Memorial Day Weekend, Just Papa & Fischer

Hey!! It’s me ... Joe. I am the guy who is working the funky hours and.....Well Fischer and I had a great time this weekend--he and I got to do a lot of things!

It all started in a forest ... right around the next corner ... when Ooops ... wrong story... I meandered home Friday evening at an early hour and surprised Val, Taylor and Chris (the crazy neighbor girls) that I was home so early. Well, I was, and the Caspersons were the least excited--they were looking forward to babysitting until I was expected home after Fischer's bedtime. So as a compromise I went to the Dungeon. They had fun hangin' out for a few hours. They got him bathed and down, so I was not too far to follow.

Because after getting to sleep for a few longer hours Saturday morning, we had a great breakfast and were off to see the ducks at the Wildlife Sanctuary. Riding comfortably in the bike trailer, he made it to Baird St. then he was down for the count. The point of our journey was so that we could see what the fishing rules are at the lagoons…. Something special is going on there. Ok then …maybe next time. Rummage sale here… not yet ready there… humm going home … more sleep…

Ahhh awake and it is time to go see Joess and Nina and George! In the bike again …. I think that the helmet is superfluous.. the kid is in this cage and an ever-present parent…. Maybe like a Goose and Gander… we’ll see.

Oh if you didn’t see the garden at Weitzel's, you are in for a treat! New pond, happy flowers and a piece of melon for all. Grab a plant from the basement and you earned a spot at the dinner table! Fischer was gettin' antsy and wanted to go on a bike ride so I packed him up and we went to Zesty's on Fox Point. Chocolate malt… to go please! The wind was at our back on the way home so it was smooth sailin'…

Ok we made it in time to get the butt changed and a refresher at home so we had to grab some asparagas and head it back in the VW to Weitzel's. Then dinner was happening! Singin' forks and a happy napkin. Guacamole, asparagas chicken made at least 3 different ways… a short walk in the evening sun and we are off again to see our friend, Mr. Rogers in De Pere. He wanted to keep Fischer… but I said no … they offered me money … I said no. They offered free babysitting …… talk to Val. We had our short stay and were headed to home and more sleep. Sleeping went well… tent sleeping is coming up soon I think. So that is more together time.

Woke up Sunday morning, and hung out on the porch and in the livingroom while I got them clean so that Fischer can play in either room. He didn’t work on the walkin' part too much.
After all the bike rides & playin' & sleepin' & lookin' & eatin' & visitin'… We were thinkin', look how quick I can be weaned & that someone special was missin' AND…

Then Mom came home! Mom was happy! I was happy!

Happy Happy JOY JOY

Beginning of Summer & Meeting a Doggy

On Saturday (May 16), I had a morning filled with rummage sales (with friend Jenny in Luxemberg), while the boys hung out at home. That evening we went for an impromptu family bike ride before supper. We wanted to visit George and Joess who live just over the river from us. It was Fischer's second time in the bike trailer, but our first time out as a family using it. Fischer wasn't a big fan of his helmet because it is thick and when he was strapped into the trailer, the helmet made his head go forward so his chin was always on his chest. So we folded up a towel to put behind him, and Fischer was a bit more comfortable. It was a windy ride, but the temperature was perfect for riding. After our garden walk with George and Joess, we stopped at Taco Burrito Mexico for a yummy dinner before we rode home for the evening.
On Monday, May 18, our friend Ryan celebrated his birthday with a cook-out at his house. The Enz family was there with Flora and Leo. Fischer got to play for the first time with our friend Natalie's daughter, Lyra, who is three. She was very kind and willingly shared her toys. I brought along Fischer's activity table to share.

Fischer was ever-so excited to see Amy's dog Cheyenne, again. The first time he'd seen her, a few days before, he was very uneasy at first and didn't let her out of his sight while he was clamped onto me like a monkey. Fischer's not been around dogs, and they are much bigger and move faster than kitties! But when he saw Cheyenne this time, he was cautious at first, but warmed up to her quickly. It also helps that Cheyenne is the biggest sweetheart of a dog ever!

