Every Parent's Worst Nightmare

Taken 2 days after the incident. 

You can see the band-aid on his knee due to being tackled to the ground.

By now, most of you that read this blog have heard about the horrifying events of this past weekend. Since it is still dominating my thoughts, of course it is the subject of this week's post. I'm going to retell the story and add in a few of the details I left out when I wrote a note about the incident on Facebook. This is a pretty lengthy post.

On the afternoon of Saturday, September 18th, my son, Pierce, wanted to ride his bike. As you all know, our son is autistic. He normally rides in the driveway or makes laps around the house and yard. We thought he understood that he was not to leave the house. At 4:45pm, my husband, Tim, and I were in the living room while Pierce rode outside. Twenty minutes later, it was time for me to pick up my daughter, Reagan, at a play date. I went outside and didn't see Pierce or his bike. I only felt a very slight panic, because I assumed he was in the yard somewhere playing (we have about 4 acres of property). I ran over to a couple of spots in the yard (swing set, trampoline), but didn't see him. The panic increased slightly. I ran back into the house and told Tim that Pierce wasn't in the driveway or playing in the yard. He figured Pierce was in the yard somewhere, so he told me to go pick Reagan up and he would look for Pierce. On the way, I had my cell phone in my hand. I knew Tim would call me the minute he found Pierce, so I could stop panicking. The phone wasn't ringing. I called his cell; no answer. I got to Kaylee's (Reagan's friend) house. I chatted with her mom, April, while Reagan got her stuff together. I was there about five minutes, when my cell phone finally rang. Relieved, I answered, just sure that Tim had found Pierce and all was well. "Did you find him?", I asked. "NO", was Tim's answer. Tim had gotten in his car and driven around some areas close by, and was coming up empty. Now, I was pretty panicked. I hung up and told Reagan to get in the car: We had to go NOW. I told April that Pierce was missing. She wanted me to keep her posted. We flew home. Reagan was very worried and scared. I told her that we needed to go home to make sure Daddy and Pierce weren't there and to lock up the dog that I was certain Tim had not had time to deal with. Then we would go look for Pierce. I got the dog put in her crate and was running back to the car when Tim drove up without Pierce. It was about 5:35pm. It was time to call 911. Tim left again while I talked to the operator. She asked his age, at which time I told her that Pierce was 12 and autistic. She asked what color shirt he was wearing: orange. She asked what color pants and I started to cry: "I don't know!". When I started crying, Reagan did, too. I knew I had to try to keep it together so that I didn't freak her out even more. I was told the police were on the way. I began calling family and friends and begging them for prayers. My family was frantic. They began posting urgent prayer requests on Facebook. One of my hens said she and her husband were on the way over to help. Tim got back home before the cops arrived...and he still hadn't found Pierce. That's when I really lost it. It took the police about 10 minutes to get here. By that time, it had been one hour since we saw Pierce last. When an officer finally arrived, I gave information while Tim left again. He asked me for a description of Pierce. Reagan had the presence of mind to remember the school ID with Pierce's picture on it hanging by the front door. She gave it to the officer. Another officer arrived. He began searching the property; Reagan looked, too. I could hear information about Pierce being passed along over the police radio. I called April (the mom of Reagan's friend) and told her that Pierce was still missing. She offered to help look, and I asked if I could send Reagan back with her. April arrived, and she asked for a picture of Pierce. I couldn't believe I hadn't been passing those out! I found the stack of pictures from summer camp. I don't know April very well, but I started sobbing and she hugged me and assured me that Pierce would be found. She took Reagan and Kaylee to her mother's house so that she and Kaylee's dad could go out and search. Tim came home again. We needed to call someone from our church, but there was a retreat for our church families going on out at Henry Horton State Park. We didn't know who was there and who was home. A couple from our life group was at the retreat, but we didn't know if they'd have a cell phone signal at the park. Tim looked up some numbers, and I had just entered the number of the couple from life group into my cell phone and pushed send, when the police sergeant called me over, so I hung up. "This is what you've got to do", he says. "We've found your son. He's on the interstate." I began to freak out, but he said, "There's no time to freak out! The police are trying to get traffic stopped, but he's scared and frantic, and we need you out there NOW to calm him down. Get in you car NOW and follow the officer out there!". I went inside and yelled for Tim. We jumped in the car and took off. It was 6:30pm. I don't know why they couldn't just take us out there in a police car. My theory is that they needed Pierce to see my car as a way to help calm him. We very quickly realized that this officer was clueless as to which direction on the interstate he needed to go. We had to make a U-turn. I gagged quite a few times, I really thought I was going to throw up or hyperventilate. My friends called to tell us they had arrived at the house, and we told them what was going on. As we went further down the interstate, Tim and I couldn't believe this was right. Pierce couldn't possibly have gotten this far away from home. We topped a hill and saw a police barricade and a TDOT truck redirecting traffic. There were 2 lanes closed. I could see Pierce's bike propped up against the concrete barrier. Tim told me I needed to calm down before running over there, but the car had barely stopped moving before I jumped out. Pierce was in the back of a squad car, crying. I squatted down beside him and tried to comfort him. I could see a few scrapes, and there were indentations around his wrists where the officers had restrained him. An officer explained to Tim what happened. He was driving northbound on interstate 65 when he spotted Pierce driving his bike in the inside emergency lane (beside the concrete barrier) heading southbound. He stopped to talk to Pierce, but Pierce panicked. He then drove his bike across ALL 3 LANES OF 70 MILE AN HOUR TRAFFIC to the emergency lane on the other side. The cop followed him and tackled him, bike and all. When I heard this, my knees turned to jello, and I had to sit down. After a few minutes, the police decided he was calm enough to walk over to our car. They had a few more questions for us, then we were free to go. Our friends were waiting for us back at the house. Two of my hens had dropped everything to be there for me. They walked over and we had a big group hug. One of my hens had brought her husband to help look, and her 9-year-old daughter, Olivia, to keep Reagan company. Olivia said she really wanted to be there, though, to pray with us.

