12 weeks

We had a bit of an adventure yesterday. Tess and I were on our way to a baby shower, when we stopped by Target for a baby gift. I have those goofy automatic locks on my van. You know, the ones with the lock button on your keys. I pushed the lock button on my way into the store but didn't hear it click. I didn't pay too much attention to it, but I'm sure you can guess where this is going. When I came back out, I noticed that the side door hadn't slid completely shut, hence, it didn't lock. Not thinking this might mean that it still wanted to lock since I had pushed the button 20 minutes before, I stuck the diaper bag, with my keys and cell phone in it, between the seats, snapped Tess's carseat in, slid the door shut and........click! Instantly, the doors locked. And immediately, I freaked out, which is why I can't understand how parents can forget their kids in the car. Anyway, since my cell phone was in the now locked van, I had to run back into the store to ask for help. I'm not sure how the lady understood me as I was near hyperventilating when I sobbed something like "Can I use the phone? I locked my baby in the car."

She told me to go wait back outside and she would call for help. One of their security guards came to wait with me until the police came. Luckily, it was the only 70 degree day in NOVEMBER! Unfortunately, not paying attention to the weather, I dressed her in fleece. She was amazingly calm, stuck there in her carseat, in an unmoving, hot van. Normally, if we're not rolling, she's not happy. But yesterday was a particularly good day for her. Good thing, because Mom wasn't calm at all, especially when I noticed she was starting to sweat while waiting for the cop to mosey his way on out of his car to fiddle with my lock. Of course, they make you sign a release, which is understandable, but I was very near the "let's just break a window, could you hurry the hell up, that's my baby in there" stage.

After 20 minutes of sweating, she was rescued, and none the worse for wear. We went on to the baby shower where she was promptly held and coddled by "aunt" Missy, then passed around for more spoiling. I think she rather enjoyed it.

Moral of the story. Have keys in hand before shutting your baby in the car. Five kids and this is the first time I've locked one of them in there.