Re-do...

We received a phone call from our agency.  Unfortunately, we have to re-do some of our paperwork...including our fingerprints.  Ugh!!  I was sure that we were all set....now we are at a stand still again!  Now we wait for the forms to arrive so that we can sit down and start filling them out.  I guess it is just one more hurdle for us to jump...we are getting pretty good at jumping over them these days!

Growing the Stape Fam...

Big news!  We have officially started the process for our second adoption!  We dropped off the paperwork today at Bethany Christian Services.  I remember when it was just the two of us and we dropped off our paperwork for our first adoption.  SO nerve-wracking!  We had no idea what to expect and what we were in for...but we were excited.  We celebrated by going out to Texas Roadhouse afterwards.  Little did we know at that time how incredibly blessed we would be when Baby Spike (aka. Gus) joined our family!

Today, the three of us took our paperwork up to the agency to submit.  And then as a family we went out to dinner at Red Robin.  Joel told Gus we were going to dinner and asked him what he wanted for dinner.  Gus' response?  "Bugger (burger), buh-byes (french fries) and....A DIET COKE!"  We haven't laughed that hard in a long time!  (And no, Gus doesn't really get to drink diet coke.)  He definitely offers some comic relief!!

We can't wait until the day when we get to post on here about Baby Stape #2.  You will hear  about the baby on here as Sassy or Spunky depending on if it is a boy or a girl.  We welcome you to join us on our journey and follow as we update you on our blog.  We ask that you keep our family and our future baby and his/her birthparents in your prayers!  This can be a very rough and unpredictable road to travel down.  We are preparing for a long wait, but we are very excited for the Stape Fam to grow again.

Strolling Around

DISCLAIMER- None of these companies asked me to endorse these products...I just really love them!!

So, I discovered this weekend how much I REALLY LOVE my strollers.  I didn't invest in a full travel system when we had Gus because it just seemed overwhelming to me.  In fact, the only stroller we had when Gus was born was this one....

It is a light weight frame that Gus' carseat fit right into.  The best part was that we had one and I borrowed one from my friend, Amy, so that our Gus-sitter (his Aunt Sarah) could keep one and I could keep one.  That way we weren't transferring the stroller back and forth all of the time.  It was perfect!!  I strongly recommend this option.

When Gus was three months old, he won the Baby of the Month contest at Tip Toes, in Holland, MI.  As part of his prize, he got a great discount on anything in the store.  One of the items that we chose was a set of new wheels...A MCLAREN stroller!!

LOVE this stroller!!  I love how there are extenders so that the little flap there at the bottom can come up and Gus could put his legs out straight in front of him instead of dangling.  I love how it is light-weight and easy to maneuver.  I also love how it reclines.  For being an umbrella stroller...it is pretty awesome!

Recently, I have been trying to go on walks with Gus.  When I am trying to work out as opposed to stroll, I tend to kick the stroller with my foot.  And let's face it, that hurts.  So this summer, Gus and I happened to be at Babies R Us and I saw this...

It was already marked down to almost 1/2 off because it was the floor model.  But then it was missing a small attachment for an iPod to connect so that meant more money off.  And THEN they let me use a coupon on it.  I spent about $40 on this stroller.  Are you serious?!?  Who gets such a great deal?!?  I have discovered that I LOVE this stroller! It moves really well.  Gus loves the cup holders.  It is much better for when I am out on a walk.  (It is called a jogging stroller but there is no jogging yet.)

Who ever thought that I would be so passionate about strollers??  Before I know it, Gus will be looking for a new set of wheels.  Watch for that post in 14 years.... ugh...can you imagine what a nervous momma I will be when he is driving?!?!  YIKES!!

Everything to Me

Tonight, on Facebook, I saw that a friend attended a Mark Schultz concert.  This reminded me of my favorite song of his....and for obvious reason...it is about adoption!  We were shown this video at one of our adoption meetings and it still hits me like a ton of bricks.  Just listen to the words....brings tears to my eyes every time.

I hope and pray that we are able to raise our son to have the same level of gratitude for his birth mom that Mark has for his.  I hope that he grows up to be the man that I dream he will be.  Honorable, respectable, kind, compassionate, passionate about life, a man of God, loving husband, devoted father....the list goes on and on and on.  In addition, I hope that everything that we teach him leads him to be very thankful and appreciative of "J" and the choice that she made.  I know that I am extremely thankful for her and the choice that she made.  And the moment I met Gus, I told him that I would make sure that he knew of his roots and that I would answer as many of his questions that I possibly could.  "J" gave me my everything, my beautiful little boy,...and I will make sure that Gus always knows that!

Basket Case

Tonight I stared in awe at my little boy.  I am still amazed at how quickly he is growing.  And how much he is learning!!  Today he said to me, "come with, momma!"  My heart swelled!  He wanted me to follow him!  I would follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked me.  He dragged me to the kitchen, pointed to the box of crackers in the pantry and said, "PEEZZZZ!!"  He then ran over to his drawer and got out his own bowl to bring over to me.  Seriously!!  When did this happen?  And as I watched him walk carefully with his little bowl of crackers, I got to thinking about what his life would be like if "J" didn't choose adoption for him.  What would MY life be like?  I shudder to even think about it. And you guessed it....by this time, I was bawling!

Earlier today I was talking to our principal about his day yesterday.  He rushed home to get his boys off the bus from their first day of school.  He thought they would be excited....nope....no big deal.  Even that morning, apparently going to school for them seemed like no big deal.  His 6 year old basically said, "Bye mom! Thanks for the waffle!" and was on his merry way to school.  This brought up the conversation of Gus going to kindergarten three years from now.  Of course, I get emotional thinking about it...good grief.  The poor kid will be picking his mom up off the ground when he goes to school....I will be a mess!!  My boss and I agreed about how important it will be for me to miss the first part of my first day of school that year in order to get Gus off to his first day of school. If I am a mess now thinking about it....imagine what I will be like three years from now!!

After I put Gus to bed tonight, I jumped on Facebook and immediately noticed the pictures that my sister-in-law posted of her kids on their first day of school.  Again...the waterworks.  How on earth are they in 1st and 3rd grade already?!?!  Doesn't seem possible.  My poor niece and nephew...they have a crazy, sappy Aunt Beth.  I cry at everything with them.  I remember watching my nephew during his first t-ball season.  I was the aunt who was crying when she saw that little peanut playing ball.

Poor Gus...will grow up with his crazy, basket case of a mom.  I'm sure I will embarrass him quite a bit with my sappiness....but I think that is part of my job as his mom.  But at the same time, I am thinking that this first week back to school is hitting me hard and I am exhausted, therefore, making me even more emotional....I should probably go to bed early tonight.

