Lorelei

So I think I had what is actually the scare of my life this morning. I was working with organizing school stuff inside and the girls were playing outside (like they had been all morning) and I walked out to see what they were doing and didn't see Lorelei anywhere. I asked Molly and Maggie where she was and they said they didn't know. I was trying to remember the last time I heard her voice (because even when I'm busy inside that's how I tell what they're up to and if they're ok) and I couldn't remember. Well, I panicked. I went running down the driveway screaming her name at the top of my lungs because all I could think of was that she either went into the road or into the creek. There was a girl walking along the road and I asked her if she'd seen a little baby girl about 18 months old with bright red hair and she said no, but she'd help me look. (While I was running down the driveway I had told the girls to go look in the house.) We ran up and down the creek and road - I was still screaming Lorelei's name at the top of my lungs - but no sign of Lorelei. Finally I heard Molly yelling "She's inside, she's ok!" I yelled thank you to the girl and ran up the driveway as fast as I could. I guess at some point Lorelei had come inside, but I didn't notice and since she was going inside the girls didn't really pay attention. She was on the stairs to the basement, going down, I'm assuming. I scooped her up and immediately started bawling my eyes out. Maggie was already bawling her eyes out. Lorelei was really confused as to why I was so upset and wouldn't let me hold her very long because she wanted to play. Then I had to call my friend back because I was talking to her on the phone when I realized Lorelei was missing. That was over an hour ago and I still feel all shaky and sick to my stomach. Lorelei is perfectly fine, but I feel like the world's worst mom, not knowing where my 18 month old kid was. They were outside for about 3 hours this morning while I did school with Molly and there were no incidents whatsoever. Technically this wasn't an incident either - she hadn't wandered off, she just came inside where she's allowed to be! But, since I wasn't really paying attention it turned into one. That girl on the street probably thinks I'm crazy, as does anyone in the neighborhood who heard me (which is probably everyone because I was really screaming loudly - my throat hurts because of it). And the donkey's next door do too, because I was screaming in such a way as to make them start braying. All I can say is, thank God for keeping Lorelei safe even when I don't and... we need a fence so we only have two options, inside or in the back yard. I could trust the older two, even when they were Lorelei's age. I can't trust her, she's too adventurous.
Well, I'm off to put Lorelei to bed... in her crib... where she can't get out!