S'mores

The boys still love Yo Gabba Gabba and they recently watched the "Nature" episode where the whole crew goes camping. Their favorite part is when they are roasting marshmallows to make s'mores. A few days after watching this episode, Harmon and I had this exchange:

Harmon: "Mommy, do you know how to make smurfs?"
Me: "Huh?"
Harmon: "Those things with marshmallows and graham crackers."
Me: "You mean s'mores?"

He was so into the whole s'mores thing that we did get the ingredients and make some over the weekend. Of course, we had to roast the marshmallows over the stove so it wasn't totally authentic but they were still yummy!

iPad

For Kevin's birthday back in August, all of us got together to get him an iPad. He loves it ... and so does Harmon. In fact, Harmon often refers to it as "his iPad." Back in November, he kept saying "I hope I get an iPad for my birthday!" Yeah right, kid.

Even though he thinks it's his and this can be a little annoying, letting him play with the iPad has paid off in a big way. If he wakes up too early on the weekend, we can buy some extra sleep by letting him rock Angry Birds for a while. We've also downloaded some other apps for him and he loves to play with those too (Google Earth, especially). All in all, we're huge fans of the iPad for so many reasons! 

27 months

This past month was pretty eventful for you. We set up the GeoTrax and you love them (big brother lost interest so quickly). You'll say "turn my train light on" so you can play in the playroom with them. You also got to eat at the big boy table for the first time. We gave you a break from your high chair but you'll probably return there sooner rather than later. We got the Traverse and the first thing you wanted was to have a whole row of seats to yourself. It's doable, little guy, as it's quite understandable that you don't want to be hit by your big brother anymore. After no sniff of a January thaw, February brought a near-50-degree day so we hit up the park and you couldn't wait to hit the swings and slides. You scored your first smore, even though I think you would have just settled for the marshmallow (or marmallow, as you used to call them). So much going on, so little time to take it all in. 

Introducing ...

... our new Chevy Traverse, Graham*! We drove him home on Feb. 12 after a month-long roller coaster ride of a deal. Will it happen, won't it happen? I think Kevin and I aged a few years. I know I broke out and it wasn't because of too much pop or chocolate.

 

ANYWAY, a little back story. Once Simon came along, Yost^ - our Jeep Liberty - suddenly got way too small. It was impossible to hit up Kroger AND Target while we were out as Simon's stoller took up most of the storage space in the back. We TRIED to remember to take the stroller out before such trips but that never happened and we often ended up having to shove groceries and toiletries in and around parts of the stroller which was just no good. We also knew that once Harmon began kindergarten in September, we would need two kid-friendly cars and Fisher# - my Jeep Wrangler - is anything but. Actually, Tetris-ing both kids in the back seat of that Wrangler often resulted in injury (to us, not them)!

 

So, now we have Graham and he smells so good and has SO MUCH SPACE! He has a third row of seats and very fancy things like, you know, interior lights beyond the cockpit area! We got the basic model, which suits us just fine, but we did splurge for the leather-wrapped steering wheel with controls! It's so awesome to be able to change the station while holding the wheel - I'm so easily impressed! We also have a three-month subscription to Sirius/XM Radio and we love it! Kevin listens to hair metal and I swoon over E Street Radio. It's going to be hard not to keep it when those three months are up!

 

The boys love the new car too! When we first brought Graham home, they each wanted their own row of seats. While we haven't done that yet, I'm sure we'll have to sooner rather than later to keep them from fighting. Ah, brothers!

 

Getting a Chevy was a little hard for me since I've owned two Jeeps. I got Fisher, my first new car, back on Oct. 10, 1997, right after I scored my first real job. Fisher and I had a lot of good times together. We road tripped from Waterford to Detroit every day while I worked at the law firm and he was with me the magical summer of 1998 when I interned for the Tigers. Lots and lots of great times in that ride! I would gladly wash him every week - inside and out - when it was warm enough. It was tough to say goodbye to him but my Mom and Dad bought him and now my Dad is getting to enjoy time with him too. I'm so glad he's still in the family AND that the boys will still be able to hit up Dairy Queen with the top down when they're with their Nana and Papa.

 

Kevin thought I was emotional about getting rid of Fisher but that's nothing compared to how I'll feel one day when we get rid of Yost. That was our first car together as a married couple (purchased 3/1/04) AND we brought both boys home from the hospital in that car. OK, I'm going to cry.

 

One observation, so far, about the Traverse versus the Jeeps. When driving the Traverse, I don't hear or feel a thing. In the Jeeps, especially in the Wrangler, I hear and feel everything! I know that's the nature of Jeeps BUT the Traverse has such a smooth ride and is SO easy to handle. But my Jeeps were freakin' awesome cars, tough as nails. So, Graham better bring it, on all levels, because he has a lot to live up to!

 

*Graham is named after former Wolverine and current Philadelphia Eagle Brandon Graham. Our Traverse is a crossover of sorts, like Brandon Graham was a crossover between Lloyd Carr's University of Michigan and Rich Rodriguez' University of Michigan. 

 

^Yost = Fielding H. Yost. Enough said.

 

#Fisher is named after former Michigan men's basketball coach (and current San Diego State men's basketball coach) Steve Fisher. Coach Fisher coached the Fab Five. That is all! 

Harmon and his Chiclets!

Back on Saturday, Jan. 8 - ironically while I was at the dentist - Harmon had a dental problem of his own at home. Our bathroom door is one of those annoying pocket doors and, on his way to the potty, Harmon pulled the door toward him very hard and failed to move out of the way fast enough. He hit his mouth and, we thought, knocked loose his bottom two front teeth. We hit up the dentist office the following Tuesday and she took x-rays and checked everything out. She wasn't concerned mostly because the x-rays showed his adult teeth were right there ready to burst through. It was her guess that these teeth would have loosened up sooner rather than later. Well, one week later (on Tuesday, Jan. 18), he lost the bottom right tooth. He said it just fell out when he was getting a drink from his water bottle. Of course, we were sad because it seemed like he was all gums just yesterday AND the first tooth to fall out was the first tooth he ever had. Then, on Monday, Jan. 24, he lost the bottom left tooth while Kevin was helping him brush his teeth. I got him the cutest tooth pillow and he was very excited to leave his teeth in it for the tooth fairy. She responded with $1 for each tooth but he was a little lukewarm on that. I wasn't sure WHAT he was expecting but I know I never got $1 per tooth when I was a kid!

Harmon picks a hat

We are big college football fans, and an interest in recruiting comes standard with your place in that fandom. While we were enjoying the 2010 season (well, as much as we could when you are part of a delusional fanbase intent on committing professional homicide on the coach), we were also making our final decision on where Harmon should attend Kindergarten next year (and grades 1-8, too).

