A/N: Thank you for all the sweet reviews and congratulations on my GPA!
I guess I'm late again, but maybe Tuesday should be my update day... ;) Thanks for remaining patient. It really means a lot!
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or these characters.
Esme POV
Our first weekend together had been relaxing and laid back, but by Monday morning, I could already tell the next week would be incredibly busy.
The day started bright and early, as had been our new normal. I woke up snuggled next to Carlisle, so at first I thought we were alone. When I sat up, I discovered I was wrong. Jasper was indeed in bed with us, just on Carlisle's other side. It didn't bother me that Jasper found comfort in our bed at night, but I knew he couldn't sleep with us forever. I wasn't sure how to get him to sleep by himself or even with Emmett. There was such a fine line for him, and Rosalie, between normal two-year-old behavior and post-traumatic fears. Pushing them too hard definitely wouldn't do any of us any good. Carlisle's idea to speak with someone was an excellent one, and I hoped the sleeping situation was one that could be resolved.
Rosalie's nightmares were also something that needed to be addressed. I didn't know if anything could be done to help her, but it broke my heart to hear her cry out in her sleep and to see the fear in her eyes when she woke up. I hoped they would decrease in frequency over time, but until then I had no problem with getting up to soothe her when she needed me. It was almost like having a newborn again, just without the nightly feedings. At least Rosalie managed to rest peacefully once I tended to her.
Since she woke up during the night, she slept later into the morning which gave me time to take a shower. Having a shower in the morning always seemed like a good way to start the day, providing a few moments to not rush out to what the real world had in store for us.
Our morning stayed within our new routine. After everyone was awake, I made breakfast which we enjoyed together. Carlisle and I then dressed the kids in coordinating outfits.
Carmen had seriously gone overboard with the shopping, but I couldn't complain. She somehow managed to find the cutest clothes I could ever imagine, and even though the matching was mostly for the adults' enjoyment, the kids loved it, too. Emmett especially loved wearing the same thing as Jasper, and he made sure that we knew his feelings. Rosalie's favorite thing was the wide array of hair bows Carmen had provided. She loved wearing them and was definitely a stereotypical little girl. Having a little girl was so much fun for me after living with only a boy for so long.
While the kids spent the morning playing, Carlisle and I continued to research different vehicles on the internet. We wanted to know exactly what we planned to test drive before we left the house. I was nervous about leaving the kids, and I wanted to get back as soon as possible.
Carmen came over to eat lunch with us before we left. Eleazar was unexpectedly needed at work, so Carmen decided to just keep the kids at our house to keep us from having to gather up everything they would need and take them to her house. I was once again thankful for her thoughtfulness. Having her over for lunch also gave the kids a chance to adjust to her being with them before we left. We were trying to make everything go as smoothly as possible and avoid any unnecessary tears or protests.
Unfortunately, the transition did not go how we planned. Before we were even ready to leave, Rosalie was clingier than she had been, as if she could sense I was going to be leaving her. Jasper also seemed to sense that something was different and stayed close to me and Carlisle. Emmett was the only one not affected, and he was just happy that Nana was at our house two days in a row. His made his feelings know about this as well and even sang us a song about it.
When it was time for us to go, it was just as bad as it had been when Carlisle and I had to leave them at the hospital without us. I tried to pass Rosalie to Carmen, but she held on to me for dear life.
"It's okay, baby. We'll be back soon," I said softly to Rosalie. She tightened her hold on me and shook her head, but I persisted. "You'll be okay with Nana, and I promise we'll be back."
When I finally managed to get her into Carmen's arms, the tears started. She cried for me and tried her hardest to get back to me, and I honestly felt like crying along with her. Hearing her call me by name made it so much worse, and I started to wonder if we really needed to be able to travel in one vehicle anyway. Using two separate cars was sounding better by the second if it meant eliminating this fear and sadness.
