That Dog Won’t Hunt

These exact words were used by Jim Rome to describe Lloyd Carr after yet another crushing Michigan football defeat last season. Basically, the gist of Rome’s segment was to point out that he’s never going to change, no matter what. And, if that isn’t obvious to the world after Saturday’s debacle, I don’t know what it’s going to take to make everyone in the Michigan family see it.

It’s interesting, leading up to Saturday’s game, there was all kinds of talk in the media about what Carr’s legacy would be. Well, he defined his legacy by coaching (I use that word loosely) his team to the biggest defeat in college football history. No matter what the team does the rest of the season, this will never go away! We’ll always be the #1 seed that finally lost to the #16 seed.

There are NO excuses for what happened Saturday. Being in the stands, I saw a team that was unmotivated and unprepared. I saw a team that was completely predictable and this was confirmed by the entire Appalachian State team in the post-game interviews. But, a complete lack of imagination and an inability to adjust, not to mention the failure to ever go for the throat or play to an opponent’s weakness is what most of us fans have seen for years now. I can’t say what happened on Saturday is a complete shock because it’s seems we’ve been building up to this (or should I say deteriorating to this) since our national championship season in 1997.

The ’97 season was magical, due mostly to Charles Woodson. As is typical, we did just enough to get by offensively, always waiting for Woodson to make a difference. I sometimes think if 1997 hadn’t happened, maybe Carr would have been gone a long time ago. But, half a national championship buys you lifetime job security in Ann Arbor and allows you to do whatever you want. For example, he hired back his friend and crony (Mike DeBord) to handle the offense after he did such a bang-up job (12-34 over four years) at his previous school (Central Michigan of the high-powered MAC). Sounds like a great hire and, better yet, a great candidate for the future head coaching job at Michigan (especially if Carr has anything to do with it)! He absolutely refuses to put any thought into special teams, which is evident in how many issues we’ve had over the years. There is no individual coach who handles special teams, like at most schools. It’s coaching by committee at Michigan, which always makes for great execution like getting two field goals blocked on Saturday. He also loves his seniors, always choosing seniority over talent, unless his seniors are maimed on the field and underclassmen have to play by default. If it wasn’t for injuries to starters, who knows when Chad Henne or Mike Hart might have made their Wolverine debut! On Saturday, a walk-on, senior kicker was on the field kicking field goals with his eyes closed (I saw this photo on Saturday and now I can’t find it) while a SCHOLARSHIP kicker sat the bench. I could go on and on but it will just piss me off more and more.

For the first time since 1979, we have a three-game losing streak. Of course, our obligatory losses to Ohio State and our bowl opponent du jour along with the Appalachian State disaster. At this point, Michigan football is known for the following things: losing that big game early; losing another crap game during the season that we shouldn’t; losing to Ohio State; losing in the bowl game; and now losing to Appalachian State in the biggest upset in the history of college football.

No matter what we do the rest of the way, it won’t matter. The season is over and we’re the laughingstock of college football – and will be for years to come! Of course, the rallying cry in the locker room after the game was as follows: we still have a lot to play for; we still have a Big Ten championship to win. To that I say, who the eff cares! It’s not just about Big Ten titles and Rose Bowls anymore. The game has changed and the stakes are higher and, unfortunately for Michigan football, its leader has been passed by.

I’ve met Carr on several occasions and I know he’s a nice guy. He’s a great speaker and he does many, many nice things for the community. And, the Carr apologists out there love to say that “he runs a clean program and he has good kids” but that’s not so much the case anymore with our academic standards in question and players in trouble left and right.

If this awful, embarrassing, devastating loss is a catalyst for change, I could concede that MAYBE, just maybe, it’s a blessing in disguise. But, I think I know better. Carr will leave when he wants and most likely will have a big say in the selection of his successor. In spite of Carr, Michigan football has been able to sustain itself but how much longer can we survive the slow deterioration that most people can see so clearly? I hope Bill Martin has an answer to this question!

Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32

Yeah, pretty much speechless about this.

I'm sure we'll have more to say once we're off suicide watch.

Can't get it out of my head!

I think my favorite part is the crying vegetables!

This is from the new Nick Jr. show called Yo Gabba Gabba!

Good Lord! What has happened to me?

On this day …

… 37 years ago, Kevin was born. He was due in October but apparently was anxious to get into this world so he made his appearance a little early. He was just a little guy when he was born but you wouldn’t know it by looking at him now! He has grown into a fine man – the best husband I could ask for and the best father Harmon (and Isabel) could ask for. He does it all, each and every day, and even though we tell him all the time, we’ll tell him again. We love you so much and truly appreciate all that you do for us – big and small!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Potty Wednesdays

As I documented at the beginning of the month, Harmon has started to use the potty a little bit. Although he has gone once for Kevin (he hasn’t gone for me at all yet), he seems to do it every Wednesday when my Mom is here. I don’t know what it is about her but, when she’s here, he asks to use the potty. I don’t really care who he goes for as long as he has an interest in going. I know it will be a long process but at least there is some potty progress!

Spot Takes the Plunge

Harmon has loved his baths lately. While we’re out walking, he’ll start asking for bubbles and then care barely wait until we get home. Kevin will start his bath water and Harmon will run back and forth between the living room and the bathroom getting various toys to throw in the tub. Usually, it’s just balls but, last week, he threw his “Spot Goes to School” book in there! It took us a while to notice so Spot took a hit. We thought about just putting Spot down but then I felt guilty and spent the next half hour blow drying it. Of course, he wanted to read it before bed that very night and we had to tell him Spot was on the 15-day DL. We tried to explain that books don’t go in the tub but realized there was a serious flaw in our logic since he’s had Bobalong Whale with him in the tub for about a year now. Guess we’ll just have to make sure no more books take the plunge!

As a side note, we wouldn’t have minded if all three of his Spot books went into the tub and immediately disintegrated. Harmon’s Grandma (or “eema,” as he says) got him "Where’s Spot?" earlier this year and he LOVED it! He loved it SO MUCH that we ended up reading it about 15,000 TIMES EACH DAY. The next time she visited, she brought him “Spot Goes to the Farm” and we were happy that we could read a DIFFERENT Spot book. We then bought him “Spot Goes to School,” mostly because he saw it at Borders, begged for it and didn’t want to let it go, even when we were checking out. We like little Spot just fine – he’s cute and goes on many adventures. But, because of the sheer repetition, we’re hoping one day to discover “Spot Meets a Goodyear” on the shelves at Borders!

Back it up!

