Me time

After fighting off some big-time guilty feelings, I took last Thursday off (and sent Harmon to school) so I could watch some March Madness. As Kevin will attest, I’m not much one for “me time” but that day was NICE! I got up like a usual Thursday and did my part getting Harmon ready and out of the house and then, after he and Kevin left, I went back to sleep for another two hours. Once I woke up, I spent a WHOLE INTERRUPTED HOUR on the internets before getting in my time on the treadmill. I then ate a leisurely lunch and watched basketball for HOURS on the 50-inch plasma. Although I shouldn’t have been tired, I did fall asleep on the couch. I blame it on the couch – it’s just too comfortable. I did manage to do some laundry and get dinner started but, for the most part, it was a full day of “me time” and it was awesome!

Michigan football R.I.P.

I will miss going to Michigan football games with Aimee this fall. It was fun while it lasted, but I think we all knew this day would come. March 19, 2008, will go down in infamy as the day Michigan shut down its football program. No reason to go on, right? I mean, after all, the most wins and highest winning percentage in college football history have been wiped out by the words of an 18-year-old phenom, who, as is his right, wanted to play instead for "the University of Ohio State," wherever that is. I am sure the University of Michigan will survive as a great academic institution, and 20 years from now a father and son will walk by the ruins that are Michigan Stadium and Dad will say, "Son, I remember when they used to play football in there." They will then share coffee in the world's largest Starbucks. I am just sorry Harmon never got a chance to experience Michigan football. Coach Rod gave it a great run, but it is a shame he never got to coach a game here. Well, at least we go out with a 9-game winning streak over Penn State, and Notre Dame is back where it belongs as our little b---h. Ah, memories. We hardly knew ya, Blue!

Spring preview weekend?

Last Friday was a GORGEOUS day – the nicest one so far in 2008 – so Harmon and I headed for campus. We played outside on Ingalls Mall for a good long time before visiting Kevin at work. EVERYONE at Kevin’s work is in love with Harmon and he just eats it up. The floors in Kevin’s building are set up so that Harmon can do laps around all the cubes and he did just that, about 100 times.

Kevin was able to skip out a few minutes early and then we all went for a nice, long walk. We stopped along the way at Lexi’s Toybox and Borders (to get yet another book for Harmon) and ended the walk at Pizza House for dinner. It was a perfect way to start what I hope is spring, although there’s a wintry mix going on outside right now (damn).

On Saturday, we drove up to Novi to go to Twelve Oaks Mall as Harmon was due for a haircut. He can make it about 5-6 weeks before the hair starts to grow down over his ears. We LOVE his buzzcut but often wonder what he would look like with longer hair. I guess we’ll find out when he’s 16! He was a very good boy during his haircut – I think the frequency of his cuts is getting him used to the whole thing.

Sunday was relaxing – errands and lots of playing – and yesterday, Kevin and I switched schedules and really messed with Harmon’s mind. When Kevin was home with him in the morning, he asked him where I was and he replied “probably at work.” When I was home with him in the afternoon, reading in his room, he gave me a hug and said “I’m so glad you’re here, Mommy!” God, I love him so much I just want to eat him up!

28 months

The other day, someone at work asked me how old Harmon was and I said, “oh, he’ll be 28 months next week.” As it was coming out of my month, I thought I should probably just say he’s almost 2 1/2. I guess I’m still holding on to the baby inside. He’s definitely not a baby anymore, though.

He’s getting used to the potty routine and is excited about underwear. The last time we were at Target, we looked at the underwear and he loved the ones with Spiderman and Cars. He has some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse underwear that my Mom bought him for his birthday but I need to make sure he hasn’t outgrown them. He often asks for Backyardigans underwear but I don’t even know if those exist. I guess I should figure that out. ANYWAY, he’s going a lot at school and we’re noticing he’s just going #1 overnight so there is progress. We are, however, still waiting for him to go in a public place. Baby steps.

I have no clue how much he weighs (my guess is high 30s) but we did measure him last week and he was 36 ¼ inches tall. Still a big boy. Generally, he’s been well behaved. After introducing and using the time-out corner early in January, he hasn’t had to visit there in a while. His favorite word lately has been “no” and that’s kind of a bummer. We’re trying to get him to use it only when appropriate instead of ALL THE TIME!

He still loves his books. Actually, we just can’t believe how much he still loves his books. I recently re-organized the bookshelf in his bedroom to give him full access to all of his books. He’s been choosing a good variety to read during the day and at bedtime so he must like it. Instead of toys all the time, we usually get him books. Sometimes I feel like we live at Borders!

Lately, he’s said some pretty funny things. We took Kevin out to lunch last Friday and, while Kevin and I were talking, he grabs us both and yells, “no Mommy and Daddy talk!” If Kevin looks at him wrong or, God forbid, dances, Harmon protests with “no Daddy look” or “no Daddy dance.” Sentences just flow from his mouth and we never know what’s going to come out. We also have to be really careful because he repeats EVERYTHING.

He is DYING to get to the park so I’m hoping spring is on its way. And, since we’re staying in Michigan this year for Easter, we’re hoping it will be warm enough to take him to a local Easter egg hunt that has gotten rave reviews from my co-workers. If he doesn’t score anything at the hunt, he’ll still get some goodies. We got him some Magna-Tiles and probably will get him a sandbox to play in during the summer. I’m sure he’ll get spoiled by everyone else too.

One last thing, Harmon loves PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME!



Actually, we all love it and who knew it was a staple of Tampa Bay Rays’ baseball.

Out.

Harmon the lumberjack

On Saturday, when I was walking on the treadmill, I saw an ad for a new TV series on the History Channel, "Ax Men," about loggers in the Pacific Northwest. Ask Aimee, and she will tell you that I love these types of shows (reality/documentary). "Deadliest Catch" was a favorite, although I never made it through a full season. Anyway, I had planned to watch the premiere last night, but then realized I had already seen a show about lumberjacks. In fact, we see it every day. Or, to be more precise, we hear it every day. You see, Harmon is a big snorer just like his Daddy. He can saw logs with the best of them, and we often can hear him through the wall and closed door of his bedroom. We know it is not his fault, as his tonsils have been enlarged of late. On Sunday, we decided to take a family nap. We usually are able to do this one day per weekend. As we got Harmon snuggled up in our bed -- using the tried and true black panther method -- he immediately began to snore. And it was LOUD! We tried moving him on his back; same thing. One his side; still snoring. I guess we just get used to it after a while, but I really feel sorry for Aimee. She has had to deal with my snoring for seven years, and now Harmon is chiming in, as well.

We just totally ripped him off!

Back in the fall, I got this cool sweatshirt from Russell Crowe’s rugby team, the South Sydney Rabbitohs. I love Russell Crowe anyway so this wasn’t a stretch – especially after his September visit to the Big House. But, I got a little more interested in the whole rugby thing after watching the South Sydney Story documentary on TV (I’m ashamed to say it was on Versus).

Anyway, I ordered the sweatshirt and it arrived and I loved it and wore it non-stop. And then, just a few days later, ANOTHER one came. WTF? I wasn’t sure if we would get double-billed so I kept it in its original packaging with all receipts and tags attached so it would be ready to go back down under if necessary. But, months have come and gone and we’ve never been billed for the second sweatshirt. So, we think it’s kind of funny that we got over on Russell for a whole $82.22. As Beavis and Butthead would say, we just totally ripped him off!

ADDENDUM: The second sweatshirt still has the tags on it and still is in the original packaging. I would return it if it didn’t cost a million dollars to send it back to Australia. And, I have to ask, why should I have to pay for their merchandise fulfillment mistake? Maybe wearing the original sweatshirt around town is worth $82 of publicity.

