Happy 1st Birthday!

A quick post to show some of the photos snapped during Milan's first Birthday bash. We had about 40 people over at the house to celebrate and I have to say that Danielle pulled it off single-handedly. She's remarkable!

...Happy Birthday Milan!

Birthday Bash countown!

Hello friends!

Every one's favorite little boy is in bed for the night now and as I have been known to do once in a while, I'm sitting here reflecting on a few things.

Firstly, the news is out about our pregnancy. King Milan will reign over a sibling until said wee tot can end the inevitable domination.

I say it in such a way because I'm almost certain Milan will continue to rule our castle for quite some time based on his ever-blossoming personality.

In fewer words: This. Child. Is. On. A. Roll.

He seems unstoppable with his energy and smiles, not leaving one single vacuum-line untouched, spreading toys and other inanimate objects alike all over the house.


His mobility has opened wonderful doors of imagination, creation and curious investigation. Hence Mommy getting a taste of the medicine she once bestowed on her own parents so many years ago.

Yes, my friends, believe it or not, I was once a child who was just into everything, given the right opportunity. In the mere blink of an eye, it was rumoured that I would just disappear and get into things pretty little girls should not be getting into...

Now it's 2009 and the little rug-rat that used to be Danielle lives again in our King Milan, who in the turn just of a few ca lander days will become 1 year old.

It seems like just last month that I was sitting up in the middle of the night starting the whole blog, baby still in utero.

Last night, (Bless Sasha's tolerant, golden heart) I was overcome with pregnancy-related hormones and shed a few tears. It was Robert Munch's "I Love You Forever" children's book that set me off. For those of you who haven't read the book, try and get your hands on it at some point, it's quite touching. Those who have read it will understand I'm sure.

So there I was crying away while Milan laughed at me. Literally. He thought it was funny! I just couldn't get over the fact that almost a year has passed and soon we will celebrate and watch him smash birthday cake all over his face the way 1-year-old's do. He's growing up!

Seeing who he is turning into has been such an amazing journey. He has a blessedly beautiful personality. He's so quick to smile, so confident, curious, clever, and a cheeky little bugger with a sense of humour to boot. He is macho and rough'n'tumble. Many times throughout the day he'll lose his footing and take a spill, but he just pops right back up, untouched, unfazed. Amazing. We just wait for him to start crying sometimes, but we're always impressed when he just brushes it off and keeps going.

Milan also has a sensitive side. There are periods through the day where he will stop playing and come in for a hug or quick cuddle, then off he goes back at whatever has his attention for the moment. It swells my heart to watch him drift to sleep at night. He has such soft smooth skin and the longest eyelashes ever.


Anyhoo - before I get myself all emotional again, we are having quite the party here at the house on Sunday. The invites are sent, the menu planned, decorations purchased, it looks like it's going to be a nice day out too!

I think last night I was partially emotional because this is the last birthday we will get to spend with Milan all alone before "baby makes 2". We've come to realize we need to take extra attention to cherish the moments we have alone, as a family of 3 before we set off on a new exciting journey full of love as a family of 4.

Here are a few photos that Daddy took yesterday of the little King.

He is so beautiful.




To be in your child's memories tomorrow, be in his life today.

Anonymous

We're Back with a Vengeance

We're back from our holidays in Europe and have a ton of photos and videos to share, but couldn't resist sharing this one first. This was a couple weeks ago when Milan walked for one of the first times; 10 and a half months and cruising around the house!

Shame on me.

I thought that title would be appropriate seeing as numerous people have ever-so-subtly commented on my amazing absence of current blog entries.

I have to admit to feeling slightly overwhelmed right now as I write this based on the fact that so much has happened since I last posted. It may just come rushing out in one huge run-on sentence, but I will try my best to avoid that.

As I left off in my last woeful blog entry, Sasha was away in Singapore for 2 whole weeks.

I'd like to say, on a positive note, that I did very well holding down the fort during that first week. I stayed strong, the house was tidy, the baby was happy, nothing seemed amiss.

The second week of Sasha's absence.... not so much. In fact, it's probably not such a secret that I barely scrapped over the finish line.

Milan was waking up 2-3 times a night during that second week. Maybe he could sense that something wasn't quite right? I remember one pathetic moment where I was sobbing on the phone to Milan's grandmother, completely exasperated over the fact that Milan had smacked the spoon out of my hand and the food went flying. I know!! A perfect reason for a meltdown, right? At that very moment, I was sure I couldn't possibly go on. Milan thought it was funny and smiled his way through that ordeal.