Seems like a simple decision, right? Well, anyone who knows us well is aware that we are just a wee bit deliberate in our decision-making. But, just like the recruiting cycle through which top-flight high school football players select the best place to continue their athletic careers, finding the right school involves doing a lot of homework (declaring a top three), attening open houses (taking official visits), meeting with teachers and other school personnel (meeting coaches), and then finally choosing the right school (signing a Letter of Intent).

Today, we finally made that decision, and Harmon is all set for the fall. We knew we were making the right decision when we kept driving by the school and church on our way to work/preschool, and he would say, "That is where I am going to school next year."

Harmon is a November birthday, and he turned 5 during the current school year. We struggled briefly with the notion of sending him this year, but, while we are convinced he would do well (he is a fantastic reader and loves to learn), we also thought another year split between home and preschool would benefit him emotionally. It has, and he not only is ready to go next year, he is excited for it now, and we are, too.

So, with the decision now made, Harmon can enjoy his final few months in preschool (his senior year, so to speak), before taking the next step to big-boy status (joining his school's incoming recrutiing class) in the fall. It is possible that the school could change its mind after asking him to attend (making him an offer), but we aren't too concerned. This isn't Alabama, after all.

26 months

At 26 months, Simon is a pretty cool little dude. He's always on unless he's sleeping. If he's not talking incessantly (paragraphs just easily flow out of his mouth), he's screaming (always been a screamer) or playing with cars or reading or sparring with his brother. These two have a bond I don't understand - a love/hate relationship. One minute, they are playing together just fine. The next minute, they're hitting each other and screaming. I'm going to choose to believe this will get better. Another thing about Simon, he's a climber and he is into everything. It's not uncommon for him to end up on the kitchen counter or to have pushed his Little Tykes table over to Isabel's cage so he can climb on top of it and retrieve all the toys we've intentionally stored there out of his reach. He does things I don't think Harmon ever even considered. He'll be the kid that ends up in the school office for who knows what and we'll love him anyway!

Gator Bowl

Kevin and I were two of what seemed like very few Michigan fans that made the trip to the Gator Bowl (so much for all that bitching from M fans about "just wanting to go to a bowl game"). After Coach Rod got hired (we are still huge fans), we promised each other we would go to his first bowl game. Sadly, it took three years BUT the Gator Bowl happened within a month of our 10th anniversary so we made the trip.

It was the first time we were away from both boys so we made it a quick trip. We got into Jacksonville late on New Year's Eve afternoon and it was so nice to feel the warm Florida sun on our cold Michigan bodies. We headed straight to the Cheesecake Factory with all the windows down on our miniscule Chevy Aveo - we wanted to soak up EVERY bit of warm weather. At the Cheesecake Factory, we ate way too much. In fact, I can't remember a time when I was more physically uncomfortable after a meal! It was so worth it, though.

After our early dinner, we headed to our hotel. Rather than stay downtown, we really wanted to stay on the beach so we hit up One Ocean Resort in Atlantic Beach. This, however, was a surprise to me. Kevin had booked it and not told me so I was very excited as we pulled up. It was an awesome place and after getting settled in, we checked out the dark beach and took a long walk around the nearby town area.

We were so tired from traveling that it was so hard to stay awake to ring in the New Year. We managed, though, and as the clock struck midnight, we were on the beach listening to the tide roll in and out (and to fireworks off in the distance). It was, by far, our best New Year's Eve together! The next morning, we had breakfast by the beach and then played in the ocean and gathered a ton of sea shells for the boys. It was a perfect day and I almost didn't want to leave the ocean to go to the football game!

And, yeah, the game. It started out nicely and then went straight into the crapper. My expectations were low - I didn't think we would win - but it still sucked. It was nice to just sit in the sun for 3-4 hours and cheer on Coach Rod in what would be his last game with Michigan. Another bonus was our halftime visit with Mike and Nayla, whom we never get to see.

After the game, we headed straight for the airport to catch our flight home. After a bit of a delay, we made it back to cold Detroit around midnight. We went straight to my parents' house so we would be there when the boys woke up the next day. Overall, a great - yet exhausting - trip! We're so glad we took the time to do it, that we celebrated 10 years together. It was warm and sunny and we had a great time together, no matter WHO won the game!

Christmas 2010

Most years, Kevin and I take a lot of vacation time before Christmas to do fun things with the boys. We then join my family on the evenings of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and spend Dec. 26-30 with Kevin's family. This year, though, we had to switch it up as Kevin and I went to Florida for the Gator Bowl to celebrate our 10-year anniversary. We were in Peoria Dec. 19-23 and the boys got to open all their Bergquist family presents WAY earlier than usual. I'm hoping they won't get used to this! Aside from the presents, they had a great time in Peoria hanging out with their grandparents, aunts, cousins and uncle! More presents came from the Saling family on Christmas Eve and then we had our own time together - just the four of us - most of Christmas day. Since both boys have their birthdays in November, it's SO hard to come up with Christmas gifts for them but I think we did OK. Books are always a hit and they got plenty. They also got several ramps for their cars and the always unpopular CLOTHES. As with all kids, they had a great Christmas break!

There were two very melancholy things we had to deal with over this time, though. First, Will, our Elf on the Shelf, had to return to the North Pole. We all were VERY sad to see him go. And, on Dec. 26 when the Christmas music disappeared from all the local radio stations, we all were very sad. The boys love Christmas music and would listen to it all year long if they could. The thing I'll miss MOST about the boys and their Christmas music fascination this year is their mistaken lyrics from the Grinch song. Instead of a "dump heap," they think it says a "donkey" so they were often running around saying "you're a donkey, Mr. Grinch."

Ah, Christmas, you come and go SO fast!

Babo

Since Simon first learned to speak, he has referred to Harmon as "Babo" - short for "big brother." He can say Harmon and he says it very well but he much prefers to call his big brother "Babo." It's cute to hear this but we're starting to wonder if Harmon will forever be known as Babo Bergquist, much like Dabo Swinney, the head football coach at Clemson University. I always thought he had an odd name and then good ol' Wikipedia answered all my questions:

"Swinney's nickname was given to him as an infant by his parents when his then-15-month-old brother would try to enunciate "that boy" when referring to Swinney."

I'm sure Simon will start saying Harmon on a consistent basis sometime soon. If not, at least there's some alliteration in Babo Bergquist ...

Working the system

Simon learned very early on that kisses and hugs will get him EVERYWHERE.

And, now that he's two, he's really working the system. He knows that a big squeezy hug (both arms squeezed tight around our necks with a squeezy noise added for good measure) and a kiss (his version is a kiss on each cheek - are we French?!?!) will get him anything he wants. Simon has never been a big snuggler so we can't resist that affection when we get it. We're like putty in his hands.

