Cat's Litterbox

"A Case of the Mondays..."

2012-02-13T22:00:00.000-05:00

This morning Gus and I went to our playgroup and had a great time. There were only four of us today, since everyone else had something else going on. It was fun though, and the conversation was interesting. I like these women. I find them easy to talk with, and I'm so thankful that they're so open and willing to share their friendship with me.

While at the playgroup, I decided that we're going to go to Catch Air tomorrow at 10am. I invited everyone at the playgroup, and I think one of the moms might come (her name is Kathryn). I also invited Dina, and hopefully she can come with Becca, and at least meet Kathryn.

We got home, had lunch, and it was nap time. Gus slept until 3:00 and then when he got up we headed downstairs to play.

While he was napping, his puzzles from Amazon arrived! I was so eager to have him play with them. Our BOB Books also came and so did his new book "Gus Gets Scared."

We went down and he had no interest in the books (SHOCKER) but was very interested in the shapes puzzle. So we played with that for a while, then his cars, his trains, and then the ball popper.

Steve came home while we were downstairs, and so we were pleasantly surprised when we came upstairs and he was here. He had brought in the mail, and there was a package from Wendy. Inside was some candy, a cute framed piece, a frog magnet, some punch-balloons, and a duck calling sound thingy.

We decided to head to Long John Silvers for some dinner... it's a RARE event that we eat there... but it sounded really good to both of us. So we took the HOUR to get there.

However... before we left, Steve asked if I wanted to exchange Valentine's tonight or tomorrow. I said whatever he wanted to do, and he said tonight. :-)

He gave me a cute (very dirty) card, some Sour Patch Kids, some Lindt chocolates, some sea salt soiree chocolates (my favorite), and this:

Apparently my heart is in Mt. Pleasant... (LOL). I love it. Michigan is where my heart is... (not Mt. Pleasant) and it meant a lot that he would get me something to remind me of home. My husband is so thoughtful. <3

Speaking of home... today I got a LivingSocial deal for a place called Motor City Coney Island... in Stone Mountain (about 40 minutes away). They sell coney dogs, Faygo and get this... Better Made chips!!! I was SHOCKED and so excited!!! I got two vouchers and can't wait for us to go and use them!!! I am so seriously excited about this!!

Anyway-- see you tomorrow!! Happy early Valentine's Day!

A Year of Gratitude #44

2012-02-13T21:42:00.002-05:00

A Year of Gratitude #44: Wendy

I met Wendy on Halloween of 2009. Steve and I were outside our house in Holly Springs, NC, putting together our evening decorations, when Wendy came over and introduced herself. She had just moved in across the street the month before.

My first impression of her was that she talked a lot, she was feisty, and she was funny. While Steve and I were passing out candy, she came over and decided she'd just pass out candy with us, rather than sit alone on her porch.

Our friendship began that night and we always call Halloween our "Friendiversary."

Wendy invited me to come to her monthly "Girls Night Out" events in November of 2009. I decided to go and had a great time meeting her mom, sisters, and some of her friends. It was very easy to talk to her and I never felt uncomfortable around her. I went to every GNO that she had from that day on.

I was still teaching during that time (this was before Gus) and she and I didn't really see a lot of each other. I considered her a friend, but we weren't super close at all. She helped occasionally with taking care of the cats for us when we headed north, and was a great neighbor.

When Gus happened (suddenly) in May of 2010, Steve called Wendy to ask if she'd take the dogs to the vet for boarding and she did that AND MORE! She asked all her friends for clothes and toys and when we returned in July with Gus, he had so many toys and clothes!!! It was amazing. She also helped clean out our fridge so that food wouldn't spoil while we were gone (we had no idea we'd be gone for two months)!

I started staying home with Gus as soon as we returned to NC and Wendy and I started spending a lot of our days together. She was staying home with her girls, and we found that we had so much in common.

It wasn't long before Wendy was my best friend. I could tell her anything, she never judged me, and she was my number one fan. Everyone deserves a friend like her in their life.

It was hard to move away, but I'm thankful that I had the time I had to spend with her in person. We text and call each other and it's like no time passed at all. I guess that's the sign of a solid friendship.

Today, a package came for me (and Gus) and it was filled with some candy, toys for Gus, and a framed picture of the above quote. It's so Wendy. :-)

I'm thankful that God brought us together and let me share my life with her for the time that I did. She loves Gus as if he were her own child, she loves me like a sister, and loves Steve. She's got a heart of gold and not a vindictive bone in her body. She's one in a million, and she's my best friend. I'm thankful for having her in my life.

Peaceful Sunday

2012-02-12T20:43:00.000-05:00

This morning we headed to Costco to cash our rebate check. We have two American Express cards and one is also our Costco membership card. We use it for dining out and we get back a decent amount each year. We get a check from AMX and have to go to Costco to redeem it.

This year, not only did we cash our check, but we decided to do some shopping as well. We ended up getting lots of great deals and should be set on things for a while and it should save us $$ at the grocery store.

I had hoped to find the BOB Books on sale, but our Costco didn't have them. I'll check again this spring and maybe they'll have them. Scholastic should be sending me the first set to review... and then we just bought Gus the pre-readers (two different sets).

We ended up getting him this awesome Thomas and Friends book that makes all sorts of train sounds. He was in love. Between the book and my new favorite busy snack (I have pretzel rods... and I store them in a hard wipes container so they don't get crushed), he was perfectly happy to shop.

We left Costco and headed home. I needed a few odds and ends that we couldn't get at Costco, so Steve ran into Kroger and grabbed a few things for us before we headed home.

Gus's new favorite thing to do while riding in the car... removing his shoes and socks!

We got home, had lunch and then Gus went down for his three hour nap. I was able to watch The River from Tuesday... what a weird show. Verdict is still out on if I liked it or not... I need time to think about it. LOL

We caught up on the rest of our DVRd shows and I even had a chance to start reading my newest read, "Queen Bees and Wanna Bees." While I'm not the mom of a girl (yet maybe)... I still think it's interested to know about the world of girls. And if I ever return from retirement and go back to the classroom, the info will be helpful. So far the book is excellent and one that all parents of girls should read.

We had steak, roasted potatoes and parmesean crusted asparagus (thanks Pinterest) for dinner. While I was pulling the asparagus out of the over, I burned my arm and now have a second-degree burn. It hurts so badly... I did put some soy sauce on it, as I read it's a great pain reliever and helps with blistering. We'll see-- it still hurts.

Tomorrow we have our playgroup in the morning and then that's it for the day. We don't have any plans for the rest of the week... maybe we'll try to go to Catch Air on Wednesday. Michelle is being induced Thursday night and so I have my day cleared on Friday so I can go and take pictures when it's time. I'm nervous and excited at the same time. I've never seen a baby born... I hope it's not too overwhelming for me!!!

Here are some pictures of the many faces of Gus during dinner tonight:

See ya later!!

A Year of Gratitude #43

2012-02-12T20:26:00.000-05:00

A Year of Gratitude #43: No More Escapes

I'm thankful that Steve was able to find the spot that Elphie also found and was using to go galavanting around the neighborhood. It was the gate and it was cracked a little too much and she was able to wiggle herself through the crack.

Steve found it when he let her our and she escaped. He went to the front to do something with the garbage and saw her go back through the cracked gate and then he let her back in through the backdoor.

He was able to put something in the crack to ensure that she won't be escaping (through the gate anyway) anytime soon. Now I'm just praying that there isn't another spot somewhere in the yard that she's using...

A Year of Gratitude #42

2012-02-11T22:29:00.000-05:00

A Year of Gratitude #42: New Friends

This morning Gus didn't wake up until after 8:30. It was incredible. I love the little things... and sleeping until after 8am on a Saturday is one of the things I miss most from my pre-Gus days.

So he got up and we spent the morning taking pictures of him for being 21 months today. You can see the pictures that I took on the Walker Family Prattle and on Gus's Blog.

When Gus went down for his nap, Steve headed out for a haircut and some other errands. Gus woke up at 2:30 and we had to leave the house by 3:15 for his very first birthday party.

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was for this birthday party. Not only because it was the first one ever that Gus has attended for a friend... but... the fact that he has friends here!!

I am so thankful to have made some new friends and for Gus to have some new friends as well. Christy invited us to her son Ryan's second birthday party today at Gymboree. It was literally just down the road from us, and we arrived right on time.

I'm also thankful that Steve came with us. I had asked Christy if it was a mom's only deal or if dad's were invited too and she said for me to bring Steve... mainly so her husband wouldn't be the only guy there. Steve didn't really want to go, but he came and I'm so glad he did. Not just to meet the new friends that I've made, but for him to see Gus interacting with his new friends as well.

The party was a blast. Gus loved playing at Gymboree and the girl that ran the party did a great job. I think the cutest was when the kids all went to the party room and had pizza and cake. To see Gus sitting among twelve other kiddos for a birthday party was so sweet.

I'm so thankful that we've been welcomed into a group of friends. Christy didn't have to invite us to her son's birthday party. She just met me two/three weeks ago. But the fact that she did, makes me so thankful.

Maybe when Gus turns two (in three months-- CRAZY) we will have a party at a place like Gymboree. It's nice to know that there are friends here in GA that we could invite for Gus's big day. Not that I think about this stuff all the time, BUT... when we moved here, it was one of my fears-- not meeting any friends and having Gus's 2nd birthday and not having any friends (for him) to celebrate with. I'm glad that this isn't going to be the case.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from today:

Going through the tunnel

Gus LOVED this!!

Help from Daddy

He can actually shoot baskets!!

Bubbles!!!

Riggs (yellow), Ryan (birthday boy), Gus, and Logan

Rolling down the mat

Five Little Monkeys

They "fall" off the bed... so cute

Gus and his Daddy

Ryan and Christy

The birthday boy

Gus and Daddy

Helping to put the maracas away

Pizza (and his first ever Capri Sun... which he LOVED)

How cute is this???

Cake!

Gus next to Miss Kimberly and her baby John

We left the party and came home for a bit to relax and then Steve went to Applebee's and got us some dinner. I had the Oriental Grilled Chicken Salad and it was soooooo good!

Anyway- thankful for the new friends in our lives. It's so much better moving somewhere where you can make friends to take away the pain of not being near those you left behind.

