Help - Search - Members - Calendar
Full Version: Don't Know How To Contact American Celiac Association
Celiac Disease and Gluten-Free Forum (Home) > Celiac Disease and Gluten-Free Forum > Celiac Meeting Room
stef_the_kicking_cuty
Don't know, if somebody can help me today. I know, I haven't been here for a while, but I've had a lot of trouble and a lot on my plate. My husband and I are getting a divorce. I'm fighting to get the custody of Lukas and my husband said, he doesn't care at all, what the celiac pediatritian said. He said, he couldn't stand that man anyways and Lukas would be fine. He doesn't believe he could have celiac (yeah right, by looking at him), after all he would have half his genes (how does HE know, he doesn't have it either? after all he's half irish and shows a lot of symptoms) and also he said he doesn't care. He threatened me. He said, he takes my boy and a lawyer. And he will get Lukas, even if he takes an a... beating (sorry for my french, but that's what he said). So I got scared, fled out of the country. I was in a women shelter. I am returning shortly, cause I have a lawyer who settled everything for me. However she said, it would be good to have a written statement or confirmation or whatever, that a child of a celiac could also develop celiac and needs to have a genetest and if the genes are the ones that indicate the danger of developing celiac, the child needs to be monitored every year to make sure, there is nothing triggered yet. I have no idea, where I can find the contact information for the american celiac association right now, because I'm so upset. My court hearing is xxxxx (I x-d it out, not that my husband will read it, because he has emergency temporary custody right now. I don't want him to show up at this date and take Lukas). I should have it by then, preferably earlier. Please, to all my friends on here. Help!!!

Stef
~alex~
Here is a list with some national celiac groups and their contact information. Not sure that's what you're looking for but hopefully it can get you started in the right direction. Would a letter or something from the pediatrician work? Kind of like an expert witness explaining the need for ongoing monitoring of your son for Celiac?

I'm very sorry for the tough situation you are in and wish you all the best.
Momma Goose
Stef:

I can so glad that you contacted us. There's power in numbers and we all have great collective resourses. I am sorry for all your troubles.

Here is a contact for the Celiac Disease Foundation www.celiac.org. At that organization you can contact deborah@celiac.org (Deborah Ceizler). Let her know that you are from Celiac.com and that I suggested you contact her. She can guide you to who you need to talk to.

Did you take Lukas out of the country? Is he with you?

Please keep in touch. Hugs to you.
Tim-n-VA
http://www.americanceliac.org/

There is a link to contact info on the main page.
kevsmom
Stef - I'm sorry you're having so much trouble. I missed you.

I'm going to PM you something from the University Of MD Celiac Research Center that may be of help. I't long, or I'd just post it here.

Cindy
nikki-uk
Stef, I'm sorry I can't help you with any of your questions but I am really sorry to hear of your situation sad.gif

It must be very hard for you - and the baby being so young

{{{hugs}}}
blueeyedmanda
QUOTE (stef_the_kicking_cuty @ Jan 12 2008, 08:31 AM) *
Don't know, if somebody can help me today. I know, I haven't been here for a while, but I've had a lot of trouble and a lot on my plate. My husband and I are getting a divorce. I'm fighting to get the custody of Lukas and my husband said, he doesn't care at all, what the celiac pediatritian said. He said, he couldn't stand that man anyways and Lukas would be fine. He doesn't believe he could have celiac (yeah right, by looking at him), after all he would have half his genes (how does HE know, he doesn't have it either? after all he's half irish and shows a lot of symptoms) and also he said he doesn't care. He threatened me. He said, he takes my boy and a lawyer. And he will get Lukas, even if he takes an a... beating (sorry for my french, but that's what he said). So I got scared, fled out of the country. I was in a women shelter. I am returning shortly, cause I have a lawyer who settled everything for me. However she said, it would be good to have a written statement or confirmation or whatever, that a child of a celiac could also develop celiac and needs to have a genetest and if the genes are the ones that indicate the danger of developing celiac, the child needs to be monitored every year to make sure, there is nothing triggered yet. I have no idea, where I can find the contact information for the american celiac association right now, because I'm so upset. My court hearing is January 28th. I should have it by then, preferably earlier. Please, to all my friends on here. Help!!!