Big boy bed

Simon climbed out of his crib back in September and, since then, we've been trying to find a convenient time to convert his crib to a toddler bed. We targeted Thanksgiving weekend but just couldn't do it. We waited until Harmon was 2 and a couple of weeks so we wanted to do the same for Simon. So, on Friday, Dec. 10, we did the conversion ... and he handled it like a champ. We've read books and then either rocked him or he'll request to curl up in his bed. We'll usually stay with him a few minutes until he settles down and then he's out. We decided this might be a better approach than just leaving the room like we did with Harmon. That was a disaster that yielded Harmon getting out of his bed 1,000 times each night for a week or so. So far, he's done great and even slept well on his mini aerobed at Grandma and Grandpa's house for a few nights over Christmas vacation. We're so glad he's doing so well but are so sad he's now in a big boy bed.

25 months

Simon, you turned 25 months old on Christmas day so we got you lots of gifts to celebrate! You were very excited to see them Christmas morning even though I think most of your excitement is because of your brother's excitement! I hope you enjoy turning 25 months old on the 25th of the month!

Sports

Soccer and swimming have been Harmon's sports until this past fall when he gave flag football (via the Ann Arbor YMCA) a try. For seven weeks (Sept. 14 through Oct. 26), he and 20 or so other 4 and 5 year olds tried to grasp the concept of football. Most of the time, I was able to catch the second half of practice but during the first half, Kevin would keep me posted via hilarious text messages - some examples:

"Your boy is going all Je'Ron Stokes. He is #6."

"Harmon takes and Obi angle to the ball and loses contain."

"Now they are on offense and he just went all Vincent Smith (tackled after no gain)."

He liked flag football but wasn't really in love with it. I think maybe next fall, it will come a little easier to him.

After football, we signed him up for basketball at the YMCA and he was totally into it. He asked for, and received from Aunt Erin, a basketball for his birthday. And, in addition to his weekly practice/scrimmage - which is fun, hilarious and terrible all at the same time - he really wants to spend some extra time in the gym. His last class was Dec. 14 and now we'll take a break for the holidays. The new year will bring a new swimming class and, finally, tee ball in the spring. Harmon has even asked if he can take golf lessons so we'll explore that too. The more sports, the better, except for hockey - sorry, little buddy!

Simon Says

Simon's language is amazing. We thought Harmon was a wordsmith at that age but Simon has really benefitted from having all three of us talking to him nonstop. He has certain words or phrases that he loves and he's forming full sentences by the second. Here are some language highlights from the last few months:

Whatbookawant - what Simon says when he's reviewing his library for something good to read when going potty.

Freight Train - one of the books that he typically chooses. He loves tunnels so he digs the page where the train goes through the tunnel. There also is a page where the train goes over a trestle. I'm a little concerned that Simon says "trestle" so well, especially when you think about it this way - Coach Tressel.

Michigan Wolverines - another book he likes. Simon has taken to the Michigan stuff quicker than Harmon ever did (despite his name being Harmon). He says "Michigan" when he sees the block M on our t-shirts, sweatshirts, etc. and he yells out "Go Blue" everytime we drive by the stadium. So, it's no surprise he loves this book about the Wolverines beating those Buckeyes. I wish real life imitated this particular art more!


On the occassion that we find ourselves listening to 97.1 (a rarity, these days), Simon would yell out "97.1, the ticket!"

While Harmon has taught his little brother many good things, there is one particular word that Harmon passed on to him that just thrills us (note the sarcasm) - buttcrack. I don't know WHY that word is the word he picked up on and I don't know WHY it's so fun to say but he can't get enough. In the beginning, it was crazy. No matter what we did, he would NOT stop saying it. It's gotten better lately, though, and now he mixes it in at odd times. He'll say "butt" and then pause a while and finish with "crack." Or, he make it into a song. I guess there ARE worse words but still - it's not fun to have him screaming that at school OR at Target.

I wanna' go back home - this is Simon's default phrase. No matter where we are or what's going on, he'll pull out "I wanna' go back home" if he's uncomfortable, bored, tired or getting reprimanded for something. The funniest thing is when he says it when we're already AT HOME.

Simon's stats at 2

OK, because the only thing anyone asks me about are the stats, here they are for both boys at age two:

 

Harmon - 34 pounds and 35 1/4 inches tall

Simon - 31 1/2 pounds and 37 1/2 inches tall

 

Simon still has not made up the two pounds Harmon had on him at birth (in his defense, he was three weeks early). But, he is taller and crazier too. He's so much more active and, therefore, never went through the chubby stage (although Harmon was adorable through said chubby stage).

Official yearly photos

My sister, Stacey, was kind enough to attempt to herd the boys for their yearly photos. We chose the eastern part of the Diag for this and, with the exception of Simon being damn near impossible to deal with, I think they turned out nice. Here is the 2010 official photo of them together by their favorite huge tree near the U-M School of Natural Resources (SNRE):

Here is Simon (on the bench just outside of the SNRE):

Here is Harmon (near that same tree):

I also love this photo of Harmon (Harmon is awesome in black and white), taken in one of the arches near West Hall, the Dennison Building and SNRE:

Many thanks to Stacey - I know from experience that it's not easy to chase a five-year-old and a two-year-old around the Diag!

The man

When Harmon was younger, he was afraid of the generic man voice on our answering machine. Over time, we began referring to this voice as the voice of "the man." "The man" was a mythical, scary man that we would use to keep Harmon in line sometimes. So, imagine the look on Harmon's face when he saw this:

My sister, Stacey, had his birthday presents delivered to my parents' house so she wouldn't have to haul them with her from Chicago. Evidently, my Dad was the one to sign for this delivery from UPS as he's the only "man" at that house. When Harmon read that "the man" was in receipt of his birthday presents, he was more than a little concerned.

FYI - "the man" also works for Simon!

Let's Party

As will be the case for many years to come, we had the boys' birthday party in between their birthdays of Nov. 12 and 25. The party was Nov. 13 so Harmon had a to wait a day for his presents and Simon got his 12 days early. Bonus, Simon!

Anyway, Kevin's parents; my parents; my sister, Erin; my sister, Stacey; Stacey's husband, Marc; and their amazing dachschund, Murdach, were in attendance. Everyone arrived as Michigan was trying to fend off Purdue on something that resembled a football field and then Stacey, Mom and I took the boys to campus to attempt to get their yearly photos taken. Stacey was the photographer and Mom and I wrangled. One kid - SIMON - required a lot more wrangling than the other (thanks, Harmon, for being so awesome out there). Despite Simon's inability to a) listen or b) sit still for more than two seconds, I think we got some good ones. While we were handling photos, Kevin and the rest of the family decorated and got everything ready back home. Since both boys LOVE Yo Gabba Gabba, that was the theme and they loved it!