I looked over at Carlisle, but he wasn't doing that much better with Jasper. Jasper was slightly less dramatic, but I could tell he didn't want to let Carlisle go. Carlisle was whispering in his ear, and he was nodding in response but the expression on his face was pitiful.
Poor Emmett was confused as to what was going on, so I crouched down and called him over to me. He ran to my arms and hugged me tightly.
"Mommy, what wrong?" he asked. He looked so worried, and I tried to smile to disparage his unnecessary fears.
"Well, Mommy and Daddy have to go out for a little while. You guys are going to stay here and play with Nana, but Rosalie and Jasper are sad that we're leaving. Do you think you can help them feel better?"
He thought about my request for a few seconds and then nodded. "So I gets to play with Nana now?"
I nodded. "Mmhmm. And Rosalie and Jasper, but you need to see if you can help them not be sad, okay?"
"Okay, Mommy!" he smiled, and I was glad at least one of my children wasn't upset.
Emmett ran over to Carlisle, and he also knelt down to be at Emmett's level. Carlisle talked to Emmett and Jasper before taking them both over to sit on the couch beside Carmen who was holding a still crying Rosalie. Emmett held Jasper's hand as they sat, and he seemed to be slightly less worried which made me genuinely smile.
After a few last kisses goodbye, we managed to make it out the door. I felt so guilty for leaving Rosalie and Jasper when they didn't feel secure and for leaving Carmen to deal with our distraught children, but it was too little late to change our minds. I just hoped Emmett would be able to ease their fears.
"Are you okay?" Carlisle asked after I had fastened my seatbelt in the car. I had finally let a couple of tears fall, and I knew he was worried about me.
"I'm all right," I said honestly as I sniffled back any more tears that were threatening to fall. "It was heartbreaking to cause that reaction, but I really am okay now."
"I know, sweetheart," he said and lifted my hand up to kiss my knuckles. "But I'm sure they'll be okay. Let's get this done as quickly as possible."
I agreed, and we pulled out of the driveway with our goal in mind.
Carlisle drove directly to the dealership, and we were able to look at the vehicle we wanted. It was a dark gray minivan complete with all the amenities. We both test drove it, and it met the expectations we had after our research.
Since we had done research beforehand, there wasn't much of a decision to be made regarding the purchase, and Carlisle made plans to go back the next morning with Eleazar to finalize everything. Even the salesman was impressed by how fast we chose, but we really didn't have any time to waste. Our babies were at home and wanted us, so we had plenty of motivation to hurry.
On our way home, we stopped to purchase some things we needed. It was easier to get them while we were already out, and that way we wouldn't have to drag the kids out later. Diapers and wipes were a must as well as more juice and milk. Carlisle also led me to the toys because he wanted to pick out a little something for kids. The first thing he found was a plastic tea set for Rosalie which made me smile. His love for her grew everyday even if she wouldn't be around him. My husband was definitely one of the sweetest men ever. After finding a couple of small cars for the boys, we paid for everything and drove home as quickly as possible.
When we walked in the door, I let out a sigh of relief upon being met with quiet. In my mind, I had pictured Rosalie and Jasper crying for us the whole time we were gone, so it was nice to find out that my imagination had run wild. Carlisle started putting the groceries away for me, but I couldn't wait any longer to see my babies.
I went directly to the family room, and was relived once more. Everything was as peaceful as the sound portrayed. Emmett was sprawled out on the couch fast asleep under a blanket. Carmen was sitting in the recliner holding Jasper while reading him a book. Rosalie was also in her lap, but she was napping like Emmett. Her face was content as she snuggled in Carmen's arms, nothing like it had been when we left. I felt so much calmer after seeing that everyone was still in one piece.
Carmen glanced up and smiled when she noticed me watching them. She stopped reading and gently nudged Jasper which made him look up at her. She said something to him that was too soft for me to hear, but as soon as Jasper looked in my direction and smiled, I knew it was about me.
