Panic Time

What is the scariest thing a mom can face? Losing a child! Today we thought we had lost Lincoln and my stomach is still in knots 2 hours later. He had been playing store down in the basement with the other kids and no one realized he came up. I was cleaning the kitchen and getting ready to make cookies when the other kids came up. I asked where Lincoln was and they said in the basement. I sent someone down to get him and they came up saying he wasn't there. I knew he had been tired so I ran up to look in his bed and after a quick run through the house, I couldn't find him anywhere. I yelled for all the kids to help and we all started searching. I knew that most likely he had hidden somewhere and fallen asleep. It was nap time and the kids have been playing hide-and-seek a lot lately and he loves to hide. BUT I also knew he can open the front door if it is not locked and a neighbor had returned a movie and we hadn't locked it when he left. I worried that he had tried to follow TJ when he left and went out front by the road. We live off a fairly busy road where people drive WAY too fast! We are quite a way off the road, but not too far for a 2 year old to wander. I knew he had no coat or shoes on, but I honestly had no idea when I had last seen him. The kids all claimed they had seen him just minutes before, and I knew he had been running with them all afternoon up and down, but I couldn't have said if I last saw him 5 minutes earlier or 20 minutes earlier. They had all been playing together great and I had taken advantage of that to clean.

So after about 15 minutes of panic and searching EVERYWHERE, with Trish running down the street and the boys searching outside, I called Stephen and went systematically through the house again looking in every cupboard and under every bed. I kept thinking he has to be asleep here somewhere, but at the same time all sorts of horrible things were also flying through my head. I called 911 and she was just dispatching officers when I found him! He had crawled up on Adam's top bunk, wormed under some covers and fallen asleep. I was so grateful! But so full of adreniline and fear. Not a fun experience! I am so glad he was okay and just sleeping, but it was not a fun half hour!!!!!!