A Year of Gratitude #41

2012-02-10T20:28:00.000-05:00

A Year of Gratitude #41: Open Adoption

I've written many posts about my thoughts, feelings, and experiences with open adoption. I think it's one of the most amazing things that I am honored to play a part in my life.

I'm so thankful for the relationship that we have with Gus's side of our family. I know I've said it before, but we really are so very fortunate to have them in our lives.

This afternoon, a package came to our family. The outside of the box said, "Walker Family." I knew it was from Gus's side of our family because his Grammy told me to expect something yesterday or today.

I never, ever, would have predicted what was inside the box. There were multiple FRAGILE stickers all over the box and it peaked my curiosity for sure.

Immediately I saw a plastic bag with a card addressed to our family. It was a Valentine's Day card from C. There were also two stuffed frogs for Valentine's Day. One even plays music when you touch it.

Gus hugging his new loveys

Checking out the music on the one

There were packing peanuts everywhere and then as I dug around, I pulled out a rather heavy box that was taped to another box. When I untaped it, I was stunned at what I saw.

C had one of her friends (he's in art school) draw a picture of our family and then she put it in a frame for us. It's incredible. It's the picture that Adri took of us while we were at the pumpkin patch... and had been my profile picture for a really long time. It's one of my favorite family pictures.

I can't even put words to how incredibly thoughtful this gift is. C didn't have to send us anything, and to think of the thought and effort put into getting this gift to us, it's just amazing.

We are so very blessed and lucky to have the relationship that we have. C is an incredible woman and I enjoy getting to know her more and more as time goes on. Gus is so lucky to have her in his life, and to know that she cares so much about him (and us) makes me so grateful.

I don't know too many families involved with open adoption, that can say they have received something so special from their child's side of their family. I don't want to just label C as Gus's birth mother because she's so much more than that. The fact that she thought so much of us, to send us this gift is so special and meaningful.

My heart is so full and I feel so loved and thankful for all the amazing people that I have in my life.

Our Trip to SC

2012-02-10T12:38:00.000-05:00

G2 Reunited

Yesterday, Gus and I headed to South Carolina to meet up with Kristen and Grace. It was a two hour trip and we arrived at Kristen's parents' house at 10:30.

I wasn't sure what the reunion between the two besties would be, but I never imagined it'd be like it was.

Gus got out of the car and fell... which was a bad way to start the morning, but he completely lost his mind. He didn't seem to care that he was seeing Grace after two long months apart, he was having a complete and total melt-down.

I tried to comfort him, but he was inconsolable for a good twenty minutes. His crying went on and on and he refused to try to play with Grace. It was a side of Gus that I've NEVER seen- it was like a different child altogether.

Kristen and I headed down into the basement and think that maybe he was so upset because the last time he saw her, we left him with her for the day while the movers packed us up. Maybe he associated seeing her with being left again? Coupled with going to the daycare on Wednesday morning for the time while I was in the WBF... maybe it was just all too much? I don't know what it was... but it was bad.

Finally, I asked Kristen if she had some Tylenol... maybe his mouth hurt, or he gave himself a headache from the hysterics. The minute had had the medicine, he stopped crying and was happy. It was like a switch went off... it was odd.

Anyway, he was instantly happy Gus and back to his usual outgoing self. He and Grace played together and he started to have fun. After a bit inside, we headed outside for the two to play in the yard.

The kids had lunch and then we headed back down to attempt to put them down for naps. It didn't happen... Gus climbed right out of the pack-n-play.

I changed Gus into his Batman pjs (thinking he'd be more comfortable for the drive home) and then said our goodbyes. Grace gave Gus a kiss... and it was his "first kiss." So cute... we headed out and within twenty minutes Gus was asleep.

Going in for the kiss

Grace saying goodbye to Gus

Batman sleeping in the car (he slept for more than an hour)

We got home at 5:30 and I made dinner while Steve and Gus spent some time together.

It was so great to see Kristen and Grace and to meet Kristen's parents. We're eager for the next visit (maybe April) and hope that they'll drive down to see us for the day!!

A Year of Gratitude #40

2012-02-09T23:06:00.000-05:00

A Year of Gratitude #40: Not Pulled Over

Today while Gus and I were on the way home from seeing Kristen and Grace, I had a moment of thankfulness.

I usually drive about five MPH over the speed limit and I always set my car on cruise control. It's just easier for me not to go too fast that way.

Anyway, while I was driving, this white car was totally on my rear... was in a major hurry and wouldn't go around me. So I sped up a bit to get over so they could pass me... and when they passed, I glared at the driver. They were being so ridiculous.

Well, the white car sped up and was on the rear of the car that had been in front of me, and was causing everyone to have to try and get out of their way. JERK.

Just as I was about to go under an overpass, I saw a motorcycle police officer and he was putting something into the seat storage of his bike... he hopped on his bike and took off so fast! I watched in my rearview mirror and was certain that I was getting pulled over.

EVEN THOUGH I was not really speeding... I just sped up to get out of the way of the white car. Anyway, I had heart palpitations... I've NEVER been pulled over... not in the 19 years that I've been driving.

I got over to the right lane (in case I was being pulled over) and expected the officer to get behind me and put on his lights... but he didn't! He flew past me and of course the white car had slowed down... the officer pulled up next to the white car... and then in less than 10 seconds, he pulled behind him and put on his lights!!!

I was so excited! Not only that I wasn't getting a ticket, but because for the first time EVER... the guy that deserved to be pulled over... was!!! You know what I'm talking about... it's when you say, "Where's a cop when you need one???" after seeing a really reckless driver. Well... today, that officer was right where he needed to be and got the bad guy!!!

I was so thankful that I didn't get pulled over instead, and that Gus and I made it there and back safe and sound.

The Freedom To Be Candid

2012-02-08T21:54:00.001-05:00

"I can't hear you!!!"

This morning we got up and had breakfast and then it was time to head out for my first Womens' Bible Fellowship meeting.

I decided to make myself a combination for breakfast. I was channeling my Grandma Ghrist. It's funny how little things connect you and remind you of happy memories (my Grandma would always make me a combination if I asked for one... didn't matter what time of day or what she was doing... if I asked for one, she would make it... and boy were they ever good!!!).

What's a combination? Toast with Miracle Whip (has to be MW-- not mayo), fried ham, cheese, a fried egg, lettuce and tomato

I took pictures to send to Steve at work to make him jealous ;-)

I had a good breakfast and was feeling nervous about this morning. What if Gus was crying hysterically when I left? Did I really want someone else, anyone else but me to change his diaper? What if he got hurt? I had a million "what ifs" running through my head, and my stomach was in knots.

Gus enjoying my OJ

I gathered the items needed for our morning and we headed out. It took about 20 minutes to get to the church and there was NO PARKING. Hmmmmm... I was supposed to meet Christy in the parking lot near the two white buses, but there wasn't anywhere to park. Thankfully, I saw her and she said she'd wait for me and I went and parked.

We walked in together and she reassured me that it would all be okay. Leaving your child for the first time is no easy task. Thankfully, where I left him was super close, and I was reassured that if there was ANYTHING at all, they'd call me. They got all my info and gave me a card to keep with their numbers.

As soon as we walked in, Christy told them that I was new and that it was my first time leaving Gus. The ladies were super nice and one took Gus and showed him the books and other toys. That was that. He didn't even look back to find me. He was off and having fun. I gave them his bag with his sippy, snack cup, diapers, and a change of clothes (they appreciated that I was so prepared for him).

I headed out and Christy and I went to the room where the WBF took place. Christy introduced me to Sarah (she's the co-leader) and she was SO NICE. When everyone was there and ready to start, Sarah introduced me to everyone (there were about 20 other women) and they were all so welcoming and friendly.

We watched a video that's part of the series called "Faith Based Parenting." It was very interesting. I enjoyed the video, but really enjoyed the conversations after. Our topic today was called "The Freedom To Be Candid."

Basically, you have to allow your children to speak candidly with you. There has to be a mutual respect given, and children who are allowed to share their opinions and views feel more security, love, and in turn, become more responsible, secure, and stable adults. This particular skill, is one that's not easy for most parents. There are a lot of parents who are over critical-- they are critical of their children and don't let them learn that it's okay to make mistakes. These children grow up and are usually critical of others and feel that they're not good enough.

Then there's fear-based families where the parents parent with intimidation and are VERY reactive. Instead of being calm, everything is hypercharged and children become the same way. They become nervous, easily irritated, and reactive.

The last type of family atmosphere is the lawless home. This is where the children have no rules or expectations and as a result, they "rule the roost" and are set up to be dishonest and self-absorbed. There are no clear moral convictions established and these are the kids who end up in jail or on the streets, or drug users.

What I liked most about today, was that I could see how it all fit into my life. I think I have a pretty good grasp of parenting (comes from ten years of teaching I suppose). I know that you have to give respect to get respect. I also know that there are battles to fight, and some you just don't. I know that kids don't need their parents to be their friends... they need them to be parents and to set expectations for them.

Some of the ladies shared today and I found myself wanting to jump in, but I didn't. Some are reactive and they admitted it. Some said they allow their kids to do whatever because it's easier than fighting with them over things. One lady openly admitted that she is lazy when it comes to discipline. She KNOWS what she should do... but she just doesn't do it.

One of the take-away items that most touched me was the topic of talking to your kids about adult issues. When your child comes to you and starts talking/asking questions about sex, substance abuse, or spiritual doubts, it's easy to back into a corner and change the topic. But kids WILL talk about this to SOMEONE. It's better for them to talk to you, as their parent, than their friends.

When their hormones start kicking in (fourth grade-- age 10 or so), it's important to have open communication with them. Talking out loud about questions and concerns will foster a safe, non-judgmental environment where they CAN share their fears and concerns. The only way they'll keep coming to you with these questions and concerns is if you give them the freedom to be candid.

It's better for them to work out their fears with us because we're the biggest influence in their lives. However... we are not their ONLY influence.

One thing that was mentioned in the video was having a "What's Your Beef?" night each week. It's a time for everyone to share any gripes, complaints, or issues they have with something that's happened during the week. The parents have to listen and when the kids are done, they have to respond with, "Please forgive us." That's it. It's over and done.

Anyway... the class was great and I'm eager to go back in two weeks and see what's next. One more thing... apparently the current generation of kids (born between 1995-2005) is being called Generation i (like iPad, iPhone, iPod).

