In mailboxes now ...

Here is the birth announcement/holiday card we sent out this year:

37-month update

Harmon is well into age 3 now and the big change for him has been becoming a big brother. So far, it’s gone well. He’s gone from curious to attentive and he can even be a helper if he’s in the mood. Luckily, he hasn’t tried to injure Simon and he hasn’t even asked us to return him to the hospital! He’ll note how little he is or how cute he is. He’ll tell us he needs a bottle (or his binky) when he’s crying and he loves to stress how bald he is. The cutest thing is when he notices Simon looking at him. He gets this big-brother pride and says “Simon is looking at me!”

Other than being a big brother, he has a few other things going on. He’s doing great at school. A few weeks ago, we got a note from his teachers about him wearing underwear. While he wears underwear at all other times, he still wears pull-ups to school (school has been the last frontier). Now, it looks like that is not necessary anymore!

His big thing lately has been his LeapFrog ClickStart computer and The Polar Express. He is really good at the computer, especially with the mouse. It really surprised us how quickly he picked up the whole thing. And, my Dad bought him The Polar Express DVD after he watched it at their house one weekend. He loves it and has watched it almost every day since he got it. He sings all the songs and knows most of the dialogue by heart. He said repeatedly that he wants a silver bell for Christmas and, of course, we obliged. I can’t wait to see his face when he opens it!

Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving this year was one of the oddest Thanksgivings we’ve ever experienced. After having Simon late on Tuesday, I had the option of coming home on Thanksgiving or staying until Friday. Simon and I were fine and cleared for discharge so we decided to head home early. Also, Harmon was with my parents for the holiday so Kevin and I thought having a night at home with just Simon would help us ease into things. Before leaving the hospital around 4 p.m., we had the cafeteria version of a Thanksgiving feast for lunch – gag! After finding an open pharmacy to fill the prescriptions for my pain meds (a difficult task on Thanksgiving), we headed home. Our next task was to find an open restaurant to get dinner. We WOULD have just eaten something at home but we were overdue for a trip to Kroger! Our old stand-by – Pizza House – was open so we got take-out for Thanksgiving dinner!

We missed Harmon tremendously and also missed seeing our family. Fortunately, though, I didn’t totally miss out on a “real” Thanksgiving meal as my Mom sent a ton of leftovers with Harmon when he came back home on Friday!

Stupid banana

All along, I had a scheduled c-section planned for Simon. I didn’t want to go through all I went through with Harmon so I thought this was the best way. I was due Dec. 13 and had surgery scheduled for Dec. 5 so imagine my surprise when my water broke on Nov. 25. One of my first concerns was that my labor would progress and I would actually find myself working through some major contractions before my doctor could start my surgery. Well, this ALMOST happened because of a damn banana!

At 4:30 p.m. that day, I had eaten a banana to tide me over until dinner. Unfortunately, that banana delayed my surgery as there is a "no-food-or-drink-in-the-last-six-hours" rule for anesthesia at U-M Hospital (and probably at most hospitals). So, by the time I was ready for my spinal block – around 10:30 p.m. – my contractions were already 2-3 minutes apart and I was none too happy about it! Thankfully, the spinal block was almost painless, that awesome feeling of warm numbness came very fast and then we were quickly on our way!

Last supper?

Right before my water broke, we were cooking kielbasa, mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner. This surely will be a meal we’ll never forget even though we didn’t get to eat any of it. And, just like with Harmon, I didn’t get a decent meal before going into surgery. With Harmon, it was a lunch of cheese and crackers (Kevin and I had dinner plans for later in the night). With Simon, I slammed a fat-free hot dog and Cheez-It for lunch before heading to my 37-week check-up. God forbid either of my boys be born after I have a nice big meal from Pizza House!

First movie

Before all the craziness of Simon’s early arrival, I meant to blog about Harmon’s first movie. On his birthday – Nov. 12 – my Mom and sister, Stacey, took him to see Madagascar 2. Kevin and I have wanted to take him for a while but were a little nervous about it. So, my Mom decided to take him to a Wednesday matinee and he was an angel! He was as quiet as a church mouse and only had to make one trip to the potty. Normally he’s a HUGE fan of popcorn but he was disappointed with the popcorn offerings at the Ann Arbor Showcase Cinema. He loved the movie and talked about it for weeks so we’re going to have to take him again soon!

Maternity leave … so far

Since I took a vacation day last Wednesday, and Thursday and Friday were holidays, Monday was the actual first day of my maternity leave (at least in my mind). And, Monday was rough. I was having some issues (I will not discuss further) with some pain meds that kept me up all night long. So, I had to cut back a little and that sucked. None of us showered at all and we stayed in our pajamas all day. The only GOOD thing that happened was that Simon got a good check-up at the doctor’s office. So, all in all, I would say day one of leave = TOTAL FAIL!

Day two really wasn’t much better simply because it started off with me actually watching Britney Spears’ Crossroads movie. I SWEAR nothing else was on! It did get better, though. Kevin rented Step Brothers and got me flowers for our anniversary. Side note: He gave me my actual gift as we were rushing out the door to head to the hospital last Tuesday – this kick-ass new text phone. Another good thing, before we went to bed, Simon’s belly button remnants fell off. Now, with his belly button and circumcision in the clear – we can give him a real bath and he no longer will smell like a foot. BONUS!

Happy Anniversary?

So, um, yeah, Happy 8th Anniversary, Kevin!

We were married eight years ago today but I don’t think we’ve fully celebrated an anniversary since 2004. Harmon was born in November 2005 and then interfered with any celebration plans for 2005, 2006 and 2007. Then, Simon decides to come early this year and mess with the actual plans we DID make. They were nothing grand – dinner at P.F. Chang’s followed by a movie, Four Christmases – but at least it was SOMETHING. Instead, we rented Step Brothers and got Pizza House take-out with the check Kevin’s parents sent us as an anniversary gift. What can I say, we know how to party!

In all seriousness, though, I couldn’t be happier with our eight years. Kevin is a wonderful husband and father and I love him so much more each and every day. And, believe it or not, I think about our wedding day and I look at my wedding ring every single day. It’s never to be forgotten even if properly celebrating it the day of has been a challenge!

Simon Abner Bergquist

The Bergquist family is proud to welcome Simon Abner Bergquist, born at 11:32 p.m. November 25 at University Hospital in Ann Arbor. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 1 ounce and 21 inches long. Daddy, Mommy and big brother Harmon have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Three-year photos

The Friday before Harmon’s birthday party, my sister, Stacey, was kind enough to take his three-year photos. Stacey, my Mom and I got him all dressed up in his brown-themed Baby Gap gear and headed to Gallup Park. I thought this would be a great spot for photos because he loves going there with my Mom on Wednesdays. We did lots of photos – some along the many trails, some near the water, some near the rocks – and they all turned out great! The one at left is the main photo we’ll give out to our family members AND include in our holiday card/birth announcement. Check out our Flickr page to see the other SIX photos we chose (we just couldn’t narrow it down).

Many, many thanks to Stacey, once again, for her great photography skills!

Birthday – Part II

While the big party was before his birthday, we STILL wanted to do something special with Harmon on his actual birthday. So, Kevin and I decided to go into work a little late on Nov. 12 and take him to breakfast. Since he loves pancakes, we decided to introduce him to an Ann Arbor classic – Angelo’s! Harmon had his usual – pancakes, sausage and milk – and Kevin and I had pancakes too (my chocolate chip ones were AWESOME). We also got him two SMALL presents – the Backyardigans’ Austin and If you Give a Cat a Cupcake. After that exciting morning, we left him with my Mom and sister, Stacey, to have more fun on his birthday!

