December already!?

It's hard to believe it's the end of the year, hey, two days ago was the end of the world too… sort of. 2012 is almost gone and for the second part of the year I failed miserably in blogging more about Alex, about us. 

He's exactly 22 months today, not long and he will turn two in February. He keeps amazing us on how much he understands, how much better we can communicate and how sharp he can be. I continue to speak mainly Romanian with him and Michael English and he is truly learning both languages. It blows my mind to see how he's little brain can process two languages at once. God is really amazing in how he created us like that. 

Some of Alex's favorite things to do these days is of course play with vroom-vroom or  chuuu-chuuu, that is cars and trains and anything with an engine. He LOVES watching youtube clips of cars, trucks and firetrucks etc. He enjoys playing at the train table Mimi and Papa got for him earlier this year. He also likes the playground, we often go to the one nearby where he either runs around, slides down, climbs up, chases other kids. 

He has a very strong personality and lots of times it comes out when we are around other kids. He's a big boy to begin with so when he pushes smaller kids, even if it's in a gentler way, they get scared a little by him. If he feels he does something wrong (and most of the time we have to direct him with this), he goes back to the kid and says 'sorry' by petting them on their head as we say 'gentle' and 'iubim' (meaning 'we love'). He's not violent but if kids get a little too close to his face, he pushes them away… not in a most subtle, gentle way. We are still working on this hitting kids thing but it's slowly getting better. We hope it's just a stage and soon will be gone, it better by the time he'll be a big brother soon.

We are busy during the week with all sorts of outings, play dates, tea with neighborhood moms, small group moms at church, I even did a music class with him this fall. He sure enjoys music, just like his daddy. Just last night, we were playing some Romanian pop music and he couldn't stop dancing and keeping the beat all over the living room. Alex is so full of life and joy, he's contagious, always making us smile and kiss him. Oh that too, he learned to give 'pupici' which is kisses, he pucks his lips and either comes close to you to kiss or he gives a little peck on your cheeks. Cute, cute. I could take those kisses all day long. 

This is just a little update although there's much more to say about him. I will just add these Christmas shots we took of him, trying to get the perfect one for our Christmas card this year. Its so much harder now to get him to stay still and smile at the camera, who has time for photos when there's so much to do and play with??

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Alex vs the Geese

Pictures of Our Little Geek ....

Where's the boom?

Where's the boom? There is supposed to be an earth shattering kaboom!

Our trip back to US

This blog entry is way overdue. If my life had a really slow tempo to it while being in Romania, ever since I got back, I felt I have endless list of things to do each day. So the reason I didn't write anything yet about the trip back was both being busy but also I've been waiting so I could post a couple of pictures of Alex at the airport in Munich. We had to kill four hours which turned into five in that airport but it wasn't that bad, Alex was completely fascinated by the planes and happy to play with the little toys from my magic bag. I brought along this bag with all sorts of small toys that I could pull out one after another and entertain Alex with. Well, it worked to some degree but then at one point, Alex just grabbed the entire bag and was walking around with it in the airport. Quite cute. 

The journey back to the States started at crack of dawn. We left Zalau at 3 am so we would make it to Cluj by 4.30 am. Our first flight was leaving Romania at 6 am. We made it there no problem, one of my bags was just a little overweight but other than that, Alex and I easily went through security and made it to the other side. The hardest thing was to say good bye to bunu and buna. I will have the memory of my crying mom, burying her head in my dead's shoulder while holding his arm tight, for a long time in my head. They got so attached to Alex, and him to them… My dad told me that Alex looked a little puzzled when we were waving good bye as in to why isn't bunu and buna following us anymore. 

