Nearing the End of Our Vacation Together...

Well into his 7th week of life this side of the womb, Fischer continues to change by the minute. He can roll onto his right side from his back, and enjoys tummy time. His neck, arms and legs are getting stronger all the time. Joe and I marvel at all of the sounds he makes when he "talks" to us. He is really responsive and is quick to smile and coo.

We visit with Joe's family members on a regular basis. The last time we went to see them, Kaylee gave Fischer some sweet kisses!

It seems we're even better at knowing what Fischer needs when he fusses. He's getting more predictable as far as his schedule goes. We were over-joyed this week Wednesday and Friday when he slept "through the night" (6 hours!!!). Granted, it was in his swing, but we'll take anything longer than the 3 hour chunks of sleep we have been getting! A happy rested mom plus a happy rested baby equals a great start to the day! At least Fischer seems to know the difference between night and day--he doesn't try to hang out and talk during the night. When he wakes, he's strictly about eating, being changed, and getting back to sleep. What a good guy!

This may be one of my favorite photos so far--check out his hint-of-a-dimple in his left cheek. I never could have imagined how big his personality and charm could be while he's still so little!

This coming Wednesday, July 30th, both Fischer and I start back full-time at daycare. We'll both need some time to adjust to being ready to go on time every morning, but I think it'll work out just fine.

I can't believe how quickly the time has gone since Fischer arrived. It feels like summer's barely gotten here, and it's more than half-over! We were looking back at some of his first pictures. It's really something to see how skinny he was at the start, how his eyes didn't quite focus together, and how loooong he slept back then. Now, as you can see, he's filling out nicely, his eyes are focusing, and he's awake and telling us stories more and more each day. He's just so darn much fun!!!!

First Day at Daycare

On Thursday, July 17, Fischer spent his first day at daycare. I was very busy the night before making sure we had everything packed and any last minute instructions for his teachers straightened out. When we got to Bright Beginnings, we went straight to the baby room, where Ms. Diane P. and Ms. Teresa were all smiles to see us. I put his things away and changed him while I told the teachers how his morning was and gave them details about his care (as if I hadn't already written them a NOVEL on his intake paperwork!). As I was getting ready to go, Fischer was hungry, so he started eating with Ms. Diane. I kissed him good-bye, and was out the door.
I was shaking a little--adrenaline, I suppose, but no tears! When I called a couple hours later to check in, Ms. Holly said that she ended up having the magic touch to get Fischer to finish his first bottle (after 2 other teachers had tried). He does that for Daddy sometimes, too. When I arrived to pick him up, I found him snoozing in the swing. He had been good for them all day, and had even finished another bottle for Ms. Amanda--yay! I didn't want to disturb him, so I hung out in the classroom for awhile and then finally went to visit with Holly in the office. I had gotten there at 3:00. Finally, at 5:00 I decided we had better get going. When I came back into the classroom, he was just starting to stir. So I changed his diaper, we said good-bye to his teachers and friends (by now Ms. Heather had taken Ms. Diane's spot for the day), and I nursed him in the office before we left. It was a great day, and both of us survived!

Friday afternoon, Fischer and I went for a long hot walk from our house to our bank downtown to deposit some checks and get some fresh air and exercise. Boy were both of us warm when we returned! It was a beautiful day, but we could've used a bit more shade :)
On Friday evening, we were invited out to Red Lobster for my friend Emily's birthday. Our neighbor Chris and her daughter Taylor volunteered to babysit so Joe and I could have our first evening out without our boy. We had a great time, and came home to a good report! Fischer had eaten pretty well for them and was content, played a lot and was generally pretty happy (except for a brief fussy time).

Yesterday was Saturday. We didn't do anything too special other than hanging out as a family and trying to keep cool.
So far today, Fischer's had a very long awake time--he didn't take his first nap until 5 hours after he'd woken up for the day! We "talked" a lot, he hung out in his play gym (which he LOVES), and even pooped all over the changing table when Mom was too slow in getting the new diaper on! We've been using g-diapers with washable flannel inserts while at home--the inserts they sell for them are compostable and flushable, but quite expensive. So we're down with doing a little extra laundry and using store-bought diapers only over night or when we're on the go. We also have to use store-bought at daycare. Oh well, at least we're being a bit greener and cheaper at home! Thanks, Kristy & Tom (Flora's a g-diaper kid).