SAHM

It is days like today that make me really wonder why I don't send in my letter of resignation to my school district immediately and stay home and play with Gus all day long.  Never in my life did I think that I would be cut out to be a stay at home mom.  Never did that thought even creep into my brain and certainly not a couple times in one day!  I think that some people have a certain calling in life and for some it is to stay at home.  For others it is to balance motherhood, marriage and a career like some kind of crazy person.  When I really stop to think about it, yes, being a SAHM would be awesome!!  Financially right now, not really a possiblity.  But at the same time, I really feel that I function better as a crazy person.  (Please no comments on the "crazy person".....we all know that I am crazy!)

Gus is growing up SO quickly.  Today he looked like such a little man.  I gave him a little bowl of cereal today and he carefully carried it over to the table.  Walking slowly and holding onto the bowl so tightly.  It was dry cereal so it wouldn't have been a big deal if it spilled.  But I loved watching him gingerly walk away with it.  At another point, he was looking for his "makas" (markers) to "cudda" (color) this morning.  I told him that there were some in his diaper bag.  His diaper bag was sitting next to my sample kit of Thirty-One bags.  Poor kid was a little overwhelmed but it was cute to see him pull every bag out of my kit, look at it and say "nope" as he looked for his markers.  I helped him find the right bag and then he turned around and helped me pack my samples back up.  Such a big boy!

Gus is also going through a "momma" stage.  For many, they wouldn't think that this is weird.  I think it is weird.  For the past two years, Gus has been such a DaDoh's boy.  He would always ask for Joel and wanted to be with him ALL the time.  This used to bother me.  What kid doesn't like being with their mom?  But this summer, the roles have been reversed.  I have a very clingy two year old who loves to sit with me and cuddle with me.  I am LOVING this!!  I could spend all day, every day sitting and playing with him!!  But alas....it is August which means that we are easing our way back into SCHOOL!  Our "mandatory shut down", some call it summer vacation, is coming to a slow end.  Gus and I will spend a couple hours a day up at school getting my classroom and office ready for the fall.  And as sad as I will be not to spend all day, every day with him this fall, I will be going back to work....sigh....

Cause and Effect

So I met someone recently who just learned a few weeks ago that her teenage nephew isn't her biological nephew.  The teenage boy has yet to be informed about that as well.  This is earth-shattering news for their family and it brings up some questions:

How will this piece of information affect their immediate family? 

And their extended family? 

Will family members suddenly feel as if they are no longer family? 

Will family members treat each other differently?

Why wasn't the teenage boy told before the extended family of adults was told? 

Was it to have more support for the teenager when he did find out? 

Might he also feel betrayed when he finds out that everyone else knew except him? 

Why do some people feel the need to keep such things a secret?

What is wrong with honesty?


I have had more than one person ask me if we are going to tell Gus that he is adopted.  HA!  Are you kidding me?!?  The kid already knows!  In some adoptive families it is easy to tell when someone is adopted simply based on physical characteristics.  That is not the case in our family.  Gus looks A LOT like us.  He could easily pass as a biological child of ours....but that would dishonest.  Joel and I always knew that we would be extremely open with our kids about adoption.  We never what them to be ashamed of adoption.  We want them to be proud of it!  There are times I even feel that Gus is a posterchild for adoption because we are so open about it and we speak to large groups about adoption.  People ask how Gus already knows that he is adopted, he is only 2 years old, after all.  From the moment that Gus came home with us, he and I would say our prayers together.  (Okay....I say them...he listens....I hope.)  We always pray for his birthparents.  I have told him as much as I know about them and I will continue to do so for him.  I never want my son to be surprised by any of this information.  This information does not change the fact that his is my son.  It is just important for him to know how he came into this world.

My heart breaks for the friend I mentioned above and for her nephew.  Their world has been turned upside down because of this "secret".  To her is doesn't matter at all whether there is a biological connection or not....he will always be her nephew.  I just know that their family is going to have a rough road when this does become full blown.  We have added them to our prayer list....hope you will, too!!

Adoption used to be a very "hush-hush" topic.  Many people didn't know for a long time that they were adopted.  What do you think is best??  Are there pros to keeping it a secret?  If so, please share!!

Holy Moly!!

I just realized that it has been WAY too long since I last posted here.  There has been lots going on at Stape's House this summer.  Our life is so chaotic....especially during the school year with both of us teaching full time and coaching.  Not to mention being parents and this little side business I call Thirty-One.  We truly enjoy a little bit of so-called "down time" during the summer.  Here is a little play-by-play of what summer 2011 has brought us.

June

• Finished the school year.
• Prepared for Gus' second birthday party.  Those of you who know me, know that it is never just cake and ice cream at this house.  There is always a huge theme.  This year....barnyard!!  As much as I wanted to, I did refrain from hiring the traveling petting zoo and pony!
• Joel left for a week at Boys State while Gus and I roughed it alone here at home.  It was a challenging week for me.  Probably worthy of it's own blog post.
• Joel came home and the next day we left for the Great Smoky Mountains.  My parents rented a cabin up in the mountains and invited us along.  There will definitely be another blog post to follow on that.  Me + Nature = an amusing combination!

July

• We returned home from our mountain adventure to discover some damage was done to our fence and one of our cars so we have spent time this week getting quotes and talking to our insurance agent.  Ugh!  I hate dealing with that!!
• We ventured over to the west side of the state to visit with my friend, Kim, who was "home" visiting her family.  I say "home" because I am a firm believer that Arizona should not be her home but Michigan should be.  I miss her something fierce and I hate that she lives all the way across the country.  (Mind you...our parents are neighbors so as teenagers, we were only moments apart.)  We also got to visit with the Carlson's.  Their daughter, Eme, was born 3 days after Gus and is also adopted.  We have become good friends as we have traveled the adoption road together.  Eme's Uncle Joe Maly is my husband's college roommate.  Joe is the godfather to both Gus and Eme.  I LOVE that we have such a great time together and have so much in common.
• I have been getting ready for the Thirty-One National Conference.  I am going next week and I couldn't be more excited.  Because I am a director, I get to plan some fun stuff for my team.  I can't wait to give them the stuff we have been working on.  SO FUN!!  (I wish I could tell you but some of them read my blog....so you will all have to wait.)

