I Locked My Baby in the Car

As I walked outside, I knew that it was going to be a hot day. The sun was piercing my skin, and I could feel the tingle of it. I was already stressed. Kayson didn't have a good start this morning. He woke up at 5am and wouldn't go back to sleep. This morning was full of tantrums, but Andrew and I couldn't figure out what was causing them. Our suitcases still weren't completely packed, and our flight for Utah was set for 9:20pm. It was going to be a busy day.

We dropped Andrew off to work and then headed over to the local community center. Each day, the community center serves free breakfast at 9am and lunch at noon to kids 18 and under. Since Kayson's tumbling class didn't start until 9:30, I fed him breakfast while we waited. He ate like he hadn't already eaten a full breakfast this morning. This kid is like a Hobbit. He needs first breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, lunch, snack #1, snack #2, dinner, and snack #3. I guess he was just getting prepared for the Tumble Tots workout.

 
Class goes by fast when you're chasing a toddler around. He was jumping on the trampoline, doing somersaults, walking on the balance beam, crawling through tunnels, and just having loads of fun. He kept squealing because he was so excited. He even got some of his toddler buddies to join in on the squealing chorus. Before we knew it, Kayson was getting a stamp on his hand for a job well done and we were headed out the door.

We got out to the car, and I unlocked it using the key remote. I placed my purse on the driver's seat like I usually do and closed the door. When I strapped Kayson into his carseat, I noticed that the base was loose. It was shifting around a bit which meant that the carseat wasn't tightened. It turns out that it somehow got unbuckled. If we had gotten into a car accident, then the carseat would have probably flown forward. I wanted to make sure that didn't happen. It was hot in the car, though, so I reached forward, put the key in the ignition, and turned the car on. I made sure that the a/c was on full blast because KJ was already sweating from the heat. Because I wanted him to be safe, I took my time on getting the carseat buckled in correctly. After 10 minutes of struggling with it, I was satisfied that it wasn't going to budge. I climbed out and closed the door. When I reached for the driver's door handle, I realized that it was locked.

Panicked, I went back to the rear passenger's door. It was locked, too. I knew that if the driver's door was locked then all the others would be too, but I checked every single one. My worst nightmare had come to life. The car had locked on its own when I turned it on. I didn't know what to do really. Knowing that I needed to do something, I left the car and went back into the community center and explained what happened. Someone mentioned calling 911. Most of it was a blur. They called someone several times and told me to stand outside by my car so they would know where to go.

When I got outside, I peeked into the car window to see how KJ was doing. My mind was flooded with worry. I wanted to make sure that my baby was alright. He was sitting in his carseat just watching me. I thought to make him smile so I played peek-a-boo with him. He didn't seem worried. He simply had a look on his face as if to say, "What are you doing, Mom? Why aren't you getting in the car so that we can go?" Appalled at my dumb move, I just started crying. How could I lock my baby in the car? I fed him, I took him to class, I thought I was doing everything right. How could I be so foolish, though, to lock him in there?!

Very quickly, police cars showed up back to back. There were at least four, and two of them had brought lock picks. They were all so nice. I stood there watching as they worked on the car and peeking in to see KJ. The fact that he woke up super early this morning and also had tumbling class wore him out--he was sleeping. The officers worked hard on getting the car doors unlocked, but to no avail. They were mainly waiting on the fire department to get there because those guys had the right tools.

The whole time the firefighters worked on the car, I stood by biting my nails. They used various coat hangers and wedging tools. Just when it seemed like they were close to getting it...it wouldn't work and they'd have to try another method. I was almost to the point where I was going to just tell them to break the glass. I just wanted my baby. After about 15 minutes, they did it! They got it opened! The relief that I felt when they finally got the front passenger door opened was indescribable.

The frustration that I felt from Kayson's tantrum this morning, the stress of needing to pack up our suitcases, the exhaustion from not having slept well, it all just faded away when I sat on that backseat looking at my baby. I stroked his hair, his cheeks, and wiped his face with a baby wipe to cool him down more. The officers and firefighters were amazing. They stood there with the sun beating down on them, working hard to open the doors. I am so so grateful.

Being a mom is very difficult. Most days I'm tired. My house is almost always a mess. I don't shower everyday. But man oh man, I wouldn't give up motherhood for the world. I make sacrifices because I love Kayson oh so much. Even on the days when my patience is hanging by a thread, I would do it all over again and again. To me, that's what being a mother is all about--being there when it matters. Kayson won't have many materialistic things, but he will know that he is loved. He will know that I'll always be there for him.

Our Father's Day

Sundays are so peaceful and relaxing. I woke up at around 6:30 and felt so rested. I even think KJ slept in, which was a nice treat for Andrew! We were all able to get out the door on time and at church on time! KJ was rather obedient during sacrament meeting. Typically, he will let a scream that causes most elderly folk to turn off their hearing aids. I don't think he screamed once! (I'm telling ya, this is quite a feat for my child.) Even when his Dad left him in nursery, KJ didn't cry! Man oh man, it was like the ideal morning!

I had planned on trying Andrew's tie with that fancy knot that's been flying around on Pinterest.