Stef



OMG Stef. I cannot believe this has happened to you...I had to reread the post several times. If you need anything, feel free to PM me, I can help you when you may return to the area....let me know if I can do anything.
psawyer
Stef, I am so bummed to hear this. I can't add any useful information beyond what is already here, but I hope you and Lukas can get clear and away from the creep. Please let us know how things go.
jerseyangel
Oh Stef--my gosh...all of the information you have already been given is good and I can't think of anything to add to it.

If there's anything I can do, please don't hesitate to contact me. We care about you and the baby and I pray that you both stay safe and away from trouble.

When you can, please let us know how you are.
stef_the_kicking_cuty
Thanks for all your answers. You don't know, what this means to me. I will get back to you, but I don't know when and where. Wish me luck and keep me in your prayers. Prayers in numbers are awesome.

Thanks so much, Stef
blueeyedmanda
Good Morning Stef
I know you don't know when you will get a chance to answer again....as long as you can pop in and just say Hi that will help smile.gif
stef_the_kicking_cuty
Hi there, I'm back. I called domestic violence today. They said, unless something already happened, they can't put me in a womens shelter. I tried to call the pediatrician, but they don't put me through to him. I only got the answering machine anyway. I tried to call the Harrisburg La Leche League Leader and will try to get into contact with Attachment Parenting International in Harrisburg. Because they also said, what I'm doing is child abuse (carrying around, co-sleeping and so on...). I forgot their number though and I can't find their Yahoo Group in Harrisburg, because my mother's computer is very slow.

At the moment I'm the bad guy in their eyes. Because I wasn't their, my husband has temporary emergency custody for the boy. A friend of mine had her hearing already this morning. They asked her, if she was going to turn over the baby. I have my hearing soon. I'm afraid, if the custody thing is not settled until then, I will have to turn him over. And I won't... I mean, I didn't do anything wrong. When I left the country I didn't know my rights. I thought, I didn't have any. For g... sakes, he's still breastfeeding. If I don't get custody soon, I have to turn him over. And if I won't, this means, they are going to arrest me.

I don't know, what to do? I'm so desperate. My boy belongs to me. I didn't do anything.
Stef
blueeyedmanda
whats the yahoo thing you are looking for I can look it up and post it ASAP
Guhlia
Stef, I am so sorry you're going through this. I wish there were something we could all do to help. Please keep us posted and most of all STAY SAFE! Prayers are with you and Lukas.
confused
I am so sorry u are going threw this. What is wrong with co-sleeping, ughhh people. There should be a law if u are breast feeding then the bb has to stay with you. I wish u the best of luck.

paula
stef_the_kicking_cuty
The groups name is either Attachment Parenting Harrisburg or Attachment Parenting International Harrisburg.

Yes, I don't know what's wrong with co-sleeping either. This just enhances your imagination of how to do it otherwise, if you know, what I mean. But according to my husband, he didn't want that with me anymore anyway. Sooooo, what can I do now?

My friend called me today. They are trying to get the court order about the emergency custody reseinded, or whatever you call it. I hope, it works.

I'm coming back shortly and don't know, if I have internet connection THAT quick again. This might be the last time you hear from me, while I'm in Germany. Thanks for all your prayers and I will be back as soon as I can. Hopefully with good news.

Thanks so much, Stephanie
confused
QUOTE (stef_the_kicking_cuty @ Jan 16 2008, 01:32 PM) *
The groups name is either Attachment Parenting Harrisburg or Attachment Parenting International Harrisburg.

Yes, I don't know what's wrong with co-sleeping either. This just enhances your imagination of how to do it otherwise, if you know, what I mean. But according to my husband, he didn't want that with me anymore anyway. Sooooo, what can I do now?

My friend called me today. They are trying to get the court order about the emergency custody reseinded, or whatever you call it. I hope, it works.

I'm coming back shortly and don't know, if I have internet connection THAT quick again. This might be the last time you hear from me, while I'm in Germany. Thanks for all your prayers and I will be back as soon as I can. Hopefully with good news.

