How Do You Like THESE Apples?

I had a really great time with my parents today. They took me for the longest car ride I've ever had to a big farm with lots of trees. But not just any trees. These were apple trees!

We had a quick ride on a tractor into the orchard where I finally saw a real apple. I have a picture of an apple on one of my Baby Einstein blocks, but here I got to touch and smell one for the first time in its' natural environment. Well, as you can see from this picture I wasn't too impressed--I was a little preoccupied with trying to shove my entire fist in my mouth. It was for science, trust me.

At least it made for a great photo op with mom!

On to the apple picking! We got a big bag to put our apples in, and since I decided to have a little boob-snack in the middle of the orchard, the job of picking fell to dad. Someone forgot to tell him that we were there to spend as much time in the outdoors as possible, because he filled that bag in about 2 minutes. I guess it's all that picking experience he got from growing up on Opa's farm. I'm glad they didn't charge us by the weight because dad ate so many apples they would have to weigh him on the way out! (I thought I was being witty with that line, until daddy told me that it's the oldest pick-your-own joke in the book. One of those "If I had a dollar for every time..." sort of things. Hey, I'm just a baby! Everything's new to me!)

Of course, being a little guy with no teeth i wasn't able to enjoy the fruits of our labour, but I'm only about 3 months away from my first taste of apple sauce, so at least I have that to look forward to. Nice haul, dad!

So after the picking we opted to walk back to the car instead of waiting for the tractor, which in hindsight may not have been the best idea since mommy and daddy forgot where they parked. After walking up and down the street a couple of times, they remembered where they left the car. We picked up a pie and some nice paté and some apple juice and had a little picnic.

Like I said, a great day!
AOV

Hey here's some quick updates...

You'll be happy to know that I hit THREE major weight landmarks recently. The first was when I hit 10 pounds, 4 ounces, which is significant because that's how much my daddy weighed when he was born. What a big daddy! That's a bit of a weird landmark to celebrate, but hey, we're starved for news, I guess.
But today I hit a big one, though. Two at the same time, actually. Today I weighed in at a mighty 5 kilos!!! And since we've been noting the pounds as well, that just happens to be a little over 11 pounds!!!
I've been growing quite a bit, and we're finding that I am starting to outgrow some of my 3-6 month old clothes, even though my corrected age is only 3 months! Crazy! So now when mommy and daddy are shopping for me they need to aim a little higher, like in the 6-9 or 9-12 month range. I am so high-maintenance already!


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In Repose...

Don't know what I'm thinking about here but it's probably important.

Maybe food.


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Family Outing

What better way to spend the last days of good weather than a walk with your parents!

It all started when daddy decided that he needed a beer. But not just any old beer--he wanted a freshly poured draft beer. And what better way to get a fresh beer than to go directly to the brewery? So we all piled into the car and headed down to the Lachine canal for a little walk to the McAuslan brewery. Yay! My first visit to a brewery! It won't be the last.


Here I am NOT having a beer on the banks of the Lachine canal.


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Be With You In A Moment...

Can't... concentrate... on... blog. Must... watch... mobile.

Can... only... type... in... fragmented... sentences...


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Mr. Happy

Hey Everyone, look how happy I am!

Recently I figured out how to show everyone just how happy I am by laughing my little head off. I thought that it was about time, seeing as though I've already mastered how to show that I'm angry! As you know, I've been smiling for quite a while (see my happy baby video at the bottom!) but I was surprised as mommy and daddy when I made a noise while laughing. My little baby giggles are yet another weapon in my arsenal of cuteness. You cannot resist me now!


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I Get No Respect

Ha Ha. Very funny dad.

Hey Man, Where Ya Been?

Well, it's been a while since I last logged in, but believe me there was plenty of stuff going on.

First of all, my Baka came back from her trip to Croatia, and she barely recognized me! I had grown so much in the 3 weeks she was gone. Of course, being the proud baka that she is, she brought home a gigantic bag full of stuff for me, including clothes, toys and a small library of story books in Croatian (Hvala teta Juliji koja je izabrala knjige mom tati da nauci Hrvatski). Haha, mom and dad only got 1 shirt each! In the picture to right I am wearing my new soccer scarf, ready to cheer on like a true Torcida! Also, check out my first pair of Adidas, courtesy of Uncle Zlatko. Did you know that Adidas stands for "All Day I Dream About Soccer?"

