Filling Out

On Monday Amy came by for her third visit. Even though the time is always pleasant and laid back, I usually feel a little bit on edge right before she arrives. It's because she has to write a report on how we're adjusting to parenthood and about how Gus is developing physically, mentally, and emotionally. The lead up to her arrival is a frantic display of tidying up our house, changing into clean clothes, and wiping the drool off of the baby, us, the floor, and the cats.At this visit, she told us we can make an appointment for finalization after June. Finalization means we will go to the courthouse and a judge will deliver a solemn reading about the weightiness of parenthood. Then Gus will get to pick out a stuffed animal from a bin and we will get a new birth certificate with both our names on it as his parents! I can't hardly wait!To qualify for finalization, we have to supply a vast array of forms ranging from Amy's narrative report on us as well as our own report on Gus, birthparent relinquishment papers, adoption expense list, and even a form stating whether or not he has Native American blood. There's no messing around when you're getting a baby! They should make teenagers go through this in order to have a kid.On a personal note, we have begun sleep training Gus. We want this:to become this:

Sir Squeaks-A-lot

For Gus' first Easter, we thought we'd go all out while we still have a relatively large amount of energy for this kind of thing. The poor guy didn't know what we had in store for him!Anyway, he seemed to like going to the park for a picnic in his new outfit. It was windy and the suit was nice and warm.

David burping Gus (note the tail)

This being San Francisco, we were graced with a variety show hosted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. There was going to be a Hunky Jesus contest but we left before they got to that... One more thing for my Bucket List I guess!

Progress report: Gus can sort of laugh now but it's more like a squeal.

Observe And Report

Just got back from a wedding in lovely Mendocino, CA. I got to reconnect with a couple of my good high school friends. Much has changed in our lives but basically we are the same people we were then and still laugh hysterically at the drop of hat.The wedding was notable because it was our first overnight outing with Gus. We packed like we were never coming back. In the future, I hope to streamline the process a bit because really, does Gus need 5 changes of clothes for a 36 hour trip? Overall, the experience was fine and he only had a small fit near bedtime. Maybe he's still too young to be tied to a schedule.Adoption news: We got a package in the mail from Adoption Connection telling us the birthparent rights have officially been terminated and filed. Whee! In July, we should be done with the post-placement period. A couple months after that, we will have our court date in front of a judge for the finalization hearing. This process is long and labored, but when I'm playing with Gus it doesn't really matter how much work we have to do. It will all be worth it in the end (unless he hates us).On an unrelated note, as the primary caretaker of our baby, I've noticed I'm getting a fair amount of unsolicited advice from strangers. Meaning, I will be standing in line at a store and an older lady will say, "your baby looks cold, do you have long-sleeved clothes for him?" Or, "When was the last time you fed him? He's hungry." Or, "Unlock the bathroom door! You need my help! I'm calling social services!" (one of these is a joke) My guess is this happens because I'm a man. Do women get this kind of treatment? I may not be Super Nanny, but I think I know what Gus needs by now. Oh well, all part of the experience I guess.

Twitter

In an effort to keep myself busy/waste time while taking care of Gus, I've joined Twitter and added my updates to the sidebar on the right--->

For those who don't know what Twitter is, it's basically a social networking program that lets you say what you're doing at any given time. Kind of like the status update in Facebook. Great for mobile phones, horrible for productivity. In baby news, I started going to physical therapy for my wrist pain. Apparently, it's a common ailment for new mothers (is that sexist?) called De Quervain's Tendonitis. Now in addition to diapers, feeding, laundry, and dishes; I have stretches, icing, and ibuprofin to look forward to every day.

ATTACK OF THE 500 FOOT BABY!

That's a full-sized bottle of Tabasco sauce he's holding! After this picture was taken, he kicked down our front door and rampaged through the streets of San Francisco.The point is, he's growing fast.

What Makes A Family?

Today will be the oral arguments for overturning Prop 8 in front of the California supreme court. It's scheduled from 9:00am to 12:00pm. Watch it live here or after it's over in their archives.I remember being so sad when the majority voted to restrict marriage to opposite sex people. This was before we got Gus and back then I wanted equal rights because of basic fairness. Now I feel like it's about much more than that and so important for our family to have the same legal protections as everyone else.

Babies Suck

At least ours does. If it's not the pacifier, he's sucking on his fingers, toys, or blankets. WTF? Too bad they don't have a "change your own diaper" reflex. I kid. One of the surprising joys of fatherhood is getting to change a messy diaper because that means he won't be constipated for a while which means Happy Baby.Yesterday we had our second social worker visit. This time it went smoothly and Gus was a model baby. We fed him while Amy was at our house to cut down on the potential crying time. Thankfullly he was very happy and calm during the whole visit. Whew!Amy asked us the usual questions about his height, weight, eating habits, dailiy activities, etc. She commented on how Gus is about to enter a really fun phase soon. He is 3 months old and starting to grab at things, smile voluntarily, and stare at us as we walk across his line of sight. What else could there possibly be?!! Whatever it is, we are as prepared as we can be and are just holding on for the ride. He's already changed so much in 3 months. Please to compare:

THEN

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NOW

Another thing Amy mentioned was the finalization process. Apparently, we are still far from over! There are reports to be written, lawyers to consult, judges to see, and months for Gus to reach (6). More on all that as it happens.

One final thing is, I've developed a bit of carpal tunnel in my wrists from carrying/feeding the baby. Any parents have advice on this?