Thanks so much, Stephanie


Well be safe and careful, your hubby souds like a real winnder. I still have nights when one of my kids is sleeping with us, i have never thought of it as being bad. MEN.

i hope they can get it turned around, the custody thing. One thing to do is have all your inforation together, keep track of all the things he has said or done and document them. That is so important in getting custody.


paula
stef_the_kicking_cuty
Thanks, that's what a cop in Germany said, too. I've been working on a diary since then. My attorney gets an update regular. She said, it's an awesome diary. I hope, it helps some. She wrote a letter to my husbands attorney now to get the custody order reseinded. I don't get, how people can be so cruel mad.gif . I will see my lawyer soon, since today I'm back in the US.

Thanks so much. I will try to keep you guys posted.
Hugs, Stef
blueeyedmanda
Great to hear from you Stef!!
stef_the_kicking_cuty
Well, I'm safely back in the US. The court hearing is tomorrow morning at 8.30 eastern time. Please, send some prayers up for me around that time. I hope, I can update you as soon as possible.

Thanks so much, Stef
jerseyangel
Stef--

I'll be thinking about you and the baby tomorrow morning smile.gif

Take care
debmidge
Stef: I am going to pray that the hearing will be in your favor.
My brother lived in Lancaster area (I think that's Dauphin County?) and he recalls that during his divorce that the county Lancaster is in, is a "pro-woman" county - as he wanted the custody of his son (for reasons totally different than your husband - my brother's wife, after 10 years of marriage, was cheating on him and brought veneral disease into the home - thankfully he did not get the V.D. she brought home because they were living like brother & sister due to the broken relationship. But he found out and felt she was doing drugs as well. He also found out that the county they lived in (Lancaster) was "pro-woman" when it came to child custody in a divorce. ) He felt that he would lose the case due to this, so he allowed ex-wife to have child custody unofficially & he monitored her behavior and if he saw that her behavior was deterimental to health & welfare of their child he was going to pursue custody. So far 8 years after the divorce the child, now 16, was not in any danger living with his mother in Lancaster. Inasmuch as she violated her marriage, she was an O.K. mother - there was not enough to "wrestle" with the courts for custody.
stef_the_kicking_cuty
Hello to all my celiac friends,

I don't want to let you wait any longer, so I'm saying it straight out. The judge declared me as the primary care taker of Lukas. This means, he will stay with me. However my (still) husband and I will share the custody for the next 6 weeks. We came to an agreement, that he can see the child (if he wants and has time) every day from 8.00 to 12.45 in the morning. On his days off, Lukas will stay with him from 8.00 to 5.00. There are no over night stays yet and Lukas will stay with me the rest of the time.

Well, now my two cents in this. As I see it, Brock will get sick of having Lukas all the time. After all Brock works from 2 to 11 every day. I know, in the evening, he needs to wind down. So he has his beer (who hasn't, well, glutenfree for us) and sits in front of the TV, sometimes until 2. Then he wants to get up early in the morning to pick up Lukas from our meeting point? He needs to do his housework and get ready for work. How in the world does he want to do that all with a little baby? I'm telling you, he is not going to last long. In a few days he will beg me for a day off... lol.

Well, let's see, where we go from here. I will monitor Lukas and take snapshots every day, I pick him back up at the meeting point. If he has red eyes, cause he let him ball all the time and he is real clingy, cause he didn't care about him most of the time, this will have an aftermath (however you call it).

The worst thing was, when we finally had a break after one and a half hours of court. The judge said, well, let's meet back here in 10 minutes. So I thought, well...... if the next period is one and a half hours as well, you better go and nurse Lukas, cause he won't last that long. So I sit down in a quiet room beside the court room. I just nursed for like 5 minutes... and every mother who nursed already knows, it will take longer than 10 minutes anyway to nurse a baby to satisfaction, it's not like with a bottle, like 10 minutes and done with. So I nurse for like 5 minutes. All of a sudden my mother in law comes in and b.....s at me to give her the baby. She literally wanted to rip him off my breast. She's like, well, his relatives haven't seen him for a while. I was like, excuse me, he's hungry. She kept bitching and bitching until she had him after like 15 minutes. I mean, what the h..... excuse my french. Is her and the family's wellbeing more important than my baby's wellbeing??? I told my lawyer. Her jaw just dropped. She did not know, what to say.

