Day 41

What a day! Gus slept all through the night last night (7:30-6:30) and then I was up with him for about an hour and then he went back to sleep. I expected to get maybe another hour out of him, but he slept until 10:00!! I had to go in and check on him to make sure that he was still breathing!!

I got a text from Wendy about going to lunch around 11:30 with her and then going to Wal-Mart. I needed to get some things from WM too, so I said that I'd love to go. We headed to McDonald's for lunch so the kids could play.

Kaitlyn is almost five and is usually afraid of going into the play area. She doesn't like the slide and was afraid at first today. She asked Wendy to go with her, and Wendy took Gus and the three of them went into the play area while I stayed at the table with Ashley. I was so proud of Kaitlyn. She went down and at first was scared... but then I think because Wendy and I made a BIG deal about it and how proud of her we were, she went again and then again and again by herself and loved it!! I was thrilled to see her so happy and excited to explore the play area!!

After Wal-Mart we came back to the house and Wendy was determined to head up to the FROG and get working on it. She said that last night she thought and thought about it and was picturing in her head where everything should go. I put in Aladdin for the girls and she went up and started around 1:30ish.

I eventually came up to help put things into the attic, but when I saw the room I could have cried. It was absolutely beautiful. NEVER in my wildest dreams would I have guessed that it could EVER be used as a playroom. I had hoped it could, but with all the boxes and things from my classroom, it wasn't possible.

The last thing that Wendy wanted to do was move the loveseat from our bedroom into the FROG. We started the attempt, but it was too big to fit through the door. Fortunately, Steve came home just in time to help and he said he'd take care of it.

The room is finished. It is beautiful and I owe so much to Wendy for doing it. I told her in the beginning that I would love to do it, but it's so out of control, that I couldn't wrap my mind around it enough to know where to even begin. I wish I had before pictures so you could see what it looked like. We're talking my classroom from Oak Grove dumped into the FROG... there was a single path to the back wall and the rest was piles of stuff. Here's the finished result:

It's so gigantic and wide now... I can't wait to actually move some of Gus's toys in there and start using it!! Like I said, I had dreamed of being able to use it as a playroom, but never thought it was possible. Isn't it amazing??

While Wendy was upstairs organizing, I took some pictures of Gus playing. Here are a few from today:

Nine months ago today we found out that C was in labor with Gus. Nine months ago this very minute, we were driving north and our thoughts were frantic. We didn't know what the outcome would be, we didn't know if it was all going to work out or be a big heartbreak. I drove a lot that night because Steve had worked all day and I was enjoying my final week of track out. I can remember driving and tears would just be coming from my eyes... I wasn't even intentionally crying... but I was so nervous and stressed that they just flowed down my face as I drove.

Tomorrow Gus will be nine-months-old. It's amazing how much he's grown and changed in this short period of time. On one had it seems like yesterday, and on the other, it seems like it's been forever that we've had him.

Last night his birth father friend requested him on Facebook. It freaked me out. I don't know why my immediate reaction was, "OH MY GOD" but it was. I called Steve into the office to show him and he said, "OH!" when he saw it. I wasn't sure how I should feel. I'm sorta glad that H will be able to see pictures and see videos of Gus... but it's different when we've had contact with the extended family for nine months and suddenly we have contact with his birth father (still nothing with his birth mother).

I commented on H's page, "Hi!!!" and he wrote back, "Hi Gus!" I don't know what I thought he'd write, but it was perfect. I asked Steve, "What would you do if he listed Gus as his child?" Steve said, "Nothing... he is his child. It doesn't take anything away from me being his dad." That's just what I needed to hear. My husband is so great... so mature... and so at peace with all of this. Not threatened at all, and completely in love with Gus and not worried about the little things. I am so lucky to have him!

So that's the latest. We're not doing anything tomorrow... I'm taking the nine month pictures of Gus, but other than that... I'm going to watch my DVR'd shows and enjoy not watching cartoons all day!  :D

Tomorrow I'll be posting on Gus's blog and will post what he should be doing in the ninth month... I'm always eager to see what he can do and to look back on the eight-month post and see what it said he'd be doing this month.

And to Wendy... I can't even put words to the amount of love and gratitude I have for you. You're incredible and I am so blessed to have you in my life. You love my son like he is your own, and you trust me with your girls like they were mine. You are such an amazing friend and I am so thankful that you came over to my house on Halloween of '09 to introduce yourself to your snotty neighbor. ;)  Love you girl!!

>^..^<