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!

Simon Abner Bergquist

The Bergquist family is proud to welcome Simon Abner Bergquist, born at 11:32 p.m. November 25 at University Hospital in Ann Arbor. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 1 ounce and 21 inches long. Daddy, Mommy and big brother Harmon have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Three-year photos

The Friday before Harmon’s birthday party, my sister, Stacey, was kind enough to take his three-year photos. Stacey, my Mom and I got him all dressed up in his brown-themed Baby Gap gear and headed to Gallup Park. I thought this would be a great spot for photos because he loves going there with my Mom on Wednesdays. We did lots of photos – some along the many trails, some near the water, some near the rocks – and they all turned out great! The one at left is the main photo we’ll give out to our family members AND include in our holiday card/birth announcement. Check out our Flickr page to see the other SIX photos we chose (we just couldn’t narrow it down).

Many, many thanks to Stacey, once again, for her great photography skills!

Birthday – Part II

While the big party was before his birthday, we STILL wanted to do something special with Harmon on his actual birthday. So, Kevin and I decided to go into work a little late on Nov. 12 and take him to breakfast. Since he loves pancakes, we decided to introduce him to an Ann Arbor classic – Angelo’s! Harmon had his usual – pancakes, sausage and milk – and Kevin and I had pancakes too (my chocolate chip ones were AWESOME). We also got him two SMALL presents – the Backyardigans’ Austin and If you Give a Cat a Cupcake. After that exciting morning, we left him with my Mom and sister, Stacey, to have more fun on his birthday!

Third birthday party

On Nov. 8, we celebrated Harmon’s third birthday with a small family party. Because he’s been in love with the Backyardigans lately, we did a Backyardigans-themed party. Unfortunately, we didn’t do a good enough job of hiding the decorations and presents. We hid them away in Simon’s room – a place he never goes – but he must have sensed it and sniffed them out.

After dinner, we headed to the basement to open WAY too many presents. Kevin’s parents got him a tricycle, among other things. My parents and sister, Stacey, got him a ton of clothes as well as some classic games like Hungry Hungry Hippos and Let’s Go Fishin’. His BIG gift from us was the LeapFrog ClickStart My First Computer. He got many other things too and loved them all! He did not, however, love being the center of attention for the singing and the cake. In fact, it freaked him out and he cried as we sang. And, he wasn’t the least bit interested in his cake.

Overall, I think he had a great time and everyone was so happy just to be with him!

FAIL

God, I SO suck at blog updates lately. I’m 36 weeks' pregnant and TRYING to prepare for Simon’s arrival; I’m worrying about Harmon; I’m thinking about the Thanksgiving dinner I’m not going to enjoy; I’m wondering HOW I’m going to get my Christmas shopping done; AND I’m trying to work a very busy few more days before I go on maternity leave. I have ALL KINDS OF BLOG TOPICS on my mind but just haven’t gotten to them – forgive me. In the very near future, I plan to write about Harmon’s third birthday, his first trip to the movies, his three-year photos AND the differences between the Harmon and Simon pregnancies. Those are four topics that are top of mind, for starters.

In the meantime, as Kevin and I were driving to work this morning, we were talking about Harmon and how his life is now versus how it will be in just over two weeks. Here is a direct quote from Kevin, which was hilarious:

“He’s got a good gig! He gets to stay in his jammies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; he has show-and-tell on Thursday; and Tuesday is garbage truck day. It doesn’t get any better than that!”

Three!

Harmon, you are three today! I remember when our friends with kids used to tell us just how fast time went by AFTER you have kids. We thought time went by FAST ENOUGH on it’s own but, they were right, with kids it’s like warp speed! It seems like just yesterday we brought you home from the hospital in your orange kangaroo outfit. We put your car seat in the middle of the living room floor and thought, wow, what do we do now? After three years, though, I think we’ve got it figured out! Then again, you’ve made it pretty easy on us by being such a good boy.

From the beginning, you’ve been relatively laid back and pretty low maintenance. You’ve been so healthy (knock on wood) and that may be because you got a jump start on most other babies by being born over nine pounds! You’ve always been a great eater – we’ve really had no problems with formula or any foods – save for the eggs and the fish that one time (we should probably test those things again). You never once fussed about all those incoming teeth (we still can’t believe it). You were quick to sleep through the night and you did great when we moved you to your crib. You also were easy to break from both your bottle and your binky. And, being that you’re a boy, I must admit that the potty training has gone relatively well too although Daddy can attest there were days I thought you would NEVER get it.