Told Ya He Was SMILIN'!

Finally--caught one on camera! We've been enjoying grins like this one and many others with open mouth and big cheeks for about a week now :) At 6 weeks, all three of us have something to smile about!

6 weeks ALREADY! Such a time of change...

Who's 6 weeks old? I AM!

Yesterday Fischer turned 6 weeks old! Moms always say how quickly "the time" goes, but seriously, where did it go?! I've been journaling Fischer's feedings, naps and diaper changes to see what kind of pattern he has. This will be valuable information for us when he starts daycare in about 2 weeks. I actually wish I had started the journaling sooner, because I don't have to remember when he last ate, pooped or slept when it's right there in the notebook! It's not even that he has a real routine, yet, it's just nice to know he'll be hungry around such-and-such time, or he's over-tired because he only had a couple short naps today.

On my third day of journaling (this past Sunday), he was eating for 10 minutes or less at each feeding (that's a short time for him), and sleeping like crazy. I was a little concerned, but according to his changings, he was still filling his diapers like a champ. Then, the next day (Monday), he switched gears and wanted to eat tons (20-25 minutes at a time) at practically every feeding, and slept very little. It seems over these past 3 days or so, Fischer has gotten so big!

We will soon start feeding him my milk from a bottle a couple of times per day, to try and get him used to what he'll be doing at daycare. I'm going to try and break free to nurse him around lunchtime, and fit in a pumping session once in the morning and once in the afternoon (also when the teachers will be giving him bottles). It's nice that he'll be at work with me, and we can certainly hang out together, but Mom has to do her job, too, and that involves lots of phone calls, computer work, and being available for parents, staff and kids. Luckily I have the greatest co-director in the world--Holly--whose little guy Collin also attends BB. Both of us will find a balance with all of our working mommy stuff.

In keeping with our daycare preparations, Fischer has been starting to nap (usually once a day) in his crib!!! He has to be super-tired to stay asleep in there. Otherwise, he likes to sleep in our arms (of course) or in his swing. Speaking of swings, the "old" model is up and running again--apparently Joe gave it "a few good whacks" and we're back in business! So that swing stays home, and his new portable swing is useful in the basement, outside, and on day trips.
All of the literature says that babies hit their peak for fussiness and crying around 6 weeks, and first start to fall into some sort of schedule--just in time for them to be old enough to start daycare! So it's no wonder that when we, at daycare, ask new moms to fill out all kinds of detailed info about their child's "routine" they sometimes have a hard time being specific! Having just filled out his paperwork this week, I know exactly how those moms feel :)

Fischer is going to "try" daycare for the first time tomorrow--just a few hours while I go to the spa and have some pampering done. My co-workers got me a spa giftcard for my baby shower and I had a nice massage and pedicure scheduled when I was 39 weeks pregnant, figuring that if the pedicure "got things going" that I was only a week from my due date anyway. Well, as it turned out, Fischer was born the day before my massage appointment! So, now that he's a little older and I've gotten the hang of pumping while he's gotten the hang of bottles, we can be apart from each other for more than 2 hours. I'm excited for him to see what daycare is all about.

When we visited Bright Beginnings yesterday to drop off his paperwork, we enjoyed staying a bit longer than we have previously--the air conditioning was a relief! Holly and Denise and some of my other friends at work got to see him happy and alert--on previous visits, he was asleep in his carseat the whole time.

Last Thursday (photo/s to come), Fischer, Joe and I joined our neighbors (Chris and Mike Casperson) for a day while they were on their annual camping vacation up near Stephenson, Michigan at Shaky Lakes campground. Joe's parents (Dorothy and Mike Liska) have a pontoon boat on Long Lake that they keep at their neighbors' cabin (Judy and Mike Stankevitz). Shaky and Long lakes are just two among several conjoined lakes there. So Joe and Mike C. took the canoe across the lake and got Mike S. to drive Mike L.'s pontoon back to the campsite. All of us climbed on and had a wonderfully relaxing and scenic ride around the whole lake. Enough Mikes for one story, I think (and there are more Mikes in Joe's family and among our friends!) Unfortunately, I forgot my camera. Fischer was a little fussy at first. We had disrupted him to board the boat--he was playing just fine in his padded screened-in "pod", thank you very much! But he enjoyed the cruise nonetheless. We saw a lot of deer, a loon, turtles, and lots of other wildlife along the banks of the lakes.

