Maja's Belly Button Woes...

When Maja was just about a week old, her umbilical cord remains fell off. Although the majority of her belly button was healed, there was a small little 'bulb' of pink skin that wasn't. As time went on we watched the bulb ooze a bit and crust over (sorry for the gross details...) and wondered if it was normal. We checked with a total of four doctors and each of them said it was normal and that it would heal in time. Well last week when Maja woke up one morning I noticed her sleeper had blood on it around the belly button. Obviously I was worried, so I called the doctor's office and we made an appointment for that afternoon. As it turns out, although these bulbs (now we now they're called granulomas) are normal, them bleeding is not (surprise, surprise...). The paediatrician referred us to a paediactic surgeon (yikes) so that she could remove it. Once I heard surgeon, I freaked out inside my head. All I could picture was my little baby laying on an operating table with tubes hanging off her and me bawling in the waiting room wondering how much longer her surgery was going to be. Well, rest assured the process to remove it is nothing like that.

Yesterday, Baba, Maja and I headed to North York General to see the paediatric surgeon about the belly button. The doctor took one look at it, cleaned the area and then used a swab with some nitric acid (or some other fancy named chemical) on it to rub the bulb. This basically burned the skin (no pain to Maja... only me as I watched - I'm such a wimp) so the bulb will fall off. Well, today her belly button is all grey and I can see that the bulb is black and will hopefully fall off soon. If I notice any pink parts tomorrow, the doctor said I could use the swab myself and burn the remaining part (look... I'm practically a doctor now!). Here's hoping I won't have to do that.

Anyhow, when we went to the doctor's last week we weighed Maja... she was a whopping 13lbs 12 oz! This kid just keeps getting bigger and bigger - it's great! :) She is now actually out growing a lot of her 6-month onesies... guess we'll have to go shopping for some new clothes! What's a baby to do?!?

Now for the good stuff... here are some photos that we thought you'd enjoy!

Here's Maja testing out the treadmill at the doctor's office last week. I know it looks like she's just standing there, but in reality her legs were moving sooo fast that the naked eye (or the camera) couldn't see them move that fast. I only know because I was there, saw the speed she was running at and heard the whizzing as they moved...
Here is Maja enjoying a bit of naked time (and mooning the neighbours at the same time). Look at all those cute rolls...
And here is a shot of me and Maja as we waited for the doctor last week...

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Please Keep Your Arms and Legs In At All Times...

and Enjoy Your Ride on Emotional Roller Coaster of Motherhood"! I swear, nobody can ever prepare you for the ups and downs of being a parent. I mean, people tell you that the labour is really painful (and it is) but at least you have the option of having an epidural (I highly recommend one). But what I think people really don't prepare you for (or can't really) is the craziness that envelops your life once you bring the baby home. Sure the "Bringing Home Baby" show on TLC is entertaining to watch, but it doesn't realistically portray what life will be like (or at least what our lives have been like)! Sometimes I feel like the first 36 hours are were a breeze (although I didn't know that then) compared to what Marvin and I are dealing with these days... I mean, Maja was eating every 3 or 4 hours and then sleeping solidly between feeds. These days she's still eating every 3 or 4 hours but her sleeping definitely leaves something to be desired (although we had a good night the other night, since then we've returned to waking up every hour and a half or so)!

Last night was officially the night I cracked. I don't know if other moms are just not sharing the bad stuff with people or if they really are doing well all the time, but doing well all the time isn't the case for me. If other moms are just pretending that things are going well, I really wish they'd open up and share the bad stuff. I really think it would help other moms feel better about themselves. I really don't know why new moms feel the need to make other new moms feel bad. Don't they know that we're all in this together? That we're all (or at least most of us) experiencing the same things? Doesn't misery love company? I would honestly respect a new mom that said she was having a really hard time with things more than a new mom that said she and the baby are doing "just splendidly and adapting just wonderfully thank you". Why are new moms so competitive? I just think being honest about how hard it is would make the person talking about it feel better and would also make the other new moms feel better too. It would be so nice to know that others are finding it as difficult as I am and that I'm not alone.

