Was Harmon blown away by the Windy City?

Hard to say; after all, he is just three-and-a-half. But, our first family vacation as a foursome was a lot of fun for me and Aimee and the boys. We drove to Chicago July 6 and came back to Ann Arbor July 10. In between, we saw fish and sharks and dinosaur bones and the White Sox and Navy Pier and the inside of more train cars than Aimee ever wants to see again.

Monday, July 6
We left Ann Arbor about 10:30 a.m. and rolled into Chicago just after 3 p.m. We checked into the Hilton Suites/Magnificent Mile, ditched the car for the week, and had a little bit of downtime before heading out to dinner with Aunt Stacey and soon-to-be Uncle Marc. It was there on the 26th floor of the Hilton that Harmon saw it for the first time: yes, for 5 days, he was simply transfixed on the parking ramp attached to the adjacent John Hancock Center. Every morning, he had his breakfast near the window so he could watch the cars circle for hours. We packed the stroller and boys and headed out to Gino’s East for a dinner of, what else, Chicago-style pizza. We peeked a little at the stores on Michigan Avenue, and even went into the Disney Store to look for more cars from Harmon’s obsession: the movie, “Cars.” We took it easy for the rest of the night and, true to our intentions of being rested and ready to go when the boys beckoned, were in bed by 10:30 p.m. most nights.

Tuesday, July 7
On our first full day in Chicago, Harmon and I walked a few blocks to Water Tower Place to get a few breakfast items, including, as Harmon told a few people in the hotel elevator, “We need to get a poppy for Mommy.” This was our morning ritual during our time in Chicago and Harmon loved it because he got to ride the escalators up and down every morning. He also liked going up and down in the elevators and showed he is well on his way to being our little gentleman, as he always held the doors for people getting on and off.

Our first trip took us to the Shedd Aquarium. We took the redline from the Chicago/State Street station to the Roosevelt stop and walked a few blocks to the museum campus. Once we got to the entrance, we realized the best thing we ever did for the trip happened when Aimee purchased the City Pass, which allows you to enter several tourist points for one price. While we did have to stand in line for a half-hour or so, it was nothing compared to the snake of a line down the front steps and the adjoining sidewalk.

Once inside, we took in all of the galleries and then went below to see the penguins, beluga whales and sharks. Harmon paid a little attention; he might have liked it more if we had been able to see the water show that is put on several times a day, but it was full twice while we were there. We did purchase starfish stuffed animals for the boys. Harmon named his “Blueberry,” called it “his grandson,” and told us many times in the subsequent days that “Blueberry misses me so much; I am going to go home and give him a hug.” You can’t make this stuff up.

We headed back to the train so Harmon and Simon could rest for a few hours before we headed to U.S. Cellular Field to see the White Sox-Indians game. We hopped the redline back down to the Southside and purchased the cheapest tickets we could find ($23, but still better than going to the city’s other dump of a baseball stadium). After walking up seemingly 30 ramps (because we had Simon in the stroller), we reached the 500 level, which could affectionately be called the nosebleed pavilion. We knew we would not be able to see much of the game, but we sat for a few innings before the boys were ready to head back uptown. It is funny that we were 250 miles from home, but because Harmon was wearing his Michigan sweatshirt, he got politely “trash-talked” by an Indians fan. See, even during baseball season, Ohio fans/residents are obsessed with Michigan 24/7. It was all in good fun. Another train ride and short walk put us back in the hotel and in bed for the night.

Wednesday, July 8
The start of the day brought another train ride and trip back to the museum campus and the Field Museum. Not the greatest place for kids, but we did enjoy looking at “Sue,” the huge dinosaur skeleton on display in the main gallery. We walked around a few of the other galleries, including one we thought would be on the planets; instead it was plants. I guess it shows how tired we were that day. We thought about heading to the nearby Adler Planetarium, but it was raining and Harmon did not seem to be in the mood for more galleries. We headed back to the hotel for a little R&R before Aunt Stacey came to watch the boys while we did a little shopping.

We hopped back on the train to Lincoln Park so Aimee could shop at the Patagonia store. We had just made it back into the city when Stacey called to say that it seemed like Harmon was allergic to his dinner. We had bought him a cashew butter and jelly sandwich to take the place of his favorite meal (PB&J), and the interaction was not a good one. We ran back to the hotel and found our firstborn looking like a blowfish with puffy eyes and hives. We gave him some Benadryl and he calmed down pretty quickly, but there were some anxious moments. We felt so bad for Stacey; obviously it was not her fault, but it had to be scary to see her nephew have an allergic reaction. We had missed dinner, so we ordered takeout from the nearby Cheesecake Factory. All in all, a good way to end a crazy day.

Thursday, July 9
Our last full day in Chicago was the mostly leisurely, but also involved the most walking. We stopped at a few stores, including Niketown. The merchandise was awesome, as always, but it was also depressing. Right as you walk in the door, you are hit with Terrelle Pryor and Juice Williams jerseys. It is then that you are reminded that Michigan dumped Nike for Adidas and their riches, so there was not a single piece of maize and blue clothing to be found. Ugh! After that uplifting experience, we then had the worst meal of our lives at ESPNZone. We then walked about a half-mile to Navy Pier, where we had to get after some Garrett Popcorn and walked to the end of the pier. Harmon was a little fussy, so I faked that I had thrown his “Sally” car from the movie into the drink. He bought it, no pun intended, hook-line-and-sinker, and it wasn’t until the next day that we had him convinced that Sally swam all the way back to our hotel to find him again. He still believes it.

After Navy Pier, we wanted to see one last attraction: Millennium Park. It has the coolest fountain that features the faces of Chicago residents spitting water on the shallow pond below. Aimee and Harmon took a cab to the park, while Simon and I hoofed it to the park, as Harmon was getting tired after our long walks. Harmon really dug it there, even when I dragged him under the spout and he got soaked. We jumped the train back north (our final train ride, during which we realized that Harmon was now naming the next stops), and after Aimee and boys were safely just a few blocks from the hotel, I headed back out to P.F. Chang’s for takeout. Great call by Aimee, especially since I owed her one after our lunch tasted like ass. After a brief stop in the hotel pool, which included Simon's first swim, the boys took it easy, Harmon assumed his perch in front of the window to the study the parking ramp next door, and we began to pack for home.

Friday, July 10
We were all packed and ready to leave, and thought about going to the top of the John Hancock Center, but the weather was cloudy and the visibility would have been poor. So, we decided to check out, fetch the car and begin our trek back to Ann Arbor. We did drive north and by Wrigley Field. The Cubs were playing the Cardinals in about two hours, and there were a ton of Redbird fans there. It was entertaining to see all the lowly Cub fans who have successfully embarked on their second century chasing that elusive next World Series. Harmon summed the trip up perfectly as we urged him to take a look at the stadium as we drove by: “I am not concerned with that; I am concerned with the train station.” We thought about going to see Northwestern University, but it started to rain and so we decided to just head back. After some fun on the I-90-94 parking lot, we were in Indiana and headed east.

Overall, it was a great trip and the boys, while worn out, seemed to enjoy what we had planned. The good: Food, “Blueberry” and Millennium Fountain. The bad: Cashew allergies, Cub fans and Simon’s newfound pterodactyl scream (loud and piercing!). The ugly: The end of our first family vacation; ESPNZone lunch, and my still-throbbing deep bone bruise from trying to jump one of the subway turnstiles.