Third birthday party

On Nov. 8, we celebrated Harmon’s third birthday with a small family party. Because he’s been in love with the Backyardigans lately, we did a Backyardigans-themed party. Unfortunately, we didn’t do a good enough job of hiding the decorations and presents. We hid them away in Simon’s room – a place he never goes – but he must have sensed it and sniffed them out.

After dinner, we headed to the basement to open WAY too many presents. Kevin’s parents got him a tricycle, among other things. My parents and sister, Stacey, got him a ton of clothes as well as some classic games like Hungry Hungry Hippos and Let’s Go Fishin’. His BIG gift from us was the LeapFrog ClickStart My First Computer. He got many other things too and loved them all! He did not, however, love being the center of attention for the singing and the cake. In fact, it freaked him out and he cried as we sang. And, he wasn’t the least bit interested in his cake.

Overall, I think he had a great time and everyone was so happy just to be with him!

FAIL

God, I SO suck at blog updates lately. I’m 36 weeks' pregnant and TRYING to prepare for Simon’s arrival; I’m worrying about Harmon; I’m thinking about the Thanksgiving dinner I’m not going to enjoy; I’m wondering HOW I’m going to get my Christmas shopping done; AND I’m trying to work a very busy few more days before I go on maternity leave. I have ALL KINDS OF BLOG TOPICS on my mind but just haven’t gotten to them – forgive me. In the very near future, I plan to write about Harmon’s third birthday, his first trip to the movies, his three-year photos AND the differences between the Harmon and Simon pregnancies. Those are four topics that are top of mind, for starters.

In the meantime, as Kevin and I were driving to work this morning, we were talking about Harmon and how his life is now versus how it will be in just over two weeks. Here is a direct quote from Kevin, which was hilarious:

“He’s got a good gig! He gets to stay in his jammies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; he has show-and-tell on Thursday; and Tuesday is garbage truck day. It doesn’t get any better than that!”

Three!

Harmon, you are three today! I remember when our friends with kids used to tell us just how fast time went by AFTER you have kids. We thought time went by FAST ENOUGH on it’s own but, they were right, with kids it’s like warp speed! It seems like just yesterday we brought you home from the hospital in your orange kangaroo outfit. We put your car seat in the middle of the living room floor and thought, wow, what do we do now? After three years, though, I think we’ve got it figured out! Then again, you’ve made it pretty easy on us by being such a good boy.

From the beginning, you’ve been relatively laid back and pretty low maintenance. You’ve been so healthy (knock on wood) and that may be because you got a jump start on most other babies by being born over nine pounds! You’ve always been a great eater – we’ve really had no problems with formula or any foods – save for the eggs and the fish that one time (we should probably test those things again). You never once fussed about all those incoming teeth (we still can’t believe it). You were quick to sleep through the night and you did great when we moved you to your crib. You also were easy to break from both your bottle and your binky. And, being that you’re a boy, I must admit that the potty training has gone relatively well too although Daddy can attest there were days I thought you would NEVER get it.

You’ve been a blabbermouth since you started yelling “dadadadada” when you were six months old and your language today makes us simply shake our heads. We just can’t believe all the things that come out of your mouth! So, while you thanked us for your birthday presents, we thank you:

For your brown eyes
For your perfect profile
For suddenly showing people that you look like Mommy, too
For all your snuggles and hugs
For telling Daddy “you have a big belly”
For your manners (most of the time)
For smiling and posing for more than 1,500 photos (so far!)
For being so loving to all of your family members
For serenading Mommy with shouts of “Mama!” when she comes out of work
For being a fan of Coach Rod (even if you didn’t want to say ‘Hi’ to him)
For being excited about being a big brother
For being a good boy at “school”
For being gentle with your “little sister” Isabel
For dancing in the living room and shaking your booty
For the voicemails when you wake up from Friday naps and say “Hi, Daddy”
For sitting through three quarters of two Michigan football games
For knowing the words to “The Victors”
For being so good on the potty, even telling us, “I’m going to be here another minute”
For all of your singing, even if it is the Backyardigans theme ad nauseum
For the happiest three years of our lives
For being you

We love you, Harmon

Witnessing history

Last night, almost 64 million Americans went to the polls and elected Barack Obama as this nation’s 44th president. It was a landslide, a mandate of sorts, that Americans wanted change and Obama was the clear choice to bring about that change. Of course, after eight long and horrible years of the Bush administration – which I’m sure will go down in history as the worst presidential administration of all time – it’s crazy to think there were people out there that didn’t want change!

Anyway, as I watched MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann call the election in favor of Obama just seconds after 11 p.m. (when the polls closed on the West Coast), I began to cry. I didn’t think I would but I did and there were SO many reasons for these tears of joy – reasons I hadn’t come to grips with until I saw people celebrating in the streets like it was New Year’s Eve.

I looked at the crowd that gathered in Chicago’s Grant Park and it was in stark contrast to those that had gathered for McCain’s concession speech in Arizona just moments earlier. While McCain’s crowd consisted of mostly white supporters, Obama’s crowd was a true melting pot – white, brown and black and young and old alike. It was amazing to see so many different people together supporting one man to bring about the change that most of us have desired for so long.

While I recognize what Obama means to the black race and all they have endured throughout history and while I am SO happy to be able to see and be a part of this historical election, Obama’s election means so much more. These are 10 things that ran through my head as I listened to him once again speak so eloquently to the American people. I thought about having a president who:

1. Is intelligent, thoughtful, diplomatic, calm and steady.
2. Is willing to work with others and doesn’t live by the rule “it’s my way or the highway.”
3. Will listen and consider the opinions and thoughts of others, even if they differ from his.
4. Will restore our standing in the world.
5. Will value the military and will consider all other options before sending our men and women off to war.
6. Will tell the truth.
7. Will fight for all Americans, not just the wealthy ones.
8. Will fight for our children – especially when it comes to things like education and health care.
9. Will bring us together, not divide us.
10. Will inspire us, not scare us.

I could go on and on but I’ll stop after just two more things.

I can’t wait until Harmon reads his first history book and asks me about this historic election. I will be so excited to tell him all about it. I will tell him how important it was and how – even at almost three years old – he was totally into it yelling “It’s Barack Obama, Mama” every time he saw Obama on TV or saw that wonderful Obama logo on magnets, stickers, billboards and yard signs!

And lastly, from the moment the election was called until much later when I finally went to bed, Simon kicked me like crazy (more than usual, which is saying a lot). It was like he knew what was going on outside and he wanted to get out and be a part of it all. And, honestly, today, I can breathe a little easier about bringing him into this NEW world.

VOTE!

It's time - get out and vote, no matter what!

The Beatles

A few months ago, late on a Wednesday, we were eating dinner with Harmon and he was singing “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles. It was so cute to hear a two-year-old boy sing the following line:

Oh, please, say to me
You’ll let me be your man

Anyway, I found out that my Mom and Dad bought him the Beatles “1” CD and he had been listening to it earlier that day with my Mom. She always loved the Beatles when she was young and I’m sure she sang some songs on the radio with him while they were out doing their Wednesday thing. However it happened, he took a liking to the “Fab Four” and still can’t get enough. At this point, he sings a bunch of songs on the CD, including “Love Me Do” and “We Can Work It Out!” He LOVES music and is proving to have his parents’ musical range – he easily goes from pop to metal to rock to rap. We’re just hoping he never finds country!