By the time we boarded, Alex started to get a little cranky. He felt asleep easily and dozed off for half of the trip. The other half he played and squeezed a stinky one out. We were towards the end of the airplane so I ran back and changed him really quick before we got off. Not sure why, but the area where the plane from or to Romania arrives, it's pretty far away from the terminal. After we make it there, we have to get on a bus and take a short ride to the terminal. Being at the end of the plane I was pretty much the last one to get off, the entire bus was already full with all the other travelers. I looked around to grab my red stroller but no sight of it. I let someone know and they started talking in their walkie-talkie and making some pretty desperate signs in my opinion. Oh, great, I thought… I will be stuck in the airport without a stroller!! Everyone on the bus was probably annoyingly waiting for the last passenger to get on so they could move on with their trip. Well, I needed my stroller so I wasn't going to move from the tarmac until I'd see it. After a few long minutes, my dear stroller showed up and I could almost hear the sigh of relief from the people on the bus. 

We made it to Munich at 7 am in the morning and our next flight was scheduled for 11.40 am. Wasn't quite sure how our time in the quiet (for now) airport would be. I started pushing the stroller and was ready for my next fragment. After the trip to Romania by myself, I was very hesitant to start the trip back. Just a few days before we left, I was sending desperate emails asking people to pray for me. I've got some great encouragements from Bible verses to just short messages like 'just drink lots of coffee, suck it and do it!':)) By the time we got on the car and drove off in the middle of the night, I felt a little empowered and ready to do this. While riding the car to the airport I came up with the idea of looking at the trip in a different way, instead of thinking already what's ahead of me, just take one little segments at the time. The ride to the airport for example was so nice and smooth. Alex was awake but pretty content with sipping his tea and enjoying buna's hugs and kisses. The short flight to Munich passed by again pretty easy then the next fragment of the trip arrived where the airport will be our base and I will have to keep Alex busy and happy. 

As time started to enroll, it turned out that one hour passed by, then another one. I thought Alex was getting really tired so I decided to go ahead and try to get him to sleep in Ergo while waiting by the gate where we were supposed to board. Alex wasn't quite on board with my plan because he cried and cried while I was holding him in the Ergo. After everyone in the waiting area got to know that there was a little baby around, I've decided to take him off and let him loose again. Maybe it would be better this way, he would get even more tired and by the time plane takes off, he will fall asleep like an angel and doze off for the first few hours of the eight hour flight. So we played some more, make friends with other travelers, poked around, felt once pretty bad etc and time was passing by. 

People started to line up for boarding now and I figured the time couldn't be better. I had put Alex in the stroller so I could roll him easier to the plane but I could see that he was getting sleepy too. I kept buzzing him so he wouldn't fall asleep, we were just a few minutes away from boarding… or that's what I thought. Suddenly, we were told that due to some issues regarding fueling, the flight would be delayed for an hour. WHAT?? There was no way I was going to keep up Alex awake for another hour so I've decided to let him fall asleep. And so he did, like an angel in that stroller. I've walked around for 45 minutes or so when they started boarding. I've waited until the last moment so Alex would be in a real deep sleep and transfer smoothly but eventually I had to board myself. Of course my little goober woke up the moment I took him off the stroller. The moment we got to our seats he started screaming, I mean really screaming. I've tried calming him down but there was nothing, absolutely nothing that would make him happy. I've hold him tight praying over and over. There was nothing else for me to do but to ask God for help. Eventually he quieted down but didn't go back to sleep. 

The plane took off and our last segment of the trip started, the long, painful fragment.  I've started pulling games and toys from the magic bag, I played some Baby Einstein on the laptop, when allowed, we walked around the airplane etc. We killed an hour, seven more to go!! I didn't even want to know how much time passed by because I would only get discouraged. We got our food and this time, it worked that Alex stood in front of me, while I was holding the tray on the little table in front of me. We both ate a little bit, was impressed that Alex enjoyed too some of the airplane food. Did some more walking, playing and eventually he got tired again. I've tried to put him asleep on me but no success. I grabbed my Ergo and went to the back of the plane. He felt asleep in it and I was either standing (awfully heavy!!) or leaning on this emergency exit which turned to be a dangerous thing to do. Oh well, at that point, I don't think I cared anymore… I had to rest on something or was going to fall on my nose. 