Anyhow, enough about trying to change the world. Back to Maja's Midadventures... last night Maja got up every hour and a half (she didn't sleep too well the night before either) throughout the entire night. And around 4:30am I have to confess, I crawled back into bed after feeding her and just started to sob. I am constantly trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Poor Marvin... he was sick all day yesterday, likely from food poisoning (yes... from my under cooking some chicken balls the night before), and is completely exhausted (even more than me I imagine) and there I am bawling beside him wanting to talk about things in the middle of the night! Bless his heart, he rolled over and chatted with me for over an hour (which of course just left us with 30 minutes before Maja woke up again). Then, I proceeded to cry again at least three times today. My eyes are so dry and sting so bad... I pray that tonight is at least a little bit better than last night so I can get a bit of rest. Like I said, I think last night caused me to crack. :( But never fear, Marvin is feeling better today and has been wonderful. He's basically taken care of Maja all day for me. I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful husband!

So, in a desperate attempt to get some sleep at night I'm reviewing my days with Maja trying to figure out what I need to change to make things "click". There are so many books out there with conflicting advice, you really start to lose your confidence. Should I start her on formula at night (seems to be a popular choice and works for a lot of babies)? Should I hold her more during the day (or will I just end up creating a child who won't or can't sleep in her crib when she's older)? Should I start feeding her every two hours on the hour during the day in the hopes of stuffing her so full of food that she won't be able to wake up at night (kind of like a carb-overload)? Should I just continue along the path I'm on and patiently wait for the day to come when it starts to work? I just don't know... I don't know what to do. I have tried so many things I'm exhausted. I've tried rocking her to sleep hoping she'll be in such a deep sleep she won't wake up until the morning. I've tried turning on the lullabies at night continuously. I've tried turning off the lullabies. I've tried sleeping with the Monkey so that he smells like me and let her cuddle it at night. I've tried turning on the fan so that there is some white noise. I've tried feeding her right before she goes to bed. I've tried not feeding her right before she goes to bed. I've tried putting on a hat and thin mittens. I've tried taking off the hat and mittens. But thanks to a wonderful and comforting chat I had with Marvin earlier tonight (and some cute smiles from Maja), I've decided to continue along my current path and hope things click sooner or later.

Anyhow... thanks for listening to me vent my frustrations... as a reward, here are some cute photos from the past couple of days! :)

Here's Maja trying on a new winter hat (the really soft pink one Sara gave us is getting a bit small)...
Here is Maja trying to eat the burp cloth (maybe I should have fed her longer)...
And here is Maja learning to eat the "Friday Nights with Teta" specialty, Pasta Shuta...

Last Night Was Brought to You By the Numbers 16, 13 and 1...

For those of you who are faithful readers of my blog... today's title may sound a bit familiar to you. However, unlike the last time a blog was sponsored by numbers, today's blog has a much happier answer... last night, I put Maja down for the night at 10:00pm and between then and 2:00pm this afternoon (that's 16 hours), Maja slept for a total of 13 hours, which makes for 1 very happy (and well rested) Mommy! :) No, she didn't sleep for 13 hours straight, but she did sleep for 7 1/2 hours straight (almost... I got up at 3:00am (after 5 hours) to put the soother in and then she slept though until 5:30am). She then fed, had a bit of awake time and then slept for 2 more hours... then she woke up again, fed again, had a bit more awake time and then slept for another 2 hours... and then she woke up one more time, fed some more and then napped for another 1 1/2 hours! Who is this baby? :) Don't get me wrong... I'm not complaining, I'm just confused! I've retraced all of my steps from yesterday and can't figure out what I did differently that would have made her so sleepy. I was very excited though when I remembered that I ate a bunch of chocolate yesterday... maybe the more chocolate I eat the longer she naps! Wouldn't that be awesome?!? :) Anyhow, I put Maja down for the night tonight at 10:15... we'll see how tonight goes. I'm sure I won't see anything like last night for a good while... just a blip in her system! :)

So, on Sunday afternoon Maja and I had to say goodbye to Marvin for 4 days while he's on his course again. Even though I have my mom here with us and I talk to Marvin every night, it's so hard having him away from home. :( I'll be glad when he returns tomorrow afternoon. We miss you Marvin/Daddy!

Now because my mom is here with us, we have a whole bunch of photos being taken (which is great - thanks Grandma!), which means you guys get to see a whole bunch of photos too! Here is a series of photos of Maja looking at her change table mobile from a new angle...

