May 30, 2016

This weekend, I headed down to the Laswell cabins with the babies.  We had a great time.

On Saturday, when we got there, the babies played in a baby pool.  They loved it!  It was a really relaxing afternoon.  I enjoyed the day very much.  We had a great time catching up...and the food was delicious!

On Sunday, I kept my expectations very, very low...as Carrie recommended.  I was taking them out on the pontoon for the first time...at nap time to boot!   It went incredibly well.  Marti said that one of the boys wondered why babies cry all of the time about the littlest of things.  It's so funny, but at this point in my life, you expect tears, but if there aren't many, it is a total success!  It far exceeded my expectations.  It totally helped that Uncle Jeffrey brilliantly thought to put the baby pool in the pontoon!!!  They loved it.

Oh!  And I will tell you, that I am horribly, horrible at taking pictures.  I don't really have many from this weekend at all.  My phone is always dead down there, and I am petrified to take my phone on the boat anyway.  It would definitely get wet and die.

Today, when we got home, I told the babies that they could watch TV for a moment while I got the baby pool ready to go on the front patio.  I was excited to watch them play in the shade, while I sat in the sun and relaxed.

I ran back and forth bringing our bags in and cleaning up quickly, while poor Ozzy cried a bit.  I got him some milk and started to fill up a few buckets for the baby pool.  I told them it was going to be an awesome Memorial Day!

I was almost ready to go.  I ran a fourth bucket out the front door, dumped it in the baby pool and ran the couple of steps back to the front door, grabbing the handle and pulling.

Locked.

My heart sank.  This time, it couldn't be undone.  I knew I had locked the door in the garage to keep us safe.  And I remembered locking the car.  I hadn't put a back-up plan into place yet.

I begged Poppy to let me back in.  I have to say, I wasn't a huge fan of hers as she looked at me and laughed.  I liked her even less when I asked her to unlock the door and she said, "no" in a crappy little voice and walked out of my sight to play with toys while Oz sat in front of the door, looking at me and sobbing.

I told her that she could go swimming and we could do bubbles if she unlocked the door.  She tried a couple of times...not very hard...and then gave up.  She finally came back over and decided it was good timing to make him cry harder by putting her little blankie on his head and tormenting him.  I told her that if she did it again, she would be in time out FOREVER.  She stopped.

I begged her, and almost had her convinced, but then I think she caught a twinge of desperation.  I showed them how fun the pool was going to be!!  I pleaded, bartered, threatened and any other magic I could pull out of my psychological arsenal.  No dice.

Finally, I just sat in front of the door in a sorry heap where Oz was sitting and watching me.  We played out a prison movie clip...mother visiting son...both snottily crying with our hands pressed against the glass.  Sad scene.

I thought and thought and thought.  There was no way out this time.  I realized that when I was unloading everything, I had tossed my cell phone on a table in the garage.  I knew I could call a locksmith, but didn't know if anyone would even be available on Memorial Day.

Don't think I'm a horrible person.  I have never done this before, and I put quite a bit of thought into it, but I decided that two babies in a house alone could constitute an emergency in some eyes.

Ugh.  I hesitantly dialed 911 knowing that it was the fastest way to get help.  I told the operator that I wasn't sure if this was on the level of their normal emergencies but my babies were in the house alone.  She was a kind lady.  She told me that they could send out their people, but they would break down my door.  She told me that they would be happy to help, but to make sure that I couldn't get in through a window or something. 

I told her I would try to reason with Poppy.

I tried.  Impossible.

I saw my neighbor.  Oh my gosh. I love that woman.  She went to the pool and got another neighbor's son.  He worked some magic and got me in.

After beginning to cry and hugging him tightly, I jokingly told him that I might hurt Poppy.  Right then, she came running out of the door and looked at all of us.  That sweet man said, "But she's so cute."  On cue, she said, "Hi, Mommy!" in an adorable little voice that seemed to imply...Where have you been all of this time?

Arrrggghhh.  That kid.

I know. I know. I know. I know.  I will never let this happen again.  I swear, I ran the bucket out for five seconds.  Tomorrow, I am taking care of the problem.  I have a lunchtime Menard's run in my future for extra keys.

And, I do need to give some props to 911, as well.  The operator called me back from her own phone to give me the name of three 24-hour local locksmiths.  What a nice, nice lady.

I am fortunate to have such kind people around me.  Complete strangers who were willing to lend a hand and salvaged our Memorial Day.

Most of the time, on the holidays, I am laughing, playing with the babies and having fun.  But there are always moments...when I'm driving to the cabins, when I'm on the boat, when I'm going to bed, when the babies have gone to sleep, and I'm sitting with the 'adults'...that I miss him so very much.

And times like today, when I was determined to come back and have some fun and everything went quickly awry...I felt tired and stupid and angry and scared.

So again, moral of the story is...A) fix the immediately problem with the locking of the doors...but just as vitally, B) realize that things are rarely going to go according to plan and work to roll with the punches.

This afternoon wasn't my most stellar parenting moment, but I think I can do this.  They cannot defeat me!  :)

(Poppy and I kept telling Oz this afternoon, "The Rule of the Pool is SIT!"  He still tried to stand up, but we are making progress.)   :)