Birthday panic

Posted on Thursday, 7 August 2008, 10:04 p.m.

Today was H's fourth birthday, how four years have passed I don't know as I still remember with clarity her birth, the rain that feel that morning and the smell of the summer air that followed the rain like it all happened yesterday. Her chosen treat for the day was a trip to the zoo, with us were two of her friends and my own little brood and when we got there we met up with another friend and his parent's.

The kids were happy and excited and things bobbed along quite nicely, we fed elephants, watched a penguin gobble fish and fed a horse. The problem came after lunch while queuing for the elephant feeding. We went off to look at an elephant who was having a bath leaving Mr T with L in a papoose and M while I took the older ones. Sadly he didn't realise I hadn't taken M. When I returned M was nowhere, Mr T thought I was joking when I said I didn't have him. I felt sick to my stomach and I wished my eyes were bigger and more efficient at looking through the sea of faces in front of me. It is amazing how everyone suddenly looks the same. I went in one direction and Mr B, our friend in the other. Luckily as I was asking a member of staff if they had seen him and if not if they could radio around the zoo a lady asked if I was looking for a little boy and described M. My stomach somersaulted and I ran up to where M was, he had taken himself off to see the giraffes and been spotted. Said he didn't know where Mummy was and had gone to the cafe with them, telling him his name and age. He wasn't upset and I don't know what scared me more the fact that he got lost due to a silly breakdown in communication or the fact that he went off with a complete stranger and I was so lucky that they were nice people. He doesn't seem any the worse for it and we carried on and had a nice rest of the day! I will certainly be more careful in future.

In other news I was delighted to find out that I had passed my OU course in creative writing with a 2:1 so now eagerly awaiting the next lot of study books to hit the doormat!