There’s one Harmon quirk that I love but I don’t think I’ve ever written about on the blog. He did it a ton yesterday so that reminded me to document it before it slipped my mind AGAIN.

When he wants you to read to him (which is, pretty much, all the time), he’ll go get his books of choice and, if you’re sitting on the floor, he’ll back up into you until he falls in your lap. It’s funny to see this little butt keep backing up and backing up and then he practically trips over your legs and falls into your lap. It shows incredible trust on his part, knowing that we’re going to be there to catch him. It’s like those team building exercises (I think they’re called trust falls) that co-workers do at their company retreats but MUCH, MUCH cuter!

How Saturdays used to be

With the college football season fast approaching, Kevin and I have been thinking about how Saturdays used to be before Harmon’s arrival. Our best memories were Saturdays when Michigan would play on the road. We would wake up just in time to watch Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit make their predictions on ESPN’s College GameDay and then catch the Michigan kick-off at noon. At halftime, Kevin would venture out to get pizza (usually from Papa Romano’s – yum) and then we would eat and watch college football ALL DAY LONG – well past midnight when the West Coast games finally wrapped up.

Although Harmon lets us watch a ton of football (definitely more than we thought), we can’t quite do Saturdays the same way we used to. Maybe as Harmon gets older and grows to love college football, we can return to those old Saturdays!

Rock, G!

Every other Thursday, Harmon's day care has Mr. G, a local musician, come in to entertain the kids. They all get together to sing and dance and Mr. G takes requests (which apparently Harmon makes quite often). Per the teachers, the first couple of times the new kids experience music time with Mr. G can be a little scary. He comes blasting in with his guitar all loud and crazy and the kids freak out. At Harmon's first music time with Mr. G, he got scared and started to cry. He then walked up to him and told him to go "bye bye!" Hilarious!

But now, Harmon is down with Mr. G and I always can tell when it's a Mr. G. Thursday because he sings all the way home. Since Harmon likes to say "rock" whenever he hears a good song come on the radio, we've been trying to get him to tell Mr. G to "rock!" It always comes out "Rock, G!"

Speaking of rocking, check this out! Awesome! There can never be enough Bruce!

Car knowledge

When we're out and about, Kevin often quizzes me about the other cars on the road and, more often than not, I fare very well in these quizzes. He seems surprised with my car knowledge until I remind him that I SHOULD know a thing or two about a thing or two since I was born and raised in the automotive capital of the world! I honestly just think it happens through osmosis around here.

Anyway, I think I passed on my car knowledge to Harmon. Not only does he love cars (and feels the need to point to and tell us about every car on the road), he already can ID at least two of them. A couple of weeks ago, he and my Mom were at one of the parks near our house. Usually, we don't drive home past this park but, on this day, we did. Unbeknownst to us, Harmon started yelling "Mama" and "Dada" as we drove by. We turned into our neighborhood and saw my Mom's car in the parking lot so we stopped to meet up with them. My Mom didn't see us drive by or pull into the parking lot and was wondering why Harmon was making such a fuss. She then realized that HE must have seen us. We thought, yeah, sure but then he did something similar Sunday night when we were out for our nightly walk.

We were walking through a ton of cars in the condo community near us and passed by a black and grey Honda Element. The second he saw it, he started yelling "Nana" and "Papa!" So, maybe he DID see our Jeep Liberty and know it was us back in the park that day!

21 months

Harmon is 21 months old today. I had a hard time coming up with new things to write about so Kevin and I had to brainstorm. We thought, jeez, he hasn’t done a ton of new blog-worthy things lately but, after thinking about it, he really has. So, following (in no particular order at all) is what Harmon’s been up to since his 20-month update:

He loves the clocks in our house and whenever they chime, he runs around saying “ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong” in tune.

He’s still talking a ton and repeating everything (we have to be SO careful). He says truck but puts an “f” in place of the “tr,” so that’s always fun. He also says clock (especially when it chimes, see above) but conveniently forgets the “l.” He is speaking in simple sentences and still is saying new words every day. Lately, he loves to say “hey, baby!”

When he falls down, which seems to be all the time, he comes running to us doing this fake-cry thing to get a sympathy hug. Once he gets that hug, he’s back at it. Also, if he wants you to go somewhere with him, he’ll walk up to you, say “hand, hand,” grab your hand and lead you where he wants you to go!

We’ve really worked hard lately on colors. His Legos (or noo-noos, as he calls them) come in red, yellow, blue, green, orange and purple so he knows those colors pretty well. It’s the cutest thing to hear him say orange. He’s also been interested in his numbers over the past couple of weeks and he can count to 13. I don’t know why 13, but he loves 13!

Before bed (or before one of us leaves), Harmon gives a hug, a regular kiss and an Eskimo kiss. He has to give all three and he has to give all three to both of us. And, speaking of bed, he is at the point where he can get one leg over the top of his crib. So, I think we’re going to have to lower it to the lowest and final notch. In addition to the crib thing, he’s also climbing on all items of furniture. He climbs up on his chair and then uses the chair to climb on the couch. Sometimes, he’ll actually sit there with us for two whole seconds!

A few months ago, the music and sounds on his stroller stopped working (evidently, the wires came lose and needed to be soldered back together). Kevin fixed it about a week ago and Harmon has been addicted to it ever since. He hasn’t even wanted to go for walks in his beloved wagon lately because he would rather play the music (on a freakin’ continuous loop) in his stroller.

His favorite things lately have been TWO BALLS (I hope his love for balls never goes away), hanging out in his pool, reading, and stalking his monitor (he is obsessed with that thing and we have no idea why)!

Whom?

When it’s time to go (or at totally random times during the day), Harmon will start yelling “Let’s go, Mama,” “Let’s go, Dada,” and then continue with let’s go Nana, Papa, Stacey, Erin, Grandma, Grandpa and Isabel. Sometimes, he also will include his teachers and friends from day care in this “roll call.” One name we don’t recognize at all is DeeDee. We thought maybe one of his teachers (Debra) had the kids call her DeeDee since Debra is hard to say but we asked and that is not the case. Basically, we have NO IDEA who DeeDee is so, if any of you know, can you clue us in?

Maybe he simply said “hey, baby” to a girl one too many times and now has a secret girlfriend. Who knows!

GPS

We’ve discovered have our own GPS device and I don’t mean a Global Positioning System. Harmon has what we call a Global Park Sensor, which means he can detect any park within a one-mile radius. Each and every time he gets in a car (it doesn't matter whose car), it takes him mere seconds to start craning his neck in search of the nearest park. We can’t drive by a park without hearing pleas of “swing” or “slide” from the back seat! And, during our nightly walks, he knows EXACTLY where the two parks in our neighborhood are located, no matter which path we take. It amazes us how he can remember where all these parks are but, when we take him in the morning, he fails to remember these trips later that evening! Selective toddler memory, I guess, combined with that GPS!

