Shaeya Saves The Day

so i guess i spoke too soon when i said i haven't had any major catastrophies during this pregnancy. we had a good one yesterday.

shaeya, tekoa, and i decided it was warm enough to fill up a pool on the deck for the ducks to swim in for the day. we hauled the hose around to the back of the house, and i threw the end up over the railing - it took quite a few tries to accomplish that :)
our deck is up on the 2nd floor of the house with no stairs to get up or down. we built it that way because we have no backyard to go down to- just a super steep ravine.

after we got the hose up on the deck, we turned on the water and then headed up to fill the pool.
the girls were so excited about the whole thing and we ended up spraying off the whole deck and table and chairs while we were at it.
they were still in their pajamas (it was about 8 in the morning) and i was letting them get a little wet. they thought it was hilarious.
we were having a great time until i tried to go back in the house to head back down and shut off the water. and the door was locked.
"no problem, shae, we have a key hidden right here by the door........
well, we used to......."
the key was gone. we were locked out. with the hose running full blast.
instantly shaeya starts panicking. "but mom, i want to go inside! i'm wet and cold and i have to
pee!"
i tried to reassure her that it was really no big deal.  we were FINE.  we'd find a way in.

about an hour later i wasn't feeling quite so confident.

i had to strip shaeya down and hold her over the railing to let her pee.
she was laughing and crying histerically at the same time.

i just kept looking down and wanting to try to jump or lower myself over the rail to hang from the bottom of the deck and drop.
i probably would've tried something like that if i wasn't extremely pregnant.
the only thing i could think to do was try to peek around the side of the house and watch the road for someone out walking or something. i wasn't even sure anyone could hear us if we yelled, and i knew it could be hours before someone would happen to walk by.
and shaeya just kept crying and saying "what are we going to do, mom?!?! what's going to happen?!?!?
i just want to go INSIDE......when's daddy coming home??? are we stuck out here forvever?!?!!"

i have to mention that tekoa was having a WONDERFUL time playing in the duck pool with her pajamas on- with NO concerns at all about going back inside.

but shaeya and i were BOTH feeling pretty desperate at this point.

and then i thought of the hose. maybe i could use it somehow, like tie it to the railing and try to lower myself down. once again, probably could've done that if i wasn't quite so big. i wasn't even sure if i could hold my own body weight.
so then i thought of shaeya.....
i asked her if she wanted to try something REALLY brave.
she said, " yes, mom, whatever you want me to do, i will do- i just really want to get back inside."
so i told her we were going to tie the hose to her, put her over the railing, and lower her all the way to the ground.
and she said, "sure mom, i can do that."
i was shocked that she agreed to it (i guess that's what desperation will do to a 4 yr old) and kinda wishing she would've knocked the idea....but she really wanted off the deck.....and so did i....and i thought it just might work.
so i tied her up really good....with the hose running....completely soaking her and covering her with dirt and mud.....
i wrapped it through her legs a couple of times and around her chest, and then tried lifting her by the hose......and it held her........so before either of us could chicken out i lifted her over the railing and started lowering her down.
she was hilarious as she dangled through the air- she was yelling, "i'm doing it!! i'm making it!!!! i'm okay!!! i'm really making it!!!!
and then her feet touched the ground and she yelled, "I'M FREE!!!!!!"
she then had to untangle herself from the hose while it was spraying her in the face.
we were both laughing then, and just so relieved, but i knew that the front door was locked and the garage door was closed so we weren't really free yet.

i told shaeya to first shut off the water, and then she was going to have to be really brave again. i needed her to go to the front of the house and cross the street all by herself to see if anyone was home at the neighbor's house who could help us.

the poor girl is terrified to cross the street.
(hey, sometimes you just have to instill a little fear in them to make sure they stay safe!)
she sarted crying again. she was exhausted, and scared, and cold, and wet, and muddy. she was in her pajamas, and her hair was a mess. it broke my heart to watch her slowly walk away by herself- facing another fear alone.

but she made it.
she was back a few minutes later holding the neighbor's hand.
i was thoroughly embarrassed, but so thankful that he was home.
i gave him our code to the garage door, and he took shaeya around to the front and opened the garage for her. she ran through the house and threw the deck door open.
she flew into my arms and i told her she was the hero of the day.

needless to say, she has talked of nothing else since.
"mom, are you SO glad i was the hero of the day?? aren't you just SO happy to be back in the house?? .....i was sure brave, wasn't i mom? oh, i almost forgot that i was the hero of this day......did you almost forget, mom?? aren't you SO GLAD we're back in the house??????

i'm afraid of what she's telling her class today at preschool- i may have some explaining to do to her teachers when i pick her up..........but it's her very last day of school and the hero and i are going to mcdonald's for lunch to celebrate.