Guinea Pigs and 911 - what a day!

Last night, we returned from a short trip to a state fair. On our way home, we stopped by a pet store that sold small animals and bought a guinea pig. After our less-than-stellar experiences with a dog and cats, I figure an animal in a cage is more the way to go.

Her name is Almond. She is brown and white, the shade of brown being like the outside of an almond. Hence the name. Yes, we're sophisticated in our methods of picking names.

I paid WAY too much money for a RODENT. And rodent accoutrements are surprisingly expensive. I actually did a double take when he told me the total. Yikes.

We got her home, got her cage set up, and Hannah proceeded to sit near the cage with her drawing pad and pencils. She drew and drew Almond and drew her some more. (Homeschooler alert!) I think we'll make this part of her science this year.

Then, as we were readying for bed, I was in the living room, telling Ben to put on a pullup. Then I left him to check on the girls. When I came back, he wasn't there. His pjs were on the couch. I called him a few times, thinking he was upstairs doing something. No answer. I sent Hannah upstairs to tell him to come down. She said he wasn't up there.

Then the search ensued.

After looking everywhere I could think of, and checking those same places over and over, I started to be really concerned. I started calling him, "Ben, this isn't funny. If you are hiding to be funny or silly, you need to come out now. Mommy is getting worried." No Ben.

I had locked both the front and back doors before I had noticed he was gone... I thought. Did I or didn't I? Was he outside? We went out and yelled and yelled. No Ben. I checked in the van. Ben? No, no Ben.

Now, I'm starting to cry. Which made Hannah start to cry.

I called a friend and told her. I told her that I needed her, and of course, she said she was on her way. Then she said, "You need to call 911." I so didn't want to.

Calling 911 takes this to a new level, to a new place, that I didn't even want to entertain. But, call 911 I did. I talked to an operator who was very kind, and I had to repeat some things for her because my voice was hard to understand - the tears were clogging my throat.

The police were here very quickly. They asked us to leave the house so they could check for him alone. It took a few minutes, but then I heard, "We found him!"

The sweetest words known to mankind.

He was curled up in the window seat of my sewing room. Because of how close the sewing table is to the window, he was impossible to see. They found him by using their flashlights. He had been purposely hiding, smiling from ear to ear, even then.

The officer gave him a serious talking to, but it didn't phase him at all. I guess at 4, you just don't get it. Or at least my son didn't. So, he will be missing out on some fun things for the next few days. I need to find a deterrent so this never happens again!