15 Month Check-Up, ANOTHER tooth & Chuck E. Cheese

This entry begins with images of cicadas hatching on our tree in the front yard. Gross but cool!

I always think of them as 'heat bugs' because they're the ones that buzz their song when it's so hot out.

Ohhhh!

Uncle Nate was here the past two weekends plus a couple of weekdays to get our drywall hung and mudded and taped. He'll be back the last weekend of Sept. to finish the final coat of mud and hopefully have time, too, to sand it all smooth. He's a perfectionist with his work, so we'll have the best quality work hands down! Nate brought his big puppy Dozer along.

Dozer spent most of his time tied to a big tree in our yard or chillin' in Nate's big truck. He complained here and there with wimpers when he could see Nate, but otherwise you wouldn't know he was there. Also, other than getting a little excited now and then, he was really good around Fischer (though we NEVER left them unattended or too close!).

On Sept. 8, Fischer had his 15 month well-check with Dr. Hoyer.

We did what we could to pass the time until she came to examine him. When he was weighed this time, he didn't have to lay in the baby scale! He got to stand on a scale on the floor--what a big boy! He weighed 22 pounds 4 ounces, which is consistent with the percentiles he's had so far with weight.

He's 32 inches "long", which is also consistent with his previous pattern of growth. According to where he is on the charts, he's thin for his height, just like how his dad grew.

Fischer's head circumference was also consistent with his previous percentiles (though I don't have the figures in front of me). Dr. Hoyer was impressed to learn that Fischer's working on FIVE, yes 5 new teeth right now. You heard about the top eye-teeth and top two molars....well, the most recent discovery is his bottom left eye-tooth poking through the surface! He's had his fingers in his mouth like crazy, and is chewing on more things than he used to. Otherwise, he usually wakes once per night, but it's getting easier for him to soothe himself--he usually hits the button on his crib soother that has soft lights, cricket sounds, and night-time music.

On 9-9-09 we went to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time to celebrate Scott & Donna's granddaughter Lotus' 1st birthday. When we walked in, we paused for a moment to let Fischer take it all in--it's a busy place! He seemed a little overwhelmed at first, and didn't want Joe to put him down.

When we met everyone at the back of the place where the party was going on, we saw Lotus and got to say hi to everyone. It wasn't long before a big curtain opened and a robotically animated Chuck E. Cheese began singing and "dancing".

Fischer FREAKED OUT and grasped even tighter onto Papa!!! He wouldn't stop screaming and hanging on for dear life until we walked far away from the huge scary robotic mouse! I couldn't blame him :( Check out his grip on Joe's shirt (pretty sure he's got some of Joe's skin in there, too).

After he was more recovered from the terror of the mouse, Fischer got into the lights and sounds and sights of all of those arcade games. We had a handful of tokens, so we tried several different machines. Fischer wasn't particular, so we tried to show him ones that were on his level or had buttons or levers he could operate.

He had fun on a driving game with me, and seemed really into it. In fact, while I drove, he kept hitting the nitro-boost--he seemed to have a need for speed! But then when we crashed, he cried :(

Like a good helper, Fischer tried to put tokens into the machines.

Approaching time for the pizza dinner (I had packed some other Fischer-friendly foods for a healthy meal, as well), I thought poor Fischer wouldn't be able to eat if we were to see the big mouse again. So I asked the manager if she could keep the curtain closed on the stage for half an hour while we all ate. I explained that my son was terrified of the mouse, and that we were here with a birthday party (Lotus and her guests were the only party in the area at the time). I told her I felt Fischer was too young for the place, but we were only there to celebrate with Lotus and her family. The manager was stubborn and said, "You have to understand that people come to Chuck E. Cheese to see Chuck E." I told her that the people with Lotus' party were the only ones over there, and that I didn't think half an hour was an unreasonable request. I asked her if she had kids (yes) and what she would do in my shoes. She said, "I'd sit on the other side of the restaurant." I told her that we wouldn't even BE there if it weren't for this party. I was feeling very frustrated at this point and told her that I work in customer service, that I'm a manager myself, and that I felt that the customer service I was getting from her was poor.

