This morning started out as the others – drive down our road to wait for my daughter’s school bus to come – car is parked & running. Bus comes – I exit with her & put her on the bus. Get back to the car and realize the car door partially closed and the car has now auto-locked itself – parked, running… with my 2 year old son in his car seat.  Fight panic – stay calm – start running towards the bus… like what, my daughter keeps a spare set of keys in her leopard messenger bag? Keep running left towards neighbor’s house – knocking on the door, ringing the bell. My dear neighbor did not ask for an early morning wake up call, but she got one poor thing. On the phone now trying to dial 1-800-on-star – apparently they did not have enough money to get that phone number set up & I have to call 411 to get the number. 411 also apparently does not offer the ‘click 1 & we’ll connect you feature’ so here I go running back from my car trying to keep my son calm, back to the neighbor’s house to get a pen & paper to write down the friggin number. Redial 411, get the number & finally get on-star. After three tries of sending the ‘unlock doors’ signal – and a half hour later mind you since each ‘try’ takes 10 minutes – the signal can’t get through. They’ve now called the sheriff’s department for me who are on their way – no eta for arrival but I know they’re coming.

My son is now hysterical. He’s trying poor thing to unbuckle his car seat which is not working, which frustrates him even more since he can’t get to me & I can’t get to him, and he does the most amazing thing…

My little boy – soon to be three at the end of October – in complete hysterics & sobs – takes off his socks & shoes and starts trying to open the door handle with his little foot. He’s getting more upset because he just can’t do it – he’s not strong enough to pull the handle the whole way. So he maneuvers himself & stretches so he can reach the window button. After many tries he hits it just right & it opens a bit. I’m happily cheering him on, he’s stopped crying & realized that HE, DID IT. He does it again – enough so I can reach in & unlock the door.

VICTORY!!! I un-latch & swoop him out of the car seat – return the phone to my neighbor so she can take her kids to school, onstar calls the sheriff for me to cancel the call & off we go to drop him at daycare to have breakfast together. The biggest little hero of the day will be getting a happy meal dinner of his choice and a pet fish for his new big-boy room. Hey, if he asked for a T-Rex right now I would hunt one down & bring it back to life for him.

My life as it stands today? Amazed at the absolute will, determination and ingenuity of my son. My hero.