Thanks to Aimee for planning such a great trip. She is always so thoughtful in trying to plan fun things for the boys!

P.S. – Our vacation coincided with the week that Simon went to three meals a day. Let’s just say that No. 2 is an absolute eating machine, and if you are late getting his “ba-ba” or vegetables or fruit into his grill, he will let you know about it. Overall, he was very well-behaved on the trip, and it had to be hard for him to be sitting in the stroller all the time.

Late seven-month update

The night of Simon’s six-month appointment, we started with the baby food and fed him some vegetables. We chose squash first, only because Harmon liked it, but Simon wasn’t so into it. He liked it the first night – probably because it was something different – but he didn’t really dig it after that. We then moved on to (in this order) carrots, sweet potatoes, peas and green beans. Next was the fruit, which, surprise, went much better. He had, in this order: peaches, bananas, prunes, pears and applesauce. He’s now ready to start with the Stage 2 foods and to move to three meals a day consisting of two servings each of cereal, fruits and vegetables.

As we were working our way through the foods, all kinds of other things were happening. On June 3, he spoke his first word – dada. It happened on a Wednesday so, when I called my Mom to check on him, I got to hear it over the phone. My Mom claims he also said mama but I’m not so sure. I’ve heard dada many times since then but have not heard mama. I hope he’ll say it for me soon!

He’s awesome with the rolling-over thing – belly to back and back to belly. We’ve found him many times on his back in his crib when we get him in the morning. Harmon was a huge roller (in lieu of crawling) so I’m wondering if Simon will be the same way. He does, however, have more leg movement than Harmon did so maybe he won’t wait until 10 months to crawl.

Now that we’ve been through a little more than half a year with Simon, we were thinking about the differences between him and Harmon. Besides the obvious – like Simon being pasty white with blue eyes (at least so far) – Simon is hungry all the time! He is ravenous, no matter what. It’s like he knows he has to play catch-up or something. Maybe because of this hunger, you cannot take a drink of anything while holding him because he’ll have his hands all over it. Harmon was never the least bit interested in sitting up but Simon prefers to sit up as often as he can. He especially loves to sit up in his stroller on the porch and watch his big brother take batting practice every night. Simon has one small character flaw and that is that he HATES to be alone. On bad days, he’ll cry if you break eye contact with him. Mostly, though, he requires that SOMEONE be in the room with him at all times. If not, he’ll cry and, when Simon cries, he quickly produces real tears. It’s very sad. Fortunately for us, though, this is pretty much the only time he cries because, overall, he is the happiest baby we’ve ever seen. He wakes up smiling, smiles most of the day and goes to bed smiling too! While Harmon was happy, Simon is happier.

Late six-month update (complete with stats)

At Simon’s six-month check-up, he weighed in at 19 pounds and 7 ounces and he measured 27 ½ inches long. While that put him only four ounces and 1 ½ inches off Harmon’s pace, I need to point out that Simon’s appointment was almost two weeks later than Harmon’s. So, Simon had the advantage of extra bottles and oatmeal cereal!

The whole sleeping situation improved during this month. In mid-May, Simon started going to bed at the same time as Harmon – 9 p.m. We started noticing he would pass out for a long nap every night between 8-9 p.m. We then would have to wake him up for his last feeding and he would rarely finish it. So, one night, we fed him his last bottle around 9 p.m. and then he passed out. It’s worked ever since.

Although he was passing out, he was waking up often. Our theory was that he was pretty much tired of being swaddled. So, we ditched the swaddle and, on Tuesday, May 26, we put him to bed on his belly for the first time. He loves to sleep like this even though he pees up his stomach almost every morning! I think we’ll take the extra time and extra sleep and just deal with the extra laundry.

Harmon quote bag

Below are some pretty funny things that have come out of Harmon's mouth recently! 3-year-olds are such characters!

"That kid is a ball baby!" - after seeing some little boy eat it on the pavement outside of Noodles & Company.

"Edwina, the dinosaur that stinks!" - his title for this book.

On the way home from work/daycare, he saw a police car and a tow truck down a side street and screamed out, "shenanigans!"

Upon seeing Kevin with his St. Louis Cardinals' shirt on: "Daddy, you have parrots on your shirt!"


"Who's that man? I don't like that monster!" - his take on Ronald McDonald.

When he was REALLY bored one night (and after previous trips with Kevin to Comcast to get a functional cable box), he asked: "Daddy, can we go to cable box store!"

Father’s Day and baseball

On Father’s Day, we went to our first Tigers’ game of the season, which also happened to be Simon’s first Tigers’ game ever. We bought cheap seats and met up with our friends Brian and June and their adorable daughter, Zoey - who is just two months younger than Simon. They totally hit it off and Simon seemed to like hanging with another baby! I also think Zoey may have taught Simon a little about jumping because he’s been jumping like crazy ever since! Later that night, Kevin joked about that being their “first date” and he advised Simon to “wait at least three days” before calling her! Not to be forgotten, Harmon had a good time too. He enjoyed his hot dog and HUGE box of popcorn and he had a blast running the bases for the first time. He was SO CUTE! Despite seeing only three innings of the game (which was another Verlander win), we had a great time and we hope to hook up with Brian, June and Zoey again real soon!

*photo courtesy of Brian and June!

Batting practice

Once it FINALLY got warm outside, we took out Harmon’s tee, bat and balls. He played with them a bit but didn’t seem too interested. So, when we were at my parents’ house for Memorial Day (May 27), I didn’t think he would be too interested in hitting but he was – just not with the tee. Kevin, my Dad and my cousin all took turns pitching to Harmon and he did awesome! Pretty much every night since that day, Harmon has asked to go outside and hit balls and we’ve definitely obliged. He’s had batting practice at home and we’ve taken it on the road to local parks a bunch of times too. He totally loves it! In the beginning, he was early on almost every pitch so the balls would be scattered to his left (he’s a righty). Lately, though, he’s hitting the ball square and has even sent some back up the middle at Kevin. While he doesn’t hit every ball (he does SWING at every ball), he’ll get on a hot streak and smoke 8 or 9 in a row. It’s so fun to watch and I hope it’s something he’ll like to do for a long, long time!

Movie night

Harmon’s not one for a lot of Disney movies (he’s usually just happy with Cars). But, back in May, Kevin had to work on a Saturday night so I told Harmon we could rent a movie and stay up late to watch it. He chose Monsters, Inc. and he LOVED IT. Since then, we’ve done “movie night” every other Saturday and we usually couple it with a picnic – meaning we all eat dinner together on a blanket on the living room floor. In addition to Monsters, Inc., we’ve seen Finding Nemo, Toy Story and Happy Feet. He LOVED Finding Nemo but I’ve struck out with the other two. I need to redeem myself next week so he doesn’t lose interest. Movie night is a blast!

Dinner on October 23 will be ...

They say when you have kids that you should enjoy every moment because the time truly does go by too fast. Well, this is true, as Harmon seems like a little man right now and Simon is a big boy. But, it doesn't help when your 3-year-old is constantly pressing the fast-forward button on life. An example: This morning when Harmon got out of bed, I told him to take off his pajamas and go to the potty. He was, however, more interested in knowing what pajamas he would be wearing to bed tonight. Innocent enough, you say, but he is always doing this. When it is breakfast, he asks what is for lunch or dinner. When we get home from work/daycare in the late afternoon, he wants to know what is happening the next morning. Don't get me wrong, this really is cute and we get a chuckle out of it. Maybe it is a good sign that he is always thinking ahead. Maybe his Mommy can help him organize his upcoming days and nights, meals and pajamas, etc., into a spreadsheet?