Not too sure what to think of this interesting looking creature...
The creature is starting to look vaguely familiar to her...
Then... "Oh my gosh! That's Change Table Butterfly! I knew he looked familiar!"
Sunday afternoon Maja and I went to our friends' place for a Pampered Chef party. We got to see some really neat cooking stuff and taste some yummy food. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to chat with Megan (the hostess with the mostest) too much so we'll have to arrange for a more intimate get together (intimate as in with some Crunchits and a six-pack of beer, right Tom?) and catch up on things. Anyhow, here is a picture of Megan holding Maja (please note the big patch of drool on Maja's right arm)...
Then Sunday night on our way home from Megan & Tom's place, Maja & I stopped off to pick up Grandma. Maja was so tuckered out from the afternoon that she slept in my arms solidly for a good hour. Here is a nice shot Grandma took of us in the family room...
Yesterday, Maja & I got together with Tracey & Gabriel and Alina & David. As usual, we gathered at Alina & David's place (thanks again for hosting guys!) in Mississauga. When we arrived Alina had set out two separate "buffets" - one of cookies, brownies and water for the moms; and one of a massaging chair (just like Maja's), a playmat and a swing for the kids! :) It's so neat to see the kids and how they change from visit to visit. They have all grown up so much since our last visit! Here is a picture of David & Maja looking like they've just been caught making out (Maja's is so not dating until she's 35)...
Here's a shot of Maja & Gabriel looking upset together...
And here's a shot of all three of them. Maja is looking pretty pleased with herself in this picture ("Ha ha ha! I'm surrounded by two boys! Not dating until I'm 35?!?! Yeah, right mom!")...
The rest of the afternoon, Maja & I hung out with Grandma. Here's a shot of Maja showing off her blue, blue eyes (I sure hope they stay that colour) and of course, eating her fist...
Sunday night, Grandma & I gave Maja a bath. Here she is soaking in the tub...
And here she is getting dried off...

This morning while Maja was having one of her wonderful naps, I was able to escape for an hour long massage, which was sooooo nice. Thanks for babysitting Grandma! Afterwards, Maja, Grandma & I went to Sherway Gardens and window shopped for a bit, then went to Chapters and relaxed in front of the fireplace for a while before heading to Jack Astors for dinner (mmm, yummy garlic pan bread). This evening then consisted of some sleeping in Grandma's arms and then another bath (not that she's that dirty... I just like to have the same routine each night - I'm so naive in thinking it will make a difference in her sleeping... didn't I already decide it's because of the amount of chocolate I eat?!?). Anyhow, in the event that tonight is one of her normal nights for sleep (ie. up after 3 hours then up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours after that) I should get going to bed. I can't believe it's so late already! Goodnight!

Earlier Blog Continued...

There are a couple of new Maja developments that I forgot to mention in my earlier blog. First, Maja is drooling a lot lately. Apparently this is because her salivary glands are now fully functioning (aka creating a lot of spit) but she doesn't know how to (or that she should) swallow all the liquid yet. Great... we now have a juicy baby! :)

Second, Maja is desperately trying to turn herself over whenever she's lying on her back. She'll kick out her legs so they're straight, push off with her feet and then arch her back to one side. Little does she know that when she finally manages to turn herself over she will be forced into the ever dreaded tummy-time!!! Ahhh! :)

And finally, she has started to grab at things that are close to her. Although she hasn't fully mastered this skill yet, she is getting there. Lately, her favourite thing to grab is my hair when she's over my shoulder or when I'm leaning over her. That's why you may have noticed that my hair is pulled back in a ponytail in a lot of the pictures (ok you're right... that could also be because I can't always manage to have a shower each day... I swear I'm clean though... really)! :)

And as promised, here are some more pictures for you (you guys are going to get spoiled...)! This one shows the lengths that Monkey & I will go to for a smile from Maja (I don't know if you can see it or not, but if you look closely there is a spit up mark on the back of the left side of my shirt... great - I obviously wasn't able to do laundry that day!)...
Here Monkey is performing for Maja again (he's tireless this lil' fella)...
Maja is pausing to take life in for a moment...
Maja napping (her latest thing is to bring her hands up to her head and gently rub it while she drifts off to sleep - just adorable I tell you!)...
A family shot taken one day when Daddy came home for lunch...
And a tummy-time shot... what you can't see is that Maja is completely naked here - I have other photos that show off her cute lil' bum and rolly-polly legs, but I didn't want to set off any child-p*rn alarms the police may have set up... :)

Is Anyone Still Reading The Blog???