Jasper quickly slid out of Carmen's lap, and I laughed as he ran towards me. I knelt down to catch him as he threw himself at me, and I held him tightly once he was in my arms. His arms were wrapped around my neck, and even when I stood up, he didn't release me. Everything felt right again after I had one of my children back in my arms, and I didn't even want to think about going somewhere without them again.
"I missed you buddy," I said softly as I peppered his face with kisses. He wrinkled his nose in the way I was now familiar with but continued to smile and didn't try to stop my affection.
I only stopped when I realized that something behind me had captured his attention. When I turned around, I saw that it was Carlisle, and I gladly passed Jasper to him. While they were spending time together, I moved closer to the recliner so I could talk to Carmen.
"How were they?" I whispered as she continued to rock Rosalie. I knelt down so I would be closer to my baby girl and placed a tender kiss on her forehead.
"They were wonderful," Carmen assured me with a smile. "Thank you for letting me have some time with them."
"So they finally calmed down? There weren't any more meltdowns or anything like that?"
Carmen chuckled softly, interrupting my frantic questioning. "It was fine, darling," she assured me. "Emmett and Jasper played the whole time until Emmett passed out on the couch. Rosalie calmed down after I walked around with her and gave her some juice. She's been asleep for about thirty minutes, and I was trying to get Jasper to take a nap before you came home. And that's about all we did."
I smiled, thankful for her reassurance. Leaving had been hard, but I was happy to know that they hadn't been upset for long. I was also incredibly proud of Emmett for playing with Jasper which I knew helped distract him. So far, he had been an excellent big brother, and it was amazing what a three year old could do.
"Thank you so much, Carmen," I sighed. "You've done so much for us already, and I just don't think I'll ever be able to thank you enough."
She shook her head. "I've already told Carlisle this, but I'll pass on the message directly to you. When my babies have babies, I'm there to do whatever I can to make their lives easier. It seems to me like you just brought two babies home from the hospital which definitely earns some help."
I started to comment about not have newborns, but Carmen's pointed look stopped me from opening my mouth.
"Now, I love helping you out in any way, and you never have to thank me. My reasons aren't entirely selfless; I do love seeing my grandbabies after all. So you just save yourself some time arguing and let me help you anyway I can, okay?"
I nodded. There was no way I could ever deny her time with her grandchildren. She and Eleazar both loved their family so much, and Rosalie and Jasper certainly could use as much love and support as possible. If Carmen wanted to help me out, then I knew I would be stupid to tell her she couldn't. Her help had already been a lifesaver many times in the past few days, and I would probably need the help on into the future.
I stood up as Carmen started to move out of the recliner with Rosalie.
"Do you want her?" Carmen asked softly after she was standing.
I thought about it and looked at Rosalie's peaceful face. I wanted to hold her in my arms, but I didn't want to take a chance on waking her up. She still needed as much rest as possible, and naps were good since she didn't seem to have nightmares during them.
"Just lay her on the couch with Emmett," I answered finally. "I want to get some snuggle time with him anyway, and maybe she will sleep a while longer."
Carmen nodded and carefully laid Rosalie down on the other end of the couch. After covering her with a blanket, Carmen gathered her things to get ready to leave.
Carlisle had been rocking Jasper back and forth while standing up, and he was almost asleep. He quickly took Carmen's seat in the recliner so rocking would be easier. Once he was sitting, Carmen said goodbye and kissed his cheek before heading to the door with me following.
When we made it to the door, I pulled Carmen in for a hug. "Thank you," I whispered. "I know you don't need me to say it, but I just want you to know how much I appreciate everything."
"Oh, I know, my darling." She patted my back before stepping back and holding my hands in hers. "And I will always be here for you, Carlisle, and those wonderful children of yours. So don't ever hesitate to call me, all right?"
"All right," I chuckled. "But we probably won't need you tomorrow, so enjoy the day for yourself."
"Oh that's right!" she exclaimed. "Your social worker is coming tomorrow. Are you nervous?"