BIG LIP

OK, I think Simon wins the big lip contest. Kevin called him "NEWTAGE" really loud this past weekend and this was the result:


Don't feel too bad for him - he didn't cry at all. Actually, he started smiling right away. Weirdo.

This was the result in early 2006 when Kevin called Harmon "NATOR:"


Harmon was a little more sad after the fact but that didn't stop us from doing it again and again. They both have cute pouts and we like to see them so ...

Look alike

This is one of the MANY things I love about having two boys - they get to wear the same clothes! And Kevin and I get to go on and on with crap like "remember when Harmon wore that ... blah, blah, blah!" I'm sure, pretty soon, it's going to get pretty old to BOTH of them but, until then, we're going to keep doing stuff like this. There's nothing they can do about it!

Simon Bunny

This was the first photo the teachers at school took of Simon. It was on his cubbie for the longest time and it was larger than every other infant's photo. They FINALLY took a normal-sized photo for his cubbie and sent this one home with us. God, so smiley! Look at those gums (before the teeth came in)!

Harmon Q&A

This comes courtesy of Sundry. I thought Harmon would have some interesting answers to the following questions and he didn’t disappoint. It’s going to be funny when he reads this stuff when he’s older, although I don’t want him to be older anytime soon. Enjoy!

1. What is something I always say to you? Play with my computer

2. What makes me happy? Going on walks

3. What makes me sad? When you’re frustrated at me

4. How do I make you laugh? You tickle my belly button

5. What do you think I was like as a child? (crickets)

6. How old am I? 10 (holds up both hands)

7. How tall am I? Points to the sky

8. What is my favorite thing to do? Play Legos with me (we pretty much NEVER play Legos anymore)

9. What do I do when you’re not around? You check on me

10. If I become famous, what will it be for? (crickets)

11. What am I really good at? Playing

12. What am I not really good at? Yelling at me

13. What is my job? To play with the computer

14. What is my favorite food? Chicken

15. What makes you proud of me? When we take walks to the park and when you play cars with me

16. What makes me proud of you? When I put my cars away

17. What do you and I do together? On which days, Mommy? We go to restaurants and to the park

18. How are we the same? You look like me

19. How are you and I different? I don’t know

20. How do you know that I love you? Because I love you in the whole world (his version of when I tell him I love him more than anything in the whole world)

21. What is the one thing you wish you could change about me? That you wouldn’t yell at me

22. What do you wish you could go and do with me? I want you to take me to Walgreen’s to get a car

Breaking through

Last Friday (May 8), while playing with Simon on our bed, I noticed some white areas on his gums. Since he wouldn’t let me gain access at that moment, I had to harass him the rest of the morning. By noon, I finally was able to confirm the breakthrough of a tooth – his bottom front right chopper. I immediately called Kevin at work and we both were sad. He’s our baby and he’s our last and now, with teeth, he’s no longer a newborn. He’s simply an infant now. While his gums aren’t as pronounced as Harmon’s were, I will miss them so much. There’s nothing like a toothless grin from a baby!

And to make it EVEN worse, the bottom front left chopper is through now too. WHY do they have to grow up so damn fast???

Simon at 5 Months

Simon turned 5 months’ old on April 25 and it was a pretty eventful month. At his 4-month appointment (April 3), we were given the go-ahead for rice cereal so we gave him some the very next day (April 4). He was digging it but I must point out that he’s never tasted anything but Enfamil so he doesn’t know any better. I, on the other hand, DO know better and that stuff is nasty. I accidentally got some on my finger while feeding him one morning and I made the BIG mistake of just licking it off – GROSS! Anyway, the cereal – rice and now oatmeal – has been great and he’s getting bigger, stronger, faster (oops, that’s the Six Million Dollar Man). He’s been growing like a weed and sleeping so much better at night and doing all kinds of cool things.

The long-awaited meeting with his feet finally happened Tuesday, April 21. They had been flirting for weeks and, finally, they got up the nerve to talk to each other. Simon moves quickly, though, because by Thursday, April 23, he took their relationship to the next level – he put his feet in his mouth. As is typical in a new relationship, you try so hard to impress and Simon thought FINALLY rolling over (stomach to back – both ways) would be quite impressive indeed. This happened on Friday, April 24.

OK, other quick things:
1) Simon loves his exercauser and he figured out how to work it on Saturday, April 18. He played the duck sound!
2) Simon absolutely CANNOT GET ENOUGH of Harmon! It is the sweetest thing in the world to watch.
3) Although it happened in MARCH, I need to note Simon’s first giggle. My Mom got him to laugh out loud for the first time on Wednesday, March 18 (while I was at work, damn it) by hiding and then surprising him while he played in his activity gym.

Falling down

A few weeks ago, we thought for sure we were headed for a trip to the ER with Harmon. He seemed to be falling down ALL THE TIME and all this clumsiness culminated in an ever-so-slightly chipped tooth (a chip only a mother could see on his upper front left tooth) on a Thursday night (April 16) followed by a LONG fall from the top stair of a huge play structure on a Saturday afternoon (April 18). This fall took place at Fuller Park, which we won’t be able to visit for a long, long time. Well, at least until I can get the image out of my head of Harmon falling down 10-15 wooden stairs. Thankfully, this incident resulted only in a few scrapes and bruises. After all that, we were a bit nervous about what was to follow but he seems to have pulled it together. Maybe he was going through some kind of growth spurt, which might explain the clumsiness AND the insane food intake!

3 ½

OK, as promised, Harmon is 3 ½ today so it’s going to be my last monthly update for him. Today was semi-eventful for him. He went for a long walk with Kevin and Simon in the afternoon and, because he was SO GOOD on the walk, he scored Tex Dinoco from Toys R Us.

When I got home from work, we played while Kevin grilled. The best part of playing was realizing that Harmon now can catch a ball! He may have been able to do this for a while and I just didn’t know but he was snagging everything I could throw at him. Maybe Greg Andrade’s prediction will come true and he, indeed, will end up being a “hands tight end!” Or, maybe he’ll be the next Joe Mauer … um, yeah ... not so much!

After dinner, my parents stopped by on their way back home after their trip to Springfield, Ill. for my uncle’s funeral. My Dad was missing the boys so they stopped in to steal an hour or so of their time. Of course, within minutes, my Dad had Harmon running around and doing great big belly laughs (and also had Simon “talking”). They both love their Papa!

All and all, a good day to be 3 ½!

Adjusting

When I came back to work after having Simon, I had to shift my schedule a bit. It’s been about 11 weeks now and we’re STILL trying to get the hang of it. For me, it’s difficult because I USED to be at home in a chunk (off all day Friday and Monday morning) and then at work in a chunk (in Monday afternoon and through the end of the day Thursday). Now, it’s all mixed up and it’s been hard to focus on BOTH places with all the back and forth. For Kevin, going in at 7 a.m. on a Monday was much easier because he had the weekend to rest. Now, he works a full day on Monday and then has to be in early on Tuesday so it’s harder on him too.