Fischer was signing puppy (patting his hand against his thigh) and making happy exclaimations as he got to pet her.

He followed Cheyenne around quite a bit! She even laid down and offered Fischer her belly to scratch. He hugged her, but seemed unsure which end to pet first...she's so big, and had such a busy waggly tail!

Cheyenne was very mellow and tolerant of Fischer touching her and following her around.

It wasn't long before they were friends :)

Fischer is now actively using baby sign language. He can "say" more, milk, eat, puppy and even combined more and milk the other day (after he threw his cup on the floor at daycare)! He says "boo" when playing peek-a-boo, even if he's playing with his reflection in the mirror. Fischer hasn't taken off walking, yet, but he's getting more and more confident, and can take 4-5 steps unassisted.

We have begun actively weaning him from breastfeeding. I still have enough of a freezer supply that I'll send to daycare for the next 2 weeks, seeing him through his first birthday. But we are down to only bedtime and midnight nursings! Yesterday was my last day pumping at work. This weekend, Joe and Fischer will be bachelors, as I am going to visit my friend Jess in Milwaukee for a girls weekend and trip to Ikea. This will be the longest I've been away from Fischer, and will give both of us (hopefully) an opportunity to get used to not nursing or being nursed. I'll bring my pump to keep things flowing for the bedtime nursing, which I wouldn't mind continuing a bit longer. But it'd be nice to cut out that middle of the night nursing session. I'm so proud we successfully nursed for a year!!!!! We make a good team :)

Have a fun weekend, everyone!

Mother's Day Weekend & Visit with Grandpa Ken

We finally got pics of Fischer's newest tricks--peek a boo and blowing kisses. There's a new video to see on the Fisch Finder, too!

For Mother's Day weekend, Joe planned to go up north fishing like the weekend before, but he ended up discouraged by the rain, and stayed home. Fischer and I took off on Saturday morning to head up to Tomahawk to see Grandpa Ken and Grace, play with Grace's great-granddaughter Hailey (who's 2 months younger than Fischer), and to see Uncle Nate.

Fischer was a great travel companion. When we took off bright and early immediately after breakfast, it wasn't long before he was sleeping. He woke right when we arrived at Grace's house. After a snack, Grace's granddaughter Kim came over with her daughter Hailey. Kim helped me and Fischer out quite a bit by loaning us Hailey's pack-n-play for Fischer to sleep in, and letting us borrow some of Hailey's toys. The kids enjoyed crawling all around and parallel playing. They didn't really play with each other, but seemed to get a kick out of watching each other play and crawl around. Thanks again, Kim!

When Kim and Hailey left, it was nap time. Fischer slept well in the pack-n-play. We hung out with Grandpa Ken and Grace and played a little more. Grandpa Ken gives the best airplane rides!

Next we went out to dinner at the Silver Birch where we met Uncle Nate. We had a very yummy meal (in honor of Mother's Day), and Fischer entertained the whole restaurant with his enthusiastic vocalizations! After dinner, Fischer and I stopped by Uncle Nate's house to meet his new puppy, Dozer. Fischer was a little uneasy, because he's not used to dogs--they move and sound different from kitties. Although he was slow to warm up to Dozer, Fischer couldn't help but try and sneak peeks at him :)

By the time we were on our way back to Grace's for the night, it was past Fischer's bedtime. I was worried he'd fall asleep in the car and be a bear for me when I needed to change him into his jammies, nurse, and put him down. But, I sang for him all the way there, and he stayed awake! He LOVES Row Row Row Your Boat. It calms him and he even starts "rowing" with the song!

Fischer slept better than I expected him to, being that we were away from home and not in his crib. Check out the view from Grace's in the morning:

We took off early the next morning, and Fischer slept all the way home. When we got home, it was Mom's turn for a nap, so Joe fed Fischer lunch and played until I got up. By that time, the boys were tired, so they napped together. Can you find the hidden Noel in this photo?

Later, after Joe had gone to work, Fischer and I took a walk down to the coffee shop at the end of our street where I got a coffee. Then we went across to the park, where Fischer had a blast in the swing.

