tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905Fri, 08 Nov 2024 15:29:27 +0000Gusadoptionlifefun stuffadoption processcrazy mombloggingcelebratefirstsinsanitycrazy kidschoolbirthparentsBCSgrosssportsDaddyadoptive momouchsweet boyfamilyshockAunt Anniecostumesfootballgetting through itrantingvacationAunt SarahOttosanniversaryfriendsloveobsessionsparanoiaparentingsillysurprisesChristmasangerchaoshairhomekidsorganizingplayprojectsassysummertoysDetroitGrammaGyolai'sNAAMOpportunitiesPennyUgh...birthdaybooksdoctorgeniusjealousyopen adoptionprideroundtablescaryskillswaitingwedding20134th of JulyAuntie MirandaFeel Good FridayGrand RapidsHalloweenMaly'sNew YearPapaSAHMSimplifySwidorski'sTorch LakeTwoaddictionanimalsbaptismchangedotsenvyfavorite thingsgoalsgotchahappinesshelpingimpatientinfertilitylistsmoneymovingpicturespinterestpooprudenesssleepthinkingturkeysvideowordshttp://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)Blogger206125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-8419428440535676917Thu, 16 Feb 2017 03:49:00 +00002017-02-15T22:49:29.417-05:00Life has been busy!  I realized that I haven't updated in a few weeks.  We are still in survival mode over here.  We take life day by day over here. MRI- P went in for her MRI so that they could take a look at the outside of her digestive tract and to get a fuller picture of what was going on.  Unfortunately we had to sit and wait for a long time because there was a patienthttp://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2017/02/february-fun.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-8034771963942350620Mon, 23 Jan 2017 03:20:00 +00002017-01-22T22:32:02.215-05:00 Pretty excited!  One of the scary parts while we worked through this diagnosis was the fact that P was losing weight.  At her well visit in October she weighed in at 32 pounds.  She has always been a little peanut but we were excited that she had broken the 30 pound mark!!  Since then, however, P has continued to lose weight during this flare up.  When she went in forhttp://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2017/01/thirty.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-2197287604692630419Fri, 20 Jan 2017 21:14:00 +00002017-01-20T17:05:01.179-05:00At each infusion, P will have her blood taken and sent to the lab. We got the results today. Everything is normal with what they usually see in patients like her. There were two things that Dr. Cardenas wanted to attack sooner rather than later. The first one is her white blood counts.  The numbers indicate a possible abscess in her intestines.  So our MRI was moved up two weeks. &nbsphttp://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2017/01/pumping-iron.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lady Stape)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-1731478026105851285Thu, 19 Jan 2017 03:29:00 +00002018-08-06T22:54:15.794-04:00Those of you who know me well, know that I am not a calm person.  I am a hypochondriac. I have very high anxiety.  I am a walking basket case.  And then you add on top of that anything to do with my kids and I am a wreck!!  Good things, bad things, scary things...all of it.  So you can only imagine how well I am handling all of this!  Surprisingly, today I was http://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2017/01/infusion-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-5452357045432705083Sun, 15 Jan 2017 00:42:00 +00002017-01-14T19:42:48.893-05:00 So what is next for Princess P?  Here is what we know so far.  P will start on two different medications. 1) Remicade- P will get this through an IV.  She will go for infusions every other week for now. We will be making the trip to Ann Arbor quite a bit!  Each infusion could take between 3-4 hours to administer.  I am working to put together my bag of tricks for http://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2017/01/princess-p.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-6665707649771111882Sun, 15 Jan 2017 00:24:00 +00002017-01-14T19:24:49.061-05:00We have received a ton of support and prayers for our little lady.  THANK YOU!    We have also received a TON of questions.  Just like with our adoption journey, we didn't just live it...we wanted to help educate others about it.  Many people have no idea what Crohn's is.  Honestly, I had no idea either.  I have done quite a bit of research lately.  ;) &http://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2017/01/what-is-it.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-5247317673232400807Fri, 13 Jan 2017 23:53:00 +00002017-01-14T18:54:59.425-05:00Many people have asked about our spunky little girl.  We thought that the easiest way to explain things would be by using our old blog.  So...here we are again.  Hold on because this is a long one!! On November 22nd, I picked P up from the sitter and was told that there was blood in her stool that day.  I didn't freak out right away because that can mean many things.  http://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2017/01/crohns.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-3746036395031655420Thu, 14 Jul 2016 16:02:00 +00002016-07-14T12:02:11.953-04:00Well, it has been a while.  Apparently having two kids really does fill all of your time!  The writing went by the wayside and I kind of miss the opportunity to get my thoughts written down.  