We live in a large city near the beach in the southern US.  Crime isn’t rampant, but it does happen.  I have to admit that as my pregnancy progresses, I worry a little bit about my personal safety, especially since my husband is away with business a lot.

I am very aware of the fact that I move a little bit slower than usual, and that I waddle.  My large midsection screams to the world that I am with child. I feel very vulnerable I have to admit.

Today, I was coming out of Walmart and a lady approached me and told me she didn’t want to hurt me.  I immediately put my toddler in the van, got in and shut the door.  She came to the window and told me she was a recovering drug addict and wanted a ride to the clinic where she could get some methadone.  It was just a few blocks away she said.

On the chance that her story was really for real, and also so she knew I could call for help,  I got out my cell phone.  I told her that I’d call someone to take her or I’d pay for her to get a cab.  She said no, she wanted me to give her a ride.  With that, I drove off, leaving her standing there.  I also called the manager at the Walmart too.  Better safe than sorry.

I don’t really like to fixate on the negative, but today’s experience jolted me a little bit.  Do you worry about personal safety more when you are pregnant, or when you are out with your infant? What steps do you take to make sure that you and your family are safe during outings?

In January, someone abandoned a baby girl in a Toronto parking lot stairwell. The little girl, believed to be about 8 months old at the time, was discovered about two hours later in freezing temperatures.

Since her abandonment, the baby, named Angelica-Leslie by rescuers, has been living with a foster family, and has been thriving and happy.

And late last month, police tracked down a couple who they belive to be her parents. The married couple lived nearby the parking lot at the time of the abandonment, and have been charged with several counts relating to abandoning Angelica-Leslie.

The couple have three older children, aged 5, 4 and 2. The court ordered that the older children be taken into foster care, and this weekend several more charges have been filed relating to the care of those children, including assault, and assault with a weapon.

I wonder if the older children will be reunited with their baby sister?

Assuming that the allegations of neglect are true, then the abandonment of Angelica-Leslie, awful that it was, has ultimately lead to the rescue of her older siblings from an abusive situation, and I hope that the children will be placed together and can grow up safely in a new, and loving family.

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A sad and mysterious story from Toronto.

Last week, someone abandoned a baby girl in a parking lot stairwell. The sleeping child was there for two hours in -16 degree cold until a passer-by found her and called 911. The baby was rushed to hospital, where doctors found she had bruising and signs of trauma.

This case is extremely unusual. Abandoned newborn babies are tragically something we’ve all heard about. But this baby appears to be about 8 months old, possibly older if past neglect has stunted her growth and development.

Toronto detectives have been canvasing the local area and despite media coverage, they are surprised that no-one has claimed, or identified the baby girl. They speculate she might be from out of the area, possibly abandoned by a parent, or perhaps she was abducted by a someone, then abandoned?

So enterprising detectives have placed security camera footage on video website YouTube in the hope that someone can identify the car or driver. The video was taken by a far-away camera and very grainy, but perhaps it will strike someone as familiar.

The baby, named Angelica-Leslie by rescuers, is still in the hospital.

I can only hope that if she was indeed from an abusive family, that in a bizarre way, this is the best thing that could have happened to her. I hope that she will recover, and be adopted by loving new parents and can start a new, happier life.

So please watch the YouTube video – can you shed any light on this case? What do YOU think happened?

On Wednesday night, a Maplewood, MN father took his 18-month-old son, and told his wife he was going out to buy milk.

Somewhere on the way, he seems to have changed his mind, because he never brought any milk. Instead, he drove over the state line to Wisconsin and to the Cajun Club Strip Club. He left his sleeping son in the car in freezing temperatures for over three hours.

Fortunately not all the patrons were that irresponsible. One of them noticed the sleeping baby and dialed 911. Police and Paramedics removed the baby from the car, and running a check on the license, identified the owner.

The baby was taken to hospital suffering from frostbite, and the father was arrested in the club for misdemeanor child neglect. The county attorney is considering filing felony charges.

The baby was still hospitalized on Thursday morning.

Amazingly, the baby’s mother, the man’s girlfriend, bailed him out.

If my husband had done the same thing, I’d be leaving him to rot. Do you think she did the right thing for the father of her child, or is it taking “stand by your man” too far?

Source – WCCO.com News