I picked up Lexie from her sister's house and we went out to breakfast.

When I picked up Lexie, I did meet her son, Ezekial. I held him for a few minutes before we left him with her sister.

We went to go get breakfast together. We went to the Ihop on Colerain Ave.

There still seems to be a lot of turmoil in Lexie's life. She is still living in her apartment in Price Hill but stays with her sister in Finneytown often for support with the baby. She doesn't have a car or a job so she is dependent on her family to give her rides when they can.

The baby's father is still denying paternity. They are still waiting for all the proper paperwork so that she can get a paternity test through family services. The father seems to be present but very resistant to admitting the baby could be his. Lexie has met his sister and grandmother and they both accept that the baby is his. This situation is really stressful for Lexie. Her grandmother wants her to stop seeing the father and get a restraining order, though it isn't clear to me why Lisa thinks that. Lexie says she does not want to get a restraining order or does not fear for her safety or the baby's in the father's presence. She also does not want the baby to not have a father or a fatherly presence and does find the support of the father's grandmother helpful.

She also described a very disturbing incident with her nephew Elian at a Fricker's restaurant where she went with her son, her grandparents, and Elian. Elian was told he could not have ice cream for dessert and he had a complete meltdown. He ran into the kitchen and was attacking kitchen staff and destroying things. Eventually the police were called. Lexie's grandparents were unable to control him and restaurant staff had to hold him down. He was held down by a bar tender at the restaurant who was a black man and a waitress that was a white woman. He repeatedly called the black man the n-word and proceeded to yell the n-word at various black patrons of the restaurant. A black man had to get up and leave and was crying because of the embarassment and shame. I bring this up because Lexie's son is black and while he is only an infant, this is the type of environment he may eventually be exposed to.

I told Lexie that I appreciated her sharing this experience but she needs to think about the safety and mental well-being of her son. If she is going to raise a black son, she needs to be aware and cognizant about how her family's attitude toward black people could impact how he views himself within the family and broader world, especially if she is not able to find common ground with her son's father and family.

Lexie overall just seems exhuasted. I think that her sister is a great support system to her. I am going to continue to meet with her and talk through how to address her family. I am also going to try to help he with thinking about going back to work and possible school. We can't meet as frequently because of the baby, but we are going to try to at least meet monthly as she adjusts to this new phase of her life.

Contact Us