Cartoons

In case Harmon asks me one day what his favorite cartoons were when he was little, I've got it covered. I’ve been meaning to document this, via blog, so here goes!

Before I start, though, one quick side note. Back when Kevin and I were kids, cartoons were only on Saturday mornings, not every damn day! And, we walked five miles - each way - to school, uphill, in 18 inches of snow ...

ANYWAY, right now, Harmon’s cartoon viewing falls into three tiers:

Tier One – Must-see toddler TV
Tier Two – Maintains a general interest
Tier Three – Likes it for a bit and then it quickly becomes background noise

Tier One contains Handy Manny and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He can’t live without these and, thankfully, Kevin and I aren't annoyed by either of them so it all works out nicely. And, with Handy Manny, there’s the added bonus of Harmon picking up some Spanish, which we think is so important these days.

In Tier Two are Little Einsteins, My Friends Tigger & Pooh and the Backyardigans. He loves to name all the Little Einstein characters with our favorite being, as he says, Pency (it’s really Quincy). He likes the songs on Tigger & Pooh along with all the complimentary characters. On Monday afternoons, Kevin lets him watch the Backyardigans and he’s all excited for half of it and then … it’s on to cars AND the tube!

Tier Three includes Blues Clues, Wonder Pets and Yo Gabba Gabba. He likes each of these for about two minutes and then he finds something better to do. He will point out the paw-print clues and sing the Wonder Pets theme song and he loves some of the songs – like There’s a Party in my Tummy and Hold Still Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle – from Yo Gabba Gabba. But, if these cartoons suddenly were cancelled, I don’t think he would care at all.

Every so often, if Harmon gets up WAY earlier than usual (anytime before 7 a.m.), one of us will have to find Curious George or Clifford the Big Red Dog on Detroit Public TV. This is our emergency plan so we can get ready for work. He’s familiar with these cartoons but they don’t rock his world.

Two shows he doesn’t like, and frankly neither do we, are the Wiggles and the Doodlebops. Both shows freak the hell out of all of us. I don’t know if it’s grown-ass people dressing up or what but we’re not fans at all. We much prefer animation but, if grown-ass people in costumes ARE necessary, we prefer they be in FULL costumes instead of fruity outfits, wigs and face paint. Call us crazy!

Sound bytes

Harmon has been so funny lately. Here are some recent sound bytes from him:

Monday morning at breakfast, after looking at all of the Valentine’s Day cards posted on our card rack:

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Mommy!”

Last Friday at Target:

“Oh my gosh, careful, Mommy, don’t fall down!”


Last Sunday when I was putting on his puffy vest:

“HAPPY HALLOWEEN!”

NOTE: He hadn’t worn this vest since Halloween day (what a good memory).

Last week after I got out of the shower (please note I was fully covered by a huge towel):

“I see Mommy’s booty!”

Last week when Kevin brought me a brownie square after dinner:

“What’s that?” I answered chocolate and he then said, with hands placed softly at his chest, “Well I like chocolate!”

At totally random times, if he’s sad, he’ll say things like “Harmon is sad” or “Harmon is upset.” He also loves to say “I’ll go back to bed” if he’s not getting what he wants.

We never know what's going to come out of his mouth!

Valentine’s Day redux

Valentine’s Day was fun and Harmon finally had a holiday fall on one of his school days. So, he was able to give and receive treats. We put together small gift bags with cards, stickers and packages of mini M&Ms for Harmon’s 12 classmates. In exchange for what he gave, he received Valentine gifts from seven of his friends – with everything from cards to Play-Doh to mini tattoos.

Kevin and I exchanged a few small things. I got him a cool hoodie (in crisp green) from Gap and Harmon gave him a certificate to buy a new Nintendo Wii game. Kevin got me perfume, a dozen gorgeous peachy/orangey roses and a gift to be named later and Harmon got me a personalized $25 Starbucks card (note the message he put on it and note that it's orange – love that orange – in person). Speaking of Starbucks, and thanks to Kevin, every time we leave the house together Harmon says we’re going to Starbucks to get Mommy a Frappuccino!

Since he is spoiled beyond belief, we only got Harmon a few small things for Valentine’s Day. The best gift, though, was the “Here Come the 123s” CD/DVD from They Might Be Giants. We’ve seen a few of the “videos” between cartoons on the Disney Channel and he loves them so we thought we would get the whole CD/DVD. And, it is a total hit. He loves it so much and we like it too. Although it’s kids’ stuff, so many of the songs have great beats or catchy tunes and we find ourselves singing them all the time. Take “Zeroes” for example! I dare you NOT to sing it!

For dinner, we decided to eat at our favorite restaurant, Pizza House. It was a good time, mostly because Harmon was hungry as a horse. It’s nice to eat out when he’s like this, we don’t have to beg, pretend to cry or threaten him with the black panther to get him to eat!

The day ended with the nicest present of all – Harmon let me rock him to sleep. Usually, after we’re done reading, he just wants to go straight to bed. But, last Thursday, he let me hold him until he fell asleep just like when he was a baby. What a Valentine’s Day!

27 months

Today is Harmon’s 27-month birthday and, each month, it just gets more fun. It also gets more interesting as there’s always something new.

Recently, we moved him from the potty chair to the toilet and that seems to be going well. Just in case he tells us he has to go when we’re out, we bought a portable seat that folds nicely and fits in his diaper bag. We haven’t tried it yet but I suspect it will be an event when we do. As I mentioned here, he’s also making some potty progress at school so it’s good all around as far as the potty goes.

Speaking of school, since returning after the holiday break, his drop-offs have been great. As Kevin has noticed, he likes to walk up the stairs but then prefers that we carry him into the room. At this point, he gets down and is off on his way. One sad thing about school, though. Harmon’s lead teacher, Miss Deborah, has left. Harmon’s last day with her was last Thursday. He’s been with Miss Deborah almost the entire time he’s been at Annie’s as she assisted the lead teacher in his previous class. We all will miss her but we understand. She is a musician and wants to follow her dreams. Until she makes her next move, though, she will stop by Annie’s every other Thursday for music time with the kids. In Miss Deborah’s absence, Miss Laura – who Harmon just loves – will move into the lead teacher role.

At home, he’s really been into drawing on his Aqua Doodle lately. He asks us to draw lots of shapes, letters and numbers and then he tries to copy. He’s got the oval mastered! He also asks us to draw cars, dump trucks, garbage trucks, etc. but Kevin and I are both terrible at it. I hope he doesn’t try to copy those!

He continues to devour any book we buy him. His newest favorites are Bossy Bear (which was bought intentionally to teach a lesson), Walter the Farting Dog, Buzzy the Bumblebee and Have You Ever Seen a Moose Taking a Bath? If he sees a cute animal in these books, or in any of his books, he says “awwwww” and then gives the book a HUGE hug. It’s so sweet.

He still loves his cars and can’t go anywhere without at least one in each hand. He also continues to show his softer side with his love for his stuffed animals, especially his snow leopard.

Health-wise, he’s been fine with the exception of a day care cold here and there. We did take him to see the doctor last week as his tonsils – especially his right one – were enlarged. Since he had no other symptoms that were out of the ordinary, the doctor assumed he was just fighting something off which could cause the tonsils to swell. The doctor asked us if he snores and we said, oh my God, yes! As an aside, in church last week he fell asleep and was snoring SO loud. It was a little embarrassing. ANYWAY, the doctor said just to keep an eye on things and also told us that it’s very rare to remove tonsils these days. I was glad to hear that – I don’t think I could handle him having any kind of surgery at this point.

