One of the aspects that I loved most about teaching was that no two days were ever the same. Children have a way of keeping you on your toes at all times. The same has proven to be true with parenthood. Depending on which side of the crib Charlie wakes up on, our days can be totally relaxed and fun or hectic and frazzled. I like it that way. It keeps things interesting and fun, and now that Charlie is a full fledged toddler, I am really on my toes.
Last Wednesday, Charlie decided to give his mommy an early morning test. We had just finished breakfast, and I was cleaning Charlie up and waiting for Samson to come in from doing his morning business. As I opened the storm door to our deck to let dog in, I noticed that he had decided to roll around in the mud and was filthy. I quickly shooed him back out and proceeded to get a bowl of warm water and paper towels to wipe him off with. As I did this, I told Charlie what I was doing and how Samson was a silly puppy. Charlie stood at the storm door watching Samson and giggling at him through the glass. I stepped outside and began washing Samson when I heard the distinct sound of our back door closing on the other side of the storm door. "What a little stinker," I thought to myself. Charlie thought it would be funny to close the door on us. I continued to wash Samson. When his bath was complete, I attempted to open the door and quickly realized that I was locked out. Charlie stood on the other side of the door with his arms in the air and said, "Uh-oh" as I turned the knob in hopes that it would magically unlock.
Well, $#!%...
At one point in time, we kept a spare key in a fake rock at the front of the house. We had removed the key to make copies and had not yet put it back. So, I was literally locked out with no way in, while my 18-month-old was alone inside.
Well, $#!%...
I didn't cry or panic because I knew Charlie would completely freak out if I did. Instead, I had him follow me as I tried to open all of the windows I could reach. I then gave a few feeble attempts at throwing myself against the door (cue laughter). I knew that I had to go get help from a neighbor, but I was so worried about leaving Charlie alone. I wasn't worried about him getting into anything. I just knew he would be worried and upset. So, I told him that I would be right back and headed to our neighbor's house praying that she would be home.
Did I mention that we had just woken up? I don't know how you look when you wake up, but I wouldn't win any beauty contests. My pajamas did not match, my hair was all over the place, I had slept in my make-up from the day before, I had not brushed my teeth yet, and on top of everything else, I was not wearing a bra. I also said a little prayer that my neighbor's husband would NOT be home.
Luckily, my neighbor was getting in her car as I made the walk of shame up her driveway. She graciously let me use her phone so that I could call the one and only number that I know by heart (thanks cell phones). I called my parent's house and said another prayer that they would pick up. My lucky day again, because my dad picked up on the second ring. Thank goodness, because the next call was going to be to 911.
My parents live about 20 minutes away, so I was relieved to know that Charlie and I would soon be reunited on the same side of the door. I walked back to the house to find Charlie in the fetal position holding his lovie on the family room floor...so pathetic. He was thrilled to see me again. And I was happy to know that we were about to be rescued. Now, I just had to keep him entertained for the next 20 minutes from the window.
We played peek-a-boo, made silly faces, tapped on the window, and were having a good time. Charlie sticks pretty close to me when I am in the house, so I was not really worried about him taking off out of my sight. That is, until he started to get comfortable with the fact that I was on the other side of the window. I could see the wheels churning in his little head..."What can I get into?" In about a five minute span, Charlie found a bag of pretzels and began grabbing fist fulls and dumping them on the floor. He danced on them for a while and then ate them and smeared pieces on the window for me to see. He had a grand time with the pretzels, but his face really lit up when he noticed my water glass on the end table. He ran over to get in, took a few sips, and then dumped the rest on the floor. He then took the glass into the bathroom and began playing in the toilet - taking water in the cup and dumping it back into the toilet. Upon hearing my dad come through the door, he dropped the glass and its contents on the hall floor and said, "Uh-oh."
If I wasn't pregnant, I would have opened a bottle of wine the second I got back into the house. Unfortunately for me, I had to settle for a hot shower to calm my nerves instead.
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4 comments:
OMG, you poor thing! I am impressed at how you kept it together- I would have been a mess!
I have always been so afraid of that happening. Marlee knows how to lock and unlock the doors. Thankfully, I keep an extra set of keys in the car and in the garage.
Ok, I promise that WILL be a funny story years from now. When I was 4, I locked my grandmother out of the house. She is now nearly 90 years old, and to this day she still safety pins a house key to the inside of her pants everyday! But it's one of her favorite stories to tell.
You did good, given the circumstances - your descriptions gave me a wonderfully humorous (and humiliating) visual!
Oh Lindsay, I know this must have been an unnerving experience for you!
I almost hate to tell you I was laughing as you described your appearance and actually got tears of laughter in my eyes when I read about Charlie's antics!!! He is all boy!!
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