My Mom made an awesome roast and Kevin's Mom provided us with way too many appetizers and, for cake, we got awesome Yo Gabba Gabba cupcakes from the Ann Arbor Cupcake Station. And the boys needed that sugar because it took all of their energy to open the 1,857,563 presents that everyone got for them.

All in all, it was a fun day and besides the birthday boys - Murdach was the life of the party!

5

Harmon is five. Being five, he will read ANYTHING - a book, a cereal box, the side of the cup of my large Diet Coke from McDonald's. If there are words, he wants to read them.

He's also independent. He likes to do things himself and he's not shy to tell you.

He runs hot and cold with his baby brother but he loves him. He may provoke him, he may hit him but, in the end, he shares almost everything with Simon and has genuine concern for him - it's so nice to see.

He still likes to cuddle, especially when he wakes up in the morning or wakes up from a nap (and, yes, he still naps for at least an hour almost every day). Those cuddles are awesome and immediately take you back to when he was five days, five weeks, five months old.

He argues and has to have the last word. He is persistent, in the most passive-aggressive of ways. He needs to be acknowledged at all times and desperately seeks your approval. He's not a fan of being alone.

He has a sense of humor and is learning the finer points of sarcasm. He can be teased - and is - and is always so easy to forgive.

He is a beanpole. It looks like we never feed him but, aside from many a vegetable, he'll eat almost anything. And speaking of eating, when he tries something new and he likes it, he makes the cutest little "mmm" sound!

When he is with just one of us, he's an angel. When there are two or more adults on the scene, the fight for attention commences.

He loves my sister's dog and I can see in his eyes that he wants one of his own - in due time, little man.

He loves his school and has jumped right into to any activity we've signed him up for. I think it's mostly because he loves to be with other kids - he makes friends so easily.

He's an amazing little man and when I look at this face, his huge brown eyes take me back to when he was just a baby. I suppose that will happen almost every time I look at him - whether he's 5, 15 or 25.

Statistical note - measurements for 5, for record-keeping purposes: 47 1/2 pounds and 45 1/2 inches. He definitely doesn't LOOK like he's 5!

Harmon's day

Each year, we try to do something special, one on one, with the boys for their birthdays. This year, Kevin's parents watched Simon while we took Harmon to dinner at Pizza House and then to Yost Ice Arena for his first hockey game. Despite the terrible effort on the ice - we lost 3-1 to Notre Dame - Harmon had a great time! He had his usual popcorn and, surprisingly, asked a lot of questions about what was happening on the ice. At one point, he asked if he could play hockey one day - I did my best to ignore this request! We got home around 10:30 p.m. and Harmon was pretty excited to be able to stay up so late like a big boy. Over the next few days, he told everyone about his special day so we'll take that to mean he enjoyed himself!

Summer of READ

This past summer, Harmon began reading. Like with most kids, it was just a word or two at first, simple words. It was so cute to see the look of concentration on his face as he worked SO HARD to put those letters and sounds together.

We employed the BOB Books for help - these things are awesome, by the way - and Dr. Seuss helped too. He also took an interest in reading Simon's books to Simon - I assume because those were easy for him to get through. As the weeks and months went on, he began to tackle bigger and longer books and, quite honestly, the process has been amazing! Most of the time, he wants to try to read the book first and, if he's having trouble, he'll ask us to take over. The best part, though, is the look on his face when he's finished reading a book. Oh, the joy in his eyes when he proclaims "I read the whole book myself!" There haven't been too many moments that cool over the past five years!

I guess reading at least four books before bed (and God only knows how many more throughout the day) since he was just a few months old has really paid off - and it will keep paying off! That goes for Simon too!

Halloween with the Bergquist boys

Halloween is a pretty big deal for us. We start decorating the MINUTE fall arrives, with the highlight being the pumpkin lights in our front yard - the lights the boys love to go see every time to we arrive home.

When the boys aren't visting or talking about the pumpking lights, it's all about their costumes. This year, they went as Tom and Jerry. Yes, it's kind of old school but Harmon started digging on Tom and Jerry one weekend when he was at my parents' house. My Dad had a DVD of old episodes and Harmon ate it up! And the idea was born. Because they ARE rather old school, I wasn't sure if I could find costumes but wbshop.com saved me from having to make them. Or, let's be real here, saved me from finding something else. You see, I lack the skill and the patience (and the time) to MAKE a costume. I do feel bad about it, though, as MY MOM used to make all of our costumes. Ah, guilt.

ANYWAY ... on Halloween, once Harmon transformed into Tom, Simon couldn't wait to become Jerry. And the minute they had their costumes on, they were ready to go. Harmon, who is a bit on the shy side, did great this year. He showed no signs of shyness - amazing what candy can do. And, Simon, never a shy one, busted onto the scene for his first walking trick or treat session. He kept up with his big brother most of the night and they both brought in a nice haul of candy (for Mom and Dad).

To be honest, I did get misty-eyed seeing them standing at the door together saying trick or treat (and Simon doing so in the cutest little voice) and then thanking each person for the candy. We got lots of compliments not only on their costumes but also on their politenss, which, of course, makes you feel good. Here's to many Halloweens down the road with both of them happily pounding the streets for treats!

Addendum I: On the Friday before Halloween, Kevin - being the completely awesome Dad that he is - took the morning off so he could take Harmon to meet up with his classmates for story time at the Ann Arbor District Library and trick or treating in downtown Ann Arbor. So as not to ruin his Tom costume, he dusted off the old hedgehog from a couple of years ago. I think the best part of the day was the BUS RIDE they took to get there - Harmon is still talking about. All in all, he had an awesome day and Kevin is the best for making the time to take him.

Addendum II: Harmon has requested that he and Simon go as Snoopy and Woodstock next year. We'll see if that sticks! It would be so cute and I'm totally in favor of it but Harmon has been known to change his mind before. After Halloween 2009, he wanted to be a mummy and then a vampire and he ended up as Tom so ... I don't know what's going to happen!

Wolverine

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

Yo Gabba Gabba

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

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

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

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

Dance Party

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

Progress on the potty

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

September ...

Even though we decided to wait until next year to start Harmon in kindergarten, September was a emotional and stressful month for us. Kevin and I had a hell of a time at work - way too many events and projects due. Harmon, despite staying at Annie's, had to adjust to a bunch of new friends at school, not to mention being the oldest kid in class for the first time. Simon dropped the binky but added the potty - he's changing so much every second of every day. Despite the stress of the month, it flew by ... like they all do. On to October ...