As for the kids, Harmon seems to be fine with it. Now, he just gets to spend more time watching the garbage trucks (Tuesdays are our garbage days). Simon, however, has had it a little rough. The breaks between the days the boys go to school are longer now – they go on Mondays and Thursdays instead of Tuesdays and Thursdays – and he’s having some issues adjusting. The teachers have explained to me that he just gets very sad and then he’ll cry if he’s alone for too long. They say he brightens right back up so it’s not a prolonged thing but it still makes ME sad to think about him being sad. I spoke with the teachers and the director and they all thought maybe an extra few hours a week at school will help (evidently another part-timer was having the same issues and it worked for her). We were SUPPOSED to try this a few weeks ago but he got a cold so we delayed it. So, today, Kevin so graciously gave up his Tuesday afternoon with both boys and dropped Simon off at school. I don’t want him to be sad at school so we will do this if we have to BUT I would much rather have him at home doing fun things with his Dad and brother. I don’t think it’s necessary and I also don’t see how just a few hours are going to help things but we’ll see. I’m just hoping it’s a phase and he’ll grow out of it.

Oliver Jeffers

Not too long ago, I was reading the blog of one of our friends, Brian DeWagner, and he mentioned an author by the name of Oliver Jeffers. I had never heard of him so I then was on a MISSION to find one of his books, read it and then decide if Harmon would like it.

At our local Barnes & Noble (the one “down the mountain” with the ESCALATOR, per Harmon), I found a copy of the Incredible Book Eating Boy and I loved it! I read it to Harmon and he loved it too so we bought it. I’ve probably read it to him at least 1,000 times – I’m not kidding. Unfortunately, this was the only Oliver Jeffers book available at Barnes & Noble or any of our local Borders stores so I had to take my search underground – to a LOCALLY OWNED bookstore (imagine THAT). At Nicola’s Books, on the west side of Ann Arbor, I found exactly what I was looking for. I found copies of How to Catch a Star, Lost and Found, The Great Paper Caper and The Way Back Home and Harmon got ALL OF THEM from the Easter Bunny. We read four books to him every night before bed and not a night goes by without an Oliver Jeffers’ book in the rotation.

So, thank you Brian, thank you Nicola’s and, most of all, thank you Oliver Jeffers for writing some great books that further strengthen my oldest son’s love affair with reading. Good things!

Harmon at 41 months

Since Harmon’s month all run together in a sea of cars, cartoons, Disney movies and trips to the park, it’s getting harder and harder to do a monthly update. So, once he turns 3 ½ (on May 12), I will cease to do an update on the 12th of every month. I’ll instead just write about things as they happen. And, this LATE monthly update really isn’t an update at all. It’s just going to some funny crap that Harmon has said (and done) recently. The kid is hilarious!

On a Tuesday afternoon:
Kevin: We can go to Toys R Us OR Chuck E. Cheese.
Harmon: We can go to Toys R Us AND Chuck E. Cheese!

On that same afternoon, he also must have had a dream about Chick Hicks during his nap because, when he woke up, he had a serious case of full-on Chick Hicks’ obsession. I happened to be out running work errands that day so I got it for him and all was perfect in his world (for five minutes).

One day recently, he was in the bathroom going #2. When I walked by the bathroom door he said “It stunks in here, turn the fan on!” I died.

On our way home from a recent grocery shopping trip: “Mommy, you can park cars with me. Daddy, you can make dinner!” Love that role reversal.

When asked what he wanted to do one weekend: “We can go to Target and get Lightning McQueen stuff!”

On another Tuesday, as Kevin was heading out to Chuck E. Cheese, he asked Harmon if Isabel could come. Harmon’s response: “No, she’ll poop on everything!”

Last weekend, he wore shorts and a baseball cap for the first time this year. He had this to say: I’m wearing shorts (a hat); I’m a cool man!”

He calls his fleece a SLEEF – weirdo!

Also, he loves the fine music of Wesley Willis (especially "Rock and Roll McDonald’s" – ROCK ON CHICAGO – and "Cut the Mullet") and would give his right arm if he could listen to ANY freecreditreport.com TV commercial.

Four-month stats

OK, this is so long overdue that it’s ALMOST embarrassing. I was never this late with HARMON’S info. Anyway, at his four-month appointment, Simon weighed 15 pounds and 2.8 ounces and measured 26 ¼ inches long. So, a big boy BUT not quite as big as his brother who weighed 16 pounds and 11 ounces and measured 27 5/8 inches long at HIS four-month appointment. Kevin still has money on Simon being bigger ONE DAY. He better get busy and I mean B-I-Z-Z-Y busy (I love you Rod Allen)!

This cat eats it!

After peeking in our living room window YET AGAIN today, this crazy-ass neighborhood cat needs to be called out. The thing is freaky.

First school photo of the Bergquist boys TOGETHER

Yeah, this is just great. Simon is leaning in like Billy Charlebois from Slap Shot when he takes a quick look in the mirror and Harmon doesn't know what to do with his hands like Ricky Bobby from Talladega Nights during his first, post-race interview. It's no surprise we didn't purchase 100 wallets of these photos but we HAD to buy this one sheet - priceless!

Our little turtle

Not cool, not cool!

The last four nights, Simon has had some sleep issues and, needless to say, it’s not cool. Wednesday, it was up at 3 a.m.; Thursday, it was up at 5 a.m.; Friday, again with the 5 a.m.; and Saturday, it was back to 3 a .m. God, we are SO hoping he will make it all the way through the night tonight. It would be different if he hadn’t been sleeping through the night for the last two months. BUT, he has so this sucks big time. Get it together kid!

Timeline

Last night was a weird-ass night. Both boys had some issues sleeping (even though they usually are great sleepers). There was not a full moon. There were not monsters under their beds or in their closets and, as far as we know, there were no nearby alien abductions! So, WTF?

10 p.m. – Trying to watch last week’s DVR’d episode of “The Office” – Simon screams through all of it.

10:30 p.m. – Finally plug Simon’s hole with a six-ounce bottle. Please note we were not STARVING him. He had just eaten at 8 p.m. He’s such a hog sometimes!

11:15 p.m. – Put Simon to bed. He was dead asleep as I rocked him so we thought it was safe. It wasn’t. We have to go in and calm him a few times.

11:16 p.m. – As we’re calming Simon, Harmon wakes up. He bolts out of his room and heads to the bathroom. We thought he just had to go potty but he says “I need to get my clothes on for school!” Weirdo. We tell him it’s still nighttime and tuck him back in.

Midnight – Harmon wakes up again, comes into our bedroom and asks Kevin to tuck him back in. Alright.

12:15 a.m. – Harmon wakes up AGAIN, comes into our bedroom AGAIN and tells Kevin he can’t find Chick Hicks, the car he went to sleep with. Kevin locates said car, crawls into bed with him and sleeps with him until 1:45 a.m.

3 a.m. – Simon wakes up crying. In an effort to salvage ANY sleep, I let Simon sleep with me in our bed and Kevin bolts for the big comfy couch in the basement.

We then get rolling, like usual, in the 6 a.m. hour, still wondering WHAT THE HELL! MUST get some sleep tonight!

Four-month-old Newt!