"I don't think so," I said honestly. The difficult part of the process was already over and the home study wasn't a big deal, or at least for us it wasn't. We hadn't had any problems during the one before Carlisle adopted Emmett, and I didn't think there would be any this time. And Mrs. Cope seemed like an incredibly sweet lade. We didn't really have a chance to get to know her last time, but I had a feeling we would now. I could tell she really cared about her job and doing what was best for the kids, and if she already liked us, then I didn't think we had anything to worry about.
"Good," Carmen smiled and squeezed my hands. "I doubt you have anything to worry about. I'll probably stop by sometime later this week. I have some more shopping to do."
I couldn't help but shake my head as I told her goodbye. My mother-in-law was one of a kind, but I loved her all the more for it. She was going to try to buy the word for the kids, but who was I to stop her from doing something she loved?
Once Carmen left, I returned to the family room where the rest of my family was. Carlisle had gotten Jasper to sleep, but he continued to rock him while his own eyes closed. He had clearly missed the kids as much as I had. I had no idea how he would ever be able to go back to work again.
I sat down on the couch and pulled Emmett's feet into my lap. I was hoping he would wake up before Rosalie so I could spend some time with him without anyone else needing my attention. My goal was that he never felt neglected or that he was loved any less than before. In order to achieve this goal, I knew that one-on-one time was needed.
Luckily, Emmett did start to wake up before anyone else was stirring. He stretched and rubbed his eyes before sitting up, and he smiled when he saw me.
"Mommy, you home," he yawned.
"I am home, buddy. Did you have fun with Nana?"
He nodded but didn't elaborate, which I expected. He didn't have much to say when he first woke up, and it was one of the few times, besides when he was eating, when he wasn't talking up a storm.
I held out my arms for him, and he wasted no time before crawling into my lap. I wrapped the blanket around him and held him close to me. I had missed my cuddle time with Emmett more than I realized, and it was nice to finally have some time for just him. He also seemed to enjoy time with me, and snuggled as close as he could.
"Mommy, where you go?" he asked after a few minutes of quiet snuggling.
"We went to look at new cars," I said and kissed the top of his head.
He immediately sat up and looked at me with excitement clear in his eyes. "We gets a new car?"
"Well…yes. We're getting a minivan. Do you know what that is?"
He shook his head, and I tried not to laugh at his expression. It was like I had told him that Christmas was coming early.
"It's a big car, bigger than both the cars we have now. And we'll all fit in it."
"So I gets to ride in it? And Jasper and Rosie gets to ride in it?"
"Mmhmm," I nodded. "You, me, Jasper, Rosalie, and Daddy will all ride in it at the same time."
"Wow!" he whispered dramatically, and I couldn't stop the laugh that time. "Thassa really, really big car! Cans I get in now?"
"It won't be here until tomorrow, but I promise you can explore it then, okay?" He smiled and nodded excitedly, and I kissed his forehead before continuing our cuddling.
A simple conversation with my son had drastically improved my mood, and I no longer felt guilty for leaving. Even a few minutes after returning home, it was easy to look back and see that we really hadn't been gone that long.
I was rewarded a little while later when Rosalie woke up and was also very glad to see me. Emmett had moved on to playing by the time she woke up, so I was able to have a few minutes with just her. The kisses and hugs she gave me were invaluable and seeing the joy on her face was also amazing. After everything Rosalie and Jasper had been through, Carlisle and I leaving for a few hours wasn't that big of a deal. If anything, I decided it had been a good thing. They were able to see that we would return like we said we would. They craved that stability, and I was happy to give it to them.
Surprisingly, Rosalie seemed relieved to see Carlisle as well. He had fallen asleep with Jasper, and she watched them closely with a smile on her face. I hoped she was beginning to see that he meant her no harm. He was with Emmett and Jasper all day long, and they were happy which I knew she saw. Progress was made every day, though, and I just knew that one day all of our patience would be rewarded.