I can't believe it's been eight days since I last blogged (and that blog didn't even have a picture in it - you poor readers)! Well, Maja and I have been busy this past week and then we had computer problems. But don't worry, everything looks to be up and running properly so we should be happy bloggers again! :) So what have we been up to, you ask? Well... sit down, grab a coffee (or a can of coke... my favourite) and get comfortable because we have a lot to share! :)

Last Wednesday (over a week ago) Maja and I started the day by attending a new Moms & Babes session. This time there were close to 15 moms there (last session there were usually only ten) so a lot of time was spent going around the room getting to know each other. Lots of younger babies this time around (there is even one, Rachel, who was born the day after Maja). Then after the morning Moms & Babes, Maja and I met up with the moms from the last Moms & Babes session at one of the mom's house. It was nice to see everyone again and chat about what was new. Heather (the hosting mom) has a dog so Maja was introduced to dogs for the first time ever. Her reaction? Nothing. :) Not even the slightest bit interested (except for when he barked, which startled her). Then Wednesday night, Marvin and I headed to the Raptors game and Baba got to babysit for the first official time (she's watched Maja before for an hour here and there, but nothing as long as the four hours we were away and she got to feed her too). Marvin and I did well again seeing as we didn't call home to check up on things... not even once! We're growing up so fast! :)

On Thursday (a week ago today), Maja, Grandma and I went up all the way out into the country to visit Auntie Sandra and cousins Will, Graham, Peter and Anna! Maja got to spend the entire day in the Snugli snuggling up close to me which I think we both enjoyed. Anna is getting so big and so cute! She was very well behaved while we were there as she slept quite a bit - I can't believe she's such a good sleeper with her three older brothers running around everywhere! Sandra, I don't know how you do it... you have a very busy life and I have a new found respect for you! Just before we left, Auntie Sandra, Will, Graham, Maja and I went for a walk to see the horses while Grandma stayed back to play with Peter and be on stand by in case Anna should wake up (didn't happen... what an angel!). All in all, we had a great time visiting Auntie and the gang and we are looking forward to another visit shortly (hopefully)... maybe next week while Marvin is away again? We'll see.

Friday Maja and I went to our first Babytime class at the local library. This class is only about 1/2 an hour long and basically we sit around in a circle singing songs. I signed us up for it because a couple of the other moms from the first Moms & Babes session signed up, but I think Maja is a little young for it because her neck is still a bit wobbly. I can't bounce her around doing the actions during the songs like the other moms... I don't think I'm going to continue going. It's hard to get out there for 10am and like I said, I think Maja is a little young.

And of course, Friday night was "Friday Nights with Teta" even though Marvin and I went to another Raptors game. Teta and Baba were the designated babysitters for the evening and did a fine job (unfortunately though, Maja was a bit fussy that night so they got put to the test for sure)! Teta even got to feed Maja and listen to her little feeding noises up close and personal! The following morning, Marvin, Maja and I headed to Ikea for breakfast while Teta headed up to the house for the weekend.

To be honest, I can't remember what we did the rest of Saturday or on Sunday (aside from going to church)... if anyone knows, please feel free to remind me. :) Oh actually, I know that Teta stopped by Sunday morning (while I was out somewhere... but where? I honestly can't remember...) to see Maja but she was sleeping. Although, Maja did start to fuss while Teta was here so Teta was able to run upstairs and "plug" Maja back in again (aka put the soother in). Teta swears that when she got into the room and told Maja she was there, Maja stopped wailing (just for a second), smiled at her and then started wailing again! Almost as if to say "Don't worry Teta, I'm really ok... I'm just crying because I want to keep mom and dad guessing... just don't tell them... ok?". What a little trickster! :)

Monday, Grandma came over in the morning to help me out by watching Maja for a while so I could shower and putter around a bit. Then at lunchtime, Stephanie and her daughter Christine came for a visit. Grandma was the one taking pictures that day and unfortunately I don't have them yet, but if you click here you can see a couple of pictures that Stephanie has posted on her website. Steph... I love your blog! You always make me laugh!

Then on Tuesday, Baba dropped by for a couple of hours for some good ol' fashioned chit chat and some Maja-time. Maja was able to drift off to dreamland in Baba's warm and cuddly arms all afternoon! She's so spoiled... I'll let you decide whether the "she" in that last sentence is Baba or Maja! :)

Then finally, yesterday! Phew... a lot of updates! Yesterday, Maja and I went to Moms & Babes in the morning. Again, because there are so many moms in the class the majority of the session was just listening and chatting about how we are all doing. I enjoyed yesterday's class a lot actually because I got to hear that what I'm experiencing with Maja these days (lack of sleep at night (ie. getting up almost every hour and a half all night -*sigh*) and only taking short naps during the day) is what other moms are dealing with too. I know people always say that what Maja is doing is normal, but it's always nice to meet other moms and talk to them about it.