All in all, he is doing well and we are so blessed to have such a smart, happy and healthy 27-month old!

Potty at school

I meant to post this last week when it happened but totally forgot. Last Tuesday (Feb. 5), Harmon used the potty at school! It was the first time he's gone at school and we are so proud of him. Evidently, he was pretty proud of himself too because he talked about it all damn day (per his daily activities sheet at left).

He's been going at home on a semi-consistent basis since the Christmas break. I think he was hesitant to go at school because his teachers likely won't spend 45 minutes reading 20 books while he sits there (like we had been doing). Recently, though, we moved him from the potty to the real toilet (with the adapted seat) and cut out the books. He seems to go faster now and maybe that's why he went at school. Whatever the reason, we were glad there was some progress.

His teachers have told us that most of the kids in his class are using the potty consistently now and, while he's not there yet, this can only benefit him. We also need to keep in mind that he is THE youngest kid in his class so we just can't expect him to do what all the older kids are doing. As with most things, it will all come in time.

The power of persuasion

Most 2-year-olds get what they want. Some do it with just a smile; others cry for hours until they are satisfied. Harmon is a simple toddler. Don't get me wrong, he can charm the best of them with that smile, and he does throw a mean tantrum. But, Harmon usually gets what he wants -- simply by asking.

His favorite phrase of late is "How about (Mommy or Daddy) does ... (fill in the activity)." This morning while I was getting ready for work, Harmon wanted me to read him one of his new books. So, he went into his room, grabbed the book and then grabbed me by the finger, looked at me with those big brown eyes and softly asked, "How about Daddy reads this on the couch." So, off we went to the couch and took part in Harmon's favorite pastime -- reading.

Harmon's "How about ... " came about a month or so ago. While we were training him to sleep in his new toddler bed, he kept getting up -- sometimes four or five times per night. So, one night I decided to sit in the room and watch to make sure he did not get up. It worked, and now Harmon is down with having Daddy in the room as he drifts off to sleep. After we tuck him in, and he lays his little head down, the suggestion comes out like clockwork: "How about Daddy sits there."

The requests come in many other forms. When he wants to be held: "How about Mommy holds you" (see this entry for an explanation of his pronoun confusion), or when he wants to go play with his trains: "How about Mommy and Daddy go downstairs." You are a persuasive little fella, Harmon, but you don't have to ask us, "How about Mommy and Daddy love me always." You had us at "How about ... "

Scare tactics

Sometimes, with a two-year old, you just have to do what you have to do – even if you resort to scare tactics.

Early on, Harmon was deathly afraid of this bouncing Tigger that my parents have at their house. When you push him down, he yells “I’m gonna’ bounce” and then he starts bouncing. Harmon actually was OK until Tigger started bouncing toward him and then it was all over. He likes all other forms of Tigger – at Toys R Us and even on TV (damn Tigger and Pooh) – but this particular Tigger has always freaked him out. Over the weekend, we were at my parents’ house and we brought Tigger out again to see if things have gotten any better. Harmon is cordial now but they’re definitely not BFF!

Since he’s warming to Tigger a bit, we’ve had to introduce another big cat to scare him with – the black panther. One random day before the holidays, he was doing something I didn’t want him to do and I simply blurted “you don’t want the black panther to get you, do you?” Ever since then, it has stuck! For his birthday, he received “Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?” and there is a black panther on a page of that book (scanned image above) to make it all the more real. When he gets to that page, it reads “black panther, black panther, what do you see?” and, instead of reading the proper response, Harmon says “I see Harmon’s legs!” Kevin and I die – we must tell him all too often that the panther is going to eat his legs!

We use the black panther a lot, mostly to get Harmon to eat. If he’s being a good boy, we’ll tell him the black panther is at Charlie’s house (Charlie is one of his friends from school). I recently found the cutest black panther stuffed animal and sent the link to Kevin. He said that getting Harmon a cute and cuddly black panther would make us lose our edge. Amen to that - the mythical black panther lives on!

In the car

A ride in the car with Harmon lately has been pretty interesting for the following three reasons:

1. As soon as we are on the move, he yanks off his hat and gloves and tosses them back over his shoulder into the “trunk” area. Of course, it takes us forever to find them – especially if it’s dark outside – and, thus, takes forever for us to re-bundle him and get him out of the car. He takes great pleasure in a really good toss and LOVES to tell us all about it.

2. If it’s dark outside, he absolutely HATES for us to turn on the interior lights. He frets “turn the light off” relentlessly until we oblige.

3. No matter where we’re going or what kind of mood he is in, he simply cannot handle Kevin EVER leaving the car. Even if he’s just getting gas and is IN PLAIN VIEW, Harmon has a meltdown (see photo for evidence) and cries “Daddy comes back” until he returns. Kevin claims he does something similar when I leave the car but it can’t possibly compare to what happens when Kevin leaves.

Clean chiclets

Today was Harmon’s first dentist appointment. Apparently, I missed the memo that his first appointment was supposed to take place at age one – I’m only a year behind.

We were OK with waiting because he only drinks milk and water (he’s never been a juice fan, other than a little cran-apple when he’s not feeling well) and he pretty much hates all sweets. He uses a straw sippy cup and never slept with his bottle or anything like that.

So, the outcome was a good one – he’s got clean chiclets. The exam, however, was a little rough. The hygienist used the polisher to clean his teeth – which he hated – and then she used a regular toothbrush for a quick fluoride treatment – which he hated even more. It’s funny that he hated the toothbrush part when we’ve been doing it twice a day since he sprouted those choppers! After a quick flossing, the dentist came in for a look. Everything was fine and she recommended keeping up the good work. He’ll go back again in six months, just like a grown up!

Pacing the halls

This video has been in the camera for a while, as you can tell. In it, Harmon shows off his early wheels.

Voice of Victor(y)

If there is one thing Harmon loves to do more than even reading, it is singing! Here, he sings the greatest fight song in the world.



He's been singing this song since last summer (with help from my cell phone ring tone) but this is the first time we've caught it on camera!

Harmon caught in bed with ...

... A BOOK! God, this kid loves books. So much so that he gets up in the total darkness of night and manages to locate his "counking book" and then falls asleep with it.

Tonight, Kevin thought he was asleep so he took the book out of his bed. Bad decision! He was NOT asleep so he starting crying for it and we gave it back to him. I swear he was snoring within seconds!

I'm glad he loves to read and this book has paid dividends. He's counting everything in sight and can count 1 to 20 in English and 1 to 10 in Spanish.

Reading is good.

27-game plan!

On Thursday, my sisters, parents and I sealed the deal on a 27-game plan for the 2008 Detroit Tigers’ season. With tickets selling like hotcakes, we weren’t hopeful that we would get ANYTHING when single-game tickets go on sale March 1. So, we decided to split up the 27 games between the four of us and then, if we want to go to any additional games, we’ll have to go it alone. We decided on the Saturday plan mostly because that day is the most convenient day for all of us and, now that Harmon is a little bit older, I’m not too worried about keeping him up late every once in a while.

Now that we’re “in,” we really can’t wait for the season to start! Go Tigers!

TigerFest 2008

We went to TigerFest on Saturday and it was a good time. It’s the first time I’ve been to TigerFest since 1999 and, needless to say, it was a little different. Saturday, there were lines for everything! In 1999, my friend and I walked right up (no lines) to get a photo with Bobby Higginson, the most popular Tiger at the time. My, how winning changes things! I told Kevin that while I love my team’s success, I hate the bandwagon jumpers that come out of nowhere to snatch up all the tickets and bog down all the events. All those people that were fans when the Tigers’ sucked should have a card to carry around that affords them extra privileges for all their time and trouble.

