YAHOO!!

It's about time!!  I have my MASTERS!!!  I received my diploma and final transcript in the mail today.  So pumped about having that done and behind me. 

When It Rains, It Pours!

I am a firm believer that timing is everything...and the most stressful situations usually happen to me during a week when I have NO TIME! I am sure that this is God's way of telling me to slow down.  This week is spirit week at school which for me means one of the craziest times of the year for me.  In addition, we have parent teacher conferences and I have two cheer meets.  Did I mention that Sarah, who watches Gus during the day, and her two kids all got the flu?  And our two back-up sitters weren't available so Joel and I have been having to switch off and on for who was going to go to work and who was staying home with Gus.  I am exhausted and it is only Wednesday.  On top of all of this...Gus is sick.  :(

Gus started to come down with what we thought was cold last week.  As the week progressed, we noticed that it was getting worse.  He would cough so hard that he would choke, he was constantly wheezing, he would wake himself (and Daddy) with his coughing and he would cry so it increased the coughing and he would cry harder.  So Joel took the day off work on Monday and took Gus to the doctor.  Turns out, Gus has bronchiolitis.  Mayo Clinic says that, "Bronchiolitis occurs when a virus enters the respiratory system and makes its way to the bronchioles, causing them to become inflamed and swollen. As a result, mucus often collects in these airways, which can make it difficult for air to flow freely through your lungs."  I learned that bronchiolitis is common in kids between the ages of 3 to 9 months...check.  It is also common among non-breastfed babies...check.  It is more common for boys to have it than girls...check. All three of those describe Gus.  The doctor gave Gus a breathing treatment at the office and prescribed antibiotics and steroids.  We go back on Monday for follow up.  I hope it goes away soon because I hate seeing him cough so hard.  Luckily, it is not keeping him down...

 

Does this kid look sick to you?!?

 

It's in the mail!

Finally!! My thesis is in the mail! What a relief! Now I can play with Gus-Gus!  Who wouldn't want to play with this little munchkin?!?

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.

October Fun

Just some October fun.  Gus and Daddy stopped up to the Homecoming Dance and Gus posed for a pic with his buddy, Joey.  Gus got a fun new toy!  We were able to get his exersaucer out and started to have lots of fun.  Gus also dressed up as a Stapleton chicken and an Otto turkey!!  So much fun and we haven't even gotten to Halloween yet!!!  So much more fun to be had!

Updates

Some of our blog followers have mentioned that they wish that they received an email when we updated the blog. I think that I have figured out how to do it. If you would like me to add you to the list of those who receive emails, please let me know! Thanks for following!


As you can see, I have kind of gotten carried away with the themed blog.  I really enjoy changing it up and making it look different.  And I think I did pretty good with this one considering the fact that I was holding a sleeping baby in one arm and blogging with the other.

It is Homecoming week at Flat Rock High School which means that my life is more chaotic than normal.  My poor son has been going to float meetings, skit practices and banner paintings.  I hope that the weather stays somewhat decent tomorrow.  I have fun outfits for Gus to wear and I would love to be able to have him actually wear them.  Unfortunately, it is supposed to be cold with a 70% chance of rain...fantastic!!

I can't believe that Gus is 16 weeks old today!!!  Time flies!  I am amazed every day by what he does.  He is really loving rolling over these days.  The other day Joel went in to get Gus up before school and Gus was on his tummy and turned around completely in his crib.  He is a mover!!

We interrupt this life for football season...

It has been a crazy time here in the Stapleton household.  Football season is always super crazy around here.  In addition to football and cheerleading practices, we had something going on every night this past week.  Monday- cheer stunt clinic.  Tuesday- dinner with Sara Griffin. Wednesday- dinner with my parents.  Thursday- JV football game.  Friday- Varsity football game.  Saturday- coaching clinic.  And this is what most of our weeks are like.  Gus has been going with me to cheerleading practice and is quite spoiled by all of those crazy cheerleaders. He also goes to most of the football games...if it isn't too cold or rainy.  He has been wearing his dinosaur hat to all of the games.  We have decided that his hat is good luck for the team and therefore needs to wear it.  Every game that he has gone to where he had his dino hat on, the Rams have won!!  We are hoping that it continues to be lucky for the rest of the season and we hope the weather is nice so that Gus can go to the game.  (He didn't go on Friday and we lost...bummer...)

Luckily Gus travels well right now and seems to be okay with the chaos.  So until he isn't okay with it, we will continue to enjoy the chaos.  We only have a few more weeks of football so life will get back to normal soon.

Gus has started to roll over a lot more now.  It has been a lot of fun to watch and he has been scooching on the floor and in his crib.  But watch out!  That means he is going to be starting to move earlier than we thought.  Regardless, it is fun to watch how much he learns everyday!!

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.

Surprise!

Today our co-workers from both the high school and the middle school threw us a little surprise baby shower. (Little did they know that I had already caught wind of this.) They gave us a very generous gift and a priceless scrapbook full of tidbits of wisdom and advice. We are so lucky to have such a supportive group of people surrounding us. We can't wait for them all to meet Spike. I am sure they will get a kick out of watching the two of us try to be parents! :)