Thanks Orchid, right now she is depressed but we dare not say that for fear that she will be deemed unstable. That's how careful we have to be. It's hard for me to watch her and tell her she has to hang in there. Yesterday, the boy's mom sent pictures to her cell phone of the baby and she wrote, "Zoey says, Happy Easter Mommy!" This actually depressed her more because she hasn't seen her daughter in a week now and she said Zoey is growing up and she is missing it. I tried to tell her that one day we will be the ones sending them pictures. BTW, this woman's intentions were anything but nice. She did this to cover her a** and she knew it would get to Sofia. Plus, Sofia felt that the dad should be the one sending her the pictures.

Thanks Dotsie, we are hoping to be together this Easter with Zoey. This is the advantage of being Greek Orthodox, our Easter isn't until the end of April. Unfortunately, I have had to push Sofia to contact the father. The Guardian ad Litem had pointed out in a letter that the parents need to communicate with each other in regards of the child. He said the Grandparents need to stay out of it. Sofia is emotionally upset. She doesn't comprehend that the she needs to make the calls and ask how Zoey is doing. I told her when we have Zoey, then he is the one who will need to call. I told her it is imperative that she calls because I am sure the Grandmother is making notes. She wouldn't hesitate to tell her lawyer that Sofia hasn't checked up on Zoey. So she does brave it and calls him.

I sometimes feel like a drill sergeant and I hate it, but I am hoping one day she will look back and see that I was trying to help her and stay on top of things for her at this point. I've been in her emotional state before and it is difficult to focus. She has so much to do in so little time. She is trying to get her learners permit and the test is very difficult. I told her we will go to the DMV every day until she passes. She is trying to find a job too, any job at this point. Thursday, she starts a parenting class. This week she has 3 appointments with a Dr. and a therapist. These are the guidelines she has to follow in order to prove her stability. The good news is that now we got her representation and argued in court about it. The good news is that the father has to follow these guidelines as well. Even though she is struggling with the learner's permit test, she still is likely to get a license before he does because he lost his to reckless driving. Now he has to get a job too and take parenting classes and be on medication as well. So by us getting involved, they are not on the easy street as they had planned to be.

My job in all this right now is to make sure she does all these steps right now. I really believe she will start to feel better once she gets a part time job. Not something complicated or anything like that. She's applied at a tanning salon, which she loves and as a hostess in a restaurant. She has been a hostess before and she loved it. The complex stuff she can try to do when all this is over and done with. In fact, one of the best resources she can take advantage of is our local Vocational Rehab.

Thanks ladies and I hope you all had a Happy Easter!

Love and Cheers,
Cathi