Curious Gus

Gus is into EVERYTHING!!  We are constantly chasing him...and I love it!  I will admit that we were a little behind on the baby proofing but I think that we are getting there...which is good since he is a speedy little monkey.  We are looking forward to Spring Break to really do a better job of baby proofing.  I'm thinking it would be easier just to keep him in a bubble...that way he will be safe.  Since that doesn't seem like a great option, we will just have to be right next to him all the time when he is free roaming or resort to using the pack n play.  He is fun to watch while he is playing in his pack n play.  I love when he stands up and you can see from just his nose up above the edge.  Or when he crouches down to peer at us through the mesh below.  Too cute!  I love watching how curious he is and how he can't stop looking at his surroundings.  Even when we are carrying him, he wrenches his body around so that he can see where we are headed as opposed to where we have been.  I love my son's optimistic view on the world!!

What a day!

Well, I have only been home with my little munchkin for about two and a half hours.  Since then I have been chewed on and drooled on.  The little angel dumped his bottle on me which happened to be leaking.  He spit out baby food (carrots) at me and it got into my hair.  His stinky diaper seeped out of it's barrier onto my lap and to top it all off, I got peed on when I changed him.  What else can happen in the next few hours?!?  I'm exhausted....whew....

FINALLY!!!

Our adoption is FINALLY finalized!!!  We have waited 8 months for this and it finally arrived!  Can't believe that we made it!

8 months!!

This 8 month old would like to chew on the paper that his daddy is holding up.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Our little Cupid!!

A little late...

Okay....it took a while to get these posted.

Soooo Big!!!

My baby boy is getting SO BIG!!  We went to the doctor last week and Gus measured over 27 inches tall and 22 pounds!!  He is growing so quickly!  He is doing some really fun things, too.  Gus has started to clap!  So fun to watch.  He went to a cheer competition the other day and did a great job cheering my girls on with all of his clapping!!  He is also moving around quite a bit.  He knows how to crawl backwards and sideways...not forward.  It won't be long before he is running around!!  YIKES!!

Painful...

Today was our first day back to school.  I did not like it.  I was very spoiled with two weeks of Gus Gus time.  Not to mention that once we got there it was announced that there was a 2 hour delay.  We literally got an email five minutes prior to classes starting that said that the buses were going to be delayed 2 hours because they wouldn't start.  So the kids that were already there for the day would stay and go to class and the bus riders would join us in two hours.  Are you kidding me?!?  It was like a mass exodus for all of the kids that were already there.  I had one student in my first hour class...poor kid.

Gus also had a rough day.  He went back to Aunt Sarah's today and was super excited to see her!  Little did he know what was in store for the afternoon.  Aunt Sarah dropped Gus off to school so that Joel could take Gus right after school...to get shots.  Joel told Gus where they were going...Gus did not look amused.

BEFORE

"Daddy, wait...where are you taking me?!?!"

AFTER

"Daddy...I am not happy..."

All in all, a painful day for all of us...but we got through Monday.  We will see what Tuesday brings.

Super (down)Size 2010!

So I decided that instead of New Year's Resolutions for 2010 I am going to have two major goals.  I like to aim for goals.  A resolution always gets lost in my mind.

1)  Taking care of ME.  Of course God and my family come first but after that I am and going to focus on myself.  I need to learn how to say "no" and not take so much on.  I need to not stress myself out and run around like a crazy person.  I need to actually do my hair once and a while instead of just throwing it in a ponytail or running out of the house with it soaking wet.  I need to rid myself of some of the chaos and stress in my life that is unnecessary.  This of course is minor stuff, but nonetheless, a goal.

2)  The larger of the two goals is to DOWNSIZE!  I need to downsize in so many areas of my life.  As always, there is the goal to downsize the pant size. In addition to that traditional goal, I have a goal to downsize in other areas of my life.  I want to downsize the amount of unnecessary money we spend on silly things.  (I say "we" but we all know that we mean "me".)  This means fewer trips to Target.  That place always gets me in trouble.  I want to downsize the amount of items in our tiny little townhouse.  I started in the kitchen already and went through some of the cupboards and the pantry.  I plan to start tomorrow with my closet.