Well, he really doesn’t look like a newt anymore mostly because the only time he really gets mad (and red) is when he’s hungry. And speaking of hunger, he’s up to six ounces at each feeding now. Not including the time while he’s sleeping overnight, he can go anywhere from 3-5 hours in between bottles. I’m sure all this will improve after his four-month appointment (on April 3) because he’ll then be able to mix in some rice cereal! He’s going to love that!

He’s been a GREAT sleeper over the last month. We’ll give him his last bottle around 10:30/11 p.m., I’ll rock him and then he’ll sleep until AT LEAST 7 a.m. most of the time. Every once in a while he’ll wake up a little bit earlier but, for the most part, we’re very happy parents. Our next step will be to keep pushing back the time of the last bottle so we can get both of the boys to bed at 9 p.m. (and have a portion of our nights free again). I don’t want to rush him but he’s already growing like a weed so maybe it’s OK. I don’t know.

The big deal lately has been his giggle. My Mom got him to laugh for the first time last Wednesday (March 18) when he was playing with his activity gym. She would hide behind the mirror and then pop out at him and he thought this was all kinds of hilarious. She said it was a big belly laugh and I’m SO SAD I missed it. I did re-create the experience later in the night and he did giggle for me but it wasn’t a big belly laugh. Kevin then got him giggling a bit Sunday night and Harmon made him giggle – by laughing himself – Monday night.

Ah, yes, Harmon. He loves his little brother (and is a great helper) and Simon is a HUGE fan of his! Simon just watches everything Harmon does and loves to be everywhere he is, especially if it involves reading or playing with cars or balls. You can just see that they’re going to have a great time together very soon!

Other quick things happening – Simon’s eyes have YET to change. They are still grayish blue and so pretty. I know they will change and end up being beautiful just like Harmon’s eyes but it’s just odd to see that they haven’t changed already (like Harmon’s did). While Simon is pretty much aware of his arms and hands now, his feet, legs and knees are totally blowing his mind. When you lay him on his changing pad (his favorite place in the world), he can ALMOST get them. Pretty soon, he’ll have those feet in his mouth! He’s still not interested in holding his bottle but he’ll claw the shit out of your hand while you hold it. But, two things he IS interested in holding are his duck blanket and his Peter Rabbit blanket. I didn’t use these much with Harmon but Simon likes to grab so he loves them.

Despite many attempts, he hasn’t rolled over just yet. Again, I’m not rushing him BUT, once he call roll from belly to back – both ways – he can sleep on his tummy at school. And, he sleeps SO much better on his tummy. School is going really well. It’s nice to drop him off and have teachers fighting over who gets to hold him! When Harmon was at KidZone, he was always the little rock star and we weren’t sure how it would go with Simon at Annie’s. But, it’s gone much the same way so far. The teachers tell us that he’s so good and easy going and, surprise, only really fusses when he’s hungry. We’re very happy with the school situation and it makes it even better when Harmon can come up and visit Simon every once in a while.

So, four months have gone by and it seems like four days! We feel so lucky and blessed to have such strong, smart, handsome boys and we TRY to enjoy every minute with them!

Boys at Chuck E. Cheese

Winter? What winter?

This photo appeared in the March 18th print edition of the Ann Arbor News with the following caption:

"Officially, it still may be winter, but 3-year-old Harmon Bergquist, of Ann Arbor, was more than eager to swing into spring and enjoy Tuesday's temperatures in the mid-60s in his St. Patrick's Day green while playing at Gallup Park with his father, Kevin."

Photo courtesy of Lon Horwedel, Ann Arbor News

Resurrected

For the past 11 years, Selection Sunday has been dead to me. I’ve only paid enough attention to college hoops so as not to totally suck in my tournament brackets but, as each of these Sundays went by, I was bummed because something was missing. All of it just wasn’t the same without my alma mater. I shouldn’t complain because I was a student and a fan and I worked in the athletic department during the Fab Five era. While that was an AWESOME time, we’ve been paying for it the last 11 years.

Anyway, today, Selection Sunday was resurrected. I really can’t describe how I felt after waiting FOREVER and then finally seeing that block M on the screen. I was honestly teary-eyed. It’s been so long and it’s been so awful, especially for the whole generation of kids who have only known crappy Michigan basketball.

No matter what happens when we match up with Clemson on Thursday, it’s so good to know this program is finally headed in the right direction. The only other thing I can say is John FREAKIN’ Beilein!

Go Blue!

Harmon at 40 months

Harmon is counting down the days until we can consistently go outside again. After a long winter, and a new brother, he just longs for parks and walks and playing outside with his toys. In due time, my man!

Since we’ve been trapped inside, Harmon FINALLY discovered the movie “Cars!” I remember trying to get him to watch it over a year ago and he wasn’t the least bit interested. But, a few weeks ago, it was on ABC Family and he was all into it! When I returned to work, I bought both boys a little present and Harmon’s was a Lighting McQueen car and the “Cars” DVD. He has worn this DVD out. It’s replaced the Polar Express and BOTH Madagascar movies (which is probably a good thing). He had cooled a little on playing with his cars but, after seeing this movie, he is back into playing with them all the time.

When he’s not playing with cars or sheepishly asking (with the DVD case behind his back) to watch something, he is reading. I can’t (and don’t want to) total up how much money I’ve spent on books for him but I KNOW it’s a lot. And, the bookstore – especially the Barnes and Noble in Ann Arbor, which has an escalator and is “down the mountain” – is one of his favorite places to go. He loves so many different kinds of books and I hope this NEVER fades!

Even though the winter has been LONG and COLD, he’s been relatively healthy (knock on wood). He’s had one bout with a cough and had a touch of the stomach flu at the end of February. This stomach flu was highlighted by him puking at Boston Market and then on the street in front of Afternoon Delight – yummy! But, even when he wasn’t feeling all that great, he still was eating like crazy. He’s been ravenous for a month or so and I’m sure we’ve made him about 100 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (his favorite) during that time.

Our big task right now is getting him to pee standing up. I wasn’t sure WHEN to start this so I read a ton and spoke with his teacher at school. She said it was the “cool thing” with all the boys in his class right now so we’ve moved forward with it. We make him try at least once a day. He’s doing well and I honestly don’t think it will take very long at all. I’m sure once he can get outside and pee on a tree or something like that, he’ll be hooked!

An open letter to Harmon

Dear son,

I must take this opportunity to apologize for some of the things that will happen during the next 15 years, until you turn 18. Your Mom and I probably will not let you get that earring, or stay out past midnight on your first date, or play hockey (Mom's choice, not mine!). But, these small disappointments are nothing compared to what I put you through this past weekend.

You are a good-looking kid, but your hair was getting a little long. We had planned to take you to your usual spot, Carnival Cuts in Twelve Oaks Mall, but we found out they have closed their doors (at least temporarily). Luckily your usual stylist, Ms. Laurie, called and told us that she was cutting hair at a different salon, so we decided to take you there. I should have been tipped off by the name, but, OH NO! Nothing could have prepared me for what happened next at ... wait for it ... Sweet & Sassy!

Now they do cut boys' hair, as suggested by their Web site: boy's cut, boy's cut with shampoo, and baby's first cut. The girl's menu really points to our experience: the cutie cut, the sweet cut, and the (getting original here) SASSY cut. Not to mention the menu of up-dos! But, it wasn't just the haircuts going on; it was the runway hair and fashion shows, the glittery faces and sugary-sweet music blaring the whole time. You didn't cry once, even though the cloud of perfume and make-up dust made me a little weepy in the eye.

