Day 32

 

Day 32!

 

Hello Mama!!

Well... it was a decent day. Not the greatest but not the worst. Gus got up early this morning and didn't get his full 12 hours. So, of course, I am exhausted and could have slept for another three hours. No such luck!

When I went in to get Gus, he was standing in his crib and ready to go downstairs. When he first wakes in the morning, or after a nap, he is absolutely so snuggly and cuddly. I love it the most!


We came downstairs and got ready for my MOMS Club business meeting that took place at 10:30. Wendy came over and then she drove us to the meeting. Now... I had no intentions of going to this meeting, but Wendy wanted to go and so I agreed. However, it will be the last meeting that I go to for quite some time. 

I'm feeling "done" and underwhelmed with my MOMS Club. I feel like it could and should be so much more, but it's full of drama and a bunch of cliques. At the end of December, the president had asked members to give some feedback about how things were going (our turnout at events has been low). I gave some honest feedback and thought it was nice of me to even do that (there's over 50 women in the group and I think the president got less than 10 replies with feedback).


So it came as a shock when a friend of mine who is on the board, informed me that the president had sent the entire board my email, and said, "I guess I asked for this." Now... my email was not rude, or bitchy. It was constructive and offered suggestions (she did ask for them). 

One of the things that I said was that the meetings lack a purpose, and that if the board members don't find them to be important enough to attend (usually there's the president and ONE other board member), then it sends the message to the members that the meetings aren't important.

So... anyway, with all the drama, I found out that my playgroup has been meeting without me. I have asked since joining in September, to get information on a playgroup (that's what the MOMS Club is mainly for). I basically got the run-around and everyone that's in our group also has older kids and are involved with their playgroup instead. That's great... but I have one child and would like to get involved with a playgroup for him. 

ANYWAY... I took all this info, and made a decision to quit the group after a nasty response from the president via email (attacking everything I wrote in my email to her with ideas and suggestions).


She called me and basically begged me to stay in the group and said I was a valuable member... yada yada yada. I told her I didn't need drama and she agreed and said things would improve.

Fast-forward to January's meeting. Right before the meeting, the president sent an email saying that all board members should be present, and that there'd be a craft for the kids. So like 10-15 moms come to the meeting. It was crazy... and usually there's me and Wendy, the president, and like one or two others. So 10-15 was a HUGE amount of people.


The meeting was pure chaos and there was no order, nothing was discussed of value, and it was a complete waste of time. Bummer.

After every meeting (they're always on a Tuesday), everyone goes to Moe's and it's Kids Eat Free day. It's usually FULL of MOMS Club moms and their kids. It's where I went with Gus when I first joined and I gave my membership form and dues.


Okay... so Wendy and I go today and we get there and it's like me and her, the president, the other board member that just about always goes, and then two others. Yep. That's it. While we were sitting there, two of the women have babies in the same age range as Gus and the one made a comment about how much bigger the other's daughter had grown since the last play date (WHAT--- What play date?). The president asked when that was, and she said a month ago or so. I was so disappointed. Not only have I been asking about these damn play dates... but they have been having them and not told me.

It's because they're all friends and are pretty much excluding me. Whatever. The meeting was another complete waste of time and then Wendy and I headed to Moe's thinking that there'd be others too... nope. Just us. 


Kinda like our MOMS Club Mom's Night Out last Tuesday... yeah, the one that NO ONE CAME TO. It's a joke at this point. Why waste my time on a group that is so full of apathetic people? I'll focus my energy on other things and will do more with Triangle Mommies. Adios MOMS Club!

And don't even get me started on the damn newsletter issue.


Anyway... I took some pictures of Gus today and it made me remember that I took pictures of him back on September 13th... and he was wearing the same shirt (crazy that he has worn this shirt for four months). The difference between then and now is astounding. Take a look:

 

September 13, 2010

 

Today

 

September 13th, 2010

 

Today

 

My bald little man!

 

September 13th, 2010

 

Today instead of napping...

 

Today

 

September 13th, 2010

 

This looks like he's singing... I love it!!!

 

I love it when Gus is eating and he smiles at me... it makes my heart melt!

Isn't is incredible?

See you tomorrow...

>^..^<

Cat's Favorite Things: Children's Books on Adoption

When we started the adoption process back in December of 2009, I had no idea that there were so many children's books on adoption available. Part of why we chose to use Amazon for our baby registry was because I wanted to be able to request things like books for our tadpole. Thanks to so many wonderful friends and family, we were able to get so many great books for Gus that will really help open his heart to what adoption means for him and us.

