Big loves to my Oma and Opa, who are celebrating their wedding anniversary tonight! If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be here right now. Literally. I mean, if they never met, they wouldn't have had my dad, and if my dad never existed, where would I be? Nowhere, man! I had a great time with them at Christmas this year, and I hope that I can visit them in Ottawa very soon!
Got your nose!
Got your beer!
Yay! Today I had a visit from my teta Meli and cika Mladen. For those of you who don't know about Meli--which is unlikely since she posts a comment on every single one of my blogs--she is a very special friend of the family. You may remember that she threw a baby shower at her house back on June 17th. I hadn't seen her since the summer, and she was really surprised to see how big I've grown. In fact, I think I may have weighed half as much as I do now!
AOV
AOV
Today Blake and I decided to go out for a fancy lunch. Unfortunately we're waaay too little to drive so we had to bring our mommies with us. As an added bonus, we also had auntie Laura along to make sure they didn't get out of hand. Well, the food was mediocre, the service was terrible, but oh man was it great to get out of the house and hang out with some old friends.
Or is it Channukah?
My apologies to all the other babies out there, but I'm afraid I must inform you that my mommy is the BEST!
Hey, it's uncle Brad from Toronto! Brad and my mommy go way back -over 10 years! So I guess you could say he's a special guy. The first time I met him was in the hospital not long after we lost Oliver. The last time we met was way back when I first came home (top photo). Both times I was a not really in the mood for socializing, so I never really got to know him. So last weekend we hung out a LOT to make up for lost time. I think he's a pretty funny guy.
This whole solid food thing isn't so hard. I just wait for mommy to put the food on the spoon and then she puts it into my mouth. Voila!
Yeah, that's right, I'm a tough guy. And any one who says I'm not a fighter has to answer to this guy over here: Six-time Ultimate Fighting Champion and Mixed Martial Arts legend Randy "The Natural" Couture.
Due to popular demand, I am posting a pic of me in my Halloween costume. Spicy! The one thing I couldn't get used to was these crazy mitts that were built in. It's frustrating not knowing where your hands are at all times!
Daddy and I had a great time reading books today. I can totally relate to this story: there's this cat and he's wearing a hat and he makes a huge mess in the house. That is so much like me, except that I'm not a cat and I'm not wearing a hat. 
Yay! Aunt Becky (or Aunt Be as I like to call her) came to visit me for a few days. And to a lesser extent, to visit my parents. We hung out a lot and she taught me to dance. Well it's more of a frantic flailing around in my baby seat, but hey--rhythm is rhythm.
Woah, I'm a big kid! I went to the doctor today and I'm now at 5730 grams! That is a full 5 kilos over my birth weight! And I'm now 2 feet tall. If I was standing up, that is. Only I can't on the account that I'm still a baby.
It's hard to believe, but as of today I have been at home longer than I was in the hospital. Being at home is awesome, and although I miss the ladies at the NICU, I don't ever want to stay there again! So people ask me, "Andrej, what have you learned in your first 111 days at home?"
That's me on the left, followed by Blake, Yasmine, Ulysse and Etienne. We had a great time reminiscing about our times in the NICU and talking about baby stuff, like bottles, diapers and the latest developments in Baby Einstein gear.
Later, we decided that our moms needed to get out and get some fresh air, so we all piled into our strollers and went for a long, er, stroll along the river. Mommy was especially well behaved so she was allowed to have a coffee later.
Yeah, me and Blake clowning around as usual.
So this was MY Thanksgiving dinner. No, it's not pureed turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes and gravy, it's the good ol' boob-juice. As always. But my naughty daddy cheated and gave me my first taste of big-boy food! I tried some cranberry sauce and squash, which I loved! It was just a little taste, not a full meal, because that might be a little too much for me. They're looking to give me a full meal at Christmas, so it's good that I get a little practice in before then!
It's getting colder, and that means a lot more preparation involved in getting me out the door. Looking at this picture, it's hard to imagine those lazy summer days when I wore nothing much more than a diaper and a smile outside. But that's OK since it gives mommy a chance to go shopping for more outfits for me. It's a regular fashion show here every day! I think by the time I was wrangled into this ensemble mommy and daddy had forgotten where they were going with me. Oh well. I still got a nice walk out of the deal.
Hey look everyone! It's my old friend Jocelyn from the NICU. Auntie J used to look after me during the overnight shifts, and let me tell you, we had a party almost every night! I say almost since some nights I was being a brat. Especially the night she saved my life. That was pretty cool. Jocelyn has a very special record with me in that every shift she worked she looked after me. No other nurse can make that claim! She was also the first person to give me a bath. She is also very special to my mom and dad, particularly at the beginning when they were staying all night with me--she encouraged them and gave me extra love and care. What an inspiration you are, auntie J!
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!
At least it made for a great photo op with mom!
AOV
What better way to spend the last days of good weather than a walk with your parents!
Can't... concentrate... on... blog. Must... watch... mobile. 
Hey Everyone, look how happy I am!
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.