ANYWAY, we did the tour of the press box, suites, administrative offices, clubhouse and dugout and that was very cool. We also shopped all the merchandise (I couldn’t find this cool hat there – they were sold out – so I had to order it) and went through the kids’ areas. Harmon is still a bit too small to get it but, next year, it is on!

All the baseball this weekend got me so excited for the season and I’m hoping we can get to AT LEAST one game per month (not sure with the way tickets are selling). At any rate, as I sit here on a cold and snowy January day in Michigan, I can look forward to this (from the Major League Baseball web site):

February 14, 2008
First date injured players, pitchers and catchers may report to Spring Training

February 19, 2008
First date all players may report to Spring Training

February 26, 2008
Mandatory Spring Training reporting date for all players

Tigers' Baseball 2008 - I can't wait!

Harmon at 26 months

Two years and two months is where we are today. Harmon is doing great, adjusting back to the normal routine after doing almost nothing routine since Thanksgiving. Over the holiday break, he made great strides with the potty training. He’s now going at least once a day and sometimes as many as two or three times a day (he’s motivated by stickers). He’ll tell us “poopy butt’s in there” and then we know to get to the potty fast! As he gets better and better on the potty, we’ll transition him to the big toilet (we bought him an Elmo seat for the top of it) and then figure out how to get him to go in public. After that, we’ll tackle the overnight thing and then that whole standing up thing!

As much progress as there was on the potty, there was some regressing in the big boy bed department. Just as he was starting to go to sleep without getting out of bed, we spent five days in Peoria with him sleeping in an inflatable bed. When we got back home, we pretty much had to start all over again as he was getting out of bed four or five times before finally falling asleep. Now, after two weeks of the normal routine, he is doing well again. One step forward, two steps back, I guess.

OK, other things. He’s done great at day care this week, two straight drop offs without crying – we hope it stays that way. And, when we pick him up, we have a whole conversation with him about his friends and teachers and all that he did that day. We also finally got all his Geo Trax stuff set up. We needed more tracks and all surrounding Toys R Us stores were out of stock so we had to order them directly from Fisher-Price. They arrived Thursday and we got it all set up that night. He loves it. But, it’s a lot. I don’t think he’s going to be getting any other new toys anytime soon.

Like most two-year-olds, Harmon does some funny things. First, when we’re out and Kevin, God forbid, has to get out of the car to go in somewhere, Harmon acts like he’s going away to Egypt or something. He cries the entire time all while yelling “Daddy comes back!” It’s funny. Usually, I’ll have to turn on some Springsteen (specifically Magic or Livin’ in the Future) to settle him down. Speaking of the car, he’ll direct us to our respective chairs in the front and he gets confused when we switch.

He loves Isabel lately, and frequently asks to hold her. He’s even to the point where he’ll sometimes give her a little kiss on the head. He is very gentle with her and she seems not to hate it so much! I secretly think she loves it when he chases her!

In addition to the reading (my God, the reading), he now LOVES to look at all his old photo albums, especially the one that has photos of his first haircut and first birthday party. He also still loves music and he sings along more than ever. He has gotten more picky, though, and if he doesn’t like the song, he’ll say “no iff (this) one” or “no aff (that) one!”

When he’s sad or gets hurt, he’ll run to one of us and say “Mommy holds you” or “Daddy holds you.” We’ll always ask him “do you want Mommy or Daddy to hold you” so he just repeats us. He’ll figure out that pronoun thing eventually.

A few more quick things he says lately:

Helpacacopter (he has called helicopters “helpacas” for a while and now he’s trying to say it correctly but the old word won’t die easy).

Fool bus – “School” comes out “fool.”

How about (fill in the blank)? If he wants something, he’ll say “how about cars?” or, at lunch, for example, it’s “how about raisins?” It’s always how about something! But, almost all the time, he’ll say “please” first!

In the morning, he’ll say to his snow leopard stuffed animal, “Hi, snow leopard, what did you do today?”

I don't even know what to say

I ran across this photo today and remembered that I meant to post it. Around Halloween, Harmon's day care had a photographer come in to take dress-up pictures of all the kids. Obviously, this didn't go over too well with Harmon. Is it any wonder we didn't order multiple copies of these? Hilarious!

Peed on

Last night, right after Kevin stripped Harmon down for his bath, he ran away from us and ran into the den. When Kevin chased after him, he noticed that Harmon's split-second head start resulted in an excited pee on the computer. I'm not even kidding. Before last night, Harmon only had peed twice - once on Kevin (at the doctor's office) and once on my Mom. So, imagine our surprise when he opened up on the computer. I think even he was surprised. Kevin said he was looking down like WTF! While initially we were pissed (no pun intended), we laughed about it a ton today. I'm thinking the fact that the computer is OK had a lot to do with our laughter.

Belated Christmas vacation update

This week, Kevin and I reluctantly got back into the swing of things, returning to work after 17 glorious days off for the Christmas holiday. Kevin had to get back to it bright and early Monday, starting work at 7 a.m., and I had to abandon a snuggly nap with my boy to start my work day at 12:30 p.m. And, surprisingly, Harmon’s return to day care went very well.

It was awesome being off together that long and we took full advantage of it. We had no schedule, no routine. We slept in (Harmon woke up at 8 a.m. most days), took family naps, ate out, stayed up late and did fun things. We planned on doing some home repairs but that’s NO FUN when the other option is to play Kevin’s new Nintendo Wii for hours on end! We played out in the snow, took Harmon to a U-M basketball game and also to the Chelsea Treehouse. After spending parts of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my family, we spent Dec. 26-30 with Kevin’s family in Peoria. He was spoiled rotten in both places!

We look forward to the holiday season all year long and then it’s gone in a flash and you’re back to the grind. Bring on the next vacation!

A rare win on New Year’s Day (and more U-M football)

The Michigan Wolverines beat a very heavily-favored Florida Gators’ team on New Year’s Day to win the Capitol One Bowl. It’s been a while since Michigan has won a bowl game on Jan. 1 (Jan. 1, 2003, also against the Florida Gators) so it’s hard to believe. It’s also hard to believe the fashion in which Michigan won – throwing the ball all over and scoring at will (and the defense played decent too). Why don’t we play like that ALL THE TIME – that is my frustrating question! But, the win was great and it got everyone excited to enter the Rich Rodriguez era.

Speaking of Coach Rod, he was on Jim Rome’s radio show on Tuesday and was surprisingly candid. With Lloyd at the helm over the past 13 years, Michigan fans have gotten used to no information whatsoever coming from the halls of Fort Schembechler. It seems, though, that Coach Rod will be different. For example, he spoke openly about Adrian Arrington, Ryan Mallett and Mario Manningham not returning to the team. Later in the night, he held an impromptu briefing with the media and, when asked about Ryan Mallett, he said the following:

“Don't care. He's not playing for Michigan. I'm concerned with who's playing for Michigan.”

He was totally channeling Bo – stressing that the team is more important than any one player. I was impressed with this and with his earlier radio appearance – something I didn’t think possible after watching Les Miles hoist the National Championship trophy the night before. Although Miles was my first choice, I’m starting to like Coach Rod!

As for Mallett, I am sad to see him go as I think he’ll turn out to be a good QB. And, I’m more than a little nervous about our QB situation next year, especially if all-world recruit Terrelle Pryor chooses scarlet and gray over maize and blue. But, in the end, Mallett being here wasn’t a fit for either side and it was best for all involved to just move on. It was nice to hear that he’ll always consider himself a Michigan Man, no matter what color jersey he eventually ends up wearing.

