Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Happy 1st Birthday!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Birthday Bash countown!
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
Monday, July 20, 2009
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!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Shame on me.
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.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
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
Monday, April 13, 2009
Boy Gettin' Busy
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.
"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."
"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
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
So Darn Cute!
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.
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!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Proud Papa
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.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
A set of Four
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....**
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Bad morning.
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!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The boy who lounges
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.
Friday, February 6, 2009
The latest and greatest!!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
It's naptime!
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.