Coming Up

• I go to the National Conference for four days!!
• We get to head up north at the end of the month to Torch Lake for a week.  So excited because we get to spend the week with most of Joel's family.  His sister, Sarah, and her family, who live 6 minutes from us, will be up there.  Gus LOVES his "Wendan and Nana".  (For those that don't understand Gus-speak, that is Brendan and Hannah!)  We will also get to see Joel's sister, Sherri, and her family.  I CAN'T WAIT!!  They live in Nebraska now and we haven't seen them since Thanksgiving.  Miss them lots and can't wait to spend some quality time with them.  Gus has been practicing their names.  We point to their pictures and he says their names.  Now that he is a little older it will be lots of fun to see him interact with them now.
• AUGUST....dun...dun...duuuuunnnn..... (that was the scary music in case you couldn't tell).  Once August hits, our summer is over so to speak.  Football and cheerleading both start up in August along with me going back to work.  Before school starts, I will spend many, many hours in my counseling office working on student schedules and enrolling new students.  I love my job...but I am really loving my time at home this summer.  I can't believe it is already half over

Loving life these days!!

Still in LOVE!!

I can't believe that it has been two years.  TWO WHOLE YEARS!!  I have been Gus' momma for over 700 days!  (See this blogpost.) I have been so blessed by him.  I am the luckiest lady alive!  It was a rough go there in the beginning when we had to wait out those 5 weeks until his birthmom relinquished her rights.  But I have loved every day and every moment that I have had with him.  I am devastated if there is a day that I don't get to see him.  Or if I am going to be away from him for any reason.  (I know, every mother feels that way, but I know I am crazier than most.  Did you read my post about my Seattle trip?? Check out Xanax and Espresso if you didn't hear about it!)  I know that I will try to move with him some day when he dares to consider moving out of my house.  And God bless the woman he chooses to marry....she WILL have a crazy mother-in-law!

I have LOVED watching him grow.  He was so little in our arms when he was first born.  Now when he is in my arms, his legs hang way off my lap.  It just floors me to think about how quickly they grow.  And I know that he has grown even in the past four months that we have been in this house.  When we first moved in, he couldn't reach the handrail on the stairs and now his head almost hits it if he isn't careful.

I cannot get enough of watching him learn.  I feel like he learns something new every day.  I swear his must be a genius! (But I think every mom thinks that about their child.)  Okay, I did think he was genius but that thought is a little unsteady now after he tried to eat a clump of dirt today.  Hmmm....I think he figured out quickly that eating dirt isn't the best idea.  But seriously....I love watching his face when you can tell the wheels in his brain are turning.

I could go on forever and ever...I am still head over heels in love with this sweet little boy.  I can't wait to see my TWO year old when he wakes up tomorrow morning!!  But right now....I gotta get this place ready for a party tomorrow!

Race for Home

Last year, the Stapleton family took part in the 1st Bethany Christian Services Race for Home. Bethany Christian Services in the agency that we worked with for our adoption. Last year we did this as a little family of three. Check out my blogpost from last year. It was then that I determined that I was going to get more family and friends involved this year. Bethany Christian Services is an amazing organization! They have truly wonderful people working for them. We are so looking forward to working with them again as we hope to adopt again soon.



Bethany Christian Services provides a variety of services within the community and they are able to do because of the donations that they receive throughout the year. This event is just one of the many ways that they are able to do that. As a family, we are hoping that you will be willing to do one of the following to help Bethany Christian Services this summer and participate in our family tradition of Racing for Home.

1) Pray. This is free...won't cost you a thing! Pray for the families out there waiting to become complete by adopting a child. Pray for the children out there who need a family and a home of their own. Pray for the men and women who work for Bethany Christian Services. Pray for the birthparents out there who have either made the tough decision to make an adoption plan or haven't yet made that decision. Pray that more people come to learn about foster care and adoption and are more accepting of it. (I know...you are thinking, how could anyone not be open to it?? Trust me...I have met some who are not!) If you will be praying, please let up know by leaving a comment on this post!

2) Cheer. This will cost you the gas it takes to get there. We would love to have you there at the walk to cheer us on. Joel and Joe Conner will be running and Gus and I will be doing the walk. We would love to see your smiling faces there supporting all of the runners and walkers.


3) Walk/Run. We would be more than honored if you would walk or run next to us. I think it would be so cool to have family and friends make this a tradition with us. (I'm crying just thinking about it.) We know that we are very lucky to have so many family and friends who are so supportive. How awesome would it be to see them together with our family?!? If you are interested, you can register online at http://www.bethany.org/A55798/bethanyWWW.nsf/0/E2E33FA01E51AB9A852576F7006626A3.


4) Donate. I'm not one to solicit money from others, but I do feel very strongly about what Bethany Christian Services does. Without them, I would not be the mom of a beautiful little boy who calls me "Momma" and calls Joel "DaDoh". I am very blessed to have Gus in my life. I can't imagine life without him in it. (Yup...you guessed it...I am crying again.) I can't wait for Gus to become a big brother someday and I hope and pray that other families out there get to wrap their arms around a child with the help of BCS. If you feel so called as to donate to Bethany Christian Services, you can fill out this form and mail it back in to BCS or you can give your donations to Joel or myself. http://www.bethany.org/pdfs/sponsorshipletter.pdf (Since Gus is not registered, please use my name as the participant.) Note- This money does not go to our family. It goes to Bethany Christian Services to help with the programs that they run and the services that they offer.


We are really excited to participate in our 2nd Race for Home. We love the tradition that we have started for our family and hope that you will join us in one way or another!

So Proud of Grand Rapids!!

So proud to see what GR is all about! This video totally made me cry! Makes me miss home even more. So cool!!

Changing My Mind About Change

For a very long time, I have hated change. 

And by change, I am referring to the pieces of metal floating around in the bottom of my purse.  I never find a wallet that I like that will hold a lot of change.  I never feel like I have enough time at the register to put the change in a change purse.  Ever notice how the cashier seems to shoo you away as soon as they rip that receipt out of the register and hand it back to you with your change?  So not only are you stuck trying to put your coins in the change purse/zippered compartment, putting the dollar bills in another compartment but you are also trying to handle the receipt and putting it in the bag or in your purse (whichever you prefer).  I hate that awkward moment as you shuffle around taking care of that and pushing your grocery cart out of the way with your hip so that the person behind you can start their own checkout/change dance.  Because I hate that awkwardness, I usually just chuck the change in the bottom of my purse.  I also do this when I go through a drive-thru.  They push you through there even faster than the grocery store so there is no time to put it away nicely.  Chuck it in and drive away!  Eventually my purse gets too heavy and I have to clean out the change and other stuff I end up throwing in there. (trucks, legos, books....you can tell I am a mom.)  Once I clean it out, I end up putting it in our change jar.  Every year we empty our change jar and use the money towards something fun. 

I never used to hate change.  In fact there was a time I loved it.  Specifically the change I would get from my dad's nightstand.  I always left him the pennies....I only wanted the silver.  And yes, there were times in high school and college where I paid for gas in all coins.  Betcha the clerk hated change on those days!