Anyway, you were a good boy, but I am sorry we turned you into Simon's big sister for 20 minutes. OK, so maybe you can stay out until 12:30 a.m.

Love, Dad

Baptized

Last Sunday, we had Simon baptized. Much of it was the same as Harmon’s baptism, with the exception of a) Simon was awake (and very smiley) and b) he crapped his baptism outfit. We had a private ceremony with the same wonderful priest – Father Bob – who baptized me and my sisters. We all went to Mass at noon and then thought we would have some time before the ceremony, which was scheduled for 2 p.m. But, Father Bob was ready to rock and roll so we had to feed Simon quickly and forego the diaper change. Under normal circumstances, this would have been fine but I think he got a touch of the stomach bug that has brought Annie’s Children’s Center to its knees. SO, just as Father Bob began the ceremony, Simon began filling his diaper. And, every time there was a pause in the ceremony, there was a fart to go with it. Luckily, everything went really fast and we were able to get him cleaned and changed in no time.

Kevin’s parents were in town, along with his brother, Steve, sister-in-law, Kim, and nieces, Kourtney and Katelyn. My sister, Stacey, and her fiancé, Marc, also were in from Chicago and they joined my parents and sister, Erin. And, speaking of our families, because of so many issues related to fair representation from both sides, we decided that Simon would have the same godparents – Steve and Stacey – as Harmon did. It’s worked out well for Harmon so we thought it would be fine for Simon too!

After all the serious stuff, we headed to Buddy’s Pizza for an awesome lunch and yummy cake (thanks, Mom and Dad)! While this party was for Simon, he basically slept through all of it. Harmon, on the other hand, was a total ham and he had a great time with everyone.

Later that night, we opened all of Simon’s gifts and he amassed quite a stash! Even though I’m working on the OFFICIAL thank you notes, I would like to thank everyone not just for the gifts but, more importantly, for taking the time to be there for Simon for his first sacrament!

A shout-out to my oldest

During my maternity leave with Harmon, Kevin would come home at the end of each day and I would pepper him with questions about his meetings, phone calls, conversations with co-workers, etc. Basically, I was STARVING for conversation and any kind of link to the outside world. Thinking about it now, that was probably the most difficult part of my time off – being alone all day with a baby that really couldn’t interact with me. Frankly, it was lonely.

I was expecting that again during my time off with Simon but it didn’t happen because of Harmon! While certain times were indeed challenging, Harmon made all the difference in the world. He kept me company, he was my partner and helper in caring for Simon, he would give me a much-needed hug or kiss at totally random times, he kept me stimulated and on my toes and, most of all, he made me laugh so much every single day. He is such a great kid (and a great big brother) and so funny and so smart (sometimes a little TOO smart). I know I could not have done it without him.

I had a great 12 weeks with both of my boys and this made it so hard to return to work. When I look back on my leave THIS TIME, I’ll have the best memories of taking care of and being with my precious boys. It’s a shame it only lasted three months – Moms and Dads should definitely get MORE time!

Harmon @ 39 months

I totally suck at monthly updates for the boys. I hope I get better since this blog is my official record of events for Harmon and Simon. I’m not the scrapbooking type – I write … and take way too many pictures.

ANYWAY, Harmon at 3 ¼ is a pretty good time. He can be a sassy cat indeed but sometimes I think that’s our own fault. I mean, he loves the “Pigeon” books (not to mention Naked Mole Rat too) and the pigeon and the mole rat are some sassy little creatures. At this point, his two downfalls are a) that he doesn’t listen all the time and 2) he can be a bit sassy. For his crimes, he spends some time on the stool in his bedroom. This location has replaced the corner of the dining room as the designated time-out spot. He’s become Mr. Independent, wanting to do everything on his own, and one of his biggest thrills in life is getting to help make his PBJ (he is OBSESSED with PBJ)!

He’s doing great at school! He loves telling us about lunch and about running (and running and running) on the playground AND all about Show and Tell Thursdays. He loves his classmates and, as we witnessed last week while picking up Simon, his classmates’ parents. The kid was having full conversations with various classmate Dads as we were TRYING to leave. This chatty side of him is showing up more and more lately too. He’ll talk your ear off if you’re not careful – ask the women at Baby Gap in Briarwood Mall (or ANYONE at Ann Arbor Kroger stores)!

Since Simon’s arrival, Harmon has been way more emotional and affectionate, which is mostly good but sometimes bad. He gives a lot more hugs and kisses and he sure does tell us he loves us an awful lot. But, when something goes wrong, there is extra emotion involved there too. It usually passes quickly but sometimes it’s like, DUDE! He has this new cry (that’s mostly fake) and it is truly awful! Kevin says it rivals the most annoying sound in the world from Dumb and Dumber!

Simon @ three months

In the last few days, Kevin and I have often referenced that we want to freeze Simon right now, at three months. He is so fun! He just smiles and makes so many great noises! And, he seems to dig us AND his awesome big brother. He is doing well and we love every single minute with him. It seems like Harmon was just this age so we’re trying to take in every moment. Here are 10 cool things Simon is doing these days:

1. He gives HUGE smiles right before he spits up a ton.
2. After he sneezes – and these sneezes usually come in multiples – he makes the cutest cooing sound.
3. He has this great hungry cry – it's almost like a single yell - and it's hilarious.
4. He kicks like crazy. His legs are ALWAYS going (now I know what was going on inside).
5. When he cries, his tongue covers the entire opening of his mouth. All you can ever see is the bottom of his tongue.
6. When he’s mad and you try to give him his pacifier (we call it a binky), he rolls his head back and forth to dodge you.
7. He’s not the least bit interested in holding his bottle.
8. He loves it when you hold his left hand as he falls asleep. Whether you’re holding him or lying beside him, it really seems to soothe him.
9. He loves having conversations! I’ll lay him on my pillow and we’ll baby talk and coo back and forth. I did this with Harmon and now I’m doing it with Simon and I love it.
10. He loves his swing and especially loves to hang out on our Michigan bean bag.

Although it didn’t make the list – mostly because it’s truly deserving of its own special mention – Simon is sleeping through the night! The first time was Friday, Feb. 6. We put him to bed just before midnight and he work up between 6-7 a.m. Since that night, he’s been getting better and better. The last few nights, we’ve put him down around 11:15 p.m. and he’s slept until 7:15 a.m. or so. So, finally, we’re getting more than a few hours of sleep at a time!

And, before I go, here are two little things I forgot to note about Simon at two months (and I want to make sure I document them): 1) When he would wake up from a nap (we let him nap on his belly – bad parents, I know), he would be STARVING and he would start pecking at the bed – kind of like a chicken! It was so cute to see the back of his little bald head just bobbing! 2) For the first couple of months of his life, he would nap on the chaise area of our big, leather, sectional couch. It was HIS spot, complete with a Mickey blanket on loan from big brother.

Who's who?

OK, which one is Simon and which one is Harmon (no cheating)?




The point of the exercise is to stress HOW MUCH THEY LOOK ALIKE!