After Jasper and Carlisle were both awake, we were able to give the kids the toys we had picked out. Emmett and Jasper loved their cars, but I hadn't doubted that they would. Emmett had always loved anything with wheels, and Jasper seemed to have that in common with him. Rosalie loved her tea set, and I tried to stress that Carlisle was the one who picked it out for her.
Doing so made me think of another issue we probably needed help with. Carlisle and I hadn't discussed names yet. Rosalie knew me as Esme, or May in her words, but I wasn't sure what she knew Carlisle by. Emmett always called us Mommy and Daddy so that was another thing to consider. I had a strong feeling that Rosalie and Jasper had never had a daddy in their lives, but they had had a mother of some sort. I couldn't just assume a title that had belonged to someone else only days before, and I didn't want to pressure them into something their minds couldn't handle yet. I had no idea how to combine the different methods of identification which left us with a great need of help.
Carlisle and I quickly discussed it again while the kids played. We both agreed that we needed someone we were comfortable with, and that inevitably led us to think of only Siobhan. I honestly didn't trust anyone else to help us, so our original plan held and Carlisle called Siobhan's office to set up an appointment for us. We chose a time on Wednesday morning, partly because it was the first available time and partly because I wanted to get everything done during the beginning of the week so the rest of the week could be spent together without interruptions.
Having an appointment time lifted another weight off my shoulders and left me in a cheerful mood for the rest of the afternoon. My mood seemed to affect everyone else's, and smiles and giggles were plentiful as we played with the new toys until it was time for dinner.
After dinner, bath time was added to our nighttime routine. Carlisle put the boys in our bath tub and let them play while I took Rosalie into one of the other bathrooms. She couldn't immerse her stitches in water, so I had to modify my approach to bathing. Thankfully, we had a detachable shower head which made the process a bit easier. It took longer than a normal bath, but apart from a few shivers, there were no complaints from Rosalie.
Once I dried Rosalie off, put lotion on her, combed her hair, and dressed her in a new pink nightgown, we returned downstairs. Carlisle hadn't finished with the boys yet, so I went to the kitchen to pour the kids some milk. After giving Rosalie her medicine, I carried her to the family room to snuggle on the couch to wait for the boys to come down.
When Carlisle did come down with the boys, they sat on the couch beside Rosalie and me. The boys picked out a book which Carlisle read as they drank their milk. We soon had three sleeping children spread out in our laps, and we couldn't have been happier. Going from one child to three was definitely more rewarding than we ever could have thought possible.
After tucking them in bed, Carlisle and I didn't stay up much longer. We both had an early morning to look forward to, and sleep was greatly needed after the draining day.
"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Carlisle asked softly as we lay in bed together.
I had one of my legs placed between his as I cuddled as close to him as I could. His body was warm against mine, and I shivered in contentment which caused him to hold me tighter.
"I am ready. I have a feeling that we're going to have fun with Mrs. Cope. She seems very nice."
"She does, doesn't she?" he pondered softly. "And it's not like we have anything to worry about. The hard part is over."
I smiled and nodded. It felt good to know that Carlisle was thinking the same way I was.
We were too tired to talk about anything else, so after telling each other goodnight, Carlisle turned out the light.
I took me a while to fall asleep since my mind wouldn't stop thinking about the day to come. I wasn't nervous about Mrs. Cope coming, and excited wasn't the exact word for my feelings either. I was more ready. Ready for all of the formalities to be over. Ready for the chance of them leaving to be eliminated. More than ready for them to officially be ours.
"Petty," Rosalie said as she pointed to herself in the mirror. She then tilted her head to one side and looked up at me while patting the brown hair bow already in place on her little blonde head.
"Yes, you are pretty, baby," I chuckled and kissed her forehead.
"May petty." This time, she pointed to me in the mirror, and I couldn't help but kiss her once more.
"Thank you, sweet girl. You're being such a good helper."
It was early, or at least a bit earlier than usual for me to be getting ready.
Carlisle had gotten up early, and Eleazar had met him here so they could drive over to the car dealership. He hoped that by going early, he would get finished faster and be able to be back by the time Mrs. Cope arrived.