So class ended and when we went back to get the kids, there were several moms already there getting their kiddos. Gus was right at the door looking for me. When he saw me, he started crying. :-( I scooped him up and he was snuggly in my arms and gripping me so tightly. It was so sweet.

The ladies said that he had a great time and was happy and playing the whole time he was there. They had to change his diaper once. They told me that he didn't cry at all until just when he saw me at the door. I was so relieved.

We signed out, grabbed his bag, and headed out to the car. I talked to Christy about Saturday (Ryan's birthday party). She said she hopes Steve will come... there are only ten other kids coming. I'm so excited for Gus to go to his first birthday party!!

We went to Wal-Mart, had lunch and came home. Gus went down for his nap and I watched Teen Mom 2 and Parenthood (it was SOOOOO good)!!

Tomorrow we're heading to SC to meet Kristen and Grace and I can't wait!!!! I'm going to go now so that I can get to bed and get some sleep before tomorrow morning. I'm hoping to be on the road by 8 so that we arrive there around 10. I can't wait to see how Gus reacts to seeing Grace after two months of being apart!!

See you tomorrow!!!

A Year of Gratitude #39

2012-02-08T21:18:00.001-05:00

A Year of Gratitude #39: Grocery Shopping

I can remember a time, approximately nine-to-ten years ago, when I lived check to check. I had just gone through my divorce, I was living on my own for the first time EVER in my life, and I was swimming in debt.

I made some foolish decisions when it came to money and how I spent it. I was teaching, making decent money, but was over my head with a car that I couldn't afford, insurance for said car that I couldn't afford, an apartment that I couldn't afford, and multiple credit cards that kept being used because I didn't have money for the "things" that I wanted.

I've been that girl at the grocery story who stands in line forever only to have my card denied. It's embarrassing. I've needed to get groceries but didn't have money for anything, so I shopped with my Mobil card at the gas station convenience store for things that I needed (milk, pop, bread, snacks).

I can even vividly remember going to Olive Garden with friends and only eating the free bread that came with everyone's paid dinner... and having bread and water for dinner while they all had a feast. I never let my lack of money stop me from going out and having fun.

I should have had a better plan when it came to my finances. I had student loans to pay, and instead of starting to pay (I had no money to start paying), I deferred them and decided to go BACK to school for another Master's. Probably not the smartest thing, but it worked and in the end, I had two Master's and was at the top of the pay scale at work.

My ex-husband (just before he filed for divorce) decided that we should consolidate our credit cards into one card. We each had several cards and we took a few of mine and a few of his and put them together into a Citi Bank card. I still had other cards...

This new card, he thought, should be in my name. Let me "build up my credit" since his was crap. So we did and my new card was MAXED immediately with about $20,000 and was in my name. The accounts that were moved into the new card (his), were closed and suddenly, he had very little debt to his name and I had ALL OF IT.

Then he decided that he wanted to start a family (YAY-- me too) and get a new house. It was like all the problems in our marriage were going to be solved by a baby and a new house. Except... they weren't.

A blink later, I was driving home from grad school and he called to tell me that he filed for divorce. I almost got into an accident and immediately pulled my car off the freeway. I couldn't believe it. I drove to my parents' house and went in... told them... they were in shock, I was in shock, and I took of my wedding ring/engagement ring and gave them to my mom. I cried like I had never cried in my life.

The downward spiral of debt started when I moved out (we separated) on my own and it only got worse.

So what does this have to do with anything??? Well... today I took Gus to Wal-Mart for some groceries. I walked through the store and found things I needed and didn't really need (like the chocolate mini-cupcakes) and I checked out and drove home. I put my groceries away and I have cabinets that are full of food... and a refrigerator that's full of food.

At no time when I was shopping, did I even think my credit card would be declined. Now, I know that we're living tight right now and I DO need to do a better job of watching my spending (Yes Steve, I AM aware and going to do a better job of watching what I buy), but we're not at the point of not being able to afford groceries.

It sucks to be in a position in your life where you can't afford the most basic things. My problem was not just the debt, but not knowing how to manage it, get out from under it, and not being able to make responsible decisions for myself. I was stupid. But I also got manipulated by my ex when it came to him dumping all his debt on me. He dumped the car (that I was paying $600 a month for... and that's just the car), I had to pay for an apartment and utilities ($750 a month), and car insurance ($100 a month). I was bringing home about $1,600 a month... and if you added in the debt I had... I was upside down.

Going shopping today made me thankful that we can afford groceries and that I don't have to worry about how I'm going to feed myself, Steve, and more importantly, Gus.

My husband works hard to provide for us. He is EXCELLENT with money and finances. I'm thankful that he's in charge of our money and that we're able to go grocery shopping and I don't have to worry about my credit card being declined.

Good Day

2012-02-07T21:40:00.000-05:00

Is it me or does he look so much older than 20 months????

We had a great day today! The cleaning crew arrived at 8:30 and Gus was totally interested in what they were doing. They left the vacuum attachment out and the duster... and of course Gus found them. He decided he wanted to help them (Maybe I should ask for a discount?!?)!

We headed downstairs when they were done, so that we could get out of their way. They did think Gus was entertaining though :-)

In the basement, Gus found his vacuum and got to work

While we were down there, Wendy called me. It was so good to talk to her and catch up on things. I talked to her last week (for like an hour), and it was a great way to spend my time in the basement this morning. :-)

Graciela called down to me and let me know that they were done, so Gus and I cleaned up and headed back upstairs.

Reading his new book

Gus and Mama <3

We played a bit up here and then I fed him a light lunch and he went down for his nap. He slept for about two and a half hours! While he was sleeping... my Dove Dark Chocolate Cherry candies came!! WHOO HOO!!

Not sure why this picture is crooked

Gus got up, he had a snack, and then we watched Dinosaur Train. Steve got home and we headed to Kozmo for dinner. It's Tuesday, so they had their Southern Comfort Fried Chicken dinner special... we split a dinner and had a good night out with Gus. He was such a good boy at dinner.

Carrying his booster to the car for dinner

At dinner

So happy with Daddy

Kisses

My two favorites!!!

The moon was CRAZY big and bright tonight!!!

Gus's Snuggie also arrived today (it was like $2.99)!! It's a little large, but he'll grow into it...

Tonight I took some pictures of Gus being crazy... he literally was running everywhere and had a BURST of energy!

It was time for bed, so he went in and brushed his teeth while Steve got everything ready for him (his pjs and diaper).

I still can't believe that my little baby is big enough to stand on a step stool and brush his teeth!!

Tomorrow we're going to the Bible study. Gus will be left with the elderly ladies in the nursery... it'll be the first time that I've left him. I told Christy my concerns and she said she was in the same boat with her oldest son. This church/Bible study is the first place she left her boys and she said they're great. If there's a problem, they'll come and get me. She said to bring two diapers, a change of clothes, and his sippy and they provide a snack.

She said it'll be good for both of us. I just hope he's okay... if he's not, I'll just get him and we'll leave. At least I'm trying (right????). It feels so odd that I'm leaving him with someone else so I can do a non-mommy and Gus thing.

Someone tell me that I'm not crazy for feeling like this is crazy. Tell me that it's normal to feel the insecurities and fears that I have about this. I know I'm being irrational... he'll be in the same building as me... but I still feel terrible that I'm leaving him.

:-(

Wish us both luck!

A Year of Gratitude #38

2012-02-07T21:06:00.000-05:00

A Year of Gratitude #38: Gus Chose Me

This is going to sound pathetic I'm sure, but I am thankful tonight because Gus chose me to comfort him. We put him to bed and not even twenty minutes after we put him down, he was crying. Not just whiney crying, he was in hysterics. I told Steve I didn't know what was wrong with him, so we both went up to see.

Steve went in first and Gus was in the corner of his crib crying... major tears and so very very unhappy. Steve got him out and Gus immediately wanted mama.

YAY!!!

It's been SO LONG since he wanted his mama... he's been in the "I want Daddy for EVERYTHING phase" for months. It's killed me inside each time he denies me and goes to Steve, but I knew that most toddlers go through phases... and I'm sure he'll go back to the "I want Daddy" phase soon enough.

But tonight, he wanted his mama and let me comfort him. I rocked him and soothed him and he finally calmed down. It made my heart so happy that he let me be there to give him some love and snuggles.

I'm so thankful (even if it was just for tonight) that he chose me to give him lovins tonight.

A Year of Gratitude #37

2012-02-07T21:01:00.000-05:00

A Year of Gratitude #37: MOMS Club

I joined MOMS Club back in NC and there was so much drama in the group-- I was more than happy to leave. I could have stayed "active" for two months before we actually moved, but I decided to quit back in October. There's something about getting a bunch of catty women together and trying to feel "comfortable" with them.

It didn't matter how many meet-n-greet events I attended, playdates (like one), or meetings I went to (many), I always felt like I didn't quite belong.

My SIL Heather had told me about MOMS Club back in July of 2010 because we had just come home from MI with Gus, and I had said something about wanting to do something with Gus while I stayed home with him. She had joined a MOMS Club in AZ and highly recommended it.

As you know, people are different everywhere you go. Even in my sorority, the girls in one chapter were totally different from girls in my own. So it wasn't surprising that the women in my chapter of MOMS Club in NC were so different from the women that I've met so far here in GA.

I decided to try and get involved in the MOMS Club here, because I'm in Atlanta Area Mommies (a free group), but have had mixed experiences with events. They also don't have age-specific playgroups and everything is all-ages. My area group in AAM is also VERY small and there aren't a lot of events planned that I see myself going to with Gus. Don't get me wrong, I met Dina through AAM and have also met Heather and Meg... but that's it so far.

I went to my first playdate with MOMS Club and felt totally overwhelmed by the house it was at. The house was gorgeous and I wasn't sure if the moms would be welcoming, warm, and friendly, or snobby. Thankfully, they were so down-to-Earth and friendly that I decided to join.

Gus and I now have a Monday playgroup (so worth the money) and there are seven other moms. It's small enough to know everyone but large enough that if someone can't make it, there are enough other people to have a good time.

I've met a new friend through MOMS Club- her name is Christy and she's also the MOMS Club VP of Membership. She's great at what she does, because she made me feel really welcomed and comfortable the first time I met her. She reminds me of my friend Renee Garland.

