Way to Start the Day

So yesterday started off pretty normal then went crazy. Eliza needed a diaper changed, nothing unusual there since she has started pooping 4 times a day (YUCK). After I changed her on the living room floor, I decided to throw the diaper away outside since the trash was being picked up that morning. I slipped on my shoes, rushed outside, threw the diaper away and as I came back up to the door and opened the screen door it pulled the main door shut. My heart stopped in my throat as I reached for the handle. Before I even touched it though I knew. I knew it was locked. I knew my baby was inside. Alone.

What to do?

I turned around and saw a man in a car. I saw he was watching me as I knocked on another neighbor's door. She didn't answer. The man in the car got out and I recognized he was one of my neighbors. He said he could tell what happened by the look on my face. He offered me his cell phone. Actually, he gave me his cell phone since he had to leave. Then my neighbor Barbara came out and a few other neighbors saw me panicking (I think I actually held myself together pretty well considering). They all came over to help.

As they came over they all asked me the same set of questions:

"Is the basement door locked?" Yes.
"With a deadbolt?" Yes.
"What about the back door, do you keep it locked?" Of course.
"With a deadbolt?" Yes.
"Let's break a window pane and unlock the door from the inside." Yeah, we thought of that when we bought the house and installed locks that you have to use a key on from inside.
"Are all the windows locked?" Yes.
"Is Eliza in her bed." No (panick sticken voice).
"Can she crawl?" Yes, and climb the stairs (extra panick sticken voice).

One gave me some tissues. One tried to use a credit card to open the door. One brought out a phone book to call a lock smith. (Did you know lock smiths won't come if a child is involved?) One called the fire department as I jumped up on our back deck to peek in the back door to see if Eliza was okay and where she was.

Eliza saw me and laughed and came over to the window. Of course she thought it was a game and went right for the books...she knows she is not supposed to touch the books. She looked at me as her hand reached for them, "Are you going to stop me? No? WOW!!!" Little stinker. But she was okay. That was all that mattered!

The fire department came and after 10 minutes they got in the front door. Eliza saw them come in, then me right behind. She made a little cry "Why did you leave me for so long?" Then she was all smiles for the firemen and neighbors.

Thank goodness for neighbors. Thank goodness for guardian angels. Thank goodness for firemen. Thank goodness Eliza is okay.

Way to start the day.

Tomorrow, I am starting the day by buying a hide-a-key.