Big fall weekend

Last weekend, it finally felt like fall so we took full advantage and did some typical fall stuff. On Friday night, after a yummy – yet speedy – dinner at Buddy’s Pizza in Dearborn, we once again attended the Halloween in Greenfield Village event. We went last year for the first time and it was a lot of fun so we thought we would take Harmon again this year. He had more fun this time as he was able to walk the whole route and get his own goodies at the many treat stations. He did a great job and was very well behaved. He did get tired a few times, though, so he would stop and rest on the curb! I think the highlight of his night was seeing the horses during the headless horseman routine. He loved the small horse, petting him a bunch of times, but wasn’t too crazy about the big horse. I’ll guess we’ll have to wait a while before taking him to St. Louis to see the Budweiser Clydesdales! While I didn’t go all out with the face paint like I will on Halloween, we did debut Harmon’s 2008 Halloween costume (an adorable hedgehog) and it got rave reviews! We had SO many people stop us and comment on it! Just as we did with his name, we also like to go unique with the costumes, especially while we can. Soon enough, he’ll want to be a vampire every year and we’ll have to just go with it.

After resting up on Saturday – and hearing Harmon say “Coach Rod is MAD” during the Michigan @ Penn State game – we headed to the cider mill on Sunday. Just as we did last year, we went to Three Cedars Farm. We got there early enough to just miss the huge lines for donuts and cider and Harmon had plenty of time to play on the slide and toy tractors before we took a big tractor ride out to the corn maze. He LOVED the corn maze but we had to keep yelling at him to not get too far ahead of us. It’s hard, under normal circumstances, to keep up with him much less when I’m eight months’ pregnant! Since Harmon already got a huge pumpkin from my uncle, we decided to forego the walk through the pumpkin patch. This proved to be a good decision because he crashed HARD as soon as we got in the car and slept all the way home. It was a perfect fall weekend – one of those fall weekends you wait for all year!

Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire (Station)

Harmon LOVES fire trucks and fire stations and lately we’ve fed into that love. In August, we took him to the Michigan Firehouse Museum in Ypsilanti and he had a great time. This museum was very cool, highlighted by old models of fire trucks from years ago and a fun play area for kids. We went on a Friday afternoon and were the ONLY ones there so we stayed and visited and played for a long time.

And, just recently, we surprised Harmon with a visit to the Ann Arbor Fire Department’s Open House. We went to the fire station on Fifth Avenue and it was a great time! In the past, Harmon has admired the fire trucks from AFAR but, on this day, he was totally cool with showing his love up close and personal. After getting his goodie bag, fire hat and balloon, we got in line to get photos in the fire truck. He was cool with it and we got some cute photos of him in the driver’s seat and in the small cab behind the driver’s seat. The one bummer of the day was when Harmon popped his balloon when climbing up in the cab. The “pop” scared the crap out of him and he cried for a bit – of course we couldn’t stop laughing! I think the best part of the day for him, though, was the small bag of popcorn he inhaled – he was elbow deep in that thing! Overall, he had good fire station experiences this summer so we hope he always remembers them!

Bicycle, bicycle (like Queen)

Well, more like tricycle but I love the song and had to work it in! ANYWAY, back in September, a co-worker gave me a tricycle for Harmon. I brought it home and he loved it but had NO CLUE what to do with it. His legs were long enough so he was able to push himself where he needed to go. As the days have gone by, we’ve worked with him and he seemed to finally be getting the hang of pedaling. Well when I came home from work on Monday, Harmon was in the driveway with his beloved tricycle and he was pedaling it all by himself! I asked Kevin when THIS happened and he said “I think just now!” So, we’re calling it – Monday, Oct. 13 – first day riding the tricycle all by himself. I’m sad – he’s such a big boy!

Obsess much?

Lately, Harmon has been OBSESSED with the Backyardigans. While he’s always liked them, over the last month or so he’s really shunned all other cartoons in favor of the Backyardigans. No more Mickey, Little Einsteins or Handy Manny, it’s the Backyardigans 24/7. He has several books that he carries around and sleeps with (and has us read them ad nauseam). He has a Pablo Beanie Baby that I got for him that he simply can’t get enough of. He knows they are on at 9 a.m. and he reminds us ALL THE TIME. He also knows there are episodes on Comcast’s On Demand and he’ll ever so slyly suggest that we go downstairs and watch these (especially W-I-O-WA - the Corniest Station in the Nation)!

But, the silliest Backyardigans possession has to be his box of fruit snacks. We saw these one night while picking up a few things at Hiller’s Market. We got them thinking he would EAT them but, no, he wanted them just for the box. To date, he has eaten exactly ONE packet of fruit snacks yet he carries this mangled, tattered box around like it’s his “woobie!” We suggested taking the snacks out, cutting out the photo on the front of the box and giving it to him but he HAS to have the full box to clutch or it’s just not the same. The box is practically falling apart and has been taped back together more times than we can count but he loves it. Pre-schoolers are funny birds!

Not really a 35-month update

Harmon, yesterday, you turned 35 months old. Since your grandparents were in town for the weekend, the day got lost in the shuffle and, once again, I am late on your monthly update. While it’s ALWAYS on my mind, I’ve been slacking with these updates lately. Missing this particular update, though, upset me – partly because I didn’t see you much this weekend, but mostly because I suddenly realized I’ve only got a month or so left with you as our only child.

There are only so many weekends left with just you, me and Daddy and there are only so many Fridays – the day you call “Harmon and Mommy Day” – left too and that makes me sad.

While I am elated to welcome your little brother, Simon, into this world, I ask Daddy all the time how I’m EVER going to be able to love another child as much as I love you. I know it happens all the time and I know it will happen for me but, right now, I just can’t seem to get my head around the whole idea of it.

I tell you all the time “you are my whole world” and I never feel it more than when I’m NOT with you. I was out shopping (for stuff for you, of course) on Friday and I just couldn’t stop thinking about you. And, it seemed every Mom I saw had their young son with them! It’s hard when I’m not with you and I can’t imagine feeling that way – TIMES TWO! I know this will get better as you (and your brother) get older and want less and less to do with me. I understand that. But, when you’re so little, every moment is so important because it goes by SO DAMN FAST.

You’re going to be 3 next month and then, just a few weeks after that, your whole world is going to change. Until then, though, I just want as much time with you as possible.

Two months from today ...

... our family will grow from three to four. Kevin and I will be the parents of TWO handsome sons! I think we've both had those "oh crap" moments lately. I know I had one on Friday when Harmon was especially challenging. I thought "am I going to be able to handle TWO of these little guys?" I'm sure we'll be fine but it's the unknown that allows doubt to creep in and freak you out a little bit!

We bought diapers today for Simon so that made SOME of the unknown disappear :-)

Are you guys brothers?

Last night, we took Harmon to his “Becoming Brothers and Sisters” class at U-M Hospital. Since he’s been into the whole “big brother” thing, we thought he would enjoy the class.

Um, yeah, not so much!

He started off shy, which we are used to. I’m on the shy side so I totally understand. But it wasn’t the shyness that was tough to deal with. It was more the fact that he was whining and not listening to a word we (or the teacher) had to say. He was more interested in running around than learning about becoming a big brother. We thought he might become a little more engaged when the teacher busted out the fake babies to play with but he wasn’t at all interested. As a side note, it was funny to see all the little girls holding and cradling their babies while all the little boys were dragging their babies around by the head, arm, leg, etc.! I guess that’s one of the MANY differences between boys and girls!

Anyway, he DID get better (thank God). And the highlight of the night was when the teacher asked what the umbilical cord was. Harmon yelled out “a snake!” Kevin and I died!

By the end, he was brown-nosing the teacher and trying to butter up everyone else too. He’s such a ham! For his hour or so of time, he got a “big brother” button, a certificate for completing the class and a Polaroid of him holding his fake baby (and looking as though there was NO WAY he could be less interested). He did, however, carry that Polaroid around with him the rest of the night!

I just hope he’s a little more engaged once he’s REALLY a big brother – it’s only nine weeks away!