Recently, I have been trying to make a conscious effort to use the change in my purse and I have created a game with myself in trying to always come up with exact change.  (Yes, the little things entertain me.)  So maybe I am beginning to think differently about change....I may just learn to love it!

Adoptive Parent Annoyance

"That's what always happens! People adopt, and then they get pregnant!" Which isn't true, not at all. Only about 5% of couples who adopt after infertility will go on to have a successful pregnancy, and I have to wonder, given my situation, how many of those pregnancies are due to donor gametes or embryos... 

I read than on one of the many blogs that I follow written by Willow, who is an adoptive mom who is also now pregnant with the help of donor eggs.  Check out the entire post....it is good!  I can't even tell you how many people say this to me.  "Just watch....now you will get pregnant!"  EVERYONE seems to know about another family who adopted and then got pregnant afterwards....and they LOVE to tell me about it.  I know that people mean well and that they probably think that is something I should hope for.  I don't think that they realize how frustrating it is to hear people mention that.  Like Willow said, only about 5% of adoptive parents end up having successful pregnancies after adoption.  Those are not good odds. 

Now of course, we will welcome any children that God may bless us with, but do I think that just because we adopted that I will get pregnant now?  No, of course not!  I still remember the years of failures and disappointments all too well.  It was a very painful and lonely time for me.  And of course, it seemed like everyone we knew was getting pregnant during that time.  (And, yes, my crazy self counted.  There were 32 babies of friends/acquaintances of ours that were born between the time we began looking at the infertility issues to the day that we learned about Gus.  That included 2 sets of twins.)  I struggled a lot emotionally during those years.  I remember sitting at a staff meeting and chatting with a handful of my coworkers...two of which recently had babies.  They were talking about how they wish they could still wear their maternity pants because they were so comfortable.  One turned to me and said, "Oh Beth...just wait....you are going to LOVE wearing them!"  I had to leave the room before I burst into tears.  All I could think was how I probably would never wear maternity clothes.  It seemed like an innocent conversation....and really, most of those women didn't know what I was going through at the time.  I also remember a deal my husband and I made.  I love real trees at Christmas and he likes fake ones.  Since we visit family for the majority of the holidays Joel didn't think it was a good idea to have a real tree.  So the deal was that we would have fake until we had kids...because then we wouldn't travel as much.  I clearly remember sitting in a snowbank in the middle of a tree farm as we were hunting for my parents Christmas tree.  I was surrounded by reminders of how I still wasn't a mom.  These memories, and many others, are very vivid to me.  I will always remember those years but they don't sting as much any more because there is a beautiful little boy in my life now.  I will not pretend that all the issues have changed and that I will suddenly have a successful pregnancy. 

This week was National Infertility Awareness Week.  Did you know that 1 in 8 men or women are diagnosed with infertility?  Travelling the road of infertility is a very lonely road to be on.  Even when travelling it with your spouse, it is very lonely and painful.  Please take a minute to pray for those who have experienced fertility issues.  And if you want to learn more about the infertility issues that many people face and learn the truth to many myths out there, check out http://www.resolve.org/.

Must See

This video is a must see if you need to put a smile on your face.  It entertained Gus and me this morning!

http://youtu.be/xVkURlcF63Q

(For some reason it won't let me put the video on here so you will have to go to youtube to watch it.

Can I get one, please??

Joel said that if I can find one, I can get it. Please help me find one!!! How cool would it be to have one tap dancing around our backyard???

Breakin' Up Is Hard To Do

I was very lucky to exposed to a lot of music growing up. My dad was a band director and made sure that my sister and I were exposed to the many different classical pieces out there. It was because of this that music was very important to me at my wedding. I remember sitting in my parents kitchen agonizing over which Bach, Handel or Mozart piece would be played as I walked down the aisle with my dad. And what would be played when I walked back with my new husband. Not to mention, I was having a brass quartet so I needed to make sure it sounded good with the brass instruments. I certainly hope that my children get as many opportunities as possible to experience the classical music that their Papa taught to many others.

By I must admit....I love, love, love the classic renderings of the 1950s, 60s and 70s! Those tunes are all so catchy! My mom made sure that my sister and I were exposed to "oldies" music every time we were in the car together. We didn't have DVD players and other crazy technology in the car that kids have today....but we sure were entertained. To this day, you could probably play the first few notes of an oldies song and my sister and I could belt out the rest of the song. I was probably in 6th grade before I knew that there were other radio stations than "107.3...all oldies, all the time!". (And that is only because I was introduced to the oh so popular New Kids on The Block.)

I make sure to play a variety of music in the car for Gus, but I must admit that I often sing to him when we aren't in the car. I like to change some of the lyrics to fit what is going on. My favorite is "Splish Splash". Very appropriate for bath time. Or "Great Balls of Fire" comes in handy sometimes. My friend, Tanya, and I always say that when something bad happens or you are going nuts, you have to choose to laugh or cry. Well sometimes I choose to sing. My version when I am on my last nerve:

"You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain
Too much crazy drives a mom insane
You broke my will, oh please sit still
Goodness, gracious great balls of fire"

I am sure that with his exposure to oldies music, Gus will be adapting his own tune tonight when he goes to bed. I am sure he will be channeling Neil Sedaka and one of his most popular tunes....




Gus and his nunny (aka. pacifier) will be breaking up tonight. I am sure this will not go over very well. He has had a nunny every night of his life since the day that he was born....all 22 months. He doesn't use it all night long....just to fall asleep. He has had his nunny about 8 months longer than the pediatrician wanted him to have it so in my opinion we spoiled this kid. So as you are sitting down to relax or laying down to go to bed...you can chuckle to yourself thinking about a little boy standing in his crib singing about losing his love, his nunny. Or perhaps he will sing the Lesley Gore hit, "It's My Party". But it may go something like this: "Miss my nunny and I'll cry if I want to, cry if I want to....you would cry too if it happened to you!!"


Yes, I may seem callous about it right now, but with all things, there is usually an end and he will get over it....eventually.

A New Hat

If I had known that Gus would have this much fun with his cousins and a happy meal box.....

Ooo-La-La!

Notice anything new??  Something catch your eye?  It's probably because I had someone help me polish up the look of Stapes House.  Kellie at Two Pooch Paperie helped come up with this new look.  Don't you love it!!  I am beyond thrilled to have a new look!  It's like having a new hair-do and a new outfit....you just feel so much better!!  If you ever need some design work, please get in touch with her!

Thanks, Kellie!!

I could do it forever....

I could hold his little pudgy hand forever! I think what I love most is when he yells my name and puts his hand out for me to hold. I can't get enough of it!!  Oh Gus-Gus....you melt your momma's heart!

Adoption Roundtable

Has open adoption ever felt like too much? Have you ever wanted to walk away?

