The Walker Blog: Gus

Showing posts with label Gus. Show all posts

Finalization Here We Come!!!

Posted by Cat's Litterbox | Family Update, Gus | 2:01 PM

April 9th, 2011

We got a call about ten days ago informing us that Gus's finalization hearing needed to be scheduled, and we had to pick either April 15th or May 13th. When Cathy asked if it mattered, she was told that we had to BE there IN PERSON for the hearing. She called Steve and together we freaked out because we didn't know we had to physically be there for the hearing. After debating between the two date, neither of which really works for us, we decided to do the 15th (the sooner the better).

We'll be going to MI this coming Thursday and we'll be there Thursday night, and then his hearing is at 11am on Friday the 15th. The 15th is also Tax Day, and should be a great day to celebrate each year. Cathy's mom will be coming to court with us and we'll be meeting Gus's birth mom C and her mom P. We're very excited that they wanted to come to court with us, and it means so much that they'll be there for this very special day. After court, we're going to lunch and C's grandma (P's mom) will be joining us and she'll be meeting her very first great-grandchild. We're super excited to meet her as well, as she's been so very supportive throughout the entire adoption.

After we have lunch with everyone, we'll be coming back to Cathy's parents and then later on, we'll be going out to dinner with her brother's family, and then Jessica (Gus's God Mother and second cousin) will be joining us with her daughter B. It's going to be so special to celebrate Gus's Adoption Day with our family.

We have nothing planned for Saturday, but it'll be a great day with Cathy's parents and hopefully Scott and his family. Then we'll be leaving bright and early on Sunday to drive back to NC. It'll be a VERY quick trip, but one that will be very special.

We had hoped to go back to MI in May/June for Gus's 1st birthday and to see Charlie (Scott and Christie's baby- due on May 18th), but with the unexpected trip next week, we'll be pushing back our MI trip to July. We're hoping that Cathy's parents can come down to NC for Gus's first birthday party which is May 14th.

We've been enjoying our time as a family and Cathy loves being at home with Gus. It's like she was put on Earth to be his mom and is loving every minute of it. Steve loves when he comes home now and Gus gets REALLY excited to see him. He usually goes to the baby gate and stands there waiting for Steve to pick him up. It's really cute.

Gus is amazing. He's walking, sometimes even running, and chatting up a storm. He only says mama and dada right now, but there are a lot of things that's he's saying that we can't quite understand right now. He's got an amazing personality and is very easy going. He doesn't fuss and doesn't usually wear anything but a smile. He loves the cats and his favorite friend is our puppy Elphie. They are the best of friends and Elphie is so tolerant and loving with Gus.

Gus is eating solids (table foods) and has been for a few months. He loves the sippy cup and we don't anticipate a lot of problems when it comes time to ween him from the bottle. He still doesn't have ANY teeth... and has already had his first haircut! Here are some pictures from that event:

Steve and Gus before the haircut

We love the way his haircut turned out and think he looks even cuter than before!! He shouldn't need another haircut for a while, but when it's time for another one, Steve will be taking Gus back to the barber shop. It's going to be a "Daddy and Gus" event and we're excited that they'll have something to do that's special and just between them.

Be sure to check Gus's blog each Tuesday and our family YouTube page for videos. Cathy is going to post some of the more recent ones to this blog so you can see what's been happening. Also, you can now subscribe to our blog through email... if you haven't signed up for this, please do! It'll ensure that you never miss a post!

See you soon!

The Walkers

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | Family Update, Gus | 4:26 PM

Well we are happy to report that we're finally home in North Carolina!! We came home on Gus's two-month birthday! Steve got the call from our attorney on July 9th and he was able to get a ticket for Saturday the 10th.

As much as we hated being apart and not having the first two months together as a family, but the timing worked out well. Cathy's oldest brother David came into town with his family from Arizona. They arrived late on the 9th and then Steve arrived on the 10th. For the first time ever, Cathy's mom was able to see all six of her grandchildren and her three children with their spouses at the same time. It was wonderful!!