It was tough, but we made it through and daddy came home and swept us off out feet with kisses and adoration, and the world continued to turn. I have a deep, newfound respect and admiration for single parents. They are real life heros.

Today I can recall the memories of that last week and kinda smile about it. Kinda.



During the period Sasha was away, Milan started to crawl! At first, I watched him do it without realizing just what the heck he was doing. It seemed so surreal. Back the bus up! Hold the phone! Nobody move - this is a stick up! Is our son crawling?!? Yes, he is! lol. I laughed so hard and he looked so proud. I just couldn't believe it. He made it look so easy and natural too. Why should I be surprised though... he is a natural born, genetically superior athlete, right? Right.



Now there is absolutely no stopping him. He. Is. Into. Everything. He has become unbelievably quick on those hands and knees too. His agility is amazing to watch. In the last couple of days he's been standing up and then forgets to hold on, so he is just standing there, all by himself. It's easy to see his balance is getting better everyday.

Also while daddy was away, Milan mastered crawling up the stairs. He can go all the way up!



The child has not even been born for as long as he was inside my tummy and look at everything he has done/can do!! The miracle of life is simply amazing to me sometimes.

Since Daddy has been home, Milan has had many firsts:

1) Ate a pickle. (loved it!)
2) Ate a french fry. (also loved it!)
3) Went swimming at the Waterloo Rec. center. (LOVES IT!)
4) Had his first non-family babysitter. (Mommy and Daddy loved it!)
5) Tried watermelon.
6) Had some toast with butter and honey. (loves it!)
7) Had a go at a cob of corn.



I'm sure there have been a few more first occurrences, but these are a few of the ones that stick out in my mind.

I really love this kid. He is just way too cute. People, including grown men. absolutely eat him up everywhere we go. He is such a flirt and doesn't make strange to anyone. He is quick to smile (just like his daddy) and when he does, his whole face lights up. People love him!

Wow. Listen to me...proud mom or what!?

Anyhoo - I will end here for now and promise to not let such a long period of time pass before our next blog entry.

Letter to Sash - Day 1 of 14

Just to give you all a little run down of what the below nonsense is, Sasha is away in Asia for business for 2 whole weeks. This is the letter I sent him earlier this evening. Mostly being a smart-ass, but what the heck....

A comprehensive Summary of Today's Events.
by: Danielle Herakovic

Hello Husband. Please be advised that we miss you like crazy. Below you will find a condensed version of the today's events.

Early nap at 8am- 9:00/9:20am
Wondered how ever we will pass this day?
Realized I was kinda depressed and bummed out. Realization hits that I am alone without my soul mate, my lover, my better half, the father of our son, my baby-daddy. *sigh* Heavy heart ensues.

Pack Milan up, go to Fairview mall, mainly to loiter and carouse the halls, not really looking for anything. Took a very pleasant phone call from Mr. Brab, who was in need of my *ahem, note* assistance & advice. He consulted with me as to where to take a rock band for a photo shoot around the area and what photographic style to pursue. Mainly the last is falsified as Mr. Brab is a fantastically talented photographer, but I counselled him on this aspect none the less. (What, me give my unsolicited opinion? Pfst. Never.) Naturally, I blew him out of the water with ideas guaranteeing nothing but inevitable success. "Brad, rise like the Phoenix now. It's all up to you...." (This is what I said of course.)

Had some Thai Express, Mommy's favourite. Gave Milan some small pieces of rice to push around his tray and munch on.

Got home for 12 noon. Feed the boy.

Boy has nap around 1 ish, but due to teething wakes up shortly after. Seeks breast, receives breast. Falls back asleep nuzzled next to a sleeping mommy until 3:30pm.

Rise.

Pack him up and walk to Shoppers. Mommy is quite dirty, not having showered since Tuesday morning. Mommy purchases body wash, new nail polish and new cookies for the boy, which he devours on the way home. Now he is a filthy mess.

Play.

Neighbour takes pity on Mommy and invites us for grilled cheese supper as her husband is also away. Delightful.

Dine and dash at neighbours, come home at 6:45, bath the boy, put him to bed after 2 songs, hop in shower, and begin composing a thoughtful report detailing the day.

7:46pm- I miss my husband.

