OK. I know it's almost one in the morning and I am still awake. Some times as I had said before, there will be something that is bothering me and I can't sleep. This last week was trying for me, as I took the girls out on Spring Break and got them off their routine. Needless to say I lost my patience a few times, and I am grateful we are back to school.
For us it has been quite an adjustment as we are approaching a year of having the girls (unbelievable!) and we are learning to choose our battles, to give up on some house organization. Our relationship has also had to change. We still spend time with each other. We don't go out as much (although we never did very much), but it has been more of the pace and the activity present in the house. As well as the amount of house work (the girls are just learning how to do house work, they are not very good at it) we need to do.
The worst part are the things that you forget and for me this is a lot, given also that at work there are so many things that I must remember as well . In the last few weeks our 'adjustment' has transformed in the area of receiving more tickets from the police that we are used to. The day after the adoption Alex was racing home because she said she had to go to the bathroom and he got a speeding ticket. Today I got a ticket because my plates where expired (I had totally forgotten) and was not carrying my insurance card (if you are not doing this, do it. It is now a requirement in WI). Last summer I got a ticket in front of the same school as I did today because supposedly I did not do a proper stop. I was on my way to the first time the girls were doing a play. Now I have two tickets on my record and Alex has one. Not good. We have spent over 350 dollars in tickets in the last year. That does not count a few parking tickets Alex has gotten downtown Madison.
Mine have been given by Middleton police. One by Sun Prairie Police. I'm glad I don't live in Middleton except my name will be in the paper again and our janitor actually reads this and reported to me one day that he had seen my name in the paper. I don't think I had been that embarrassed in a long time. Now I feel our car (the van) must be on some list. I did not loose any points today, but have to pay another fine. I had never had two tickets in my life. I wonder if this is part of being a new parent. Truly embarrasing.
Mercedes, I am sorry about the tickets in terms of the money, but please stop being so hard on yourself. So embarrassed? Just remember, you missed out on all of the years that the girls could have done a lot of embarrassing things to you. Temper tantrums in stores, screaming fits on airplanes, diaper accidents in public pools, vomiting in school... you name it: kids do things. Neither those things nor the tickets reflect on you and Alex as people. Or parents. Your mind is obviously always elsewhere... you are a mom of 4 now!
ReplyDeleteJust chalk it up to the craziness of your new life. The most important thing is this: you and Alex have given 4 sisters a life they never could have dreamed of otherwise. They are going to make mistakes and so are you. What you have done by opening your heart and your home to them forever speaks louder than any ticket or mention in the paper. Don't ever forget it. :)