500th game at the Big House one for the ages

Today’s Michigan game against Wisconsin was the 500th game at the Big House and it was a special one. Michigan, all but dead in the first half, came back from a 19-0 deficit to beat the Badgers, 27-25. This was the biggest comeback in the stadium’s history, replacing two games Kevin and I were at: in 1995 – an 18-17 win over Virginia where Michigan came back from a 17-0 deficit; and 2004 – a 45-37 triple-overtime victory over Michigan State.

I really don’t know what today’s win means for the rest of the 2008 season but I’ll take it. I DO know that Wisconsin looked like the Michigan of old. They got a big lead, sat on it, went away from what was working, got tired in the fourth quarter and, eventually, choked away the game. It was nice today to be on the other end, even if we did have to endure that AWFUL first half.

Going into today’s game, Kevin and I were curious how the Michigan players would be in the fourth quarter, especially going up against a traditional Big Ten power team like Wisconsin. Needless to say, we came away impressed, especially with the defense. All that conditioning is paying off and it seems Mike Barwis is worthy of all the hype!

I have NO IDEA what will happen next week against Illinois so I’m going to enjoy this win until then!

My gift ...

... for dealing with almost-constant nausea; for getting kicked in the rib cage 24/7; and for having to get sliced open like a melon to bring Simon into the world.

Thank you, Kevin! I likey!

Coach Rod has made up Miles of ground

Last Saturday, as Michigan was self-destructing in the first five minutes of its game at Notre Dame, Aimee received a text message. It very well could have been a "What are they doing?" or "Can anyone catch the ball?" or even, "I told you about Coach Rod" (the last one from one of our "seasonal" Notre Dame friends). But, it wasn't a sharing of distress and no foul language was present. Nope, in fact, it was a simple message from one of Aimee's sisters: "He is so hot." And that little statement tells a lot about Coach Rod's status in our household.

At the moment that Les Miles finally put to bed the rumors that he would become the next coach at Michigan (displayed at the bottom of ESPN News), Aimee, like many Michigan fans, was devastated. Not only was Miles the heir apprarent to the Michigan head coaching job and Bo's mini-Me, Aimee likes the way he looks in his white trucker hat. Now that the Coach Rod era is well under way here in Ann Arbor, Coach Rod not only has made up distance on Miles in terms of popularity, he also has endeared himself to Aimee. Just ask her about her "ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod" moment.

Delayed 34-month update

Harmon turned 34 months old last Friday, Sept. 12. I completely dropped the ball on his 34-month update as we spent most of last weekend a) dodging monsoon-like rains and b) moving out of our den so it can become Harmon’s NEW bedroom.

He is doing well, despite a bit of a cold this week. We couldn’t remember the last time he even had the sniffles so that’s a good thing. As I said above, he is getting ready for the move to his new-and-improved, big-boy room. Our goal is for him to sleep in it Saturday night so we’ll see how that goes (and I’ll post pictures and an update on this separately). In addition to being excited about his new room, he’s also already excited for Halloween. It’s not so much for the candy (he still isn’t really a fan of sweets), it’s more for the decorations and his costume (to be revealed at a later date). He loves all the pumpkin lights we put up and also loves the costume we chose for him this year. He loves it so much that he cried big time when I had to take it off him after trying it on JUST to make sure it fit. Looks like we have another Halloween lover in the family!

The move to his new classroom at school has gone really well. He is excited to go all the time, especially on Thursdays when it’s show-and-tell day. The first week, he took his baby leopard and, today, he took his sea otter that my sister, Stacey, got him from the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. He has so much more independence in this classroom and that’s been great for him, with the exception of lunch time. He’s barely touched his lunch lately and we’re not sure if it’s because he’s too busy having fun OR there’s no one telling him he has to eat every bite. We’re hoping it improves but we’re pretty sure he’s not going to starve!

In thinking about ideas for his birthday, we’re at a loss because he’s still so in love with his cars. Cars and books are STILL his two favorite things with his stuffed animals running a distant third. He finally LOVES his Dr. Seuss books, which is good because I had to go through his library and remove some of his baby books. He was happy, though, to store them for Simon! One new development has been coloring. He is way into it now and wants to color every day. He’ll draw things and then tell us what they are and we work constantly on identifying, writing and matching letters, numbers, shapes and colors. He has one dot-to-dot book that he really likes so I’m going to have to find more workbooks like these to challenge him.

We’re ALMOST there with the potty training. Accidents are few and far between and, if there are any, they usually are of the pee variety. He’s been wearing underwear a lot at home and we’ve been easing him into them when we leave the house for walks or quick errands. He’s good at telling us when he has to go and is getting a lot better at just getting in the bathroom and getting on the potty himself. We’re SO close!

He says the funniest things lately too, as he develops more and more vocabulary. Lately, he wants to “throw things in the woods and get them all dirty” and, if you ask him about his pull-up or underwear, he’ll tell you, “yeah, I think it’s still pretty dry.” Sometimes he just rattles off paragraphs of stuff and it makes our heads spin. Kevin and I feel like he talks 24/7! Since it’s the season for political talk (VOTE OBAMA), we’ve noticed he might be a future lobbyist as he tends to LOBBY HARD for the things he wants. For example, when we’re out walking, he will badger us to no end and ask us, in every different way imaginable, if he can go to the park. Most of the time, it’s cute, but, sometimes, it’s like ENOUGH!

Since I love the fall and winter, this is an exciting time for me because I can start to build his cold-weather wardrobe AND pick out his outfit for his three-year photos! Although there are more girl clothes to choose from out there, I couldn’t possibly have more fun dressing a girl than I have dressing Harmon. Then again, he’s easy to make look cute!

Are you ready for some football?

On Saturday, we took Harmon to his first Michigan football game. Our plan was to do it for the Minnesota game last year but it rained so we had to postpone the big event until this year. While we have four season tickets in our name, we figured it would be awhile until the four of us (Simon included) could enjoy a game together so we gave away two of them. The problem THIS year, though, is that there are three of us and only two tickets (and, yes, ALL people must be accounted for no matter how young). So, I decided to take Harmon in with me first and then Kevin joined us after kickoff when a nice, older couple gave him a free ticket they weren’t using.

Kevin dropped us off on East Stadium Boulevard, near the entrance to Crisler Arena so we only had a short walk to our section. On that walk, though, Harmon LOVED seeing all the police cars and all the construction. We got inside just in time for the band to take the field and, although he was scared by the noise at first, he quickly joined in and sang “The Victors” with everyone else in the stadium. It was so sweet to seeing him “hailing” with his little right arm – that’s my boy! We are huge fans of Coach Rod so it’s not uncommon for Harmon to see him on TV or on the computer, not to mention the fact that we met him a few weeks ago. So, on Saturday, he was all fired up to see Coach Rod! When he led the team out of the tunnel I tried to point him out but Harmon simply liked seeing all the little maize and blue winged helmets bobbing up and down like bumblebees! At kickoff, people hold up their hats and twirl them around and Harmon decided to join in this tradition too. After watching each team’s opening drive (ours included a TD), we went to the concession stand to get some lunch. Harmon got a hot dog and a bottled water and was a hit with everyone he saw (I’m sure the name and the block M hat helped). We got back to our seats just in time for Kevin to arrive and then we all got to enjoy the rest of the half together.

At halftime, Harmon burned off lots of boy energy running around near the entrance gates and Kevin ate a late lunch. Our goal going in was through AT LEAST the first half of the game with Harmon – and we had achieved that – so we decided to get greedy and try for more. We ended up making it to the fourth quarter but it got a little rough. Harmon got bored and it got warmer and he drank a ton of water and, thus, had to go potty 100,000 times so we finally called it a day. On our way out, we got some cute pictures and, overall, I think it went well – Harmon was pretty well behaved and we all had fun. We might try another game later in the year just so he starts to love Michigan football just as much as Kevin and I do!

