My Boys!

I love saying that, "My Boys!" It is sweet in my mouth. Here they are all three of them and boy am I blessed!

Winnie the Pooh or Winnie the Poo?

Winnie the Pooh...how funny can a yellow, honey eating bear be? Well, the other day Samuel and Brennan and I were sitting in the living room waiting for Lola's bus to come and Samuel was talking to Brennan and showing him a baby rattle. Then he asked, pointing to Brennan's bib, "What's that?" On Brennan's bib was Winnie the Pooh. Our kids aren't exposed to many cartoon or t.v. characters; so Samuel wanted to know who this was on Brennan's bib. I told him that it was Winnie the Pooh. He looked at me with a half cocked smile, like you're joking right. Then he said, "Ursul (bear) has to go poo, poo?" It then occurred to me that we often refer to going poop as poo poo or caca. He thought the bear had to go poo poo. I just laughed and told him that was the bear's name, "Winnie the Pooh Bear." Too cute...he makes me laugh. He really has a good sense of humor and imagination. It made me think that I need to write some of this down before I forget it all.

Some other things I don't want to forget about Samuel are:

-he loves to play on the couch...i mean this can entertain him for hours. He makes mountains out of the cushions. He pretends that it is a train, semi-truck, fire engine, or a boat. He also makes bridges out of the cushions. He loves to use his imagination and gets pretty upset when it's time to put all the cushions back on and turn it into a couch again.

-being naked...if he could be naked all day long he would. He says he's "nakey" and just runs around free as a bird. The other day he was riding this toy horse (the kind that's just a stick with a horse's head) completely naked. Scott and I just laughed so hard seeing his little naked butt galloping around the house.

-he is "bebelusul mamei" (mamma's baby). If you call him a big boy, he will correct you and say no I'm bebelusul mamei. or if Scott says he is bebelusul tatei he will say, "no I'm bebelusul mamei."

-he often says this or that toy or stuffed animal has to go to the potty. He will then take the respective toy to the bathroom and pretend that it is going potty.

-if he does something wrong or accidentally hurts someone or something he will say in the sweetest voice, "sorry." He even told his little doll Sophia sorry and kissed her because he fell on her and bumped her nose.

-he loves fire engines. he is going to be a firefighter for Halloween and he wears the outfit around the house all the time. He had so much fun when I took him to the fire station (I'll post some pictures later). All he talks about is "Sparky the fire dog." Scott and I caught him trying to put a piece of paper down the cold air return (we had already talked to him and Lola both about this because Scott found some items of interest when he cleaned out the furnace to get it started) and told him that Sparky the fire dog wouldn't want him to do this. Oh, my goodness...he started crying so hard (like he was sad to disappoint Sparky). We felt bad for telling him that...it took us a while to calm him down.

These are only a few of the most recent things he has been doing that I don't want to forget. I'm sure there are more and the sad thing is I've probably already forgotten them. I feel sometimes so torn in many directions. I want to be there for Samuel, Brennan, and Lola but I can't give my 100% attention all the time to each one. I sometimes feel guilty because I know it must be hard for Samuel. I feel like I am always holding or nursing Brennan and can't play as much as I used to. Then I feel guilty because I don't feel as if I spend as much time playing and interacting with Brennan as much as I did with Samuel when he was newborn. Ofi, I guess I just need to let it go and do the best I can everyday.

Bine Ai Venit pe Pamant Brennan Marian!

We would like to officially introduce you all to our newest arrival that you may help us welcome him into this world. Welcome to the world Brennan Marian!

Brennan was born on August 25th by c-section in the early morning. We knew this ahead of time because it was a repeat c-section, but it didn't make things any less exciting or anxious. We were so excited to see this new little one face-to-face and finally find out if he was a boy or girl.

That morning Scott and I left before it was light and snuck out of the house while the two kiddos were sleeping. My mom was there to get them ready to come see us at the hospital. Once we arrived they got me all set with i.v.'s and what not and much to my dismay I started feeling clammy and sick...I threw up. I attribute this to not being able to eat anything. I don't do well with not eating :) I was so blessed to see my mom, Samuel, and Lola before I went to surgery. Samuel was a little concerned at all the wires and tubes, plus me laying on a weird bed unable to get up and hold him. They did well though.