You’ve been a blabbermouth since you started yelling “dadadadada” when you were six months old and your language today makes us simply shake our heads. We just can’t believe all the things that come out of your mouth! So, while you thanked us for your birthday presents, we thank you:

For your brown eyes
For your perfect profile
For suddenly showing people that you look like Mommy, too
For all your snuggles and hugs
For telling Daddy “you have a big belly”
For your manners (most of the time)
For smiling and posing for more than 1,500 photos (so far!)
For being so loving to all of your family members
For serenading Mommy with shouts of “Mama!” when she comes out of work
For being a fan of Coach Rod (even if you didn’t want to say ‘Hi’ to him)
For being excited about being a big brother
For being a good boy at “school”
For being gentle with your “little sister” Isabel
For dancing in the living room and shaking your booty
For the voicemails when you wake up from Friday naps and say “Hi, Daddy”
For sitting through three quarters of two Michigan football games
For knowing the words to “The Victors”
For being so good on the potty, even telling us, “I’m going to be here another minute”
For all of your singing, even if it is the Backyardigans theme ad nauseum
For the happiest three years of our lives
For being you

We love you, Harmon

Witnessing history

Last night, almost 64 million Americans went to the polls and elected Barack Obama as this nation’s 44th president. It was a landslide, a mandate of sorts, that Americans wanted change and Obama was the clear choice to bring about that change. Of course, after eight long and horrible years of the Bush administration – which I’m sure will go down in history as the worst presidential administration of all time – it’s crazy to think there were people out there that didn’t want change!

Anyway, as I watched MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann call the election in favor of Obama just seconds after 11 p.m. (when the polls closed on the West Coast), I began to cry. I didn’t think I would but I did and there were SO many reasons for these tears of joy – reasons I hadn’t come to grips with until I saw people celebrating in the streets like it was New Year’s Eve.

I looked at the crowd that gathered in Chicago’s Grant Park and it was in stark contrast to those that had gathered for McCain’s concession speech in Arizona just moments earlier. While McCain’s crowd consisted of mostly white supporters, Obama’s crowd was a true melting pot – white, brown and black and young and old alike. It was amazing to see so many different people together supporting one man to bring about the change that most of us have desired for so long.

While I recognize what Obama means to the black race and all they have endured throughout history and while I am SO happy to be able to see and be a part of this historical election, Obama’s election means so much more. These are 10 things that ran through my head as I listened to him once again speak so eloquently to the American people. I thought about having a president who:

1. Is intelligent, thoughtful, diplomatic, calm and steady.
2. Is willing to work with others and doesn’t live by the rule “it’s my way or the highway.”
3. Will listen and consider the opinions and thoughts of others, even if they differ from his.
4. Will restore our standing in the world.
5. Will value the military and will consider all other options before sending our men and women off to war.
6. Will tell the truth.
7. Will fight for all Americans, not just the wealthy ones.
8. Will fight for our children – especially when it comes to things like education and health care.
9. Will bring us together, not divide us.
10. Will inspire us, not scare us.

I could go on and on but I’ll stop after just two more things.

I can’t wait until Harmon reads his first history book and asks me about this historic election. I will be so excited to tell him all about it. I will tell him how important it was and how – even at almost three years old – he was totally into it yelling “It’s Barack Obama, Mama” every time he saw Obama on TV or saw that wonderful Obama logo on magnets, stickers, billboards and yard signs!

And lastly, from the moment the election was called until much later when I finally went to bed, Simon kicked me like crazy (more than usual, which is saying a lot). It was like he knew what was going on outside and he wanted to get out and be a part of it all. And, honestly, today, I can breathe a little easier about bringing him into this NEW world.

VOTE!

It's time - get out and vote, no matter what!

The Beatles

A few months ago, late on a Wednesday, we were eating dinner with Harmon and he was singing “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles. It was so cute to hear a two-year-old boy sing the following line:

Oh, please, say to me
You’ll let me be your man

Anyway, I found out that my Mom and Dad bought him the Beatles “1” CD and he had been listening to it earlier that day with my Mom. She always loved the Beatles when she was young and I’m sure she sang some songs on the radio with him while they were out doing their Wednesday thing. However it happened, he took a liking to the “Fab Four” and still can’t get enough. At this point, he sings a bunch of songs on the CD, including “Love Me Do” and “We Can Work It Out!” He LOVES music and is proving to have his parents’ musical range – he easily goes from pop to metal to rock to rap. We’re just hoping he never finds country!