7:51pm - still miss him.
8:01pm - I love you Sasha

Boy Gettin' Busy

As mother nature intended, every day that passes Milan is growing up and getting much more mobile and much busier. More personality is shining through those teasing, devilish eyes and boy oh boy, do we laugh sometimes at this kids' crazy antics.He is what we call, "body surfing" everywhere across the carpets and floors. Body surfing is not yet crawling, but still getting around.

Here are a few photos taken this afternoon prior to his nap. I have also taken the privilege of including a caption of what I assume was going through his head at the time. Enjoy.

"Okay, so if I can get my leg going the right way, I can maneuver my body in this direction therefore enabling me to pull toys out of that basket... Let's go."

"And heave! Hold the line....stay with me!!!"
(caption exerted from famous Mel Gibson movie.)

" Ahhhh. Now I see... using the gluteous maximus muscles in my lower region along with the pectoral muscles and the two stems known as 'my arms' will help me get into an upright position. This will allow me to access the items located on the upper portion of this peice of fine cabinetry. Not a problem."

"Hmmm, note to self: next time arrange for a small stepping apparatus to be brought for easier access to higher areas seemingly out of reach. Blast. Not a worry....all in due time mummy. All in due time. Muahhh ha ha ha"

*pause, look over shoulder for dramatic emphasis* " Hey Mom, you watchin'?""Insert smile here, wait for swooning mother to finish capturing precious moment.....annnnndd continue being way too adorable."
"Must closely investigate contents of this basket, making sure each item is chewed on, drooled on and thrown a satisfying distance from said basket."

Have a great day everyone!

Children reinvent your world for you.
Susan Sarandon

Bath Time!!

Just wanted to post a couple videos of Milan, before and during his bath!

Enjoy!

So Darn Cute!

Seven months have gone by since Milan was born and it's already difficult to remember what we did before he arrived. How did we fill the days? Who and what, (other than each other) made us smile and laugh so much? What the heck did we do with all that free time? Were our lives not bleak and grey? Was is not a dreary existence? An exaggeration, perhaps, but the love, joy and happiness that fills our lives each day in comparable to nothing.
Today was a big day for the little stinker. After his early morning nap, mommy went into his room to get him as she could hear him talking and making noise in his crib. What did she find when she walked into his room? King Milan had pulled himself up in his crib and was kneeling in an upright position clinging for dear life to the railing. He was smiling ear-to-ear and looked quite proud of himself. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT????? Mommy was talking to Grandma Flo at the time and we'll just say there was quite a few joyous screams followed by lots of exclamation points.

Here he is with Deda (grampa)Janko, who gets to see lil' mister on an (almost) daily basis. We shout "DEDA!!!" each time we see him and Milan always busts out the smiles for him.

We are equally blessed with a good eater. If we don't have a full spoon in his mouth in a timely fashion, he begins to whine and cry with displeasure. He may also get snarky by the fact that daddy occasionally misses his mouth and hits his (insert facial feature here) ........

Last Friday March 20th, it was Daddy's 34th birthday. Mommy planned a big celebration at the house for him and it was decided that Milan was now old enough to go and sleep over at Grandma and Grandpa's house overnight. What a hero! He didn't so much a shed one single tear! He ate, pooped, played and slept like the champion that he is. The next morning, Mommy was rushing to get over there to pick him up, anticipating a huge smile and shrieks of joy. Unfortunately all we got were some blank stares of uncertainty. Talk about heart breaker. :-( He was far too content in the arms of the Herakovic elders.
Grandma Flo mentioned awhile back that the day would come when Milan would love to play in the Tupperware cupboard. Well the day arrived today. (Hey - I said today was a big day, didn't I?) After we picked Daddy up from work, we zipped home and Mommy started supper. Instead of playing with toys, we tried something new. The above photo is pretty self explanatory. He really enjoyed himself! Alas, the new found Tupperware bliss was cut short when he got over excited and tipped backwards and lightly bonked his noggen. He's a trooper though and he pulled through just fine. Not a tear was shed!

On another note, we wish on a daily basis we could invent some sort of device to count the number of kisses this kid receives everyday. It would probably be close to a thousand or better.

Anyhow, thanks for stopping by--We send you off with many warm Spring Blessings!

The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.

~Bern Williams

Pretzel Boy

Watch for his little wink toward the end of the video. So darn cute...