Simon @ 22 months

Simon had a big month filled with many milestones. A lot more talking and a lot of filling in the blanks when we're reading. He says "please" and "thank you" and "no thanks" - such a polite young man. He loves "mar-mallows" and "roni and cheese!" He will tell Harmon "no bite," "no hit," "no fight" and all kinds of other things as he's learning to defend himself against his big brother. While he stopped using his binky during the day back in the summer, he finally gave it up all together around Labor Day.

On Sept. 4, while at my parents' house, he climbed out of his pack and play and, just a little over a week later (Sept. 13), he climbed out of his crib. He woke up early and I gave him some books to read while Kevin and I got ready for work. While Kevin was in the bathroom shaving, Simon came rambling down the hallway. Kevin thought I let him out but I didn't. I was back in my bathroom doing my hair while he scaled his crib. He's not done it a lot since then but we are in discussion about when to move him to his toddler bed.

He's been getting much better at the potty too, going at least once a day and sometimes more. One sad development, though, is that he no longer likes to be rocked to sleep everynight. Most of the time, the minute you sit down with him, he says "crib, crib" and wants to hop right in, curl up and go to sleep. Once in a while, though, he'll fall asleep on you and leave a huge drool spot and it makes you feel like he's a baby again.

Bye Bye, Binky!

Since he was just a few days old, Simon has always had a close relationship with his binky (his pacifier). He seemed to like it so much more than Harmon did and it never failed to soothe him. Lately, though, he's become less dependant on it - using it only at nap time and bed time - which has made us start thinking about when it should go away forever.

Harmon gave his up relatively easy at 18 months but I anticipated more of a battle with Simon. Not only because of him but also because of me. He's my baby and every last big step like this for him is the last big step like this for us.

So, on Monday, Aug. 2, 2010, as I got ready to rock him to sleep, Kevin asked him for his binky as he covered us up in the rocking chair. Simon willingly gave it to him, as he always does, so I decided to just see what happened from there. Side note: Kevin did sneak it back to me before he left the room. As Simon's eyes got heavy, he looked up at me a few times and and said "Binky? It's coming?" I said, "No, honey, it's all gone" and he would repeat this as he put his little head back down. After a few minutes, he was snoring ... and I was crying!

Now, he may very well need again but, on this night, for the first time in 20 months, he fell asleep without it.

Since that night, Simon has done a great job without his binky, only needing it a couple of times. And, as of Labor Day, Kevin and I are finally calling the binky dead. Sure, he doesn't sleep as late in the morning (at least so far) and he might wake up during the night every now and then but it's nice to know he no longer needs it. He's getting to be a big boy now.

Simon @ 21 months

One of the highlights of Simon's 21st month included our last-minute trip to Traverse City. We felt like summer was quickly disappearing so we escaped up north for a long weekend. We did nothing but eat and play in water and it was awesome! Simon had a great time playing with his big brother not only at the hotel pool but at various beaches and lighthouses in and around Traverse City. Each morning, they also had breakfast together. It was great to see them happy and playing peacefully with each other.

The boys also had a great time when we dusted off my old Wrangler and took the top down. We drive it a couple of times each week but we haven't taken the top down in YEARS. We thought, though, that the boys would love it so we drove, open air, to our favorite ice cream place (Mickey's Dairy Twist) in Saline. They had a great time and now Simon can't walk by the Wrangler without yelling out "Jeep, Jeep!"

This past month, Simon also made his first trip to the Big House! We made a donation to C.S. Mott Children's Hospital back in the spring and part of it was four tickets to a fall scrimmage. The scrimmage was the same day as the Dream Cruise so Harmon went with my parents (and had a GREAT time) and Simon came with us. It was rainy and we weren't allowed to take Simon's water, Cheerios, etc. with us (lame stadium rules in effect) but it turned out OK. It was great to see the team up close and personal and it was awesome to walk Simon through that historic tunnel (he loves tunnels)!

The only bummer of the past month was that Simon go bit AGAIN at school. This was the third time - once on the arm and two on the back (one on each shoulder blade). Evidently, there are two serial biters in his class that are now being "shadowed." Here's hoping there's no more biting in the coming weeks, months, etc.

Swimming!

Harmon just finished his third set of swim classes and he is already clammoring for more! His first class was a Tot & Parent Swim class with Kevin back in March and April (March 8 through April 5). It was five weeks long and the whole point of the course was really just to get him used to being in the water so that, in the next class, he would be able to do it without Kevin.

In mid-April, he started the Pre-School Swim class and that one ran for seven weeks (April 19 through May 31). He was without Kevin and he did a great job! In fact, all parents were ordered away from the pool deck so the instructors could do their jobs without distraction. Kevin and I alternated taking him to class and would watch him having so much from the observation deck. And, after each class, we started a tradition of getting him ice cream from McDonald's!

In June, he started his third class - the Low Beginner Swim - and it ran for another seven weeks (June 21 through Aug. 9). This class was all about kicking, strokes and getting the kids' faces in the water. Harmon did great on all but the last part - he's not too crazy about having his face submerged! He finished on Aug. 9 and, unfortunately, he can't move on to the next level until he turns 5. So, we might just tackle that in the new year. All his classes so far have been through Pittsfield Township Parks and Recreation at the Washtenaw County Recreation Pool. He loves it but, when we do start up again in the new year, we might try to move him to Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation or the Ann Arbor YMCA. Both places seem to have a lot more available times, instructors, etc. Whatever we decide to do, Harmon is all in. We can't drive by the pool without him yelling "there's my swim class!"

Summer of (no) power!

This summer has been terrible, when it came to the severe weather. It was hot as hell and it seemed there was a thunderstorm every other night. We lost power on three different occassions - all day on May 31, June 18-20 and July 28-29. Having a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old with no power is, quite frankly, no fun. They have NO idea what's going on and it's hard to keep them entertained without TV, radio, computers, etc., especially when the sun goes down. One good side affect of these power outtages, though, is Harmon's new fascination with the weather. One way for us to explain things to him during these storms was to let him see the weather map on my iPhone. Since then, he can't get enough of the Weather Channel and keeping us updated on any upcoming storms!

Simon @ 20 months

Our vacation to Pittsburgh brought on a whole new side of Simon, competitiveness. It was really the first time we've all been together since he's been mobile and interactive and he was battling for his share of attention. It was a race to see who could talk first, who could get to the door first, etc. Simon also learned quickly that if he cried, even a little bit, chances were good that big brother would get in trouble for it. And, speaking of big brother, "big bro" became "babo" this month (he also will say Harmon). His other new words this month were Grandma, Grandpa and Cici (for Aunt Stacey) and Enin (for Aunt Erin) and, finally, SIMON! His language was inspired by our trip and his words of the month were "bus" and "tunnel." Who knew the Fort Pitt Tunnel would hold such a special place in our memories of Simon at this age!

