5 Minutes

We went back to Baltimore on Saturday to attend a 1st birthday party for the son of very dear friends of ours.  It was so, so, so, nice to get back and feel normal.  Kind of like we were back where we belonged instead of feeling somewhat displaced.  The party was a ton of fun as we spent most of it in the back patio area catching up with friends.  The back area is fenced in and backs to an alley where some people were playing corn hole.  There is a door leading from the patio to the alley.  When we first arrived we were very aware that Sophie was wondering back n forth between the fenced and non-fenced in areas.  But after a few hours we got lazy!  I'm sure you can see where I am going with this...  She was being so good. At one point I saw her in the arms of another guest and then she headed back out to the alley to chase bean bags.  5 minutes later I headed in to feed Kolton.  A minute or two before Mike had gone to the hotel to check us in.  Imagine my surprise to see him at the door holding Sophie!  She had wandered out of the alley and into the arms of strangers.  Thankfully those kind people called the phone number (Mike's Cell) on her tag.  Mike initially thought it was one of our friends playing a joke and hung up on the guy.  But then as he was turning the corner he saw her in the stranger's arms!!!  It's hard not to think about all of the things that could have gone differently.  She could have been stolen or hit by a car.  It was 5 minute lapse in judgement on my part and a very scary reminder that it only takes 5 minutes for something bad to happen if you're not being vigilant with your kids of both the two and four legged variety.

It cracks me up to see how small he is sitting in our back yard!