A couple of days later I had a lovely visit from teta Katica and teta Ljubica, two of the ladies in my Balkan Posse. They've been following my progress closely and were delighted to see how much of hulk I've become! Apparently Katica's granddaughter Sofia is yet another girlfriend of mine. How many is that now? Man, I've lost count. They brought me some nice new clothes, including a really cute sleeper that will come in handy around Christmas time. Usually when people bring me clothes, it's stuff that I will end up wearing weeks or months from the time I get them. It's a good idea, actually, because that way it's guaranteed to fit me me eventually. That said, there's a certain symbolic timing to teta Katica and teta Ljubica's visit, as they were there at my baby shower back in June, and it's just now that I am getting to wear a lot of the clothes I got then.

Fast forward a few days and there was a little crisis we had to deal with. Mommy noticed that I wasn't gaining much weight, and my poop was really dark and smelly. At first we thought that it might be some intestinal bleeding caused by a food allergy I had developed, which may have included an allergic reaction to milk protein. This has been known to happen to some kids like me. Just to be safe, I was brought to the hospital for some tests, where it was revealed that everything is ok, and that the yucky poop is caused by my iron supplements and my minimal weight gain is normal. It is typical for all babies to have plateau periods in their weight gain.

And then to cap off the week we had a visit from my great uncle Pete and aunt France from British Columbia. They set the record for having traveled the furthest to see me. Well ok, they had other stuff to do here, but still, BC is pretty far! I got a cool new blanket from them that matches my room perfectly. I can't wait until I'm old enough to ski, because they live in Whistler and I am for sure going to be visiting them!

So all in all a busy week. Hope to see you sooner next time!


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I Love My Oma

Today is a very special day because it is my Oma's birthday. My Oma has been there for me and my parents since even before the very first day. She was there when my brother passed away, holding him in her arms while she prayed for him. She was there when mommy and daddy were at the hospital day and night, making sure they had home-cooked meals and a clean house to return to. She was there when I came home. Even when she wasn't actually there, she was there.

I can't wait until I am big enough to travel, because I really want to go visit my Oma in Ottawa. I'm too little to pay her back in kindness, so she'll have to take changing my dirty diapers as payment for now. Until then, I look forward to her next visit.

I love you Oma!


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I Get Around

Whew! I'm bushed! I've had busy days in the past, but this one has to rank up there as one of the busiest.

It started with me depriving my parents of sleep from about 3am onward. Some day I'll learn how to sleep when they sleep, but in the mean time, the wee small hours are time for this wee small guy to have some fun.

Morning arrived and we were off to the Children's Hospital to see my occupational therapist, Rena (that's her in the photo). She hadn't seen me since I was just a lil' spud in the NICU learning how to suck on a bottle. What a shock she got! I'm totally pro at the bottle now, of course, and it looks as though my development is right on track for a 2 month old baby. I know, I know, I'm almost 6 months, but us preemies track our development milestones according to how old we would be had we stayed put in the womb. This is called Corrected Age. So long story short, I am doing very well for my corrected age. Score!

Then we had to go drop daddy off at work. Everyone there has been following the blog for months now and were always asking him when I would come in for a visit. And apparently today was the day! I say apparently because I don't recall any of it. I was so crashed out, the only evidence I have of my first visit to McGill is this photo with some of the ladies at daddy's office. Looks like I have quite the fan club! Sorry about my lack of action today--I really do appreciate all the love and support, and I send my love right back to you!


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Milk Machine

Here's a picture of me just before we went to see the lactation consultants at the hospital. Mommy used to be having trouble with producing enough milk for me, but the two of us figured it out, and production is at an all time high. I'm excited because I get to have nothing but breast milk to eat, mommy is excited because she can supply me with all my food, and daddy is excited because mommy is a D-cup.

I've been an eating machine lately, averaging over 700ml each day! Some days it seems as though I eat for about 7 hours straight before I actually fall asleep. But all this eating is helping me grow big and strong! I've just surpassed the 4500 gram mark, and I'll probably be hitting that crucial 10 pound mark some time this week.

Stay tuned!


AOV