Anyway, I'm thankful that I joined this chapter and that I'm giving MOMS Club another chance to do something good for me. I had such a poor experience in NC that I was hoping the chapter here wouldn't be like the Fuquay/Holly Springs chapter was. This one has 20 members (the NC one had 50) and I've met seven of them so far... not too bad that I've met almost 1/3 of the membership at just one event! LOL

Dina was asking me about it tonight and said she might come to a playdate with me and maybe she'll join with Becca. :-)

Playdate and Computer Problems (AGAIN)

2012-02-06T20:47:00.000-05:00

Good Morning!

Gus got up around 7:00 this morning and I was exhausted. I tossed and turned all night and as a result, I'm going to bed early tonight. Combined with (I'm guessing) too much sleep yesterday (I didn't get up until noon remember???), it was a bad night. I've had a headache all day as a result.

So... anyway, he got up and we played and had breakfast and then it was time to head out for our Monday MOMS Club playdate. We had a great time today. The ladies in the playgroup are so friendly, welcoming, warm, and inviting. They all make me feel apart of the group and they're very sweet with Gus.

Here are some pictures from our morning:

The boys were playing with beaded necklaces, rings, and bracelets!

Gus donning his rainbow necklace

Gus and a new friend... watch out Grace!!!

We headed home at noon and I decided to stop for Chick-Fil-A. We have not had CFA in MONTHS... so it was a nice treat. We had our lunch and then it was definitely time for a nap.

While Gus was napping, I was on Facebook and suddenly, my computer crashed and I got the blue screen of death. Keep in mind, I JUST had computer issues and have been scanning for Malware every Sunday. I just did a scan last night and it found nothing, so to have my computer crash was odd.

I got it started in safe mode, but this is the thing that kept popping up. If you can't read what it says, it basically says I was missing something called Secur32.dll. So what did I do? Yes... I texted my dad.

He said it wasn't a good thing and he'd have to call me after he was home from work. I texted Steve and he was trying to help remotely, but said to leave my computer alone and he'd mess with it when he got home.

He was able to get it fixed... but I'm definitely looking for something different. I asked my dad how much it'd be for him to build me something new. Hopefully it's not too much... I know he can make me something great and this POS needs to go.

Reading his new board book (came in the CFA kids meal)

Tomorrow we have the cleaners coming and I'm eager for them to get this house back in shape. It's in desperate need of vacuuming and dusting!! I'm going to head to Wal-Mart after they leave in the morning... then we'll be home for the rest of the day.

See you tomorrow-- I'm off to bed! I can't wait to watch The Bachelor tomorrow and see what happens with Courtney-- I'm hoping he sends her home tonight!! I LOATHE her!!!

Superbowl Sunday Fun

2012-02-05T23:13:00.000-05:00

Gus Getting His Hair Cut

Today was a pretty good day... We got up early with Gus and then by 9:00 I was back in bed. Steve let me sleep as long as I wanted and when I woke, it was noon and Gus was going down for a nap.

I couldn't believe that it was noon... I decided to head to Kroger while Gus was napping-- BAD IDEA. Kroger was a mad-house. Most of what I needed was there, so I was at least happy that when I go to Wal-Mart on Tuesday, I'll just need to get a few things.

When I got back from Kroger, I made some sausage queso dip... it was delicious.

Sausage, Velveeta, RoTel tomatoes

After Gus woke up we played for a bit in the livingroom. I went into the bathroom and he decided to follow me. He's big enough now, that he can stand on his little step stool and can reach the knobs for the water. I can't get over how big he's getting! Becoming so independent... but he still loves to snuggle, give hugs and kisses, and is the most incredible little man.

Big boy turning on the water!

He was so proud of himself!

After a bit we decided to attempt cutting Gus's hair. Steve found the clippers and we headed into the bathroom for the attempt. It went really well. Gus was scared of the clippers for about ten seconds and then he was fine. I kept him occupied and took pictures, while Steve cut his hair. He had a lot of hair that we cut!!

Before

On the sink... getting his hair cut

Just ONE of the many piles of hair

After! Such a big boy!!

I think he definitely looks older with his hair short. He's so adorable. Anyway... he and Steve got in the shower right after the cut and then I took Gus and got him dried and Steve finished his shower in peace.

We went to the livingroom and I put on a new show called Dinosaur Train. Heather and Meg recommended it at the playdate on Thursday. It's a super cute show!! Gus really enjoyed it and I've set it up to record all of the shows on PBS.

Watching Dinosaur Train

I was able to fold laundry while Gus was watching his show. He wanted to snuggle 1/2 way through... so we snuggled and I took a picture of us together.

We had Pizza Hut for dinner since we got a $5 coupon on Four Square for checking in for the Superbowl. :-) We took our pizza downstairs and watched the first half and the halftime show downstairs.

Watching the game with Daddy

Shopping instead of watching the game

We headed up after the halftime show, put Gus to bed and then finished watching the game upstairs. As much as I love socializing with friends, there's nothing better than watching the game in your own house, with no one to entertain. We had so much fun just watching the game and commenting on the LAME commercials. :-)

So that's our day. Tomorrow we're going to a MOMS Club playdate at 10:30 and then Tuesday our cleaners come. On Wednesday, I'm taking Gus with me to a women's Bible study and then Thursday we're driving to SC to see Kristen and Grace. Friday is our only "free" day. On Saturday, Gus has his first birthday party to attend at Gymboree for his new friend named Ryan. It should be fun. Saturday is when Gus turns 21 months too... I can't believe he's almost 21 months... and just around the corner from being two.

Where has the time gone?!?!?!

On a side-note... I was able to find the chocolate cherry Dove chocolates that we had at the ASPCA gala last year. It was around Valentine's Day and I'd hoped I'd find them this year at the store... but I've had ZERO luck. I went on Amazon and found some!!! I paid a lot more than I should have... but I got four bags and I will savor each and every one. I may even share with Steve. ():-)

A Year of Gratitude #36

2012-02-05T22:56:00.000-05:00

A Year of Gratitude #36: Adoptive Soldier Coming Home!

I've been participating in Soldiers' Angels for several years now, and I've had probably hundreds of soldiers that I've adopted. I've sent letters and care packages and enjoyed receiving letters back from my soldiers.

My most recent adoptee is named Edwin Rodriguez and I just got the notification today that he's coming home!! I'm thankful that he'll be returning to his family and now I am going to go on and adopt a new person.

I used to get two names per week and it was overwhelming to keep track of all my guys/girls... but then they changed it to one soldier and you had them until notified. Edwin is the second one that I've had that has come home safe and sound.

I'm so thankful that nothing happened to him and he'll be reunited with his loved ones!!

Silly Saturday

2012-02-04T21:14:00.000-05:00

Slurping Noodles

This morning was great... I got to sleep in and then I had a donut for breakfast (lol). Then I headed off to my nail appointment and had a great hour and a half of "me time." I stopped at Jimmy Johns on the way home and picked up sandwiches for us for lunch.

I haven't had JJ in forever... like MONTHS. I didn't know that we had one so close to our home! I'm serious... we live within a few miles of EVERY and ANYTHING you could want or need. It's pretty amazing.

I got home and was shocked to see that Gus was up (it was 12:30 and I left at 11 for my nail appointment). I assumed that he was about to go down for his nap, but Steve said he had already gone down, and only slept for about 45 minutes. UGHT OH!!

Gus ended up going down for a second nap at like 3:45 and slept for just over an hour. When he got up, he was a bit cranky, hungry, and ready for dinner.

I let him help me in the kitchen and he had so much fun in the tot tower (THANK YOU AGAIN DAD (and Steve) FOR MAKING THIS!!!!)

Finger painting (with the bag from the other day)

Playing with his cars and running them over the paint

Playing with Mr. Burns (from the Simpsons)

Mr. Burns and two cars... a happy boy!

We sat down for dinner and Gus didn't want to touch the chicken (he's so picky sometimes). He had almost all of his carrots and then we had some noodles with dinner. He wasn't sure about the noodles... then I showed him how to "slurp" them and he tried. He was hooked!! He ended up eating a TON of noodles for dinner!

Eating noodles

LOL

Ah Ha! The first slurping... hee hee hee

Gus had so much at dinner! We were so proud of how well he ate! We listened to the Gus songs that I just bought for him (it's a CD of songs that put his name into the songs) and he loved listening to them. We sang "Five Little Monkeys" and he was doing the actions... then we had some ice cream for dessert!

Gus went down without a fight! Tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday and I'm hoping the Giants win (I hate the Patriots). We'll be watching the game in the basement... not sure what we'll have for dinner... maybe I'll check on Pinterest and find us something yummy!

Nite!

A Year of Gratitude #35

2012-02-04T20:54:00.001-05:00

A Year of Gratitude #35: Reed Brown Safe and Sound

Reed and Shauna Brown

My very dear friend Shauna has been anxiously awaiting today's arrival for many many months. Today was the day her husband Reed came home from Afghanistan!! He's been deployed since August (and was only home for a short period of time then) and she's been waiting for him to return home.

I'm so thankful that not only did he make it home to her, but his entire company arrived as a complete unit, without any casualties. Her pictures were amazing and I had tears streaming down my face as I looked through them. I'm so glad that he's home and safe.

Gus's birth father's mother L, posted that her nephew was coming home today from Afghanistan... and I just learned that they were in the SAME company!!! What a small world!!! So I'm thankful that Gus's cousin (not sure exactly how it works out) Eddie also made it home safe and sound with Reed!!

A Year of Gratitude #34

2012-02-04T20:46:00.000-05:00

A Year of Gratitude #34: Steve's Job at World 50

I am thankful that not only does Steve have an incredible job, that takes him to places he'd never get to go, and introduces him to people he'd never get to meet, but I'm most thankful that he LOVES his job.

Yesterday, Steve got to wear his Bengals jersey to work because they were having a Super Bowl party from 3-5 for all employees. He made it through the day and was able to enjoy the festivities that they have planned for everyone. They had pizza (literally, a huge table was filled with boxes and stacked three to four high. They had beer... and they had munchies. The Wii was on and people were playing "Just Dance" and they had the corn hole out and people were playing that.

He is so lucky to work for a company that really puts the happiness and satisfaction of the employees first. When they do a great job, they're rewarded. Steve is given praise and feedback constantly, and loves to hear that he's doing a great job.