It was all good just a week ago

Last Friday night, after another yummy dinner at Pizza House, Kevin, Harmon and I went for a long walk around town. Instead of going south toward the athletic campus, we decided to head north – mostly so Harmon could see the fire trucks at the downtown fire station (located on Fifth, just north of Huron). We took Huron back to the car and passed by the Campus Inn. The football team stays at this hotel the night before home games but we’ve been by it a thousand times without incident so I wasn’t expecting any excitement as we passed by the main entrance. However, as we walked past the secondary entrance, I glanced back and immediately grabbed Kevin’s arm all the while trying not to yell “ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!” Just as I had glanced back, Coach Rod had glanced toward the street! I looked at Kevin and we KNEW we had to stop. What other opportunity would we have to meet U-M’s new football coach, especially with our connections to the athletic department dwindling! So, we turned around and made our way back to the hotel. He was speaking with some media types so we patiently waited our turn. When he was done, he turned around all smiles and Kevin introduced us all. Let me just say that a 2 ½-year-old is a great ice breaker! We chatted a bit – well, except for Harmon who went all shy on us (he’s all about Coach Rod at home) – and it was great! He was very welcoming and friendly and taller than we expected (he also had the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen)! He had a real down-to-earth appeal to him and his accent was downright endearing. I can see how he is a big hit in a recruit’s living room! Since he had team meetings to head too, we didn’t take up too much time (and we decided against a photo) but it still was a pretty awesome experience!

Of course, U-M lost its home opener against Utah the next day and then had some tough luck on the recruiting front this week – I hope we weren’t bad luck!

A butterfly to a lightning bug

Today is Harmon’s first day in his new “Lightning Bug” classroom at school. Since it’s a new school year, most of the kids started today in their new classrooms. While Harmon loved being a “Butterfly,” I think he’s going to love his NEW classroom even more. It has a very cool tree house for the kids to climb and hang out in and, most importantly, his Butterfly teacher – Miss Laura – made the move with him. She now is the lead teacher in the Lightning Bug classroom. Harmon has been lucky in both his moves since starting at Annie’s in 2007. Each time, his previous teacher has made the move with him, totally easing his transition.

The new classroom is considered pre-school so he’ll have a lot more responsibility. He’ll have to pick up after himself after free play; retrieve, layout and put away his nap mat; get his own lunch; maneuver his pants and underwear at potty time; and learn how to dress himself. We’ve been working on all these things at home lately and he’s been doing very well. I know he’ll make strides quickly at school too – he’s such a fast learner! The good news to Mom and Dad is that, with this move, his tuition dropped. So, we’ll have a few months at the decreased rate before we have to add Simon’s tuition to the mix!

So many changes for our little guy: a new classroom and new responsibilities this week; a new big boy bedroom in a few weeks; and a new baby brother in a few months. As is usually the case, he’ll just roll with it! It’s what he does and we’re SO glad he’s our little amoeba!

Cleanliness is next to Godliness

Kevin picked up Harmon from school on Tuesday and, while speaking with this teacher, she commented that Harmon’s cleanliness is rather refreshing.

Evidently, his class had painted earlier in the day – mixing colors to create new colors – and while every other child was BATHING in the paint, Harmon was distraught if the paint got on the wrong finger. We weren’t surprised as that’s how he is at home too. If he gets even a DROP of food or drink on his PINKY FINGER, he absolutely must have it wiped off immediately. Needless to say, our photo albums don’t contain any of those gross pictures of him with crap all over his face!

Harmon is just detailed, meticulous and must have everything just how he wants it. And, coming from me and Kevin, it’s really not a surprise. I actually think his future wife really will appreciate this quality!

Dec. 5

I had a doctor’s appointment today and Kevin and I had ONE goal – get a c-section date scheduled! I alternate appointments between my doctor and her nurse and, when we met with the nurse in July, we asked about scheduling. She explained that my doctor probably would schedule surgery about a week before my due date (Dec. 13) and she only does surgery on Mondays and Fridays. So, that left us with the choice of Friday, Dec. 5 or Monday, Dec. 8. We talked about it over the last month (and with the doctor today) and decided Dec. 5 would be best. It would allow Kevin two free days (Saturday and Sunday) to be with me (and Simon) during our hospital stay and it would be easier for my parents to take care of Harmon on a weekend versus weekdays when they both work.

Just for fun, though, we looked at the two dates from an historical perspective. We found that Dec. 8 was not so cool because it was the day we entered into WWII in 1941 and the day John Lennon was shot in 1980.

Dec. 5, on the other hand, is Walt Disney’s birthday! And, if you’re a kid, is there any better person to share a birthday with?

So, Dec. 5 it will be … unless Simon has other plans!

Working the phone

Most of the time, Harmon is fearless but there are a couple of things that scare him. One, of course, is the black panther. The other is … our phone. Since we rely mostly on our cell phones, we don’t pay for AT&T voicemail and instead have a phone system with a built-in answering machine. We’ve never set our personal message on the machine so we use the default message which is some weird, male, computerized voice. Harmon HATES this voice so much, simply because of the way the voice says “hello!” We can say “hello” in a similarly scary voice around the house or while we are out and it never fails to get his attention. In addition to the scary voice, the phones blink red if there is a message. For some reason, this red blinking also freaks him out. If need be, we’ll remind him – in that scary voice – that THE PHONE IS BLINKING RED and he’ll straighten right up. Whatever works, I guess!

Funny things

Five funny things Harmon has blurted out recently:

1. After seeing one of 10,000 relentless political ads on TV: “I’m Barack Obama and I approve this message.”

2. In response to seeing the Goodyear Blimp at the Ann Arbor Municipal Airport last week (and being grumpy when he saw it): “I’m going to throw Isabel at the Blimp.”

3. His latest takes on my pregnancy: “Mommy, your belly’s getting bigger” and “I just love Simon!”

4. After watching this video (thanks to Awful Announcing):



“Where’d Coach Rod go?”

5. In response to a terse reprimand: “No, Mommy (or Daddy), don’t say that!”

Name origins

The day we shared with everyone that we were having another boy; we also shared the name we chose for our second son. Overall, it’s gotten good reviews but people have been curious about just how we arrived at Simon Abner Bergquist. So, I figured a little background would be helpful. And, one day, when Simon is old enough to read this blog, he’ll know the origins of his name.

After having Harmon – being the planners that we are – we thought we should think of another boy name just in case we didn’t have a daughter (whose name was to be Maizey Bryn Bergquist). Initially, we liked other “H” names like Heath and Hyatt but we quickly gravitated to Simon. We like how it sounds on its own and we like how it sounds with Harmon. Most importantly, though, we like that Simon wouldn’t be sitting in his kindergarten class with five other Simons around him. After being surrounded by other “Kevins” and “Amys” our whole lives, we decided early on that we wanted our children to have truly UNIQUE names.

Simon, according to babynames.com, is a Hebrew name meaning “to be heard.” While Kevin is Norwegian and German and I am Mexican and German, using a Hebrew name doesn’t matter to us in the least. We like it and that is that! And, just to be clear, it has nothing to do with the Bible, Alvin and the Chipmunks, American Idol (believe it or not, we’ve never even watched an episode), OR Michigan football.

As for Abner, this one was ALL Kevin’s doing. One day, way before I was even pregnant, we were talking about boy names and Kevin said “what about Simon Abner, you know, after Abner Doubleday, the inventor of baseball?” Of course, baseball was all I needed to hear and I was on board! We think it’s great because it’s unique and has its roots in baseball, which we both love. Abner is also a Hebrew name, which means “father of light.” Lastly, just like Simon, Abner has nothing to do with the University of Michigan.