That is what we were asked today at Production, Not Reproduction.  I have participated a couple of times in this roundtable discussion.  These questions hit me like a ton of bricks. 

"Has open adoption ever felt like too much?"  Honestly, it doesn't consume me as much.  Before we adopted I wondered how hard it would really be.  Would I be up for it?  Could I handle it emotionally?  So far, so good.  But I think that has a lot to do with the fact that Gus' birthmom, J, is very easy going.  She has made our open plan really easy. I am discovering that we are luckier than a lot of other families out there.  We are very blessed the J has made it so that it never feels like too much. 

There is only one exception....Mother's Day.  I've only had 2 Mother's Day's so far.  One when Gus was still in the womb and one with us.  Before Gus was born, I dreaded Mother's Day.  Not because I didn't want to celebrate my own mom, but because of the emotions and heartache.  Once we decided to start a family and had repeated failure, Mother's Day became very difficult.  In church they honor the mothers in the congregation on this day and they say a blessing on all of them.  Never fails...I bawled.  Aching to be one of those moms.  Once I did become a mom, I continued to bawl in church.  It still seems quite surreal.  I am very blessed!  The hard part, however, is thinking about the other mother out there.  I know that Mother's Day is very difficult for Gus' birthmom.  And because Gus is too little to do it himself, I take on the responsibility of sending something to J, to honor her for making the difficult decision she did to grant Gus life and to making an adoption plan for him.  So on a day that should be one that I get to enjoy...I try to make sure that Gus' birthmom is not forgotten.  That is the only time (so far) that adoption seems to be too much.  This is not something that many other mom's need to think about.

"Have you ever wanted to walk away?"  Heck, no!  Adoption is such a blessing and we are so very blessed to have Gus in our life.  And even throughout the entire process, I have never wanted to walk away.  And you know what?  I plan to walk right into it again when we adopt again!

Anniversary

Today Joel and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary.  It seems like just yesterday that we got married on that beautiful April day.  It was warm and sunny even though the forecasters said it was going to snow.  We were surrounded by friends and family to celebrate one of the best days of our life.

Fastforward four years.  On this day in 2009, we met Gus' birthfather.  I mentioned it before on this blog but did not go into any detail.  The reason we met with "K" was because he was reconsidering his parental rights.  Unlike birthmothers, the birthfather can sign off his rights before the baby is born.  He was considering the option of raising the unborn baby.  We met with K and our social worker, Dawn.  We all sat at a table in a little conference room.  I was sweating....I felt sick to my stomach.  What if this man did change his mind?  How would my legs even carry me out of this building before I collapsed to the ground in an unconsolable heap? How would I ever be able to celebrate my anniversary again since all I would ever remember is what happened on this day?  I watched in awe as Dawn spoke to K.  That woman is worth her weight in gold!!  I would have paid her a million dollars for her work on that day alone.  She was able to facilitate conversation between the three of us and make us all feel more comfortable with one another.  He shared some things about his life that he wanted to make sure that we shared with Gus one day.  Long story short, we had a successful meeting that day and K ended up signing later that week.  We never saw or heard from K after that.  And I am sure that we probably never will.  Not sure how I feel about that....I think that is something for me to investigate further some other day.

Move forward to today...today was delightful.  It was relaxing.  I did some organizing in my craft/Thirty-One room.  I wrote some thank you notes.  I packaged up some items to be mailed out to friends.  Joel and Gus went grocery shopping together today and left me in an empty, quiet house.  This was one of the first days that I had that was free of any plans.  LOVED it!  I loved getting to just relax and hangout with my boys.  Gus was full of energy and full of giggles.  Such a fun day!

"An Idea Emergency!!!"

We took Gus to his first concert.  We went to see the Imagination Movers downtown Detroit.  It was AMAZING!!  (Funny...I never thought I would feel that way about a kids show.)  If you are not familiar with the Imagination Movers, I definitely encourage you to check them out.  We are big fans in the Stape House!  They are problem solvers who help solve "idea emergencies"!  I could sing their brainstorming song all day!

Gus actually sat still for 90% of the time.  The only exception was when he transferred back and forth between Momma and DaDoh.  He was just in awe most of the time.  Every once and a while, he would start clapping or yelling but for the most part he just watched in amazement.  (And once again...I sat in tears for 1/2 of it thinking about the fact that this was another first for Gus.  I get very emotional about those kids of things....heck, I get emotional about everything!)

Little did we know that we would have to wait in line outside to get in.  (Yes, I felt like the mother who dressed my child inappropriately. If I had known, I would have brought a proper hat and perhaps a blankie...it was windy and cold.)

Before the show, Gus loved climbing in and out of his very own seat.  It is a little irritating that they require you to purchase a seat for kids over one, but I'm glad that they did.  It was perfect for him!

Genevieve and DC from Choo Choo Soul opened up the show.

Clapping along.

MOVERS!!!!!

Hmmmm..... I'm not really sure what is going on at this time, but Joel captured this little face and I just think it is too cute not to share!!

WAREHOUSE MOUSE!!  We love this mouse and his love for cheese!  Our little mouse, Gus Gus, also loves cheese!!

HOLY MOLY!!! Mover Rich came out the door right by us.  We could have touched him.  (And yes, I LOVE Mover Rich!  He is my favorite!  I think I was more excited that any of the kids around us!)

Gus and DaDoh outside the Music Hall showing off Gus' new Mover's hat.

We had a FABULOUS time!!

Peter Walsh

I have a love/hate relationship with Peter Walsh. If you don't know who he is, google him. He is wonderful!! He is a professional organizer. I wish that he would come live with us for a while to help get this place organized. As I was rifling through a box looking for the pictures I plan to take scrap booking this weekend, I stumbled upon his book. I bought this book years ago. Clearly I never read it because I still have TOO much stuff. I'm making it a priority to read his book and then put his advice into action so that we an live in a functional, organized house. I'm excited about it....I'm motivated....can't wait to get started!! But that will have to wait until after I find my pictures that I plan to scrapbook this weekend. Back to the boxes....
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Happy Month-iversary!

WOW!  It has been a month since I signed on the dotted lines (many, many lines) and became a home owner.  My name was never on our old place so this was my first home purchase.  It all still feels a little surreal.  I am still a little overwhelmed with the fact that this is our home.  I can't believe that it is actually ours!  So crazy!!

We had our house warming party last weekend.  Throughout the evening we had over 50 people in here....crazy to think about!!  Granted they were coming and going, but this place was insane!  And I LOVED it!!  I love the fact that I can entertain in this house.  I love that we can all get together in my home.  I can't wait to have people over again!!