Making up for Novembers past

In the past, November has been a rough month for my side of the family. Both of my Dad’s parents died during November as did my Mom’s mother. I also was nearly a goner after getting t-boned by a Detroit city bus just before Thanksgiving in 1996. In the past few years, Kevin and I have tried to make up for all the past November pain. We were married Dec. 2, 2000 (almost November) and then Harmon was born Nov. 12, 2005. Then, this year, Simon arrived Nov. 25. I figure my family needs one more late fall event to ATTEMPT to balance things out!

All I want for Christmas

Harmon and Kevin had a killer Christmas (mine was good but will get better as I have some money from returns to spend). Kevin got the Nintendo Wii – which requires its own special blog entry – and Harmon got A TON of Geo Trax stuff (not to mention cool clothes, lots of cars and trucks, a mini basketball hoop, etc.). We still are in the process of setting up the Geo Trax toys but, at this point, he loves it. It is SO extensive, I fear it may take up all of the newly-finished basement!

Ballin'

Back on Dec. 22, we took Harmon to his first basketball game as the Michigan Wolverines hosted the UCLA Bruins. Despite the outcome, which we anticipated when we bought the tickets, Harmon had a great time! In addition to actually watching some of the game, he sang “Hail to the Victors” a ton and did the “Let’s Go Blue” chant a lot too. While we have football season tickets, he has yet to attend a game. We’ll just stick with baseball (which he attended last spring) and basketball until he’s a little older and can fully appreciate it.

Quick hits

Reverting
The last few days, Harmon has wandered into our bedroom early in the morning and we’ve pulled him into bed to go back to sleep with us. Usually, he falls right back asleep and is snoring in no time. And, he’s so cute and warm and snuggly that it’s hard to resist him. We don’t want him thinking he can do this every morning but it’s hard. All this reminds us of those early days when we all would sleep in and take naps together all the time.

Up there!
Our Christmas tree is in place and partially decorated (we SO need a SET of ornaments) and Harmon loves it. He wants the lights to be on all the time and he loves to point out the colors of said lights. He also, apparently, wants to climb up into the tree. Every day since we put the tree up, he walks up to it and says “up there!” I’m not sure what business he has up in that tree but he definitely wants up there for something.

Panic in salary report town
On Tuesday, the University released its list of highest paid employees. Kevin and I were talking about this and Kevin said the following:

“I wonder when the salary report is going to be released so we can all spend a day being pissed!”

Since we work at a public university, the salary report is available for all to see (in fact, the student newspaper has a link to it). It’s REAL nice to review that report and find out that a co-worker got a four percent raise when you were told EVERYONE is getting three percent and, because of budget concerns, there isn’t any room for bigger increases this year.

Good times!

E-bah

Most of this blog is dedicated to Harmon, so that our family and friends can read about our big boy as he grows into a little man. But, there is another "child" in our family who does not get as much run (thanks, Rome), but means so very much to us. It is hard to believe, but our little Netherland Dwarf rabbit, Isabel (or "E-bah" as Harmon calls her), has been with us for six years. SIX YEARS! There were times when we did not think she would make it this far (bladder stone surgery a few years ago was touch-and-go), but she has perserved and is healthy and happy as ever. We do have to help her along a little bit, as she gets her teeth trimmed every three weeks or so to help her eat, but our "older gal" (coined by the staff at Animal Kingdom Veterinary Hospital) is strong and happy. Evidence of this has come the last few nights when Isabel has been playing under the Christmas tree. Not sure if she is getting high on the pine needles, or is just happy to have a place to hide from Harmon, but she has been running around and rabbit-dancing like crazy. When we brought Isabel home in nothing but a cardboard box just after she was born, we promised never to take her for granted. Admittedly, it has been hard to care for Harmon during his first two years and make sure all of her needs are met, as well. But, every day when we peel back the blanket from her cage, she is happy to see us and, usually, begging for a dried cherry. She is still kicking and still gives us kisses any time we ask. We love you, Isabel. No matter what happens with our next child, you will always be our first "daughter."

ADDENDUM: As many "teenage" girls do from time to time, Isabel decided last night that she did not want to hang out with Mom and Dad. After Harmon went to bed, we took her downstairs while I wrapped presents and Aimee walked on the treadmill. After about 20 minutes, I realized I had not seen her in a while and Aimee did not see her come in the exercise room. Sure enough, I went upstairs and she had assumed her position under the Christmas tree. She can easily scale the 12 steps and even comes down them, with a little coaxing.

Pinball

Last night, we were chasing Harmon around the basement and it made me think of something that happened down there a few weeks ago. I was chasing him one night and he ran behind the couch. Since our couch doesn’t sit flush with the wall, there is a little “gap” and that is where he ran. He was running and screaming and yelling and his little head was bobbing like crazy. As he reached the “gap," his head hit the wall and then bounced off the wall and hit the couch. It looked like a freakin’ pinball! After making sure he was OK (he was totally fine), I could not stop laughing. And, every single time I think about it, I die over and over again.

R2 to A2

Yesterday, Michigan introduced its new football coach, Rich Rodriguez (with tie, inside a snow-covered Michigan Stadium). I think I’m still in shock (in a good way) as I didn’t see this coming. I knew he was a good coach but I figured he would never leave West Virginia – a place where he was born, raised, attended college, met his wife, had kids and coached for years. It’s ironic that Rodriguez gave up all those things to come to Michigan when Les Miles wanted nothing but to return to Michigan – the place where he did most of those same things (with the exception of being born and raised in Ohio).

I’m cautiously optimistic about this hire, although it’s no secret that Miles was my first choice. I like that Rodriguez is young and fiery and that he is an offensive genius, credited with inventing the spread offense. I like that he will bring a fresh perspective to a program that really needed it. I like that he will bring in his own coaches (maybe a special teams’ coach, pretty please, and maybe a new strength and conditioning coach too). I also am excited about what I will see on the field and, hell, if he can win at WV, it seems he can only do better with the talent and resources at Michigan.

However, there are things that worry me too. WV played in a weaker conference and had looser academic standards so adjustment will be an issue. Also, will Michigan’s personnel fit his offensive scheme? He has no ties to Michigan and that scares me a bit when it comes to the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry. Actually, the last coach that came from the “outside” was John Cooper and he proceeded to go 2-10-1 against Michigan (yikes). I worry that it’s TOO much change and Michigan will end up like Nebraska. I also worry that, if he does have success at Michigan, he will leave when a better opportunity (college or NFL) comes along. If he left his whole life back in WV, leaving Michigan won’t be a big deal at all. My last worry – does he really want to be at Michigan – came to realization today. I read that, at first, he told Michigan no before he said yes and that he left WV because of some issues with the athletic department (some changes he wanted that hadn’t been made yet). To me, this seems like taking your ball and going home but who knows.

Obviously, I love my alma mater (my son is named Harmon for Christ’s sake) and I want Rich Rodriguez to be a great coach that will take Michigan football to a whole new level. I truly hope this happens. But, if it doesn’t, I’ll look back on this info and forever be sad:

Gary also had some really interesting things to say about the Les Miles’ deal. He talks to Les regularly as the lead color guy for the SEC and he claims that Les would have "taken $100,000" to coach at Michigan. He went on to explain that Michigan didn't really want Les Miles and it was unfortunate that Miles didn't even get a change to alleviate Martin's concerns about him as a possible Head Coach at Michigan. Les wanted Michigan but Michigan didn't want Les, only time will tell if this was a bad decision by Michigan but always understand this … Les was the best man for the job. Les Miles was a Michigan man who left Ann Arbor to learn more, expand his recruiting base and add to the Schembechler tradition, too bad he wasn't given the chance to prove it.