He's so happy and I'm thankful that he's happy. There are zero regrets about moving here and taking this job opportunity. I have to say, I KNEW it'd be awesome for him. From the moment he told me about it, I knew it was something he'd be perfect for, and so far I've been 100% correct.

So while Steve's super happy with work, I'm praying that I continue to make friends and feel my way around the area. I want (so desperately) to feel like this is "home." So far, it's just surreal that we're here and it's where we live. Not sure how long that feeling will last... probably a few months or even a year. I need to get comfortable and establish myself here... and then hopefully I'll be thankful to call this place home.

Thursday's Top Ten: 10 Destinations On My Bucket List

2012-02-02T15:29:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of places that I'd like to visit before I die... here are my top ten:

Ireland (I'd like to see where my mother's side of my family came from)
Hawaii (I've always wanted to go and see a volcano)
Australia (I want to go, but don't want the plane ride)
South Africa (I want to go on a safari and touch the Indian Ocean... I'd love to be at the bottom of the continent)
Los Angeles/Hollywood (I'd love to see where the stars live)
Egypt (Just to see the pyramids and maybe ride a camel)
Alaska (I'd like to step foot in the Arctic Circle)
Fiji (I want to sleep in a hut over the water)
Jamaica (I'd like to go to a Sandals resort in Jamaica)
San Francisco (Never been but I'd love to go)

Open Adoption Roundtable #34

2012-02-02T15:09:00.001-05:00

Open Adoption Roundtable #34- How do you handle questions about your child's adoption details when they are asked of you? How would you want the other parties in your open adoption to handle those questions when they are about you?

What a question! I've found that I close off what I share with certain people. I don't just announce to everyone that I meet that Gus is adopted. It's got nothing to do with being ashamed or embarrassed about it, it's a matter of it not really being anyone's business.

It's super hard with joining mommy groups where 99% of the moms have biological children. Most assume that your child is also biological (especially since Gus is Caucasian and resembles me a bit). It's when they start asking questions about pregnancy, labor, or delivery, nursing, that kind of stuff that somehow I get put into the position of whether or not I share that he's adopted.

At first, I would just openly say it... but now I don't. I don't share with "just anyone" and have only told a few people that I'd consider to be friends.

When people ask me to share his story with them, they almost always ask why his birthmom "give him up." Those three words irk me more than anything. She didn't "give him up" or "give him away." I ALWAYS take the time to educate and share that there's appropriate adoption language and the proper phrase would be, "placed him for adoption."

Since I don't really know the full ins and outs of her decision, I can't even begin to know the depth behind the decision to place him in our arms. I also don't think it's my place to share her story with anyone but our son.

I usually say that she and Gus's birth father knew that they couldn't give him the life that they wanted him to have, so they made the sacrifice to place him into our family. I try to be as honest and to the point as possible, without giving any additional information.

For the most part, I think people are just curious to hear about adoption. The media has done such a fine job of misrepresenting adoption and plants false info into the minds of the unaware. People think that even years after a child has been placed in a family, and the adoption has been finalized, that birth mothers can just walk back into the picture and take their baby back. Too many Lifetime movies... but people don't know any better and the assume that it's true.

Adoption isn't something to be ashamed of, or embarrassed about. The more open dialogue about it, the more the inaccuracies and false stories will be cleared up. The only way to share the positives is to openly talk about it with others... and sometimes you have to go into the uncomfortable places deep inside to do that.

When someone is honestly, genuinely asking about Gus's adoption, I have no problem talking with them about it. It's the nosey, busy-bodies that I don't divulge information to.

I'd hope that our son's birth mother would be honest with others about our adoption. I'd hope she'd be proud to say that she's a birth mother and that she made her choice to place him out of love.

A Year of Gratitude #33

2012-02-02T14:51:00.000-05:00

A Year of Gratitude #33: A Baby for A Friend

So, I literally just checked a friend's blog and saw a post that brought tears of joy to my eyes! She and her husband have been on a waiting list for adoption for over fifteen months. I can't even begin to think about how agonizing it has been for them. Fifteen months of waiting... not including the years of trying to conceive on their own.

Fifteen months and having to go through fingerprinting twice because they were STILL waiting... and a home study twice because they were STILL waiting.

They're on their way to PA to meet their brand new baby girl and she didn't give much more info than that. I'm eager to hear more about it, but I am so thankful that their wait is over.

God is so good and knew what He was doing... the wait was long for them, but the wait is over and they're now parents. How amazing is that???

So, I am most grateful and thankful that they're meeting their daughter and their family has been established. Parenthood is a life-altering thing, and something that I am so blessed to be apart of. I know my life changed when Gus entered the world, and hasn't been the same. I'm a better person because of him, and I am so thankful that my friend will be changed for the better as well!! She's now someone's mom... :-)

A GREAT Playdate!

2012-02-02T14:35:00.000-05:00

This morning was wonderful!!! I was able to sleep in a bit AND get in the shower before Gus was up! I am feeling better and think I'm over my cold (yay)! Gus has a runny nose, but he seems to be on the upside of the cold as well. Steve, well, he's another story. He came home today at 2:00 because he wasn't feeling well.

We had a 10:00 playdate at Heather's (AAM) this morning. I was not nervous about it being like the bad playdate last week, mainly because I've met Heather and liked her a lot, and Meg (met her at the Zoo back in November) and Dina were also going. It was just the four of us moms and the kids and it was GREAT.

Gus and Becca are both almost 21 months, Meg's daughter Charlee is 2, Heather's son Adam is 2.5, and Meg's son Carter is 3.5. So while the kids were not all the same age, they were all close enough to each other that they played really well together. Gus really enjoyed playing on Adam's train table.

Don't get me wrong, I love deal I got on the one that Gus has (it was $20 on Craig's List), but the new tables are SO NICE. Maybe I can buy the table top (not a whole new table)... the one we have is marked up and has stickers on it from the previous owner. We'll see... I don't know if you can buy just the table top and not the actual table.

We stayed at Heather's for about two hours and just had a really nice time. We got home and had lunch and then I put Gus down for his nap at 1:15. While he was napping (he's still napping), I got an email from my new friend Christie from MOMS Club and she invited Gus to her son Ryan's second birthday party! It'll be his first birthday party to attend!!! It's on the 11th at Gymboree... they'll have pizza and cake and I think Gus will have so much fun!! :-)

A week from today we'll be seeing Grace and Kristen and I can't wait! It's been two months since Gus last saw Grace and I'm eager to see how he reacts to seeing her again. I've missed Kristen too, so it'll be great to spend the whole day catching up with her and meeting her parents.

See you tomorrow!!

:-)

Happy February!

2012-02-01T21:11:00.000-05:00

Snuggles

What a day! Gus decided that his days of sleeping in and taking long naps are OVER. BOOOOOOO!!!

He was up and ready to go at 7:30 this morning. I could have slept for another hour (at least). We had a good morning and played with his blocks...

Playing with his slinky

Yes, he took his pants off

After playing all morning, he was finally ready to go down for a nap.

I put him down, let the dogs out, and then plugged my phone into my computer to charge. When I went to let the dogs back in... surprise, surprise... only one came inside (any guesses as to which came inside???). I called and called for (yes... you guessed it) Elphie, but she didn't come. I finally went outside to see what the deal was, and saw that the OTHER gate was cracked. GRRRRR

So she was gone... AGAIN.

I went to the front and called her for but there were no signs. I came inside and texted Steve to tell him that she was gone... and he immediately knew that it had to be the gate. He said he noticed it was cracked this morning, but didn't have time to close it.

I had a birthday card to mail to my niece for her 7th birthday on Friday, so I grabbed the card and headed outside to the mailbox. Just as I looked up from depositing my mail, I saw Elphie... at the neighbor's house. She was on her back getting her belly rubbed.

I (totally embarrassed) told the guy that she was my dog and hiked up his driveway to get her. He was very nice and was very understanding. He said he saw her down the street... and she eventually made her way towards his house. He figured she was someone's dog from the neighborhood. I told him that we just moved from NC and her tags still say NC on them... he said he'd keep an eye out for her if she ever escaped again.

He looked at our front door and made a comment about Ned waiting for her (Ned was standing at the door looking out). I carried her back home and sent Steve a text that she was back home. She was tired for the rest of today.

Gus got up and we went to Kroger. He was hungry and was delighted when the deli lady offered him a piece of cheese.

We had a great rest of the afternoon and now I'm ready for bed. We have a playdate tomorrow (with AAM) and I'm hoping that this one is better than the last one. We'll see... it's from 10-12 and Dina will be there. I'm praying that we have a good time.

I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

Nite!

A Year of Gratitude #32

2012-02-01T21:00:00.000-05:00

A Year of Gratitude #32: My Crock pot

Yesterday, I was looking around on Pinterest and found a recipe for three-ingredient crock pot chicken tacos. The picture looked so good and I decided that I'd try it today.

I went onto Pinterest while Gus was napping and saw that all I had to do was dump chicken (thawed breasts) into the crock pot, along with a jar of salsa (I only had 1/2 a jar so I used a can of Rotell tomatoes to go with it) and a packet of taco seasoning. I read through the comments on the recipe and others said they used cream of mushroom soup and one said they used cream cheese. I decided to try adding a can of cream of chicken soup.

I put it all together, set it on high and let it work its magic. When Gus woke up, he and I went to Kroger to get lettuce and tomato for our tacos tonight.

My mouth was watering all afternoon, as the smell permeated the house. I only hoped that it would taste as good as it smelled.

Not only was it delicious, but it was so easy. I'm so thankful that I have a crock pot and I'm not afraid to use it!! What an amazing piece of kitchen gadgetry!!!

A Year of Gratitude #31

2012-02-01T20:54:00.000-05:00

A Year of Gratitude #31: Attached Garage

This afternoon, I had to head to Kroger to pick up some last-minute items for dinner and just as I was starting to head down the driveway, it started to sprinkle. By the time I got to Kroger, it was raining.

Gus and I ran inside and it wasn't coming down too hard when we went inside. Well... coming out was an entirely different story. It was raining cats and dogs! As if running from the store to the car wasn't bad enough, I had to load Gus into his car seat, stand in the rain while I buckled him in, and then put the groceries into the car-- and ran the cart to the cart corral.

As I was getting into the car and finally out of the downpour, I sat back and had a moment of thankfulness. I remembered back in the day, when I lived in my first apartment on Timberidge Drive... and I'd have to park and run all the way around to the other side of the building (where I lived) to take things in from my car. It was a pain in the ass.

