It's A Holly, Jolly Christmas, It's the Best Time of the Year...

This morning, Maja woke up and said "Sretan Božić, želi vam Maja, tata i mama. Ja vas volim puno!", which in English means "Merry Christmas, love from Maja, Daddy and Mommy. I love you all very much!". Ok so she's a day early, but cut the kid a break! :) A couple of weeks ago, Maja had a photoshoot as an elf and we thought maybe you'd enjoy some of the outtakes (and a couple of good ones too)!

Here I am prepping Maja as to what it is she needs to do (judging by the look on her face she's thinking "Ok, ok, ok Mom... I know what I'm doing - What do you think I am? A baby?")...
Here she is grinning from ear to ear showing off those cute little chubby cheeks of hers...
"Hey... Have a Great Christmas, You Cool Cat!"...
Here was our favourite one...
As all models do... Maja decided she had had enough and wanted to take a break... but the Bumbo chair just wouldn't let her go...

Maja with her "Who You Calling an Elf?" look...
And things went horribly wrong when we finally told Maja that Santa wasn't real...

As most of you know, yesterday (Saturday) Maja turned 4 months old! Marvin and I can't believe that she's so old already! :) To celebrate, Maja went to the doctor's on Friday for a quick check up and her 4 month vaccinations (not really the way I'd like to celebrate my birthday, but it was her choice...). Maja weighed in at a whopping 16 pounds! Just a month ago she was 4 ounces shy of 14 pounds! That's over 2 pounds in a month! :) She also measured a "leggy" 26 inches - no wonder she's already fitting into some 6 month clothes! We're so blessed to have a healthy and wonderful daughter! Unfortunately though, as a result of the vaccinations, Maja got a fever Friday night and again on Saturday morning... thank goodness for Childrens' Tylenol! We also got the go-ahead from the doctor to start her on some rice cereal in hopes that would make her sleep a little more soundly at night... still waking up every hour and a half or two hours throughout the night... same story for the past two weeks unfortunately. Maybe later today we'll try the cereal - but really, who can sleep the night before Christmas???

The Youngest Raptors Fan Yet...

This past Friday, Maja, Marvin and I headed to the Raptors vs Nets game - our first game as a family (unless of course you count when I was pregnant... in that case this was nothing special)! Maja was very very excited about the whole thing! :) Once Maja was all dressed up in her Chris Bosh (CB4) jersey we were ready to go! Now because the arena was a tad loud to say the least (especially seeing as we were on the lower level right under the speakers) we wanted to make sure we protected our precious Maja's little ear drums. As you can see in this picture below, we stuffed cotton in her ears once the game started! :)
Maja was very well behaved (not a single cry from her... not even when I had to take her away from the game to change the lovely pooh filled diaper she made - she later explained that she was just really excited to be there...)! Being the avid Raptors fan that she is, she watched the game (and the huge TV - aka jumbo-tron) very intently. She even got upset when the refs made bad calls. I happened to catch one of her "Hey Ref! What kind of call was that? Are you blind?" looks...
Part way into the first quarter, Maja started to get a bit sleepy (even with all that noise around) so we strapped her into the Snugli for the night. Here is a shot of the family (as you can see by the little eyes peeking over the Snugli, Maja wasn't asleep yet - although she did manage to fall asleep a little while later)...
And for those of you who know me, you know that although I am a big fan of the Raptors team, I'm also a big fan of the Raptor himself (the team mascot)! My favourite, the inflatable Raptor, unfortunately didn't make an appearance that night, but the Raptor did come up and sit right in front of us. If Maja hadn't fallen asleep by then I would have taken a picture of him holding her! Here's proof of how close I came... :)
Other significant things from that evening were that Marvin and Maja were interviewed by Raptors TV! We're hoping to catch the snipit whenever it airs. We're not sure when that will be so we'll have to be sure to watch (and tape) Raptors TV 24 hours a day so as not to miss it! :) Also, Marvin, after having seasons tickets for 11 years, finally caught one of the "60 Seconds of Madness" t-shirts that the Raptors and Dance Pak were throwing into the crowd! An exciting evening for all!