Pittsburgh

For our summer vacation this year, we went to Pittsburgh. Yeah, I know. The reaction we got from friends and family was classic but, you know what, we had a great time so shut it!

Since the boys are still little, we prefer to drive so we needed a city that was less than six hours away. We had already done Chicago and we didn't have passports so we couldn't do Toronto. We also love to check out baseball stadiums so that eliminated Indianapolis. We had heard Cincinnati was cool but the damn Reds were on the road! And, Cleveland, Kevin and I have been there lots so we were looking for something new. And, quite frankly, Pittsburgh was awesome! I was very pleasantly surprised with everything there, except the shopping and that is just fine.

We left on Saturday, July 3 and after checking into the hotel, and after our first of many trips through the Fort Pitt Tunnel and over the Fort Pitt Bridge, we checked out the Pitt campus. I was shocked to find that Pitt was founded before U-M! We visit a lot of college campus and that's not often the case. Pitt was cool - VERY URBAN - and the boys had a great time in the Cathedral of Learning. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped by the Cheesecake Factory to get a Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake - a vacation breakfast tradition for me and Kevin.

On Sunday morning, we hit the Carnegie Science Center in the morning. We had a great time checking out the USS Requin Submarine, as well as the Miniature Railroad & Village and the Highmark Sports Work. I think this was Harmon's favorite part of the trip - he could not stop talking about it. After the science center, we wandered over to PNC Park for the Phillies @ Pirates game. PNC Park is beautiful and, despite it being one billion degrees, we had a good time. After all that, the boys just wanted to hang at the pool so that's what we did in the evening with the sound of Pittsburgh's fireworks in the distance.

On Monday, we started at the Children's Museum of Pittsburg. I was excited about our visit because there was a Curious George exhibit and it did not disappoint. Actually, the whole museum was wonderful and the boys had a great time. There was one room that had cars and ramps - the jackpot for our boys - and another great water play area ... all in addition to Curious George. We were there for a long time - they did not want to leave! After a quick lunch, we headed to the National Aviary to check out all the birds. The penguins were awesome and you could get close enough to touch them as they swam by. Kevin even noticed there was a penguin named Simon! So many great birds, including some amazing owls! I was glad we made this a stop during out trip. We then did a bit of shopping and had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, always on the agenda for us, no matter where we are. After dinner, we took the boys up the Duquesne Incline and saw some amazing views of the Steel City and it's 1,582 bridges!

Tuesday morning, we headed to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. Honestly, it was SO HOT that I barely remember anything about the zoo other than the animals just being passed out everywhere. We all were sweating like never before and were tired and grumpy and hungry and it was nice to just get to the car and the air conditioning. We had planned a drive down to Morgantown, WV and it couldn't have come at a better time. The drive was beautiful. The hills and all the green were gorgeous and, again, I just never expected so much out of this part of the country. Once we got into town, the first thing we did was sneak into the football stadium. After that, we checked out campus and just missed sneaking into the basketball arena. The way we came into campus - a winding road up on a bluff above the river - made WVU seem very pretty and quaint. I was mildly impressed! We got back to our hotel late that night but had some packing to do since we were leaving around lunch time the next day.

On Wednesday, before checking out, we headed back into downtown to tour Heinz Field. It was $6 for the tour and it was so worth. Also, I figured there would be NO ONE touring in the middle of the summer but the tour was packed. People LOVE the Steelers! We went to to the field level, got to see the locker rooms, visited the press box, the suites and the stadium club. What a gorgeous facility, from top to bottom!

Overall, it was a great trip and we were impressed with Pittsburgh, despite the stigma attached to it. Being from the Detroit area, I was kind of sad seeing how Pittsburgh has been rebuilt. Detroit COULD be like that if there was ever any direction, leadership, etc. Maybe one day ...

There were a few things we didn't get to do on our vacation - Pro Football Hall of Fame, Fallingwater, Fudgie Wudgie - but we can always go back. I'm happy we visited to learn that it was indeed worth one visit and maybe even a second!

Simon @ 19 months

The past month was highlighted mostly by Simon's surgery. I feel like I wrote down NOTHING else from May 25 to June 25. I DO know Simon is continuing his talking. At this point, here is a list, off the top of my head, of his words: Daddy, Mommy, Big Bro, Nana, Nonny, Papa, close, potty, yeah, no, more, cookie, EIEI (without the O), poop, pee, eat, book, ball, blocks, read, hi, bye-bye, car and two. I'm sure there are more ... that will teach me to keep a notepad at my side.

The other side (Simon's surgery)

Aimee and I are both very fortunate to work for the U-M Health System, and in our respective roles we support its mission. But today, we saw the other side of the curtain as we took our baby, Simon, to C.S. Mott Children's Hospital for his first surgery.

When he was 3 months, Simon developed a blemish on his left cheek. It eventually hardened, and both his pediatrician and a U-M plastic surgeon thought it might be some kind of cyst. So, today, June 4, 2010, our baby boy went under the knife. Now, we both know that hundreds of children come to Mott every day for things much, much worse than the removal of a cyst. But for as parent, any trip to the hospital is a frightening experience. At the end of the day, the surgery was a success, Simon came through it like a champ, and he is sleeping comfortably in his crib as I type this.

So, onto the day's events. We were told to report to Mott at 7:30 a.m. After about a half-hour, Simon was ready to go back and begin pre-op. Much of the pre-op involved getting his weight (29 pounds, BTW), blood pressure and other vitals, and keeping an 18-month-old amused and distracted at the same time. He was a good boy, for the most part, as a bevy of nurses, anesthesiologists, and other hospital team members came in to perform their pre-op checklist.

Things really got serious when one of the nurses suggested giving Simon a sedative to calm him and get him ready to go back in the OR. Now, he wasn't being bad, but they said it simply calms kids and gets them prepped for the IV, etc. It was then that we knew our little newt would be snatched away soon. Sure, enough, as Aimee held him, in just a few minutes he was loopy and looking like a punch-drunk boxer. Then, the anesthesiologist came to take him and with one simple sentence diffused our sadness as he took Simon in his arms. He said, quietly, "I will treat him just like he was my own." Through a little tears, as well as some relief that things were finally underway, we made our way to the waiting room.

As we waited downstairs in Mott, they, like other hospitals, have a screen where parents can follow the surgery progress of their children. They said it would probably be a 30-45-minute procedure and, sure enough, the screen showed him in recovery not long after we went downstairs. But, both Aimee and I will admit to a little uneasiness as he was in recovery for a long time, seemingly a half-hour or so. You begin to think terrible things the longer you wait, like "what if he isn't waking up," or "what if something went wrong in the surgery." Another family who went into the OR at the same time were called up 15 minutes before we were, and that added thoughts to our wandering minds. But, we perished any lingering bad thoughts a few minutes later when we were paged and on our way to the recovery room.

