October Fun 2010

Happy October, everyone!

The beginning of the month was marked with Joe returning to Facebook. Here's a nice pic of him and Fischer at our dining bar enjoying some cottage cheese. It was taken with the intent of becoming Joe's "profile pic", but it made it here instead :)

The second weekend of October, we joined Grandma Pam in Wisconsin Dells for a day-and-a-half just to get away. We walked "the strip" with all of its restaurants, fudge and t-shirt shops. We stopped in at a restaurant that had dining upstairs overlooking the street, anticipating that we'd return later for dinner.

They had some pretty neat bar stools--the one Fischer's on below has some sexy lady legs ;)
Here's a nice close-up!

The night of October 12th was our Halloween Open House at Bright Beginnings. With lots of help from Joe, I transformed into a Mummy!
You should've seen the looks I was getting as I drove from home to the daycare!
Fischer came with Joe later--they were a pizza man and a skeleton. What a cute family pic, huh?

With all the fun activities in every room, it was tough to get our little skeleton to sit for a photo of his own...but we got one :)

In the next pic I'm 20 weeks pregnant (half way there already!). This pic was taken two days before our ultrasound. NO--we didn't find out the baby's gender!!! Joe and "Crazy Neighbor Lady" Chris (who will hopefully be available to be my coach this time, as Kristy and Holly now have 2 kids each!) were there, too. Dr. Brown said baby's PERFECT :)
If you remember September's post, we took Fischer to our friend's pumpkin patch. Well, on the 22nd of October, it was time to carve away! Of our 3 pumpkins, which sat outside waiting for their carving, one got snacked on by squirrels and couldn't be salvaged. So we had two pumpkins to carve.

Fischer and I put aprons on, wiped the pumpkins down, and got ready... He was very interested to see me using the safety knife to cut them open, but Fischer didn't want any part of touching the pumpkins once we got started!

I hollowed them both out, saving the seeds to roast, of course, and carved mine, leaving Joe the other one to carve as he pleased.

Fischer really loved watching the pieces pop out as they were cut. He was so happy to see it turn into a Jack-O-Lantern once there was a candle inside and we turned the lights out!

In the pic below, I'm 21 1/2 weeks pregnant. Not a lot of time passed since the last pic, but I felt I was beginning to round out!

The night of Halloween, I stayed home to pass out cocoa packets to the trick-or-treaters...we had more this year than in years past. Those who wanted a treat got hot cocoa, those who wanted a trick got some foreign coins courtesy of Joe (ha ha---they were like "Money!!!").

Joe took Fischer trick-or-treating. This time, Fischer was a ghost. He began very reluctantly...

(you can see our pumpkins on either side of him, if you were wondering how Joe carved his!)

Below, the idea is sinking in, and Fischer's beginning to shake off his oppositional attitude...

Finally, we're happy and ready to go!!!

Joe said Fischer had a blast! They tagged along with the neighbors and their kids, and Joe held the bag so Fischer could grab candy with both hands :) He had to be encouraged to say trick-or-treat (as he'd knock ever-so-lightely on the door, and then whisper the phrase!), but finally yelled it at the last house :)

After a jaunt in our neighborhood, Joe took Fischer to see Grandma D and Grandpa Mike. On the way home, Fischer handed Joe his empty bag of M&Ms and said, "I'm all done with candy." Enough said :)

Now that we're in November, I've wrapped up my 4th of 6 courses toward my Wisconsin Early Childcare Administrator's Credential and will finish my 5th next week. I'll take the 6th and final course next summer (not gonna tackle it during my maternity leave!!!).

I'm feeling good and growing a lot these days, baby-wise. I still attend my Zumba class at the YMCA on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My diet isn't nearly as strict as it was up to this point, but my weight (with the exception of baby gain) seems to be on track so far :)

Joe is enjoying driving the kids to and from school again for the daycare, as well as picking up some part-time hours at Papa John's delivering pizzas. He's also taken on some Mr. Fix-It duties here and there at the center while our real Mr. Fix-It (our owner's dad) recovers from having a pacemaker put in.

Fischer is awesome. He's growing in mind and body daily. He says and does the cutest things, and has also become a bit demanding and whiney (he is 2 after all!). Joe and I marvel daily at the things he says--he wakes up smarter every day!

Eyebrow Owie & Pumpkins!

On Wednesday, 9/8, Fischer slipped from his bathroom stepstool and smucked his eyebrow against the toilet seat, resulting in a 1/2 inch gash. I was stampin' with some girlfriends about 20 minutes out of town, and Joe called to see what he should do. I got the nurse to call him, and she suggested bringing Fischer in to the ER to see if he needed stitches, because of the size of the wound and because it was on his face.

According to Joe's report, Fischer was a dream patient, and he was very still and cooperative as they glued his owie shut (no stitches).

