Tuesday, June 2, 2009

LOST

No, I'm not referring to the hit TV program on ABC but rather to my sweet, three year old son. My mom and I experienced one of the scarier moments of our lives as Carter went missing in the mall. I don't know if I have fully accepted the gravity of the situation (as I mostly had intense feelings of disbelief), but it was definitely something I hope to never relive. As we were paying for our stuff at Gymboree, Carter was getting antsy and begging to go play on the toys. I told him we'd go in a minute, once we were finished at this store. Exhibiting his usual impatience, Carter decided to strike out on his own and just left. Seriously. My timid boy who is often afraid of his own shadow just sauntered out of Gymboree on a quest to find the mall play place. By the time we realized he wasn't with us (as I usually let him wander in stores a little, since he's NEVER shown an inclination to bolt!), panic set in and we frantically began to search. I really assumed that he was hiding in the store or doing something else silly. I had a very hard time believing that he just walked out. Which lead to my other, more terrifying thoughts of someone nabbing him. Other nice shoppers assisted and I tracked down mall security (and seriously this guy looked like he should have been playing Bunko at the old folks home - he was pushing 90, I'm sure. I totally felt safer :) All in all, he was gone for about ten minutes and was found with two police officers who were in the mall doing a D.A.R.E program. The entire incident didn't seem to phase Carter, although I think my mom could have used a tranquilizer or two to calm down. I was so very relieved to have my little guy back in my arms...that's when the tears started for me. Is he too old to wear one of those leash things?!?
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5 comments:

  1. UnknownJune 2, 2009 at 9:49 PM

    Oh Man Katie! What a scary thing! I hope you and your mom recovered. Maybe a giant glass of wine when you got home! Little buggers!

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  2. RebeccaJune 3, 2009 at 10:39 PM

    Oh I am so sorry. That is scary and as you say you would never think it would happen. Both my boys have done it when they were right around 2 or so. It takes your breath away and makes your heart race. I had never considered the lease things until Jake came along :)

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  3. ~kathyJune 4, 2009 at 8:26 PM

    That had to be so scary for you! It is amazing how fast they can be and how quickly they can find a streak of independence. I'm so glad it was nothing more than a scare. Hope your mom and you recovered!

    Thanks for the note about PT. Lins had shared this with me when I was first considering it and it helped me feel really good about going ahead. I love our PT. She's great and I can tell it helps.

    Kennedy and and Carter are adorable!

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  4. Fleming Family FiascoJune 5, 2009 at 9:14 AM

    Rod and I had a similar experience with Brock right after Reagan was born. It is so scary! I think every parent has a similar story. We put microchips in our dogs to track them - maybe we should our kids too. :-) just kidding...kind of.

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  5. Gigi's ThimbleJune 9, 2009 at 11:52 PM

    Katie, yep that's happened to us too, with Blake. Sounds like a lot of people have gone through that. Oh, it's so scary! When I realized Blake was gone I thought he took off to the pool where you throw the pennies in and make wishes at the other end of the mall. When he wasn't there I broke down and started crying. Finally my sister called and said she found him. He was in the food court. So scary - that big mall full of a million strangers. I'm so glad you found him alright. What a nightmare.

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