Then the American "family" handed the poor little guy around like a piece of meat. Every time he got a little fussy, he got handed from one to the next. He kept looking helpless to Kathy, who he knows better than his own family. That's why I call her his adoptive grandma. But of course she couldn't do anything. Well, the end of the story was, that after we went home, he started to ball uncontrollably around 4 times throughout the day, where neither my mom or I could call him down. It was pure overstimulation. What were they thinking?

And the best part. I will get find (no imprisonment, but something else) for something, that wasn't my fault to begin with.

OK, I got it off my chest. Now it's out. Well, the lawyers and my husband will meet again in like 6 weeks or so and discuss, how it went. I will lead an accurate diary about everything important, so that I have something in hand, in case we go to court again. And if not, maybe I land a bestseller tongue.gif I could need the money anyways... lol.

Oh, speaking of diary. As of this week, we will introduce solids. The celiac doc said, research showed, it would be beneficial to introduce gluten between 4 and 6 months and than to take it away again. But he will get these little glasses with the numbers on them. I have no idea, what you call them. You know, these baby glasses? And then my husband and I will document everything that goes into Lukas mouth and everything, that comes out the other end and important stuff like rashes and such. Well, at least he has to do THAT now, because there was no getting through to him, when I try to talk to him about that earlier. But now he has to, otherwise my lawyer will say, he isn't interested in the wellbeing of the child and then he might have a problem. So I'm actually glad it turned out like this.

Soooooo, even though it isn't over yet, here is a big thank you for all that prayed for us and thought about us:

THANK YOU

Now I have to get ready, because I want to leave at 7-ish, so that I can nurse Lukas on the parking lot one more time.

Stef
confused
I am so happy for you. Im glad u are going to document everything, and you do know if u are at your meeting place and he is more then 15 minutes late, you dont have to wait any longer. If the baby comes home in a dirty diaper, document it.

paula
jerseyangel
Thanks for the update Stef--I'm so happy that things went your way!

Paula's right--document everything wink.gif

Stay strong--you're a great mom smile.gif I'll continue to remember you in my prayers.
blueeyedmanda
great news Stef!!!!!!!!!!!!
stef_the_kicking_cuty
Wow, I'm so anxious to see Lukas again. I was cleaning up my friends house and thought, in my milk pumping break I just read your posts.

Thanks so much.

I'll keep you posted.
Stef
stef_the_kicking_cuty
I'm sorry, I haven't been here in a while. Things got real busy after the custody hearing. Unfortunately my ex hasen't backed off yet. The only thing he is doing, is that he is a little late lately while picking Lukas up as well as bringing him back.

One day we met, he called me a b...., after we went over a new schedule and didn't come to an agreement. I proposed a schedule, where my ex has him from 8am-8pm two times a week and therefore I also have him two days a week and of course still the overnights. And the rest of the days are half days. My ex wants Lukas over night as of right now, but for heavens sake, he is a 6 months old infant. He can't stay away from his mom overnight yet. It doesn't have anything to do with how good or how bad of a father my ex is. It is just plain and simple, that Lukas is too young to stay away from his mom over night. It doesn't matter if it is the dad or anybody else for that matter. And my ex doesn't understand. It is really frustrating. So he basically said, that he doesn't care for this new schedule, which I proposed and he showed me a schedule first, where he started with the month of March (we met up with that in February) and he showed me, how he would have Lukas 4 (yes FOUR!!!) days and nights in a row. When I saw that I almost got a heart attack. I told him, that this ain't gonna happen that soon. I said to him, that when Lukas is a year old, we can try one night and see how it goes. After I said that, he said, well, then we forget about the whole thing, if I can't have him over night, everything stays like it is now. Then he left. I left too and realized, I still had the milk in my car, so I went to his truck and told him. He was like, well, it's sad, if we can't really agree on something that simple than this schedule. I replied, well, it is not that simple than you think and I am not giving Lukas to you overnight in March. Then he was like, well, March was just an example, that I showed you. I would like to start in June. I said, well, you forgot to tell me about that, before we started to look at those schedules. But even June is a little early, I replied. He then went on to call me a b....! I said to him, you know what? Every time I'm not dancing like you whistle, you're calling me a b... And then I just let him and walked away, because I was very upset. He then backed out of the parking lot and blocked my car in and waved at me like crazy half hanging out of his truck door. I opened my car door, looked at him and was like "What do you want?" Because I couldn't understand, what he was saying, I left my car and came to his truck window. He was like, I want to appologize.... I cut him off, you know, now it's too late. He was like, just let me appologize, ok? And then he started apologizing again. I just left then. I cried on the way home.

