How to get out of a traffic ticket...

I was blessed today. I was able to get out of a traffic ticket for the first time. (Well, except for the time that I cried and the officer let me go. That's a powerful tactic. Too bad I can't make myself cry. But I digress...)

The day had gone as well as could be expected. Luke had a fever and had been crying and wanting to be held most of the day due to teething or his throat, it was hard to tell. Grant and Luke were finally sleeping at the same time for a whole 30 minutes. Score! I knew that I had to wake the baby to feed him at 2:45 to get out the door by 3:20 when I was meeting my Realtor to look at some rental homes. I was able to get there on time and Grant even slept all the way there. He continued to sleep the entire time that I looked at the first of three houses. My somewhat peaceful day changed after looking at that first house, though...

Grant began to scream once we got back in the car. My Realtor got lost at least 5 times trying to find the next house, taking it twice as long to get there. When we finally parked and I got Grant out I noticed that he had a dirty diaper...and clothes...and car seat. And, since I was only going to be gone for thirty minutes I brought nothing with me except a diaper. No wipes, no new clothes. (I shouldn't have made such a rookie mistake.) So, after looking at house two and feeling like we had to rush because the Realtor was telling her kids to hurry up and get back in the car, I told her that I needed to change the baby. It was, well, nasty. I had to use his blanket as a wipe and then I left his sleeper unsnapped because it was so yucky. His little legs were left out with no covering. (Good thing it was warm.) Back in the car we went with Grant still screaming at the top of his lungs. After getting lost another 3 or 4 times, I heard little Grant dirty diaper number two! I continued to follow the Realtor right through a light that, apparently, was a no turn on red. Turn we did and I got pulled over. ARGH!!!

The officer informed me that we were almost in an accident, that someone could have died and that I would be getting three points on my license. I've never been good at getting out of tickets and I've been, embarrassingly enough, pulled over plenty of times. Maybe I'm not cute enough or I don't know how to flirt. I don't know. But something told me to be honest and I told the man about my life. ("I'm sorry. I didn't see the sign. I was following my Realtor. I'm looking for a house because my landlords are foreclosing and forcing us out. Oh, BTW, I have a newborn in the backseat. That is him screaming. And, yes, I know that my license is from Michigan but my tag says Maryland.") Anyway, the officer looked back and saw Grant yelling his lungs out, his little body all red from crying and half naked because of his delinquent mother, and he took pity on us.

And, so, all you have to do to get out of a ticket is to carry a baby for 9 months, deliver, be unprepared, and be forced to move. Let me know if it works for you :0)

In other news, upon my arrival home Jimmy told me that he thought Luke's problem was, indeed, his throat. He took Luke to the after hours clinic and we found out that he has Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. And, today, after Jackson came home from his soccer game guess who wanted to go and take a nap for the first time in 3 years? Looks like we've got two sick kids. Come to think of it, my throat isn't feeling that great either...