When it'd snow... I'd have to trudge through the unshoveled snow to get to my car, and nine times out of ten, my door would be frozen shut (I do NOT miss Michigan winters). I'd have to trudge back to my apartment, get a large cup of hot water, and then trudge back to my car and pour the water on the door with the hopes that it'd unfreeze for me to open.

Worse than snow was the rain like today. So as I was driving home I became thankful that I can just pull into my garage and then just unload my groceries from the garage and not get wet.

It's the small things in life that can make the biggest difference. :-)

My Dream Last Night

2012-01-31T16:37:00.001-05:00

So it could be from the Nyquil stupor that I was in, but I had a very real dream last night. I dreampt that we became the parents to two twin girls.

It wasn't outwardly said in my dream, but I think we adopted them. It was so real and crazy, when I woke up I was actually scared that I had twins to take care of PLUS Gustafer.

It'd be one thing to find out and have time to plan for (as much as possible) but I woke up so scared. LOL. I don't know how my mom raised my brother at age 5 and then us (twins) at the same time. Talk about tough!!

It got me thinking though... I would love to parent twins, I think they're amazing. We'll see... maybe adoption #2 will be for twins!!

:-)

Trip to the Georgia Aquarium

2012-01-31T16:18:00.000-05:00

I decided last night, that if I felt better today, that I'd take Gus to the Georgia Aquarium. My mom and dad gave us a family membership for Christmas and I've been eagerly awaiting the time to go. Today seemed like as good a day as any!

I have a cold and as a result, I was so exhausted yesterday. I took some Nyquil and went to bed at 8:30. I didn't wake up until 8:00 this morning and Gus was still asleep. He woke up at 8:30 and I went up and got him. We both were well-rested and in good moods (always a plus).

We decided to get on the road and head to the Aquarium (it was 9:30). It took me about 45 minutes going, because my GPS (Gary) gave me the strangest directions. He didn't take me the most direct route (maybe because of the time of day?), so we didn't get to the Aquarium until 10:40 (after parking and whatnot).

Gus absolutely loved it. He was in the stroller for the beginning and then there were things that I knew he couldn't see, so I let him out. I was so afraid that he'd run around and I wouldn't be able to catch him... but he was good. He stayed close to me and liked helping me push the stroller. :-) There were a few times that he wanted to go one way, and I wanted to go another... and as a result I had to chase him (not a pretty sight). Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun he had and how much fun I had.

There's a HUGE room with like a two-story tall glass viewing window... I sat there for a few minutes just marveling at the sights. My pictures don't do it justice... and then of course Gus was ready to move on, so I had to get up and stop enjoying the view.

We went into the tunnel... and it's amazing. Gus was more interested in the moving sidewalk than the fish (lol). I was trying to take pictures and of course was reminded by another guest that his fingers could get caught in the sidewalk and that I should watch him (nice). Yep... mother of the year... right here.

Anyway, he was getting hungry so we went and had lunch. It was VERY expensive to have lunch... I got the cheapest item (a hotdog) and some fries for us to share. I packed him a BeetBox Berry (beets and strawberries mixed in a pouch) which he devoured. I contemplated on buying him a milk, but he had water and I was being cheap. He also had some fruit snacks and a bite of my hotdog. It wasn't the best lunch for either of us.

We saw the frog exhibit (Gus wasn't interested because he couldn't see the frogs-- you have to really look for them). He liked the info booth... so he spent most of his time looking at that while I looked at frogs. :-)

I bought him a cute penguin from the gift shop. It's not something I'll do each visit, but for the first, I wanted to get him something special. He loves it... and it was 1/2 off with the purchase of anything else. So I got him a slinky... that he had been playing with (he grabbed one end and went running... literally through the aquarium and I had to keep pulling the Slinky to get him.. he was a good 50 feet away).

The parking had me nervous. It said $5 for the whole day for the aquarium and I was going to park in the "official" lot, but it was like $10-$20 for parking. I thought I'd see if the $5 parking structure was good. It was literally across the street from the aquarium and when we left... sure enough, it was $5. SCORE!

We had fun and got home just in time for him to CRASH. Coming home took me 35 minutes because Gary had me take 400 (which is how I was expecting to go). Gus has been napping since 1:30... (it's 4:11). He was trying to sleep in the car on the way home and I kept waking him so he wouldn't fall asleep.

It's been a great day. Here are some of my favorite pictures from today:

Albino Alligator

Looking Up

Running through the Aquarium

GIANT Manna Ray

Trying to pet a fish :-)

HUGE Whale Shark

The tunnel

Sawfish

Amazed... (so awesome)

The BIG viewing room

Having lunch

The GIANT starfish

"Fish"

Penguins (Gus was busy making friends with the kids on a field trip)

Jelly Fish

The Coral Reef room

:-)

In the zone (he was sleepy)

Big yawn

Getting some information

Looking up as a wave comes through (so awesome)

Mesmerized by the fish

The pink one was so pretty

Checking out the sea horses

The frog info station

A big frog :-)

Ugly fish with teeth!

The entrance/exit

From the outside

Downtown Atlanta

A Year of Gratitude #30

2012-01-30T13:33:00.002-05:00

A Year of Gratitude #30: Alpha Gamma Delta

When I joined a sorority at MSU it was the worst thing I could have done. The timing was terrible, the situation was terrible, and I was just not in the right mindset to be successful in college and balance being in a sorority. As we already discussed in a previous post, I was not initiated into Phi Mu... because I didn't have the grades. That single thing (which was terrible... don't get me wrong) was awesome because it allowed me the opportunity to join another sorority when the timing WAS right.

My ex-husband was less than supportive when I told him that I wanted to join a sorority at EMU. He made numerous comments about me buying my friends. For some reason it was acceptable that I was in Phi Sigma Pi and had "bought my friends" through that organization, but a sorority was so much worse to him.

My friend Kate had joined PSP and then transferred to CMU (Central Michigan University) and helped start the PSP chapter there. She also joined the Alpha Gamma Delta chapter at CMU. When she transferred back to EMU (where I met her), she told me about AGD and that she wanted to get back involved as an alumnae (if you leave a chapter and go alumnae, you're considered alumnae anywhere else that you go).

Another girl in PSP (Sharon) had just joined Sigma Kappa and when she told others in PSP, she got a lot of negative comments. I was somewhat worried that my friends in PSP would not be supportive of my decision. For the most part, everyone was nice about it, but there were a few PSP members that made rude comments and felt that I "betrayed" them by joining a social Greek organization.

Anyway, Kate and I went to a COR (Continuous Open Recruitment) event (this means that it wasn't a formal recruiting time). I was nervous that the girls wouldn't like me and that they'd judge me because I was engaged and older (I joined in 1998 and was 22).

Right off the bat I loved everyone that I met. I just felt "at home" with the girls in the chapter. The President of the AGD chapter (Zeta Alpha) was Brenda and her sister Denise was actually my grand-big in PSP. I LOVED Brenda and totally clicked with her. She had two really close friends, Eva and Dawn and I thought the three of them were so awesome. They were older than me and were a lot of fun.

After I went to the COR event, I was asked to come to another event and then I was told the chapter would be voting on whether or not to give me a bid (an official invitation to join). I had to meet a certain number of girls before they could vote to give me a bid or not. I remember being so nervous that they weren't going to like me enough to give me a bid... I went to the bar that night with friends and Brenda, Eva, and Dawn were there. Brenda told me that "unofficially" and on the way DL, I would be called the next day and offered a bid. I was so excited!!

My semester as a new member (aka Pledge) was fun. Kate helped me learn all the songs, and she was there for the meetings and other fun events. I was assigned a big sister (she sucked) and they figured that since she was getting married, she and I would be a great match. Unfortunately, my big was more wrapped up in her own wedding that she didn't take the time to get to know me... and the retreat weekend that I was initiated, when I was to be given my very special book from my big... I got an empty 1/2 ass put together one.

To say my new member period was disappointing would be an understatement. My ex HATED my sorority sisters and was rude whenever he was around any of them. His twin brother loved it... it was like opening up a whole new world of available hot chicks for him to try to hook up with. LOL

I was initiated in the spring and then we had the summer and when we came back to school in the fall, we had structured recruitment. This is when girls sign up and are put into groups. Each group is taken to all the sororities on campus and then it's a two-sided decision. Each chapter votes on the girls that came through and decides whether or not to invite them back to the next round, and then the girls decide which sororities they want to see again. Only the ones that match are kept for the girls.

So basically, the first round of recruitment EVERYONE sees everyone. The second round, most sororities weed out anyone without the GPA minimum (each sorority has their own requirements). You always have fewer girls in the second round because you cut some, and some cut you.

Fun during one of the rounds of structured recruitment

Then the third round is more serious and you discuss how much it'll be to join, you go over scholastic expectations and this is the round that you REALLY try and sell your sorority as the best on campus. You tell the girls about the Greek Week awards, the number of girls with 4.0s and stuff like that. The girls that come to this round obviously like what they've seen so far, so you really want them to have a good time and get as much out of their time as possible.

The last event is called preference. Up until this point, you'd talk to as many different girls during a "round" as possible. You'd take someone that you were talking to and introduce them to other girls ("pass them off"). The more that talked to someone, the better for voting. If only one person talked to someone it's hard to extend an offer to the next round... and each sorority can only take so many girls (ceiling).

So Preference is a bit different. Hopefully, you met someone in round one that you liked... she came back for rounds two and three and you talked to her still. You then "pref" her and it's a one-on-one conversation. It's VERY intimate and it's when you basically share why you love your sorority so much and why you would want her to join and be a sister. Usually, girls have their two chapters that they like and they go to two preference parties... yours and the other. So you have a 50/50 chance that she'll pick yours.

After you've had your Preference parties (there are two... so that everyone has a chance to see their other choice) then the whole chapter votes on which girls to give a bid to. The girls also meet with their Rho Chis (Anonymous members from all the sororities that act as guides and leaders for recruitment groups... they are De-affiliated and cannot tell their group which sorority they belong to-- because they're not allowed to influence which sorority the girls join.) and they pick their sorority.

Bid Day is when you go and each sorority is ready to find out how many girls they "got" and which girls picked them. It's so exciting and everyone is super pumped up. Each girl that went through structured recruitment goes to the microphone, says her name, and then announces which sorority she joined.

