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).
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…
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!).
