You Know You're a Mom When...

You know you're a mom when....you run after a guy that has just burglarized your house and yell at him "You better run!"

Huh?

It was Wednesday afternoon around 1:30pm and Elena and I settled down for a nap. It didn't take too long for either of us to fall asleep (I had her laying next to me in our bed). It was one of the best naps that I have had during the last few weeks! Around 3:00 I was awakened by the sound of the doorbell downstairs. I was still half asleep as I tried to figure out if I was expecting anyone. No, no one that I knew was stopping by. Who could it be? I decided to stay in bed and doze off a little longer but the persistent doorbell ringing kept me from doing so. Finally, I went downstairs to see who it was but when I got there no one was there and the ringing had stopped.

I went to the kitchen to do something there and the doorbell ringing began once again. Determined to find out what was going on, I went and peeked through the peephole to see who it was. A young man waited outside, but I did not recognize him. I thought nothing of it and went back upstairs to check on baby Elena.

I lay back down next to Elena and just watched her for a few minutes until I began to hear some very faint noises downstairs. It sounded as if someone was downstairs.

No, it couldn't be. I've thought that before and there has never been anyone.

I heard the noise again, as if someone was walking on our floor (it has a distinct sound).

Ugh, I better go check.

I slowly got out of bed and began walking across the hall and down the stairs. The second I looked down the stairs I saw a young man looking up at me! It was the same young man that I had seen through the peephole.

My heart began racing as I dashed down the stairs in "pursuit" of this young man. He saw me and panicked and turned around and began running towards the garage.

"Who are you?"

"What are you doing in my house?"

He quickly closed the door to the garage behind him and held it closed from the other side. For all I was concerned he could stay out there. I was on the other side of the door, locking it to keep him from coming in again.

After a split second I decided to open the door because I could hear the garage door opening. By then he was almost out of the garage and well out on the street. As he disappeared, I also saw Michael's camera bag (with all his camera equipment) also disappear.

All I could think to say at that moment was, "Yeah, you better run!"

I ran outside and looked around. I didn't see anyone. I barely saw what direction he ran towards. It was then that everything caught up with me and I began to cry. What had just happened?

I didn't know what to do? Call the police? Call Michael? I ran inside and closed the garage door and turned off the power so the door couldn't be opened again (I thought he had come in through the garage at first). I then went inside the house and noticed that the screen was not on the kitchen window and figured out that that is where he had come in.

Michael came home right away and we then called the police. A few hours later an officer came out and dusted for fingerprints and wrote down the story. He went around and talked to some of the neighbors to see if anyone else had seen the young man around our condo complex but was not able to find any leads (the next day we found out that he had gone to another neighbors door and rang the doorbell but they had opened the door and he had said he was looking for someone and then walked away).

Moral of the story? Don't mess with a new mom. She'll do anything to protect her baby - even running after a burglar and yelling at him to run away.

And...if someone rings your doorbell and you don't want to open it, at least let them know you're home. I know that if I had somehow let him know I was home, he would have probably left us alone. He thought no one was home and boy was he surprised when I came down the stairs. He ran as fast as he could!

All in all, we thank God that neither Elena nor I were harmed. God is good! Who knows what could have happened had he had a knife or a gun. I am still a little shook up and scared at times, but I know what to do in the future and I rest in God, knowing that He is our Protector.

So, anything exciting happen on your Wednesday afternoon?