One thing that the party forced us to do was get this house ready for company...quickly.  I'm glad that we did because right now I am sitting in a clean house...many things are put away.  Granted we still have a garage full of stuff to unpack.  I decided before we moved here that I would not bring anything into this house that we didn't need anymore.  So instead of just unloading everything in the house and shoving it into places, we decided to take our time.  The goal is to be able to park both cars in our garage by the summer time.  With our crazy busy lives, it is a realistic goal.  Not only that but I really like the idea of taking my time to really go through everything and purge so much of the stuff that we have held onto.

Slowly but surely we will be all moved in.  Right now, I still feel like we are housesitting someone else's house...I'm sure it will become real sooner or later.  Probably when we get our first bills!

White?!?

Unbelievable!  I can't believe that I am actually painting a room white!  Okay so only half of it is white....but still.  I am one of those who craves color.  I can't stand when I have a "blank" room.  I need to cover it up with some color.  Today I spent a good portion of the day working on our guest room.  The room will be black, white and lime green.  Do you know how much fun it is to paint a wall black?  It is super fun!!  (Remind me in the future when I am painting that room for another child not to complain about painting over the black...I liked it at one point.)  Pictures of the final product will be coming soon....

I may have an addiction....

So I came to the sudden realization today that I may have another addiction.  I previously wrote about my blog addiction.  I was willing to come to terms with that one and do something about it.  This one...I'm not so sure I can give it up.  Someone is going to have to try hard to convince me to give it up.  Let me just say, I have been addicted for years...even before it became popular again.  Those who know me well know that it is kinda my signature.  As I wandered around my house tonight (which still needs A LOT of unpacking and organizing) I started to notice my addiction a little bit more.

The dish set that I got for Christmas 2010!!

Keeps the stove top clean.

Coffee Mug...who doesn't love that it is orange?!?

My new wine glasses from Pampered Chef.

Joel and I solve all of our disagreements with this rule...."He can be right, but I will win."  This little magnet reminds him of that.  He better think twice about starting with me...unless he is prepared to lose. :)

Even bought a house with perfect wallpaper in the "kids" bathroom.  That is one room that will not be redecorated any time soon!

Thirty-One caters to my addiction with these patterns.

New slippers that my mom gave me this weekend.  So cozy!!

A new blanket that I bought for Gus' bedroom since his room has a similar pattern.

My pillowcase.  Yes, even my bedroom linens have it.

Towels in the master bathroom.

Wrapping paper for all occasions.  My husband will tell you that I am also addicted to buying wrapping paper.  He just might be right about that....

So I think it is official.  I have a serious addiction to polka dots.  And I KNOW that there are many more things in this house and in my classroom with polka dots.  I am an addict....but this addiction, I plan to keep!!

I Gotcha Baby!

Cool Dude!

It has been a year since Gus officially, legally, became Lil' Stape!  I can't believe how quickly a year went by.  It seemed like it took so long for his adoption to become final.  I remember sitting in my office at school when I got the voicemail telling me that the agency had received word that it was final.  I could barely breathe, I was sobbing so hard.  We had been through a lot and this meant that all of my worries were gone.  I immediately felt a sense of relief.  The waiting was over.  He had our last name now.  Our names were finally on his birth certificate as the parents.  We could finally move on how and not thinking about the adoption process for a while.  I think that I sobbed most of the day after that.  I am the luckiest girl!!

I gotcha!!!

The Force

As I said before...I am a Ford girl all the way...but this little Darth Vader is ADORABLE!!! This was my #2 favorite commercial from last night. Raise of hands...who could see Gus doing this some day?? Or Joel (the Star Wars fanatic) doing this??

Detroit Pride

Let's just make this known...I am a Ford girl all of the way! But seriously, those of us who live in southeastern Michigan were filled with pride as we saw Detroit showcased on the national level during Sunday's Super Bowl. I love how the city was presented to the rest of the country. I feel that Detroit has gotten a bad rap. Detroit has a lot to offer that most people don't see. They see the flailing automotive industry...the dilapidated buildings...the Lion's records...crime/poverty...lack of quality. What they don't see is the beautiful history that is there....the devoted sports fans (in good times and bad times)...different cultural areas  (Corktown, Greektown, Mexicantown) ...theater/opera/music...Motown history...hard working people who have persevered...need I go on? This girl from west Michigan was pretty proud to be an import to southeast Michigan last night when I saw that commercial. Finally, the people of this country were able to see what Detroit really does have to offer.

Feel Good Friday #1

I know...this makes two posts for me today.  But this is my blog...I write the rules and today I decided to jump on this bandwagon.  So I caught wind of this through Mommy on the Spot who got it from The Girl Next Door Grows Up.  I really liked the idea of finding the positive in our lives.  All I do is pick a prompt from The Girl Next Door Grows Up's site and write my response.  This week I am choosing to find 5 things that made me happy this week.

ONE
We found out that we will be closing on our new house in two weeks!!  It is suddenly becoming real that we will be finally moving.  A dream come true!

TWO
The new Thirty-One catalog became available on Tuesday!  I love the products that I sell and I love the new catalog that has come out.  Lots of really fun new things.  I can't wait for my first party with the new catalog.

THREE
SNOW DAY!!! Need I say more?  Loved getting to stay home with Gus-Gus and play all day.  Not only that but we all got to catch up on some much needed sleep!

FOUR
I found the coolest bowl today at TJ Maxx.  It is a very navy and white polka dot bowl.  (I LOVE polka dots!!)  And there was the added surprise of the inside of the bowl being lime green.  Ooo-la-la!!

FIVE
I won today!!  I don't usually win random prizes...but I did today!!  I entered a contest at Unofficial Mom.  I won a $50 gift certificate to Home Made Happy.  And boy did that ever make me happy today!


Would you look at that?!?  Five fun things from this week that made me happy.  As I started thinking about it, I discovered that I could have gone on for quite a while.  Lots of happy things going on!  I challenge you to focus on the happy things in your life!

Does adoption change your family?

Today I was approached by a freshman in our building.

"Hey!  You and your husband adopted a baby, right?"

"Yes, we did."

"Can I ask you a question?  How did it change your family?"

I was at a loss for words for a minute.  First of all I was so taken off guard but I immediately became curious as to why she was asking.  Turns out that her parents are planning to adopt through foster care.  They are looking to adopt a girl between the ages of 9 and 12.  After she told me this, I realized that she was nervous and insecure about her place in the family once someone new entered their home. (At that point, we went into the counseling office so that we could chat privately.)

But her question still sits on my heart tonight.  How did adoption change our family?  Truth be told...it didn't change our family at all.  It made us a family!  It made me a momma!  I am sure that when we add number two, our family will change but that will have nothing to do with adoption and everything to do with having another baby in the house.  So does adoption change a family??  In my opinion, no.  But did Gus change my life?  Absolutely!!!

