Sunday, March 25, 2012 was the day I think our whole family almost had a heart attack. A huge reality check hit us all when Myla went missing.
I last saw her going up the stairs chasing after the older two girls, her big sister Sarah and her friend Abbey. As I'm working away in the kitchen getting supper started, the older 4 kids head outside to play. A few minutes pass and I know Myla is still upstairs. I go up to see what she's getting into (remembering the countless times shes dumped Sarahs pens and earrings onto the floor.)
She's not there.
I check the main floor, she's not there either. I run outside to see if she's with Sarah. Nope. Then I check again upstairs. Not there. I start to panic and tell everyone to look for her. JJ checks upstairs - twice. Then the garage, outside, we even looked at the pond to see if she happened to sneak outside and fall in. All of us ran around calling her for about an hour (or maybe it was only about 20 minutes but to me it was forever), desperately trying to find our precious 17 month old baby.
Before I start screaming and crying, I decide to check the last place I saw her. She was going upstairs... so up I go again, this time to look more throughly. I checked all the closets and still can't find her. Then Owen says he heard her mumbling in his room. With hope I check every corner of his room then the closet. I start to smell something that resembles a diaper needing to be changed. Then I see two little feet in the corner of Owen and Gavin's closet.
There she is. Standing in the corner of the closet, behind the hanging clothes. MYLA! What was she doing in there? I don't know. But there she is staring back at me - no smile, no laugh. Just as if nothing happened and she belonged there.
I'm not sure if she was hiding there because lately she's not fond of getting her diaper changed and makes a run for it whenever she sees me with a fresh diaper. Or if it's because she really likes hiding places, like the forts and tents her brothers build and invite her into. Whatever the reason, we were all so relieved and happy she was safe and sound.
Maybe it was a warning - a sign. Because since then we've made sure there are gates on both the front porch and back deck so she can't get any further and stays safe from the pond and the road.
As parents we all go through these scares now and then, I hope it's a long while before we encounter another one!
