Nightmare Comes True

The day started out like any other day. Wake up, get Talmage some breakfast, watch a little sesame street, get in our workout attire and head to the gym.  Talmage skipped, hopped and galloped (yes he gallops now..so flipping cute) himself to the daycare room.  I taught my Zumba and Strength Training class.  Afterwards picked up my unusually happy boy, considering he was just at daycare.  He galloped back to the car while holding my hands( not typical) and didn't wander once.  It's only about 10:15 a.m. when we were done with the gym, but I was hungry because I forgot to feed myself breakfast.  We head over to Subway, grab a seat and eat a sandwich together.  He didn't climb on the table or run around the store like he would normally do.....he was being a very good boy.  I was blown away.  We were going to grab a Papa Murphey's pizza to take home for dinner later, but it wasn't going to be open for another 20 minutes, so I drove Talmage to the Humane Society to look at dogs.  They were closed, so instead we headed over to Miller Park Playground.  Talmage actually stayed on the playground...the entire time.  It was shocking that I didn't have to run after him out it the parking lot or street.  Everything was going great, there was even a little family that brought their puppy to the park and let Talmage play with him (made up for the Humane Society being closed).  I thought, "Things could not get any better".

I must have jinxed myself thinking that way, because the next part still makes my heart pound in my chest just realizing it actually happened. I have had nightmares of this kind of thing and it actually came true!

The temperature outside started to rise and Talmage started getting really sweaty and red (despite my many efforts to get him to drink from my water bottle, he refused) and I figured it was time to go pick up a pizza and head home for nap time.  I carried him to the car, he didn't even mind or cry that we left the playground (another blessing).  I opened the passenger door with my key (because our portable power door opener doesn't work (figures)).  I place my bag and phone on the passenger seat.  I open the sliding door to our van and set Talmage in his seat, put the straps around his arms, but didn't click the belt just yet ( I am still not sure why I didn't at this point).  I reached over and placed the key in the ignition and got the AC pumping full blast to cool Talmage down.  I shut the doors and started to walk around to the drivers side to get in and finish clicking Talmage in (STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!)  I don't care how hot it is...just buckle your kid in first, THEN turn on the car and AC.  I got to the front of the car when I heard a click.  Talmage had quickly finagled his way out of his straps onto the front seat and locked all the van doors.  I was locked out, my child was locked in, and the car was on.  I have to say at that instant I didn't worry, it is like it hadn't hit me yet, what just happened. Until I walked to the driver window, in which Talmage had climbed onto the driver seat and was playing with the steering wheel, and started grabbing the gear stick.  I thought for sure he was going to put the car in drive or reverse and I would have absolutely no idea what to do, not thinking clearly I would probably throw myself in front of the car to stop it from rolling.  I helplessly started banging on the window calling out his name to distract him and get him to look at me.  It worked, kind of.  I kept telling him to unlock the door.  He actually started pushing the power lock button.. There is HOPE!  After 30 seconds if him pushing the button only DOWN and not a single time UP (which would unlock the doors) I tried a different approach.  I pointed at the lock and kept saying, "Grab that and pull up, grab that and pull up.  Come on baby."  He would put his finger on it and look at me, then start fiddling with something else.  Eventually he found the dashboard and stereo and AC unit.  He fiddled with buttons and turned the AC knob from cold to warm!!!!  Started popping the CD in and out of the hole.  He washed the windows a few times with the wipers and turned the lights on and off and the blinkers kept blinking left, right, left, right.  It was maybe 3-5 minutes of me TRYING desperately to get him to open the door that I realized (and this is when the REAL panic set in) he is not going to open the door, it is getting hotter in there, we are basically alone, I have no phone and no where close to call from.  I ran the 50 yards back to the park and saw to my dismay, the people were gone!  I luckily saw some landscape workers a few yards away working on the small field.  I called out to them for help, asking for a phone or to call the police or triple AAA.  I said it was an emergency, my baby is locked in the car and out of his car seat and it was getting hot in the vehicle!  They dialed a towing company and asked for someone to come as quick as possible.  I ran back to Talmage to keep him distracted from pulling on the gear stick. He kept playing with everything, climbing over the seats, and sadly, I could see his cheeks getting more red, he was getting hot in there Poor Baby!  "Where the HECK are they?"  I kept asking myself outloud, "What is taking so long?"  Finally I saw the tow truck guy driving by looking for us, I waved him down.  He parked behind us and quickly jumped out and ran with this packet in his hand that unlocks car doors.  He knew exactly what to do.  He slipped this material in the door frame and pumped air into it so it created a small crack in the door.  He proceeded to slip a wire contraction in the crack and was able to pull up on the door lock and then the best sound EVER, the doors unlocking! I swung the door open grabbed Talmage and turned the AC back to COLD and LOCKED him in his car seat, gave him my water bottle which he downed, while I paid.  It was cooling down quickly, but it was pretty uncomfortable in the van poor baby!  I was SO angry with myself for being so stupid.  That was the longest 20 minutes of my life!  I also got another kick in the butt for being so stupid.  The guy charged me $52.50 for his brief encounter.  But you know what?  I am just glad my child is safe and unharmed, I would've paid everything I had to get him outta there or I would've found a rock and shattered the window.  We obviously skipped getting the pizza, went straight home and I put my dear little, heat stricken child down for a nap.  He instantly fell asleep.  SO that was my day.  What seemed to be a wonderful, everything-is-going-my-way kind of day, turned into a nightmare, because I couldn't let my child be buckled in for a few extra seconds longer while I got in the car to turn it on.  Lesson learned and it will never happen again.