Diamondbacks at Tigers

So, our second Tigers' game this year was much, much better. Not only did the Tigers' come away with an awesome come-from-behind win but the boys got to do all the things they wanted to do. We got there early - in time to see the retiring of Sparky Anderson's number - and immediately hit up the face painting booth. Harmon desperately wanted his face painted like a Tiger and it was well worth it - he was very cute! We then grabbed the boys some hot dogs and pretzels so they could make the biggest decision of the afternoon - carousel or ferris wheel. Since they rode the carousel at our last game back in May, the ferris wheel won. The line wasn't too bad and we loaded into our "baseball" car before Simon had the chance to escape (he was a little grumpy and just wanted to run free). We then hit the upper deck concourse and caught the last half of the game. It was hot so I watched in the sun while Kevin kept the boys in the shade. Harmon would join me every now and then to ask what the score was, who was batting, etc.  SIDE NOTE: I LOVE that he's finally asking these questions.

After another save by Papa Grande, we headed down to the main concourse to get in line for kids run the bases. The line - which we were near the end of - wrapped around the entire stadium but it moved pretty quickly. Before we knew it, both boys were hand in hand taking steps on the field at Comerica Park! Harmon was very sweet in showing Simon where to start before he took off running - Harmon was about to home plate as Simon was rounding 2nd base. Kevin and I were trying to snap pictures and videos so we weren't right at home plate when Simon finished. He looked a little lost so Harmon went into the fray to retrieve him and bring him to us. It was, quite frankly, one of the sweetest brother moments I've seen between them!

Once we got packed up, we headed to the car and both of them were out pretty fast. I asked Kevin if we could drive by the old Tiger Stadium site on our way out of town and we did. There was a group of kids playing baseball there, which was good to see. The flagpole was still there too, with the flag flying high. It was a very odd moment for me - thinking about all that has happened at that famous corner of Michigan and Trumbull and thinking about how my boys won't ever know what it was like there. I'll have to tell some very good stories so they'll FEEL like they've been there. Every trip to the ballpark makes me so happy I have boys - I hope there are many, many, many trips to the ballpark in our future.

Cars 2

When Cars premiered - June 9, 2006 - Harmon was only six months old so he didn't care. He didn't even know he was alive. As he got a little older, though, it was ON! He loved that movie like no other and, because his parents are geeks, he had every damn car from that movie along with all the accoutrements. And, because Harmon loved Cars, so does Simon. It was a HUGE step in their relationship when Harmon FINALLY allowed Simon to place with his precious "face cars!"

 

Anyway, once both boys realized Cars 2 was coming out, there was a countdown of sorts. Not much time would go by without Harmon reminding us about the June 24th date!

 

So, on Friday, June 24, Kevin took the day off and we took the boys to an 11 a.m. showing. Things started off very well with both boys fixated on the big screen, snacks in hand. But, as we reached the one-hour mark, Simon started to get a little restless. As an aside, Cars 2 is 1 hour and 53 minutes long. Come ON! That's LONG for a Disney movie (the first one was 1 hour and 17 minutes). Harmon did well but the younger kids were all having a hard time holding it together!

 

Harmon loved it even though it was more Mater-focused and had much more of a plot than the first one. Simon liked it too, even though he didn't see ALL of it. Afterward, I asked them what their favorite parts were. Harmon loved the opening scene with the water, ships, spies, etc. Simon simply liked the racing! They had a great time and so did we! And, of course, we went straight to Toys R Us after the movie to get more "face cars." The boys now have about 10 cars from the new movie and they love them. Or maybe Mom and Dad just love having something to collect (remember those baseball cards)!

31-month update

So, Simon is just over 2 1/2 but you would think he was just over 5 1/2. He wants to do everything his big brother does, it doesn't matter what it is. Rare is it that he'll let me rock him to sleep anymore. If he's still plenty awake, he'll talk your ear off for 20 minutes or so until he settles down. He loves to tell stories and just tell you about "his day." If he's tired, he'll just crawl up in his bed and start playing with his ears. Speaking of his ears, he's always played with them but, lately, it's been excessive so we're getting those things checked out, just in case. Unlike Harmon, he's not one to get out of bed once he's in and he usually doesn't request that someone to stay with him until he settles down or falls asleep. As I've said before, he's our independent one.

 

Lately, we've been transitioning him out of his high chair. It's a challenge but a necessary one. Sometimes he's very good; other times, he's crazy. I assume it will get better as it has with Harmon. On a few occassions, we've tried letting them eat a meal together but that usually ends in chaos. We may wait a bit longer on that. And, speaking of eating, he eats like a horse. Most of the time, he is bottomless. What are we in for?!?!

 

Now that he's bigger, he doesn't put up with his brother's crap as much as he used to. More often that not, Harmon ends up being the first one crying after one of their little "wrestling matches." The look in Simon's eyes when they are scrapping is classic! I have to try to catch it on video. He is pissed off and determined all at once. I can see him having that same look later in life. I wouldn't mess with Simon, as he gets older, that is for sure. 

 

He has a soft side, though. He still loves to give everyone kisses and hugs and, if there is a dog in the vicinity, he has to pet it! As I always tell Kevin, there is not a lot of in-between with Simon: he's on or off. He knows no boundaries and definitely no volume. He can be extreme at times and I imagine that's why he's so damn cute - makes it easier to handle him!