Quoted from: http://gregghenson.typepad.com/gregg_hensoncom/

Two years and one month

It’s Dec. 12 already and Harmon is one month into his second year. His 25-month birthday was greeted with a second case of bronchiolitis (he had it the first time last January). Kevin spent almost all of Monday afternoon with him at the doctor’s office, where he received two breathing treatments. He was sucking wind so bad he could barely cough. But, since he came home with some antibiotics and oral steroids, he’s bounced back much quicker than before. He’s pretty much back to normal, with the exception of a coughing fit here or there.

Lost in the shopping and cookie baking and tree decorating is the fact that Harmon is doing awesome with the whole big boy bed thing. We haven’t had to chase him back into bed at night in almost a week (I hope I didn’t jinx it just now)!

Funny things lately:

Over the weekend (when I think he was starting to get sick), he was tugging at his ear pretty hard. He then came over to me and said “take it off.” I died.

When he’s leaving (or we’re leaving), he yells “see you later, alligator!”

Since I brought them upstairs with the Christmas decorations, we have to play Rudolph, Santa and the Abominable Snow Monster in succession to get him to EAT!

When Kevin shows him this mini Lions helmet I got when I interned there years ago, he yells “cornbread.” Kevin also taught him to say “must be the money” – which is one of many sound bytes from the sports radio station we listen to, WDFN.

Although he’s been taking baths for two years, he’s suddenly found it hilarious to take the cup we use to rinse his hair, fill it up and then dump it over his head. He laughs so hard.

We love to scare him, especially when we’re in the basement. We hide in the bedroom or the exercise room and them growl or jump out at him. He screams so loud, usually runs in place and then starts laughing.

We have videos from July we STILL haven’t uploaded but I did manage to upload two videos I recently shot with our digital camera – "Wait a minute" and "Not diez". Sorry for the darkness.

Lazy Sunday (well, and Saturday too)

Our weekend was extremely laid back, just what we needed before the big holiday rush. Since our Christmas shopping is done (I am, however, still working on the wrapping AND the cards), we didn’t need to hit the mall this weekend. On Saturday, we all stayed in our pajamas for a while and then Kevin and I napped when Harmon took his early afternoon nap. We then headed out to Buddy’s Pizza for dinner with hopes to catch the Wayne County LightFest afterward. I say HOPE because that’s all it was. Traffic was backed up FOR MILES and Harmon fell asleep anyway so, after waiting a half hour and moving only a block or so, we gave up. It was a good idea but would have been better on, say, a WEDNESDAY NIGHT!

Today, I swear to God we went to Target for the third day in a row and I thought Kevin was going to lose it! On Friday, we did our usual trip. Yesterday, I had to go replace a missing bag of scotch tape and gift tags that I needed for wrapping. Today, I realized there was more than I originally thought in that missing bag so I had to go back AGAIN and get a couple of things. Kevin said he felt like it was Groundhog Day! After Target, we went grocery shopping at Kroger (God, I HATE grocery shopping) and then picked out our Christmas tree on the way home.

Overall, we had a nice, relaxing weekend. The only blemish is that Harmon seems to be coming down with yet another day care cold. He’s been working on those two-year molars (they’re all partially through) so he’s had a bit of a runny nose but the crazy-ass coughing starting while we were inside Kroger. I hope this cold is a quick one because the little man wants to get outside and hunt for Santa (check out last year's version of the photo below - so little - I'm sad)!

Two-year update

This is LONG overdue but on Nov. 16, Harmon had his two-year appointment. He weighed 34 pounds and was 35 ¼ inches tall. Both stats were up there percentile-wise but were less than we thought. Maybe we’re just used to people thinking he’s three or four years old! He is doing great and the doctor had no real concerns. Because he responds so well to the nebulizer treatments when he has a cold, the doctor does want us to keep a close eye on things in case he’s asthmatic (not likely but something to think about).

Our appointment was with our new pediatrician, Dr. James Baker. He was great with Harmon and was full of information for us so it went very well. We do, however, miss our old pediatrician so much.

OK, on to what Harmon is up to these days. He is in love with cars, emergency vehicles (like fire trucks and ambulances) and construction equipment. He also continues his obsession with reading (which explains the vast amount of books he has) and lately has loved coloring. He still loves his stuffed animals and still pulls bats and balls out of his toy bins (I’m hoping this will pick up again in the spring). The biggest change in him has been the continued explosion of language.

He always asks us to play with his Legos by grabbing our hand (or saying “hand, hand”) and then dragging us to the living room all the while saying “beeld sumpin’ (or build something). He usually loves to build TOWERS!

He loves to say things like “wait a minute” or “oh my gosh/oh my goodness” when he is surprised about something (all the while making HUGE eyes).

Since the basement is done, he always wants to “go downstairs.” He loves it down there and he gets up and down those stairs pretty fast.

If he’s with one of us and wants to see the other, he will say “Go see Mama (Dada), go see her (him).” And, when he finds you, he gets SO excited. A related behavior is him yelling our names ridiculously loud in public places – you can hear him throughout the entire store!

When he’s stumped by a question, he says “um, um” before answering. If he remains stumped, he starts in with his roll call – naming any and all nearby family members.

And, the singing, my God, the singing. He has a medley he belts out which includes “Ba, Ba, Black Sheep,” “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider.” And now that it’s the Christmas season, he loves to sing “Jingle Bells,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman.”

Lastly, because of his love for Handy Manny (and some prodding from his Nana), he now does his numbers in Spanish from 1-10 (I especially love “siete”). I keep encouraging this not only because of my background but because speaking Spanish REALLY will benefit him in the future!

He does something new every day and all of it amazes us!

Nothin's gonna’ derail this Motown train

After this blockbuster trade, I hope Rod Allen’s quote about the Motown train not derailing are true. When I started hearing rumors about this yesterday morning, I figured it would never in a million years happen. But, last night, while we were eating dinner, my friend Alec called and I just knew he was calling about the Tigers. I ran to the computer and couldn’t believe what I was reading! I still don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet but, God, I am so freakin’ excited for baseball season to start!

I will say that it's always hard to trade away great, young prospects but they are called PROSPECTS for a reason. To get tried-and-true talent and have those new players not be that much older – what a wonderful deal! Dave Dombrowski, as usual, is a genius (and also is my hero). I wish he could take over the search for the next Michigan football coach!

With this deal done, the Tigers now look to be true contenders, right up there with the Yankees and the Red Sox. I hope more than anything that this deal is the final piece of the puzzle that will bring a World Series crown back to Motown!