So, there you have it! The name origins of Simon Abner Bergquist.

And, so as not to ignore Harmon, a quick note about his name. Kevin and I first became aware of the name while working in the U-M athletic department because of Tom Harmon, former U-M football All-American and Heisman Trophy winner. While we love Harmon as a first name, he is NOT named after Tom Harmon. We love it simply because it’s a TRULY unique name, not registering on the U.S. Social Security Administration’s popular baby names list since the early 1900s. Harmon, of German origin, means, “soldier.” Harmon’s middle name, Spencer, is of English origin and means “butler, steward.” Other than loving how it sounds with Harmon, it has NO context (not a family name, not a U-M athlete’s name, etc.).

Random photos

Two totally random photos from Monday, Aug. 4.

First, Harmon at the dentist with his hygienist, Kim. Overall, he was a good boy for his second dentist appointment, only crying a little during the actual teeth cleaning. He got over it, though, as you can see!

After the dentist, Harmon desperately wanted to go to lunch with his Daddy so Kevin rewarded him with a rare trip to Chuck E. Cheese. They both had a good time, despite the freakiness of the photo!

33

Harmon is 33 months’ old today. In just another three months, he’ll be three year’s old – unbelievable! He’s been doing fine enjoying his summer walks and trips to the park.

Another thing he’s been enjoying this summer is TV and radio ads. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s an advertising genius one day. He loves any and all ads for freecreditreport.com, as well as ads for the DIA, Cedar Point and any window or roofing company (especially call 1-800-4-MR-ROOF)!

One thing he also has loved lately that we’re not too crazy about is the word “butt!” He says it all the time, although never really in context. He instead likes to slip it into nursery rhymes and songs and such. We DO say “butt” but usually in the context of playfully saying “I’m going to smack that butt” or “your butt goes on the potty” and stuff like that. We keep telling him it’s not funny and I think he KNOWS this. He just likes to test us.

We’ve spent a lot of time lately preparing him for his new role of big brother. We bought him six different books about becoming a big brother and he loves them all. The week we bought the books, we read them every night before bed and sometimes a couple of times during the day. This past weekend, we bought “Bear Feels Scared” and “Where’s My Mummy?” to break up the monotony of big brother reading. All in all, though, I think he’s getting it.

Part of becoming a big brother, at least for Harmon, is getting a whole new room. Instead of putting together ANOTHER nursery, we’ll move Harmon into the den and put Simon in the nursery. The den is painted a very dark shade of blue and I’ve already got his bedding. Now, I just need to take care of things like window treatments, lamps, rugs, sheets, etc. I hope he likes it because his new room will be the bulk of his birthday present!

The potty training is going very well. He is doing great at school – leading his class in potty stickers – and is doing great at home too. Although we’ve still been putting him in diapers at night (which are dry most mornings), he is in pull-ups the rest of the time. When we know we’re going to be homebound for a considerable amount of time, we let him wear underwear. He’s done pretty well – only a couple of accidents – but we haven’t ventured out of the house with the underwear yet. I think that probably will happen later this month. So, ALMOST there!

A few other totally random things. Yesterday, he was stacking his cars on top of a semi-truck he has. When we saw this, we thought we HAVE to find him a car carrier. So, last night at Toys R Us, we did just that. We found him a car carrier that holds six cars and he was as happy as a clam! The smile on his face was priceless – he’s a kid with simple needs! While at Toys R Us, we had him try some tricycles. We’ve tried in the past and he’s not been interested but he was last night. So, I think we might get him this one. He’ll get some use out of it before it gets cold and then he’ll have it all next summer. Lastly, and I’ve meant to write about this a million times, he LOVES his photo albums. Kevin and I take WAY too many pictures of him (at LEAST 1,300) and I put them all – complete with dates, locations and captions – in photo albums. So far, there are eight albums and they are in his room on his bookshelf. He pulls these out and will flip through them for huge chunks of time. He just loves seeing his family members along with the places he’s gone and the things he’s done. It makes me feel SO GOOD about all the effort I’ve put into those things over the last 33 months!

Are you ready for some football?

Michigan started football practice on Monday and even though most experts think a .500 season is in the cards, I’m still pretty damn excited about what is to come. Here are 10 things I am SO looking forward to this season:

1. I literally have NO IDEA what the first offensive play of the game will be. The predictability of the past and our stone-aged offense are GONE!

2. The team probably won’t run out of gas and blow a game in the fourth quarter. And, we won’t have to see the fat lineman with their hands on their hips after Ohio State spends an afternoon in our backfield.


3. We probably won’t see opposing offenses - seemingly hemmed in - breaking free and running down the sideline for a touchdown while our slow, fatass players are laid out on the turf.

4. The offense MIGHT go for it on a crucial fourth down instead of wimping out, punting and playing the good ole’ field position game.

5. The new coaching staff won’t coach scared and hopefully won’t worry about dropping 50 on someone if need be. Don’t fool yourself, style points count!

6. Young coaches with fires in their bellies who will get in players’ faces (as opposed to reading them poetry and feeding them milk and cookies).

7. Seeing players actually play to their potential. In the past, SO many players haven’t been coached, developed, prepared or conditioned the right way while at Michigan. And then fans wonder why these players go on to succeed at the next level.

8. Seeing a Michigan football program that is open with the media instead of hiding EVERYTHING inside of Fort Schembechler.

9. Not having to watch Michigan Replay and hearing Coach Carr say “well …” every five seconds while trying to explain away another loss.

10. COACH ROD!

Maternity clothes (and a manatee)

Well, it finally had to be done. At 20 weeks, I finally had to bust out the maternity gear. I took a few hours on Sunday to dig it out of the depths of my closet and then wash it so it was ready to go for work on Monday. So far, it’s been … OK. That might, however, have something to do with the fact that I’m still in my regular PANTS. The shirts were the real problem – just too tight across the chest and belly. I figured it wouldn’t be such a good idea to pop a button and put someone’s eye out. Although, if that DID happen, the unfortunate soul couldn’t be in a better place – hello, Kellogg EYE Center!

With Harmon, I made it to July (my sixth month) before the circus tent clothing made an appearance. I almost made it that far this time (I’m in my fifth month) but, alas, the body (well, the abdominal region) remembers.

I guess I can handle four months of the maternity gear if I get another kid as cute as Harmon in the end. The hard part, though, is looking and feeling like this:

Morning sickness eats it

OK, I’m almost 21 weeks along so enough of the morning sickness already.

I’ve felt nauseous 24/7 since the day I took my pregnancy test – only getting a break while I am SLEEPING. Granted I haven’t puked as much as I did with Harmon but I’ve FELT sicker. Yesterday was a crappy day and today is even worse. I puked right after brushing my teeth this morning and then had to have Kevin pull over on the side of the road to puke again on our way into work. Right now, I’m fighting off another puking spell. I have a meeting at 10 a.m. and then a doctor’s appointment at 11:30 a.m. so I hope I can get through both of them puke-free.

I hope I have a better day tomorrow because this is getting to be ri-goddamn-diculous!

Birthday weekend

Yesterday, I turned 35. Ever since I hit 30, I really don’t even think about birthdays anymore. Sometimes, I’ll even forget how old I am - must be the aging brain. Anyway, despite getting older, I had a great birthday weekend! On Saturday night, Kevin and I dropped Harmon off for a sleepover with my parents and we headed downtown to the Tigers’ game. One of my presents was tickets to the Champions Club. The Tigers’ started offering these last month and it looks like they will for the rest of the season. I must attest that they are worth every cent of the $90 per ticket!