Proud Papa

I can't believe that my boy is six months old, sitting up on his own, has a half dozen teeth, sleeps through the night, babbles along with daddy and smiles endlessly. Does it get better? I wake up each morning, pick him up, hold him tight, then kiss him gently and whisper "I love you". Sappy perhaps, but when you see the way he looks at you and the joy he brings, there's no better feeling. To top it off, I watch from a distance, as my Dad and my son play. I never had the opportunity to know my grandparents the way I'd like, so it's even more important to me that Milan know his.

We've booked our flight to Serbia this summer so Milan can meet his Great Grandma, "Baba" Zivka. I'm excited to snap a million and one photos while we're there. Milan will get to see some of his heritage first hand, and not knowing how long it'll be before we go back again, I want to make sure I capture every moment we're there. Both of my parents will be there with us. The first time I'll be in Beograd with both my parents since 1977 when I was 2! I'm really looking forward to being there together, as one big family.


On the homefront, we've...well, Danielle has made a few recent purchases for Milan. His toy collection has tripled and he's loving it. I mean look at the joy on their faces! It makes me smile every time I look at it.
The last photo I'm going to post is pretty hilarious to those that see Milan often. It's his, "I'm dropping a deuce, don't disturb me face". When he poops, he has this funny smile on his face for a few seconds....I just managed to snap the photo at the right moment :)

I love you Milan.

A set of Four

Guess who got another top tooth yesterday? 8 Hours of crying/whining and Mommy had a meltdown in Costco. We're still alive and kickin'.

The whining seems to be subsiding today now that the teeth have poked through for the most part... I wonder if I should buy or make apology cards for the staff at Costco?

**please God let us have a little break before another bout of teeth come....**

Bad morning.

Well, every Mom has a story or two. I'd like to begin by saying how truly blessed Sasha and I have been with such an amazing child. He is a GOOD baby! Great personality, not very high maintenance, everything a first time parent could possibly ask for. Before you read on, please don't think I am complaining or feel like I'm hard-done-by, because I'm not. I know it.

Perhaps this is why I feel as though we've hit a rough patch. As I have previously mentioned, Milan is teething. He got his first two teeth at the tender age of 3 months and 21 days, and he pushed through a third tooth, (the front top tooth) about a week ago.
For the most part, Milan has been a hero dealing with the inconvenience of having a tooth jut out of the flesh in his mouth, however we have seen a bit of a change in the past week or two.

8 hours of whining.

Yes, you heard me. When he is not sleeping or eating, he has been a very hard camper to entertain. I also know that there are people reading this and thinking, "Good, now she really knows what it's like to be a parent!". I only say this because I've had more than a few comments like this, "You are so lucky!", "You have such a good baby!", "Is he always this good?", "Doesn't he cry or fuss?" and so on...

Imagine me standing in my pyjamas at 5:30pm (no, I haven't changed out of them yet), my frazzled, dirty hair in a messy ponytail (Milan is also in hair yanking mode - I have a lovely thinning patch at the nape of my neck to prove it) standing almost in the doorway with a crazed look in my eye, holding the King out to my loving husband. What a beautiful image. Gimme a kiss honey.

Yeah right.

Anyhow, giving you a bit of the history of the past week or so, let's move on to this morning. Up early at 6:50am, we drove Daddy to work, came home and sat down in our high chair for breakfast. Yummy.

All of a sudden, I hear our fuzzy cuddle-whore of a cat gagging and yakking in the background. Milan is fussing and border-line crying, and I am frantically scanning the room searching for the barf-machine (our cat), who I see has placed herself on the carpet, right in front of the couch.

What do I do? Think quick, think quick.... I grab her in her state of convulsion thinking, "All I need to do is get her on the lino kitchen floor only a mere 2 feet away and we're home free. Barf away".

** BLEHHHHHH**
All over the couch. And carpet. And then more on the kitchen floor. Geez, this cat can really heave!

It's only 8:50am. Are you kidding me??? Gorgeous!!! Wonderful!!! Okay, happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy thoughts.

Where is that phone number for the carpet, upholstery cleaning service? Right, threw it away last week.

I proceed to clean the mess as best as I can. Does anyone know what gritty cat puke under your finger nails feels like? No? That's a shame.

I will have to leave off here as it's almost time for round two of scrubbing... Cross your fingers the couch doesn't end up curb-side by mid morning.... Oh, and have a great day!

Heartbreaker

Here is a scrapbook "layout" or page that I did to celebrate the big day of love.

Enjoy!

