Eskimo kissing

When I was getting Harmon’s pajamas on him after his Thursday night bath, I decided to show him how to give Eskimo kisses. Although he doesn’t quite get that he ALSO is supposed to rub his nose (instead of just sitting still), he has great fun with it! Right after I gave him Eskimo kisses before bed, he called his Daddy to give him Eskimo kisses too. He says a version of "Eskimo kiss" but, if you don’t understand him right away, he’ll just demand “nose.” When we went out to dinner with my family for my birthday yesterday, he gave everyone there Eskimo kisses. I guess it’s his new trick! But, the problem with adding new tricks is that we then demand to see them all the time. So now, before he goes to bed, he has to give a hug, a regular kiss (which is a open-mouth kiss on your cheek, complete with a big “mwa” sound) and an Eskimo kiss.

In addition to the Eskimo kissing going on, I HAVE to note how well he is saying “love you,” as well as “please,” “thank you,” and “bless you” – after sneezes of course. So far we’ve got a polite one!

His own little world

When Kevin and I dropped Harmon off at day care last Thursday, his teacher said he calls her by name (her name is Abby) all the time and also goes around the room naming all his fellow classmates. We thought, yeah, sure, whatever. But, on Friday, I decided to put it to the test. I dragged out the booklet we received when we started at Annie's, which included photos of all the toddlers in the class, and showed it to Harmon. As we flipped through the pages, he proceeded to name each of the toddlers (Aiden, Ariel, Bram, Charlie, Christopher, Cole, Henry, Leo, Starr, Tess and Thomas). He struggled a bit pronouncing Bram and Thomas but the whole thing was stunning to me – mostly because I don't think much about his world at day care. He has his own little world there and, even though we wish he didn't have to go, we know it's good for him!

Hop on the bandwagon

After the season the Detroit Tigers had last year and the one they are off to this year (best record in baseball, as of today), it’s really not surprising to see how many “fans” have hopped on the bandwagon. Every time I’m at the mall or the grocery store, I never fail to see a multitude of people sporting Tigers’ t-shirts and hats. When I see all these people, I honestly want to ask them when said t-shirt or hat was purchased and, if the answer is anytime after Opening Day 2006, I think they should trade in their “true fan” card for a “bandwagon jumper” card. Don’t even get me started on all the people suddenly GOING to the games!

This kind of things always has bothered me but it really hits home with the Tigers. Maybe it’s because I’ve been going to games my whole life – win or lose – and have the ticket stubs to prove it. Maybe it’s because I interned with the Tigers in 1998, an awful year when they finished 65-97, dead last in the AL Central (and 24 games out of first place). Whatever it is, at least I can walk around truly proud of this team’s success, knowing that I’ve been there through thick and thin and didn’t just jump on the bandwagon when things started to go well. Last year, when I saw this t-shirt (above), I thought all true Tigers’ fans should be issued one so you could tell the differences between us and these types of people.

Green, gold, blue .. whatever ... Crickets

Eight weeks from tomorrow, Michigan will play Notre Dame in football again. This is notable, not only because it features the winningest college football programs in history, but also because the clock is ticking. It is ticking for two friends of ours, both Notre Dame alumni, whom we have not heard from since last fall when mighty Michigan waxed the overrated Irish, 47-21. If they do not call, e-mail, write, etc., in the next two months, both will have gone silent for a full year. They would probably claim that their jobs, families, etc., are keeping them too busy to stay in touch. That is fair, as we know what it is like to have baby responsibilities, except they are more than happy to check in after the Irish have pulled off a leprechaun-aided victory over the Wolverines. Let's just say that it is no coincidence that we have not heard from them since last September, when things were said like, "After they get past Michigan, Notre Dame's schedule sets up nicely for a national championship run" and this doozy (to be fair it was said by a ND fan in my office, not our friends): "Michigan is not really a big game for us anymore." Um, OK. So, needless to say, we will not be waiting by the phone or checking e-mail on the hour to hear from them. It is too bad, really. We would never do that to anyone. After all, it is just a game. But, I guess it is tough sledding when you are a fan trying to return your program to glory since 1988. There is magic in the sound of their name, however. Their record in big games is a different story.

Searching for "buckas"

Ever since Harmon found his belly button, his love for all-things-belly-button has grown stronger by the day. He looks for our belly buttons all the time and, as I've mentioned in previous posts, wants to know where everyone else's is too. He also looks for belly buttons on all his stuffed animals as well as his talking, dancing Elmos and is confused when he doesn't find any.