We arrived early and ate WAY TOO MUCH food from the impressive spread (the dessert cart was amazing). We also camped at two seats along the windows and ending up staying there for the whole game. While we originally planned to wander the ballpark (part of the $90 was a standing room only ticket), it was simply too nice up there to leave. The only thing that ruined the night was the outcome of the game – GD White Sox!

On Sunday morning, we slept in until 9:30 a.m. and then squeezed in a showing of Step Brothers (so funny) on the way to my parents’ house. I asked my Mom to make taco salad for dinner and chocolate cake for dessert and both were perfect. As for the gifts, I got a few small things (a new Adidas Michigan LS t-shirt, a cool electronic photo cube for my desk, gorgeous orange daisies, etc.), some cash and some gift cards to do some post-pregnancy shopping. I requested NO maternity items – what a bummer that would be for a birthday. Kevin and Harmon also got me pedicures for August and September at a “real” spa (I’ve never been) so I’m hoping to schedule one this coming weekend. I am so excited and pedicures are SO underrated – especially when you’re pregnant and are having a hard time reaching your toes.

One of the best gifts, though, was having Harmon sing “Happy Birthday” to me this morning. He was too shy to do it with everyone else last night so he sang it to me this morning while he was eating his breakfast. He is the sweetest, cutest kid ever!

You want a piece of me?

Usually the answer is, “no, I don’t want a PIECE, I want the WHOLE THING.” But this was not the case for Harmon who was involved in his first schoolyard rumble (kind of) last Thursday.

As the story goes, Harmon and this other little boy (I will withhold his real name but let’s call him Jordan) met at the gate that separates the classroom from the stairwell. Harmon was on one side and Jordan was on the other and they both wanted to come through. Evidently, Harmon put his hand up (in a “talk to the hand” kind of fashion) and, while he didn’t TOUCH him, Jordan still took exception and bit Harmon’s right index finger. Stunned, Harmon didn’t know what to do so – like most 2-year-olds – he cried. His teachers gave him lots of hugs and kisses and iced his little finger and he was fine. When Kevin arrived to pick him up, his lead teacher explained what happened but didn’t tell him who the culprit was. Harmon was having none of that, though, as he interjected with “Jordan bit me!”

On the way home, Kevin did everything he could NOT to tell Harmon to “bust the kid in the mouth” and we had more than a few bad things to say (under our breath, of course, about the cretin). Kevin also later told me that Jordan was in the classroom and standing near the door when he picked up Harmon. He said he wanted SO BAD to smash his fingers in the door – I DIED!

Although I highly doubt Harmon will get pushed around as he gets older I’m glad, in this case, that he was the bitee, not the biter. If he was biting kids at school, we would have a big problem on our hands!

It's a boy! Oh, boy-oy-oy-oy

We are pleased to report that Harmon will have a baby brother, Simon Abner Bergquist, in December. His due date is Dec. 13. Here is the latest ultrasound photo of Simon, taken July 15. Simon would not sit still during the ultrasound; he kept spinning and kicking and punching, just like his big-brother-to-be. I have a feeling we are in for another active one. Simon did not want to show his "boyness" at first, but finally came around, literally, at the end. The ultrasound tech thought she knew early on, but did not want to say for sure. But, she did say something like, "he is an active little guy," so we had our suspicions. Harmon is so happy; he tells us that Simon is in Mommy's belly and he rubs the bump. Aimee is doing fine, and all was normal during the ultrasound.

On the road again

After a week in Minnesota with Kevin’s family, we are off again this weekend for another Bergquist family function. This time, Kevin’s cousin is getting married in Beloit, Wis., so we’re making the drive. Although we’re going for the wedding, Kevin and I are sneaking off to a Brewers game on Friday night. I can’t wait to see the Sausage Race! To make the weekend even better, we MAY stop in Chicago on the way home on Sunday. If we do, I have these three things on my to-do list:

1. Cheesecake Factory – Note to Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake: I still love you. My pregnancy nausea and food aversions have not changed that.
2. Garrett Popcorn Shop (mmmm, cheesecorn)
3. Niketown (I can buy clothes for when I’m no longer the size of a small manatee)

Harmon will have fun too. He’ll get to use his favorite backpack again, there’s a pool at the hotel and there will be plenty of people there to spoil him rotten!

All in all, should be a good one!

Turning the corner

Kevin and I hope we're turning the corner with this potty training business. Exhibit A - check it:

Harmon went potty THREE TIMES at school yesterday! I was a little nervous he might revert back to trying 4-5 times each day with no results but he stepped it up. He also stepped it up over vacation rarely going in his pull-up and telling us he had to go when we were out and about. I really hope this continues because he's got some really cool Mickey Mouse and Handy Manny underwear awaiting him in his dresser drawer.

Alive and kicking (like Simple Minds)

It’s definitely true that you feel your second child’s movements earlier than your first. Baby #2 has been doing a number on me for a couple of weeks now. It started around my 15th week and has continued to get stronger each day. Even though I’ve felt it before, it’s still so cool. At this point, I just can’t wait for Kevin to be able to feel it too.

Pregnancy Update

I hit the 17-week mark on Sunday and it seems, for the most part, that my nausea has subsided. I would call it morning sickness but it was more like an ALL-DAY sickness. I didn’t throw up as much as I did with Harmon but I think that’s only because I knew what to do this time around – thank God for the combination of Vitamin B6 and Unisom. This little pill cocktail limited me to TWO yak sessions total, as opposed to two yak sessions EACH DAY before. It does work wonders.

I’ve noticed the belly has appeared sooner this time. I guess those muscles are already stretched out so they’re like “what the hell!” I’m still in my regular clothes but will have to break out the maternity gear very soon. With Harmon, I made it to July (my sixth month) but I don’t think I’ll be able to make it that far this time. It’s funny, I thought the body transformation would be easier to deal with the second time around but it’s not. It’s still hard and you still wonder if you’ll EVER go back to normal. I guess, when it comes right down to it, I’m just not one of those women who likes being pregnant.

I feel like I’ve been more tired this time but I think that’s deceiving. Before, I didn’t have a 2 ½-year-old to chase around so maybe that’s a simple explanation. I also feel like I’ve been more hungry but, again, I don’t know. I DO know that if I DON’T eat, I go downhill WAY TOO FAST and it takes a while to recover. I’ve had no real cravings and no real food aversions, other than Starbucks. Before I got pregnant, I would visit Starbucks 3-4 times a week (bad), going through countless gift cards and Starbucks’ cards re-loads. Since I took the pregnancy test, though, I’ve been there ONCE. The mere thought of a Light Mocha Frappuccino or a Peppermint Mocha makes me SO ill. It’s the weirdest thing, I swear. Kevin is STILL stunned. He jokes that a representative from Starbucks is going to call the house to find out what’s wrong! Not all caffeine has been banished, though. I still love Diet Coke as much as ever.

One other food-related item – I would like to pimp Crispix cereal for helping me stave off many yak sessions. While I’m sure I’ll never want to eat it again after December, it has been an important ally in my battle against nausea. In fact, I had some this morning and it helped yet again so THANK YOU, CRISPIX!

My ultrasound is one week from today (July 15) and Kevin and I are SO excited. While Harmon was a surprise, we are hoping to find out the sex of #2. I hope he/she cooperates so we can begin to prepare and, most importantly, we can tell Harmon who is on the way – Maizey or Simon.

A few things I miss already …

I came back to work today after being off for almost two weeks and these are things I already miss:

1. Wearing capri pants or shorts
2. Wearing sandals everywhere
3. Wearing t-shirts (I never realized how annoying collars can be)
4. Not wearing a watch (and thus not knowing what time or, hell, even what DAY it is)
5. Not wearing my glasses

I realized all of this earlier as I got ready for work. I think the worst part was putting big black shoes over my freshly-pedicured, banana-yellow painted toes – UGH!