SO...if you have subscribed to this blog and get emails sent to you, you may end up feeling the need to unsubscribe if I get annoying.  ;)  So here is just a bit to get you caught uphttp://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2016/07/hello-old-friend.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-1811145530188724342Fri, 28 Feb 2014 02:54:00 +00002014-02-27T22:04:29.485-05:00 So pumped!!  I am excited to try to do this in our house in 2014!  We have decided that for Lent this year, we are going to focus on simplifying and decluttering our life to focus on the important and the necessary.  We have decided on 40 areas of our home that we will focus on.  Check out White House Black Shutters for more info.  She has some free printables and http://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2014/02/crap.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-5718408524995355493Sun, 12 Jan 2014 16:17:00 +00002014-01-12T11:17:00.180-05:00Five years!!  Can you believe it has been five years since we let the world know about the journey we were taking to become family?  Five years ago we started this blog as a way to share with friends and family about our adoption process and hopefully to share more about our life as a family of three.  I had no idea when I started this blog that we would be matched by the end of http://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2014/01/five.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-9094572407721513834Fri, 03 Jan 2014 18:00:00 +00002014-01-03T13:00:02.597-05:00GusBefore him I didn't know how much I could love someone.  I didn't know that my heart would jump with joy and break in half and that I would be able to feel both all the way down to my toes!  I didn't know that I could love someone so much that I would think about them constantly and worry about their every move and every breath. Even as an infant, he would put his hand on mine like http://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2014/01/before-him.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-2742199827770143650Tue, 31 Dec 2013 02:04:00 +00002013-12-30T21:23:52.654-05:00I want to better my world in 2014. A better mom. A better wife. A better counselor. A better sister, daughter and friend. A better human-being. I want to do a better job. I want to be a better leader and a better follower. I want to focus my energy better in my life. I want to do a better job at helping the world around me. I want to feel better in 2014 by working to become healthy. I http://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2013/12/better.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-155224526613706216Thu, 26 Sep 2013 22:20:00 +00002013-09-26T18:20:46.609-04:00 I used to believe that my little man was so sweet, well mannered and well behaved.  He would sit nicely.  Hew would listen.  He would smile at the camera when he was asked.  He was a gentle, silly little soul. And now we have this.... He is like a hurricane at times.  I absolutely adore my little hurricane.  Even if he is a crazy, rowdy, rambunctious http://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2013/09/hurricane-augustus.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-4367475163223386850Wed, 26 Jun 2013 18:15:00 +00002013-06-26T14:15:20.883-04:00"It's not you....it's me."Five years!  It has been 5 years since we turned in our first adoption application to Bethany Christian Services.  It has been a wonderful relationship with BCS.  We had a few rough spots that we worked through but most of all there has been pure joy during our five year relationship. It hit me today that we were breaking up.  I am a little bit http://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2013/06/breaking-up-is-hard-to-do.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-6346553624100919258Thu, 18 Apr 2013 03:02:00 +00002013-04-17T23:02:52.049-04:00WHOA!  Clearly life has gotten a little bit crazy. I haven't posted here in 3 months.  How nuts is that?  Life as a momma of two is crazy fantastic.  I am still in awe most days that Penny came into our life so quickly.  But she fits so perfectly into our family that it is easy to understand why God sent her into our life. We are still waiting patiently for Penny's http://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2013/04/its-been-while.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-3168883633930694860Sun, 27 Jan 2013 21:20:00 +00002013-01-27T16:51:43.514-05:00adoptionBCScrazy kidGusCan you believe it?  Can you believe that it has been FOUR years since I received that amazing phone call that changed my world!  (Okay...it will be four years tomorrow but I know that I have a busy day ahead of me so I won't have a chance to write.)  If you want to hear more about that day, you can go back and check out this post.  Little did I know what life was about to http://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2013/01/four-yearswow.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-1013425338531397584Tue, 01 Jan 2013 05:36:00 +00002013-01-01T00:38:06.737-05:002013goalsNew YearSimplifyHAPPY NEW YEAR!! Clearly I am spending my NYE in the comfort of my own home.  Nice and cozy on the couch with my hubby.  My little man is exhausted and passed out in his bed after an evening of fun with friends.  