We are so very thankful to everyone that lifted us up in prayer during that time, and continue to pray for us today. We praise God for a happy ending, when it so very easily could have ended in tragedy. I sobbed through all of the praise music at church the next morning, especially the song "Mighty To Save". We were so freaked out at the idea of Pierce on the interstate, but Tim had a different perspective the next day. At least on the interstate, he was visible. If he had been riding in some random neighborhood, who knows how long it would have taken to find him? He was found one hour before dark. I still have a lot of questions. All I know is how this started and how it ended. I don't know how Pierce got from point A to point B, and he can't tell us. We hope to get the police report soon, but I don't know if any questions will be answered. Pierce is okay today. We've asked him a couple of times where he was trying to go, and he says he doesn't know. Reagan was pretty shaken up, so I asked if she wanted to talk to the school counselor. She did that on Monday. Tim and I are okay most of the time. I think we're still processing. This is a game changer. We have new issues to think about now. I thought the days of Pierce wandering off were behind us. These cases are all too common, but we never thought it would happen to us. I hope and pray none of you ever have to experience the fear that we did.

*UPDATE (9/17/11)--It is one year later. We still have never seen the police report, but I have gotten a little more information about what happened that day. There is an officer assigned to Pierce's school, "Officer Fowler". He's taken quite a liking to Pierce. He told me a few months after this happened that he had been listening to the police radio that day. He heard the description of the missing child, and thought it was awful, then he heard Pierce's name and couldn't believe it! I told him that I'd been wondering if people on the interstate that day had seen him, thought it was strange and called 911. Officer Fowler said that's exactly how the police were able to find him; there were drivers calling 911. Praise God! I wish I knew who these people were so I could thank them in person!!

I'm a bit shaky reading over this again, even though I've told this story numerous times over the last year. The listeners are always shocked, and they usually comment that they can't believe how calm I am telling it. I've had some time to process it, I guess. I never, ever want to feel that panic again.