Back to the grind

I’m headed back to work tomorrow. It will be hard but the good news is that at least the boys will be with my Mom during the day. The bad news, though, is tomorrow is my longest work day of the week – I work 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. I’ll have to make it up to both boys on Friday because, thankfully, I still have Fridays off. Upon returning to work, I’ll have a slightly different schedule. I’m not in love with it but there's not much I can do about it. Kevin and I used to split Mondays – he would work 7 a.m. to noon and I would work 12:30 – 5:30 p.m. Now, we’ll split Tuesdays instead and we’ll work 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Mondays. I mentioned Wednesdays and Fridays above and the remaining day – Thursday – we’ll work 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. I’m still at 32 hours so there’s not a huge change for me. The big change will be for Harmon as we’ll be switching his school days to Mondays (instead of Tuesdays) and Thursdays. Simon will go to school those days too but he doesn’t know any better! I’m sure we’ll all get used to the grind in due time. I just think it will take a little longer for ME to adjust this time around.

Benefits of returning to work

Here I sit on the eve of my return to work and I'm trying to psyche myself up about the benefits of doing so. Here is what I’ve come up with so far:

1. I will be able to shower daily.
2. I will be able to take a piss without an audience (especially an audience that includes an inquisitive three-year-old).
3. I can take more than five minutes to eat lunch.
4. And speaking of food – Cinnamon Melt Wednesdays!
5. I can bypass dual screaming fits.
6. I’ll no longer be solely responsible for overnight feedings (although, in Simon’s defense, he is sleeping 6-7 hours most nights now).
7. I’ll have uninterrupted computer access for more than five SECONDS.
8. I won’t have to wipe someone’s ass for at least eight hours.

Despite this brief list, the cons of returning to work FAR outweigh the pros but, alas, it is what it is!

Naps in the cave

One of the fun things the boys and I did during my maternity leave was take huge naps in our comfy, dark basement. It’s not like we could go outside, with it being one of the coldest and snowiest winters on record, so we grabbed some good books and headed to the cave. We usually retreated after Harmon’s lunch (and Simon’s bottle), read and then Harmon would pass out at one end of our big leather sectional and Simon and I would settle in at the other end. Sometimes, I would actually get to sleep but, most of the time, I just kept Simon company so he wouldn’t wake up his big brother. On a few occasions, both boys slept until after Kevin came home from work and that made it so much easier to get dinner going. Overall, those naps in the cave were some good times all around.

Back together

Before I got pregnant with Simon, I could not get enough of Starbucks. Most of the time, my drink of choice was a Mocha Frappuccino Light but, when it was cold outside, I would mix in a peppermint hot chocolate every once in a while. Anyway, from the moment I found out I was pregnant and all throughout my pregnancy, the mere thought of ANY drink from Starbucks would turn my stomach. So, from April through the day I had Simon, Starbucks and I were officially “on a break!” I managed a small frappuccino just hours before my water broke (maybe that’s what caused it) and my taste returned. And, ever since that day, Starbucks and I have been pretty hot and heavy. Kevin is a little annoyed that he didn’t have to go to Starbucks for almost eight months and now he’s there all the time!

Tuesdays/Thursdays

Unlike my maternity leave with Harmon, when he got 12 weeks of my undivided attention, Simon only gets two days each week to himself – Tuesdays and Thursdays. While I’ve been off, we’ve kept Harmon in school and it’s worked out great. He loves his school and loves his friends AND I get to have special time with baby Simon. On these days, we spend a lot of time just napping and hanging out. And, while I’ll miss my Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with BOTH of my boys, I’m really going to miss my Tuesdays and Thursdays with Simon. Unfortunately, I return to work this Wednesday so my last day alone with Simon will be this Tuesday. I think I will try to some special with him that day. God, I’m going to miss my little guy so much!

Bronchiolitis eats it!

Bronchiolitis struck the Bergquists again and, this time, it went after the youngest member of the family. While Harmon and I are used to it and know how to deal with it, it’s a different story when it happens to a two-month old!

As is typically the case, Harmon brought home some germs from school and then I got it. We both battled it for a few days and then we started hearing some coughing from Simon. On Saturday night (Jan. 31), we were at my parents’ house and noticed that Simon’s coughing was getting worse. After calling the doctor on-call, she recommended we head to the walk-in clinic so we hightailed it from Waterford to Ann Arbor. Suspecting croup (the wrong suspicion), the doctor at the clinic gave him a steroid shot in hopes that he would improve. He improved a bit overnight but regressed in the morning and Kevin spent the first half of Super Bowl Sunday in the E.R. (we've learned to NEVER mess around with that infant breathing)! After running some tests and giving him an Albuterol treatment (just like his big brother), he was diagnosed with bronchiolitis. He started improving Sunday night but the E.R. docs suggested we follow up with his regular doctor on Monday, which we did. He continued to improve over the next few days and now is back to normal.

Overall, he was down for about a week – a hard week. While it was just a cough, it still was hard to see him suffering and not be able to do much about it. I know Harmon and I will have another battle with bronchiolitis before the long days of summer arrive but I hope Simon is spared from another tussle!

Nate and Newt

At an early age, Harmon earned the nickname “Nate.” Harmon quickly became “Harmonator,” like the Terminator. “Harmonator” was shortened to “Nator” and “Nator” became “Nate.” We still call him Nate a lot and even Nate Dogg (like the rapper) sometimes. When Simon was born, we wondered what nicknames we would come up with for him. While we often call him “Baby Abs” – short for baby Abner (his middle name) – the nickname we use most is “Newt.” You see, when Simon gets really mad, he gets all red and Kevin thinks he looks just like a newt. While he’s much cuter than a newt, I can see the resemblance!

The photo above is from a sticker Simon got at a recent doctor’s appointment. While he’s too young to appreciate stickers, I HAD to get one to take home to Kevin (and eventually scan for the blog). I think it illustrates the whole newt thing perfectly!

Simon @ two months

During Simon’s two-month appointment (which was Jan. 26), he weighed in at 11 pounds and 12 ounces (two pounds and one ounce lighter than his brother at the same time) and measured 23 ¼ inches long (one inch shorter than his brother at the same time. He’s eating like a horse – 4-5 ounces at each feeding – so we were surprised he didn’t weigh more! After the weighing and measuring, which was the easy part, Simon was the unhappy recipient of four immunizations. Be turned bright red and cried a bit but otherwise was fine. We also discussed with the doctor a bit of a head tilt that he has. It’s called Congenital Muscular Torticollis. While the cause of this in many infants is strain on the neck during birth, that’s not the case with Simon because he was a c-section baby. So, we don’t really know WHY. We DO know that most infants grow out of this but, just to be safe, the doctor suggested some exercises and we do those with him daily. We’ve seen some improvement as he gets more control of his neck and head and the doctor will check on him again in a few weeks.

Smiling Simon

For the past two weeks, Simon has been a smiling fool. His first official smile came when he was six weeks old – Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. We were making dinner and I was holding him while Kevin talked to him and he rewarded us with a huge smile. While he’s smiley in the late morning, he’s most smiley before bed and during the middle of the night, of course.