It's time to get to know your potty chair!

We bought Harmon a potty chair about a month ago with the intentions is simply getting him used to it. One thing that triggered this purchase was the fact that he tells us "poo poo" when he's doing just that in his diaper. To build on this, when we're in the bathroom, we try to explain that Mommy and Daddy are going potty too so he has some kind of clue. Over the past couple of weeks, after he's said "poo poo," we've been sitting him on the potty chair just so he can get used to the feel of it. And, quite frankly, we've been pretty happy with the fact that he doesn't hate it. But, yesterday, he had a breakthrough when my Mom was with him. He told her he had to go so she got the potty chair and sat him on it. My Mom distracted him from the difficult task at hand with a book and the TV and, after a short while, he actually went #1 and #2 in the potty! She was stunned and called me and then I was stunned and called Kevin who also was stunned!

I know it doesn't mean he's going to do it all the time from now on but it's a big step – one we need to build on. We've decided to try at least once a day if/when he tells us and then just see how it goes. Maybe it was a fluke but it can't hurt to go with it. I must admit, though, that although we were SO proud of him for his potty chair efforts yesterday, we all were a little sad too. This is just another reminder that he's growing up so fast!

Eskimo kissing

When I was getting Harmon’s pajamas on him after his Thursday night bath, I decided to show him how to give Eskimo kisses. Although he doesn’t quite get that he ALSO is supposed to rub his nose (instead of just sitting still), he has great fun with it! Right after I gave him Eskimo kisses before bed, he called his Daddy to give him Eskimo kisses too. He says a version of "Eskimo kiss" but, if you don’t understand him right away, he’ll just demand “nose.” When we went out to dinner with my family for my birthday yesterday, he gave everyone there Eskimo kisses. I guess it’s his new trick! But, the problem with adding new tricks is that we then demand to see them all the time. So now, before he goes to bed, he has to give a hug, a regular kiss (which is a open-mouth kiss on your cheek, complete with a big “mwa” sound) and an Eskimo kiss.

In addition to the Eskimo kissing going on, I HAVE to note how well he is saying “love you,” as well as “please,” “thank you,” and “bless you” – after sneezes of course. So far we’ve got a polite one!

His own little world

When Kevin and I dropped Harmon off at day care last Thursday, his teacher said he calls her by name (her name is Abby) all the time and also goes around the room naming all his fellow classmates. We thought, yeah, sure, whatever. But, on Friday, I decided to put it to the test. I dragged out the booklet we received when we started at Annie's, which included photos of all the toddlers in the class, and showed it to Harmon. As we flipped through the pages, he proceeded to name each of the toddlers (Aiden, Ariel, Bram, Charlie, Christopher, Cole, Henry, Leo, Starr, Tess and Thomas). He struggled a bit pronouncing Bram and Thomas but the whole thing was stunning to me – mostly because I don't think much about his world at day care. He has his own little world there and, even though we wish he didn't have to go, we know it's good for him!

Hop on the bandwagon

After the season the Detroit Tigers had last year and the one they are off to this year (best record in baseball, as of today), it’s really not surprising to see how many “fans” have hopped on the bandwagon. Every time I’m at the mall or the grocery store, I never fail to see a multitude of people sporting Tigers’ t-shirts and hats. When I see all these people, I honestly want to ask them when said t-shirt or hat was purchased and, if the answer is anytime after Opening Day 2006, I think they should trade in their “true fan” card for a “bandwagon jumper” card. Don’t even get me started on all the people suddenly GOING to the games!

This kind of things always has bothered me but it really hits home with the Tigers. Maybe it’s because I’ve been going to games my whole life – win or lose – and have the ticket stubs to prove it. Maybe it’s because I interned with the Tigers in 1998, an awful year when they finished 65-97, dead last in the AL Central (and 24 games out of first place). Whatever it is, at least I can walk around truly proud of this team’s success, knowing that I’ve been there through thick and thin and didn’t just jump on the bandwagon when things started to go well. Last year, when I saw this t-shirt (above), I thought all true Tigers’ fans should be issued one so you could tell the differences between us and these types of people.

Green, gold, blue .. whatever ... Crickets

Eight weeks from tomorrow, Michigan will play Notre Dame in football again. This is notable, not only because it features the winningest college football programs in history, but also because the clock is ticking. It is ticking for two friends of ours, both Notre Dame alumni, whom we have not heard from since last fall when mighty Michigan waxed the overrated Irish, 47-21. If they do not call, e-mail, write, etc., in the next two months, both will have gone silent for a full year. They would probably claim that their jobs, families, etc., are keeping them too busy to stay in touch. That is fair, as we know what it is like to have baby responsibilities, except they are more than happy to check in after the Irish have pulled off a leprechaun-aided victory over the Wolverines. Let's just say that it is no coincidence that we have not heard from them since last September, when things were said like, "After they get past Michigan, Notre Dame's schedule sets up nicely for a national championship run" and this doozy (to be fair it was said by a ND fan in my office, not our friends): "Michigan is not really a big game for us anymore." Um, OK. So, needless to say, we will not be waiting by the phone or checking e-mail on the hour to hear from them. It is too bad, really. We would never do that to anyone. After all, it is just a game. But, I guess it is tough sledding when you are a fan trying to return your program to glory since 1988. There is magic in the sound of their name, however. Their record in big games is a different story.

Searching for "buckas"

Ever since Harmon found his belly button, his love for all-things-belly-button has grown stronger by the day. He looks for our belly buttons all the time and, as I've mentioned in previous posts, wants to know where everyone else's is too. He also looks for belly buttons on all his stuffed animals as well as his talking, dancing Elmos and is confused when he doesn't find any.

But, yesterday, when he was with my Mom, he managed to find ONE of his toys that DOES have a "bucka," as he calls it. He brought his big blue ball (which he's pictured with above) to my Mom, pointed to the air hole and yelled "bucka!" When we got home from work, he was excited to tell us all about it too. He then spent much of the night finding the "buckas" on all his other toy balls. So glad he could satisfy his addiction to the belly button!

A different breed

One of the many reasons I married Kevin is that he's quite simply a different breed. He's not like most men and I witness his wonderful differences almost every day.