T-ball

When I was pregnant with Harmon, we didn't want to find out what we were having. We figured it was life's last big surprise and we wanted to be surprised. Although we didn't know, we THOUGHT it was a girl, for sure. She was to be named Maizey Bryn Bergquist. I think I wanted a girl because, having two younger sisters, it was just what I was comfortable with. I honestly think Kevin didn't really care one way or another.

So, when Harmon was born and the doctor said "you have a baby boy," we quite honestly felt a little guilty and a little sad. Those feelings only lasted seconds, though, and then they gave Harmon to Kevin and Kevin brought him to see me. It was at that moment that I realized all the awesome things having a boy would bring! One of those things was baseball and you can't get to baseball without t-ball first. It's like crawling and walking before running.

Not that I ever wanted to hurry him in growing up (it goes fast enough) but I have been excited for t-ball since I first saw this perfect little face. The earliest he could start, in the Ann Arbor area, was the summer before kindergarten so he FINALLY had his first practice on June 1. It started off well, too. He was very excited to get out there and he got his team t-shirt - he's rocking the #2 (like Jeter). We've done a lot with him at home so I think this made it easier for him. He likes the hitting part so much more than the throwing and fielding part (he does live in an AL city, thus the DH rule) but we're working on it. I think the most important thing, though, is that after each practice and game, he's made it a point to thank me for signing him up for t-ball. This is something he's never done before and something I hope he's doing because he's having a great time. Having fun is half the battle and, if he keeps having fun, I'll have a good time seeing where this goes.

Blisters and bloody noses

So, this spring has been a little rough on Simon. He doesn't complain about any of it but it happens nonetheless. Two different pairs of shoes have given him some nasty blisters - blisters that can only be soothed with Neosporin and Scooby Doo band aids. He's also had a few bloody noses as well. One came from Harmon (fighting brothers, ugh) but the others came from just bumping his nose while he's playing. I'm hoping, as summer enters the scene, that he'll have fewer blisters and bloody noses.

Tooth #3

Harmon lost tooth #3 Tuesday, June 14. Kevin called me at work to tell me about it and he mentioned that I've not been around for ANY of the tooth losses. I'm sad. Anyway, I wasn't surprised. His bottom front adult teeth are almost all the way in and this latest tooth to bolt his gums was right next to his front, bottom left. When he had kindergarten orientation back in May, the teacher asked all the kids if they had lost any teeth yet. Harmon was the only one to raise his hand. I'm guessing he'll have at least one more (next to his front, bottom right) for the tooth fairy before school starts in September.

At the ballpark

Back when Tigers tickets went on sale, we picked one Sunday (kids' day) each month and bought $5 tickets. We're never in our seats long so we figured why spend more, right? And, this is the last year Simon is free so it's a great deal!

Anyway, our first game was Sunday, May 29 and the boys had a great time (despite the fact that the Tigers lost to the Red Sox). They rode the carousel (Simon's first time) and ate way too much food. Because the game the previous night was postponed due to rain, Sunday turned into a day/night doubleheader and the kids run the bases event after the day game - our game - was cancelled. The boys were sad about this so we tried to make it up with a ride in the ferris wheel but ... yeah ... the wait was HOURS long. Harmon also expressed an interest in getting his face painted (as a Tiger) - something I NEVER thought he would go for - but by the time we got to the face painting booth, they were closed. All in all, we kind of struck out on the day or, at the most, went 1 for 4 (a good day for Brandon Inge). I'm hoping we can do a little better at our next game on Sunday, June 26.

The best part of waking up ...

On Mondays and Thursdays, that days the boys go to school, Kevin will peel Simon off his sheet and bring him to me in our bed. He'll then wake Harmon and have him stumble into our bed, usually with his pillow pet in tow. Having those five morning minutes with my groggy boys is the highlight of my day by far. They are half asleep and all soft and snuggly. It's very sweet to just watch them wake up for another day of being 5 and 2. Simon will usually perk up first and then Kevin will get him on the potty. Harmon takes a little longer so we'll stay back and grab a few more snuggles. I know stuff like this won't last forever so I try to enjoy it as much as I can!

Progressing on the potty

Over a year ago, I was sitting in a work meeting when my Mom texted me a picture of Simon on the potty. I remember being kind of sad because he wasn't even 1 1/2 yet ... so we decided not to push things. As spring and summer came and went, we would try to get him to sit on the potty a couple of times per week. As his 2nd birthday approached, we upped the frequency and tried to get him to sit on the potty at least once each day. This went very well and he did a great job. We took the potty to Kevin's parents' house at Christmas and totally expected him to regress but he didn't. He continued to "get it!" Around March, he started asking if he could use the big boy potty and we decided maybe after our Easter trip back to Kevin's parents' house. He did great on the road once again and, when we returned, he moved to the big boy potty full time.

It's been about a month now and I can't remember the last time I changed a poopy diaper. He's still working on peeing but he's doing so very well. Because of this great progress, we're slowly transitioning him to pull-ups. Actually, his teachers asked us if he was ready for UNDERWEAR because he does so well at school. I was very proud of him but I also wanted to cry a little. He's still too young for underwear. We'll continue to work on the peeing by rewarding him with stickers (which he loves) and soon we'll do away with diapers and move solely to pull-ups. If he follows his brother's progress, I'm seeing underwear as stocking stuffers!