Until it is you.

So I have had all these intentions of finishing a blog post that is half drafted about um ... not much. But then today rolled around ... and this momma was dealt a bit of a scare. And it isn't so much the scare that I want to focus on ... yet how to prevent this from happening again.

Because with these two chicks ... I know it is bound to happen.

Earlier this afternoon, I lost the girls. We were all outside playing ... they were riding around in their jeep and Mason was playing basketball. I ran inside to get my shoes and the next thing I know ... Mason came running in telling me something was seriously wrong.

The girls were missing. He had gone around the side of the house to get a ball and in that time ... they had driven off. He ran down the street where he thought they had gone ... nothing.

About 20 minutes later ... after sobbing, driving around our side streets like a maniac, sobbing some more, asking my neighbors for help, sobbing and getting the police involved ... they were found. They had made their way to a trail that runs back behind our houses ... ditched their jeep and were walking hand-in-hand.

With not a care in the world.

And this is my concern. I am really not a fan of characterizations, but seriously ... children with Down syndrome like to flee. We have to keep a close eye on the girls ... and Mason ... bless his heart ... is a great second set of eyes for us. And as much as it is not his job ... he really takes it upon himself and that is a huge help since ... you know, I don't have eyes in the back of my head.

The difference is that my girls will take off and just do their thang. They have no clue how far they are from home ... or that they are lost ... or that they have no clue how to find their way home. They have no sense of fear.

As I have been rehashing this in my mind today ... I have found myself comparing my girls to Mason. If Mason ever came close to getting lost when he was younger, he would shriek out in fear ... "Mom! Mom!" And the tears would flow.

My girls? Not so much. 

So I am carrying a conversation from facebook over here to my blog ... because I think it is important. I have seen these little electronic monitoring bracelets that some kids with special needs are wearing ... I just have not been sold.

Until now. Until it happens to you in the two seconds you looked away. Because that is how it happens. And you never think it will be you ... until it is you.

After we were reunited with the girls ... one of the police officers asked Payton her name. I had to explain to him that she can't say her name. My five year old cannot say her name. She cannot tell you who her parents are. She does not know what her address is. Nor does she even know what city she is from. I think that was hard for him to understand, but he was very nice about it.  

It just really made me think.

Sad that it takes something like this for me to prepare for the next time ... if there is a next time, God forbid. This isn't the first time Payton has been lost ... but I think having the police involved made it that much more grand.

Here are some things I am doing ...

1) Those little ID cards they send home from school? Or even the ones you can have made at your local Sheriff's office? Keep them. Put them in your wallet. Know exactly where they are. 

*The officers were running around my house looking for pictures of the girls. Current pictures. I was in such a panic ... I couldn't even think. I didn't even know where to look ... in my own house. I had one of our Christmas cards laying on the counter (see ... I knew my mess of a house was good for something) and the officer snapped pictures of each of the girls into her cell phone, uploaded it to dispatch ... err something ... and told me that each of their photos would pop up on the screen of every squad car. Freakin technology is awesome. But even more awesome would be having a mom that is prepared for something like this.

2) ID bracelets. I just ordered each of the girls one of these ... I imagine I will put them around their ankles, but we will see how that works out. For $8.95 each ... I figure I cannot go wrong.

3) I am looking at this or this or this ... and wanting more suggestions as to what might be best.

That's all. My head hurts. My babies are safe and sleeping in their beds. Never a dull moment ... that is for sure.