I had planned to sleep a little later than him, but Rosalie had other plans. She had only woken up once during the night, which was good, but it caused her to wake up much earlier than normal. My plans for a private shower disappeared, but Rosalie seemed fine with playing with toys on the floor while I quickly bathed.
We were now still in the bathroom while I styled my hair and got dressed. I had placed a folded on the counter so Rosalie could sit more comfortably, and I discovered that she loved looking the mirror. I fixed her hair first so she could watch me, and it appeared that her word of the day was "pretty." She was pretty, I was pretty, her baby was pretty, the sink was pretty. Her list went on and on, but I was glad that she was speaking more. She wasn't as quiet as Jasper, but she had been a bit withdrawn since we came home.
"Rosalie, what's Emmett doing?" I asked as I put the finishing touches on my low-maintenance hair and make-up.
"Em's seepin'," she answered confidently while swinging her legs back and forth.
"Well, what's Jasper doing?"
"J seepin', too!" she exclaimed like it was the most ridiculous thing ever.
"Do those boys sleep a lot?" I asked teasingly, and she nodded.
I wished she was right. Jasper had woken up twice during the night. The first time, he fell asleep quickly after joining us in bed. The second time, Carlisle got up with him and had to rock him back to sleep. It didn't surprise me that he was still sleeping after the late night.
When I was finished getting ready, Rosalie held her arms out for me, and I gladly lifted her into my arms to carry her to her room. Jasper was still sleeping soundly in the big bed, but our passing through didn't disturb him.
After dressing her in a brown knit dress with pink polka dots and matching leggings, I headed downstairs to start breakfast. Rosalie sat quietly on the little sofa, which was starting to be a permanent fixture in the kitchen, and played with her baby doll as I cooked scrambled eggs and sausage.
I tried to listen for Jasper and Emmett waking up, but I was surprised when I heard the sound of quiet footsteps in the kitchen. I turned around from the stove, and smiled when I saw Jasper standing beside Rosalie.
"Good morning, buddy," I said cheerfully. "Did you come downstairs all by yourself?"
He nodded, and I was very proud of him for already knowing his way around the house.
Emmett soon joined us, and as soon as the food was ready, we sat down to eat. I took Carlisle's usual seat so I could be beside Jasper while I held Rosalie. They all fed themselves without a problem, and I had just finished cleaning sticky fingers when the doorbell rang.
I knew immediately that it was someone who didn't normally come over since most people we knew knocked on the door instead of using the doorbell. My guess was that it was Mrs. Cope, so I headed to the door to let her in. Rosalie was with me as always, and Emmett and Jasper didn't want to miss out on all the fun either.
When I opened the door, I found that it was Mrs. Cope, and she laughed upon seeing all of us at the door.
"Well good morning, all of you," she chuckled with a smile.
"Good morning, Mrs. Cope," I smiled back. "I think they were a bit eager to see who came to visit us."
I stepped aside so she could come in, and Jasper immediately hid behind my legs. I placed my hand on the top of his head to soothe him which seemed to help a little. Rosalie was also hiding with her face pressed tightly against my neck. I wasn't sure how she could breathe in that position, but I wasn't going to move her if she felt safe.
"Who are you?" Emmett asked as soon as Mrs. Cope was inside and I had the door closed. I couldn't suppress my snort at his boldness, but at least he wasn't that rude.
Mrs. Cope took his little outburst in stride and knelt down to his level to talk to him.
"I'm Mrs. Cope. I know you probably don't remember me, but I've met you before."
"You have?" Emmett asked with wide eyes.
She nodded. "Yep. And today I came to see you, Rosalie, Jasper, and your Mommy and Daddy. Is it okay if I stay?"
Emmett nodded happily which didn't surprise me. He loved anyone he thought was a new playmate, and Mrs. Cope had such a sweet way of talking to him. She really did love children, and it showed when she communicated with them.