Alex slept for about an hour when we went through some little shaking in the sky and the pilot turned the seatbelt sign on. A flight attended asked me to go back to my seat and didn't soften up a little when I told her that my boy will wake up. I was right, the moment I unbuckled and sat my tired but on the seat, my little boy sprung up ready for another round of play. What about mommy?? Was already 3 pm Romania time so it meant I was already up for 12 hours. Five-six more to go!! I can do it!! 

The rest of the trip Alex didn't go down again. We just played, went back and forth (annoyed so many people I think), hang out at the end of the plane, laid on the floor, smiled at flight attendants and sucked the last drop of energy out of mommy. Eventually, the captain announced that we were approaching DC airport. Wow, I started to feel the light at the end of the tunnel. 

We landed safely and by now my brain was already getting out of gear. I knew I had one more little step to the trip, going through customs, but I also knew that my big help aka daddy was just beyond those glassy doors. Just the thought that his presence was so much near by gave me that last wind of energy to accomplish this thing. While waiting in line for customs, my little one faded away. He felt asleep and didn't even notice an excited, emotional and loving daddy waiting for him just across the line. 

The moment I hugged Michael, I felt like a huge rock felt off my shoulder. Yes, I made it, I am with my husband, I don't have to do this by myself anymore, thank you Jesus!! 

A week later as I write this, I look back and the trip maybe didn't seem that bad. It was doable, it was exhausting but like my friend said, 'just do it!" Well, I am glad for all the prayer support because I know only God gave me the strength to go through it. 

 

 

Pixelated Alex

Was sitting under the play set while Alex was running around above and captured this short video.

The wait is almost over

I'm waiting for Feli and Alex at Dulles. The 10 weeks are almost over!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Farewell...

'Tai -tai' (pronounced ty-ty) Romania… if I say 'tai-tai' to Alex he waves good bye. We had lots of fun here, learned SO many words, had so much fun with bunu and buna, all the cousins, uncles and aunts, ate good food, chased pigeons and played and played… We will miss everyone and everything.

Encouragement

Jesus Calling Devotion

I've been enjoying reading this wonderful devotion book since I got it as a gift at Christmas time. Each day's passage speaks straight to my heart. I've just read today's devotion and my heart swells with confidence that the trip will go well, Alex and I will be OK on the way back to US.

'Stay calmly conscious of Me today, no matter what. Remember that I go before you as well with you into the day. Nothing takes Me by surprise. I will not allow circumstances to overwhelm you, so long as you look at Me. I will help you cope with whatever the moment presents. Collaborating with Me brings blessings that far overweigh all your troubles. Awareness of My Presence contains Joy that can educe all eventualities."

Psalm 25:1-4
"1The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.

² For He has founded it upon the seas,
And established it upon the waters.

³ Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who may stand in His holy place?

⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully."

2 Corinthians 4:16-17
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."

Three more days...

I've already started packing and arranging our stuff in the suitcases. I just want to make sure we are within the weight limit. I've been buying gifts and all sorts of random stuff so it feels like we are going back with more of what we came with.

These shots were taken on Sunday when Alex was really determined to finish bunu's painting. He loves hanging out in the painting studio, checking out the brushes and faking painting. I do hope he will get bunu's talent.

In the evening, we had a little celebration for Alex. Buna was determined to celebrate his 16th month anniversary so we made a cake for her. Alex enjoyed it too:)

Countdown reality

It's getting closer and closer to our departure… four more days!! My heart is nothing but a pool of mixed feelings: I really miss Michael, my home, my church, my life in US but I also feel terrible leaving my parents behind and not knowing when am I going to see them next. We both had a fantastic time in Romania, especially Alex. He learned so much about himself here, got to try new things, experience a different culture… of course he's too small to realize that but it's a great start to him embracing his Romanian side.

This was one of his favorite playgrounds, just outside the city. Alex spent hours in this sand box and we've already put in a request to daddy and Papa to build one in the backyard. It will make everyone's lives easier having this kind of preoccupation available any time.

I second that …

So, Felicia just posted that Alex is now 16 months old.  It really is hard to believe that he’s that old.  Now, I do know that 16 months isn’t really that old, but considering it just seems like yesterday we were bringing our little guy home from the birthing center …. well, you know.

