Part 1: A Mother's Worst Fears

We'll do the events of today in two segments. For heaven's sake, anyone knows that simply one of the events today were enough for one poor mother (the friends that spent today with us are currently chuckling at this gross understatement).

We went to the Zoo today for our Alphabet Playgroup. The Zoo was crazy and very busy. I think I've only been to the Zoo one other time where it has been so busy. Emily was wearing a pair of flip flops and every once in a while would have to stop and put them on again (she's getting used to them). Well, one of these times (I'm guessing this is what happened) She stopped to put them back on and I moved on thinking she was right behind me. WRONG!!! When I went back to find her she was GONE! Oh, then the nightmare ensued. The whole group went looking for her. I left Meredith with a friend so I could run the whole of the zoo to find her. I went to the front of the Zoo to see if a worker had found her already. She wasn't there. So, I asked another friend to go to the front of the zoo and make sure she couldn't get out the gates. Then I ran. The whole loop. Didn't find her and was thinking I was going to have to run the next loop in the zoo when the friend I asked to go to the front was waving at me that they had found her. Poor little Emily looked like she had just been through quite the experience herself. We just held onto each other for a while and I was bawling. I was exhausted. And not from the little bit of running I did. (Boy it's easy to run without any children to push in a stroller. Piece of cake.) But, I didn't want to leave the group and just go home, but it was sorely tempting. So we stuck it out so we could color our "Z" and finish the loop of the zoo. I hadn't taken a stroller to the zoo in so long but this time around I was sorry I didn't have a stroller so I could just strap them in and if they wanted out I would have just said "NO". Perhaps when I see if it is that busy again out in the parking lot, I'll take it. We could then add that what I do like taking is a sling (I'm not a huge stroller fan in certain places like the zoo.) But, I gave away my sling and then when I made another sling for me I forgot to wash it first before sewing. Well, now I have new motivation to get that thing made! Long post, I know, but it was an amazingly long moment in my life as you can well imagine.