Two days later, it was healing so well, I thought I'd better get a photo for the blog before it was gone altogether! It's above his left eye...

On Friday 9/10, I headed up to Tomahawk to visit with Nate, Frances, Josiah and Dane, as well as Grandpa Ken and Grace. On Saturday, I had a girlfriend's baby shower to go to--it was so fun to see my Tomahawk girlfriends again all in one place!

On the way there, I didn't have to drive with the setting sun in my eyes (yay!), as the sun was setting high in the clouds. I DID, however, spot a rainbow!! It's vertical in the middle of the clouds...

As the sun set, another appeared on the opposite side of the sun, too! (this one's a bit harder to see)

Here's the first one I saw again, just to the right of the center of the pic. It was so cool!!!

Well, Fischer's owie got infected under the darn glue. It was looking great, but then later that first weekend, it got red and angry looking, and developed some white gunk under the glue. I took this pic with the intention of e-mailing Dr. Hoyer to ask if he needed to be seen. They called me back and wanted to see him that very afternoon (exactly 1 week after his incident). Dr. Hoyer scraped a tweezers along the surface of the glue until it cracked, and she was able to clean it out with a Q-tip. She left it open, and prescribed oral antibiotics and a topical ointment to help it heal.

She said that glue vs. stitches is always with the desire of minimizing the risk of scarring, and that she couldn't guarantee whether he'd have a scar or not, "But it'll add to his sex appeal," she said!

Fischer ended up getting an itchy rash from his antibiotics, but he was already 5 days into them and his owie was healing nicely. They had us take him off the Cephalexin and the first ointment, and prescribed a different ointment to use for a few days. This weekend, 9/25, the last of the glue peeled away, and a little pink indent is all that's left of his eyebrow owie. Not sure if it'll scar, but it's certainly not causing him anymore grief.

On Sunday, 9/19, we took Fischer to Luxemburg, WI to my stampin' friend Sherry's house. She and her family grow pumpkins, and it was time for their annual sale.

Fischer didn't care to explore the pumpkins themselves, too much. Sherry has a huge yard, and my boys enjoyed tossing a football around and Fischer pretty much RAN the whole time we were there!

I did get him to slow down and wave for this shot!

Finally, as our time there was winding down, Joe had to capture Fischer and put him up for a shoulder ride to get him to the car.

Fischer has pooped a couple of times on the toilet at daycare, but he hasn't done it since then (it was once on 9/16 and twice on 9/17). He sings along with songs, now, and even can sing his ABCs! Check out youtube for his latest video (if it's not available on the side of our blog in the Fisch Finder, put Fischer Spiering into a search on youtube to find his ABC video).

As far as my pregnancy, I'm doing great! I'm 17 weeks in this picture, and just starting to pop out a bit. I'm not nearly as exhausted as I was with Fischer (chalk it up to much better fitness level this time around), even though the first trimester could be described as a 3-month hangover... I'm feeling baby move more and more these days. Our ultrasound is scheduled for October 20th, when I'll be 20 weeks 2 days along. NO, we're not finding out the baby's sex. We're just finding out that s/he's healthy and on track with her/his development :)

Road Trip With Mom

On Wednesday, August 4th, we welcomed a new addition to the Islo family--Baby Dane Nathaniel. He was born in Wausau hospital via c-section and we got to meet him just hours after his debut! Congrats, Nate, Frances & Josiah!
It was hard to get Fischer and Josiah to sit still for a pic with Grandma Pam (because they're like firecrackers when they get together!), but here's a pic of her and her grandsons.

Here's a family pic of Josiah, frances, Nate and Dane. Frances is quite the trooper--she was in quite a bit of pain...

We got to see Grandpa Ken at the hospital, too. After our visit with everyone and a nap, we met Grandpa at the Windmill for ice cream. Fischer and I spent Wednesday night in Tomahawk at Nate and Frances' little house with Grandma and Josiah. We took off for home in Green Bay early the next morning so we could re-group before we continued on our journey together.

Friday morning, we took of headed for Milwaukee. We spent the HOT morning at the zoo together.

Some of the animals were not moving around so much because it was so hot, and others, we didn't get a chance to see....probably because they could hang out in air conditioning.

The flamingos were very quiet and still...but very pretty!

Fischer really enjoyed a ride with me on the sky cars that take you above the zoo. While on the sky ride, we spotted several animals we wanted to get a closer look at once we were on foot again. Here's a big rhino!

There were 3 giraffes at the zoo. One (in this pic, most of his body is hidden) had faded spots on his back and rump. It almost looked like he'd been bleached! Fischer really liked the giraffes, but we didn't have an opportunity to feed them like we did at the N.E.W. Zoo outside Green Bay.

