Cause for Panic

This afternoon I have been working on the back patio sanding down the top of a wooden desk. Elliott has been coming and going, but mostly watching cartoons on disneyjr.com in the house. I got up to come in to check on Elliott and switch over the laundry load. I turned the door handle, but it wouldn't open. Elliott has this little habit of locking the door when he comes inside. Hmmm, I thought - great! I'm locked out. I knocked on the door and called out Elliott's name. Nothing. I peeked through the glass and this is what I saw:

Ok, so now this is not good. Elliott is asleep in the kitchen and I am locked outside. But wait! we have a spare key hidden outside for the front door. Then my heart plummeted again as I realized that I had locked the child safety bolt on the front door to prevent Elliott from going out front while I was in the back. So now I couldn't get in through that door either. I knocked and called out Elliott's name, but he was really sleeping. I thought maybe I would just wait outside until Elliott woke up or Brian returned home from work. But I didn't like that idea and Elliott didn't look that comfortable, even though he had moved a pillow onto his chair before he fell asleep.

Luckily for me I had opened the large living room window so that I could hear Elliott in the house. I also happened to have a large screwdriver that helped me to pry off the screen. I opened the window the rest of the way, crawled in onto the couch and felt proud of myself for not freaking out, but very sheepish that I had allowed my 2 1/2 year old to lock me out. I then took Elliott's picture to document this moment and then moved him onto the couch to finish his nap.

I will now not step out if any doors in my house without a set of keys in my pocket. It felt horrible knowing I was locked out and Elliott was inside all by himself. Luckily I was able to get in very quickly. Elliott also has this little habit of falling asleep in strange places. However if I try to get him to lay down for a nap, it never works. Yesterday after church, Brian and I were upstairs and Elliott was in the living room playing with his cars. I came downstairs about 20 minutes later to find Elliott sound asleep in the middle of the hard-wood kitchen floor. I started laughing and made Brian come look at how and where Elliott was sleeping. I transferred him to the couch then too. I guess we'll take his naps whenever they come. And I am just happy to be indoors again.