Lucky number seven

Seven years ago right now, Kevin and I were at our wedding reception watching our guests play their own music and mix their own drinks. It was a wonderful day and I can’t believe we’ve been married for seven years! My sister just sent me this e-card, which is freakin' hilarious. It did, however, make me think about how far we’ve come. It hasn’t always been easy and we’ve had some dark times but we’ve held it together and I can see us being married for 70 years. We always said we would remember to truly celebrate days like today but that was before Harmon came along. Tonight, we just decided to have dinner at Cottage Inn – the place we had our rehearsal dinner – and it was perfect. Harmon was an angel and the food was awesome and it just made me think that, in the end, it’s not about big gifts and fancy dinners. It’s about being together and enjoying each other. Kevin, I love you so much. As I always tell you, you are my prince charming, the man that made all my dreams come true. I would marry you one thousand times over – HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Salt in the wound

To pile on what is already a disaster of epic proportions (I honestly can’t even talk about it without feeling sick to my stomach), Michigan gets to be a practice squad for Florida in the Capital One Bowl (awesome, ANOTHER bowl loss). Tim Tebow will be able to show the Heisman voters that his trophy indeed was well deserved as he and his Gators light up old man Carr’s team for, oh, about 40 points, AT LEAST. We are going to get SO OWNED by Florida in this game, it’s almost comical. The Michigan faithful will get yet another reminder of how far the once-proud program has fallen. And, after Florida opens up a can of whoop ass, all us Michigan fans will get to watch Ohio State (the team that totally OWNS us) play LSU (and the coach we should have had) for the National Championship – good times. Honestly, as a Michigan grad and fan, which team do you cheer for? As we used to say, back in our sports information days, it would be best if the stadium just blew up. If the Buckeyes win, well, it would be their second national championship in recent years and it would further widen the gap between the two programs. If LSU wins, it would be so painful to think about what could have been. A real Michigan Man beats Ohio State FINALLY but he does it as a Tiger instead of a Wolverine. God, this sucks SO, SO, SO BAD.

In just a few weeks, we’ll get our stupid invoice for the public seat licenses on our two season tickets. By the time it’s due, we’ll most likely have a shit head coach at the helm to continue the downward spiral of the Michigan football program. I’ve felt two things this year that I never thought I would feel. First, after one too many losses to Ohio State, I’m feeling a little envious, almost like it might be better to be a Buckeye than a Wolverine. Secondly, I’ve actually considered not renewing my season tickets. After following this team (and working for it) for so long, it’s so hard to handle what is happening. Thanks, Lloyd, for ruining the program and for providing some nice bookends for the 2007 season – at the beginning, we were the joke because of our historical loss to Appalachian State and, at the end, we're the joke because 1) we totally effed up the whole Les Miles thing and 2) the mere thought of us ATTEMPTING to play football against Florida just brought uproarious laughter to the entire studio of the ESPN bowl selection show.

OK, enough, please tell me when pitchers (especially Jordan Tata) and catchers report for Spring Training?

Owned by trucker hat and turtleneck

A glimpse of the last 24 hours in Michigan athletics:

1. No. 2-ranked hockey team lost at home Friday night to Ohio State, a team that had lost 11 of its previous 12 games.

2. Les Miles is coming to Michigan. Oops, maybe not. Sorry about that. And LSU wins the SEC championship.

3. The basketball team really showed Harvard what it was getting in Tommy Amaker. Oops, maybe not. Sorry about that. Turtleneck 1, Michigan 0.

4. If Missouri falls victim to the Sports Illustrated jinx ... Oh, I will just say it now: Buckeyes back in the national championship game.

Um ... go volleyball?

Harmon and Santa don’t mix

Last Wednesday, Kevin and I took Harmon to see Santa. We went to Twelve Oaks Mall this year and had perfect timing. It was the day before Thanksgiving, in the late afternoon, and the mall was totally dead. While the lines for Santa usually are long, there were only two families in front of us. Harmon did great in line watching all the other kids get their pictures with Santa but, when his time came, he was having none of it. He immediately lost it and, after two attempts to sit him on Santa’s knee, we decided to just abort the whole damn thing. While we had our suspicions that it might go this way, we were encouraged because he talked about seeing Santa all morning. He talked about it in the car and all through lunch too. And then, when he got his big moment to ask for balls, cars, books and a fire truck (as he told me earlier in the day), he blew it. So, sorry grandparents, there will be no photos of Harmon with Santa this year!

One step forward, two steps back?

As noted here, Harmon’s first night in his big boy bed was a challenge. Thanksgiving night was easy only because he passed out in the car on the way home from my parents’ house. Friday night went pretty well – we only had to visit his room five times – and Saturday night went well too with only three visits. Sunday night, he didn’t get out of bed once, although it took him forever to fall asleep. So, with the steady decline in bedroom visits, we thought last night would be easy. Not so much. He was fired up all day so it wasn’t a total surprise that he would need a few reminders to get back into bed. But, I swear, we went into his room about 10 times! He finally passed out around 10 p.m. (note that we started this process at 8:45 p.m.). After going to bed so late, I assumed he would be dead tired and grumpy this morning but he woke up on his own and was perfectly pleasant. He even had a great drop-off at day care, for the first time in weeks. Maybe tonight will go better – we just keep telling ourselves that it hasn’t even been a week yet so it’s going to take some time.

As an aside, while the going-to-bed part has been a struggle, the waking-up part has been awesome. It’s so sweet when he tiptoes into our bedroom to wake us up. He’s all quiet and tentative and then we snatch him up into our bed and hang out for a while. This really does make it all worth it.

Big boy bed

As I type this, we’re trying to get Harmon to go to sleep in his big boy bed for the first time. It’s actually his same bed, which converts to a toddler bed, but I think it’s freaking him out a little bit. We’ve already been in his room AT LEAST 10 times to tell him to lie down and go to sleep. It might be a long night.

We made a big deal this morning in taking the one side off and then putting on all his new bedding (including a pillow) and he was all excited about it. He kept yelling “NEW BED” and then he got all comfortable in it while Kevin read him books. So, we thought it might go a little smoother. But, I guess I can understand why it’s freaking him out. He’s been safe in his crib since he was eight weeks old and now one side of it is gone. I can see how he would be tentative. I also can see that there is A LOT of temptation to get out and play and run around so we’ll have to see how it goes.

By the way, HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone!

Harmon’s two-year photos

We decided to change things up a bit this year for Harmon’s two-year photos. Instead of paying our friend to do it (he’s been swamped), I asked my sister, Stacey, to take them.

We chose a blue theme, with jeans and navy tops. Of course, Harmon’s outfit was the whole inspiration! We wanted to be outside and what better place than campus. We decided on Angell Hall as the backdrop, which was good and bad. Good in that there weren’t a lot of people around to distract us and get in the background of our photos but bad in that there’s construction nearby (oh, cranes and cement mixers) and about 100 buses drove by while my sister was shooting and Harmon was going bananas.

We went to campus in the late afternoon on Sunday, Nov. 4 and shot for about 45 minutes. My parents and other sister, Erin, also were there to try to get Harmon to smile on demand. Then we had a birthday dinner for Harmon at Pizza House followed by cake and presents back at our house. It was an awesome day and the pictures turned out perfect. My sister did a fantastic job so now she’s on the hook again for next year – if she dares!

I’ve included a few below but if you would like to see them all, click here.

Follow the leader?

For the first time since Bo Schembechler was hired in 1968, there is no known leader of the University of Michigan football program. Once Bo retired after the 1989 season, Mo (Gary Moeller), a long-time U-M assistant, took over. After Mo “resigned” in 1995, another long-time assistant, Lloyd Carr, took over. It was on an interim basis in the beginning but, halfway through the season, the interim tag was removed and Coach Carr went on to lead the Wolverines for 13 seasons. Today, he retired and, for the first time in my life, I have no idea who the next football coach of my alma mater will be. That makes me scared, nervous, anxious and excited all at the same time!

I will miss Lloyd Carr, the person, as he’s done so much for the University of Michigan. I have to admit, however, that I might not miss Lloyd Carr, the coach. The last few years have been pretty rough for Michigan football fans and I think yet another loss to Ohio State on Saturday finally pushed me over the edge.

I sometimes wonder what life for Michigan football fans would be like had we not won a national championship in 1997. While that day was one of the best days in my life, I feel like it set a standard, it established an expectation that would be hard to achieve each and every year. Before Coach Carr, who brought us our first national championship in 49 years, we didn’t have those standards or expectations and the game was so much different. But, to get to that point, and then to have all the necessary pieces to return yet fail – that became hard to handle. And, if it was hard to handle as a fan, an alum and a former athletic department worker, I can’t even pretend to know how Coach Carr dealt with it. Maybe this was one of the many reasons he decided it was time to go.