It’s also hard to believe that as of yesterday, Felicia and Alex have been in Romania for 9 weeks.  We’re finally into the time where we can count the time left in days.  And that, by my count, is 6.

So, six days and counting ….

My 16 months old boy

Today Alex turns 16 months!! It's so hard to believe sometimes that the baby stage is already gone. He's a toddler now, a little boy who walks, even runs, climbs, who is curious about everything, who can express his dislikes louder and unfortunately, a little moodier too. His personality is developing and I can see how serious parents' role can be starting these early days of development. I pray that God gives Michael and I wisdom in raising him to be a good little boy. We love you so much, Alex!!

It's Been Quiet Around Here

Today marks day day 60 that Felicia and Alex were over in Romania.  When they first took off, I wasn't really sure what to expect.  And from what I can remember, neither was Feli.  I remember at the time thinking that 10 weeks was such a long time for them to be away.  Don't let anyone kid you, it is quite a long time for them to be away.  But I think it's also been a good time.

I do know that Alex has had a grand time in Romania with his grandparents.  And I also know that they have had a good time having him around.  What's funny is watching him via Skype and videos that Feli takes of him.  I think he's learned quite a bit of Romanian while he was there.  Not speaking it, but definitely understanding it when spoken to him.  It'd be rather interesting to determine who knows more, me or him.  I think I'd win that one, but only by a small bit.

If you've been reading the blog or following the trip on Friendface, then I'm sure you've seen just how much he's grown over the past two months.  I know that when I was there, he'd grown a bit, but over the last 4 weeks he really seems to have grown.  And not just grown, but matured.  He no longer looks like a baby, but looks like a little boy.

I will say that this time apart would definitely have been more painful if it weren't for the trip I took over there for 8 days.  In retrospect, I should have taken a bit more time there (especially since it wouldn't have cost much more and could have happened in and around Memorial Day here in the States), but at least I as able to see them.  I think that 10 full weeks would have been almost unbearable.

At least while they were away I was able to get some work done on the house.  RIght now, I'm sitting in Alex's room in the glider rocker typing this blog entry.  As I type this, I'm surrounded by not only his stuff, but a decent percentage of the furniture and stuff from the living and dining rooms.  Why? Well, that's because while they were gone I had both the upstairs and the main level's wood floors done.  The upstairs was a complete sand down and refinish (and man do they look different  … you can see pictures on my Google+ account if you're interested).  

The main level wasn't quite as invasive, though they were in much better shape too.  Instead of a complete sand down, these were just screened and poly's.  In fact, it was meant to be a single coat, but due to a technical glitch, our floor guy (if anyone needs a their floors done in DC, let us know, we can definitely recommend him) had to come back and redo the work.  So now the main level has two coats of fresh polyurethane on it and do they look shiny.

So, now as the last 10 days speed past I can look forward to having squirbles and @felioland back from abroad.  It's been a good time apart and now I'm ready to have them back home.  But if you happen to think of them on Wednesday night and/or Thursday morning, could you say a little prayer for them?  I'm not going to be able to help them as they travel back to the US and I'm sure the flight won't be the most fun thing they've ever done.  I'm sure Feli will have something to say about it here in a little over a week.

Happy Father's Day

We wish we were with daddy on this special day and wish him in person a very Happy Father's Day. Alex wanted to send this message for his daddy whom he loves very, very much.

Another haircut

Once or twice a year (or maybe more?!) I get this urge to change my hairdo. With the prices being so low in Romania, I added some highlights to the make over. The whole deal cost me less than $20. I really like the haircut, went short again for the summer but the highlights I'm still getting used to it... The colors are a little brighter then I'm used to.

Here's a picture with a before and a few afters. You like?:-)

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Sick Alex

Last Saturday afternoon Alex started a week of sickness with a violent throw up. I can count on the fingers of one hand the few times his stomach actually upset him bad enough to throw up. This time around he made up for the lost time and made a big, messy statement on him and his mamma. Later that day he started having really bad diarrhea too.