You can see here, that I can't even walk in our closet.  Three fourths of what you see in this picture is mine.  And yes, I have shoes that fill all of those shoe cubbies...they just are not properly put away.

And how many pairs of pants does a little boy need?  Yes, those are all pants that currently fit Gus.  YIKES!!

So we will see how it goes in 2010...but so far, I am off to a great start!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Gummy Grins

I knew this day would come...but it still makes me sad.  We can now see a little bit of white poking through his little bottom gum.  It makes me sad because I love that little gummy grin.  I am told that I will love the little toothy grin as well.  So I will cherish these little gummy grins for now...and go buy a toothbrush for Gus for Christmas since we will need to brush that little tooth that is starting to show.

Bipolar Wednesday

Today was such a weird day.  We had our cheerleading tryouts today.  It is a day full of emotion for all involved.  The girls are nervous when coming into their tryout, the coaches are stressed out making sure that everything is just right and it all collides at the end of the night.  At the end of the night we tally up the scores and write up our rosters.  We then invite the girls to come back into the room.  When they enter they see that the floor is covered in paper lunch bags and each one has their name on it.  Inside their bag is some candy and a little note that tells them that they either made the team or that they should try again next time.  It is fun to watch the girls run into the room with so much excitement.  For some, that excitement continues.  For others, it is crushed and they leave the room in tears.  My heart leaps for those who made the team are so excited and my heart drops for those who didn't make the team.  It is just such a strange day to experience. 

I came home tonight and collapsed on the couch and snagged up my little boy to cuddle with.  And for only a few more hours I am care free.  I get to relax and take a deep breath before my season begins.

It's good to know I'm not alone...

Today I was reading a blog written by another adoptive mom, "BohoGirl".  She is really struggling right now and shared a lot about it.  It was kind of crazy how parallel our lives are.  We have VERY similiar adoption stories, we both became moms to little boys this summer (both of which have crazy hair), she is a crazy good photographer and I am just a crazy one...there is much more.  But what really struck me today was how she has been feeling lately.  It is almost like she and I are thinking with the same brain and heart these days.  And I realized that I am not alone and that I shouldn't feel guilty for the way I have been feeling lately...it is normal for all adoptive moms...really for any outside-the-house working mom, as well.

It was difficult this summer because for a while there, I was afraid to get close to this little boy since I feared that he would be taken away from us.  It wasn't until the birthmom signed off her rights that I was able to really start enjoying him.  So I feel like I only had a month to really be with Gus before going back to work.  But on top of that I was doing my internship so I had to be gone for long days for a handful of days.  I did a lot of reading about attachment between parents and babies that became families through adoption.  It is very important to form that attachment but almost in the same breath they warn you about becoming too attached until after the birth parents have terminated their rights. 

Going back to work means spending less waking time with Gus each day.  We are very lucky that Gus gets to go to my sister-in-law, Sarah's house.  They love Gus so much and I know that he is safe and well taken care of with Sarah.  I do not worry about him while I am at school...I know that he is okay.  I know a lot of mom's who work outside the home understand how it feels to not be with their children during the day...that is nothing new.  I am sure that many feel the same way that I do. 

Since he spends so much time at Aunt Sarah's house and since he is adopted, many questions go through my head.  Will my child even know that I am his mom?  (And when will other people stop referring to his birthmom as him mom and start referring to me as his mom?)  Will he think that his aunt/uncle are his parents and that his cousins are his siblings?  Are they really more of a family to him and I am just "babysitting" after school and thru the night until he goes back in the morning?  Will he ever be excited to see me when I go to pick him up from Aunt Sarah's?  How does this affect our bond as mother and son?  Since I did not carry/birth him, I have a lot of catching up to do on the bonding front with him.  Is our bond different because of this?  Would I feel better if I had carried him and given birth to him?  Is it detrimental that I am not staying home with him?  But then again, if I didn't work, there is no way that we could afford to give him the life that he deserves.  I struggle with these things on a daily, almost a moment-to-moment basis. 

