Brooklyn, NYC + The scariest 3 minutes of my life.

February 25, 2016

brooklyn

 

 

traveling with kids

 
We got a last minute opportunity for Veronica and I to do a little film project together in New York (I look forward to sharing with you soon!). It takes a lot of shuffling to make trips like this happen these days, but we decided to go for it. Gabe was able to come with me to help with Rocco since I am still breastfeeding him, and Max and Gabriel stayed with my sister. I was thankful for the chance to make this into an adventure for Veronica, and I will never forget the way she skipped and chatted her way through this trip. She was so excited to be on an airplane, see the “statue of liberly” and stay in a “show n tell” (hotel).

 
travelers
 

We started bright and early with a 6:15am out of Atlanta, and would land with just enough time to drop bags at the hotel and for me to get to the film studio. Veronica made sure I didn’t catch a wink because she had so much to talk about and didn’t want to be awake by herself! Once we landed we headed to ground transportation. We hopped on an elevator with three suitcases, three backpacks, a stroller, a baby, a four year old, and two parents with minds already on check-in, naps, and getting to the studio on time. The elevator was small with only a few buttons. As we arrived on the bottom floor, I was checking to make sure we had everything to exit when Veronica started screaming at the top of her lungs. Considering she was as happy as a lark one minute before, I knew something terrible was happening. Gabe and I saw that her hand was stuck inside the elevator door as it had retracted to open. All four of her fingers were stuck, and as much as we we tried to tug them out, they weren’t budging. It became the longest three minutes of my life to date, and easily the most terrifying. My heart felt it would race right out of my chest. I began to pray, Gabe began to curse, and Veronica looked as if she was about to faint. There was a poor woman who got stuck on the elevator with us who was about to dial 911 before Gabe found a janitor and an employee to help us somehow pry the door just enough to slide her fingers out. Gabe and I admitted later to each other that the worst case scenario immediately rushed into our heads in those moments that we thought she was going to lose her fingers. By nothing short of a small miracle, they weren’t even broken. They immediately were swelling and she was in some shock, but she is a tough cookie. It took a buckets of tears (from both of us!), an ice pack, and a big sucker to calm her down, but she was moving them again that night. This incident shook us all up pretty bad and took us a while to snap out of it. Veronica now runs to the back of an elevator when she enters, and may be doing so for the rest of her life in which I wouldn’t blame her one bit. Gabe probably would have burned the elevator all together if he could have. 😉 Now we have had many scares in our life in birth stories, seeing our kids take a bad tumble, car accidents, etc. However, being in a situation where you are completely helpless as you watch your child go through a terrifying experience, the minutes drag into years and it seems you will go mad having to watch. I can’t begin to fathom what it feels like for parents who have had to witness worse. Ahhh. Moving along…

 breakfast 
hotel bedroom
 
Shoulder ride
 

Jane's Carouselnyc
 

Thankfully the rest of the trip was a good experience! I will end on those positive notes. I have been to NYC several times, but never over the bridge to Brooklyn. We didn’t get much time to do or see much, but Gabe and I both got to catch up with some of our old and dear friends from college. We had a little time Saturday morning to explore so we decided to take Veronica to Jane’s Carousel which is as magical as Mary Poppins. We grabbed some bagels on the way, and were happy to have a little New York moment right under the Manhattan Bridge. Gabe and I were both really grateful for this memory with our girl. One on one time has to be fought for with three brothers, so you can imagine how much she loved the individual attention;) 

Have you ever had a scary travel experience? I think I might stay put for a while after that one! 

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*Gabe and I both used this Ergo for walking around the airport and the city with Rocco. (A welcome relief of hands.)
Veronica’s coat: consigned, dress: old navy, boots: old navy, luggage: Skip Hop // My travel picks: Boots: Dolce Vita (on sale!), Denim: Rag & Bone c/o, wool coat: ASOS, hat: GigiPip luggage from Steamline (code IHOD for 10% off!).

Leave a Comment

  • Krista smith

    I’m so glad her little fingers were okay- I can imagine how scary that was for all of you!

  • Oh my goodness! That is so scary! I’m so sorry that you guys had to go through that with poor little Veronica. We’ve never had one of our children get injured or into serious trouble like that yet, but last week our daughter fell down the stairs in her wheelchair when I wasn’t home… she didn’t even get hurt but I cried for a solid thirty minutes after my husband got done telling me all the details.

    Paige
    http://thehappyflammily.com

  • Sorry to hear about that awful incident but I’m glad she came out okay!

    Liz @ ShoppingMyCloset.com

  • Reading this, I was instantly brought to tears! So scary! I am so happy she’s ok. I know how awful seeing your child get hurt is. Our 3 year old daughter has a scar above her lip from an accident when she was 1 and it still haunts me today. I felt so helpless in that moment, it was horrifying. But we are strong. We find a way to get them out of harm and we will do anything we can, even if there seems like nothing we can do, to stop it. Give each other a hug – You did great. I’m sure my daughter learned the “s” word that day… for a short time i heard her say it when she got scared. She’s stopped though now…lol, thank goodness!. She’s happy and healthy, and knows I will be there for her, even when it’s scary. I will fight to help her.
    Go on a trip again soon, don’t worry. It will teach her not to worry too.
    All the best to you,
    Jahaila

    • Jahaila, isn’t it the worst?! Ugh. I wish it on no parent to see their kids go through these things, but as you said it leaves us all a little tougher and with more gratitude for health. I don’t think I have ever seen my husband so upset. He wants to fix and save and when he was helpless it about killed him! We are still taking elevators, but she stays good and far from the door now;)

  • We had our Phil and Teds front wheel get lodged between the platform and train as we were trying to exit a NYC subway. My two month old daughter was harnessed inside. Someone coming onto the train started yanking on the stroller and it ended up popping the wheel off. It fell into the abyss below the train and we hoisted the stroller and our precious babe off the train. After the initial panic wore off we were quite mortified as we waited for some maintenance men to come and retrieve our wheel so we could carry on with our journey. Our little Olive slept through the whole ordeal.

  • Pat Schwab

    Anna, I’m so glad Veronica is okay! When my son was little he had his hand shut in a car door. I would always check before I shut the door to make sure no little hands were in the way. This was crazy because he stuck his hand where the door is attached to the car not where I would have ever thought to look. So I shut the door and suddenly he was screaming, I think my heart stopped too. Thank goodness he didn’t break anything. After ice and lots of hugs and kisses ( I needed them too) his hand was okay. As mothers, we know our children’s pain is our own. Lesson learned – make sure you check both ends of the door.

  • I have a toddler and live in the city, and YES. They will always put their hands in the cracks between the door frame and the doors. Another thing to watch out for: escalators.

  • Oh my goodness! I can’t even imagine. She’s a tough cookie! I’m glad her little fingers are ok! …and mom & dad are ok also. I can only imagine the shock of it happening.

  • Oh, that would be so completely terrifying to go through, feeling helpless. Thankful all is well (and that the rest of your trip was enjoyable!).

  • Anne Marie

    We had a similar experience in an elevator with our 3 year old daughter. The door closed on her little hand and I instantly grabbed it and yanked it out. Very scary! Red and sore but not broken.

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