Bonding with my Son

I really can't believe the last time I blogged was in September. Things have been ridiculously hectic these last few months, but I have now found time during the holidays to both bond with my family and post a new blog.

I raised a concern with Danielle this morning; it went something like, "Danielle, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I feel as though I'm not in many photos with Milan." To be quite frank, I'm convinced that out of the thousand photos we have of our son, I'm maybe in a dozen of them. Her response you ask? She immediately went upstairs, grabbed the camera gear and took a few shots. The above photo was the result of my observation :)

I catch myself staring at Milan, mesmerized by the hope; by the innocence; and well, by how darn cute he is. He's growing quickly and becoming more active and aware of his surroundings. He loves bouncing, smiling, reaching out to grab objects (he's got impressive hand-eye coordination for such a young lad), endless chatter and chewing on Daddy's fingers with his two new teeth.

We have also started feeding Milan rice cereal (pablum). As you can see from the shot above, he's still learning to keep it all in his mouth. This has become a nightly routine, but I have not had the opportunity to feed him myself. I've got a lot of confidence I'll be able to handle it though. If I was able to find my groove with the baths, diaper changes, clothing and children's songs; I'll be able to develop my new skillsets to keep up with my boy :)

It's fantastic that I've been able to spend a good chunk of time out of the office during the holidays. I get the chance to see my son everyday; sit on the floor and play with him during tummy time; read "My First Christmas" to him over and over and over again; put him down for naps; watch NCAA basketball with him and coach him on the intricacies of a 2-1-2 full-court press; and watch him bounce for endless hours in his jolly jumper.

I know every parent feels this way, but I gotta say it. What a phenomenal child we have...the love and bond continues to strengthen and is something we'll cherish forever.

That's it for now, but since I likely won't be back on prior to the new year, I'd like to wish everyone a very happy, safe and prosperous 2009.

To Saskachewan and Beyond!!!

Hi everyone! As I promised in the last blog entry, I am posting some photos of our trip from out west. Hope you enjoy!

A snapshot of Milan on the plane. He did so well! I doubt he even knew he was off the ground to tell the truth... We had Sasha's dad, Janko, drive us to the airport and help us to check our luggage, then we were really on our own. It went very smoothly, which made me so happy as I had been pretty anxious about travelling with a baby alone for the first time. For those who don't know, Sasha and his parents were joining us in Saskatchewan for Grandma Flo and Grampa Joe's wedding 8 days after Milan and I arrived.

Here is a photo of Milan at Grandma Flo's and Grampa Joe's after we arrived. He is such a little hero! All that travelling and bustling about and nothing but smiles from him!! We were so glad to get there and get unpacked - it was really nice to be back in Saskatchewan again.

Grandma Flo was so happy to have her little boy with her again! No one has more fun than these two when they are together. Milan is always comforted by the sound of her voice and is easy to smile when she is around.

After we had been in Rosetown for 2 nights, it was time to drive to Regina to see Great-Grandma and Great Grampa Seitz. Milan is the first Great-Grandchild, so it was really special to see them together and snap a few photos. The drive from Rosetown to Regina was about 3 hours long and it was also the first time Milan and Mommy were in the car driving together alone for such a great distance. We were troopers and made it safely without a hitch.

Many other members of the Seitz clan got to meet King Milan for the first time while we were there. The visit wouldn't have felt complete without a traditional Seitz meal made by Grandma Adeline. M-M-Tastee!! Thanks Grandma for the wonderful supper!

Uncle George and cousin Jordan with Milan. Auntie Louise and Milan
Here is a neat photo of Renee and Uncle George hanging out with Milan.

This is Suzanne, one of the greatest mom's I have ever met, she continues to inspire me daily, with Milan, Liliana, and little Elana in the background. She didn't even break a sweat for this photo. I did.
The woman with the magic touch. If anyone needs rocking to sleep, see her.

