Scariest Moment of My Life Thus Far!

On Tuesday I went in to wake the girls up to get ready for the day. I started with Emmy on the bottom bunk. When I stood up to get Maddy, I realized her bed was empty. Figuring I just didn't notice her on the couch I go out to the living room. Yeah, no Maddy on the couch. So I go into the bathroom to look, no Maddy. I start to call for her and she doesn't answer. I search the whole house yelling for her...storage room, the closet in there, the closet in the girls room, my room, my closet, my bathroom ....no Maddy. At this point I'm starting to panic and wonder how the heck someone got into my 3rd floor apartment with the door double dead bolted and stole my kid. I'm starting to think about what I'm going to tell the police when I call them ...and then I think I haven't checked the balcony yet. Maybe she's out there for some reason.

As I'm walking to the door my eye catches a glimpse of white on the floor along the bottom of the back of the couch.

And there, with her legs and arms completely tucked into her night shirt with her blanket covering her head and face, is Maddy.

I walk over to her and yell her name. She moves the blanket and looks up at me and says, "Mom, I don't want to go to school."

One of these days...that child is going to kill me.