We came home to NC on the 11th, which also happened to be Gus's two-month birthday! It was so nice to be home with him! Since we've been home, we found a pediatrician and took him for his two-month well baby appointment. He weighed in at 11 pounds and 5 ounces, and his height was 23.75 inches! That's almost two-feet tall!!

Gus has his very own blog, be sure to check out his blog and follow him!! We also have a lot of videos posted to our family YouTube page! You should check that out and subscribe as well!!

We had our first baby shower yesterday at Burt's Bees. Steve works with some of the nicest people! Cathy brought Gus up and everyone enjoyed meeting him. He was all smiles and was in his usual good mood!

Today Gus is 12 weeks old! It's hard to believe that twelve-weeks ago today we were in Michigan in a fog of bliss! A week from tomorrow Gus will be three months old and we don't know where the time has gone. Gus has become the major focus of our lives, and we cannot remember life before him! We both feel like he's the greatest thing to happen to us, and we've concurred that he's the world's greatest baby.

We'll write again soon...
The Walkers

Monday, July 5th, 2010

Posted by Steve and Cat Walker | Adoption, Gus | 2:41 PM

Gus being swaddled (7-5-10)

Happy boy showing off his smile (7-5-10)

Fourth of July shirt (7-4-10)

Lunch with Grandma and Grandpa Walker (7-3-10)

Well, it's been eight weeks today since we got the call that Gus's birth mom was in labor. In the last eight weeks, our entire world has changed for the better, but has changed none-the-less!

On the 30th of May, Steve had to fly back home for work. He left Cathy and Gus at the hotel and headed home with the hopes that we'd all be reunited in just a short week or two. Obviously, it was more than a short week or two, as Cathy and Gus are STILL in Michigan, and Steve is in NC by himself.

The most frequent question that we get from friends and family is, "WHY ARE YOU STILL SEPARATED??" The basic answer to that complex question is, we're separated because of human incompentancy. It took four weeks before our paperwork was even submitted to the Interstate Compact Office and Macomb County Courts (June 8, 2010). It took four weeks because there was a problem with the birth parent history form being submitted with the correct information (it was filled our incorrectly at the hospital), and there was some problems getting members of Gus's birth family to cooperate and help us.

So the papers FINALLY got submitted on June 8th and then we thought we'd have 2-4 weeks to wait for the Interstate Compact Office to give us the approval to take him home. On July 6th it'll have been four weeks. Then there's the papers to the court, so 30 days from the date of submission is Thursday, July 8th (also our fourth wedding anniversary).

We assumed that we'd get the approval to bring him home, before the court date for his birth mother to appear before the judge adn terminate her parental rights. We assumed wrong.

When the papers were submitted to the ICO, the person who was supposed to deal with out case was on vacation. Apparently when that person returned to MI, the papers were "misplaced" and missing documents. Our attorney never called to tell us this... Steve found out when he called to check on the status of things. The attorney told Steve that it's been taken care of and they're expediting things, but it could be another two-four weeks.

To say it was a set-back would be a HUGE understatement. We were devistated. This is the longest that we've been apart EVER and it's so difficult for us to have a newborn and yet, not be together as a family. We're praying that we hear something soon and can get back together as we're meant to be.

When we do get the okay, Steve will fly back to MI and then we'll be driving back to NC together.

On the positive, Cathy's older brother Dave and his family will be arriving in MI on the 10th, and Cathy's excited for them to meet Gus. Cathy's mom and dad are excited to have all their children and grandchildren "home" together. Her mom plans on having pictures taken of all the grandkids together, since it'll be the first time that this has ever happened.

Cathy is excited to get home and start being a stay at home mom. She will be taking some time off from teaching to raise Gus. While it'll be an adjustment for all of us, we're so excited! Cathy hasn't been out of the classroom in ten years and while she'll miss teaching, she's looking forward to teaching Gus all that she can about life!

