A lunatic

is what I have become since reading Jaycee Dugard's "A Stolen Life." I am not in any way comparing these incidents to her horrific story or what her mom must have endured. But it did heighten my awareness of abduction and has me sticking like glue to my children.

Two weeks ago after falling asleep reading the book, I was startled awake by a loud noise. It sounded like a door shutting. I immediately ran into the kids room and turned on the light. Dylan's bed was empty. I started calling his name to see if he had gotten up and gone downstairs. Our blown hallway light bulb, left the downstairs pitch black. I was scared to go down alone so I started shaking John awake. Without any luck, I ran back into to Dylan's room to get his flashlight out of his nightstand. When I reached the other side of the bed, there was my son, safe, sound and fast asleep on his floor!!! I scooped him up and held him for a few minutes before tucking him back into bed.

Prior to reading this book, I would have recognized the sound as one of my kids falling out of bed and not thought it was a stranger exiting my home with kids in tow.

Flash forward to last night. Dylan wakes up needing my help in the bathroom. After I return him to his bed, naturally I go to check on Camryn. However, she is not in her bed. Recalling the previous incident, I calmly searched her room. She was not on either side of the bed, nor under it or in her tent or closet. I checked Dylan's bed and then my bed. At this point all the lights in the upstairs are on and I'm beginning to panic. John woke easily and double checked all the places I looked.

My heart started to race as I ran downstairs and searched their was well. At this point, I really thought someone was playing a joke on me. Together we opened every door, peered in every hiding spot, including places she couldn't even fit and scoured every inch of the house. Once I saw the urgency in my husband's actions, I knew it was scaring him too! He was about ready to start a grid search of the backyard when Dylan called down to us that he found her!

Bolting up the stairs I ran into his room, to find her safe, sound and fast asleep in her brother's closet!! It took a few minutes for my adrenaline to stop racing but I knew I wasn't go to fall back asleep anytime soon. With both my children snug in between me and my husband, I lay awake wondering how long it would take for me to return to my normal level of craziness.

One thing is for sure, my kindle is now filled with mindless chick lit for the rest of the summer!