Harmon is battling a bit of a cold right now and was up coughing most of the night. When the alarm went off this morning, Kevin didn't hesitate to volunteer to be the one to stay home with him. He didn't give me some line about his job being more important (even though he IS the breadwinner and his job IS more important) or about missing some big-deal meeting. More often than not, Kevin is the one to stay home and take care of everything AND is usually more than happy to do it.

After his decision to stay home this morning, I started thinking about all the other things he does. Ever since we met back in 1994, he never has assumed anything is a woman's job or a man's job. He cooks, cleans, bakes, does laundry – all those things. We split all the Harmon tasks and all the household tasks right down the middle. Even when I'm home with Harmon on Fridays (when I really tend to feel guilty because the laundry isn't done or the dishwasher isn't unloaded), he ALWAYS tells me that Fridays are my days with Harmon and I should enjoy them rather than putting him aside to do household chores.

He's never once demanded I have a certain dinner ready at a certain hour or told me that something was "my job." He drops off and picks up Harmon at day care on Tuesdays (we then split that duty on Thursdays). He even gets pissed when there aren't baby changing tables in men's restrooms! He hates that it's ALWAYS assumed that the father does nothing! He just always is willing to help with whatever needs to be done – no questions asked.

Of course, there are tasks we handle that MIGHT fall along Neanderthal, I mean traditional, gender lines. He always takes the trash out and deals with the cars and I always deal with Harmon's wardrobe and handle the bills (mostly because Kevin's writing is damn near illegible) but, for the most part, we are in this together – 50-50 – and I am SO lucky to have it that way!

For Those About to Rock

About two months ago, Harmon learned to turn on Kevin’s alarm clock (see photo at left), which always is set to 101.1 FM (WRIF) – the only rock station in Detroit. Every time he turned it on, there was some kick-ass song on so we taught him to say “ROCK!” Now, every time we turn on ANY radio – in the house or in the car – he says “ROCK!” He loves all kinds of music, from nursery rhymes to Springsteen to Eminem to AC/DC, and it’s so fun to see him come alive and sing and dance when a song comes on. This morning, he turned to me and said “Rock, Mama” when we were listening to his music CDs. I hope this love of music continues, well as long as it doesn’t include country music!

Harmon at 20 months

Since he changes by the second, this month I thought I would just make note of some of his latest behaviors. One thing I MUST note, however, is what a complete angel he was on vacation. It was our first family vacation together and, after a rough couple of days – one which was a Tigers' game where Kevin and I MAYBE saw an inning of action – we were a little nervous. But, he was perfect and he had so much fun!

OK, on to some of Harmon's latest quirks:

1. Having two balls at all times is Harmon's favorite thing lately, especially at bedtime. He has to go to sleep (and wake up) with TWO BALLS!

2. When we're preparing to leave the house, Harmon rounds us up by yelling "Let's Go!" He also grabs two toys to take with him every time we leave – usually the said two balls or a bat and a ball!

3. He LOVES helicopters! He'll hear them off in the distance and go crazy or he'll see one on TV and go bananas. We've driven by the U-M Survival Flight helipad a few times to see if we can catch a glimpse of one in action. On Tuesday, we got lucky as both were up and running and a third non-UM helicopter was incoming. To satisfy him while we're at home, my parents bought him two toy helicopters.

5. Although he’s always liked music, he is into it now more than ever. In addition to singing “Hail to the Victors” and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” he loves all the songs on his nursery rhyme CDs that his Aunt Angela bought for him. He likes to listen to them in the morning and usually will sing himself to sleep at night.

6. He still loves to read and his favorite book lately is Little Pea (he calls it “Pea Book”). He also loves I am a Bunny and, of course, Goodnight Moon. He’ll read (and we’ll buy him) just about any book!

7. As for food, his latest favorites are blueberries and pancakes (which he requests so clearly). The last few months have been frustrating trying to get him to eat but Kevin and I both can tell it’s starting to get better. We don’t have to sing and dance as much these days to get him to eat his vegetables!

8. And, the language – wow! New words by the minute! Evidently, he talks and sings non-stop at day care. He goes around the classroom naming everyone and everything in addition to singing a ton. He’s also putting words together quite well – almost like sentences. He says “Hi, Mama/Dada,” “Bye bye, Mama/Dada,” “Love you, Mama/Dada,” and “Let’s go, Mama/Dada.” He repeats like a parrot and, knock on wood, there haven’t been any incidents yet!

I keep telling myself to make little notes each day about what he’s doing so these updates will go smoother. He just changes so fast and does so much – it’s hard to keep up!

Beverage frustration

Kevin tells me all the time that I am a woman with simple needs. He knows what they are and usually can keep me pretty happy. Our recent vacation, however, was a tad bit frustrating for him. Two of the staples of my everyday life are Diet Coke and Light Mocha Frappuccinos from Starbucks and both were hard to find in Traverse City.

Every restaurant we went to served Pepsi (I just threw up a bit typing that) and the only place I could find a Diet Coke fountain drink to go with my fudge or my chocolate covered dried cherries OR my slice of chocolate chip cheesecake from the Underground Cheesecake Company (God, that's A LOT of choco) was the McDonald's drive-through window.

As for the frappuccinos, I love them in the morning (or for an after-dinner snack) once or twice a week but that didn't happen up north and it just wasn't right. On our way into town after a really bad hotel continental breakfast one morning, I said "oh, I can just run by Starbucks and get … no, I can't, because there IS NO STARBUCKS UP HERE." Kevin and I then made the game show loser sound and Harmon repeated it, taunting me further.

Since we've been back, I've made up for my lack of light frappuccinos and Diet Cokes. I've also run many a mile on the treadmill!

Water-log

This week, we took our first vacation as a family, a short jaunt up to Traverse City for a few days. Although Aimee has lived here her entire life, I had not seen much of the state of Michigan outside of the Detroit/Ann Arbor area. We left on July 3 and stayed at a Day's Inn in Traverse City. We wanted to stay in a bigger room to give both Harmon and Isabel breathing and playing room. We had a two-room suite and, when he wasn't chasing Isabel all over, Harmon was running from room to room laughing and screaming. We could have left Isabel and Harmon alone all week and they would have had a blast, but we had things to do and water to see/play in.

On our first day, the Fourth of July, we traveled west to the famous Michigan sand dunes. We knew the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore provided some of the most breathtaking views of Lake Michigan, and I guess they do, but we did not see them. Unfortunately, the day we went it was hazy and overcast and, while we did manage to get a nice family photo, the water was a rumor, even though it was just 400 feet below us (It should have looked like this). We drove to the nearby Dune Climb, and Harmon spent most of his time rolling around in and getting covered in sand. Both Aimee and I climbed to the top, and we both thought the payoff would be a gorgeous view of the Lake. But, when you reach the top of the Dune Climb, the lake it still more than a mile away. Still, it was good exercise, and we are still finding sand in our luggage, clothes and Harmon's diaper.