Now... sometimes she'll go to two preference parties and receive two bids. Then she has to pick which of the two she wants to join. Sometimes, she'll go to two preference parties and neither ask her to join... she can be "picked up" by another sorority after bid day through COR. Sometimes, she doesn't get invited to preference for either sorority that she likes and she drops out, OR... one invites her that she might not have initially liked, but because the two that she liked didn't pick her, she can choose to attend.

Anyway... it's very exciting and when each girl goes to the microphone and says which sorority she is a proud new member of... the entire sorority goes ape shit and screams, hoots, hollars, and runs up and gets her. Many give balloons, t-shirts, and sing sings and chants. If you've never been to a bid day... you've missed out!!

Ready to head to Big Bob's Lake House to find out who we got

So... back to my story... when I joined AGD it was COR and NOT formal structured recruitment. I had NO IDEA what to expect with formal. It was crazy and overwhelming... but the girls that joined that fall were INCREDIBLE. These girls are some of my closest friends to this day!

At Big Bob's

Some of the things that I loved about being in a sorority was that I didn't have sisters when I grew up. AGD provided me with constant female companionship and I loved feeling like I was part of a group that I believed in. I loved the social events, meeting new friends, and the experiences gained through AGD are priceless.

Here are some pictures of my favorite AGD memories... some are from when I was President of the Junior Circle (once you graduate you can join a JC and do more events... JC is not just for one chapter though... and through it I met girls from other Michigan chapters, and when we moved to NC, I met some great AGDs in the Raleigh area!).

Bowl-A-Thon to raise $$ for our philanthropy (Juvenile Diabetes)

My family tree-- Mindy (my little) and Lauren (Mindy's little) and Me

Homecoming :-)

Me, Shannon, Shannon, Krissy, and Jess

Another Homecoming

Melissa, Me and Kate

After a meeting

Camping (Me and Aimee)

Formal

Me, Maylone, Mindy, Aimee, Amanda, and Amanda

My roommates

Me, Beckie, Amy (Maylone)

Here are pictures from some Junior Circle events:

Lucky Strike and Hooters event

Shauna, Gen, me and Michelle

Ice Skating in Campus Martius (Downtown Detroit) and Hard Rock Cafe

Me and Angie (from Kettering University)

Cookie Making/Decorating

Gen, Me and Shauna

Hard Rock Cafe and Detroit Tigers Game

Shauna, Shannon, Aimee, and Me

IRD is International Reunion Day and it's when each state has a luncheon (with speakers) and all the actives and alumnae from the state are invited to come together to celebrate being Alpha Gams. You'd think there'd be a TON of women each year, but there aren't. It's usually in April, and it's the same time as Greek Week... and then some chapters let members out of going due to studying for finals. As an active, I didn't LOVE it... but as an alumnae, it was awesome.

Anyway... my favorite IRD was when my friend Sara and I were fortunate to sit next to Jane Graf. Jane was a legend in AGD... she had joined WAAAAAAY back in the day and had been VERY involved her entire life. As a reward for service to AGD, you get parts of a circle that you wear with your badge. It takes years to get one little part (and arc) and then more years for another and then another and eventually after like 50 years of service (something crazy like that), you can get the full circle and it's GORGEOUS. It's diamonds... and incredible.

Jane was one of the few in all of AGD, still alive, and wearing the circle. She sat at the table that I was at, and literally sat next to me!!

(Jane) Me and Sara in a picture with Jane lol-- trying to be slick

The Zeta Alpha alumnae at the IRD

Me, Sara, Denise, Christy, and Holly

I finally got the nerve to ask her for a picture

The Western Wayne Alumnae Chapter

Jane died a few months after that picture was taken and I was so sad to hear it. She was so inspirational and just amazing to think of what she saw in her lifetime. Not only did she see things that I could only imagine, but she was a female, in college, and eventually a college graduate during a time that it was unheard of for women to do anything of the like. She was a firecracker and so full of spunk... :)

AGD is actually a fraternity... because it's one of the oldest women's groups and was formed as a fraternity because sororities had not been created yet. It's also an international organization with chapters in the US and Canada.

There were 11 founders, our mascot is the squirrel (named Skiouros), our colors are red, buff and green. Our jewel is the pearl, and we were founded May 30, 1904 at Syracuse University. Our flowers are red and buff roses with green asparagus plumosa fern and our vision is "Live with Purpose."

When my ex and I got divorced, it was my sorority sisters that got me back up and moving. One sent me a care package that totally made my day. One took me shopping... others were there to provide a shoulder to cry on, and provided laughs to cheer me up. My sisters got me through the darkest period of my life and I am forever grateful for them.

If I did "buy" my friends, they were worth every penny I paid and then some. They were the investment of a lifetime and one that has returned so much more than I ever spent.

My closest and greatest friends to this day, are all my Alpha Gam sisters and I am so thankful I joined when I was ready. I think sororities get a bad rap and I think it depends on who you're talking to about them. I tell everyone I know how great my experience was, and that to this day, I am still involved through volunteering. It's something that I joined in college and is still apart of my life. Not too many people are fortunate to be able to say this.

I am so thankful that God led me to the path that allowed me to become an Alpha Gam and meet the people that I call my sisters.

A Year of Gratitude #29

2012-01-30T12:09:00.000-05:00

A Year of Gratitude #29: Sleeping In

I'm thankful that my husband gets up early with Gus on the weekends (sometimes I'll get up and let Steve sleep in, but not often) and lets me sleep in. I treasure sleep more than most people.

I guess technically, we both get to sleep in... Steve usually wakes around 5:30... so going until 7:30 when Gus usually wakes is sleeping in for Steve. I usually wake up around 8:30-9:00 and it's just enough extra sleep to really make me happy.

My husband is great for so many reasons... but letting me sleep in is one of the top ten reasons I love and cherish and treasure him so much.

A Year of Gratitude #28

2012-01-28T21:07:00.001-05:00

A Year of Gratitude #28: Michelle

Michelle and I met in December of 2006... she came to my classroom over at Childs (I was teaching 5th grade) to meet me because she was going to be doing her student teaching in my classroom. Michelle and I have another connection too though... we're both Alpha Gams from Zeta Alpha chapter (EMU).

I had heard her name before in the alumni newsletters, and Diana (another Alpha Gam that did some pre-student teaching with me) was good friends with Michelle. While I had never met Michelle in person, I knew her name, and when Anne Kloack came to me with Michelle's folder... I thought it'd be weird to have her in my classroom with our sorority connection.

Thankfully, Anne didn't think it'd be a problem, and I ended up having the best semester with Michelle in my room.

As a cooperating teacher (what I was called having a student teacher in my classroom), it's hard to have someone new come into your room and take over. If the personalities don't "gel" it can be a REALLY long 16 weeks together. Not all student teachers make it through their program... in fact, my very first student teacher was asked to leave my classroom after being with me for a mere two weeks. I'm thankful that she is not in a classroom because she was not cut out for teaching. I did the world a favor by removing that one.

I digress... when Michelle came into my classroom, she already had a job (the same one she still has here in GA). I was very hesitant to have her in my room because I was afraid that she wouldn't give much effort or try to learn anything because she already had a job lined up.

I had a lot of fun with Michelle in my room, my kids loved her, and I trusted her early on to take the reins. This was not an easy thing to do. In fact, when you student teach, taking over is the scariest thing because you literally are teaching for the first time in your life. It's not the same as teaching a lesson one time a week to a random class for pre-student teaching. When you student teach, you're there every single day... ALL DAY. So when it's time to take over, you literally take over everything and it's scary.

It's also the biggest rush! For most, when you first take over and realize that you CAN do it... it's like a confirmation that it's what you want to do with the rest of your life. I can't quite explain it. Just know, when I handed over my classroom to Michelle, I trusted that she'd do a great job, and she did.

It helped that I felt really comfortable with her, and I viewed her as a friend. The AGD connection bonded us in a way that was unlike the bond I had with previous student teachers. With Michelle, we saw each other outside of teaching... and our personal lives intertwined.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of me and Michelle while she was student teaching with me:

At her graduation party

Revolutionary War lesson

Detroit Tigers Game with my 5th graders

At our overnight field trip at Howell Nature Center

At HNC

While we were at HNC, I got the call from Steve that he was offered the job at Burt's Bees. I had not told anyone else about him even interviewing, but I did tell Michelle. I was so excited to leave Michigan and head to North Carolina!

Well... now we're here in Georgia and Michelle lives about 45 minutes away. While it's not as close as I'd like, it's a lot closer than 12 hours!! I'm so thankful to have her close enough where I can see her, and can reconnect with her.

Michelle is a funny person. She literally makes me laugh. I love her attitude about things and while it's so vastly different from mine (I'm the rule follower remember???), I appreciate her for being as laid-back and casual about things as she is.

She's pregnant... 36 weeks actually. If you ask her about labor and delivery, she'll say she doesn't really care. She just wants a baby. If you ask if she wants a boy or a girl (they aren't finding out until the baby arrives)... she'll say that she doesn't care. She's funny about it.

I was able to take some pictures of her when she came over for dinner last weekend... here are some of my favorites:

Hopefully, the next time I see her will be soon... and it'll be while she's in labor and ready to, as she says, "Pop that baby out." I told her, "You know they don't just pop out right??? There's a lot of pushing involved..." and her reply was, "Yeah... I guess."

I'm so thankful to be closer to her, and to have the chance to reconnect. I'm also thankful that she'll be having her baby soon and then I'll finally be able to meet her husband!! :-)

Honey Badger

2012-01-28T20:27:00.002-05:00

So I just found out what a honey badger is... It's a kick-ass little animal that doesn't take any shit from any other animal. It is now one of my new favorite animals. If you haven't seen the YouTube video of the honey badger and the snake... you're missing out. Seriously, the snake is biting the honey badger and it keeps on eating it... like it's saying, "Bite me all you want... I'm still going to eat you." Then the poison from the snake knocks the honey badger out for two hours... he wakes up, and just continues to eat. LOL

Anyway... we had a GREAT day today!!! This morning, Gus woke up around 4am and we went up and changed him and put him back to bed and he slept until 9:15!!! Crazy crazy crazy right?!?!?!