Big fall weekend

Last weekend, it finally felt like fall so we took full advantage and did some typical fall stuff. On Friday night, after a yummy – yet speedy – dinner at Buddy’s Pizza in Dearborn, we once again attended the Halloween in Greenfield Village event. We went last year for the first time and it was a lot of fun so we thought we would take Harmon again this year. He had more fun this time as he was able to walk the whole route and get his own goodies at the many treat stations. He did a great job and was very well behaved. He did get tired a few times, though, so he would stop and rest on the curb! I think the highlight of his night was seeing the horses during the headless horseman routine. He loved the small horse, petting him a bunch of times, but wasn’t too crazy about the big horse. I’ll guess we’ll have to wait a while before taking him to St. Louis to see the Budweiser Clydesdales! While I didn’t go all out with the face paint like I will on Halloween, we did debut Harmon’s 2008 Halloween costume (an adorable hedgehog) and it got rave reviews! We had SO many people stop us and comment on it! Just as we did with his name, we also like to go unique with the costumes, especially while we can. Soon enough, he’ll want to be a vampire every year and we’ll have to just go with it.

After resting up on Saturday – and hearing Harmon say “Coach Rod is MAD” during the Michigan @ Penn State game – we headed to the cider mill on Sunday. Just as we did last year, we went to Three Cedars Farm. We got there early enough to just miss the huge lines for donuts and cider and Harmon had plenty of time to play on the slide and toy tractors before we took a big tractor ride out to the corn maze. He LOVED the corn maze but we had to keep yelling at him to not get too far ahead of us. It’s hard, under normal circumstances, to keep up with him much less when I’m eight months’ pregnant! Since Harmon already got a huge pumpkin from my uncle, we decided to forego the walk through the pumpkin patch. This proved to be a good decision because he crashed HARD as soon as we got in the car and slept all the way home. It was a perfect fall weekend – one of those fall weekends you wait for all year!

Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire (Station)

Harmon LOVES fire trucks and fire stations and lately we’ve fed into that love. In August, we took him to the Michigan Firehouse Museum in Ypsilanti and he had a great time. This museum was very cool, highlighted by old models of fire trucks from years ago and a fun play area for kids. We went on a Friday afternoon and were the ONLY ones there so we stayed and visited and played for a long time.

And, just recently, we surprised Harmon with a visit to the Ann Arbor Fire Department’s Open House. We went to the fire station on Fifth Avenue and it was a great time! In the past, Harmon has admired the fire trucks from AFAR but, on this day, he was totally cool with showing his love up close and personal. After getting his goodie bag, fire hat and balloon, we got in line to get photos in the fire truck. He was cool with it and we got some cute photos of him in the driver’s seat and in the small cab behind the driver’s seat. The one bummer of the day was when Harmon popped his balloon when climbing up in the cab. The “pop” scared the crap out of him and he cried for a bit – of course we couldn’t stop laughing! I think the best part of the day for him, though, was the small bag of popcorn he inhaled – he was elbow deep in that thing! Overall, he had good fire station experiences this summer so we hope he always remembers them!

Bicycle, bicycle (like Queen)

Well, more like tricycle but I love the song and had to work it in! ANYWAY, back in September, a co-worker gave me a tricycle for Harmon. I brought it home and he loved it but had NO CLUE what to do with it. His legs were long enough so he was able to push himself where he needed to go. As the days have gone by, we’ve worked with him and he seemed to finally be getting the hang of pedaling. Well when I came home from work on Monday, Harmon was in the driveway with his beloved tricycle and he was pedaling it all by himself! I asked Kevin when THIS happened and he said “I think just now!” So, we’re calling it – Monday, Oct. 13 – first day riding the tricycle all by himself. I’m sad – he’s such a big boy!

Obsess much?

Lately, Harmon has been OBSESSED with the Backyardigans. While he’s always liked them, over the last month or so he’s really shunned all other cartoons in favor of the Backyardigans. No more Mickey, Little Einsteins or Handy Manny, it’s the Backyardigans 24/7. He has several books that he carries around and sleeps with (and has us read them ad nauseam). He has a Pablo Beanie Baby that I got for him that he simply can’t get enough of. He knows they are on at 9 a.m. and he reminds us ALL THE TIME. He also knows there are episodes on Comcast’s On Demand and he’ll ever so slyly suggest that we go downstairs and watch these (especially W-I-O-WA - the Corniest Station in the Nation)!

But, the silliest Backyardigans possession has to be his box of fruit snacks. We saw these one night while picking up a few things at Hiller’s Market. We got them thinking he would EAT them but, no, he wanted them just for the box. To date, he has eaten exactly ONE packet of fruit snacks yet he carries this mangled, tattered box around like it’s his “woobie!” We suggested taking the snacks out, cutting out the photo on the front of the box and giving it to him but he HAS to have the full box to clutch or it’s just not the same. The box is practically falling apart and has been taped back together more times than we can count but he loves it. Pre-schoolers are funny birds!