Melissa's Meals Marathon: Part Two

A few of the dishes on this menu will need no prior preparation. As I said, I use Stouffer's lasagna (the 90 oz. party size). This makes enough to have leftovers the next night. I have 3 in the freezer that I bought on sale, so this gives me 6 meals. The popcorn chicken and biscuits are also prepackaged frozen food. I have 3 meals-worth of this in the freezer. A meal that's not on this menu but I also found on sale is Bertolli's Shrimp Scampi and Linguine. I love to add a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice as it cooks and serve it with some crusty bread. I bought two of those. The turkey on my menu I prefer to cook in the crock pot all day and serve that night. So I have a turkey in my freezer ready to go. Again, this is enough food to have leftovers the next night, so that counts as two meals. I also prefer to cook the 40 Cloves and a Chicken on the day-of, so I have a cut-up chicken (divided into two meals) in the freezer. Finally, one dish on my list I had made earlier in the week and had a lot leftover (Comforting Chicken Noodle Soup). So I divided that into two meals. Before I even start, I have the makings of 17 meals in the freezer!

My marathon actually started on Friday night. I put a pork loin roast (for barbecue) in my crock pot and let it cook overnight. At 7:00 Saturday morning, I drained off all of the fat, shredded the meat and added a bottle of barbecue sauce. It would need to cook for a couple more hours, but one dish was pretty much DONE! This batch of barbecue produced 4 meals. Next, I browned 4 pounds of ground beef for spaghetti and chili. I use half a pound for each meal. I don't make my own spaghetti sauce; I use (GASP!) a jarred variety from Aldi. The Tomato Basil is cheap, easy and tastes great; so sue me! I put 4 half-pounds of beef into 4 sandwich bags. I then put those into a large vacuum sealer bag. When we're having spaghetti, all I have to do is open a jar of sauce and zap that and the meat in the microwave, then cook some pasta. I divide the rest of the meat into 4 bags for chili and add beans, tomatoes and chili powder to each. I'll just thaw this and cook on the stove for dinner one night. Three dishes down, eleven more to go! If you're keeping score, that's 29 meals.

I boil the chicken I will need for Nana's Chicken Casserole and Mexican Casserole. I also boil the macaroni for my macaroni and cheese casserole. While those are cooking, I make cornbread (for the dressing we'll have with the turkey) and baked beans and put those into the oven. I then start the Stewed Beef in my electric skillet. It will need to simmer for a couple of hours. Once the macaroni is done, I start boiling my potatoes for Garlic Mashed Potatoes. I vacuum seal the macaroni and put that and a bag of shredded cheese in the freezer. I tried freezing the assembled casserole last time, and wasn't pleased with the results. So, I'll just put the thawed macaroni and cheeses together, add my eggs and milk and bake it on the day it will be served. I vacuum seal the cornbread. Since I use the broth from my turkey to make the dressing, and I add a couple of boiled eggs (something that does NOT freeze well), that's one dish that I can't make ahead. But, at least the cornbread is baked. I divide the baked beans into 2 meals (we'll have this with Barbecue).

I'm half-way through now, and I'm starting to drag a little. My back and knees are beginning to protest. It's very important to wear good shoes on cooking days. Since this is a "marathon", I wear my running shoes. They don't prevent all of the pain, but it's more manageable than it would be if I were wearing bedroom slippers, flip flops or going barefoot. On we go! With my chicken done, I can now assemble the casseroles. I'll have 4 Nana's Chicken Casseroles, and 2 Mexican Casseroles. The potatoes are done, so I can make the Garlic Mashed Potatoes. I divide this into 4 side dishes for our Italian Meatloaf. Once the Stewed Beef is done and cooled, I divide this up into 3 meals. I now have 38 meals!