We took showers and then headed out to get our errands done while Gus was awake and happy. We hit Kohl's and I printed a 20% off coupon before we went... it ended up saving us $28! Steve got a TON of shirts on clearance and I was able to get Gus some Play-Doh, the fun factory (it was $6!!) and the book "Once Upon A Potty" with sounds on the side. :-)

After Kohl's we went to try and get Gus's hair cut, but the place we went to only takes appointments (boo). Maybe during the week I'll try to take him. Then we went to Target and we got Gus a froggy potty (we have the toilet potty for the bathroom down here, but I'll use the froggy one in the livingroom and it'll be where ever we go so we're close to a potty). I'm going to make up a cleaning solution for the carpets so that if/when he goes... I can clean it up. We'll be having some naked time for sure... and I'm certain there will be accidents on the carpet.

After Target we headed to Kroger for our weekly grocery shopping. Then we came home and had lunch and then after lunch Gus went down for his nap and while he was sleeping, I was able to get the last three boxes unpacked and put away!! They were the boxes in our office and made the room look a bit disheveled. Now it looks GREAT!!!

I took some pictures of Gus today with my good camera... I think they're super cute!

Gus was the referee between Ned and Elphie

Once Gus was up from his nap (he slept for about two hours) we headed to Longhorn to celebrate Steve's birthday (tomorrow). We didn't have a wait at all... but because it wasn't busy, all our food came out at once (even though I requested that she wait to put it in and not to bring it out until we were done with our salads). We had a free appetizer... now I remember why we never order appetizers! Restaurants can't get their timing right when you have an appetizer.

Anyway... our dinners weren't awful, but it wasn't the best Longhorn experience either. Gus had a good time and did a great job sitting in his booster that we brought with us. He's too big for the high chair, but too busy for the restaurant boosters (that don't have a lap belt to keep him strapped in).

The boys coloring

Totally a lefty...

"Gus... where's the horse??"

Hee hee hee... totally told them that it was Steve's birthday and they came and sang to him. :-)

Gus did not like their singing

"What??? Ice cream???"

All in all it was a productive day and now I'm ready to go play some games!!! See ya tomorrow!!!

A Year of Gratitude #27

2012-01-27T22:24:00.000-05:00

A Year of Gratitude #27: Gus's Birth Family

I know I blogged about Gus's birth parents a few weeks ago, but tonight I want to express my gratitude for Gus's extended birth family.

As you know, we have an incredibly wonderful open adoption with Gus's side to our family. We value them in our family and are so thankful that God brought us all together. They're wacky, have their quirks, and are just like any typical family that you'd meet. They're, as my brother likes to say, "good people."

The main reason we wanted an open adoption was for the extended family. Yes, we wanted it for the birth parents, of course, but we also really wanted the extended family to know their kin as well. When someone chooses adoption, sometimes, there are family members who get hurt with that decision.

While it might be the best thing for the baby, and the best thing for the birth parents, the extended family members often don't see it that way. Such is the case with Gus. His birth mother's mother P was very supportive and told her that she'd support whatever C and H needed to do. If they wanted to keep the baby and parent, she would support them. If they felt that placing for adoption was the best thing, she'd support that as well.

H wasn't as fortunate. He didn't tell his mom and dad that he and C had had a baby until two days AFTER Gus was placed in our care. Let me write that again... two days AFTER Gus was born (Thursday, May 13th), he told his parents that they were grandparents. When he told them, he said, "C had a baby." His mom basically said, "What do you mean she had a baby? Where is it? What happened to it?"

Can you imagine, for a second, what that must have felt like? To have your child tell you that you're a grandparent... and it happened two days prior to you finding out???? When H told her that they placed Gus for adoption, his mom cried and was very hurt. Looking back, I see things differently, and I think, how could she not have been upset?

H has three sisters: B (15), D (17) and L(21). They are all three friends with Gus on Facebook (all of H's immediate family are FB friends with Gus-- except for his dad because he doesn't have a FB account). I'm friends with D and L as well as H's mom L.

C has two brothers, N and Z. Not sure of their ages, but they're older than her. Gus is FB friends with C, P and her dad T. He is not FB friends with either of his biological uncles... they haven't friended him, and I assume if they wanted to be friends with him, they'd take care of it. I'm not going to push them.

C's mom's sister Sharon is on Facebook... along with Sharon's husband Mike, and their three kids (Olivia, Madeline, and Michael). They're a great family and so supportive of Gus's adoption. Gus and I are FB friends with all of them (and C, P and T). We're also FB friends with C's grandma Marge. My mom is even FB friends with Marge and some of Gus's other extended family.

I'm thankful that not only do his birth parents want to know about him and care about him, but so does his extended family. He has aunts, cousins, grandparents, and great grandparents that care deeply about him. I get text messages from them, I send pictures to them, and they're so special to us.

One of Gus's aunt posted a picture on FB tonight that just warmed my heart. It was a collage of pictures of Gus and on the bottom it said "Gus Daniel Walker" and there were four or five pictures of him. She posted it to her pictures... it was so sweet. It's so nice to know that he was on her mind and she made the collage while thinking about him. <3

I read something today that totally made me smile... it was taking the concept of a family tree and instead of using a tree as a representation of a family, you use an orchard. I saw it and said, "Yes! Our Family Orchard!!" How awesome is that??? We're all different trees with different apples... but together we're one big orchard of love.

I'm so thankful for our orchard and thankful that the people that share the same blood as Gus... have welcomed us into their lives, and allow us to share in their daily lives. They have made us feel like we're an extension of their family and for that, I am so very thankful.

What A Day!

2012-01-27T22:03:00.001-05:00

So GREAT to see him smiling today

We had a minor scare today... Gus was REALLY hot after his nap (he slept for about three and a half hours and woke up around 2). I couldn't find any batteries for our thermometer and couldn't find the rectal one that Wendy gave us. All that stuff was packed and is basically in no-man's land in either the basement or the attic.

Anyway, I texted Steve and told him that I was worried and for him to stop at CVS and get a rectal thermometer and some Vaseline for Gus. Maybe it's a guy thing... but Steve was quite alarmed and not happy about sticking anything up Gus's toosh. I told him that you get the most accurate temperature through that end... but he wasn't happy about it.

So I eventually found batteries that worked and the ear/forehead/mouth digital one that we got when Gus was a few weeks old. It's not the best and gives random readings. I used it on myself before trying it on Gus and it said I had a temperature of 98.9 (totally average). So when I tried it on Gus, it said 102.5 and I freaked out.

I went online to find out what I needed to do to bring down his fever. It said unless it was over 103, there wasn't a definite need to take him to the dr, but to watch it closely. I gave him Tylenol, took his clothes off and let him run around in a diaper, gave him lots of liquid (cold water) and liquid food (applesauce and yogurt). He had a pretty decent appetite for lunch, so I was happy about that.

I did notice that while he was sleeping, a tooth came through on the bottom (next to the two on the bottom). He's had a really runny nose all day and I assume the fever is going with the nasty poo and teething.

I monitored the temperature every 20 minutes and it slowly came down to 99.1 and I was happy. It was scary for a while though. He wasn't acting like he didn't feel well, but it was definitely noticeable that he had a fever.

I think I'm going to just call the pediatrician's office next time and not wait it out... better safe than sorry.

Steve got home from work and Gus was so happy to see him. They had some popcorn and we watched The Polar Express again for the third time this week. Gus absolutely LOVES the train... it's a cute movie and he usually plays while it's on, but tonight he pretty much snuggled in Steve's lap and just watched his movie.

I made beef stroganoff for dinner. It wasn't terrible, but wasn't my favorite. Steve seemed to enjoy it. Gus had grapes and banana for dinner because he didn't want to try the noodles or the beef. I didn't think he'd like it.

Tomorrow we're going to Longhorn for dinner to celebrate Steve's birthday (on Sunday he'll be 37)!!! His final birthday gift arrived today and I'm so happy it came before Sunday. :-)

If you look close enough, you can see the giant stream of drool coming out of his mouth

Gus decided to take a screen shot of his monster that he made on my iPhone. Yes... he knows how to take screen shots... and he knows how to buy apps... like this monster maker app. He decided to buy it for himself. He bought another one today too. He's too smart for his own good!!

Ich Liebe Dich (I Love You) :-) Made My Day

2012-01-27T20:43:00.000-05:00

This afternoon, I received an email that was a comment left on my blog. TTABaby awarded me the Liebster Blog Award! I am so touched that she not only reads my blog, but she also leaves me comments. Anyone who reads this knows how much I value feedback!!

Oddly enough, I had not been following her blog, because everytime I clicked on her name, it said that her blog could not be found. That mystery is solved and now my next mystery to solve is to find out what her name is!! I've read through her posts (just this afternoon on my phone) and didn't see a mention of her name... hmmm... maybe she'll be so kind as to read this post and comment with her name!! :-)

Anyway, back to my major award!! The Liebster Blog Award is for bloggers to award each other and say that we appreciate the time and effort put forth into expressing feelings and thoughts for others to read. It's for blogs with less than 200 followers and it's a great way to share some smaller "unknown" but awesome blogs with your followers.

I'm humbled that TTABaby awarded me, and what she had to say about me on her blog was so kind. I enjoyed looking at the four other blogs that she nominated and have found some new favorites to follow!

That being said... here are my two nominees (I should say that TTABaby nominated five blogs, but I really only have these two that I follow religiously and have less than 200 followers. Both of these bloggers inspire me and really take time to share their words with the world, and for that, I am only giving this award to them.):

Adri is a dear friend and new mom through adoption. She and her husband have waited so long for a baby and to see them as parents warms my heart!! Adri used to blog all the time, but now it's about a once a week or so event (that I totally look forward to BTW). Being new parents is a hard adjustment and it's not easy to find time to get to the computer and blog!! http://willandadrifindbabies.blogspot.com
Heather is my SIL and I LIVE for her blog posts. I feel connected to her through the blog, and though we're miles apart, I get to feel like I'm there with them as they go through each day. The fact that she posts multiple times a day brings me so much delight and happiness. I'm so appreciative of her blogging efforts!! http://esmerlda27.blogspot.com
TTABaby is the honorable mention since she awarded me!!

Rules of this Award:

Show your thanks to the blogger who nominated you by linking back to their blog.
Nominate up to five different blogs with 200 followers or fewer by posting a comment on their blogs.
Post the award to your blog.
Check out the other up-and-coming blogs have to offer!