Of Lizards and Leila

Imagine the start I got when I rounded the corner of the dining room table and got an eyeful of this little bugger! (Please ignore the Cheerio in the upper right.) The only way I can think of that he would have come in is from the back deck (I frequently leave the screen open so Leila can crawl in and out), or possibly through the front door, the screen of which is invariably left open by members of the household who shall remain unnamed.

Which leads me to a rather embarrassing moment. (I will blame Curtis for it!) The other day, my upstairs neighbor paid me a very kind compliment and told me he thought I was a great mom. Not 10 minutes later, there he was at my door carrying Leila, who had escaped out the front door (which someone had left wide open, of course) and scooted up the stairs as fast as her little legs could go. In my defense, I had gone to the bathroom and had put Curtis in charge, but how are you supposed to tell that to the neighbor? "Yeah, thanks for bringing my kid back. It's all my husband's fault. I really am a good mom, I promise!"