One of the mothers asked if I was swaddling Maja (ie. basically wrapping her up like a burrito) at night, which I haven't been because we're using the Grobag (basically a thick sack that you zip the baby into so you don't have to use blankets and worry about them flipping them up onto their faces). But yesterday afternoon, I thought about trying to swaddle Maja again for her nap. And can you believe it?!? Maja slept straight through until supper time! Ok, I'm exaggerating... she really only slept straight through for about two hours - but almost two hours!!! That's great!!! That hasn't happened for about 7 weeks - literally! As excited as I was about this whole swaddling thing, I was more excited that I had the smarts to actually lay down and take a nap when she went down, which meant that I too slept straight threw for almost two hours! :) :) :) I was soooo happy when we woke up! So, after experiencing the wonderful effects of swaddling, I was so anxious for nighttime to come so I could try it again... I thought to myself "Maybe she's been sleeping so crappy because she's not swaddled!" As my sister pointed out, Maja's sleeping episodes started when Maja was around six or seven weeks old, which is around the time Maja starting using the Grobag. Well, I'm happy to report that although Maja didn't sleep through the night last night (as I was so desperately hoping she would), she did give me 3 hours, then 2 1/2 hours then 2 1/2 hours again! Much better than what she's been doing recently. Unfortunately, I think the swaddling novelty has worn off for Maja already, because when I tried to put her down for her nap about half an hour ago, she was really grunting and fussing until I took her arms out. Although I did swaddle her from the armpits down. If she's returned to her old habits, she should be waking up within the next 15 minutes or so. I'll keep you posted! UPDATE: Since I wrote this, Maja woke up after a total of 45 minutes (boo!) and has woken up three times in the last 25 minutes (sigh!). Maybe we'll try the swaddling again this afternoon. Maybe it was all a dream (or a fluke)! :(

Anyhow... I have rambled long enough.... to reward you all for your patience (both for reading all that stuff - or maybe you just skip the babble and head right for the pictures... I'll never know - and for continuing to read the blog even when I don't update for a long time) here are some pictures from the last little while. Enjoy!

Here is Maja admiring the pattern on Grandma's couch (apparently Maja's cousins all found Grandma's couch hypnotic too when they were younger)...Maja looking a bit shocked at her own flexibility (yes those are her socked feet in her mouth - thanks to some encouragement from me)...
Maja has many different facial expressions, but our favourite ones are her grins of which there are many different kinds (each with their own unique squeal to accompany it). Here are a few samples of her grins! Grin #1...
Grin #2...And grin #3...
Mommy & Maja after a yummy lunch...
Maja getting ready to walk the runway in her ever-so-cute (and soft, right Baba?) outfit...

For whatever reason, I'm not able to upload anymore pictures on this blog. I do have a bunch more that I will try to upload shortly... here's hoping it works ok!

Precious Moments...

There are few things in life that I've found that can bring me to an eternal state of bliss within seconds but I think I've just found my favourite one! I'm lying on our basement couch reading a book while Maja naps in her massaging chair ever so peacefully. Although I'm thankful that she's sleeping and allowing me to have some quiet time, what I'm truly grateful for is being able to have her tiny little fingers wrapped around my index finger while I stroke the back of her hand and watch her sleep. I truly am blessed to have such a precious gift!

Maja is Grounded!

Yes you read it right... Maja is grounded! If you're wondering why, click here and read the comment (all the way at the bottom) that she managed to type just the other day! :)

Anyhow, yesterday Grandma came over for part of the day and took a bunch of photos but unfortunately they are still in her camera... we'll post some of them once we get them - so stay tuned! Maja told me that the highlight of her time with Grandma was when Grandma brought her upstairs to the nursery and rocked her in her "rocking chair" with the soft sounds of lullabies playing in the background until she fell asleep. Thanks Grandma!

Today as a surprise, Maja and I stopped by Baba's house for a visit to help cheer her up on such a dreary day (I think it worked). Baba got to hold Maja until she fell asleep which is always a treat for both of them! Maja and I had to cut the visit short though because we had to get back in time to see Marvin at lunch. But rest assured, Baba was able to clear her busy schedule and was able to stop by this afternoon to see Maja again (actually, she's here right now rocking Maja to sleep which is why I'm able to update the blog...).

