My run in with the law

Ellie is becoming more and more mobile. She crawls fast and while she isn't walking yet, she can jet around pretty fast. She is particularly getting very adept at climbing the stairs. Well, she's better than she used to be. However, she still gets a little tripped up, so I am always right behind her and I don't leave her in living room alone for any major stretch of time.*

Which is why when we are heading out somewhere I always take Ellie outside and strap her into her carseat, then I head back inside the house and get everything else that I can't carry with Ellie. This is a routine process that happens whenever we go out. Last Thursday, I put Ellie in the car and headed back to the house to get everything else. As I was heading up the front steps of our house a police car drove up and stopped right behind our car. (you have to understand that our house is about 20 yards from where we can park.) The cop gets out and immediately sees Ellie sitting alone in her carseat and begins surveying the area, presumably looking for a parent figure. Luckily I saw him before I headed inside and gave him a wave and a call of "she's mine, just grabbing a few things." I ran in and got all of my paraphernalia and ran back outside. I'm sure the police man understood the situation and he certainly didn't give me a hard time, but I felt like it was one of those situations where it looked like I was being a horrible parent.** But honestly, what I am to do? She is certainly safer in her car seat alone than she is in my living room where she can jet up the stairs and fall. And it's not like it's overwhelmingly hot outside. What's a mom to do? And wouldn't you know a policeman would come at the exact moment I leave her. Oh well...

*Last Friday evening, I left her in the middle of the living room floor to make her bedtime bottle. It only takes a few seconds. Of course when I came into the living room I found her at the top of the first landing of our stairs. She took a little tumble and had a good cry about it.

**Interestingly enough I was grabbing a lasagne I had made for a new mom at church, which means, of course, that I am not a bad person, right?