Syesha Mercado and son Amen’Ra.Photo: Syesha Mercado/Instagram
American IdolalumSyesha Mercadoenjoyed a two-hour visitation with her son Amen’Ra on Sunday amid her months-longbattle to bring the little boy home.
Mercado, 34, and her partner Tyron Deneer spent the supervised visitation outside in a park with family members, she explained in a video on her Instagram Story.
“It was just so refreshing to be in the sun with our son and to have him feel the rays on his skin and have him experience his culture — us drumming to him, us singing to him, us holding him and just being completely present,” she said.
In a video, Mercado filmed 18-month-old ‘Ra cuddling up to his mother as she held him in her arms and sang to him.
Mercado announced on Aug. 20 that she and Deneer had beenreunited with their newborn daughter Astone week after they lost custody of the child, and in the week since have been fighting to finally bring their son home as well.
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The new parents had taken the child to a Florida hospital in late February to help him get additional fluids while Mercado transitioned from breastfeeding to bottle feeding due to her pregnancy.
Randy Warren, a spokesperson for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office,previously told PEOPLEthat an investigation was launched after authorities receiving a tip about a child who was “suffering from severe malnutrition.”
RELATED VIDEO:American IdolAlum Syesha Mercado Loses Custody of 2nd Child Just 5 Months After Her 1st: ‘Legally Kidnapped’
A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Children and Families previously told PEOPLE that while specific case information is confidential, the department’s actions “are always to ensure the well-being of children.”
In a press conference held on Aug. 17, Deneer denied any allegations that he and Mercado had abused their children.
“The only thing that we have ever done as parents is make responsible decisions, loving decisions,” Deener said. “We have not committed any crime. We have not abused our babies.”
“Our life revolves around health, balance and doing what we can to guide our children,” he added. “Nothing that we do is detrimental to our babies.”
Mercado, meanwhile,grew emotional as she spokeabout having both of her children taken from her.
“I am a first-time mom and I’ve been deprived of holding my babies, and feeding my babies,” she said. “I didn’t get to see Ra say mama for the first time. I didn’t get to see my babies meet for the first time. I didn’t get to see that and I can’t go back and redo that moment. I will never be able to go back and redo that moment.”
“I’m supposed to be loving my babies,” the singer continued. “I’ve been deprived of that and I don’t know how to articulate it. It hurts so bad.”
Louis Baptiste, one of Mercado’s attorneys, said at the press conference that the children were in the care of an estranged relative.
“They’re not where they belong, and they’re not with the person that the parents would choose, and their setting is not a setting which the parents would choose,” he said.
source: people.com
