Seatbelt Fiasco

I took Sienna to gymnastics yesterday arriving right at 3:30. I told her to jump out and run in. She said, "I can't, I'm stuck." As I grumbled to her that I told her last week not to play with the seat belt, I climbed in the back to untangle the seat belt from around her waist. I know the logical question here is, " how did she get it tangled around her waist?". The best I can figure is that she put the shoulder strap behind her back and then when she unbuckled she had it around her, from there she must have twisted around to get it so tight that we could not get it unwound.

I tried having her go through one way to get her to shimmy out as I pulled it over her hips(after I stripped her shoes and pants off of her) but it was too tight. She was stuck. I pulled and had her try different positions but the more we wiggled it the tighter it locked.

Frustrated, I took a picture with my camera phone and sent it to Brent. Then I called him at work and Hannah told me he was in the middle of a root canal and that she would show him the picture and call me back. She did and said that he wanted me to take the car to the dealership and see if they could unlock it before I cut it. I really didn't want to cut it, but I really didn't want to drive to the dealership either. I called Spencer and Amy because I knew they would be at gymnastics soon and possibly they may have an idea. Before I could wait for them to get there I decided to go to the dealership. After talking to them on the phone in which they told me there was no way to unlock it, other than feeding all the way back in, which at this point was impossible since my five year old daughter was completely caught up in it. UGhhh.

So I headed out as Brent called me and said he would meet me there even though he was swamped. By this time it was 4:15. You would think that after almost an hour of having a 2 inch strap wrapped VERY tightly around your stomach and forcing you to lie in an awkward position as your mother drives you to someone that can hopefully offer some relief, that you would be crying, complaining, or whining, but Sienna did none of these. She layed in the back in her precarious position saying nothing unless I asked, "you okay, Enna?" to which she would reply, "yeah, but don't go over any bumps because they hurt, kay?" Ohhh, my brave little girl.

We arrived at the dealership to a repairman coming forward saying, "are you the seat belt?", "yeah", I responded, thinking who on earth would have thought that this is what I would be doing today?

Three men were in the car, two reaching in from the back and one in front of Sienna's seat. All of them trying desperatley to find a way to release the belt. Other men walked by asking, "what is going on?" "We are trying to free this little girl", one man answered sounding very heroic. I instantly thought of the little boy in the well that turned into a huge rescue mission. This situation was nothing as scary or endangering but still a little nerve racking.

After 20 minutes of the men trying to find a release, to no avail, they decided to cut the belt. They did before I knew what they were doing and then Sienna was free. She came to me as all of us were telling her how brave she was and that we were so glad she was alright. Then she teared up. The shock wearing off and her relief and fear washing through her tears. I gave her a big hug and then she climbed in Hunter's seat and was ready for home.

The repairman said he would order a new belt and have it in a few days. The labor would be $150, and I didn't want to know how much the belt will be. Brent still wasn't there but I was ready to go.

Ayla however had not had her time in the spotlight so as all the men watched waiting for me to pull out of the garage, she through a huge fit. She refused to buckle up and would not sit in her seat. There I was, after an hour and a half of trying to get one child OUT of her belt, fighting another child to get INTO hers. This could only be the story of a mother.