The Elevator Excursion

Luke is a runner. An escape artist, and he is obsessed with elevators. One day after work (church), we had an appointment at 3pm so we needed to kill 30 minutes. What better way to do this than to play in the monkey room? Well, playtime was over when someone had dirty diaper. Luke threw a huge tantrum because we had to leave the beloved monkey room and enter the childcare room (also known as the panda room). So we get all changed and I was properly disposing of the bo bo and washing my hands when Luke escapes. I guess I knew the door was open and he would possibly leave, but I did not know he would make a b-line thru Fellowship Hall to the elevator by the offices. I look out the door and don't see him so I run over to get Hannah who is still across the hall. I tell her to go one direction to look for Luke and I go the other way. OF COURSE he is not the direction I go, so I head back toward the nursery area. Then I try to find Hannah and the whole time I'm thinking, "Now I've lost them both!" The next person I see is facilities guy, Mike. I ask him if he's seen a baby and he just kind of laughs. I am almost in panic mode but try to stay calm. Now Mike doesn't speak the best English but he is obviously amused, I am not. He says something about the kids playing and he points towards Fellowship Hall. I run there and for what seemed like an eternity, Hannah finally comes around the corner and OF COURSE she's crying, "Luke bited me!" Well at least I know they are both alive. Out of the corner of my eye I see the future track star sprinting full speed. Then I see our librarian Judy racing after him but he beats her to the elevator and the door closes. I catch up to the commotion but can't get the elevator to open. I hear my sweet baby behind the doors as delighted as can be. So I ask Mike if we can open the doors and he runs off to find help. Then Luke decides to take a ride. After all, isn't that what elevators are for? Brave Luke travels down to the basement and must have gotten off because when the elevator came back up to the 1st floor and my little guy wasn't there, I started to get scared again. I tell Hannah to stay with Lori (phew - at least I don't have to worry about her too) and I ask the ladies in the lobby if they can help me find him. Some run down to the basement, I ran up the 2nd floor (at the time not knowing he was in the basement). I go into my office area and ask my co-workers if they have seen him. This must have caused a little more commotion b/c it seemed like the entire church staff was on the hunt for the missing red head. I proceed back to the main floor and this time almost start crying because I could hear him whimpering but could not get to him. I kept imagining him lost somewhere in the building in the dark maze-like hallways. At some point the elevator went back down to the basement. Luke must have gotten back on and pushed '2'. When the elevator went back up to '2' and the doors opened, and he walked right into the arms of Cheryl Bishop and Debbie Pomponio - our Children's Ministry leaders! When Cheryl picked him up he said, "Mommy?" He seemed a bit shaken up but not as much as me.