Maja was a bit fussy at lunch time so I put her in the Snugli (my new best friend) and swayed her to sleep while I chatted with Marvin. Because it was lunchtime and I was hungry, I wanted to eat my sandwich while I was holding Maja, but I didn't want to get any crumbs on her head. Faced with such a dilemna, I became creative and "invented" the Snugli Head Protector (aka a folded napkin on Maja's head)! Here's a couple of pictures for you to enjoy...


PS - The Snugli Head Protector is already in the process of being patented so don't get any bright ideas about copying the idea for yourself and making millions! :)

Thinking of You Baba...

Earlier today Baba got some sad news from back home and it looks like she may be heading back there for a while (we'll find out soon). I was just talking to her and she said that the news really hit her this afternoon - she now has a really bad headache and was going to try and take a nap (she even turned down my invite for her to come play with Maja - that's how bad the headache is!!!). When I told Maja, she said that she too was heading for a nap and that because Baba wasn't feeling very well that she'd be willing to let Baba use one of her beloved soothers if it would help her fall asleep... you let us know Baba! :) We're thinking of you!

Big Milestones for Everyone!

Things around here have returned to being a bit more normal (don't get me wrong, things are still hectic but just not pulling-my-hair-out hectic) now that Maja has returned to giving us a bit more sleep at night (nothing spectacular mind you… just not 45 minutes at a time!). We've actually had a bunch of busy days since we last posted.

Let's see... Thursday Maja & I just lounged around the house trying to catch up on our sleep - Maja was so tired from the night before that she slept quite well during the day and I was actually able to catch three 45 minute naps in the morning. I can't tell you how refreshed I felt after those naps (soooo sad, isn't it?)! Then Thursday night Grandma came over for her baby-sitting "training". Grandma got to spend the evening watching Survivor with Marvin & I (not part of the "training"), got to feed Maja and observed our bedtime routine. Here is a picture of Grandma feeding Maja...

Then Friday came… it was a big day for Maja and Marvin & me! Let's start with Maja's big day… not a lot of people know this about Maja, but she is an aspiring artist and has been talking a lot lately about getting a job of her own (Marvin & I were thrilled to hear this because the sooner she gets a job, the sooner she can start supporting herself and us and the sooner we can retire!). As it turns out, Teta Linda has some "connections" through her work and was able to arrange an interview at her company at the drop of a dime! Well, we didn't have much time to prepare so we quickly ate lunch and threw on Maja’s "power-suit" (I mean really... what self-respecting 2-month old would go to an interview in a sleeper?!?). Here’s a shot of Maja in her power-suit (a tad big right now, I’ll admit - and not a very "lady-like" position... we'll have to work on that)…

And of course you can't go to an interview at a Marketing company without having a portfolio, now can you?!? So once we arrived at Teta's office we headed over to Barba Frank's desk (aka the"Tall Guy" with the German accent...) where he presented Maja with her very first portfolio, her very own business card (official title of "Baby Extraordinaire") and a some sample work she could show in her interview (thanks a bunch to Barba Frank for his quick thinking and ever-so-creative efforts)! Here is a special message from Maja for Barba Frank...

Unfortunately, although Maja felt she was completely prepared for her interview she was so nervous that she cried (it may have been the weird looking lamp in Tobias' office, but we can’t be sure)! Nonetheless, I think she got the job because Tobias said that we didn't need to call him that he'd call us - that's a good sign, isn't it?!? Anyhow, after the interview Maja got to meet Dorothy (no, not the one from Wizard of Oz...) who was very nice and helped distract Maja from her interview by telling Maja about how she was going to have kids really soon (right Dorothy?!?). Maja then told Dorothy (by using hand gestures…) that when Dorothy has kids that they will have blue eyes and blonde hair like hers. Here's a message from Maja for Dorothy...

Now for our big Milestone… on Friday night, Marvin & I went to the Raptors Home Opener and left Maja alone for four whole hours (Grandma & Grandpa were the designated babysitters for the evening) and didn't call home once! Grandma & Grandpa came over to our place and once they arrived they got debriefed on where everything was, how to use our TV and then we were off. Although I did think of Maja many, many times throughout the evening, I resisted the urge to call home just to hear her breathe. :) Thanks again Grandma & Grandpa!