Then on Saturday, Teta Linda and Uncle Ryan took Marvin, Maja, Baba and myself to Black Creek Pioneer Village for a kick start to the Christmas season. It was a wonderful evening as the whole village was lit by candles and lanterns! Although we saw a bunch of great houses and people playing the roles of those from that era, Maja told me later on that the most memorable part of the evening was when she got to see Santa! Yes folks... Maja got to see Santa first hand! Here is a picture of jolly ol' Saint Nick himself...

All the walking around and learning about how things were done "way back when" made Maja pretty hungry so before we left, Marvin (with Teta Linda keeping a watchful eye) fed Maja her bottle...
Then of course before we headed back to the car we had to pack Maja back up into her snowsuit. With no couch in sight, Marvin and I had to improvise and plunk Maja onto the table to suit her back up...

Yesterday, Grandma came by to help watch Maja so I could get some Christmas shopping done (talk about procrastination...). Here is a shot Grandma took of Maja chomping on the horse's head or as Baba would say "I eat your head!"...
Then after a quick feed, Grandma decided to take Maja on a walk around the area (and of course to the local Starbucks - you know, just to warm up a bit). It was a bit windy so we used the plastic cover to protect our little treasure (don't worry... she could breathe just fine).

Another Busy Day!

As Baba can attest (poor Baba, she has tried to catch up with Maja either by phone or in person at least once each of the past three days and each time were out!), Maja has had a couple of busy days these past couple of days and this morning was no different.

This morning after a quick morning nap, Maja and I packed up and headed to Mississauga to visit our friends Alina, her son David, Tracey and her son Gabriel. As always, the morning was filled with fun, baby chat, some cries (even some sympathy cries from Maja - great not a trick Mommy loves...), some diaper changes and of course some pictures. As for the rest of the day, we plan on just hanging out, eating, napping, playing and then of course watching Survivor tonight! Here are a couple of shots we took.

Here's a group shot of Alina holding Maja, and Tracey with Gabriel...

Here's Maja again in Alina's arms showing off one of her new (and very, very wet - she's a drool machine these days) bibs...
Here's a shot of Gabriel who obviously is not too happy to be having his picture taken (insert sympathy cry from Maja here)...
And you may be wondering where David is all this time... well like the little angel he is (and dressed like today in all white), David was sleeping in his crib in the bedroom. I don't know how he slept through Gabriel and Maja crying, but he did. Here's proof...

And one quick note on Maja's sleeping... last night she slept well once again. Marvin and I are thrilled! Looks like another day without chocolate did the trick! :)

Only 12 More Sleeps Until Christmas!

Or if you're Maja who takes naps throughout the day and wakes up a couple of times a night... only 72 more sleeps until Christmas! Doesn't sound as good for her does it? :) This past Saturday (the morning after "Friday Nights with Teta"), Teta stayed to help us put up our Christmas decorations! The living room looks so cozy now with the tree up and the mantel all decorated - thanks Linda!

Just a quick update about Maja's sleeping (I know Irene... I shouldn't talk about her sleeping! I promise this will be the last time... ok I'll try to make this the last time!). Up until Monday night, Maja had been giving Marvin and I some serious sleep at night! On Sunday night, she slept for seven hours straight before waking up to feed! But alas, all good things must come to an end... Monday night wasn't a great night and then last night we were up again every hour to an hour and a half. :( So of course, at 4 o'clock in the morning, there Marvin and I were... analyzing my diet, Maja's activities, the weather, the alignment of the stars, etc to determine what made her make the switch. We think it might be that I had a bit of sugar over the past couple of days (ie. some pop and a wee bit of chocolate... and I mean a wee bit). Maybe she's just really sensitive to sugar. So needless to say, I'm back going cold turkey! We'll see what tonight brings! Maybe I should include "full nights of sleep" in my letter to Santa... :)

Unfortunately, Baba hasn't been by to see Maja in about a week and a half because she's got a bad sinus infection. For a reminder of how Maja feels about not seeing Baba in such a long time, click here (the first post called "Have You Seen Her?") for how she reacted last time. Of course, Maja is now all grown up so she doesn't get quite as fiesty, but she is still sad she hasn't had a chance to see Baba. Hopefully you're feeling better today Baba!

And of course, what would a blog be without photos for your enjoyment?!? Here you go!

Maja's new trick is to lay on her back and breakdance... ok maybe not, but she has started to lift up her feet and reach for them a lot (which makes changing her a bit tricky, I must say). She's come pretty close to pulling of a sock a couple of times...

