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!

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.