I thought this day in my life required documenting.
Picture this, children playing contently, mother doing a little of this and that, nothing terribly important. Now picture one very cute two year old playing airplane around the living room and running in circles. Crashing. Flying. Crashing again. Giggles. All is well and good.
Until, this same little two year old starts to tell Mom that he's going on a trip. "Okay, " Mom says, "Just a pretend trip in the backyard? Okay?" You see where this is heading already I bet. Carter says, "Ya. I give you a kiss, Mom. I give Harrison a kiss." I should mention a favorite Thomas the Tank backpack was involved with the packing of a set of toy keys. Still, I'm thinking it's all the good pretend play of a two-yr old. Naive, I know. I tell him, "Go play in your toy car in the backyard and take a trip around the yard, stay in the backyard."
Well, as you can guess, he didn't stay in the backyard. I am hanging out in the dining room with Harrison for a bit and decide to check on him. I go to the back door and look outside......no Carter. I run to the garage and open the door.....no Carter. I run inside and look downstairs and upstairs......no Carter. I run out the front door......trying not to panic, but panicking.....CARTER!! Too the end of the block.....looking both ways.....CARTER!!!!
I run inside grab my keys. Bolt to the car and get into my car and start driving out of driveway, reach the end of the block.....Now, I realize I have no idea which way he went or what to think. I'm starting to cry, shake, oh dear, what should I do?
When to my surprise I see my neighbor and friend driving in her car headed toward me. I'm in full panic mode. She rolls down her window and I roll down my window, "Carter." She has him in her backseat. She tells me he was about 3 blocks away headed toward a very busy street. Gasp.
She then tells me that our other neighbor had been driving down the street and actually seen him walking very confidently down our driveway from the backyard and turned the corner and just kept walking. She thought it seemed a bit odd and rolled down her window and said, "Carter, hi." He said, "Hi."
He kept walking, "Carter, where are you going?"
"I'm going to daycamp."
Huh? At this point he's almost two blocks away.
"Where are you going?"
"I going to the airport."
She pulls over.
"Ummm, Carter do you want to get in my car?"
"Ya." He hops in.
Well, my good neighbor was good enough to grab him and is now running late to her appointment, but knows this situation was not headed to a good outcome. Meanwhile, my other neighbor was driving by and they transferred little Carter into her car and she headed over to my house and that's where we left me....remember, crying and panicking in the car.
Whew. She lets Carter out of her car, backpack still in hands. She tells me the story. Little stinker. More tears.
Moral of the story: Your two year may really be headed on a trip when he says so....regardless of what you think was fully explained and understood. Wishful thinking Mom.
He had a good little talking too. I told him I was scared and thought he was lost and a number of other things. He shuddered, literally. I think he got it. But, believe me I won't be taking any chances on "pretend trips" in the future.
Thank goodness for good friends and neighbors who are there to rescue your babies when you need them.
Oh ya, one more thing about that day. Harrison dropped my iPhone in the toilet. End of story. Some days are ones that just need to be recorded. Don't you think?