Bipolar Day

Well, today was a little bit of a bipolar day.  We got the call yesterday that we have a closing date on our new house!  We are so excited that this dream is becoming a reality!  We also got a call last night that school was canceled for today!  How exciting!  Good news about the house and we get to sleep in the next day and play with Gus all day!!

Today all three of us took advantage of sleeping in.  Gus slept until 9:30!!  I don't know when that have ever happened!  (But I LOVED it!)  We spent the rest of our day playing and packing.  Now that we have the closing date, we decided we can really start packing up our house.  We have packed a lot of it...but now we are really getting serious.

I worked on our closet first....we have a lot of crap in there!  Four large boxes full and still not even 1/2 way there.  I was almost embarrassed about how much we have in there but then I stopped and realized that with such little storage space in this house, a lot of stuff gets jammed in the closets so I don't feel quite as ashamed.  Now I must admit that I am totally motivated to organize and discard unnecessary items.  My friend, Katie, at The Terp Blog has been organizing in 2011 and I am so jealous of her!  Check out her blog and what she has been doing.  I am LOVING her wooden hangers!!  Look at the mishmash that I packed today.

I have every intention of only putting things that we need in our house and discarding the rest.  We have already been sorting through as we pack things but I am sure that there will be lots more once we get into the new house.

I then moved into packing Gus' room.  I kept out only the things that he NEEDS!  I did keep out his cars, the car ramp, a few books and his blocks.  Other than that, all toys and books are packed.  All other baby related items are packed.  We have clothing to get us through and the baby "essentials".  It is almost like living out of a suitcase for him.  But I think the bare minimum right now is necessary.  I was a packing machine.  Wasn't phased by any of it until I saw this....

...and then I lost it!  Lots of tears.  It brought me right back to the fall of 2008.  We had finally got on "the list" at the agency and since you never know when you might be matched, we thought perhaps we would slowly get the room ready.  This is what the closet looked like in the beginning.  I remember thinking that I couldn't wait until those cubbies were filled and that there were clothes on that rack.  I remember how desperate I was to be a mom.  Looking at this almost empty closet made all of those feelings come rushing back.  I pulled myself together and finished emptying the closet.  Check out how great these matching hangers look!

I love that all of Gus' hangers match.  No store hangers ever brought home.  Oh!  And I love his little cowboy hat that fit perfecting in this box upside down and keeps the hangers from sliding around!  (Yes, the box is labeled "hangers and a hat" and it is color coded so we know that it goes to Gus' room.)

I emptied on of Gus' chest of drawers.  Found the box that holds his first comb used at the hospital.  That boy had a head of hair!  And I found his hospital bracelet...and the baggie of hair from his first hair cut.  Tears again!  (It doesn't take much.)

I finished up packing Gus' room.  For the most part, that boy is packed and ready to go.

So when people ask us why we felt the need to move....this is why!  Look at all of the boxes from one little boy's bedroom.  Poor kid has no room to breathe with all of his baby stuff, toys, books, etc.  Can't wait to get into our new house where Gus will have his bedroom and a play room!  What a lucky boy!

The Call

Two years ago today I was supposed to have a cheerleading meet.  Unfortunately, it was canceled due to the weather.  So home I went after school.  Once I got home, I noticed the red blinking light on my answering machine.

"Hi Beth and Joel!  My name is Dawn Baker.  I am calling from Bethany Christian Services.  Please call me as soon as you get this message.  You can call me at .......until 5 and then on my cell phone at ......until 10 PM tonight.  Talk to you soon."

That's weird I thought.  We JUST updated our adoption application 2 weeks ago, what did they want now?  I called the number, asked for Dawn and was greeted by the most cheerful voice.

"Hi Beth! So glad that you were able to call back so quickly.  I have a birthmom who really wants to meet with you and Joel to see if you are a match!"

I almost fell over.  My legs felt weak and I had to sit down.  I sat on the bottom step of our stairs as Dawn gave me some background about J and K, the birthparents.  I remember my hands shaking, my voice wouldn't work.  It was all I could do not to fall completely apart.  Was this real?  Was this lady really calling to tell me that there was someone who chose US?

Dawn and I set up a time to meet with J the next week to see if we were a match and before we hung up, Dawn mentioned one more thing.  "Oh by the way....it's a boy!"

I thanked Dawn, hung up the phone and still shaking like a leaf, I tried to call Joel.  Joel was coaching wrestling at the time and his wrestling meet still happened (despite the weather).  I called Joel about 27 times and he ignored me every time. 

I decided that I couldn't tell anyone about this until I told Joel so I had to figure out how to spend my time.  So what did I do...I went shopping!  I remember wandering around Home Goods for about an hour while talking on my cell phone with Dawn.  She had called back with some more information so I got to at least talk to her a little bit.  After Home Goods (yes, I bought some really fun stuff while I was there!) I wandered over to Target.  I spent another two hours wandering around Target. Up and down each aisle.  I found myself in toys and purchased the first baby toy for our household.  I bought a green football for our little boy.

Finally, Joel was home and we could celebrate.  There were lots of tears and both completely stunned.  We were in disbelief that this was happening and so quickly for us.  We told only our family and a few very close friends and kept our fingers crossed for our meeting with J.  We are so happy that J chose us!  The past two years have flown right by and we are loving every minute of it!!

Angelina Jolie

My close friends know that I do not like Angelina Jolie.  In fact, I have a strong distaste for her.  Why?  It's simple...she stole my friend's husband.  And by friend, I mean Jennifer Aniston.  (Yes, in my head we are best friends.  After all, we did spend 10 glorious seasons together.)  I just never liked Angelina after she shacked up with Brad Pitt.  I'm trying hard to like her these days.  As much as I may not agree with her adopting 27 children, she has brought a lot of attention to adoption and people are learning more about adoption because of it.  So long story short, I do not hate her....I'm trying to appreciate the awareness she has brought to the adoption world.

Well...it's only a matter of time before I became a crazy mom.  Okay...we know that I am crazy but I became a crazed mama bear today in the grocery store.  The woman in front of me purchased a magazine with Angelina on the front.  It mentioned that she and Brad were going to be adopting another child.  The cashier and the customer in front of me carried on talking about how it seemed ridiculous that they were adopting children from all over.  And why on earth would they want to adopt when clearly they can have "kids of their own"....blah, blah, blah....

This continued even after all of the woman's items were bagged.  At this point I was waiting impatiently and now extremely irritated.  The bagger, a former student of mine, noticed my irritation and helped quickly put this woman's bags in her cart.  (Thank you, Billy.)  I am sure that there was steam shooting out of my ears.  It was finally my turn to check out.  The cashier tried to continue to talk to me about it.  My response, which I am sure came out much nastier than I meant it to, probably wasn't needed.  I should know better than to let those that are ignorant bother me. 