He had these symptoms going on for five long days. The happy little boy Alex was, turned into a very cranky, hard to please, whiny, needy, sometimes violent toddler. He was just unrecognizable, poor baby.  He was just in pain and very frustrated for not being able to express his aches. Between bunu, buna and I, we managed to keep up with him these days but I must say that at the end of the day, all three of us were exhausted from caring for him.

He didn't run fever except a little at the beginning. His appetite was really bad but at least he kept drinking his fluids: water, tea and lactose free formula. We kept him on a simple diet and we finally see the end of this sickness. Today he was a much happier baby, almost his old self. When sick, he hates being in large crowds and outside. Today, he was happy to be outside most of the day. It was a very good sign. I hope he wakes up with a smile on his cute face tomorrow morning.

 

Happy buna on her special day

 

Happy Birthday Buna!

Today is buna's birthday. How special that we are here to help her celebrate her 63th birthday! We are very thankful to God for such an amazing woman my mom is, most loving, giving, modest and faithful woman! We love you very much!

Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Thanks to my mother in law, Wendy who gave me a coupon, I just ordered this photo book from Shutterfly. Like I said in my previous entry, I've been taking so many photos that it made it really hard to pick the best ones to include in these 20 pages. It will be a little gift for my parents once that we get back to the States and will start missing us like crazy.

Favorite portrait shots of Alex

I've been taking lots of pictures since I came to Romania, you can see most of them on Picasa. These pictures will help us all, in Romania or back in the States, to relive the fun days we had here. And among the hundreds of photos, lots and lots are of Alex of course. Here are some of my favorite portrait shots of him. He's growing so fast, I just want to capture him in every single moment.

 

Flashback

Today we finally made it to Bodia, the village where my grandparents lived and where I spent lots of summers with my siblings. It was tough for my parents with the three of us, so whenever they could, they would take us to the countryside. We were so happy there:  farm animals to keep us entertained, fresh food, loving grandparents who would satisfy our requests… life was good!

It was emotional and cool at the same time to see Alex walk through the same courtyard I used to play in, climb the same stairs I used to and chase the chickens like most probably I did too back in the day.

Here we are, three kids, happily chewing on some yummy apples from my parent's backyard and watching the world, or I guess just the village, go by… I love my mom hiding behind, peeking from the house at us. The bench is not there anymore, but I took a picture of Alex and my parents just nearby.

My grandparents passed away and unfortunately no one lives in the house anymore. You could tell by the way grass and weeds grow wild all over the yard. Alex had fun exploring a little bit.

Alex is into climbing these days, he likes to do that every time he has the chance to practice on something. Here's at the top of the stairs trying to climb the little gate.

Many years ago, the tops of those stairs were my favorite too. I didn't have a scanned photo of me playing on that very spot, but I did find this one below where I probably just got off those stairs to go to the fountain and bring some water in those buckets.

Being around that many chickens, ducks and other farm animals was fun. Alex thought the same today when he was chasing the little chickens around. I am kind of sad his childhood will be so much different than mine…

 

Missed my boy

I was away for three days to Cluj Napoca and had a little time for myself while Alex stayed behind with bunu and buna. I had an amazing time there but at the end of the day all I wanted was to kiss my baby. I would get on computer or phone and look at pictures of him just to satisfy my crave.

Every time I would call home to check on him he would be playing, running around, having a good time... He didn't even seem to notice my absence. My parents were thrilled having him all to themselves for these few days, especially that Alex started hugging them out of the blue. He's really connecting with them now, it will be tough in three weeks. I almost don't want to think about it.  

Alex was already asleep last night when I got home but this morning, I could hardly wait for him to wake up so I would cover him in kisses. We played all morning and got a few hugs myself. He's the sweetest little boy.

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Alex and the flower

Its so fun to notice how Alex's brain works. He has such an amazing memory, he learned lots of new words, can express himself a little better although he's still not saying any words.