With Emmett appeased, he ran off to the family room, and we followed him. As we walked, I had a chance to actually look at Mrs. Cope for the first time. She was wearing jeans and a sweater, very similar to my attire for the day. It was very different from her usual dress suits. I must have been staring because she chuckled softly.
"I hope this is all right," she said, gesturing towards her clothing. "I don't normally dress this casually, but I knew I was coming to a house with three toddlers. I decided that comfort would be best."
"It's perfectly fine," I assured her, slightly embarrassed at being caught. "We always dress casually so you'll fit in here."
When we made it to the family room, Emmett had started pulling out toys to play with. I stopped him before he went too far and talked him in to helping me give another house tour. Since that was the primary reason for Mrs. Cope's visit, I figured it was best to get it over with first.
We started upstairs, showing her all the bedrooms. I apologized for the unmade beds, but she waved me off and said she didn't expect everything to be perfect. Emmett was very happy to show his bedroom and bragged that Jasper shared the bed with him. The boys also showed off their stuffed dogs that Carmen had given them, and I was glad that Jasper was slowly getting used to Mrs. Cope being around.
While we were upstairs, I dressed the boys since they were still in their pajamas. It was a lot of work without having Carlisle there to help me, but I managed even with Rosalie hanging on to me.
After the upstairs tour was finished, we began the downstairs. It didn't take as long as upstairs, and when we were finished, the boys stayed in the family room to play while we went to the kitchen.
I fixed Mrs. Cope some coffee, and we talked while I cleaned up our breakfast mess and periodically checked on the boys. She asked how things were going so far, and I was proud to answer that everything had been going smoothly. We then skipped over the other formal questions, and I filled her in on what we had been doing since we saw her last. It was much easier to talk about our difficulties conceiving now. Rosalie and Jasper were the perfect editions to our family, and our love for them left no room to be sad anymore.
We also talked about our new house. Mrs. Cope, or Shelley as she told me to call her, absolutely loved it and complemented my decorating many times. I found that I enjoyed talking with her. It was more of like talking to an old friend than an assigned social worker, and I told her so. She laughed but explained that she wanted that. She was still our social worker, but that wasn't going to stop her from enjoying spending time with our family.
We eventually had to return to the more formal questions for me to answer some specifics, but she seemed very pleased with the answers, especially with Rosalie's progress. It was amazing to see how much better she was doing just since leaving the hospital. She talked and laughed more and looked healthier in general. Jasper had also gained a sparkle in his eyes, and I could tell that Mrs. Cope completely approved of how close he already was with Emmett.
I couldn't wait for her to witness the bond between Carlisle and Jasper. It was just as special as my bond with Rosalie, and even I loved watching them together.
"So where is your husband?" she asked after I had mentioned Carlisle taking time off of work to spend with the family.
"He's actually with his uncle right now. We chose a new vehicle for the family yesterday, and he went to finalize everything this morning." I glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was getting close to lunch time. "He should be back pretty soon."
"We still have a lot to do," I continued. "The car was the first thing, but we have rooms to decorate and more shopping to do. I'm sorry everything isn't finished yet."
"Don't worry about it," she said with a smile. "I know this was a sudden arrangement, and frankly, I'm amazed that you've been able to pull this off so quickly. They both seem well adjusted to living here, even without all the extras. I would like to see the rooms when you have everything finished. I'm sure it will be beautiful with you decorating."
I blushed at her compliment and quickly turned the conversation away from me.
Since the kitchen was clean and the coffee was gone, we headed to the family room to be more comfortable. The boys were still playing with their new cars and proceeded to drive them over any surface they could find. Rosalie had come out of hiding, and I convinced her to show Mrs. Cope her baby doll. Mrs. Cope was very gentle with her as we always were, and it paid off when Rosalie interacted with her.
Carlisle returned a few minutes later with our new van, and I kept my promise to Emmett by letting him explore it. All the kids seemed to be excited about the new big toy, and Carlisle and Eleazar hooked the car seats up right away which they enjoyed sitting in.