It looks good, right? Ours looked nothin' like that. I should have taken a picture and sent it in to Pinterest fails. It was BAD. I even tried to look in the mirror while doing it. Nope. Heck, if I can't tie a normal knot, I don't know why I expected to be able to do this one. It did make me feel a little better than Andrew (who has been tying knots for years) couldn't do it either! Oh well...that can go in the Guiness book of fails. We finally gave up on it and went to church. (Did I mention that church was amazing?!)

For dinner, I decided to make steaks. We don't have a grill, so I needed to improvise. A few months ago, I found a marinade recipe that went along amazingly with steaks. I'm talking, "not a single drop of marinade left on the plate" amazing. I decided to use this same recipe to marinade the steaks.

The recipe called for 1/4 cup of soy sauce. I asked Andrew how much we had and he said, "Maybe 1/8 of a cup." Okay, I can fix that. I filled the measuring cup with soy sauce and then I added vinegar to it until it added up to 1/4 cup. Alright, what's next. Hm...garlic powder. I checked the cupboards. Not a smidgen of garlic powder. So...I used garlic and herbs seasoning. That's the same thing, right? Yeah...the marinade wasn't all that good. Then, I decided to be adventurous and cook the steaks in the oven. A recipe for "perfect oven steaks" said to broil them for 15 minutes on each side. I decided to go for 10 minutes on each side.

So when it comes down to eating the steaks, I'm sitting there with my knife and fork, sawing away at the steaks. I think my wrists got more of a workout than anything! Thankfully, Andrew loved the steaks! He kept saying, "Mmmm mmmm...."(He's such a trooper.) Thankfully, the broccoli medley and corn tasted great. OH! And I made lemon bars! (It was the boxed processed, yucky but oh so good stuff.) It's funny that on the night I cooked corn (KJ supposed favorite food), he decided that he ONLY wanted to eat the steak and lemon bars. Booger.

After we had dinner, we went on a Sunday stroll. The weather was beautiful! Seriously, it was only like 90 degrees or so. That's beautiful to me. It was awesome to walk hand in sweaty hand and just talk. Of course, KJ started falling asleep. There's something about a nice stroller stroll.

I am so grateful that I have a husband who likes to take walks with me and do all those romantic things like hold my hand and look at me with googly eyes. Andrew is such an amazing father. I love to watch him interact with Kayson. There is such love in his eyes and his voice. I'm grateful that Andrew had good fatherly examples in his life. They really helped shape him into a wonderful father and husband. He's such a hard-working, patient, and understanding man. I love him so much, and I know that he loves Kayson and I. He tells us how much he loves us every day. More importantly, he shows us his love. Happy Father's Day, sweetheart.

Dejunking Our Lives

There's something so special about taking control of your life. You get to be in the driver seat instead of feeling like a passenger just along for the ride. It's funny how food can have that affect on you.

On the VERY DAY that I declared that I was done with doctors, one of my friends left a comment on my Facebook status. She recommended that I check out "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" on Netflix. My first thought was, "This won't help me--I'm not overweight." But, KJ was asleep for his nap, and I was feeling pretty "sick and nearly dead" so I decided to watch the documentary. (Anything beats cleaning the house! haha!)

The movie was amazing. This guy named Joe was 100 pounds overweight and dealing with an autoimmune disorder that caused him to be on a ton of meds. Doctors were basically treating his symptoms, but weren't fixing the problem. (Hmm...that sounds familiar.) He decided to take charge of his life and go on a juicing diet. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Joe would drink juices that he prepared by combining different produce. It was so neat to watch Joe's transformation.

The movie really inspired me. After I finished watching it, I text Andrew, "Do you want to go on a juicing diet?" Let me just say, my husband is truly amazing. He's sacrifices so much, and he's always willing to do whatever he can to help me. After I sent the text to him, I realized that I probably shouldn't do what Joe did. I needed to gain/maintain weight, not lose it. So we decided to go on a "No preservatives for 7 days" diet.

 

Every morning, I have juiced produce for breakfast. It has been really fun to see what combinations taste the best. I add kale to just about every juice combo. Every single day, I have two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. Winco has this cool machine that grinds up peanuts so that you can make your own peanut butter! (No preservatives there!) And the pb is only $1.98 per pound! One of my friends made and canned some strawberry jam, so I've been trading some of my couponing goods for her jam. YUM! Dinner is usually a salad along with a small portion of meat and some other vegetable.

Nausea and pain haven't disappeared, but I'm happier. I've just accepted that being sick is what I have to face right now. If someone asks me how I'm feeling, I say that "I'm okay" because I truly am. I have met so many amazing people in the grocery stores since I've started this diet. It's been fun to strike up conversations about recipes that they've tried and other stores that they shop at. 

My son is beginning to like fruits and veggies more. If I offer him some of my green juice, he'll usually say "no." But later, he'll actually ask me for some and drink quite a bit of it. I'm so proud of that accomplishment! My boy loves healthy foods now.

I feel better about myself which means that I'm not moody every day. Being sick is not easy. It's sometimes hard to be around people. I'm never sure if people really want to know how I'm feeling or if they're just asking because it's the nice thing to do. Then, there are times when I feel that if I'm honest about my pain, then people will treat me differently. But, the truth is, I am different. I am a unique daughter of God. This trial is mine, and I'm going to do the best that I can with what I've got.