The time I locked you in the car with the engine running

I have a feeling this is one of those family stories I'll be repeating for the next few decades.

Sara, you and I went to Walmart yesterday. It was a pretty uneventful trip. I only picked up a couple of things, and of course we stopped to look at the fish before checking out.

We got out to the truck, and I put you on the backseat and told you to climb into your car seat, as I usually do these days. I shut the door behind you to make sure you didn't accidentally fall backward out of the car, which is a fear of mine. I went to the back hatch to pack my purchases; I went to the front to start the car and the AC and to put away my purse. I shut the front door and went to the back door so I could strap you into your car seat... and it was locked. All the doors were locked.

The sun was beating down, but I knew the air was on in the car, but I also knew it doesn't get very cool until the car starts to move. There I stood with no cell phone, nothing. A Walmart parking lot feels awfully lonely at a time like that. A kind Indian man nearby in the parking lot took out his AAA card for the number and let me use his phone (a fancy Blackberry-type one) to call. Did I ever feel panicky! My hands and my voice were shaking. While the customer service rep was expediting my service call, you played happily in the backseat--you never had climbed into your car seat, cheeky girl--and you started rolling down the window! I ran over to the truck and cheered you on as you pressed the button a few more times. You rolled down the window enough for me to reach my arm in and unlock the door and... voila! Crisis over--not that you were even remotely aware that there had been a crisis in the first place.

Those were five of the longest minutes of my life. And yes, I must have unconsciously locked the doors when I went in front to start the car. That makes no sense to me, because I never do that in the truck, but that appears to be what I did. Silly mommy. Oh well. A few deep breaths and extra hugs and kisses later, and we were on our way.

Twenty-two months old

We have been blessed with such a beautiful, sweet baby girl. Sara is continuing to change and mature, and the more we know her, the more we love her.

Our little girl has sort of moved on from "The Wheels on the Bus" and now prefers to watch Barney, which Mommy does allow for an hour or so per day, albeit guiltily. From the moment she wakes up in the morning, Sara starts saying, "I want Barney. Please. Barney." Yes, she has started to say "please" occasionally, which pleases me to no end! I love listening to her string words together. Her sentences now often feature three or more words.

She has also become significantly less shy in recent weeks. She's still a little on the "slow-to-warm" side, but she'll say "Hi" now and will often come out of her shell in a matter of moments. No more hiding between mommy's legs.

Sara still loves to practice her jumping. She still hasn't achieved liftoff, but she's working on it. She also has a renewed interest in "If You're Happy and You Know It," and she loves to do all the motions.

Baby Girl weathered our recent move beautifully. Her sleep was slightly altered for the first week or so, but she has now settled back into her usual routine: just under 12 hours at night and around 2 hours at nap time. She also regularly asks to go outside and loves to have us play with her in her room. "Mommy, room. Dada, room."

Even as she nears two, she is usually sweet, cooperative, and mellow. Words can't express what a joy she is.

Blog silence

The lack of posts around here has nothing to do with not doing anything. Actually, quite the opposite has been true. Between preparing to move, welcoming Baby Kyle and (now also the Rosas' Baby Leo!), actually moving, and starting a new part-time job, things have simply been crazy busy! I'm back, though, and will do my best to get on top and stay on top of reporting on our little family's life.