In the meanwhile, Donna and Joe worked something out so that Fischer's highchair could be put on the end of a booth table with the gift table behind him so he wouldn't see the terrifying mouse. A little while before this solution was worked out, as I was sitting there with Fischer feeling conflicted (I wanted to leave because I didn't want Fischer to continue to be upset but I wanted us to celebrate with Lotus and her family...) the manager came back up to me and said, "Oh, I didn't know you were with this birthday party." I thought that this was the most ridiculous thing she could've said, considering I'd repeated that info over and over! I said (maybe a bit too loudly), "Yes! That's what I've been telling you from the beginning. You checked us in, and we told you we were with the party, and during our previous conversation I must've mentioned that at least twice!" She said she could shut the curtain, and that if it opened for some reason, she'd come over right away and shut it again. I said that that was all I was asking for from the beginning. She also said, "But you should know that the 'real' Chuck E. will be coming out to sing happy birthday."

Fischer was "dancing" in his highchair, with the gifts behind him blocking his view, and he didn't get upset when the dang curtain opened anyway and the stupid mouse was at it again. The manager did come over to close it, after a couple of minutes and with a roll of her eyes. Lotus didn't seem to mind Chuck E. Cheese when he came out and did his gig. She did start to get a little upset because she didn't want to wear her crown, though.

Fischer warmed up to the arcade part of the place and was excited and pumping his arms up and down and having fun seeing all of the games. Hmmm...I wonder if a piece of birthday cake and some Sprite had anything to do with that?

We got home late and he was in the bath at about 9:00 (usually his bath's at 7:30!). That's when I made a video of him saying "yellow" (l-l-l-low-low). Check it out on the Fisch Finder--super cute! Fischer has also begun saying "down" (when he used to use "up" to mean both up and down). It sounds like "duh" or with an emphasized "ow" sound in the middle "dOWn".

Since Fischer's been getting antsy in the cart when we grocery shop, but refuses to walk with me, yet, I tried one of these fun car carts when we went this weekend.

He had a good time with it, saying "beep" and pushing the squeaking horns in the middle of the steering wheels. He only started to get upset when we were wrapping up at the check-out. Good boy!

So cute! All the way through the store, too, or when we're walking around the neighborhood, he says "hi, hi, hi" to everyone we pass :)

Our kitchen project is getting ever-closer to completion. I mentioned where the drywall process is. We have officially decided on cupboards by Distinctive Cabinets, a dad from daycare builds and installs them. We feel we'll be MUCH happier with the quality compared to Home Depot, and the price was less! Brian also offered us even more creative and practical ideas to make the best of our space. It's going to be great! Flooring, counter top, and paint colors have been decided upon. Just have to pick out lighting, and I'm sure other details will crop up as well. We'll keep you posted!

N.E.W. Zoo Visit

On Wednesday, 8/26, Kristy, Flora and Leo met me and Fischer at the N.E.W. Zoo (North East WI). The first animals we passed were the lions. It was a warm and sunny day, so they were all being lazy.
When Fischer saw the lions, he said "RRRRaaar!"

Next we visited the platform in the giraffe area, where we bought 2 crackers (they were actually rye crisps!) for $1 to feed to the 2 giraffes. When Fischer saw the giraffes, he said "Jaff!"

Fischer and Flora enjoyed feeding the giraffes, but we could've gotten a little more mileage out of our crackers if we'd thought to break them into pieces. The giraffes have big long tongues, and ate the whole crackers in one lick!

Here is the pretty female, Zuri.

Her head came right up to the kids' level.

Then the male, Hoduri, came to get some snacks, and his head reached over the fence!

The zookeeper spoke very sweetly to the giraffes as Fischer watched closely.

Next we were off to see the goats. Fischer kept trying to say goat, but it sounded more like the "guh" sound.

The goat area was popular with the kids because the goats came right up to everyone, and their faces were level with the kids' view.

Fischer didn't waste any time feeding the goats grass once he saw an older girl grab some and feed it to the goats!

Ooooooooh! In the pic below, Fischer's got his harness on. We tried it out a bit because it was tough for me to take him in and out and in and out of the stroller, but he's not a big fan of staying close while walking or holding my hand. When he'd get upset, I'd pick him back up and we'd try again when he pushed to be let down. It'll take some practice!

We got a few goat food pellets to feed them, and Fischer laughed every time their tickly lips touched his hands.

We also saw a sheep in the goat pen, and when I pointed it out, Fischer shouted "BAAAA!"