Well, about a week ago we had the child and spousal support conference. And they figured out, that I am receiving about 515 in child support and about 135 in spousal support every month from now on. The other thing that happened is, that my ex (technically my still-husband, but I call him ex in this thread for simplicity) sued me for divorce. He isn't even wearing his wedding rings anymore. I am still wearing mine. I can't get over the fact, that he doesn't want to be together with me anymore. Well, the next day he shut my cell phone off. I wanted him to go to the shop with me, so that I can keep my number, when I transfer it, but he just shut it off without giving me a chance. So now I have to change everything, I had the number on. The advertisement on my car, the business cards, the flyers, the letter heads, everything. It was practically also my business number. I can't believe he is that mean. I can understand, that he shuts that phone off, but I can't understand, that he didn't give me a chance to take over that number with another cell phone provider.

Over the last few weeks he forgot to change Lukas one morning. He still had the same diaper on, when I got him back. I'm not telling the trick I used to find that out though, just in case he should ever read this. Unfortunately I didn't have a camera handy at that time.

We are writing a food diary for Lukas, that he already messed up more than once. He gave him new foods on a day, that wasn't the "new food day". Then one time I got Lukas back with something at his behind that looked like a fissure. So I went to the pediatrician with him. Fortunately it wasn't a fissure, but the doc said, to give him like fruits and veggies (Gerbers or something else) and no cereal to loosen up his stool a little bit. So what did my ex the next day? Give him prunes. That isn't the bad story, prunes are good to loosen the stool. They are very effective. But instead of giving him just a few spoonfulls of prunes, he gave him almost the entire container. Lukas was so gassy and uncomfortable the next days after that, it wasn't even funny anymore. So I told my ex, not to do it anymore. What did he do yesterday? Again he gave him 1.5 oz of prunes. How stupid can you be? I've had a little farting something in my bed all night.

We also finally found a new apartment in Carlisle. The parking lots are far away though and he refused to give me the stroller, I received at the baby shower. He didn't even give me the money to buy a new one (that was before the child support conference), so I got one, when they were marked down in WalMart.

A friend gave me her computer and through a lucky coincidence I have internet without an own connection. Again I'm not saying too many details about that here, otherwise it comes around to haunt me in the back. Let's just say, I like the cafe underneath my apartment wink.gif

My little man was very cranky and sleapy at first, especially, when my ex had him a full day. It was very hard to get an own schedule back and to go back into the routine at all, but we did it finally. And even though there are difficult days, all in all Lukas and I have a lot of fun.

Then a couple of weeks ago, I asked my ex, if I could do the mom and baby swim group. It's for babys 6 months to three years. It would have been Saturday morning from 11.20-11.50. My ex gives Lukas back at 12.45 usually. So I said to him, the course is lasting 6 times. How about you get Lukas in the morning and I just pick him up 2 hours earlier and so that you have your two hours back, you can keep him a little longer on your days off. He then replied, why don't you keep him all Saturday. He explained it with all that in and out of the car in such a short time wouldn't be good. I replied, I don't think that, because before I left in January Lukas had way more in and out of the car than that and he's still doing ok. So well, my ex kept on going, that he thought, I just should keep him all Saturday then and when it's 6 times, that makes thirty hours. So he could have Lukas overnight for a weekend. I told him to stop pushing for over nights, because Lukas is too young and I can't do it like that. He then said, well, forget about the swim meet then. I was really said about that, so I looked onto the schedule in the YMCA in Harrisburg. And they had a swim meet for babies in the evening. However it was veeeery expensive for a non-member. So I applied for financial help. The letter came back, that they need the last tax return. I didn't send mine in for 2007 yet and the one I had last year with my husband doesn't help me, because his money is on there, too. And I will never get financial support with THAT. However he wouldn't give it to me anyway, so forget about the whole thing. Again I was really bombed out. So THEN I went to the YMCA in Carlisle again, where I am working, too, which means, you get a free membership. I went to the pool lady and told her my misery and she said, Stef, I have just the right thing for you. Now there is one starting April 7th, on Monday evenings. Yeehee!!! At least one good thing. She said, that the enrollment is running right now. So I enrolled right away. You don't have to tell me THAT twice. Now I only need somebody to snap some pictures and a little video with my camera. Anybody living close to Carlisle, PA in here? You can come in for free with me, I work there!