I made a list on Amazon of all my favorite books and you should definitely check it out if you're interested: My Listmania list 

Here are some of my favorite children's books about adoption:

 

This book is actually only available on the Kindle right now. However, it's only $2.99 and is amazing!! To purchase, click on the picture and it'll take you directly to Amazon.com.

 

This is actually a baby book! My mom gave us a baby book and I loved it but when I tried to write in it for Gus, it didn't quite fit because I didn't have sonogram pictures and couldn't write what it felt like to be pregnant with him. As great as it is, it's not what I needed for Gus. So, I was able to get this from a friend. This book is great! It's not quite as detailed as the other one, but it's a great book for anyone who is adopting a child and wants to create a baby book.

 

This book is a must-have for anyone with an open adoption. It's beautifully written by a birth mother and tells about how much she loved her baby and came to the decision to place her child for adoption. I hope to use this with Gus and read it to him and open the lines of communication about his birth parents. It's a wonderful book!!

 

This book is also incredible. It's almost as if Jamie Lee Curtis was in my car when we were frantically driving to Michigan. It's prefect because the book is written in a way that you can supplement and change information to create your own story for your child. This is another must-have and the perfect gift for anyone adopting!

All of these books make me cry when I read them. They're beautiful and really are about a parent loving their child. I can't wait to read them to Gus and have him love them as much as I do.

 

These books are all wonderful and are great for the time when you have to have "the talk" with your child. They're not just for domestic adoption... and the top one (We Belong Together) is about all families, not just adopted ones. It's a great book.

I saved this for last... the title makes me cringe. I DREAD the day that those words come out of Gus's mouth. Not only because most children (adopted or not) go through a sassy phase and they talk-back, BUT because they are words that will sting and hurt more than he'll ever mean for them to. This book is one that will hopefully eliminate that from happening with us and I PRAY that I'm spared the agony of hearing him ever say them to me.

Okay... that's my list! I hope you enjoyed it!!

>^..^<

Day 31

 

Day 31

Today was a pretty good day. I didn't want to get up this morning and definitely could have slept another two hours or so... but little G had other plans for me.

He had a weird schedule today. He was up and ready to go at 7am and then took a nap at 9:30-10:00 and then again at 12:00-12:30 and again from 2:30-3:30 and then didn't nap at all for the remainder of the night. He also didn't really eat much today. So weird.



I've been working on our "Walker Family Expectations" sign and the expectations that go with it. I've decided on a lily pad theme and green lettering for the words. The expectations are: Take Responsibility, Love Yourself, Give 110% Effort, Be Respectful, and Be Safe. Those should just about do the trick and should work for us. Yes, I know Gus is only eight-months-old and doesn't have a clue about these things yet, but the day will come sooner than later and I want our family expectations to be something that he just knows about.

I think I mentioned this before (maybe not) but I got an email recently from an author named Kelsey Stewart. She found my name and info from (where else...) Amazon and loved the list that I created for adoption books. She asked if she could send me a copy of her book to read and review and then maybe add to my list.

She's a birth mom and has written the book from that perspective. I'm always game for a free book. So, I gave her my address and she said she'd get it in the mail. Well... the book came today. 

It's the most beautiful book in the whole world. It's called, "The Best For You" and she made an inscription for Gus that says, "To Gus, Written in the hope that adopted children everywhere understand just how much they are thought of... both near and from afar! All my best to you, Kelsey Stewart"

Okay... let me just say that as I read this book, I was crying. It is just amazing. It's everything that I hope C feels for Gus. I can't wait to read this to him and let it be the guide to having so many wonderful conversations about C and H and their decision to place him into our lives. I've said all along that I want Gus to know how very much his birth parents loved him, and this book provides so much honesty.

One thing that she writes is, "Adoption does not mean that I gave up. Adoption does not mean you were not loved or wanted. Adoption means you have more than one family who loves you. Adoption means you will always be in my heart, whatever I may do. Adoption means I wanted the best for you."


It's absolutely amazing and the perfect gift for anyone who has adopted/is adopting through open adoption. You can find this book on Amazon by clicking on the picture:

In addition to getting a great book today, I also took some cute pictures of Gus (of course). Here are my pics!

See you tomorrow!! I'll be blogging on here and on Gus's blog (it's Tuesday)!
>^..^<

13011- Climbing the Stairs.MOV

1 29 11 No Pants