But, yesterday, when he was with my Mom, he managed to find ONE of his toys that DOES have a "bucka," as he calls it. He brought his big blue ball (which he's pictured with above) to my Mom, pointed to the air hole and yelled "bucka!" When we got home from work, he was excited to tell us all about it too. He then spent much of the night finding the "buckas" on all his other toy balls. So glad he could satisfy his addiction to the belly button!

A different breed

One of the many reasons I married Kevin is that he's quite simply a different breed. He's not like most men and I witness his wonderful differences almost every day.

Harmon is battling a bit of a cold right now and was up coughing most of the night. When the alarm went off this morning, Kevin didn't hesitate to volunteer to be the one to stay home with him. He didn't give me some line about his job being more important (even though he IS the breadwinner and his job IS more important) or about missing some big-deal meeting. More often than not, Kevin is the one to stay home and take care of everything AND is usually more than happy to do it.

After his decision to stay home this morning, I started thinking about all the other things he does. Ever since we met back in 1994, he never has assumed anything is a woman's job or a man's job. He cooks, cleans, bakes, does laundry – all those things. We split all the Harmon tasks and all the household tasks right down the middle. Even when I'm home with Harmon on Fridays (when I really tend to feel guilty because the laundry isn't done or the dishwasher isn't unloaded), he ALWAYS tells me that Fridays are my days with Harmon and I should enjoy them rather than putting him aside to do household chores.

He's never once demanded I have a certain dinner ready at a certain hour or told me that something was "my job." He drops off and picks up Harmon at day care on Tuesdays (we then split that duty on Thursdays). He even gets pissed when there aren't baby changing tables in men's restrooms! He hates that it's ALWAYS assumed that the father does nothing! He just always is willing to help with whatever needs to be done – no questions asked.

Of course, there are tasks we handle that MIGHT fall along Neanderthal, I mean traditional, gender lines. He always takes the trash out and deals with the cars and I always deal with Harmon's wardrobe and handle the bills (mostly because Kevin's writing is damn near illegible) but, for the most part, we are in this together – 50-50 – and I am SO lucky to have it that way!

For Those About to Rock

About two months ago, Harmon learned to turn on Kevin’s alarm clock (see photo at left), which always is set to 101.1 FM (WRIF) – the only rock station in Detroit. Every time he turned it on, there was some kick-ass song on so we taught him to say “ROCK!” Now, every time we turn on ANY radio – in the house or in the car – he says “ROCK!” He loves all kinds of music, from nursery rhymes to Springsteen to Eminem to AC/DC, and it’s so fun to see him come alive and sing and dance when a song comes on. This morning, he turned to me and said “Rock, Mama” when we were listening to his music CDs. I hope this love of music continues, well as long as it doesn’t include country music!

Harmon at 20 months

Since he changes by the second, this month I thought I would just make note of some of his latest behaviors. One thing I MUST note, however, is what a complete angel he was on vacation. It was our first family vacation together and, after a rough couple of days – one which was a Tigers' game where Kevin and I MAYBE saw an inning of action – we were a little nervous. But, he was perfect and he had so much fun!

OK, on to some of Harmon's latest quirks:

1. Having two balls at all times is Harmon's favorite thing lately, especially at bedtime. He has to go to sleep (and wake up) with TWO BALLS!

2. When we're preparing to leave the house, Harmon rounds us up by yelling "Let's Go!" He also grabs two toys to take with him every time we leave – usually the said two balls or a bat and a ball!

3. He LOVES helicopters! He'll hear them off in the distance and go crazy or he'll see one on TV and go bananas. We've driven by the U-M Survival Flight helipad a few times to see if we can catch a glimpse of one in action. On Tuesday, we got lucky as both were up and running and a third non-UM helicopter was incoming. To satisfy him while we're at home, my parents bought him two toy helicopters.

5. Although he’s always liked music, he is into it now more than ever. In addition to singing “Hail to the Victors” and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” he loves all the songs on his nursery rhyme CDs that his Aunt Angela bought for him. He likes to listen to them in the morning and usually will sing himself to sleep at night.

6. He still loves to read and his favorite book lately is Little Pea (he calls it “Pea Book”). He also loves I am a Bunny and, of course, Goodnight Moon. He’ll read (and we’ll buy him) just about any book!

7. As for food, his latest favorites are blueberries and pancakes (which he requests so clearly). The last few months have been frustrating trying to get him to eat but Kevin and I both can tell it’s starting to get better. We don’t have to sing and dance as much these days to get him to eat his vegetables!