By the end of our day at the zoo, we had seen lots of animals and the heat had really tuckered both of us out. Fischer was a great sport about cruising in his stroller. I thought we could both use a break from walking (and riding) and took 20 minutes to see the seal & sealion show. Fischer was VERY restless at this point, and to behonest, they did an awful lot of talking and fewer tricks than we'd expected. It was worth seeing, but not worth struggling with an impatient boy! The trainers were very sweet with their animals. As I was struggling to keep Fischer near me, I can't remember if this is a seal or sealion, but she's deaf, so her trainer uses a special kind of sign language to communcate with her. The other trainers used a clicker and some hand signals with their animals.

Friday after the zoo, we met up with Jess at her house, where Fischer took a nap and I got to relax after being on my feet all morning (I'm pregnant, remember!). The 3 of us went out for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory--yum--and Jess got the biggest kick out of Fischer and all the funny things he says :)

The next morning, we took off early to drive from Jess' in Milwaukee to O'Hare airport outside of Chicago. We had to pick up my German sister, Verena and her boyfriend Eric. Eric was at the end of his grad studies in California, and Verena had been travelling in the U.S. visiting friends. Both of them were coming in from California to spend some time in Chicago before heading back to Deutschland. Verena spent a year as an au pair (nanny) for a family in Chicago (the Patons). While she lived with them, she and I got to visit each other often. The Patons had just been for a visit with Verena's family in Germany, and the mom and 3 daughters were at a summer camp in northern Wisconsin at this time. The dad (Chris), said it was alright if the 4 of us stayed at the house and made ourselves at home during our time in Chi-Town--how nice!!!

This cool, colorful glass wall greeted us as we walked from the parking garage to the baggage terminal where we waited for Verena and Eric. There was a man at the far end of the hall singing and playing an electronic keyboard, so music was echoing, too. When we turned the corner and saw and heard it all, Fischer said, "Oh, wow!"

Because we were in the arrivals section and not the departures, we didn't get to see any airplanes taking off, as we would've liked. But Fischer, here in his new giraffe t-shirt from the zoo, didn't mind, as it was all new surroundings to him!

He waited ever so patiently, and for the most part, was well-occupied people watching and playing around on the seats with me. I could've curled up and taken a nap!

What a ham! Not long after I took these pics, Verena and Eric walked up earlier than expected. Yay!

Our first night together in Chicago, we arrived at the Patons' house and got settled. Because we were all tired, we just decided to go to the grocery store and make dinner together at home. We made a fantastic lasagna that wasn't ready until after 8pm (lasagna takes awhile), but it was no less delicious for the wait!

Fischer enjoyed a foosball game the Patons had on top of their coffee table and played with it every time we were at the house ("Play soccer!). They also had a nice selection of Disney movies to help keep him occupied when we were cooking or otherwise needed him to be "good."

Our first full day in Chicago, we began with breakfast at a local place (I think it was Georgie V's) that Chris recommended. Other than a very long wait, and Fischer getting pretty antsy (we all were feeling impatient!), the food was very good.

Later we drove about 20 minutes to Winnetka Beach (Winnetka is where the Paton kids' grandparents live, and where Verena drove the older two girls to preschool several times a week) to spend some time on the sand--the Lake Michigan water was freezing!

Fischer loved the sand and really didn't want to stay out of the water despite the fact that it was so chilly. It was a good time, and we had a very sandy boy when it was time to go! (look at his legs in this pic!)

On Monday, August 9th, we were off to the city! It was Fischer's first trainride (20 minutes from Northbrook where the Patons live into Chicago). He sat so nicely for the first half-hour or so, and then we had to get creative to keep him from running around for the last 15 min-half hour. The train stopped multiple times on the way, and I told him we were picking up more people. Every time the train would take off again, he'd say, "Choo-choo! All aboard!" So cute!

Here's where Verena and Eric were helping occupy him the last leg of our journey into the city. Eric and Fischer really hit it off the moment they met just 2 days before at the airport! Eric rode in the back seat with Fischer (so Verena could navigate), and Fischer kept peering over and saying, "Hi, Eric. Whatcha doin?" or "Hey, Eric--how's it goin?"

When we got off of the train, we were in a jungle of big buildings!

Fischer fell asleep in his stroller not long after we began our city walk--despite all the noise and traffic! We headed to Millenium Park, where they have a huge jelly bean-shaped sculpture that is very popular with park visitors.

We walked along the water (another hot day!), and ultimately wanted to check out Navy Pier. Fischer preferred to ride most of the day with his stroller seat reclined.

He'd found his energy again (and I was pretty pooped!) by the time we got to Navy Pier. He refused to stay in the stroller, and instead DANCED the whole way down the Navy Pier walkway! He was quite the spectacle, and he had lots of people laughing.

There were lots of boats and people to see, along with lots of noisy seagulls. He was a happy boy despite only a half-hour nap in the stroller!

