A bear and a name for our son

The most common question we've gotten since announcing our referral is, "Do you know what you're going to name him?" We have been talking about baby names for years, but even once we saw our son's picture, neither of us were 100% sure. So, we looked through some baby books, and talked about names almost every day. We had it narrowed down to two for awhile, and I was so ready to decide! Because of Hannah's amazing story of asking God for a son, I really liked the name Samuel. I actually started calling him that just to see how it sounded. Then, last night on the way home from Navs, we were talking about it again in the car. We both agreed that we'd like to decide by this weekend. And then, out of the blue, Ben said, "His name is Samuel." I screamed and couldn't believe that such a big decision had been made so casually! :-) So, we'd like to share with you that our son's name will officially be Samuel Benjamin Evgeniy Nugent. We're calling him Sam. I love it!

This afternoon, on the advice of our agency, we went to Build-a-Bear to make a bear to leave with Sam in the orphanage while we're gone. We were able to record a 10-second message to put inside the bear, so every time he presses its paw, he'll hear our voices. Since you can't listen to a picture, this is what we recorded. (Me) "Hi Sam, it's Mama. I love you. Daddy and I are praying for you. We'll see you soon." (Ben): Hi Sam, it's Daddy. I love you. I can't wait to see you grow up." We'll be sleeping with the bear until we leave, so it will start to smell like us (hopefully in a good way!). That way, when we return to pick him up, hopefully he'll recognize our voices and maybe even our scent. I love this idea!

Here are some pics of our adventure:

Ben with the bear we chose (before stuffing). We named him Sammy Bear, because Ben had a bear named Benny Bear when he was little.

Me using the foot pedal to help stuff Sammy Bear (though the employee is doing the work!).

The finished product. We can't wait to bring you your bear, Sam! Love, Mom