Intent on seeing some water, we drove to Lighthouse Point, part of the Leelanau State Park. We got there just in time to climb the lighthouse steps and see where Lake Michigan meets Grand Traverse Bay. It was still a little cloudy, but the views were still awesome. We had a nice dinner near the bay and Harmon was pooped by the time we got back to the hotel. We would have loved to see fireworks, but they didn't start until almost 10 p.m., well past Harmon's bedtime.

With most of our sightseeing done on the first day, we decided to do some souvenir shopping around town July 5. But, first, we introduced Harmon to water. Well, more water than his usual bath time. The hotel had a huge pool, and Aimee and I slowly lowered him into the water. He was apprehensive at first, but seemed to take a liking to it. After shopping in Traverse City for a while, we walked along the water a bit. I took Harmon down on the beach, thinking we would want to just play in the sand and watch me dip my feet in the water. Oh, no! Michael Phelps Jr. practically jumped in the water. He dipped a toe at first, but within 10 minutes, he wanted to jump in by himself. The highlight came when we wandered out just a foot or so and was toppled by an incoming wave. His clothes were soaked, but he had a blast.

The day almost over, we grabbed a pizza and headed back to the hotel. Armed with his new appreciation for water and a body swimsuit, courtesy of his Nana, Harmon actually seemed eager to get back into the pool. We played for about a half-hour, and each time I put him back on the pool deck, he seemingly wanted to jump back in. He kicked and paddled while I held him, and generally showed us again that he is simply fearless.
We checked out of the hotel on Friday morning, but had one more sight to see. We drove up the peninsula that divides the West and East bays to Old Mission Point. It was so peaceful there, and a perfect way to end our vacation. There are many other details and funny stories we will write more about later, but this is a brief overview of the Bergquists by the Bay!

Our little gummy bear

After our Cockapoo, Lady, died, the Saling family desperately wanted another dog. Although we loved our Lady so much, we didn’t have her very long so I think getting over her loss was a little easier. As we started thinking about a new dog, we often visited a pet store in the nearby mall (OK, we’ve NOW learned NOT to buy pets at pet stores). We looked at all kinds of dogs in all sizes, shapes, colors and breeds but the dog we all fell in love with was a Shetland Sheepdog. On one particular visit, my sisters and I noticed the cutest little Sheltie – the cutest one we’ve ever seen, in fact – and were bummed to see his cage said “Sold – Going Home.” Little did we know that he was sold to our parents and he would become the best Christmas present ever. My parents left him with my Uncle Max to keep under wraps until Christmas Eve 1992 when he jumped out a huge box at my Grandma Cook’s house!

Montgomery Sir Harrison is what we named him – what a gift he was and what a gift he continued to be through so many good times and bad times with the Saling family. For 14 ½ years, he was the best dog any family could ever ask for and as we all came together last Wednesday for his last day, it was amazing to hear how much this little pup touched our lives. We had so many stories and so many memories – all things that won’t ever, ever be forgotten.

I haven’t gone an hour without crying since talking to my Mom and getting the bad news last Monday night. But, not an hour has gone by without a wonderful Montgomery memory. There are so many – enough to fill a hundred internets – but I wanted to mention a few just so I can always keep them close to me.

1. Since he was a puppy, we always bought him toys and he was the only dog we ever knew who flat-out refused to play with toys. He just didn’t like toys. He preferred a sock or pretty much anything from my sister Erin’s room!

2. Thunderstorms and fireworks always made him crazy. During a bad storm or the Fourth of July weekend, we would return home to find that all the noise had caused him to jump into the bathtub. We’re not sure what that solved but it made him feel better!

3. He LOVED popcorn! Whenever my Mom would make popcorn, he would go bananas. He would be right there next to her and the stove and then all but trip her trying to get some on her way to the living room. She always gave him some – it was their thing!

4. He never was able to finish obedience training; thus, he never was allowed off-leash and he had NO CLUE what cars were. So, when he would escape – which he did quite frequently – it always was an ordeal. Usually, we would find him near someone’s garbage and, usually, we could lure him back to us with food. In fact, one time my Mom shook a box of Hot Tamales to lure him back into the car and it worked.

5. Montgomery had a freakin’ iron-clad stomach. So much for the dogs-can’t-have-chocolate theory because he lived through 14 Halloweens and probably 14 bags of some kind of Hershey’s Halloween candy. Each year, he would manage to get into and devour the candy – no matter what we did. He’s also been known to eat an entire pizza and an entire pound of outdated turkey from the deli.

6. When we used to take him to the groomer, they always would send him home with damn bows in his hair! We constantly explained that HE WAS A BOY but that didn’t seem to matter. Later in life, they FINALLY started sending him home with little bandanas around his neck and he would look so handsome. My sisters and I also loved when the groomer would trim the hair between his little foot pads and would shave him a duck butt!

7. At one point, when we all lived at home, we wouldn’t communicate with each other on who was feeding him when so we all feed him and he got HUGE. At his hugest point, my sister Stacey used him in her senior video project and it was hilarious.

8. One of my favorite memories of Montgomery is the way he would act when he would come inside after being outside for a while on a cold winter’s night. He would run barking from one end of the house to the other like some crazed dog – it still cracks me up. He also would get stuck in the snow quite frequently and my Dad would have to go “rescue” him in subzero temperatures.

9. While I was in grad school, I lived at home and that was an awesome time for me and Montgomery. He slept at my bedside every night and was there when I got ready every morning. He would huff at me when I stayed up too late and disrupted his beauty sleep and get pissed at me if I got up too early and tickled his ears. He was there for me each time Kevin and I would have issues while we were trying to work out our long-distance relationship. I can’t even count the number of times I would just grab him and hold him while I cried about one thing or another.

10. Once Kevin and I finally got it together and got married, I missed Montgomery so much. It was so hard to be away from him after being with him almost every day for two years. One weekend shortly after we got married, we took Montgomery to the apartment in Ann Arbor. Although he definitely was confused, he went with it and was such a good boy – well, with the exception of NEVER going to the bathroom when Kevin would take him outside at 5 a.m.!

