Wolverine

Simon has never really liked stuffed animals but, a few weeks ago, we bought him a small stuffed wolverine from M-Den and he immediately bonded with this little guy. Now, it's his favorite, his baby, his "wolverine!" He says "wolverine" so clearly and, each night when we tuck him in, he grabs him and pulls him close for a tight snuggle. In addition to this wolverine love, he also says "Michigan" very clearly whenever he sees and block M and especially when we drive by the stadium (or anywhere near the U-M athletic campus). He sings "The Victors" as best he can - the tune is right, the words still need some work - and he says his fair share of "Go Blue!" He's very in-tune, even moreso than Harmon was, with the Michigan world he's living in and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Yo Gabba Gabba

The boys love Yo Gabba Gabba and, to be completely honest, we do too. So, back in the summer when we saw that Yo Gabba Gabba Live was coming to Detroit, we had to get tickets. We bought the tickets months ago and, somehow, managed to keep the whole thing a secret until we arrived at the Fox Theater last Friday afternoon. As we crossed Woodward headed toward the front door, Harmon noticed the marquee and finally realized what the “big surprise” was that we were talking about all morning.

Once we got inside, both boys were so excited for the show to start and, once it did, Harmon did not take a break from singing and dancing. Simon, on the other hand, had his mind totally BLOWN! He just stood there, staring at the stage, mouth wide open, for 5-10 minutes. When I started talking to him about exactly WHO was on stage, he got more into it. I think he just couldn’t comprehend how Muno, Tootie, Foofa, Plex and Brobee are usually on his TV at home and now they were on the live on stage right in front of him!

The show lasted just over an hour and we all had a great time! At one point during all his singing and dancing, Harmon grabbed me, gave me a big hug and thanked me for bringing him to the show. It was then that Kevin and I got a little teary-eyed. And speaking of teary-eyed, I think we all were a little sad when it was over but the boys scored matching and very cool concert t-shirts and a great poster that they would like framed and hung in their train room ASAP!

Harmon already has asked to go back but there’s not another stop in Detroit (or anywhere near Detroit) so we’re hoping the Yo Gabba Gabba-themed birthday party we’re planning for both boys in mid-November will be good enough. If it’s not, I’m sure they’ll score some Yo Gabba Gabba gifts too!

Dance Party

Both the boys have always loved to dance and, once they get going, the feed off each other. Sometimes, after reading but before bed, they hear a song they like on the radio and they have to get down and have a "dance party." Unfortunately, the songs they love to dance to most are a little ... um ... suspect. Beyonce's "Single Ladies" is a favorite as is Katy Perry's "California Gurls." They also will groove to some Lady Gaga. To balance these "music choices," we listen to plenty of Springsteen and Motown ... just so you know!

Progress on the potty

Simon first peed on the potty on Wednesday, April 14. I was in a forever-long meeting about our building dedication when my Mom broke up the monotony of it by sending me a photo of Simon on the potty. It was cute and sweet and sad all at the same time! He followed up the peeing with some pooping on Saturday, May 29. He's been going, on and off, all through the summer but once September it, we got more serious. He now sits on the potty every morning and usually goes especially if you read him a few books! And, now that it's October, we're trying to increase his time on the potty to a few times a day. Harmon was relatively easy to potty train so we hope and pray Simon is the same way.