Once there, we saw our little angel still hooked up to an IV with the smallest little bandage on his cheek and still very much out of it. But, he was awake and we were relieved to see his face. However, any thoughts that this would be a quiet little recovery were quickly put to rest when Simon became agitated at just about everything. He was bound and determined to get his IV out, and he was going to take it himself. Finally, one of the nurses took it out and she, and a few of her fellow nurses, spent the better half of the next half-hour trying to calm poor Simey down. He was screaming, crying and thrashing, and although he calmed down a few times, generally he wanted to be anywhere but the third floor of Mott Hospital. Finally, Dr. Kasten came by to talk with us. He said the procedure went well, but that the mass was not what he thought it was originally. Still, he was not worried about it, and we will find out at our follow-up visit what pathology says.

Simon was quickly discharged and I am sure the recovery unit sounded like crickets after we left. The nurses told us his appetite would probably be slow in coming back; an hour later, he was taking down a grilled-cheese sandwich, banana and some goldfish snacks. Our boys don't really subscribe to the norm when it comes to what they should be doing at their age or in their condition.

We let him play in relative peace for a few hours, while Harmon stayed at his Nana and Papa's house -- where he had spent Thursday night. Although he was playful and talkative, we knew he must be tired and, sure enough, he slept from 2-5 p.m. Mommy and Daddy stole some winks, too. At the end of the day, we met Aimee's parents to collect our firstborn and came back home. The boys got to bed a little late, but all told things are back to a nice normal here.

In the end, all went as planned and Simon is on his way to a full recovery. His face looks worse than it really is because of the bandage (see photo), but he has been in no pain and is sleeping peacefully. None of this would be possible, we know full well, without the great people at Mott. As I said earlier, we work indirectly for many of these great people on a daily basis, but until today we had never seen their faces. They put us at ease, calmed our fears and, most importantly, took care of our son.

I am sure we will go down in the files as another routine surgery in another routine day. But for us, we will never forget today's trip to Mott and for what our colleagues did for Simon. You might say that it is their job. I say no one does it better!

Perfection?

I noticed it in the top of the 6th inning. Mario Impemba mentioned that Armando Galarraga had retired 18 in a row and it finally hit me – this could be something special. I immediately thought about a great play that Inge made in the 5th inning (perfection doesn’t happen without help) and then thought about the movie, “For Love of the Game,” where the veteran Tigers pitcher throws a perfect game. The fact that I even THOUGHT about a perfect game made me nervous. I didn’t even want to mention to Kevin what was going on for fear that the words I spoke would somehow make their way 40 miles east from our house in Ann Arbor to Comerica Park and jinx the whole damn thing. I checked Facebook, Twitter and even MGoBlog and everyone was speaking in code about it. Everyone knew what was going on but no one wanted to say it.

I love baseball so, to me, a perfect game is the highest achievement in sports. To retire 27 straight batters without a walk, a hit, an error – it’s an amazing feat. It’s a feat that gives me chills when I think about it and it doesn’t even matter who is doing it. BUT, on this night, it was a Tigers pitcher doing it, Galarraga doing it.

Galarraga was recalled from Toledo on May 16. I was out for a run that Sunday and decided to listen to the pre-game show during my run. Dan Dickerson was talking about Galarraga getting the start against the Red Sox. He mentioned that Galarraga was upset about being left off the 25-man roster and claimed he was a Major League pitcher. Tigers manager Jim Leyland told him if that was the case he was going to have to prove it. He proved it that day as he beat the Red Sox 5-1. His next start wasn’t so good as he lost 6-4, giving up all 6 runs, to the Dodgers. His next start, his next chance to prove it – last night.

OK, so, from the 6th inning on last night, I paced and paced and paced. I paced for the rest of the 6th inning as well as the entire 7th and 8th innings. All this pacing while we’re supposed to be getting the boys ready for bed – one day, they’ll understand! And that brings us to the 9th inning. And, with the first batter, I thought the whole damn thing was over but Austin Jackson made an amazing catch in deep left center field. The second batter, an easy groundout to shortstop. 26 straight outs and one to go for perfection.

Here it is!

And … it’s all gone. Just like that. All gone.

Everyone in the world, including umpire Jim Joyce, knows it was a terrible call. HOW do you miss this?


I can't stop thinking about Galarraga's reaction. He starts to raise him arms and smile and then ... UGH. He misses out on being the 21st pitcher in MLB history and the first Tigers pitcher EVER to throw a perfect game all because Joyce blew the call. At least Joyce owned it, which is way more than I think anyone expected from an umpire, and Galarraga came out looking like the classiest dude in baseball.

Galarraga was robbed of making history and all those watching – in person and at home in our living rooms – were robbed of witnessing history. It’s a shame. A terrible shame and while I don’t think Major League Baseball will change the call, maybe at least they’ll change the game by instituting some type of instant replay so this doesn’t happen again.

Even though the record books won’t reflect it, EVERYONE knows Armando Galarraga was perfect on June 2, 2010!

Simon @ 18 months

At 18 months, Simon weighed in at 28 pounds and 6.8 ounces and measured 35.28 inches long. He's still just under 2 pounds lighter than Harmon at the same age but he's finally taller. Kevin thinks he's going to be bigger in the end ... we'll see.

Simon's been having a great time with his brother at the park now that it's finally nice outside. We've been outside almost every night. Because of my work schedule, we were not able to go to Kevin's parents' house for Easter so we went May 14-18 instead and it was great! Everyone was happy to see the boys and they had a great time!

Simon @ 17 months

At 17 months, Simon is more able to play with Harmon, which is good for all involved. In the morning, Harmon asks that I put him in the crib with Simon so they can play together. They usually will read books together, play with stuffed animals and dance and sing to nursery rhymes. They also are taking baths together and, in a stunner, playing with the cars together. Harmon has gotten a lot better about sharing, especially his precious cars. So, to see them playing together with the cars is nothing short of a minor miracle!

Since getting the walking thing down, there is a lot of talking going on. One of Simon's favorite things is to do his roll call: Mama, Daddy, Big Bro, Nana, Papa, etc. And, speaking of Papa, Simon loves it when Papa plays the "wolfman."

First bath together

Last Thursday night (April 8), Harmon was taking his bath and Simon wouldn't leave him alone in the bathroom. As I was getting pajamas ready across the hall, I heard giggling. I checked on them and Harmon was shooting water from his rubber ducky at Simon. Of course, Simon thought this was awesome. So, I gently suggested to Harmon that it might be fun to have Simon in the tub with him. Much to my surprise, he agreed. Thus, their first bath!