I have four dishes left to prepare, and I'm very weary. After about 9 hours, I usually hit a wall. This is the point that I feel I just can't continue and I'm ready to hit the showers. But I know I'm almost done, so I press on. Next up is the Italian Meatloaf. This is a crock pot recipe, so I just mix the ingredients together and form the mixture into a loaf. This gets frozen and vacuum sealed, then I'll cook it the day-of. This will provide about 4 nights of food, because I can freeze slices when it's done to make sandwiches later. I've decided to have breakfast for dinner a couple of nights on this rotation, so I'll cook French Toast. I've never frozen this before, but I read a cooking blog that gave instructions on doing this, so I should have good results. I'll just thaw and reheat in the oven. I made enough for 2 meals. FINALLY, I'm down to the last 2 dishes. These take the longest to prepare, so I saved them for last. They both get cooked in my 12-inch skillet, so I have to make them one at a time. The first one is Chicken in Peanut Sauce. I need to cut my chicken into bite-size pieces then saute`. I have to wash a pound of green beans, trim them and then break into smaller pieces. This dish takes me about an hour to cook. When I'm done, I have 2 meals. Last, but not least, is Chicken Piccata. The reason this one takes so long is because I'm simultaneously making dinner for my children. This dish also gives me 2 meals. My grand total is 48 MEALS IN THE FREEZER!! We only get about 4 or 5 nights a week to have dinner at home because of our busy schedules (church, life group, chorus, dance and the occasional date night or girls night out), so these meals will last us about 3 months.

Yes, it is a LOT of hard work. But, when you look at how much time and money you can save by cooking in bulk, you'll see a huge payoff! I plan to post the other menus and more recipes to the blog from time to time.

Melissa's Meals Marathon: Part One

This weekend I did what I usually refer to as my Once-A-Month Cooking. This term was coined by a couple of ladies that wrote a book on the subject some years ago (see 2/24/10 post). I don't actually do it every month, so I sometimes call it Once-A-Quarter Cooking. I'm not in love with that label, so I've given it one of my own: Melissa's Meals Marathon. Catchy, no? Well, just humor me, then.

A few weeks ago, I spent some time organizing recipes, menus and shopping lists. When I listed all of the different meals I've prepared for my family (that they liked enough to have again), I came up with 45. In a previous post, I said there were 30 that I've successfully frozen. I guess I didn't include those things that I prepare the day of (pot roast, 40 cloves and a chicken, etc.) or prepackaged frozen meals (Stouffer's does an excellent job making lasagna, so I'd just prefer to use theirs instead of going to the trouble of making it from scratch). Our family's schedules are so busy, that one batch of meals usually ends up lasting nearly 3 months. So, I made up 4 different menus to last an entire year. There are about 6 meals that I put on every list because they're the kids (or mine and Tim's) favorites: spaghetti, popcorn chicken and biscuits, lasagna, Nana's chicken casserole, chili, and 40 cloves and a chicken. The remaining 40 meals I divided up into 4 menus; I ended up with 16 meals per menu (and a few side dishes). I then made a shopping list for each menu. Confused yet? The menu for this rotation is:

Spaghetti

Popcorn chicken, biscuits and corn

Lasagna

Nana's Chicken Casserole

Chili

40 Cloves and a Chicken

Turkey, Dressing and Mac and Cheese Casserole

Stewed Beef over Egg Noodles

Comforting Chicken Noodle Soup

Mexican Chicken Casserole

Meatloaf and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Meatloaf sandwiches

Barbecue and Baked Beans

Chicken in Peanut Sauce over Rice Noodles

Chicken Piccata over Angel Hair Pasta

French Toast

I'll share the other menus and some recipes in future posts. My children will not eat most of the things on this menu. We learned early on with Pierce that food was one of those battles we'd be better off not fighting. By the time Reagan came along, I figured I might as well fix the same stuff for her that I was fixing for her brother. That's how I became a short order cook. Go ahead and criticize if you must. Anyway, the kids will eat spaghetti, popcorn chicken, lasagna, chicken casserole, french toast (well, Reagan will), and turkey, dressing and mac and cheese. I make enough of each dish to get at least 2 (sometimes 3 or 4!) meals. I spent around $260 on all of the groceries (I already had a lot of my staples and didn't need to purchase them this time). After 12 hours of cooking, I had 48 meals in varying stages of completion. Some of those just need to be reheated, some are ready for the crock pot, some I'll pop into the oven. According to my math, that's about $5.42 per meal! In Part Two, I'll take you through a timeline of my cooking marathon.