My little lady is fast asleep in her swing next to me.  2013 is starting out great!! I have decided that I am not declaring a new year's resolution that will be http://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2013/01/simplify.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-4997894219986222964Tue, 18 Dec 2012 20:56:00 +00002013-01-01T00:37:39.563-05:00adoptionbirthparentsGussurprisesEarlier this week I saw a post on our social workers Facebook page. "Looking to find a new home for an artificial Christmas tree." I noticed "J" had commented in the post that she knew of a house that needed one. Unfortunately, the tree in the post had already been spoken for. We had purchased a new tree on Black Friday and had an old tree that we could donate so I texted "J" and offered her http://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2012/12/an-unexpected-tuesday.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-2794128015415181704Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:05:00 +00002013-01-01T00:36:43.826-05:00Pennypictures Our sweet Penelope! We know that she is a future Thirty-One consultant or product model... And because in this house we love Flat Rock football, we have one for Dadoh's sports wall.... Here was her brother at the same age... (Don't think we ever shared this one with you guys.) Of course we have about a bajillion and a half other photos of our little sweet pea but we willhttp://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2012/11/our-lucky-penny.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-5542194577305298793Sun, 28 Oct 2012 04:02:00 +00002012-10-29T21:30:56.743-04:00adoptionBCSbirthparentscelebratefamilyfun stuffhappinessopen adoptionPennySo remember how I was just saying how patient I needed to be?  Who knew that my world would change so quickly!!  Keep in mind, I wrote that last blog post on Sunday night. On Monday afternoon, we had our regular staff meeting after school.  This time we were meeting in departments.  As I sat there meeting with the other school counselor, Kathy, my cell phone rang.  I http://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2012/10/whirlwind-of-wonderful.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-6101652700005490460Mon, 22 Oct 2012 03:21:00 +00002012-10-29T21:29:00.546-04:00adoptionchaosGusimpatientorganizingwaiting Lately I have been talking to Gus about adoption.  I have always talked to him about his birth mom and when we say our prayers, we say a special prayer for her.  I am beyond thankful to "J" for making the courageous decision to choose an adoption plan for Gus.  And I am one lucky lady to be Gus' momma!  (Sidenote- Gus likes to call me "little lady" which comes out as "yittye http://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2012/10/impatiently-waiting-patiently.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-1146761104731070109Sun, 14 Oct 2012 15:21:00 +00002012-10-29T21:27:47.912-04:00chaoscrazy momorganizing So I came to a strange realization.  I am the most unorganized, organized person.  I want to be organized.  I try to be organized.  Many parts of my life are pretty organized.  Many parts are super duper unorganized.  I often think about getting more organized.  But lately, it just isn't working.  In my head I am super organized!  The problem is that http://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2012/10/my-crazy-organizing-quest.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-3495069034315793562Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:19:00 +00002012-10-29T21:25:35.111-04:00fun stuffGuskidslifeI have discovered lately that it is the little moments that are becoming the most important to me.  The other night, I walked upstairs to discover a little boy who was up way past his bedtime.  He was entertaining himself by singing.  I took a moment to go in and snuggle with him while he sang.  I had so much fun that I HAD to record it.  I want to keep this fresh in my http://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2012/10/little-moments.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-8692319957777979434Wed, 29 Aug 2012 01:52:00 +00002012-10-29T21:23:46.663-04:00adoptioncrazy momwaitingI am so excited that we are FINALLY a "waiting family" with Bethany Christian Services for the second time.  What does it mean to be a "waiting family"? It means that we have finally finished the roller coaster of a ride we were on with this home study process for #2. It means that we were approved and accepted by Bethany Christian Services. It means that we are officially on the listhttp://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2012/08/hurry-up-and-wait.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096831743988609905.post-5039698009801457742Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:12:00 +00002012-06-26T13:55:04.166-04:00adoptionadoption processAs many of you know, we are in the process of applying for our second adoption.  We are very excited about the idea of expanding our family.  This time around has been tricky!  We have gone through a lot just to get all of the proper paperwork completed, physicals done, fingerprints done, etc.  We hadn't even gotten to the Home Study yet!  Well, today we FINALLY started http://stapeshouse.blogspot.com/2012/06/home-study-part-one.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0