Now, I thought this was great but I don't do the baths. Kevin will clean them up and bring them to me and then I'll do lotion, pajamas, hair, etc. I DO know that Kevin hates to be splashed and, with two boys, I'm thinking that's going to happen once or twice. Maybe we should consider shifting the bath responsibilities.

Tonight will be their third bath together so, unless disaster strikes (disaster = Harmon being grumpy), I think we can a) officially retire the toddler bathtub (thank God) and b) plan to put down a lot more towels on the bathroom floor. It's going to get wet and messy!

What did you say?

Harmon says funny things. He just does. He doesn't plan them, they just come out. Usually, he thinks he knows how to say something or he hears something incorrectly and then thinks that's how you say something. Whichever way it happens, it's hilarious.

Here are five thinks that kill us:

1. For the longest time, he called marbles narbles. He would tell us he played narbles at school and we were like, um, what? Once we figured out he meant marbles, we explained the difference. Sometimes he still says narbles, just to mess with us.

2. During this past Christmas season, we listened to more than enough Christmas music. He loves to sing (he gets that from me) and I caught him on more than one occasion singing Jingle Bells and saying "oh what fun it is to ride in a one-morse open sleigh." First, I died. Then I explained it was a one-HORSE open sleigh.

3. When he goes to Kroger with Kevin, the highlight for him is getting something from the BENDING machine. Yep, bending instead of vending. Classic.

4. He'll joke around sometimes and say that something is ridicleous. He's close. It's like nuclear and nucular, except Harmon is 4, not an ignorant, middle-aged politician!

5. Finally, my favorite - banklet, which sounds like BANK-A-LET. Obviously, he's trying to say blanket. I was just talking to Kevin about how we should probably tell him how to really say it. But, it's cute how is says it. There's an innocence to banklet and we don't want to let it go!

He says so many other funny things on a daily basis and I need to remember to write them down. This silliness won't last forever!

16-month update

The walking is crazy. Harmon walked at 15 months too but didn't pick it up as quickly as Simon has. He walks all the time ... well, unless HE IS CLIMBING. He climbs on everything. He's part monkey, we swear. It's hard for us because Harmon wasn't like this. Simon is constantly on the couch, despite falling off it. If you don't push the dining room chairs in, he'll climb on those. Even if you DO push them in, he'll either a) pull them out and climb or b) just crawl up on them while they are pushed in. It's nuts!

In addition to the climbing, he gets into everything. If we let him, he would have every toy of his and especially every toy of Harmon's out at the same time. He also likes to climb into and empty our pantry and totally digs playing in the fridge.

Another thing Harmon never did that Simon loves to do is make a huge mess eating. He really gets into his food and, at the end of the meal, his entire high chair is a mess. He throws some of his food on the floor and he rubs food in his hair and eyes. When he gets tired of actually drinking his milk, he'll start letting it slowly dribble out of his mouth. It then settles down into the pocket of his bib, along with food that he missed getting into his mouth. We call this Simon "soup" and it's disgusting to clean up.

To make up for the food mess and the climbing, though, he gives the best squeezey hugs and will give unsolicited kisses (open mouth, on the cheek) at any moment. He's also learning new words by the day! He's doing great at school and may move up to the next room - the grasshoppers - very soon. He spends some time visiting the new room now and just shimmies under the gate when he wants to go back to his old room.

Overall, he's a very happy, healthy, handsome smart boy. We are so very lucky!

BITE ME!

On Monday, March 8, Kevin picked the boys up from school and there was a note in Simon's coat sleeve alerting us that he had been bitten earlier that day. Evidently, he was standing near the play sink in his room and one of the other little dragonflies didn't like that so much so s/he bit him. He cried a bit, the teachers cleaned and iced the bite and all was good. I didn't even think much of it until later that night when we stripped him down for his bath.

Near his left shoulder blade, there was a huge bite mark that had BROKEN THE SKIN. It also was bruised. I started thinking, wow, the guilty party must have bitten him long and hard because there was a lot of damage, especially when you consider he had on a onesie and a thick sweatshirt.

Bites happen, we know that. Harmon was bitten a couple of years ago too. So, that wasn't what upset us. We were mad because the teachers didn't actually SAY ANYTHING TO US. They just put the note in the coat sleeve, of all places. What if that note had fallen out? We would have had no idea. So, that following Thursday, when we dropped him off, we talked to them and they apologized for not telling us. This made US feel a little better but I'm sure it didn't make Simon's SHOULDER feel any better!

Stepping out

Because Harmon was a late walker, we didn't really stress about Simon walking. He has been upright and cruising since the fall so we figured it would all come in time. Well, that time was February. He took a few steps between me and Kevin in our living room on Tuesday, Feb. 9 and then took several steps across the hardwood floor at my parents' house on Saturday, Feb. 20. The following week - the week of Feb. 22 - he had the hang of it and was everywhere. I think our favorite thing was watching his little hands open and close as he tried so hard to balance himself. We also loved the open mouth!

Someone once told me that your baby is gone once he or she starts walking. Because of this, I was more than happy to wait until the 15th month!

15-month update (March 5)

The 15th month was kind of a big deal. It included things like talking, blowing kisses and WALKING! Once he got the walking down, he started talking more. With Harmon, it was just the opposite. As I've heard so many times from doctors and parents, it's hard for toddlers to concentrate on more than one big thing at a time. So, yes, more words is a good, good thing. We taught him to blow kisses to us and he obliges on most occasions. Around Valentine's Day, we found the source of what seemed like an infinite amount of drool - four more teeth, including his first molar. Such a big boy.

The 15th month also brought his first time playing in the snow (Feb. 10). He had a great time and only cried for a short time after he fell face-first into the snow! He cried much less than Harmon did when he got snow in his gloves!

As for the stats, he weighed in at 26.3 pounds and measured 33 3/4 inches. He continues to close the gap on Harmon, who was 28.4 pounds and 34 inches long. He remains two pounds lighter but is only 1/4 inch shorter! His hands and feet, though, are much bigger. Who knows what we have on our hands.

Rocking Simon

Rocking Simon to sleep is a special treat and Kevin and I take turns doing it. It involves getting all snuggled up in the rocking chair in his room under a big fleece blanket with our feet up. Sometimes, he’s restless and just wants in his crib which, unfortunately, reminds us that our rocking-him-to-sleep days are numbered. Most days, though, he is comfortable and snuggly and he just passes out on your chest – it’s the highlight of the day. You know it’s a great night, though, when he is so dead asleep that he a) ejects his binky (pacifier) and b) leaves a huge drool spot on your shirt. We look forward to that drool spot each and every day!