Becoming my son's sole, residential legal custodian/guardian in October of 2009 made me so very happy! I couldn't understand how my ex could move so far away from his son, but he did.
Prior to my ex moving, I had to quit both of my jobs. Not due to laziness, but because I had nobody to watch my son. You see, when Social Services would not let me be with my son, my ex signed my son up for government assistance....food stamps; WIC (which stands for Women, Infants, and Children); Medicaid; and government assistance for my son's daycare. Everything was under my ex's name. He did not take anything out of his name, and I couldn't get my son signed up for assistance, without my ex's name being off everything.
So there was no way I could work at that point, as I could not afford school for my son, nor a babysitter.
In the legal paperwork that was granted by the Judge, my son was not allowed to be taken out of the state of Colorado. It indicated that future visititation time that my ex would receive would be worked out in the permanent paperwork. There was one exception. My ex was allowed to take my son to Florida, for Thanksgiving of 2009, provided that my ex supplied me with the address of where my son would be staying, and a phone number. My ex was not granted any other time to take my son to Florida.
My ex moved to Florida on October 10, 2009. As Thanksgiving approached, my ex forfeited his visitation time with my son, and therefore, my son was home with me. I enjoyed our one on time together. To get to re-bond with my precious, baby boy who was taken away from me because of a fight with my ex was what I needed.
Yes, I needed to work, but I needed that time alone with my son. I was diagnosed as having trauma from my son being taken from me, so this time alone with him was important for each of us. I had my precious, baby boy back, and he had his Mommy back!
I took my son to Mommy & Me Story Time at the library 3 days a week, and then Mommy & Me Gymnastics, twice a week. Everything I did, I did for my baby boy, and I still do to this very day.
The months would pass. Our home was and is still filled with peace and love.
February 14, 2010, my baby turned 2 years old. My ex flew out to Colorado and stayed at an apartment for a week that his family paid for him. My ex came without anything. He didn't have a car; and he didn't have a car seat. It was his responsibility to bring a car seat! Obviously, without a car seat, he couldn't take my son anywhere. So every day my ex would come over. He told me that he had no money. My son was sick at the time and needed medicine which cost over $70. My ex wouldn't even help me pay for his medicine. He would also proceed to tell me that he had no money for food.
So he came with no money; no car seat; and no supplies for my son. The one thing he did do was buy a box of diapers for my son, but that was it. My ex would come by during the day, and leave in the evenings.
Now, I would think that a parent who hasn't seen their son, and who didn't know the next time that he would see his son, would want to spend every waking moment with him. But not my ex....no.....he was busy texting continuously, and making plans for the evenings, etc. He even rushed my poor son's birthday party because he "had to go" for the evening.
Then he left back to Florida. After that, it was back to my son and I being alone together.
May of 2010, I went to divorce court. At this point, I was representing myself, as the attorney that I had was good at drawing up the legal paperwork, but as far as everything else, she didn't get much accomplished, except for charging alot of money.
What would happen in court that day in May of 2010 was a joke...
