Lost

I experienced every parents worst nightmare today when Ella, Katy and I were at the mushroom playground. Ella was happily playing while I was breastfeeding. She then decided to head for the stage. By the time I had detached Katy, put her in the pram and chased after Ella (whom I assumed would be playing on horsy seats adjacent to the stage) she had disappeared. The total distance between the playground and stage would be 40m and I estimate that Ella was out of my sight for about 20secs. Panic set in.....I headed towards the pet store but decided on pulling the door half open it was too heavy for Ella to open so she couldn't have been in there. Back to the stage again...quick look in organic shop - not in there. Asked some parents who were at the playground if they had seen her - no luck there but they started to help me look. They checked the toilets while I did a lap through the lane to the carpark and around the back via the car. Still no Ella. Next I headed inside thinking maybe she wanted some fruit (the fruit and vegie shops cut up fruit for shoppers to sample so often we have our morning or afternoon tea there!) Did a complete lap past all the fruit and vegie shops and then around the outside still no Ella. The other parents headed towards the centre management. I headed back to pet shop to have a better look and there she was happily talking to the shop assistant.

THANK GOD!!! I calmly told her that I was very worried when she had disappeared without telling me where she was going. According to the shop assistant, Ella wandered in, went straight to the dog meat fridge, took a packet of meat out and proceeded to the cash register. There she also asked for a fish!! By this stage the shop assistant had assumed I was in the shop somewhere and was going around to trying to find me at which point I came in. Ella was happy the whole time (prob about 10min) and not in the slightest bit concerned or upset that I wasn't there.....hmmm don't know quite what to make of that....needless to say we stayed home for the rest of the day.

I forgot to add that on the way home in the car Ella retold the story of Found You Little Wombat (in her own words of course) which was quite amusing!!! It's about little wombat, koala and rabbit playing hide and seek when litle wombat gets lost and then found by his mummy!