Saturday, November 30, 2013

So grateful for double locks

Here's a little story for all you moms out there.

       I woke up Thanksgiving morning, about 2:45 in the morning, to the sound of a child screaming. I get out of bed and because it had sounded distant started to go upstairs to check on the girls upstairs. The screaming had stopped at this point so I get to the top of the stairs and then hear it again, not upstairs, not quite sure where it came from, so I go downstairs. The screaming had stopped again and i was so confused. When it started again it was clearly from outside the house. The first thought that came to mind was why is there a child outside screaming. I was a little nervous because of stories I have heard of babies being used to lure people into opening their doors. I was definetely second guessing opening the door until I heard the screaming again and realized it was Julia. I went in the backyard and found her around the side of our garage screaming her lungs out. I ran to her and picked her up. My second thought was about neighbors calling the cops about a child outside screaming, so I try to quiet her down as quickly as I can. I hold her super close and ask her what she is doing outside; she said, a couple of times, she was looking for me.  I took her inside and rocked with her in the recliner for a few minutes to soothe her before putting her back to bed.
       Crazy little girl. She even remembered to put on her jacket before going on. How she got past our open bedroom door without waking us I don't know. She never turned on a light, or if she did she turned it off before going outside. I wonder it she tried the front door before going out the back door. I am so glad we had that high hotel-style door lock on the front door, it has saved us a number of times.
       I wonder if she was sleep walking or if she really was awake. My mom told me off a time that I walked to the front door, opened it, and yelled for my sister to come in the house because it was cold, all while sleeping. So Julia wouldn't be the first to get through a door.