That brings us to Saturday (boy this is a long blog - good thing Maja's having a good nap)... Saturday Maja spent a lot of time outdoors because it was such a nice day out. She spent some time out in the backyard in the Snugli with me (reminded me of being pregnant) while Marvin cleaned up a huge pile of leaves. Then the three of us went for a walk to Pizza Pizza to redeem our free slices of pizza (if the Raptors score more than 100 points at a home game, you can bring your ticket stub to Pizza Pizza for a free slice of pizza… yummy). By the end of the day, all three of us were so wiped so we had a nice relaxing evening at home. Here is a picture of Maja all snug in the Snugli... can you find her?

And finally, that brings us to today… Sunday. This morning we went to church and thanked God for cute babies (Maja let out only one weak cry when she woke from a short cat-nap)! :) Then after church we had some visitors... Baba, Teta Linda and Uncle Ryan stopped by for a couple of hours! We had lunch (along with some yummy chocolate chip cookies that Ryan baked himself?) and then watched a bit of the Raptors game (they lost... too bad). Here is a picture of Teta Linda, Uncle Ryan and Maja catching up...

Last Night Was Brought to You By The Numbers 9, 10 and 1...

Can you guess what those numbers mean? Here's a hint... one of them is the number of times Maja was up... one of them was the number of hours that were involved... one of them was the number of smiles it took to make it all better! :) Give up? Ok, here's the answer... last night between 10:00pm and 7:00am (9 hours), Maja was up a total of 10 times (for those of you not so mathematically inclined this early in the morning that works out to more than once an hour...) and although I'm exhausted this morning and frustrated it only took 1 smile from Maja to make it all worth while!

I'd like to update the blog with a picture, but she's finally sleeping (for hopefully more than 15 minutes) and I don't want to risk waking her. You'll just have to browse through the last couple of blogs to get your fill today.

Today, my only plans are to stay in my pjs, lounge around the house and hopefully squeeze in a nap or two when she sleeps. I even cancelled my plans with Tracey & Alina (and their cute little boys Gabriel & David)... that's how tired I am! Maybe today and tonight will be better - maybe Maja was just excited about being able to watch Survivor tonight! :)

Today's Update - Part 2

Sorry about the delay in getting this second post up and running. I tried to upload the pictures right after I posted Part 1 but there were problems with the Blogger site and I couldn't. Anyhow... here is Part 2 (finally... right Baba?)!

So yesterday was Hallowe'en - Happy Belated Hallowe'en to all of Maja's dedicated (and not so dedicated) fans out there! Hope your evening was full of yummy chocolate and other sweet treats! The diet starts today... right? :)

Anyhow, Baba came by last night under the guise of helping to give out candy to the neighbourhood kids, but we know the real reason... Maja! As a treat for Baba (and part of the "training" we're putting her through before she babysits next Wednesday - Grandma's going through the same "training" tomorrow night for her babysitting date this Friday), Baba got to feed Maja her bottle last night (just to make sure she takes it from someone other than Marvin - I know, who are we kidding?!? Maja refuse food? Come on... she's almost 13lbs folks!!!). Here is a photo of Baba and Maja (See Luka? There are pictures of Lovrenka on the blog!)...

And of course, what would Hallowe'en be without dressing up? Marvin and I decided not to dress up this year because we didn't want to take the attention away from Maja - aka the "Hot Tamale"! Here are some shots of her dressed up - enjoy!

Here's Maja sitting on the living room couch trying to make her tongue look like the shape of her "Hot Tamale" costume…
Here’s Maja saying "You trying to take my Aero bar?!? I will defend my Aero bar with this box of Smarties!"…Here’s Maja fulfilling my dream of being covered in and surrounded by chocolate bars (I love the tongue!!!)…And finally, here’s Maja eating her fist yet again – a much lower calorie option than all that chocolate…

Today's Update - Part 1

Because I have a bunch of photos to share with everyone today, I have to break today's blog into two parts - so if you are reading this and it's the most recent blog turn in again later to see the second half of things.

My mom came by yesterday afternoon to see Maja (and me... yeah right!) and brought with her some pictures she took from when we were together on the weekend. Here are a few of my favourites (very hard to pick out only a few)...

Here's Maja in her chair looking pensive...
Here she is doing some tummy-time at Grandma's place...
Here's Maja grinning from ear to ear (who knows what she was looking at - probably just something shiny)...
Here's another shot of tummy-time...
Yet another shot of tummy-time...