Simone needed her baby-fix one evening, so she brought Michele and Jeremy over for a visit. Jeremy gave Milan a toy which used to be his as a baby and it has become one of Milan's favorites! Thanks Jeremy!
Here is Michele with Milan. Milan didn't give her a easy time holding him, but she did a great job! Michele also celebrated her 13th birthday while we were visiting in Saskatchewan. Happy Birthday girlfriend! :-D
The day before the wedding, some family and friends gathered to decorate the hall. With every one's help, it turned out wonderfully! We were ready to party! Here is Aunt Alice meeting Milan for the first time.
On the wedding day, Grandma Flo looked absolutely gorgeous all done up with her hair and make-up. A beautiful bride indeed! Grampa Joe looked extremely handsome and it was obvious when he was standing with his sons that good looks run in the family for sure! Never one to be outdone, Milan insisted on wearing his tuxedo so that he might be presentable and dressed for the occasion. He looked quite dapper, and everyone agreed that James Bond himself would cast an envious eye to our little man.

That's it for now! Hope you enjoyed all the photos! Take care everyone!

A moment to Cherish

It's quite late to be writing a post (12:35 to be exact), but like many who keep note pads by their bed to jot down thoughts, ideas or revelations when they may strike, I felt compelled to come downstairs and type up my own thoughts as they occurred to me a moment ago.

I know I am needing to get thoughts and photos together about our big trip to Saskatchewan recently. I promise a blog post dedicated entirely to this very soon.

This week Milan cut his first tooth. December 10th, Sasha, Milan and I were all upstairs hanging out in bed all cozy as could be. Milan has been in the teething process for at least a month now. We knew it because he was suddenly drooling quite a bit and always chewing on his hands, fingers and fist if he could. Poor little guy is so young to be teething that developmentally, he cannot even hold a teething ring to offer relief. So he was gnawing away at daddy's knuckle when daddy announced that he felt the tooth biting into him! We knew it was coming, just not quite this fast. It's the front bottom tooth on the left. Wouldn't ya know it that the very next day, a tiny sliver of the tooth right next to it popped up too.

Anyhow, before getting off track, this teething thing is taking a toll on him in the sense that he is just exhausted. Tonight he went to sleep around 6:30 and has woken up twice for some sampling of mummy's milk, then promptly dozes off again.

The most recent feeding at 11:20 had me in the spare bedroom laying next to the little stinker. He doesn't stink, really. Even when he needs a bath he smells like the heaven's and all the glory in the world. He's fed, changed and fast asleep and I couldn't be more awake, darn it. We're laying next to one another all bundled up in Great-Grandma Seitz's wool quilt, and I can't help but to stare at my life's greatest achievement with wonder.

He is growing up so fast! I know about a million people told me that he would, but he really is. I found myself thinking, "I want to remember this...". Hence me sitting here at 12:43 typing away. I want to remember the chunks that are his healthy cheeks, his almost-not-there eyebrows, the dimples where his knuckles are and the chubby fingers. I want to be able to call upon the image of the creases at his wrist, almost like he is wearing a sleeve that ends just there. The beauty of calmness that lies over his eyes while he sleeps, and the occasional twitch of his eyes underneath their lids telling me he is dreaming. Is he dreaming of the kisses I just planted all over his face even while he sleeps? I know that our time sleeping side by side is somewhat coming to an end. It's never going to be as easy as it is now to pluck him up when it's nap time and curl up with him. Holding him close, tight and warm, with my arm around him. There will come a day that cuddling with mommy just won't be on his to-do list, his idea of 'cool things to do', there won't be enough play time in the hours of the day let alone time to canoodle with mommy.

Y'know, I bitched and complained about breastfeeding for awhile back. My cousin, Suzanne, told me that it'll change and it will cease to feel like such a chore, and I may even come to enjoy it. Lately this is definitely the case, because it means time that we can just lay there and let time tick away. Nothing else matters while we breastfeed. Who cares if the phone is ringing or there are chores to do? I can listen to him guzzle the milk from my breast and nuzzle close to him. Listen to him breathing and touch his soft fuzzy hair, which is also just one more thing that is growing and changing on my remarkably perfect little man. He doesn't even know how many times I have taken his soft little hand and caressed my own face with it as he sleeps. It's the most divine feeling in the world, because exists little else in the entirety of the world that is that soft, that innocent, that pure. Nothing else matters during these moments, and they are the ones I want to remember forever.

I end now, leaving you to return to my little boyfriend, who doesn't even know I have left his side as he sleeps peacefully.

“We do not remember days, we remember moments.”
Cesare Pavese