He’s doing well – smiling, cooing and eating like a horse. At his one-month appointment, he weighed 10 pounds, putting him only 1 ½ pounds less than big brother at the same point. Early on, he was sleeping through feedings – and losing weight – so our doctor told us to make sure he was eating every three hours, even if we had to wake him, to get his weight up. Well, his weight IS up, which is great, but now he expects to eat every three hours! And, when he is hungry, he is damn near impossible to deal with! At this point, he eats five ounces at most of his feedings (he’ll cut back to four ounces overnight and at other random times). And, speaking of overnight, he’s not sleeping through the night just yet. He slept midnight to 6 a.m. last week and, this past Sunday night, I wonder if he would have slept through the night if I didn’t wake him (I didn’t want to waste the bottle – I suck, I know, but formula is expensive). I hope this will come soon, though, because Harmon was sleeping through the night at seven weeks and then we moved him to his crib at eight weeks. We got spoiled. But, as long as this is sort of under control by the time I return to work, I’ll be happy. His two-month appointment is this coming Monday so I’ll have more to share then!

38 months

Harmon at 38 months can be summed up by three things (in no particular order):

1. Polar Express
2. Madagascar
3. LeapFrog ClickStart computer

He loves these things so much and STRONGLY lobbies to work them into each day. While he still plays with his cars and trains and still really loves his books, the three things listed above are his current loves. All else is well. He’s as smart as can be (sometimes maybe a little TOO smart for his own good), is relatively well behaved, is totally into his brother and still gives us big hugs and kisses whenever we ask. What a great kid!

Simon’s birth story

After having Harmon, we often talked about missing out on the surprise water-breaking incident and the subsequent frantic drive to the hospital. With Simon, we finally got some drama. Simon was due Dec. 13 and I had a repeat c-section scheduled for Dec. 5. On Nov. 19, I had my pre-op appointment to review all the surgery stuff and we were all set. On Nov. 25, I had my final check-up and all was well – or so we thought.

It was a normal Tuesday so Kevin picked up Harmon from school and me from work and we all headed home. We started dinner and, after Harmon had a successful trip to the potty, he came to me for help pulling up his underwear. As I kneeled down to help him, I felt a small gush. I ran to the bathroom and then felt a HUGE gush. At that point, I was pretty sure my water had broken so I called Kevin, who was in the basement. He didn’t respond so I had Harmon (who was by my side the entire time) call him too. Kevin thought we were just screwing around so it took him forever to come upstairs! When he finally emerged, I told him what had happened and he grabbed the phone so we could call the hospital. The nurses at the birth center assured me we had time so, instead of taking Harmon with us to the hospital, we planned on waiting for my parents to get to town to take care of him. As I coordinated with my parents, Simon – who was crazy in the womb – decided to stop moving and it freaked us out. So, I called the nurses again and they suggested I lay on my left side for 10 minutes and, if I didn’t feel any movement, to get to the hospital ASAP. I felt a few small movements but wasn’t completely comfortable with them so we decided to meet my parents en route and then we headed to the hospital. With most of my water now gone, I looked considerably smaller and Simon had dropped a ton. I could barely walk because it felt like he was going to fall out! When we arrived at the hospital, all the nurses were waiting for us (it was a slow night) so I got in my gown and they quickly hooked me up to the fetal monitor. After the panic about Simon, it was the BEST sound to hear his little heartbeat!

After getting my vitals and talking to all the nurses, doctors, and anesthesiologists, I was wheeled to the c-section prep/recovery area. Kevin and I hung out here for a while – the anesthesiologist couldn’t start my spinal block until 10:30 p.m. – so we watched some TV and I called and texted with my Mom and sister, Stacey (who was now en route from Chicago). The biggest task while I was waiting was getting my IV up and running. I have small, rolling veins and it’s ALWAYS a challenge – this time was no exception. After two failed attempts on my left side, the nurse sent for reinforcements. The new nurse then was successful with her first attempt on the right side (thank God). At 10:15 p.m., I was wheeled to the OR to get ready for the spinal block but another Mom-to-be took cuts and I had to wait until she was stabilized. We FINALLY got on with it and the anesthesiologist did an almost painless spinal block ( the IV hurt more). Within seconds, I felt that familiar warm sensation and then I began to go numb. After MANY tests to make sure I was good and numb (and some meds to fight the nausea), the doctors were ready to cut.

While I was strapped down and shaking like a leaf, Kevin stayed with me behind the big blue curtain. The anesthesiologist was wonderful – always checking in with me, talking Kevin and me through the surgery and keeping us updated on the progress. In what seemed like a much faster time than with Harmon, I heard the anesthesiologist tell Kevin “here he comes” and – at 11:32 p.m. – I heard a ton of crying! The doctors lifted Simon over the curtain for me to see before they whisked him away to make sure all was well. After he was checked out, Kevin was able to snatch him up and then the anesthesiologist was kind enough to take our first photo! Now that Simon was out, I swear it took 100 years for the doctors to put me back together and we FINALLY got to recovery around 1 a.m. Even at this late hour, it was no surprise that my Mom and sister were waiting in the lobby very excited to meet Simon!

While Kevin was able to grab some sleep in the hospital, I was pretty much up all night. The next morning, I finally was able to eat and Jell-O never tasted so good! My parents and my sister visited later in the day AND brought Harmon to see me. I missed him so much and it was very emotional for me to see him, especially now that he no longer was the only child. While Simon and I had visitors, Kevin went home to shower, make some baby calls and post some baby news to the web. He returned in time for dinner – I was craving McDonald’s fries and he obliged – and then we spent the rest of the night just hanging out with our new baby boy. On Thursday, we were told we could go home if we wanted to so we took our time getting ready, had lunch and then headed home.

It was a quick stay – almost two days – but an eventful one to say the least. I am thankful for the great care Simon and I received at U-M. I had great doctors and, most importantly, wonderful nurses (what they do is SO underrated). Thanksgiving 2008 will always be a special one!

Mom and Dad?

Sometime over the last month or so, Harmon started calling us “Mom” and “Dad” instead of “Mommy” and “Daddy.” It makes him sound SO grown up and it’s so odd to hear, especially since I still call my Mom “Mommy!” He’ll say things like “Where are we going, Mom and Dad?” or “I had a good day at school, Mom and Dad!” Almost any statement or question contains a reference to “Mom” and “Dad.” He’s growing up fast enough but his language makes him seem so much older!

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!

The best laid plans …

My original due date was Dec. 13 but in late August we scheduled my c-section for Dec. 5. And, for months, our lives revolved around this date. As we got closer to the big day, Simon didn’t appear to be making a break for it so we felt pretty confident he would stay inside until he was surgically removed! Because of this, we made a lot of plans the last week or so before surgery.

On Wednesday, Nov. 26, we planned a day at Twelve Oaks Mall for Christmas shopping and a visit to Santa – along with a haircut – for Harmon. Thursday, for Thanksgiving, we planned on going to my Uncle Max’s house for dinner. On Friday, we typically stay at home and decorate for Christmas so that was the plan again this year. Saturday, Kevin and I had haircuts scheduled at our old salon near my parents’ house up in Waterford and then we actually were going to do something for our anniversary – dinner at P.F. Chang’s followed by a movie, Four Christmases.

The following week, I had planned to work only Monday and Tuesday before taking vacation days Wednesday and Thursday. And, on that Thursday, we planned on keeping Harmon home from school so we could do something special with him – The Polar Express in 3D at the Henry Ford IMAX Theater – before he became a big brother.

In addition to our plans, both my parents had cleared their work schedules for the Dec. 5 date so they could take care of Harmon. And, my sister, Stacey, had planned to be in town from Chicago for Simon’s arrival. Of course, all those plans were shot to hell when Simon decided to arrive early! And, we’ve not actually “planned” much since. Such is life with a newborn!

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!