But other than that.... a couple of days ago I reminded my ex, that it says on the court schedule, that I have him the entire Monday after Eastern. He freaked out and said, he never saw that. And that this must be a mistake of Lukas's lawyer (she wrote the schedule). I said, I don't think, that it's a mistake, because she wrote 8am-5pm in there first and then she crossed it out and wrote MOM over it in capital letters. She must have thought, well, it's Eastern, let's give Lukas a full day to his mom. But he freaked and said, that he has a full day off and he wants him. I said, well, I am calling my lawyer then. He said, it's Barb (Lukas's lawyer) you have to call. I replied, I don't have the telefone book of Perry County. He said, ok, he would call her then. I replied, no, you're not, because you're lying to me again. He started to yell at me then. When did I lie to you? I said, you're doing it all the time. He then stepped towards me and chested up with me and yelled "are you calling me a lyer?" I got afraid and thought, he would swing at me every second, so I took a step back. I told him not to yell at me. I just went back into the car and drove off and let him stand there then with his anger. I mean, what can I do? I was very upset and cried on the way home. I actually called and e-mailed my lawyer. She e-mailed back, that we are going to meet up with Lukas's lawyer, and my ex and his lawyer and get down a new schedule. She told me not to let him bully me. I wrote back, yeah, but what am I supposed to do? (Maybe sidekick him in the head? I didn't write that though.) So now I will have him from Sunday at 2pm and the entire day on Monday. And my ex will get him again on Tuesday morning. I'm kind a glad, that I have him an entire day, but it's like after Easter is over and I can't even go to an Easter Egg Hunt with him his first year. He probably wouldn't know, what to do there yet anyways, but just for the fun of it.

So I was bombed out first, that I am sitting at hom at Eastern and my boy is with his dad and my family is in Germany. But a nice lady at work invited me to her home. I happily accepted, but told her, that it would be later than 2pm, because that's when I get Lukas back. She said, that's ok. So now I'm celebrating Eastern with Lukas and them a little later. Actually I think, she just wants to hook me up with her son, who is very nice and also helped me moving. But I'm not ready to date yet. I still have to get over the fact, that I failed as a wife and apparently I'm not that good of a mother either. Otherwise they would have given me full custody, like most of my other German (female) friends did over here. One of those friends actually said, that she couldn't understand that and that I should go ahead and try for full custody. I don't know, if I should. She said, that I would regret it a couple of years down the road. In a way, she's right, because my ex already threatened me to take Lukas away from me. And there's the other thing, that my moms health is steadily declining. And if I should be forced to go back, I won't be able to keep my son. Which means, they are going to take him from me and give him to his dad? That's what I've been told. But isn't that a little cruel. Why should I have to make a choice between my mother and my son? One of them is going to loose then. And if I would take Lukas with me, that doesn't mean, that my ex wouldn't see him. He could come over in his summer vacation? Or any other vacation for that matter. In Germany we have 1 week fall vacation, kids are off school over christmas and New Years, they have two weeks spring vacation, two weeks eastern vacation, two weeks Whitsun (Pentecost) vacation and 6 weeks summer vacation. That is A LOT throughout the year and he would be able to choose, when he wanted to visit, when he's older. So I don't understand. And when he's like 12 years old or so, he can make up his own mind anyways, which I'm alright with, too. However I would like to add this little thing, that he can reverse his decision in a year, when he thinks, he decided wrong on that. I mean, we all make mistakes and Lukas shouldn't be forced to live with a parent, he doesn't want to, right?

