Venus hand trap

It only takes a second. That is what every veteran parent tells us newbies. It only takes a second for your child to fall down a flight of stairs, fall out of a crib, eat a mouthfull of delicious Chata vomit, disarray all your folded laundry, etc, etc, and etc. So, today, we add yet another one to the list. As the elevator descended to the bottom floor, I glanced up to catch the eyes of someone standing right out side of the elevator. In the *mili second* I looked up from Gabriela, she had stuck her fingers in the crack between where the wall of the elevator meets the door. As the door opened, a sort of vaccuum, if you will, formed and began sucking her hand/arm through the crack. Terrified and panic stricken don't exactly do my feelings justice. Thank God, for whatever reason, our doorman was standing at the elevator. I started screaming "PULL IT! PULL IT!!" And pull he did, but the door wouldn't budge and continued sucking her arm further in. At this point, our super, Dave, also happened to be outside the door, ran over to help. With the two of them, they were able to pull the elevator door slightly closed, thus freeing up Gabriela's arm. Oh the screaming that took place. It was wonderful, really. Took about eight or nine years off my life. Of course Gabriela is okay. Nothing thirty seconds and promises of a story couldn't fix. My visions of a mangled useless arm on my 18 month old will continue to haunt me though I'm sure. It's just such an adventure EVERYday. I wonder what she'll try tomorow.... bleach perhaps???