Whatever his reasons, he is gone but he won’t be far away if needed. He will remain at Michigan as an associate athletic director and AD Bill Martin will have him to speak with while searching for a new leader of the Michigan football program. It’s not every day that Michigan hires a new football coach and it’s not every school that gets it right (see Nebraska) but I’m hopeful Martin will find a fantastic new coach to take Michigan football to an even higher level.

If you leave me now …

After another rough drop-off at day care this morning, I could only think of Chicago’s song, “If You Leave Me Now.” I realize we’re not taking away the biggest “part” or “heart” of Harmon but it’s still hard.

The last few weeks have been rough and we’re not sure why. Maybe it’s because he’s had SO MUCH birthday attention that he would rather stay home and play with us and his birthday loot or maybe he’s just having some delayed separation anxiety. Whatever it is, it caused him to cry SO HARD that he passed out when Kevin dropped him off this past Tuesday. He’s done this a handful of times and the doctor assures us it’s OK but it’s still scary. Luckily, he did it while Kevin was still there because that seriously would have freaked out his teachers.

The teachers tell us he’s only upset for a few minutes and then goes on to have a great day, which is fantastic. Unfortunately, Kevin and I don’t go on to have great days. We worry about him, we wonder what’s wrong and we count down the minutes until we can pick him up. The plus side to this, if there is one, is that he’s even more excited to see us at the end of the day!

A letter to our little boy

Today you turned 2 and further became a big boy. We have said how big you are getting for some time now, but now we can no longer tell people you are a “months” baby (16 months, 18 months, 23 months, etc.). We are so proud of you for how smart you are and how polite you are and how affectionate you are to all members of our family, not to mention most women at Target and the grocery store. You love to read anything and everything and you love everything that flies, especially “helpacas” (helicopters).

Your second birthday pictures show a little scar on your chin from a fall at daycare. You probably didn’t cry, and won’t remember it. But for Mom and Dad, it was a realization that things will happen to you during your life that we can’t prevent. We can only help to soothe you and tell you it will all be OK. We hope you will always come to us for that comfort and reassurance, like you do when you fall and bump your head or scratch your finger. You know we are good for a hug, and you are back in the battle in no time.

Speaking of daycare, like you were at your first daycare center, KidZone, you are a big hit at Annie’s. We always get great reports, and your teachers always tell us that you are so easy-going and well-behaved. You do have occasional mornings when it is tough to say goodbye to Mommy and Daddy, but you are so excited to see us at the end of day. When Daddy picks you up on Tuesdays, you immediately call for two things – helpacas and Mama. So, we pick Mommy up and swing by the hospital to see the twin Survival Flight helicopters. A month or so ago, you hit the jackpot, as one helpaca took off and another landed. These are just a few things that get you excited, right up there with semi trucks, buses (city and Michigan blue), cement mixers, tractors and pretty much anything bigger than an average 4X4. You have a cute, big boy haircut. Mom and Dad were so nervous to get your haircut for the first time. We didn’t want your hair to be too short, but now we get it cut every 5-6 weeks and you have a little burr head. The last few times your Nana has taken you for your haircut and, from what we are told, you were an angel. You were like that the first time we took you; after that, not so much.

We know that all babies are respectful to their grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles and cousins, but you are always so good to them, and they love you unconditionally. You call Grandma and Grandpa Saling, Nana and Papa, and Grandma and Grandpa Bergquist, Eema and Eepa. Eepa helped Mommy and Daddy finish their basement. Now, you can’t get enough of it down there. After shimmying down the stairs on your belly, you love to play with your new table and train set and birthday presents. But not far from your mind is your savior right now, Mickey Mouse. Some days you don’t go more than 10 minutes without asking to watch Mickey Moush or Blue book (Blues Clues).

We will wrap this up with a little story that sums up your first two years. While you were shopping today in Kroger with Daddy, you sang your medley of songs, “Ba Ba Black Sheep,” “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” and, finally, “The Victors.” You are so creative and happy and love to sing any chance you get. And, you love to call Mama real loud, even when she is five feet away. You are a dream come true, Harmon. Thank for showing Mommy and Daddy how fantastic being parents can be. We are truly blessed.

Love, Mommy and Daddy

One of those days

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s a long-ass day for me and a fun day for Harmon because he’s with his Nana.

I called her earlier and they were making cookies. I wanted to cry.

Every once in a while, I have one of those days when I so wish I was a stay-at-home Mom. I envision a cold winter day and me and Harmon all warm inside making Christmas cookies. We have dinner ready for when Kevin comes home and Harmon is so excited to see him and …

And, back to the real world. I’m sure work isn’t helping today either as I have so much crap work to do. Things like mailings and gathering/setting up materials for an event this weekend – things that TRULY require my MBA skills (ha, ha).

Speaking of skills, maybe I revisit the textbook from my MBA statistics class and figure out my chances at winning the lottery to make my vision a reality. Dare to dream.

Toddler Speak

Each day, Harmon (who I'm sure was in the middle of saying something dramatic in this photo at left) adds so much to his language skills and, in doing so, he’s really funny.

On the way back from his birthday dinner at Pizza House, I was telling my sister, Erin, about the Pumpkin Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. I told her it was like pumpkin pie on steroids and Harmon piped in with the following:

Pumpkin pie, pumpkin patch, pumpkin pancakes

Because he said it all in one breath, he was totally out of breath by the time he got to pancakes and it was hilarious.

We’ve still never been able to figure out who “Dee Dee” is and now it’s even worse. He’ll say “Let’s go, Dee Dee,” which will prompt us to ask who “Dee Dee” is. He then goes on with “Let’s Go Doh Doh,” “Let’s Go, Day Day,” and, finally, “Let’s Go, Cheese.”

WTF!

He sings all the songs from the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and loves Choo-Choo Soul. He also can’t get enough of the Frog Dance (which they just pulled from YouTube – oh the devastation), not to mention he sings much clearer versions of "Hail to the Victors" - complete with the hand motions - and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

He’s also doing very well with the sentences. After opening presents in our new basement on Sunday night, he wanted to go down there again last night. He grabbed my hand and said, “Mama downstairs presents.”

Kevin noted that for the first time he feels like he really can have a conversation with him. Harmon and I called Kevin at work last Friday and they had a big chat about what he was doing, what he wanted to watch on the computer, what he had for lunch, etc.

Although I really, really miss my little baby Harmon, it’s so fun to see him growing up and expressing himself. Fun except for when we say something we shouldn’t and he repeats it – YIKES!

HALLOWEEN NIGHT!

As Harmon has been saying for the last few hours, it’s HALLOWEEN NIGHT! Harmon had his second run at the whole trick or treat thing and he did a fantastic job. He said “trick or treat” or “chocolate” at every house and then followed with a “thank you” and, instead of “Happy Halloween,” he chose to yell “Halloween Night” to each person dishing out the goods. He collected quite the loot and even got to enjoy some mini M&Ms, which I think might explain why he’s still not asleep.

He was a koala this year. It wasn’t my first choice (I wanted a frog costume but it was sold out by mid-September – what the hell) but it was very, very cute. He had a little koala in his pouch that he just had to share his chocolate with – so very polite!

He actually debuted his costume at the Halloween in Greenfield Village event we attended on Oct. 21. The three of us went, along with my parents and my sisters, and we all had a great time so I think we’ll go back again next year.

All in all, it’s been a great Halloween season!