I could go on and on but I’ll stop now and just say this:

Montgomery, we love you so much and will miss you forever.
All dogs go to heaven.
10-3-92 – 6-27-07

Stories from day care

Now that Harmon has been at his new day care for four months, I think he’s finally getting comfortable. Sometimes, at the end of the day – depending on what toy he’s playing with – he’s not all that ready to run out the door. And, more importantly, he hasn’t cried at drop-off time in a while (I hope I didn’t just jinx it – damn). I think the teachers finally are getting comfortable with him, too, and this is evident by them sharing more stories lately. When I dropped him off last Thursday, his teacher stopped me to tell me a funny story. In addition to telling me what a good baby he is (which we can’t hear enough), she wanted to tell me about his behavior at lunch time – I immediately thought, please God, no tantrum stories. Anyway, he and the 11 other “grasshoppers” eat at mini tables and chairs, which I imagine can be a challenge (high chairs have that added benefit of keeping the kid trapped while you wrestle to put peas in his or her craw). While lots of the other kids tend to get up and run around during lunch, the teacher said that Harmon always stays seated until he is dismissed. Even if he’s done eating, he sits and waits patiently until he’s told he can go play. I thought this was the sweetest thing! Because he stays seated until dismissed, the other day one of the little girls in his class assumed he was either a) not done eating or b) wanted more to eat so she moved near him and started feeding him her yogurt. He kept leaning to the side to steal a bite and then straightening up and looking back at the teacher for his permission to move about – very funny.

Probably within the last month, several of the teachers have commented on his unbelievable language or how he sings so much more than the other kids his age OR just the simple fact that he is SO funny. While all this stuff feels so good to hear (much easier to digest than bad reports of hitting or biting), we just like to think he’s adjusting well to the new place and the teachers really are getting to know him well. All good things!

Balloonfest

On Saturday, we headed north to Howell for the 23rd annual Michigan Challenge Balloonfest. I had heard about this event a few years ago from a woman at work. Her Dad flew a Halloween-themed hot-air balloon (appropriately named "Boo!") in this event and the sight of 55 other very cool hot-air balloons in the sky seemed like a fun thing.

Since we've never attended this event, the only knowledge we were armed with was that balloons launched each night (Friday – Sunday) between 6-8 p.m. We got there around 3:30 p.m. and figured we would walk around (they had carnival rides, a mini art fair, etc.), maybe grab something to eat and then watch the balloon launch. Rookies! First of all, the balloons didn't launch until 7:30 p.m. so we had LOTS of time to kill. Second, even though the balloons didn't launch until 7:30 p.m., all the best viewing spots were taken by 7:30 a.m.! We did manage to find an awesome spot on a nearby soccer field to see all the balloons take off and pepper the sky but, now that we know how it works, we'll plan better for next year. And, as we found out later, there is an event at dusk called the "balloon glow." Evidently several of the balloons return to the launch field and light up as a part of a bigger musical, pyrotechnics thingie – cool!

By the way, Harmon loved the balloons and kept saying "more, more, more" as they kept taking off into the sky. He didn't call them balloons, though, like we thought he would. He actually said apple at one point (weirdo)! In addition to the balloons, he got to see a few helicopters (or, as he calls them, helpacas) and he LOVED them. One of them landed near where we were sitting (albeit beyond the trees) and he just wouldn't stop yelling HEL-PA-CA, HEL-PA-CA! And then, when it took off again, he went bananas!

As the night was winding down and he was getting tired, he sat with me face-to-face in the grass of this huge soccer field and we just talked. It was one of the quietest, sweetest moments we've had in a while. We talked about helicopters and a nearby bunny and the balloons and all kinds of things. I loved that he just sat there with me – so sweet.

It all made for a fun Saturday!

Harmon and the Waves

Last August, Kevin and I took Harmon to the U-M Wave Field. I've always thought it was cool and, after last year's visit, I made a mental note to go back once Harmon could walk. I wanted to see (him fall down a ton) how he navigated all those little waves. Well, we went back this past Friday night and had a great time! And, he handled the waves just fine – sliding down them on his butt like they were mini playground slides. We played hide and seek amidst the waves and Harmon pointed at everything in the sky (helicopters, airplanes, the moon). Harmon also picked me my first flower!

The time BH – before Harmon

Recently, we had a frustrating mall trip. We went because Harmon had to get yet another haircut, which is always an ordeal. Once we arrived, we realized we forgot Harmon's stoller (and had to use the mall version – yuck). So, with an unhappy toddler in an uncomfortable stroller the trip didn't go so well. These few frustrating hours got me thinking about all the things we used to do before Harmon entered our lives. Now, let’s be clear, I love Harmon more than anything else in this world. I would die a million times for that child! But, sometimes, I miss some of the things we USED to do. So, here is a list, in no particular order, of the top five things I miss doing BH:

1. Mall trips
Before Harmon was born, Kevin and I used to go to the mall all the time. We would go for a few minutes or a few hours, depending on the task at hand. I could look at clothes or perfume or purses or whatever for as long as I wanted. Once Harmon was born, this all ended. Now, every time we’re at the mall and I try to look at ANYTHING for ME, Harmon decides that it just can’t happen. All attention must be focused on him – we must be at BABY GAP, not GAP!

2. Dinner
Dinner used to be a fun time for me and Kevin. In fact, the entire time we lived in our apartment at Pendleton Park, we used our dining room table ONCE. Our typical routine was to gather our yummy food and plant ourselves in front of the TV for a long, long time! These days, after battling with Harmon to ingest JUST A FEW PEAS, we end up eating a truncated, cold dinner. And, to add to the inconvenience, we also have to perform lots of musical numbers to get through whatever meat item we’re attempting to feed to Harmon that night!

3. Baggage
God, I SO miss leaving the house without a 40-pound diaper bag, various toys, a sippy cup, a stroller and God only knows what else. What happened to the days of wallet, keys, sunglasses, gone???

4. Night baseball games
Kevin took me to the Indians-Tigers game on May 27. It was the first night baseball game we’ve been to since the 2005 All-Star Game. Even though the Tigers stunk up the place that night (and on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, no less), it was so awesome to be at the ballpark at night. Actually, to me, there are few things in life as awesome as a gorgeous summer night under the lights at the old ballpark! I know this will change as Harmon gets older but, until then, I miss this so much!

5. Opening night of movies
We really wanted to see Knocked Up when it opened a couple of weeks ago and, in the past, we would have just up and went. But, that’s not how it works anymore. We’ll probably still see it, but at a matinee when it’s convenient for my parents to watch Harmon. Matinees are fine and actually Kevin and I have been able to see quite a few movies thanks to my Mom and Dad. But, I do miss heading to the theater on that opening Friday night!

Ah, parenthood!