After getting sick twice (yuck) and worrying whether or not Scott was going to get to the operating room in time (he got there just in time, but they don't let fathers in until right before they deliver the baby for c-sections) Brennan was born. It was wonderful to hear once again those beautiful words, "It's a boy!" Scott and I just cried...I got to see him and kiss him before they wheeled me off to recovery. It is hard not to be able to hold your baby right away, but in some ways I was so thankful for the warm blankets and a little rest without all the hub-bub that comes with welcoming a new little one into the world. Plus this time around I was given two pictures of Brennan to look at while he was away from me. Also, right after being taken to my room, Brennan was brought to me to nurse and hold. It was wonderful and such a relief to know he was healthy. When Samuel was born I didn't get to hold him until the next day and he had to stay in the nursery. He was put on oxygen and an I.V. after he was born. So, it was a relief to not have to deal with all that again.

Samuel and Lola met Brennan the next day. Samuel, was excited to meet his baby brother, but even more excited to see his mama :) My mom was wonderful to help watch the kids during the day and stay with me at night at the hospital. Samuel would not let his tati leave at night; he needed at least one of us there. My poor mom says she won't do it again :) because every time she comes around now Samuel associates her with me leaving. I told her not to worry because she has Brennan who hasn't been "scarred" yet.

For those of you who are wondering, we named Brennan after two people. Brennan is after our favorite Christian author, Brennan Manning, who wrote "Ragamuffin Gospel." Marian is after Pruteanu Marian or lovingly known by many as "super mario." Marian was a young man from Romania who is very dear to my heart. He is like a son to me and often called me his "mamico." Marian died last year and well this is some small way to bring tribute and remembrance to a amazing young man. He had so much to offer this world; a world that doesn't even realize how much it has lost with his death.

Also, it seems fitting to mention that Samuel Charles was named after the Samuel in the Bible. We had a lot of trouble getting pregnant with Samuel. We didn't know if we would get pregnant and we had to see a fertility specialist; so we said that when God grants us a child and if it's a boy we will name him Samuel because Samuel sounds like the Hebrew "heard of God". God heard Hannah's prayer for a child and He heard ours also. Charles comes from both Scott's dad and mine; they are both named Charles. That worked out well :) With that said, we were really surprised when God blessed us with Brennan because we didn't think we would get pregnant again...at least not without some help...but little did we know what God had planned for us!

Samuel is a great big brother. Most of the time he is too busy playing to really interact with him. However, every so often he will stop and come say hi to "bebe" Brennan. He doesn't yet understand how gentle you have to be with a baby; so we really have to watch him. He doesn't seem jealous of Brennan, but he isn't used to having his cuddle time in the morning with mommy interrupted by a crying baby wanting to nurse. Slowly, we are working through our morning routine and trying out new things to see what works best for him. I feel bad for him though because his sleep is often interrupted by Brennan waking up. His room is right next to ours (it's technically not a bedroom because you have to walk through his to get to ours) and he can hear all the crying.

Lola loves to look at Brennan and talk to him. The cutest thing about Lola is that she has a baby doll, Lou Lou, and she loves to pretend like she is her mom. She will nurse LouLou and often I hear her talking to LouLou the way I talk to Brennan. It is very sweet.

Anyway, Brennan Marian is a beautiful baby boy. He is the squeakiest, gruntinest baby I have every heard. Even when he is sleeping soundly, he squeaks and grunts. He is already weighing in at almost 16lbs. He has the most kissable chubby cheeks anyone could ever want on a baby. I think chubby babies are the cutest! So, many (well meaning) people comment on how "fat" he is, but I think it's more appropriate to say chubby. I mean after all, we don't go up to adults and inquire on how much they weigh or say, "man you are fat!" I really am not offended though because he is "grasut" and I love it :)

Well, sorry it took me so long to post about our beautiful new baby boy...enjoy!