maddy pushed the right button, the door lock popped open and we all cheered (including the woman on the cell phone).
Then we went home and Maddy got a double scoop fudge-dipped strawberry ice-cream cone.
7 comments:
What a story!!! I've always known Madeline was smart and this is just one more evidence!! Watch out for Matthew and keys -- sounds like this will be the first of many "key" stories. Sometime I'll tell you about out Michael and keys. Love, Mom Mc
That story had me on the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to happen! :) Once my kids both got locked in the car, with the engine on, while I ran in to give someone something at their doorstep. I came back to see that all the doors were locked (darn that automatic lock system...especially when it malfunctions). I tried to get Andrew to unlock it, but he couldn't reach it since he was strapped in. Mark had to come home from work to unlock the car for me. Ahh, the day to day adventures of parenthood...
I can't believe how fast your kids are growing. Maddie was a baby yesterday, wasn't she?
Elisa
Way to go Maddy. Seriously. That picture of little Matthew below is adorable. Happy Birthday a day late to him. Hope it was wonderful. Can't believe he's one.
I think about that happening to me all the time. Jonas loves to hold the keys. Great story. I like the lady on the phone talking about it funny. I can really picture it. I miss you!
This story sounds strangely familiar . . . and let me tell you, Utah cops are much more concerned than North Carolina cops.
Haha great story! I seriously love your writing! I'm glad that it all worked out...and I agree with Elisa that it seems like just yesterday Maddy was a little baby!
This reminded me of one time when I somehow got Keri locked in the car when she was a toddler. I was trying to get her to pull up the lock, she was crying, I was paniced and it seemed like it all went on for a quite while until she finally pulled up the lock. I wonder if there are any moms who do not have these kinds of stories to tell! I'm glad it turned out well--Way to go Maddy! Love, Mom
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