I don't know... really! I'm just a little upset right now. I read this thing on Attachment Parenting International, that divorce babies, who live on attachment parenting, should not leave their mom over night for like the first three years or until they can express themselves with words. Otherwise it could do damage. So I'm scared now, that this is going to happen to Lukas. I'm lost now with my thoughts here. If anybody thinks, I just said that to get to keep Lukas over nights, you are more than happy to look it up. You can search Attachment Parenting International on Yahoo Search. I don't know, if I can put the link on here, that's why I'm telling you how I found it. And I had a couple of incidents the last few days, that made me even more scared, that Lukas won't be ready in time. I reallly don't know, if I'm doing the right thing. And you can give me any advice, but if that advice comes to wean him from the bed, than you gave the wrong advise, because really, it's the point of attachment parenting, to do the whole co-sleeping thing. Otherwise I can pretty much forget about it. And they say, that the babies/kids will wean themselves from the bed, which actually already started to happen a little with Lukas. I'm just afraid, he might not make it in time until he's a year old, does that make sense??? I gues, it's about Lukas being comfortable, not his dad's convenience. It's just sad, that I am apparently the only one who sees it that way. And in todays courts (well, over here in America, not in other parts of the world) shared custody is all about having the kid equal times with the parents for the parents convenience. Well, it's not about the parents. It's about the child in my eyes. And, just mho, when a baby needs the mom, when he's little, then so be it. I really have nothing against him spending weeks with his dad, but at this point in life, he's just too young. But I'm on the loosing end in court here. But if I am, then I will be stubborn, too. If Lukas can't be with his mom over nights now, that he is little, then he can't be with his dad entire weeks in a row, when he's older. If they want to be that "fair", then they have to stick to it. Any other thoughts or personal opinions/ideas on this would really interest me from everybody on here. Maybe there's something I haven't looked at yet. I just would like to look at it from every angle.

So far, that's it. Sorry for it being so long, but even though my ex has Lukas in the morning, times are still pretty stressfull with my Lukas and we haven't really unpacked everything yet. Well, Lukas is good at unpacking, but with putting it back into the shelves it's not really working yet... lol.

Oh, speaking of not working yet. Lukas started to walk March 10th. I meant, without me, just holding on to furniture! With 6.5 months!!! I digitally videotaped it, because people won't believe me, when I tell them. It was more of a co-incidence. We went to the YMCA, right? And there he crawled around on the floor around the tables and chairs in the lobby. And then he reached that point in the lobby, where the stairwell is. And there is a free space underneath the stairs, which is seperated to the lobby by like a bench-thingy. I don't know, what you call it. It's low, about as high as my chin. So first Lukas pulled himself up on it. And I said to my friend, oh look, he's standing. And he was standing there and staring at the free space underneath the stairs and it looked like he wanted to climb over it. So I pulled out the camera and I was like, I have to film this, to my friend. But when Lukas saw the camera standing there about 2 yards away from him, he started walking towards it. He always was keen on that camera for some reason, so he started walking along that bench-thingy, holding on to it. He even let go once and was standing free handed. I'm so proud. We were cheering him on. I think, everybody had a blast!

I wish everybody a Happy Easter and I will end my story with this!

I hope to be able to come back soon!
Stef
stef_the_kicking_cuty
Oh, and there is something I messed up. Let me confess tongue.gif . When we had to set our clocks an hour ahead, I forgot about it. So at what I thought was 8am, I rolled into the parking lot. I left the car and my ex looked a little serious. Then I gave him Lukas, the breastmilk, and the food diary. He looked at me, as I wanted to leave. And I obviously had a questionmark in my face. He was like, ah, did you forget something? I was like, ah, I have the milk, the diary??? He was like, IT IS NINE O'CLOCK! And I'm like 'Oooops'! Forgot to set me clock ahead.... I apologized three thousand times and even apologized in an e-mail. I gave him Lukas an hour longer on his next day off.

Well, at least I always change Lukas's diaper and don't stuff him full of prunes, even after somebody already told me not to do it and then I go right ahead and do it again a couple of days/weeks later. I think, how we treat our kids is more important, than missing a time change. Just my thought on this.

See you soon, Stef
blueeyedmanda
Stef. Good to hear from you! I always keep you in the back of my mind. Sorry things aren't settled yet. Keep us posted! (((((((Hugs)))))) Amanda
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.