After seeing and feeding all of those animals, we took a break for dinner, accompanied by lots of wasps and a few seagulls. When we returned to the zoo, we played in the playground for a bit. Here you can see Leo peeking through :)

It was a fun trip to the zoo. Tiring for us moms, but very fun for the kids. Fischer has a long way to go before he'll walk holding my hand. It's gonna take lots more fits and practice. He's such an independent curious guy!

Stay tuned for a kitchen update!

Kitchen Update--and 2 more TEETH!

This is the first blog entry without pics of Fischer :(. I will report, however, that it was NOT his eye-tooth that had emerged last entry, but rather his first molar on the upper left. Now the upper left eye-tooth is indeed on its way out, as well as the first molar on the upper right! No wonder Fischer's been a little sensitive and restless.

Without further ado, here is the latest on our new kitchen.
Below is the view coming up our back steps. You can see down to the basement, now. This is something we kind of like. We're considering keeping them open and putting a piece of plexiglass behind them to keep dirt from falling below. Here is our lovely chimney that was hidden behind plaster. With a little scrubbing and a bit of touching-up, it will look nice in our new space.

This is the view looking at the basement door from the middle of where the kitchen will be. There's a big "cubby" above the steps that's behind our bedroom wall. We're tossing around all kinds of ideas for what to turn that into. We could knock out a hole in the closet wall for access...But for now it will be insulated and closed up, because we've got enough to do now!

This is the window that will soon go bye-bye. It's the wall that our stove and vent hood will be on. It's also one of 2 outside walls that we're building thicker and re-insulating.

Here's the other half of that wall. This window stays--our dining room table will be in front of it.

Standing where the kitchen sink will be, here's the view from the back to the front of the house. The majority of the space you see will be the dining room.

My dad, Grandpa Kenny ("PA" according to Fischer) showed up Wednesday afternoon and left Sunday afternoon. The majority of this progress is thanks to his hard work and guidance. THANKS SO MUCH, DAD!!!!

Below, he's beginning to cut the hole for the window we're adding, looking out on the backyard (we had only the door and 2 basement windows looking out back before).

The hole is complete. The wall is thickened, insulated, and electrified!! Below you see Grandpa Kenny supervising while our buddy Steve's using a drill outside and Joe's using a drill inside.

The window hole as seen from our backyard.

The window's IN!!!!

NOW, looking from the front of the house (standing in the living room) to the back. See our new window!?

Here's a closer view of the new window and the completed wall. One down, many more to go. We'll keep you updated!

14 Months Old, 9th Tooth & Random Summer Stuff

Since it's been about 3 weeks since my last entry (gasp!), I am offering up a nice photo-filled post for your enjoyment and for the sake of showing why I've been too busy to blog lately!
Our kitchen demolition is in full swing. I know, I know. What else have we been doing?! Demo is taking longer than we first thought--seems to be a pattern with any home project. Budget lots of time! With demo it's a matter of trying to save $ and not get a dumpster. This means a little at a time, because that plaster is HEAVY stuff! But thanks to Joe's hard work during the weekdays, and our combined efforts during Fischer's weekend naps (he naps in the spare bedroom in the basement with the radio on, so he can't hear us upstairs), the end is in sight. Remember we're doing 2 rooms and the back stairwell AND the ceilings. Some of those walls have 2 sides to strip down! Not to mention the outside walls have blown-in insulation to vacuum out! We're cleaning up as we go so as not to live in a perpetual cloud of dust, tripping over debris. To view the pre-renovation walk-through, check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2uYnD2wgm8

Cooking in the basement is working out great--though it isn't a space we'll be inviting people over to eat in. It helps that it's cool down there, too. Makes cooking tolerable in this heat!
Fischer's mostly content to wait while meals are made in his little kid corral area. I change out the toys and books after a couple weeks, and though he usually complains when I set him down in there, he can watch me making our dinner and we can still talk and sing back and forth. There are lots of "don't touch" areas in the basement, so when Fischer's outside of his corral, one of us is always his shadow.

On July 31st, I picked up McDonald's for mine and Fischer's dinner for the first time. Though he didn't touch the burger or chicken nuggets he was offered, he did finish off the better part of a small fry, complete with ketchup for dipping and lots of milk and grapes. Fischer knocked my socks off each time he gently dipped the tip of each bite of fry in the little glob of ketchup I'd put on his tray. I'll put the "Fischer's First Happymeal" video on the Fisch Finder soon.