"I'm sorry...I really don't think that this conversation is appropriate to have right now."

Billy jumped in, "Hey Lady Stape, didn't you and Stape adopt a baby?"  (God bless that kid!)

"Yes, Billy, we did."

That cashier, with the bright red face, rang up my items and bagged them so quickly.  With a smile and wink towards Billy, I walked out of there thinking that perhaps next time she might think twice before rattling on like that.

On a totally separate note, I added a spot on my blog where you can "follow" Stape's House.  We'd love to know if you are a follower of our crazy life....so please declare it!  :)  And stay tuned...we have some very exciting stuff coming up soon!!

One of my new fav's

I found a new blog that I am loving!  (YES!  This one made the cut!)  You need to check out what she has to say.  Not only that but she is having a fun giveaway.  Check it out if you are looking for a good read!

BSA

Hi! My name is Beth and I am a blog stalker.




That's right...I should join BSA (Blog Stalker Anonymous). I am addicted to reading blogs. It has become a serious problem. I usually start reading them well after 9 PM and then I can still be found reading well into the evening. I am losing sleep because of this addiction. Through blogger.com I am able to keep track of my blogs in my dashboard. I just added a new blog today. It was only then that I realized that I have a problem. I just hit 72 blogs. SEVENTY-TWO!! Who does that?!? Apparently me. So in an effort to clear out and move in a healthier direction, I reduced it to 50. That's good....right?? As a counselor, I am also a believer in 12 step programs like the Alcoholics Anonymous program. So I figured that I could apply it to my own addiction. So far I am stuck on step one- I admit that I am powerless over this addiction. Step two will have to wait until tomorrow. I have to get caught up on some of my blog reading....

Please help!

My college friend, Amanda, is in desperate need of some help.  Grand Marais is very close to Amanda's heart and that town is in need of some help.

http://wehearyouamerica.readersdigest.com/?sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4d40dfbf5524c9d1%2C0

You can vote 10 times per day!  It is super easy.  And I haven't gotten an ounce of spam from signing up to vote.  This mission is very important to the Schripsema family.  2010 was a rough year for their family after they son was diagnosed with leukemia.  Please check out Amanda's blog and look at Gideon's beautiful smile.  Let's keep that smile on that little boy's face!!!

"IDIOT" Stamped On My Forehead

Well, I am sure when all was said and done on Friday, I must have had "idiot" stamped on my forehead.

It all started Thursday evening. We went to Joel's sister's house for dinner with her family.  We were missing them desperately.  Last year we saw them almost every day. This year those days are few and far between.  Sarah and her kids spent the last week in Disney World.  So when she got back, I demanded that we have dinner together.  (It had been almost 2 weeks since we had seen them!)  Gus didn't really seem like himself over there.  Very clingy.  He is NOT a cuddler so I knew that he wasn't quite himself.  He felt a little warm but nothing to be too concerned about.  He wouldn't eat his food, but he would eat only applesauce.  He is still getting teeth in so I assumed that was the problem.  He didn't want to chew, he was a little warm and he was clingy.  Didn't think too much more about it, brought him home, gave him some baby medicine and sent him to bed.

Friday morning, around 9 AM, I got a call from Gus' sitter.  (Keep in mind I am a class advisor and it is Spirit Week so school is super crazy and as an advisor I am crazy busy during this week.)  Well, I was already frazzled before I got the call.  Stephanie was concerned because Gus' body seemed to be on fire and he seemed really lethargic.  Well, we all know that I am a hypochondriac...so I left immediately, barely grabbed my purse...no jacket.  Luckily, I was working in the counseling office at the time because I left so quickly.  I didn't even tell my boss until I was in the car driving over there.  I told him I may or may not be back so he may need to find a sub for the two classes that I teach.  I stopped at the drugstore on the way to buy a thermometer for Gus.  I wanted to know what I was dealing with.  Once I got to him, I noticed that his body was also really hot and he didn't want to move.  I took his temp...97??  That can't be right....stupid digital thermometers!!  I called the doctor anyway and they said to bring him in right away.  Well, of course this hypochondriac momma freaked out with the "right away". That must mean something serious.  So off we rushed to the doctor.

Turns out they said "right away" because they had an opening...not because of the severity of the symptoms.  Don't they know who they are talking to?!?  Really Gus' name should have flashing lights next to it.  "Warning....crazy momma!"

Gus clung to me like a koala bear (again, very unlike him).  I had to unpeel him when they tried to get his weight and temp.  I did feel a little better when his temp was still 97...but more concerned because his body was still hot.  The nurse left the room and the little koala and I hung out in the room and waited for the doctor.  I tried to grab some books from their shelf to entertain him.  He wanted nothing to do with them.  Then the door opened. ("Whew...so happy that she is finally here to figure out what is wrong with him.)

Dr: Hi Gus!  Are we not feeling well today?
Gus: HI! blah, blah, blah, blah.  (I'm sure it is very important, but we have no idea what this kid is trying to tell us.)

The doctor checks him out.  Only finds that he appears to have a sore throat.  She talks to me about how this could be the beginning of a number of things.  Talk about what to watch for, etc.  During this time, Gus has slid off my lap.  He is now pulling every book off their shelf and onto the floor.  With each one we hear, "Oh Oh" (Translation: "Uh oh")  Eventually these turn in to "hiya!" and he has begun hopping around the exam room.  He is full out jumping up and down and yelling with delight by the time we talk about what to watch for.  Lethargic?  I think not!!  So here I am turning bright red, embarrassed that my 1 1/2 year old has made a fool out of me.  It is at that moment that the doctor notices Gus' pajamas laying on the table.

Dr: Is this what he was wearing? Did he wear them all night?
Me: Yes.  We always take him to the sitter in his jammies and then she dresses him later.
Dr: Did you ever think that perhaps that is why his body was so warm and doesn't have a temperature?  Perhaps he is too hot.  And when we are too hot, we don't like to move.
Me: You have got to be kidding....Is this our official medical diagnosis?
Dr: Well, he is coming down with a cold or something, but I think that he probably was overheated this morning.
Me: Crap....

Back to the sitter Gus went and back to work I went.  Unbelievable!!

Saturday, however, I came home from my cheerleading meet to discover that Gus did in fact have a fever of 102.9.  Well, at least I know that I am not crazy....my kid is sick.  But now I have a sick kid.  :(  I left him home with his daddy while I went to chaperone the school dance. I was telling this story to a coworker who was also working the dance.  After laughing at me, she started talking about a student who had scarlet fever.....blah, blah, blah....

Crap...I hope that Gus doesn't have scarlet fever!  What are the symptoms for that?  I will have to check WebMD now and I may be calling the doctor in the morning....