Here she is wrestling with Doggy...
Here's her reading to Grandma (based on the look on her face, it looks like she's stumbled across a word she doesn't know)...

Here Maja is enjoying a new view of the basement from her Bumbo chair...

With each passing day, Maja is getting more and more tolerant of tummy-time. Here's a shot of her a couple days ago...

When Maja falls asleep, she always like to touch you. She loves to hold my face (sometimes pinch given her new dexterity...), my fingers, my shirt, etc. Here she had fallen asleep in the Snugli holding on to my arm... I love that!

And here she is waking up full of grins for me...

Maja, The Party Animal!

Friday night, Teta Linda came by for her weekly fill of Maja. But before she cuddled, oggled and played with Maja she made Marvin & I the "Friday Nights With Teta" special, pasta suta (pronounced pashta shuta in Croatian... the meaning of suta is still under debate between Marvin & Linda though). Thanks again Linda! I'm very excited about having left overs for the week! After dinner, Teta got to feed Maja and witness how Maja is becoming more independent by holding on to her own bottle...
In case you're wondering, yes Marvin & I do pay our heating bill... Teta just wanted to wear her cute pink hat (our house isn't that cold)! :)

And of course, after Maja's scrumptous dinner, Teta needed to examine Maja's toes to make sure she hadn't lost any since last weekend. As you can see, all ten of them were accounted for (ok, it looks like there are only nine, but trust me, her little pinkie toe on her right foot was there - it's just shy)...
Last night was the annual Christmas party with Marvin's high school friends. This year, Kathy & Terry were generous enough to open their doors to us rowdy folks (thanks guys!). As always, there was lots of food and laughs. Included in the yummy food was some delicious potato salad that Jen made (thanks for the stash, Jen... I think I beat my old record - I'm already finished it... less than 24 hours later - I think I feel sick...)! Here is picture of Jen holding Maja...
Among others, in attendance at last night's party were Sonia & Carlos who are expecting twins this coming May (congrats again to you guys - we couldn't be happier for you!). Here is a picture of Sonia practicing her mothering skills with Maja (Maja was very comfortable with her... she must've sensed that she's a mom)...
And what would a Christmas party be without having a shot of all of the gals? Well here we all are - In the back we have Jen, me, Maja, Serena, Jen, Carol & her daughter Nicole (2 1/2 years old), Sandra, Debbie and Sonia; in the front we have Kathy (the hostess with the mostess), Paula & her daughter Shannon (only 13 days old!) and Sharon. What you can't see is that little Georgie (Sandra's eldest son) also wanted to be in this "girls only" picture and managed to squeeze his way in between the front of Jen and the back of Paula! What a character! :)

Maja would like to let both Grandma & Baba know that she heard they aren't feeling well and would like to let them know that she's thinking of them and she hopes they feel better soon!

And one final note, we just heard that Baba's bird (Kota) has a new home - Baba sold him to a nice gentleman earlier today who will no doubt take good care of her. Maja will give you a big hug when you come by next to help you feel better... oh wait a second, Maja just said that if Baba wants, she'll also learn how to say "Squak... Kota!" or "Squak... Pretty Bird!" for Baba if that will make her feel better! :)

Maja Over The Months...

Marvin and I were just watching Maja play on her mat and were commenting how much she's grown up! In risk of spoiling you guys, I thought I'd update for the second time today with pictures of her as she grows up! Enjoy!

August 23 - Minutes Old...
August 24 - 1 Day Old...

August 30 - 1 Week Old...

September 6 - 2 Weeks Old...

September 13 - 3 Weeks Old...

September 20 - 4 Weeks Old...

October 3 - Almost 6 Weeks Old...

October 23 - 2 Months Old...

November 22 - Almost 3 Months Old...

Hope you enjoyed walking down memory lane with us!

What's New With Maja?

As I'm sure most of you have guessed by the fact I haven't updated the blog in a while, things around here have been busy. Since I last updated, a couple of exciting things have happened in Maja-land!

