DP and I are really quite low about this and I wanted to rant.
Dsd 3 lives with us, dsd 1 and 2 live with their (different) mum we have them eow.
Dsd 1 and 2 mum is refusing to let us have them outside of normal contact time at all, since dsd 1 said she would like to live with us (something that she doesn't want to talk about since we asked her to chat with her mum about if that's what she wanted, she came to us initially, we didn't say anything to influence it).
Over the easter holidays which totalled 20 days, she wouldn't let us have even an extra 3 days in the week.
It's dps birthday on Monday and she says they can't stay til Monday which is a bank holiday! Wtf seriously!
They absolutely had to miss our Friday night and come on Saturday morning about a month ago as it was their step sisters birthday party, now he can't have them an extra day for his birthday!
He doesn't have parental responsibility and she knows we can't afford to go to court now we've got dsd 3 here (and a baby coming but she doesn't know this yet). He's looking into getting parental responsibility atm but we've got a lot on with dsd 3 due to her ld and her statement review, and trying to sort out her school for Sept so he's a bit preoccupied. We also can't have it by Monday and it might not even make a huge amount of difference with contact.
We're both really sad about this and are worried about what will happen when the kids tell her I'm pregnant (were telling them when they come over tonight), she may be exactly the same or who knows she may get more awkward. I was hoping when I give birth to have them over ASAP afterwards to meet their sibling preferably at the same time as dsd 3 but now I can envision that unless I give birth Thursday evening/ Friday morning before contact, she'll make them wait until contact weekend.