For Mother's Day, Fischer got me a new Swiss Army Knife (my previous one broke and fell off of my keychain somewhere). Joe is having a mother charm designed for me at The Gift Itself, the same place that designed my wedding ring. Thanks, boys!

Now that Fischer's old enough, we are starting to work on weaning. I'm pumping just once while at work, and am keeping his nursing sessions shorter. At night, he only wakes once for a nursing session between midnight and one. Now that he doesn't have to depend on me for his main source of nutrition, the main challenge will be to wean him from me while still fulfilling his need for that closeness. We'll see how it goes!

Today at daycare, his teachers called to have me bring the camera to his classroom. I guess Fischer made an art project out of his lunch using ketchup...nice one, Buddy!

Fischer's 11 Months Old!--Birthday Plans Included in this Post!

Sunday, May 3, Fischer turned 11 months old! He does all kinds of new "tricks", including the "oh" face below, peek-a-boo (he holds his hands palms out against his eyes), "so big" (he puts his hands on top of his head), and blowing kisses (patting his "oh" mouth with an open hand).
Fischer and I joined some friends at Heritage Hill in Green Bay for their spring celebration. We were hoping to see some sheep getting sheared. Well, we didn't catch that, but we did see lots of other cool stuff. When we came in, we saw a man on a horse-drawn plow.

There were several alpacas there, too. When Fischer's 3-year-old friend Amani petted one, it made a groaning noise as if to say "ooooh, that's the spot!"

We saw a sheep named Charlie. He was panting, he was so hot with his dread-locked wool!

We got to see some little goats, too.

Here's a picture of Collin checking out the goats with his mom, Holly (my co-manager at daycare), and Fischer taking it all in from his stroller. There were TONS of families there!

It was such a beautiful day. Check out the beautiful chapel.

People were being given horse-drawn cart rides everywhere we looked. The horses were BIG and very handsome!There was also a collection of old tractors. We couldn't pass up this photo op! Collin (17 months), Fischer (11 months) and Amani (3 years).

We can't believe Fischer's almost a year old, already!

Fischer's First Birthday party will be at our house, 516 S. Jackson St. in Green Bay on Sunday, May 31, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. It'll be a cook-out potluck. We'll provide the meats, buns, condiments, soft drinks and (of course!) Birthday cake. We'll ask anyone who's interested to bring side dishes (baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad, fruit salad, fresh veggies, etc.) Please e-mail me grassizgreener@hotmail.com or call me 920-819-7649 to "sign up" to bring dishes and to R.S.V.P.

If you wish to grace our Birthday Boy with a gift, here are a few ideas!

Clothing:

Fischer's all set for clothes and foot-wear this summer. We've gotten a start on some fall and winter clothes by visiting rummage sales, so he's all set for outer-wear this winter. If you want to buy clothing, he'll be in 18-24 month this fall and winter (long sleeves, long pants) and 2T size next spring (long or short sleeves, long pants, light jacket). We don't expect brand new stuff, either! If it's in good shape (or even just needs a small repair), we're glad to have it! If you're unsure what to get, I like to shop at a second-hand place called Once Upon a Child--you could find something there or get a giftcard.

Toys/Books:

Fischer could use some board books (the kind with thick card-board like pages). Thanks to the good deals at Scholastic, we've got plenty of soft-cover books. These are fine second-hand, too!!! For toys, Fischer HAS a fishing pole, pop-up toy, ring-stacker, push toy/ride-on bike, see-n-say, shape-sorter, talking/singing puppy, rubber blocks, and a coupe to ride in outside. Anything age-appropriate in good shape beyond these items would be appreciated! Hit up your local rummage sales, and haggle for prices! If we get doubles of anything second-hand, we can always bring it to daycare to play with. If you wish to buy new, Toys r Us is always a fun place to look around or to get a giftcard.

Miscellaneous:

If you're not a big shopper or rummage sailor, and still wish to get Fischer something, please consider an online giftcard to www.amazon.com (they have everything) or www.snapfish.com, where we can get our digital photos processed and mailed to us.

Finally:

Please do not feel obligated to give a gift. The greatest gift of all would be your presence at Fischer's party!