8. And, the language – wow! New words by the minute! Evidently, he talks and sings non-stop at day care. He goes around the classroom naming everyone and everything in addition to singing a ton. He’s also putting words together quite well – almost like sentences. He says “Hi, Mama/Dada,” “Bye bye, Mama/Dada,” “Love you, Mama/Dada,” and “Let’s go, Mama/Dada.” He repeats like a parrot and, knock on wood, there haven’t been any incidents yet!

I keep telling myself to make little notes each day about what he’s doing so these updates will go smoother. He just changes so fast and does so much – it’s hard to keep up!

Beverage frustration

Kevin tells me all the time that I am a woman with simple needs. He knows what they are and usually can keep me pretty happy. Our recent vacation, however, was a tad bit frustrating for him. Two of the staples of my everyday life are Diet Coke and Light Mocha Frappuccinos from Starbucks and both were hard to find in Traverse City.

Every restaurant we went to served Pepsi (I just threw up a bit typing that) and the only place I could find a Diet Coke fountain drink to go with my fudge or my chocolate covered dried cherries OR my slice of chocolate chip cheesecake from the Underground Cheesecake Company (God, that's A LOT of choco) was the McDonald's drive-through window.

As for the frappuccinos, I love them in the morning (or for an after-dinner snack) once or twice a week but that didn't happen up north and it just wasn't right. On our way into town after a really bad hotel continental breakfast one morning, I said "oh, I can just run by Starbucks and get … no, I can't, because there IS NO STARBUCKS UP HERE." Kevin and I then made the game show loser sound and Harmon repeated it, taunting me further.

Since we've been back, I've made up for my lack of light frappuccinos and Diet Cokes. I've also run many a mile on the treadmill!

Water-log

This week, we took our first vacation as a family, a short jaunt up to Traverse City for a few days. Although Aimee has lived here her entire life, I had not seen much of the state of Michigan outside of the Detroit/Ann Arbor area. We left on July 3 and stayed at a Day's Inn in Traverse City. We wanted to stay in a bigger room to give both Harmon and Isabel breathing and playing room. We had a two-room suite and, when he wasn't chasing Isabel all over, Harmon was running from room to room laughing and screaming. We could have left Isabel and Harmon alone all week and they would have had a blast, but we had things to do and water to see/play in.

On our first day, the Fourth of July, we traveled west to the famous Michigan sand dunes. We knew the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore provided some of the most breathtaking views of Lake Michigan, and I guess they do, but we did not see them. Unfortunately, the day we went it was hazy and overcast and, while we did manage to get a nice family photo, the water was a rumor, even though it was just 400 feet below us (It should have looked like this). We drove to the nearby Dune Climb, and Harmon spent most of his time rolling around in and getting covered in sand. Both Aimee and I climbed to the top, and we both thought the payoff would be a gorgeous view of the Lake. But, when you reach the top of the Dune Climb, the lake it still more than a mile away. Still, it was good exercise, and we are still finding sand in our luggage, clothes and Harmon's diaper.

Intent on seeing some water, we drove to Lighthouse Point, part of the Leelanau State Park. We got there just in time to climb the lighthouse steps and see where Lake Michigan meets Grand Traverse Bay. It was still a little cloudy, but the views were still awesome. We had a nice dinner near the bay and Harmon was pooped by the time we got back to the hotel. We would have loved to see fireworks, but they didn't start until almost 10 p.m., well past Harmon's bedtime.

With most of our sightseeing done on the first day, we decided to do some souvenir shopping around town July 5. But, first, we introduced Harmon to water. Well, more water than his usual bath time. The hotel had a huge pool, and Aimee and I slowly lowered him into the water. He was apprehensive at first, but seemed to take a liking to it. After shopping in Traverse City for a while, we walked along the water a bit. I took Harmon down on the beach, thinking we would want to just play in the sand and watch me dip my feet in the water. Oh, no! Michael Phelps Jr. practically jumped in the water. He dipped a toe at first, but within 10 minutes, he wanted to jump in by himself. The highlight came when we wandered out just a foot or so and was toppled by an incoming wave. His clothes were soaked, but he had a blast.

The day almost over, we grabbed a pizza and headed back to the hotel. Armed with his new appreciation for water and a body swimsuit, courtesy of his Nana, Harmon actually seemed eager to get back into the pool. We played for about a half-hour, and each time I put him back on the pool deck, he seemingly wanted to jump back in. He kicked and paddled while I held him, and generally showed us again that he is simply fearless.
We checked out of the hotel on Friday morning, but had one more sight to see. We drove up the peninsula that divides the West and East bays to Old Mission Point. It was so peaceful there, and a perfect way to end our vacation. There are many other details and funny stories we will write more about later, but this is a brief overview of the Bergquists by the Bay!

