The boys had an overnight visit with their mom and grandparents last night. The very first of 2020. There were some minor issues with one of the kids while they were out and I called their mom last night to make sure everything was okay. She had handled the sitution well and I was more curious about how it was resolved.

Anyway, my timing was fortuitous because Emmett had begun not feeling well. The night before he had started with a bad cough again but subsided by morning. Apparently, it returned towards the end of the day yesterday and I could hear him barking like a seal in the background.

We decided that it would be best if I picked him up and brought him home. This was about 9:30 PM and while Emmett wasn’t happy about leaving early but it was what his mother and I agreed was the best thing for him.

We both assumed that Gavin would want to stay and that Elliott would want to leave with Emmett and we were prepared for that.

Surprisingly, Elliott decided to stay and that is a big step forward for him. He’s having a very difficult time with all of this and his relationship with his mom has suffered greatly as a result of all that’s happened. Seeing him choose to stay when he could have come home, makes me feel really good.

I know divorce can be a nasty experience that turns good people against each other. As much as I hate and disagree with all that has transpired, avoiding the nastiness is very important to me. If this is the way it must be, then I want nothing more than the boys having a healthy, productive, and meaningful relationship with their mother. That’s so important to me.

Anyway, Emmett had a tough time sleeping last night and spent most of it coughing. He did fall asleep but only after he glued himself to me. He also had nightmares all night but he’s in a good place this afternoon. His brothers are home and they’re playing a video game together while I get some work done.

This seems like a pretty good start to 2020.