Thursday, July 14, 2011

Chapter Fifteen - A Custody Order

As I realized that I am coming to the end of the unpacking of my life, I also realized that I had a smile on my face after pulling out the Walk the Line DVD.  It made me laugh to go back five years and see the turn of events and also see the life I had now made for myself.  My smile seemed to broaden as I slowly lifted out an official court document.  This document would take me from a middle aged childless woman to full time mother.  Yes, in November of 2007, I would become a mother to five year old twins.  I thought initially that I was taking on the role of stepmom and felt that I could handle that.  I was a strong, loving and capable woman.  I mean really how hard can it be right?  But when the judge stated that Jeff was awarded full custody and reality began to sink in, my face turned pale, my heart palpitated, and I felt dizzy.  These two kids would be mine and Jeff's responsibility 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the next 13 years of of my life. 

Per the original custody order, we were required to allow Andrea to visit the kids every other weekend but she had to be supervised by her parents at all times.   I knew that this was going to be a goat rodeo but the judge ordered it and we had to obey his order.  This visitation arrangement took place from July to October of 2007, but that was taken away after one dark, cold evening in October.  Andrea showed up at our door with the Cartersville Police Department and things went downhill from there.  That evening was probably the closest I had ever come to being taken to jail, however, as far as I was concerned, that was the night that Andrea put the nail in her coffin for good.   

So, after 14 months of being in foster care, the kids were finally home and would be starting kindergarten the next week.  Since I had no idea how this mommy stuff worked, I did what any other new mom would do.  I went to the school and asked the woman behind the desk "so, what am I supposed to do now?"

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