On August 2, Fischer and I met Kristy, Flora and Leo at our house to walk down to Kavarna and the Broadway farmer's market. It was a great walk and the weather was superb. On the way we stopped to appreciate some flowers in our neighborhood. Fischer was a little ornery in the stroller. When we got to an area on Broadway where there were benches to take a break on, I got Fischer out of the stroller, and he was OFF! He was trying to charm people out of their cheese curds, grabbing at random people's cups, and in all other ways exploring like a little boy should. It was exhausting for me! He didn't seem too concerned about branching away from Mom! He and Flora played a bit in the dirt and were nice and filthy by the time we set out to finish walking the market. Fischer pretty much had a meltdown just before we got to Kavarna at the tail-end of our tour of the market. He was good during dinner, but it was a feat trying to fit all of our grown up food and drink on the table with Fischer and now Leo reaching for things. We'll just have to be sure to secure our 'usual' front table from now on!
The whole week of August 3-7, my co-worker Holly was on vacation so I was working some longer days at daycare. Fischer's appetite decided to go a bit south, he got a random few hives, and he even had a slight temp one day. He was sad every afternoon watching all of his friends' parents come and go, wondering why I wasn't there yet. Poor guy! Well, late in the week, we were rewarded with the discovery of Fischer's 9th tooth! His eyetooth on the upper right side. He hasn't had a new tooth since March, so it's no wonder he had an off few days!

On the evening of August 6th, we joined family at Grandma D's and Grandpa Mike's to visit with Great Aunt Mary and her hubby Joe, whom we last saw at Thanksgiving (Fischer was so little then!). It was great to catch up with everyone, and Fischer was so excited to play a little with the neighbors' dogs along with his cousin Kaylee. He was basically running around the yard and panting (sign for dog). It didn't diminish his glee one bit when he'd get surprised by the occational doggy kiss, either! Papa even subjected him self to some doggy fun, too. After dinner, Fischer and Kaylee could be seen checking out Grandma D's daisy garden (Kaylee helped herself to a garden tomato, too).

On Saturday, August 8th, Joe discovered that Fischer likes tomatoes. It's not that he hasn't been offered them before. He's just never eaten them straight from the vine before! Joe made a good point when he said Fischer might associate the cherry and roma tomatoes with the home-grown strawberries he enjoyed from our yard earlier in the summer. Those red things sure taste good!

I've been trying to give Fischer more opportunities to use a spoon, now that he's refusing to be fed anything. We used to be able to coax the better part of a yogurt down, or supplement with some cereal-thickened baby food when he didn't eat the best for a meal. Guess he's a big boy, now! On Sunday, August 9th, Fischer fed himself 3/4 of a pudding using a spoon. Was he proud!

Afterward, we practiced walking holding hands on our way down through the Casperson's yard and into the garden. That's where I got to witness his newfound lov

e of tomatoes first hand. He had one in each hand and his cheeks puffed out chewing a third!

Now for the latest vocab update for Fischer. Trying to keep track of how many words and signs he uses is proving to get pretty difficult, as he'll try to say most familiar things, and you never know which ones will stick. Then he'll pull a fast-one on ya and bust out a word you didn't know he knew! This guy is slick! Here are the newest words he can say with his (version) and/or an * to indicate that he does the sign language for it, too.
Bib* (bub)
Push (pish)
Spoon (poon)
Dog* (dod)
Bite (bee)
Snack (nak)
Auf (uff) German for "open" (pronounced owf)
Zu German for "closed"--easier to say! (pronounced tsoo)
All done*--sign only
Where is it/where did it go/all gone*--same sign, sign only
For Itsy Bitsy Spider Fischer waves his arms up and down for the spider climbing and then does the sign for all gone when the rain 'washed the spider out'.
He tries to blow bubbles (bub-BOH) by taking the wand from your hand, dipping it into the bottle and then "blowing" at the wand (it's more like a fff-fff-fff sound).
He also "blows" on food if you tell him it's hot :)
And you learned above that he dips fries in ketchup and can feed himself with a spoon.

I think at age 14 months, Fischer knows a combination of about 40-50 words and signs! Not too shabby!