And although Joel takes the night duty, I have not been away from my son for one night yet. At least I get to see him every day...may not be for long, but I get to see him every day and watch him sleep and snuggle with him before putting him to bed.  I am very lucky for that and I am lucky that he is well taken care of.  And I am lucky to have this little boy in my life.  It was strange and reassuring that this other adoptive mom is dealing with the same questions, guilt and insecurity.  My journey to becoming a mom has had its ups and downs...its hills and valleys.  Just stuck in the valley right now, getting the energy to get up the next hill.  At least I know that I am not alone..."BohoGirl" is there, too.  I am sure if we open our eyes, there are others there with us.

Now off to bed so that I can play with Gus when he gets up at 5a.m....the best part of my whole day!!

Kid of the Month!!

We entered Gus' picture in the Kid of the Month contest at Tip Toes. (An adorable children's boutique in Holland, MI.) And believe it or not, Gus was one of the two winners!!! As a winner he gets a $50 gift card at the store and 25% off anything else he buys at the store all month!! We are very proud of our little winner!!

Another first for Daddy and Gus

GO BLUE!!
Gus got all dressed and ready to watch his first U of M football game with Daddy. And to top it all off...they won!! What a fun day!

READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!!!

Some MAN TIME on the first football Saturday of the season. Fire Up!!

Anybody out there?!?

Well I am glad to know that there are other people in our life that read our blog besides just my mom. For quite a while I was thinking that only my mom was following. A big shout out to Kathy Willis!! Thanks for being one of the few that follow us. Sara Swidorski also checks us out every once and a while. Thanks so much for following us!! And if there are more of you out there....let me know!!

Well, tomorrow is Gus' first official day at Aunt Sarah's house while Joel and I go to work. I am sure that he will have tons of fun...not sure that Joel and I will. We have boring meetings all day! Yuck!! We are so lucky that Sarah is able to watch him while we are at work. It certainly makes going back to work a little bit easier. We will miss him lots, but it is good to know that he is being well taken care of and loved while we are apart. Tomorrow the chaos begins!!! Back to school....

Gus Goes to the Game

Gus went to his very first football game. His daddy was coaching and they even won. Flat Rock beat Ida 40-6. It was a great game to watch and it was fun for Gus to meet so many new people. It was his first game of many, many more to come!!

Gus hanging with some of his Varsity football buddies at his first game!

"A.J." and his buddy Joey. When we introduced Joe to our son and told him the full name (Augustus John Martin Stapleton), Joe decided to call him "A.J."

(They even have a secret hand shake!!)
Chatting it up before the first JV game. Gus got to hang out on the field with some of the Varsity players.

Can't believe it!!

Time has just flown this summer!! Can't believe that our little Gus-Gus is 2 months old! Gus has a doctor's appointment tomorrow where we will find out how much he weighs and he will get 4 shots! OUCH!! Can't wait to see how much our chunky monkey weighs!!

In my biased opinion, Gus is very advanced! He has rolled over 5 times in the past week. Very exciting!! He is also starting to smile a lot which totally melts my heart! LOVE it!! I am so excited to watch him grow and learn to do so many other things in life!

Just a few updates

The 3 Day Walk for Breast Cancer

Gus was the youngest supporter at the 3 Day walk for Breast Cancer this year. He was so proud of his Aunt Sarah who did her 4th walk this year. I forgot to take a picture of the front of his shirt, but it had a pink ribbon on it and said "Tough guys wear pink". Gus' cousin Brendan wore a matching one. (But his said "Mom" on the back where Gus' said "Aunt Sarah".) It was a really hot day, so we only stayed for a little while. But we were glad that we were able to stay long enough to see Aunt Sarah and her friend, Cheryl. We also got to see Sherla, Gail, Kerry and Nan. We are so proud of all of them!!