The boy who lounges

Not yet 6 months old, (how times flies...) he is getting his third tooth. The top left tooth is coming in with a vengeance. It's a red, swollen bump that I can only imagine probably throbs with angry pain. It's not fair! These poor, innocent babes don't yet have the ability to deal with the hurt caused by hard jagged teeth pushing through their soft gums. The great debate around these parts is whether to offer some relief using infant Tylenol or not. I am all for offering comfort with a little squirt here and there. Others.... not so much. In all fairness, he is handling this round of teething far better than the first time. What a hero!

Last Sunday morning, while lounging in bed, he became calm and got a soulful look in his eyes. He was laying with daddy, and just resting his head, looking like he had been lounging professionally all his little life.

Since our camera has been laying readily available within arms reach these days, here are the photos I snapped. My two handsome men. Aren't they just gorgeous!? Yes, love definitely lives here. How blessed I am to have such a life filled with love!

"Do you think I'm cute Mommy?"

.... Ummm, in a word, YES!!! I seriously want to eat this child up. How dare he be this cute all day long? His little personality and the smiles he flashes all day long don't help his cause. He is getting munched on and kissed all over whether he likes it or not. It's how we fill our days together. The best part? He can't complain or tell me to stop yet! Ha!I'm definitely getting my fill before getting mommy kisses isn't cool or becomes "stuff for babies". There is no remedy for love but to love more.

Henry David Thoreau

....I couldn't agree more.

The latest and greatest!!

Smiles open 24hours! 2 for 1 smiles on special all week long! Get 'em while you can!!! Always fresh, always in stock for your baby-fix convenience!!

After another impromptu photo shoot this week, we ended up with some winning photos of the King in all his adorable glory. The theme of the photo shoot was "Punk Rock 4ever", and although we have already received a few comments about the sweater Milan is wearing, we still think he is pretty darn cute. I know, I know, a skull'n'cross bone on a baby!?? Well, there is a little bit of sentimental value to the sweater.

Allow me to explain. I found out I was pregnant on December 10th, 2007. Sasha was in San Francisco for work at the time and I unfortunately had to break the news to him over the phone. I was really excited and had wonderful friends to celebrate the good news with. And how did we celebrate, you ask? We went shopping of course!!! The very next day we hit the malls and this sweater was the first item of baby clothing I ever bought. I thought it was cute, spunky, stylish and full of attitude!

So, in hopes of not offending anyone with the sweater, please try and see it as 'kinda' cute and not demonic or evil in any way. I would never do that to my son!!! :-D

We are getting pretty good at these little photo shoots I have to add. We are already planning one for the Day'o'Love which is approaching on the 14th. (Go get your honey a V-Day card/chocolates/flowers!!!........don't forget!)

We hope you enjoy the photos - if the sweater really bothers you, let me know. I have posted a new poll to the right side of this blog entry!

It's naptime!

Yesterday was a big long day full of excitement for Milan! First we went to Chapters and had a playdate with some friends of ours, then we picked up Deda Janko and drove to the Toronto airport. Grampa Blaine was on a stop over from Montreal heading back to Cowtown, so we drove up so the boys could finally meet one another! They seemed to like each other well enough - so all-in-all it was a success! Grampa Blaine gave Milan a very nice antique truck to play with when he gets older.

It was a nice visit for everyone, and a learning experience for Mommy! Bring more food next time mommy! Yes, we are still breastfeeding however Milan is loving his cereal too. These days, when there is any type of activity or excitement around, it's virtually impossible to get Milan to have a good feed off the boob. :-( And yes, I did bring some cereal for the lil guy, but obviously not enough. Ahhh, the trials and tribulations of being a new, first time mom. I will give myself some credit however-- I did remember to bring an extra outfit in case of an accident, which we have had in the past minus the extra outfit....


Anyhow, the drive home was long and torturous for the little guy, who was tired, hungry and frustrated about being restrained in his car seat. Being so tired he could barely muster a decent wail - only making Deda Janko and Mommy feel even worse. We couldn't get home fast enough!

In other news, Mommy was creeping around Milan's room while he was taking his afternoon siesta today. (He's still asleep by the way!)


Baby Girl at her post... She's on lookout duty!
I snuck some photos of what our little Prince looks like when he is off in la-la land. Hope you enjoy!




It's hard to keep our hands off of him when he is fast asleep like this. There is NOTHING as beautiful as a sleeping baby.