Steve is doing well with his job. He's eager to see what changes come as the company moves into the new fiscal year. He's always eager to go to work and loves what he does, and for that we're both grateful.

This weekend was the Fourth of July weekend and we spent it apart, but Cathy was able to spend Saturday the 3rd with Steve's dad, Sue Ann, and Steve's Aunt Priscilla. They drove up from Indiana and spent the afternoon with Cathy and Gus. They went to Buddy's Pizza and spent some time visiting at Cathy's parent's house. They were surprised at how big Gus was! They had not seen him since the baptism on May 22nd!

We'll give another update soon. For now we're excited to report that Gus is going to be eight weeks old tomorrow, and will be two months old on Sunday! He's had quite an eventful two months! He's starting to make a lot of noise and has discovered his tongue!! He likes to stick his tongue out and he has also been smiling a lot! He does very well on his tummy and has even rolled over from his tummy to his back! He's getting taller and filling out more. Cathy will be taking him to the pediatrician soon for his two month check-up. He'll be getting his shots (sad face), and will be weighed and measured. We're certain that he's close to ten pounds at this point!!

We'll write again soon! If you'd like to follow Gus's development each week, check out his blog: Gus's Grandiose Gabble. We also have a YouTube site where Cathy has been posting videos of Gus. Be sure to check it out and subscribe!!

:)
The Walkers

We Are A Family!!

Posted by Cat's Litterbox | Adoption, Gus | 2:57 PM

We have had quite a few weeks! We traveled to Michigan on April 30th (Friday) and were in town for Alex's First Communion on Saturday, May 1st. We had a great visit with Cathy's side of our family and enjoyed seeing Scott, Christie, Alex, Lily, and Cathy's parents. We decided to take Cathy's mom and Christie to dinner on Monday, May 3rd to Outback Steakhouse, to celebrate Mother's Day (we wouldn't be in MI for the holiday).

While we were at dinner, Cathy got a message on her phone from Fb from her cousin Jessica that had her phone number and it said to call her. Cathy told her that she'd call her after dinner.

Cathy's cousin Jessica lives in MI and is a nurse. She has a co-worker named Sharon. Well, Jess is on Fb and has been following our journey with us, as many of you have as well.

So a few weeks ago, Sharon came to work and was telling Jess about some things happening in her family. Sharon's sister's daughter (Sharon's niece), had just found out that what they thought was the flu, was actually a pregnancy. So the family was a little concerned and were trying to work out what they were going to do. The niece is a minor, and bascially decided that she wanted to find an adoptive family to adopt her baby.

So Sharon was telling Jess about this and Jess mentioned to Sharon that we were in NC and in the process of adopting. She told Sharon that we had our home study completed and were on the website and waiting for the right match. Jess gave Sharon the link to our profile on the CAS website, just for them to see it if they were interested.

Well... they were interested.

When Cathy called Jess, she told her the story (way more details than she is putting in here) and said that basically, they had chosen us to adopt their baby. We were in shock. When Cathy asked when she was due, Jess said May 28th.

So... Tuesday the 4th started our quest for an attorney in MI because our agency only deals with NC children due to the Interstate Compact Agreement. We talked to Jess a lot and got more and more information.

On Wednesday, we said goodbye to MI and hello to Indiana. We still were trying to work out information with an attorney. We had two that we were talking to and trying to find the right one for the best price.

While in Indiana, we decided to bring home a new puppy that Steve's dad had found. She is super cute and her name is Elphaba, we call we "Elphie" for short. She's really Ned's dog.

We drove back to NC on Saturday the 8th. We got home pretty late... it was after 9pm. Got up on Sunday and did laundry, Steve put together the new crib that Cathy's parents had bought for us while we were in MI (the old one was missing parts to connect the drop down side... and the company informed us that they don't make replacement parts, so her parents just bought us a new one). Then Steve mowed the yard and did the bills.

