Today started as a pretty decent day. The weather was once again beautiful, so after taking our time getting ready we headed to the zoo with the girls. Once we got there we realized the stroller was not in the car, but we were already there so there was no turning back. Bella does a good job walking, running, and jumping, but she still can't keep up the entire time. She walked a bit, and we had to carry her the rest of the way. That girl is cute, but she is definitely not light. So that was good exercise for us.
Our visit to the zoo was somewhat short, as Lionel was heading to the Bengals game next and we had to get back home for Bella's nap. Not that she ended up sleeping much anyway, but it was not because we did not try.
Abuelito and Abuelita came to visit later on, so they could see the girls and stay with Bella while I took Sofia to her swim lesson. As we were getting ready to leave, one of the neighbors knocked on the door. She had a very serious face, and asked me if her 4 year old girl was with us. I told her I had not seen her all day, and she then said "We can't find her. She had a fight with her friend and said she was coming to your house". She asked if she could look for her in our backyard, and I told her of course, she didn't even have to ask. I also went out there to help her look, but no luck. She was nowhere to be found. I also asked if they had already checked with the neighbors next door, but yes, they had. My heart dropped, and I immediately felt all this stress coming over my entire body. A kid missing has to be every mother's worst nightmare. I couldn't possibly have known what she was feeling at the time. And I felt powerless, watching her and her family desperately look for her.
It was clear there was not much we could do, so we went to Sofia's lesson, which only lasts 30 minutes. But I kept texting with one of my neighbors. She was the one who informed me that they had already called the cops. At some point Sofia's teacher asked if I was Ok, because I looked completely overwhelmed. I had to share the bad news with her. She is a mom as well, so she then clearly understood why I looked so distressed. Fortunately, towards the end of the class, I got the text message with the news we all had been waiting for. After about one hour missing, she had been found. Apparently she had been hiding in the bushes in the house between hers and mine. All along she had been hiding in plain sight.
Upon hearing the good news I was relieved, but I noticed the stress did not just disappear. I was still pretty shaken up and had a weird taste in my mouth. You always want to hope for the best, but you know that sometimes, what happens is just the worst.
I wanted to do something nice for the girl's family, even if it was just a small detail so they knew we were sorry to see the pain they went through, and that we were happy everything turned out ok. On our way back from swim lesson, Sofia and I stopped by to get them a cake. Something sweet to enjoy after such a bitter experience. When we got back home Lionel was already there. My parents left shortly after, and the four of us went to see the neighbors and drop off the cake. Needless to say, they were still shaken up as well. We didn't linger. We knew they needed to rest and to try to make sense of everything that happened today.
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