Gus could be Mother Teresa for Halloween...

I put this picture on here just because it is funny. I love how cuddly Gus is after his bath. When he is wrapped in this towel he reminds us of Mother Teresa minus being a nun, an old lady, and all of the great works that she did. (I am sure that Gus will do great things for this world some day...so far he just made me a Momma and I think that is pretty great!) Just felt the need to share this picture of our cuddly little monkey after his bath. And yes, once we take the towel off the hair on the top of his head sticks straight up on end. LOVE IT!!

AUNT ANNIE!!

Speaking of things that we love....Aunt Annie has been visiting us a lot this summer!! Gus loves his Aunt Annie and we are pretty sure that the feeling is mutual. Annie has gotten really good changing Gus' diapers really fast so that she doesn't get peed on. She is pretty proud of this accomplishment. Aunt Annie comes back to our house tomorrow. She is going to go to cheerleading practice with us, help in my classroom, visit my friend Amy and go to the doctor for Gus with me. Gus has to get his 2 month shots. OUCH!! Not sure who is going to be bothered by it more. Sure, it will hurt Gus, but I may have to pick Annie up off the floor.

Aunt Annie

Last night was Joel's first night away from Gus. It made me a little nervous so I made my sister come stay with us. Since I was interning yesterday and Joel had to leave before I got home, Gus had Aunt Annie babysitting him for the first time!! And they both survived! :)

Today is my last day as an intern. Whew! I am so happy to be done with it. I can hardly stand it! I am so excited!! Then I get spend the rest of the summer before school just hanging out with Gus-Gus!

Time flies...

Ugg!!! How can it possibly be August already? Didn't school just get out? Wasn't it just June? Where did July go?? I know that August will fly by, but at least we don't have to go back to school until September this year. Kind of nice!

I also can't believe that Gus is already 6 weeks old!! That is crazy to me! He is getting a lot chunkier and is paying more attention to us. Joel and I keep hoping that he cracks a real smile one of these days...I know...it will happen before we know it!!

Yesterday, my friends, Amy and Kathy, threw a beautiful shower for Gus. There were a bunch of people there from work, some from my grad class and a few other friends that I have in the area. We are so blessed to be surrounded by such supportive and generous people. Gus came home with lots of goodies. He is such a lucky boy! On top of all of that excitement, Papa and Gramma came over for the day, too!! So all around, it was a day of spoiling Gus. My mom and I even got to sneak out to do a little shopping. We went to buy a shower gift for someone else, but you know that we came home with a few things for Gus, too.

This morning we went to Aunt Sarah and Uncle Jason's house. Sarah was having a portrait party. The same person who did Gus' newborn pictures did these, too. There were 7 families there to have pictures done. It was loads of fun. I did stoop to a new low. The photographer had this beautiful "tutu" skirt. Both Sarah and I wanted Hannah to wear it in a picture. Unfortunately she was being a little stubborn. I ended up offering a bribe to my four-year-old niece. I offered her $5...she said "more". The girl drives a hard bargin!! So I told her that I would get her $10 in "Disney dollars" for her next trip to Disney. Little did she know that I was already going to do that for their trip in November...oh well...I won the battle with the four-year-old. She ended up wearing the skirt in a picture with Gus and Brendan and then a few by herself. YES!!! I was so excited about it!!! Totally worth the bribe. (OH! And apparently she also didn't know that she was going to Disney in November...oops! Let the cat out of the bag on that one! Sorry, Sarah!!)

We are excited to check out a new church tomorrow morning. We need to get Gus' baptism planned. If we switch to this church, I would really like him to be baptized there. If not, we will stay at our current church for a little longer. I am hoping that St. Joe's (where we are going tomorrow) is as good as we have heard! I would really like to switch. We shall see!!

It is almost time for Gus to eat again and then after that it is his big boy bed!! Okay...so his big boy bed is actually his crib. He did pretty good in it most of last night. We are hoping that he will be in it all of tonight! One can hope right??