I like this little clip I took of him this morning. He likes holding dandelions and for the first time now I saw him doing a 'she loves me, she loves me not' number on it. Not sure if he's seen any other kid doing it (he's very much into imitating phase) or if he came up by himself. I got a chuckle how he got tickled by the longer straw. And than towards the end, after he picks up the flower again, he smells it. He learned that since he's been here, if I say the word 'smell' ( in Romanian of course), he just blows air through his nostrils. So cute!! You can hear him a little here too.

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Double citizenship

Our little geek has double citizenship. I picked up today Alex's Romanian passport and he's obviously very much into it lol. It was a very painless process, less red tape than I expected. It cost us about $150 total, definitely money well spent!

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Alex, playing with buna outside

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Love

Source: weheartit.com via Tracey on Pinterest

A little update on Alex

It's been a while since we wrote an update on what Alex's new 'tricks' are. He's 15 month old now and he's a toddler in the true sense of the meaning: very curious about everything and not stopping for one second, always on the go. 

He was sick for the past few days actually and that made him a little more needy and whiny than usual. Unfortunately his bronchilitis came back (he had this thing back to US a few months before we came to Romania) but it also triggered some pneumonia symptoms. I was shocked to hear that but the worries went away soon, seeing how well Alex reacted to the treatment and how much better he would get by the hour almost. 

Here are a few things he does:

- He understand Romanian very well, responds to most of our commends like 'bring the ball', 'give me the key' etc and proves how many words he knows. One of his new favorite things to show off is his belly…. just like in this photo:) If you ask him where the 'burtica' is (little belly) he pulls his shirt up, points it and then points at yours and wants to see yours too!! 

- He walks very well and today his secure walking took a turn for the worse… I think. He realized that besides walking, he can run. Bunu and buna told me this actually as they were the ones who took him outside for a bit. They said he suddenly got this new confidence and starts running. 

- He started giving hugs more. He's never been the cuddly time but now, sometimes for no reason, he just walks towards me and wants to hug me. It melts my heart for sure. 

- He makes a lot of sounds but is not forming words very well. We expected this as he's learning two languages at once so I'm not worried. He will start speaking soon enough and would actually enter the 'why?' stage which I'm not quite looking forward too.

- He sure loves his bunu. There is a special bond between the two and there's no doubt about it. I think there is something between all three generations: my dad, Michael and Alex… they all have the same sense of humor although Alex's hasn't quite come out yet this early. Looking forward to see them all together in a few years.

- He started to eat better. He started to like more cooked food, some veggies (eats tomatoes and cucumbers a lot). He's also crazy about 'pufuleti' these corn puffs I grew up with. 

- He loves playing with other kids… he starts getting excited just seeing other babies in videos I might show him. When his cousin Timi comes over, Alex is willing to skip naps just to have a little more play time with him. 

- He got his first haircut… by me!! The day before Michael was here, we gave Alex a bath and grabbed the scissors. Have never cut a child's hair before and I really had no idea what the outcome would be. I did know though that Alex's hair started to be so long, he would sweat so bad during the hot days. It turned out that his haircut was decent enough that he could take his face in public still. And so would I. 

All in all, we are all having a good time in Romania. He's growing up beautifully and his mental development amazes me each day. What a blessing this little guy is!! 

- 

 

Going black and white

My friend who's a photographer and took our pictures suggested I should take a look at Lightroom. That's what he used for his photos. I did and I played with some of the shots either Michael or I. I am very happy with some of the results… which coincidently are mainly black and white. Somehow I like that special effect on these particular captured moments. 

 

Family photo shoots

One desire that I had even before I came home to Romania was to have a professional photo shoot with my family here. It was for the first time that all cousins were together and I just couldn't miss the chance on documenting this special moment. I also wanted 'bunu' and 'buna' to have some good pictures with their wonderful grandchildren. Here are some of the best shots. 

I should mention that the first session Michael and my sister in law, Lili were missing as they either didn't make it to Romania yet or couldn't make it at all. The last photos are of the three of us, Michael, Alex and I. The same friend who took the first pictures was gracious enough to meet up for another session when Michael was here. 

Great, great memories for years to come...