There's a first time for everything...

There is always a first time for everything. As new parents, we've become a lot more conscious of any and all these 'first time' moments because we realize that it's so easy for them to pass you by unnoticed and equally un-cherished. You never get a chance to redo them or to try again, they just happen in their natural way, the way God intended.

- You're first day of school

- First Kiss, crush, love, break-up etc...

- Getting engaged, then Married

- Buying your first home with your spouse (and feeling oh-so grown up!)

- Having a baby, becoming parents and the roller coaster ride of personal growth that comes with that huge avenue.

As parents there are a lot of new 'first times' that Sasha and I will get to experience. Yesterday was a day where we got to experience two new moments which we savour the memories of. We are often hired to photograph the wedding day of blissful newlyweds. This was one of those days. It was the first wedding that we were scheduled to photograph since Milan's arrival. Usually they are in Kitchener-Waterloo, but this one was in Toronto's famous castle, Casa Loma. This meant leaving our new bundle of joy all day - for more than 12 hours! What a huge first for any parent!

Knowing the wedding date and having been booked for this event quite some time in advance, we had our baby-sitters of choice carefully selected (using a complicated selection process, of course). Grampa & Grandma Herakovic, (or Baba and Deda as we call them in Serbian) were beside themselves with excitement for this day to arrive.

As we anxiously prepared ourselves, leaving a highly detailed list of instructions and emergency phone numbers, Milan slept away peacefully unaware in his bassinet. We gave him our last kisses for the day and reluctantly got in the car - childless - for the first time in almost 6 weeks.

The whole drive to Toronto we couldn't help but feel as though we had forgotten something. It had been 6 weeks since Sasha and I had been alone together without the baby in tow! We made it less than 25 kilometers out of town and made the first call home to check in. All was well. Still sleeping peacefully. Then we spent the remainder of the drive looking at each other asking, "I wonder how things are going at home", and "Do you think we should call home one more time before we get there?".

13 exhausting hours, and 8 (or so) phone calls home later, new mommy and daddy stumble home to discover that our little King was so well behaved and easy to care for that we should promptly have 10 children.

The report from our trusted caregivers stated that Milan ate well all day long, slept very well all day long, smiled and flirted when awake, and successfully made wet and poopy diapers all day long.

Apparently, the first time being separated from his loving mommy and daddy went much smoother for Milan than it did for us.

After having slept on it, I can look back and say that it was a breeze and that Sasha and I have no problem leaving our little prize for a few hours, but that would be a lie. We had a very good day in Toronto, but our hearts were aching to be home every moment. It was SO nice to walk in the door and race to his side to watch him sleep, breathing calmly, and wish we could wake him up to hold, kiss and cuddle him again.

No one tells you that sometimes a couple of those 'First Time' moments can be hard on the heart. We might need to let ours heal a bit before becoming brave enough to venture away from home without our handsome boy again.

We've come a long way baby!

Our little boy is 4 weeks old today! That means that 4 Sundays' ago, I was in the hospital for what was one of the biggest events of my life. I remember it well because it was still a short time ago, but I know inevitably, the finer details of that days memories will fade. That's not to say I will forget the day - I enjoy replaying it over in my mind every once in awhile. But while I create new memories to savor, the colourful details of other moments may fade slightly. Such is life I guess...

I remember being in complete awe that the fateful day I would become a mother had finally arrived! I was so scared, and nervous. There were so many things I didn't know how to do when it came to being a parent! One of the biggest challenges I thought I was certain to face was the great sleep issue. So many parents warned us of the sleepless nights, the diaper changes, the multi-hours of night nursing and the eternal zombie-like state that goes with new parenthood. I've been pleasantly surprised (so far) at how well I have adjusted to the on/off sleeping pattern that goes with having a newborn infant. I tried to prepare myself prior to Milan's birth to "roll with the punches" and sleep when I could, and so far that theory is working well.

One area that needs some work on my part is what I call the Fluster Factor. I tend to become flustered when I cannot sooth our little bundle of joy. It hurts me to know sometimes you just have to let babies cry - when all I want to do is fix the problem. Getting used to a baby's wail isn't something that happens overnight. Perhaps a CD or a DVD comprised solely of a baby's cry would be a 'must-have' item to purchase for any expectant parent?

Although I need to remind myself to stay as calm as I can during these trying moments, I am proud to say that I am starting to be able to distinguish between King Milan's cries. The Tired Cry, the Hungry Cry, the I'm-Uncomfortable-Cry and so on. Surely not everyone can boast this rare, yet valuable talent?! The bottom line is that I am trying my very best to be as in tune with our son's method of communication as possible. This is my winning formula to success.

Additionally, who would have thought that I'd be a champion at breastfeeding?! Not I, that's for sure. But the scale is proving that our son is thriving and gaining weight like a sumo-wrestler in training. Just one more way that I have gracefully slid into the role of Motherhood. The last weigh in was just this past Thursday, September 11th, and the King was a whopping 10lbs 6.5 ounces! Mummies milk must be good!!

As it stands, this evening I have begun to exercise my vocal cords for what will be thousands of hours of song singing, lulling baby to sleep, and learning countless cartoon jingles which will probably get stuck in my head for thousands of hours more...

I end this blog saying so far, so good. I can do this. I am doing this! I am a mom and at this point, I feel as though I'm hangin' in there. Keep in mind it's only been 28 complete days. We'll see how the next 28 go. ;-)

Stay tuned for more Adventures with Milan!

Still a rookie parent, but making progress!

Blogged by: Proud Papa (aka Sash)

We're only a few days away from Milan turning one month old; unbelievable how quickly time goes by. Many parents have told us that this stage goes by so quickly and to cherish every moment. I've been very conscious of it, trying to spend as much time with him before I return to work. It'll be an adjustment for the whole family, but I'm personally dreading the day I get the phone call from Danielle at work saying, "you'll never guess what he just did!! Milan just (insert amazing accomplishment here) !!" C'est la vie I suppose, but maybe I could talk him into saving those major milestones for the weekends? :)

He has already captured the heart of his parents, as well as the friends and family that have had the chance to meet him already. Danielle describes his personality up to this point the same as mine; apparently I'm cool, calm and collected :) We've had our hands full this month, but I think we're slowly "getting it", however, I still struggle with a few of my baby related tasks, including, but not limited to the following:

1. Changing his outfits in a timely fashion. I think I have a 1 in 5 success rate. The neck holes are too tiny, his head to wobbly, the sleeves are too tight, argh..I sometimes question what some of these baby clothes designers were thinking, but definitely see this as an area I'll improve on with more practice.
2. Bath time. How parents don't have anxiety attacks when they're picking up a soapy baby is beyond me. I'm cautious by nature, but I take it to the extreme here. I've got a way to go before I can do this one on my own.
3. Singing to him. Okay, so I'll admit I've got a pretty karaoke singing voice, but it's useless when I can't remember words to even the simpliest of lullabies. Currently I'm either singing him Christmas carols or making up my own songs.
4. Diaper changing. I evolved from a total rookie to a competent diaper changer within the last month, but the piece that has alluded me up til now has been the "oh do I feel cold air? let's pee on Daddy" syndrome. The kicker here is that this has only happened to Danielle twice. I'm getting better each day so the quick changes tend to mitigate this problem, but it will inevtiably occur again soon.

I'm curious to know what the next month will bring for our new family. Ah, the bliss of being a father.