Thought I’d update all and sundry on what’s developed with the people below us.

When we came back from our three-week trip to Japan, we knew it would be tough for the people who live downstairs to re-adjust to the pitter-patter of little feet.

But we had no idea just how hard it would be!

Coming back from Japan, the twins’ day and night were switched around 180 degrees.  It took a few days before we could get them back on a proper sleep schedule.

In the meantime, though, the girls would wake after only a half night’s sleep at 3am.  We tried keeping them quiet and getting them back to sleep, which was made much more difficult by the downstairs neighbors slamming their doors in fury and screaming profanities at us.

(Of course it didn’t help to tell them that if they wouldn’t crash their doors so that the entire building shook from it, waking the girls from their early afternoon nap WAY too early, causing them to sleep too early, then the girls might have a shot at sleeping properly!)

So we decided to take the girls out in the car and drive around to get them calmed down enough to sleep.

No sooner had we set foot outside our door than the neighbors screamed more abuse at us and said they’d already called the police and they were on their way.

So, no car trip.  Instead we waited for the police to show up.

And waited.

And waited.

By that time the neighbors had long since went back to bed, when I called the police and asked what was taking them so long?

They said that no noise complaint had been called in.

So we proceeded to take the girls out in the car until they were tired again.

We thought that would be an end to it.

Imagine my shock, then, when a social worker from DYFS (Division of Youth and Family Services) showed up at my door a few days later to conduct a surprise inspection of my home and family!!

Turned out the woman downstairs hadn’t called the police, but she did call in a false report to DYFS!!

DYFS said it was an ‘anonymous’ call, but the woman downstairs had actually bragged about it to some of the other neighbors who told me.

The woman claimed our apartment was a sty, grafitti on the walls, the bathroom never cleaned since we moved in almost a year ago and that she witnessed my husband manhandling one of our twins!!

The social worker could see that our apartment was fine, the bathroom quite clean and sparkly and no signs of grafitti on the walls.  Our kids were clean, well-behaved, happy children, and when the neighbor who had been bragged to, came forward to phone her that it had been a false report, the case worker decided to close the case.

Hoorah!!

Now we’re thinking of whether or not to sue the pants off the people downstairs.  Or maybe get a restraining order.

The other neighbors in our section of the complex where we live were livid when they heard what the downstairs people had done.  They made it quite clear that that kind of criminal behavior was unacceptable.  (It could be their kids next if they crossed the people downstairs!)

Since then the people downstairs have taken great pains to behave in a civilized fashion around us (especially if other neighbors are watching), and suddenly, the noise from the twins is just fine and at an acceptable level.  (same level it’s been all along!)

Supposedly they’re going to move to a different apartment further away in the complex when one becomes available, but we’re not holding our breaths.  We’re sure praying for it, though! 

Thought I’d update all and sundry on what’s developed with the people below us.

When we came back from our three-week trip to Japan, we knew it would be tough for the people who live downstairs to re-adjust to the pitter-patter of little feet.

But we had no idea just how hard it would be!

Coming back from Japan, the twins’ day and night were switched around 180 degrees.  It took a few days before we could get them back on a proper sleep schedule.

In the meantime, though, the girls would wake after only a half night’s sleep at 3am.  We tried keeping them quiet and getting them back to sleep, which was made much more difficult by the downstairs neighbors slamming their doors in fury and screaming profanities at us.

(Of course it didn’t help to tell them that if they wouldn’t crash their doors so that the entire building shook from it, waking the girls from their early afternoon nap WAY too early, causing them to sleep too early, then the girls might have a shot at sleeping properly!)

So we decided to take the girls out in the car and drive around to get them calmed down enough to sleep.

No sooner had we set foot outside our door than the neighbors screamed more abuse at us and said they’d already called the police and they were on their way.

So, no car trip.  Instead we waited for the police to show up.

And waited.

And waited.

By that time the neighbors had long since went back to bed, when I called the police and asked what was taking them so long?

They said that no noise complaint had been called in.

So we proceeded to take the girls out in the car until they were tired again.

We thought that would be an end to it.

Imagine my shock, then, when a social worker from DYFS (Division of Youth and Family Services) showed up at my door a few days later to conduct a surprise inspection of my home and family!!

Turned out the woman downstairs hadn’t called the police, but she did call in a false report to DYFS!!

DYFS said it was an ‘anonymous’ call, but the woman downstairs had actually bragged about it to some of the other neighbors who told me.

The woman claimed our apartment was a sty, grafitti on the walls, the bathroom never cleaned since we moved in almost a year ago and that she witnessed my husband manhandling one of our twins!!

The social worker could see that our apartment was fine, the bathroom quite clean and sparkly and no signs of grafitti on the walls.  Our kids were clean, well-behaved, happy children, and when the neighbor who had been bragged to, came forward to phone her that it had been a false report, the case worker decided to close the case.

Hoorah!!

Now we’re thinking of whether or not to sue the pants off the people downstairs.  Or maybe get a restraining order.

The other neighbors in our section of the complex where we live were livid when they heard what the downstairs people had done.  They made it quite clear that that kind of criminal behavior was unacceptable.  (It could be their kids next if they crossed the people downstairs!)

Since then the people downstairs have taken great pains to behave in a civilized fashion around us (especially if other neighbors are watching), and suddenly, the noise from the twins is just fine and at an acceptable level.  (same level it’s been all along!)

Supposedly they’re going to move to a different apartment further away in the complex when one becomes available, but we’re not holding our breaths.  We’re sure praying for it, though!