First and most importantly, this past Sunday Maja was baptised and is now officially a Catholic! I was a bit worried about how she would do during the whole service (total of 5 babies were baptised so the service lasted just over an hour) because (as we all know) Maja hadn't been sleeping well the past little while. But I'm proud to say that Maja was an angel during the whole thing! In fact, the poor little girl beside us started to wail (it was her feeding time and she had missed her nap apparently) and Maja didn't even flinch! :) We were all so proud. After the service, we all posed for photos (thanks to Grandma & Doug for taking the pictures and to Uncle Ryan for taking the video) then headed back to Baba's place for tasty food (thanks to Baba for all of her running around and her hard work). Although Maja was the star of the show back at Baba's (it was her day afterall), the attention did get drawn away from her once the roasted pig came out for dinner! My nephews, Will & Graham were very curious about the whole thing. And we were all impressed when they tried some of it (as did Grandma) and liked it. Graham, the comedian, commented that he liked the taste of it and that it tasted like chicken. To which, Baba offered that maybe the pig was a different version of chicken but Graham told Baba that he thought the pig tasted like chicken because it probably ate a chicken just beforehand! :) Kids crack me up! Anyhow, here are some photos from the baptism for you guys.

Our little angel all dressed up. Maja wore my christening dress (my Grandma on my mother's side hand smocked it for me) underneath part of Marvin's baptism gown and his cap (that his God-Mother gave him) and we covered her in the crocheted (or knitted?) blanket that my Nana (my Grandma on my father's side) made for my sister's baptism...
Here we are waiting for the service to begin (from left to right are Marvin, Teta Linda (aka kuma or God-Mother in Croatian), Auntie Sandra (aka Christian witness or second God-Mother so to speak), me and of course Maja...
Part way through the service, Maja fell asleep! Her latest sleeping aid is holding on to my hair as you can see...

Here Maja is having the water poured on her head. I was so proud of her here... she was dead to the world asleep and when the cold water poured on her head, she just opened her eyes quickly, looked startled, then fell back asleep! What an angel...
Here she is after having the oil rubbed on her forehead and crown (please note - still sleeping)...
"Hooray, I'm Catholic!"

Maja examining her baptism candle...
Maja examining the desserts back at Baba's place. If you had any doubt that she was my daughter, just look at the way she's "eyeing" the chocolate cake and you'll know for sure she's my daughter...
Just a quick note to say that we felt like all of Maja's Great-Grandparents were with us that day given her outfit was a culmination of items they made and also because Baba found (and used) a tea set that Baba's mother owned years back. It was nice to have the whole family there!

And second, not only did Sunday mark the day Maja became Catholic, it marked the first day in at least 4 or 5 months that I didn't have any chocolate or caffeine! Because I had tried everything else to get Maja to sleep, I thought I'd finally admit that I needed to give up chocolate and caffeine because maybe it was the sugar and caffeine that was preventing Maja from sleeping well. Although she didn't sleep well at all on Sunday night (she had a very busy day and was probably suffering from sugar withdrawl the same way I was that day...), I am very excited to let you all know that she has slept much better since then. She is no longer waking up every hour (knock on wood)! She has even given me 2 hour and a half long naps over the past three days and she doesn't wail unconsolably like she used to! :) My mom asked me if I find it hard not to eat chocolate, but I don't, not as long as I suspect that's what's helping her sleep! I'll keep you guys posted on the progress!

Then on Monday, my nephew Graham turned a whopping 5 years old! Can you believe it? Little Graham is growing up so fast! So Happy Belated Birthday to Graham (don't worry, I called on behalf of Marvin & Maja on his actual birthday to wish him a Happy Birthday... I'm not a bad Auntie, really)! Graham, next time Marvin, Maja & I see you we'll bring our gift for you! Hope you had a great day!

Last night as part of our bedtime routine Marvin (or should I say Maja - see below) gave Maja a bottle before her bath...

Then after the filling meal, Maja thought she should try to catch 40-winks..
Still catching the 40-winks...
This morning, Maja was hanging out on her mat playing with the overhanging toys. This is a new toy for her... although she did have it before, she wasn't very interested in it. But now that she's starting to grab a lot more, this is more fun for her...

Maja has really started to use her hands a lot more these days... she's grabbing my hair and face a lot and she's also starting to "talk" more. And I have to say that she also seems a lot more happy (and smiley) over the past couple of days. I think it's because she's getting more solid sleeps. Anyhow, I hear her in the monitor, I should get going!