Fearless on Father's Day

It still sounds a little strange when people say "Happy Father's Day" to me. It's hard to believe this is my second Father's Day with our son, Harmon. But, as I watch my little buddy grow from an infant to a little boy, I know that I am the luckiest Dad on the face of the Earth. He is such a handsome little man, and grows both in size and personality every day. He is very well-behaved and, as I found out today, very fearless.

Because it was hot today -- almost 90 degrees -- we took him to Jungle Java, an indoor play facility on the west side of Ann Arbor. We barely had time to take his shoes off before he was thundering up and down the ramps and slide. When we first got there, he was the only toddler and pretty much had run of the place. Harmon must have gone down the slide 50 times in the two hours we were there. He absolutely loved it, and save for the occasional glance or smile at us, really didn't need for us to be there. As more toddlers arrived, Harmon still journeyed up and down the ramps and down the slide. There was a little more traffic to deal with, but he was very patient, and allowed most of the new kids that had arrived to have their turns, too. Besides being very handsome and strong, he is also very polite and considerate of others.

While he was playing in the toddler area, I could not help but watch all of the kids playing in the much-larger jungle gym at the heart of the center. This contraption of mazes, nets, slides, pads, ramps and various other rooms must have been 100 feet long and more than 20 feet off the ground in some places. I just figured that Harmon was too small for it, but I went and asked the people in charge. They said, as long as he could crawl and keep up with the pace, he could go up in it. We really wanted to try, and less than a minute into the experience, I understood just how fearless our little 19-month-old has become.

Harmon was everywhere -- running, sliding, crawling, jumping and wearing his Daddy out! And, as much as I tried to play along and follow, he was always three steps ahead of me. There was even a small room in the gym that had a small basketball hoop and several balls. After helping Harmon throw down the first slam dunks of his young life, he wanted to take the balls with him on his journey. We finally made it to the top and all that was left was the huge, enclosed, twisting slide. I grabbed Harmon and down we went. He laughed all the way down, but I didn't want to get going full speed, in case there was a little boy or girl in the slide or at the bottom about to get an unwanted boot in the eye! We made it to the bottom -- albeit 20 feet short -- and Harmon crawled out and back to his Mama. I was sweating profusely, and as I write this, in dire need of an Advil or six. But, Harmon had a blast and even took a few more turns on the toddler slide before we left.

All is all, it was a perfect Father's Day. I had received some of my gifts earlier, including a new Nike sports watch, much-needed pair of new "chocolate shoes," socks and Nike shorts. Harmon got me some magnets for my office area at work, and Isabel gave me one of our favorite DVDs, "Tin Cup." I am very blessed to have such a wonderful family. For a little while today, I was a little kid again and able to see what Harmon sees. Both us us will sleep well tonight.

Hail to the Victors!

Ever since Harmon was born, I’ve been careful not to suffocate him with Michigan stuff. Maybe I figured there would be time later or maybe I decided to pace myself so as not to make him revolt against it one day (and go to some awful place like Notre Dame). He’s only had a couple of t-shirts and sweatshirts and a hat or two and the only sporting event we’ve taken him to so far is a Michigan baseball game.

So, with all this restraint, imagine my surprise when he started to sing along to the tune of “The Victors!" As many of you know, my cell phone ring tone is “The Victors” and my phone rings quite frequently (usually my parents or my sisters calling to check on Harmon’ latest shenanigans). Evidently, this has worn off on Harmon and he gets so excited with each call. We’re trying to get video of this so I can show it to him when he gets older. But, until then, I’ll just enjoy the fact that he has learned my alma mater’s fight song accidentally on purpose!

Historical no-no

In case you missed it, last night Justin Verlander pitched a no-hitter, the first no-hitter by a Tigers' pitcher since Jack Morris did in back on April 7, 1984 and the first no-hitter IN DETROIT (Morris' gem was at Comiskey Park against the White Sox) since Virgil Trucks did it against the Washington Senators on May 15, 1952.

A no-hitter in baseball is such a special thing, something you may never see. And, thanks to Kevin, I didn't miss it. Although I wasn't at the ballpark (I am SO jealous of all those people who were plus it's hard with a toddler to just get up and go, you know), I did get to catch it on TV. After our nightly walk, I turned the game on while I was getting Harmon ready for bed. We were up 4-0 and I knew Verlander was having a hell of a game (he struck out his 10th batter just as I started reading Harmon's his bedtime stories). Once Harmon was asleep, I came into the den and Kevin asked me if I was going to turn the game on in there. I told him no because a) it was on in the other room and b) I knew we needed to clean (Tuesday nights are cleaning nights at the Bergquist house). He then said, so matter-of-factly, "you know he's got a no-hitter going, right?" I must have not looked at the hits column when the game went to commercial and, after reading today's papers, I know the Tigers' radio and TV announcers were doing their best NOT to point it out and thus jinx it. At any rate, I tuned in for the last two innings and was lucky enough to witness history. When Magglio caught that final out, I got tingles up and down my spine (only baseball can do that)!

There was so much information and so many stories and photos to sift through this morning, it was so exciting. And, congrats to Verlander who, at 24, has done one of the things pitchers dream of their entire lives.

OK, some fun links about the no-no:

CBS SportsLine story

ESPN story

Detroit Free Press info

Detroit News info

Detroit Tigers web site

19 months old

I wish all my friends who had kids before me would have told me how much fun it is to have a toddler! Harmon is 19 months old today and he is a blast. Kevin says we need to take more video of him, not only because he doesn't slow down long enough for pictures anymore but, more importantly, because he is hilarious.

Lately, he's really noticed his belly button. He walks around pointing to it and insists on seeing everyone else's belly button. It's great fun for all involved when I send him on a search for Kevin's belly button and then Kevin does the same to me.

When not searching for belly buttons, he continues to have a language explosion. He knows so many words, it's just amazing! His favorites lately have been "toe," "shoe," "up," "more" and "outside." He says "outside" with a slight lisp so it comes out sounding like "outshide." It's very sweet! Also, we've noticed he says his "r" sounds like he's from Boston!

In addition to all the talking, he LOVES to sing. It's not out of the ordinary to hear him singing his ABCs while he's in his crib or playing with his toys. While he's singing this, he does the "LMNOP" really well and it's very cute how he says "W." While he may not get EVERY letter or word just right, he does get the syllables and the tunes perfectly. When I was rocking him to sleep last week, it was so amazing to hear him singing along with me to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame!"

It's not all letters at the Bergquist house, though! We've been working a ton with him on his numbers, 1-10. He gets through them pretty well, with the exception of "4." He likes to skip it and go straight to 5!

