The Scariest Moment of my Life!

Last night, Squirt (who had a late nap) was driving me crazy. It was 9pm and he kept coming out of bed to tell me things. Finally, he asked for the dog to come in. I told him to let him in and then please go to bed.

About 15 minutes later I was turning all the lights off and noticed that he had left the back door standing wide open. I closed it, locked it and turned off the light. I then went to make sure the boys where covered and all that. Imagine my surprise to find Squirts bed empty. I checked the playroom, I checked my room and then had the thought: "Oh my gosh, the door was open, he was probably out there" I could just imagine him screaming outside because I turned the light out. So I go open the door, flip the light back on and listen. No one is crying. So I step out, quietly call his name. No answer.

Okay. Back inside. My house is not that big. There are only a few places he could hide and he is not in any of them. So I start searching places that I know he couldn't really fit, but what else could I do? I'm checking bathtubs, under blankets, under beds, in the dryer. I'm tearing things out of closets, I'm starting to imagine him dead because he found some random poison I didn't even know I had. And I'm screaming his name at the TOP OF MY LUNGS!

And the whole time I'm praying like crazy. And asking the dog: Where is Squirt????? The dog kept jumping up on the couch and looking at me like I was an idiot. But there was nothing on the couch, so I moved on.

So I grab a flash light and head outside. Surely he must have fallen and cracked his head and he's laying bleeding somewhere and he can't respond to me. But I can't find anything.

So I head back inside. I'm about to call Hubbie at work. Not that he could do much but give me a clear thought. Because the front door is locked, all the windows are locked and if he had gone outside, he couldn't get out of the yard. So he has to be here somewhere and I really needed to hear that from someone else. I stop to say one more of the most fervent prayers I have ever said. And then when I raise my head I see one of the couch cushions move.

I tear across the living room, rip off the back cushions and find Squirt just staring at me. He's small enough that he fit behind the cushion and put it back in place to where I couldn't even tell it had been moved. No wonder the dog was looking at me like I was an idiot. He was thinking: He's right there, moron! He looked kindof scared, after all I had been screaming his name.

He says: Mommy, I can't sleep. I wanted to play Hide-&-Seek.

And I bust into tears. And I couldn't stop. And then I prayed twice as many times in Thanks that he wasn't dead.

The kid is such a booger.