I guess that’s why vacation is called vacation and work is called work. I am looking forward to my usual Friday off more than I have in a LONG time!

Back from Minnesota

Still trying to get caught up after our family vacation in Minnesota. Will document our five days at the Bergquist cabin on Upper Gull Lake later. Some things we learned: Harmon is an angel on planes, mosquitos love his skin, and The Power Loon is lame. Happy 4th to all!

A tough first

Believe it or not, tonight will be the first night Harmon will spend away from me. He will spend the night with his Nana and Papa – and his aunts will visit – and then Nana will keep him for his usual Wednesday.

It didn’t HAVE to happen but we thought it might be a good idea. I didn’t want my first night away from him to come when I’m in the hospital birthing #2. Harmon surely would be thinking WTF when we came home! AND, it would do wonders to fuel that future sibling rivalry.

So, we’ll meet my parents and drop him off after work and then we’ll head down to Comerica Park for the Cardinals-Tigers game. It’s a good thing that I have the baseball game to distract me but I know I’ll check in a lot. I’m sure he will be just fine – he’s pretty laid back and just rolls with it. He probably would be more upset about not being able to go to the baseball game than spending the night away from us.

I just know I’m ALREADY looking forward to picking him up tomorrow night!

PS – I must note that Kevin has only been away from Harmon for ONE night – on an overnight trip to Baltimore about a year ago. Overall, we’re both very lucky that we’re around most of the time and don’t have jobs that require travel.

Harmon's medley

The secret is out

A few years ago, a friend of mine who works for the NBA (and strongly dislikes Danny Ainge because of this), made the following statement when I asked him what he thought about Danny and his efforts with the Boston Celtics:

“If Danny Ainge has a plan, it’s the best-kept secret in the NBA!”

Well, after last night’s Beantown beatdown of the Lakers which culminated with the Celtics’ 17th NBA Championship, I guess the secret is out.

Kevin and I have been Celtics’ fans since the Larry Bird era. I think that was the last time fundamental team basketball was played in the NBA. It was always so cool to watch those old teams that played defense, passed the ball, played unselfishly and put the success of the team ahead of their personal achievements. Since those days, though, there have been some rough years for the Celtics with last year being the roughest as they won only 24 games.

During the off-season, though, Danny made some moves that would make history. In June 2007, Danny traded Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak and the fifth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft to Seattle for Ray (Jesus Shuttlesworth) Allen, Glen Davis and the 35th overall pick in the draft. Then, in July 2007, Danny worked a deal with former Celtics’ teammate and current Minnesota Timberwolves VP of Operations Kevin McHale to get Kevin Garnett. In exchange for Garnett, the Timberwolves received Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, two 2009 first-round draft picks and some cash for good measure. This trade was the single largest trade for one player in NBA history.

It was at this point that many experts began to wonder if the Celtics would have enough players to field a team much less players talented enough to help the “Boston Three Party” (Allen, Garnett and long-time Celtic Paul Pierce) win a title. During the rest of the summer and then into the season, the Celtics signed some free agents and filled out their roster.

Now that the team was together, they were fun to watch and they went on to win 66 games in the regular season – the biggest turnaround of all time. Although the NBA is different (much worse, in my humble opinion) than it was back in the day, this team made us want to watch pro basketball again. Just like the old Celtics’ teams, they were unselfish, they passed the ball (sometimes too much), they played defense like no one else in the NBA, they had great role players (and you never knew who would step up and contribute each night) and – most importantly – the players changed their games and put all their personal accolades aside in hopes of achieving one team goal – a championship.

While they struggled in the first two rounds of the playoffs, going to a seventh game with both the Hawks and the Sixers, they took care of the Pistons and the Lakers in six games and won the title. And, along the way, Danny Ainge was named NBA Executive of the Year.

So, I guess he had a plan after all and now he’s got a ring too!

Happy (I am glad I am Harmon's Father)'s Day

One of my Father's Day presents from Harmon was this book, "Father to Son: Life Lessons on Raising a Boy." Taking a few moments to flip through the pages, I came across this passage on page 97: "Take him for doughnuts Saturday morning. Let his mom sleep late." While we don't do doughnuts just yet, although I will be happy when we do, Harmon and I do go for boys' breakfast every few weeks. I usually take him to McDonald's (or Old MacDonalds, as he calls it) for pancakes and sausage, or Denny's, for the same. But, today I wanted a family breakfast, so we had pancakes at home. It was there that I received some of my gifts, including the aforementioned book, Phil Steele's 2008 college football preview issue (which is suspect in that he has Notre Dame as preseason No. 19; but that is for later in the summer) and a new cologne. Earlier in the week, I received my biggest present when, after more than 10 years of the same glasses, I picked out a new pair of specs at Kellogg. After I cut the grass on Sunday, Harmon spent two hours in his backyard pool before we had dinner from Applebees. It was a great Father's Day, and just the way I wanted it with my family, including Baby #2 as we call him/her. I read Harmon his customary four books before he went to bed, which also is included in the "Father to Son" book, on page 16: "Read to him nightly. He'll love it." He does love it, and I love Harmon, Aimee, Isabel, and Baby #2. I am blessed to be a father.

31 months – 3 days late

I’ve been writing SO MUCH at work that the last thing on my mind has been writing for the blog so it’s no wonder I totally forgot to do Harmon’s 31-month update. God, I’m only 14 weeks pregnant and I’m ALREADY forgetting about the first born. I need to step it up!

Harmon is doing wonderfully! No, he’s not potty trained yet but we are oh so close. He no longer goes #2 in his diaper – thank the Lord – and he’s dry overnight most of the time. #1, however, is the challenging part. He’ll go on the toilet at all the usual times – in the morning, before bed and after meals – but he won’t tell us any other time. It’s very frustrating because WE ALL KNOW HE KNOWS but he just won’t do it. I hope it just clicks soon but I just don’t know.

Aside from the potty training, everything is great. He’s continuing to do well at school. We got him a cute t-shirt with his school’s logo on it so now says he’s going to Annie’s Children’s School to play with his friends. It’s very sweet!

He learns new things every single day. He’ll see numbers and letters and yell them out and still is really into all his books. I got him a Curtis Granderson t-shirt to wear to our summers Tigers’ games and he points out the number (28) and spells out the name. I really hope he continues to learn at a good pace.

Although we haven’t officially told him he’s got a little brother or sister on the way, we’re slowly dropping hints. We’ll ask him if he wants a baby to come live with us or if he wants a brother or sister. Since we have names picked out, we’ll ask him what we’ll name a boy (and he’ll tell us Simon) or a girl (and he’ll tell us Maizey) and he gets into it. We’ll tell him a) once I get noticeably bigger or b) when we have the ultrasound (July 15), whichever comes first. I hope we can make it to the ultrasound because we’re finding out this time and it would make it easier to tell him who exactly is on the way.

Once the baby does arrive, we’ll move Harmon from the nursery and into the den. We picked out his new bedding (Junior Varsity from Pottery Barn Kids – it’s very cool) and will change his toddler bed into a full bed. We’re thinking late September or early October might be a good time for this change. We’re hoping he’ll be potty trained by then and it will be after he changes classrooms at school so hopefully his big changes will be behind him. We also thought this was early enough so that he doesn’t feel kicked out right when the new baby arrives. So, that’s the plan. Unfortunately, with him moving into the den, we’ll have to move the computer downstairs which will take some getting used to. We’ll deal, though.

Other than that, it’s business as usual. We’re outside every day – taking walks and going to the park. We’re trying to take advantage of those summer months before the craziness of the fall arrives.