Invasion of stubby!

So this might gross all of you reader out, it sure grossed me out, and sent me in to major paranoia. A few weeks ago, I noticed some think that may have been mouse poop in the laundry room-gross I know! I have a major mice phobia, and so mouse traps were set up in there immediately (by Ryan or course-I boycotted anything to do with mice-I'll take dirty diapers, and being puked on any day over that! The next two days in a row the trap was set off but dragged almost a foot away from where it was set, but no mice. I knew this must be a strong mouse because they were the heavy duty gray mouse traps. We hadn't had any catches since then so I hoped that it was injured enough and ran off and died, and that was the only one. I relaxed a little bit, until yesterday. Yesterday morning I was packing Ryan a lunch as usual. I ran down to the food room to get something and as I ran back up the stairs I saw something fat, round and fuzzy kind of bouncing on the stairs. I almost stepped on it barefoot before I noticed it! I looked for a second and realized it must be a mouse. Do mice use the stairs? I started screaming and Ryan flew out of bed to save me (what a sweetie). It got down the stairs and ran- or more like wobbled behind the entertainment center where Ryan trapped it in, and set traps. I am hopping it was still under there when he trapped it in and didn't get away first! We realized that it must be the same mouse we had trapped before that had gotten away by the broken leg that was noticeable by it's run. I have been very jumpy ever since, and will not be able to walk barefoot in my house, or open a door comfortably, or not scan the ground every step that I take. It is funny how something so little can change your whole routine. I can't even sleep well until it is caught! I woke up suddenly and woke up Ryan to tell him that Stubby was probably not so fat from eating the plenitude of crumbs it could surely find on the floor or in the pantry, Stubby was surely pregnant-this was a fat mouse!! I continue to pray that we catch stubby before long so that I can relax again in my own house. The traps have tippled, and I have vacuumed and swept up any crumb that might entice it. I think the thing that disturbed me the most was seeing that a mouse would feel inclined to use the stairs. I'm sure it was too fat to fit through any hole that a normal skinny mouse would use. I hope I didn't gross you out too much, and that your homes are free of mice. I will be much more cautious about any doors left open while the kids play outside, or any food that the kids leave around the house. All I want for Christmas is a mouse!