On Monday, Cathy had lunch with some friends, took Elphie to the vet, got her Rx sunglasses, and got her nails done. Got home and chilled for a little and then headed off to Burt's to pick up Steve for our Old School Showdown at the Old Durham Athletic Park. The Bulls were playing at their old stadium for one last game. We got there around 5:00 and found an awesome parking spot. Then we realized that the gates didn't open until 6, so we just sat in the car, slowly watching everyone start to arrive and park.

At 5:40ish... Cathy got a cell phone call from Sharon. Instantly she was confused, because she had only been texting Sharon, but she answered the phone and Sharon said, "Hi... it's Sharon. I wanted to let you know that she's in labor..." so a little bit of panic ensued, but we left the parking lot immediately, headed home, called our parents and freaked out a little (A LOT), and got home around 6:00. We threw as much as we could into bags and packed the baby stuff that we thought we'd need, and loaded up the car.

Our neighbor, Wendy, is a life-saver. She came over with blankets and clothes, and said she'd watch the cats for us. She also said she'd watch the dogs overnight, and take them to the vet in the morning to be boarded. We were on the road by 7:30 pm.

We drove through the night and at 3:40 Cathy got a text from Sharon's sister (the birth-grandma) that said it wouldn't be long and the birth mom was doing well. Then at 3:51 I got another text that said, "It's a boy!" I started crying... not only was I excited that the baby was born, but I was exhausted, stressed, and a HUGE ball of emotions! Oh, and I was in the middle of WV. HA!

We ended up getting a picture of Gus a few hours later and that's what killed us. Seeing that he was real and was going to be our son was too much. We both cried and kept on trucking to MI.

We went straight to the hospital and arrived there around 8:30. The nurses were aware of the situation and knew that we were coming. When we got there, they showed us to the room and we walked in and met his grandma and mom. They were very kind, and baby G was laying in the crib thingy. Then his birth grandma picked him up and brought him over to us and gave him to Cathy to hold. She instantly broke down and was crying like a baby. It was amazing to hold him for the first time and to realize that he was her son! Then Steve held him and he started crying too and it was an amazing first moment as a family.

We stayed in the room with them for a while and then they wanted the mom to take a shower, so we headed out of the room and into the room that they had set aside for us to stay in. It was very thoughtful. Cathy was given the other id bracelet (the baby and mom have to have the same matching numbers on their bands) and we went to the room. We talked to the grandma for a while and got some info and just tried to settle our nerves.

The remainder of the hospital stay is a blur at this point, but we spent most of the morning of the 11th with him. He was 6 pounds 8 oz at birth, 19 inches long and his head was 12.75. He has blondish hair with some red, but not a lot. He has beautiful blue eyes.

We asked if they had a preference for a name and they said they wanted us to name him. We started calling him Gus from that point on. :D Cathy's parents, Christie, and Lily came up to the hospital on Tuesday night to meet him, and they were in the room with everyone. It was very neat to have Gus's birth family there with his adoptive family. One big group all together for the love of one beautiful baby boy.

The mom was released from the hospital on Wednesday the 12th around 11:30. Then Gus was released around 1:30. We were able to say our "see you laters" to his family and it wasn't an awful exchange. We are going to have as open of a relationship with them as they are comfortable with.

We headed to our extended stay hotel with Gus and enjoyed spending time with family. Over the course of a few days, we were visited by several friends and surrounded by Cathy's side of our family. We feel so fortunate to be here in Michigan with family to be apart of the first moments of Gus's life.

There have been some ups and downs during our stay, and we have moved hotels... but it's pretty good. Steve has to fly back to North Carolina while Cathy and Gus stay in Michigan and wait to be cleared from the Interstate Compact. Gus is a great baby and is growing each day! His looks have changed so much from the 11th to now!!

Be sure to check in for more updates on our family!!
:)
The Walkers