Our little gummy bear

After our Cockapoo, Lady, died, the Saling family desperately wanted another dog. Although we loved our Lady so much, we didn’t have her very long so I think getting over her loss was a little easier. As we started thinking about a new dog, we often visited a pet store in the nearby mall (OK, we’ve NOW learned NOT to buy pets at pet stores). We looked at all kinds of dogs in all sizes, shapes, colors and breeds but the dog we all fell in love with was a Shetland Sheepdog. On one particular visit, my sisters and I noticed the cutest little Sheltie – the cutest one we’ve ever seen, in fact – and were bummed to see his cage said “Sold – Going Home.” Little did we know that he was sold to our parents and he would become the best Christmas present ever. My parents left him with my Uncle Max to keep under wraps until Christmas Eve 1992 when he jumped out a huge box at my Grandma Cook’s house!

Montgomery Sir Harrison is what we named him – what a gift he was and what a gift he continued to be through so many good times and bad times with the Saling family. For 14 ½ years, he was the best dog any family could ever ask for and as we all came together last Wednesday for his last day, it was amazing to hear how much this little pup touched our lives. We had so many stories and so many memories – all things that won’t ever, ever be forgotten.

I haven’t gone an hour without crying since talking to my Mom and getting the bad news last Monday night. But, not an hour has gone by without a wonderful Montgomery memory. There are so many – enough to fill a hundred internets – but I wanted to mention a few just so I can always keep them close to me.

1. Since he was a puppy, we always bought him toys and he was the only dog we ever knew who flat-out refused to play with toys. He just didn’t like toys. He preferred a sock or pretty much anything from my sister Erin’s room!

2. Thunderstorms and fireworks always made him crazy. During a bad storm or the Fourth of July weekend, we would return home to find that all the noise had caused him to jump into the bathtub. We’re not sure what that solved but it made him feel better!

3. He LOVED popcorn! Whenever my Mom would make popcorn, he would go bananas. He would be right there next to her and the stove and then all but trip her trying to get some on her way to the living room. She always gave him some – it was their thing!

4. He never was able to finish obedience training; thus, he never was allowed off-leash and he had NO CLUE what cars were. So, when he would escape – which he did quite frequently – it always was an ordeal. Usually, we would find him near someone’s garbage and, usually, we could lure him back to us with food. In fact, one time my Mom shook a box of Hot Tamales to lure him back into the car and it worked.

5. Montgomery had a freakin’ iron-clad stomach. So much for the dogs-can’t-have-chocolate theory because he lived through 14 Halloweens and probably 14 bags of some kind of Hershey’s Halloween candy. Each year, he would manage to get into and devour the candy – no matter what we did. He’s also been known to eat an entire pizza and an entire pound of outdated turkey from the deli.

6. When we used to take him to the groomer, they always would send him home with damn bows in his hair! We constantly explained that HE WAS A BOY but that didn’t seem to matter. Later in life, they FINALLY started sending him home with little bandanas around his neck and he would look so handsome. My sisters and I also loved when the groomer would trim the hair between his little foot pads and would shave him a duck butt!

7. At one point, when we all lived at home, we wouldn’t communicate with each other on who was feeding him when so we all feed him and he got HUGE. At his hugest point, my sister Stacey used him in her senior video project and it was hilarious.

8. One of my favorite memories of Montgomery is the way he would act when he would come inside after being outside for a while on a cold winter’s night. He would run barking from one end of the house to the other like some crazed dog – it still cracks me up. He also would get stuck in the snow quite frequently and my Dad would have to go “rescue” him in subzero temperatures.

9. While I was in grad school, I lived at home and that was an awesome time for me and Montgomery. He slept at my bedside every night and was there when I got ready every morning. He would huff at me when I stayed up too late and disrupted his beauty sleep and get pissed at me if I got up too early and tickled his ears. He was there for me each time Kevin and I would have issues while we were trying to work out our long-distance relationship. I can’t even count the number of times I would just grab him and hold him while I cried about one thing or another.

10. Once Kevin and I finally got it together and got married, I missed Montgomery so much. It was so hard to be away from him after being with him almost every day for two years. One weekend shortly after we got married, we took Montgomery to the apartment in Ann Arbor. Although he definitely was confused, he went with it and was such a good boy – well, with the exception of NEVER going to the bathroom when Kevin would take him outside at 5 a.m.!

I could go on and on but I’ll stop now and just say this:

Montgomery, we love you so much and will miss you forever.
All dogs go to heaven.
10-3-92 – 6-27-07