From the pier we had an awesome view of the city.

Another highlight for Fischer: we took a boat taxi from Navy Pier back to Union Station when the day was done.

Fischer thought it was so "Neat!" when we went under bridges--and there were quite a few!

It was a long, hot day, but we all had a lot of fun!

Here are the buildings near Union Station that look like corn on the cob. Pretty cool!

On Tuesday the 10th of August, it was time for a nice breakfast at the Patons' home together, and good-byes. Chris kept complimenting Fischer on what a good boy he was, and said as a tip to Verena and Eric, "It takes a lot of hard work to have a child that good." :)

Fischer enjoyed a bit of piano-playing before we left...

And, of course, we had to pose for a final group shot :) It had been about 2 years since Verena had seen Fischer in person. It was so nice to spend some time with her and to meet Eric. Fischer still talks about our time with them, and randomly says, "See Verena, Eric?" Fischer was really excellent company on our trip together! Despite a very messed-up nap schedule, and a variety of new environments to adjust to, he really enjoyed himself, and we enjoyed each other's company tremendously--even on long car rides ;) With our second child on the way, it may be awhile before we're up to another adventure like this one...so I'm glad we've had this experience!!!

Tuesday, August 10th, Fischer and I returned home to Joe, who was eager to embrace us and hear all about our travels. Wednesday, Kristy and I took the kids to Kavarna (our usual coffee day) and explored the Broadway farmers market after we ate dinner. We ran into our college friend and former roommate, Chad. We learned that he and his friend Chad have a resale shop on Broadway, "This & That" where they sell a variety of items--from modern to antique, collectibles to one-of-a-kinds. The Chads have a little farm just outside of Green Bay, and I asked if Fischer, Joe and I could stop by over the weekend to show Fischer the animals and to catch up.

Saturday, August 14th, we paid Chad a visit. His big Great Dane Samson was very interested in us! His back comes almost to Joe's waist! Samson could rest his head on top of Fischer's head! Fischer liked Sam, but Sam seemed to want to play, but also to make sure Fischer knew he was lower in the pack order--Fischer would run/walk away, looking over his shoulder for Sam to chase him. Sam would follow, and nudge Fischer and make chuffing noises--so Chad had to try and distract Sam with toys and I picked up Fischer and held him whenever I thought he might get knocked down.

They have a hammock swing (jealous!!) hung from a big tree in their yard. Fischer really enjoyed swinging in it. We had to limit our time, though, because Sam gets really excited when someone's riding in the swing--he kept trying to pounce/push with his front paws, and it quickly became too much because of his size. What a great back yard item, though!

In this pic, you can see me pushing Fischer (who's in the swing), and an excited Sam bounding in from the right.

Fischer loved the swing!

Next, we went to the barn to greet their 2 horses. Fischer went right up to their noses through the wire and said, "Hi, Horse. How's it goin?"

Chad brought the spotted horse (the calmer and more even-tempered of the 2) outside for us to pet and give a little food to. Fischer really liked him, but needed a lot of encouragement to pet his soft nose. Fischer felt completely at ease checking the farm out. In addition to the dog and horses, they have a variety of chickens, some barn cats, and a couple of indoor cats. Fischer got to take a peek at the baby chicks ("Peep, peep! Chicks in there!"), but the chickens all ran away when we got close.

We gathered about a dozen eggs of various colors and sizes to take home with us. Fischer chose a favorite ("My egg--my own egg!") that he didn't let go of until we buckled him in his carseat for the ride home. It arrived intact, even though he must've dropped it about 3 times :)

In this pic, too, you can see his hair is growing back nicely. He's had the last of his summer buzz cuts for the year, now, so we're going to let his hair grow over the fall and see how it turns out the next time he needs it trimmed...It'll be thinner in that spot, but at least it's coming in!

Before we left, Chad invited us in to meet his new black kitten, BP (named after the oil spill!). When we could get Fischer's attention (there was a lot of stuff to explore), and catch the quick kitty, they seemed to enjoy meeting each other. :)

What a great couple of weeks this was! Below, you see my prego profile pic--In this pic I'm 11 weeks, 4 days along. Still in regular clothes in my normal skinny size...In my second trip to the OB two days before this pic, Dr. Brown said I was right on track, having gained 3.4 lbs. It's tough to watch the scale go up after concentrating since last December for it to go down, but Dr. Brown said, "Let me worry about the numbers, not you." Grandpa Ken came with me to my appointment, and we were able to hear the baby's heart beat for the first time. "Perfect, strong, 170's," said Dr. Brown. It's so high in beats-per-minute because it's still so little.

In an aside note, at 12 weeks, 4 days (one week later), I started feeling the baby move!!!! I didn't feel Fischer until 18 weeks, but then again, this time I'm a) thinner, and b) aware of what it feels like. Very cool!