This past Monday, Kristina and Kaylee came by for their weekly visit. Donna even dropped in to hang out for a bit and say "hi". We didn't get our stroller time in, but we had a nice visit inside. Kaylee was all over the place! She's 7 months old tomorrow. She used Joe as a climber at one point, and was interested in watching him eat some pasta salad.

First 4th of July

This weekend we went up to Tomahawk (my hometown) for the 4th of July, which we spend with my dad and brother every year. Usually we camp at our land on the Tomahawk River, but Joe and I thought we'd better keep it simple this year, and stayed with Grampa Ken and his friend Grace at her house. It's hard to see in the pic, but Fischer's bib says "Baby's First 4th". Grampa Ken was very pleased to see how much Fischer's grown and how quickly he's developing. Fischer did a little cooing and "told some stories", and we've even gotten a couple of quick smiles out of him (still unsure whether they're from gas or on purpose). When he gets more in the habit, you can bet we'll be posting his great big grins on the blog! Grampa looks forward to showing Fischer around up north and going for some tractor and loader rides!
On Saturday, Fischer and I went to my high school friend Angie's house for her 30th birthday party. We got to see a few other high school and college friends and their significant others. It was a good time, and Fischer was very well-behaved.
The night of the 5th, we drove out to White Lake for their fireworks display (we were too tuckered out on the 4th to see them in Tomahawk). For years, Uncle Nate and his friends have been going to White Lake, tailgating all day, and watching the awesome fireworks display at night. Thousands of people go to see it. This was the year we finally made it! However, we're sorry to say, it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment because it only lasted about 20 minutes! Oh well. The big booms didn't bother Fischer (although they annoyingly set off someone's car alarm repeatedly!), and he seemed interested in the bright lights. Not too shabby for his first fireworks.
Now that we're back in Green Bay again, it's all about keeping cool. Looks like we're going to be hanging out in the basement and/or our air-conditioned bedroom again. Who says wearing just a diaper isn't a fashion statement?

Happy 1 Month Birthday, Fischer!

Fischer is already one month old! Where did the time go? Here are some pics of him with Daddy.

Remember how much Fischer likes his swing? Well, this morning when he was feeling fussy, I thought a little swinging time was what he'd like to settle down. To my horror and dismay, the swing had pooped out!!!!!! NOOOOOO!!! So, I went to the store at 5:45 a.m. and bought Fischer a new swing (just like they have at daycare). On the upside, he likes his new swing, too. Also, his old swing had lots of miles on it having been used all day every day in its time at daycare. At least we got a week of life out of it to even figure out that Fischer likes swinging (some children don't want anything to do with them, and then their families are out that money). Well, let me tell you, Joe and I like Fischer's swing just as much as he does!

Today, Grammy Pam and Grandpa Bill came to visit us. Fischer showed them his fussy side (darn gas!), and also his quiet alert side. He was fascinated by Bill's glasses.

Fischer has given us a couple of quick little smiles, but we're not sure yet that they're intentional. From the sneak peeks we've gotten, his is going to be a killer grin!!! Happy first month birthday, Kiddo!

Enjoying the Fresh Air

On Monday, Fischer and I went for a nice walk with Joe's niece (my friend) Kristina, and her daughter cousin Kaylee. By the time we returned, Kaylee was passed out!
On Tuesday, Fischer and I went with Kristy and Flora to the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary. We went earlier in the day, because it was going to get quite hot outside. When we arrived, a lot of the animals were first returning to their areas after being inside--we weren't sure if it was so their areas could be cleaned, or so they could be in the air conditioning. In any case, we got to see the cougar lounging in the shade, bobcats wrestling, the otter stretched out on a cool rock, and a turtle swimming.
After we saw the animals, it was time to feed the ducks and geese some corn. Of course, Fischer slept through it all, but Flora had fun.