After the kids had their fun, Eleazar left to get home to Carmen who was cooking lunch for him. We all smiled when Jasper gave him a hug goodbye, and I wished that Mrs. Cope would have seen him just days before when he was afraid of Pops.
Carlisle and I finally dragged the kids back inside. He volunteered to make lunch, and I didn't turn down his offer. The peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with goldfish crackers seemed to be a hit with everyone. I tried to apologize to Mrs. Cope for having such a simple meal, but she assured me that she was used to it since PB&J was a favorite meal for her teenage daughters.
After lunch, Mrs. Cope asked Carlisle the same questions she had asked me. She seemed just as satisfied with his answers as she had been with mine, but we had answered very similarly.
Even though she had all of her information, Mrs. Cope stayed for the rest of the afternoon and played with us. I didn't mind having her, and she truly seemed to enjoy spending her time with us. I also knew that it gave her an opportunity to see us all together as a family and how much we loved each other.
Over all, it was a wonderful day, and I was sad to see Mrs. Cope go. Before she left, she explained that nothing would change for us now. The only thing different would be that our paperwork would be completed, and we were ready to wait out the rest of the adoption process. She also told us that the police had boxed up Rosalie and Jasper's belongings from their old apartment and she would be getting them to us. I hadn't really thought about their old things until she mentioned it, but I hoped that they would enjoy seeing their old toys.
The rest of our day was slow and a bit sluggish. No one had taken a nap which left us with three cranky and whiny children. As soon as dinner was over, Carlisle cleaned up while I took them upstairs to get ready for bed. They weren't very cooperative, but I managed to change them all and put the boys in bed.
Carlisle brought up their cups of milk, and we let them drink them in bed so they would go to sleep. I had no idea how Jasper would do with getting himself to sleep, but a few minutes later, we had two boys sleeping peacefully.
Rosalie tried to stay awake as long as she could even though she was exhausted from waking up early. But after I lay down with her in bed, she was out almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Carlisle and I went back downstairs, but after looking at the couch and then at each other, we locked the doors and turned out the lights before heading right back upstairs.
"This is starting to be a new trend, isn't it?" I laughed as we curled up in bed together.
"I think you're right," Carlisle chuckled. "This is early for us, though."
I looked over at the clock and saw that it wasn't even eight yet. Carrying around Rosalie all day was tiring, and today had not been an exception. I had also had Jasper in my arms part of the day, too. They didn't weigh as much as they should, but it was enough to make my arms sore.
"And we have to get up early tomorrow, too," I groaned and snuggled close to him.
He turned out the light and kissed my forehead before pulling the covers over us.
"But after tomorrow we won't have to get up early for the rest of the week," he said in a yawn.
I nodded and closed my eyes while getting comfortable against Carlisle's shoulder.
"Goodnight, sweetheart," he whispered. "I love you so much. You're an amazing mother to our children."
"Goodnight. I love you, too," I said and kissed his chest. "They're so lucky to have a daddy like you."
While I hadn't been nervous about our day with Mrs. Cope, I was a bit anxious about talking with Siobhan. I wanted to do everything I could for Rosalie and Jasper to help them heal, and I was afraid of having done something wrong already. We had basically been flying by the seats of our pants so to speak, but at least Mrs. Cope had told us that we were doing a good job.
Each day together was as exhausting as the last, but even more special. We were slowly but surely crossing hurdles and we seemed to be doing it with ease. Talking with Siobhan was another one we would cross soon, and I hoped that we would have a better idea about how to be there for Rosalie and Jasper.
We were becoming closer as a family, and the only thing left to do was work out all the finer details. Whatever we did, we would do it together along with our loving support system. I had faith that everything would work out in the end.
A/N: I don't think I'll be able to update again before the weekend, so if you celebrate, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas! If you don't celebrate, then I hope you have a good weekend anyway!
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I guess I'll see you all next week! :)