Since the weather has been so nice, we've been walking together every night. Unless we have errands to run at the nearby stores, we usually load Harmon up in his wagon (which, by the way, hauling him around is quite a workout). There are two parks in our neighborhood that we go to and he knows exactly where they are. Last week, we took a different route and were a few blocks from one of the parks and, as we started to turn back for home, he started to cry and call for the "swings." We were stunned he knew where he was so we ended up rewarding his memory with a ride on the swings!

OK, a few more things. I think he just might be working on some two-year molars because he is once again drooling like a St. Bernard and gnawing on everything in sight, including his arms. It's so weird to see him attached to his own forearm like an eel!

He's been very good lately with picking up his toys. If he wants to play with his Legos (or, as he calls them, his noo-noos), he has to put away his blocks. And, even when he does have a lot of his toys out, he's quite the organizer. He'll line up his blocks or make sure all his balls are together. Good to know I passed on the anal trait!

One of the funniest things he's started to do over the last few weeks is call out his roster of names. When he wakes up, he calls for "Dada." If Kevin doesn't respond, he calls for "Mama." If I don't get there soon enough, he starts with all the other members of the family – Nana, Erin, Papa, Stacey, Grandpa, Grandpa, Isabel. Also, at random times throughout the day, he'll do this little line-up. It's very funny!

We just love every minute with him! He is so fun and so smart and so sweet – we just can't get enough!

Harmon and Mommy

As usual, Kevin is so thoughtful. He put together this cool little ditty of photos of Harmon and me – from our very first picture together up through a picture taken just a few weeks ago. He did all the work. I just chose the music – Bruce Springsteen’s Growin’ Up!

And, thanks to my friend, Molly, for letting me know about this!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Ain’t Got You

Last night, I had the coolest dream. I was back in college and my entire class decided to ditch and head to a cool, underground club-type place (very much like The Shelter in Eight Mile) where famous musicians would play small sets all the time. We all took turns making requests and the music was awesome! When it was my turn to choose which musician I wanted to hear, I went up to the front to choose some Bruce Springsteen and he happened to be standing right there, all ready to go, like he was waiting just for me. He looked almost exactly like he did on the cover of his Darkness on the Edge of Town album (less puffy hair, though) and he was so hot. He asked me my name and started asking all kinds of other things about me. And, the way he was looking at me was awesome – he was totally into me! So, he took the stage and sang Thunder Road, substituting my name for Mary in the first part of the song (the screen door slams, Aimee’s dress waves …). I thought I was going to die! After his set, he came and talked to me more and still just couldn’t get enough of me. I SO did not want to wake up.

Of course, Kevin rolled his eyes but he knows of my love for Bruce Springsteen. In fact, he feeds into it. He’s the one who bought me my iPod shuffle and loaded ONLY Bruce on it for me. I’ve been listening to him non-stop since Mother’s Day so it’s no wonder I was dreaming about him!

I know it’s SO cheesy but I had to share. Writing it down will help the dream live on forever!

Ding dong! The binky’s dead!

When Harmon was only an hour or so old, the nurse in the recovery room asked if it was OK for him to have a pacifier. Kevin and I were fine with it thus his love affair with his “binky” began. Although I don’t ever think he was an excessive binky user, I was more than a little nervous about weaning him off of it. Right after his first birthday, he really cut down on the binky usage (using it only at night and during naps) and I thought it might go “bye bye” early. But, in the middle of January, he got a bad case of bronchiolitis and really needed it. He still mainly used it to help him sleep but there also were a few times, here and there, when he specifically asked for it.

In my mind, I always had hoped to have him weaned by the time he was 18 months old. I figured if I let him go much longer with it, he would be five years old before he broke the habit! He must have read my mind because, in the last month, he has all but forgotten about his friend the binky. Although we gave it to him Saturday during the misery that was his haircut, he’s used it only one other time during the past month. So, as of Sunday, June 3, we’re calling it – the binky is dead!

Eerie (ha, ha) night in Cleveland

This weekend was a Cleveland-Detroit sports weekend (the Cavs defeated the Pistons to advance to the NBA Finals and the Indians and Tigers spilt a four-game series) and all the news got me thinking about a trip I took to Cleveland back in 1999.

I was working for Visteon Racing and traveled with a group of my co-workers to Cleveland for the Grand Prix of Cleveland. It was a fun weekend – we stayed at the Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland and spent way too much time at The Flats. My fun weekend ended once I went to bed on Saturday night. As I was falling asleep (during that weird time when you’re not quite asleep but you’re not quite awake either), someone entered my hotel room and began feeling around by the foot of my bed. At first, I thought maybe I was dreaming but, when I realized I wasn’t, I just laid there and remained as still as I could be. After what seemed like HOURS (and I’m sure it was only seconds), this person left the room. I then bolted up, CHAINED the door (if nothing else, I learned that night to ALWAYS chain the door) and sat there trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. My initial thought was that it was housekeeping maybe looking for something, like a maid looking for a lost earring. But then I thought, why would he/she have to enter my room in the middle of the night??? I also thought maybe there was some mix up at the front desk, my room was listed as vacant and someone else had a key to enter. But then, why would that person be monkeying around with my bed (not to mention, this type of thing is not supposed to happen at the RITZ)??? To this day, I have NO IDEA what happened that night but, every single time I think about it, I get the willies!

Stealing content = lazy

OK, maybe it's not really stealing since I'm the one who said it. Anyway, from my sister Stacey's blog today (it was funny so I had to steal):


My sister says Harmon

would put this baby turtle

in his shape sorter

Surrender

Over the past few days, I’ve had to surrender my Mommy card! Kevin’s parents were here for an extended Memorial Day weekend and times like these are always a little tough on me. Instead of being Harmon’s Mom 24/7, I have to step back and let go. In lieu of being an overbearing, over involved Mom, I kind of try to be invisible. Of course, this approach then can look like I’m an uninvolved, uninterested Mom but, either way, I can’t win. The best way I can explain this is that I have to stop being Harmon’s Mom COLD TURKEY and it's HARD.

On Friday, I was out running my usual errands – errands I typically run WITH Harmon. And, because I was alone, it seemed that everyone I saw had their adorable sons with them. If you’ve ever seen Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, I felt like Pee Wee Herman right after his bike was stolen. Everyone he saw had a bike – everything from a tricycle to a motorcycle!

As a Mom, I don’t take a lot of “me” time. In fact, my idea of “me” time is the 45 minutes or so I spend eating breakfast and reading the internets on weekend mornings. But, just to clarify, I don’t WANT a lot of “me” time. I love being with Harmon and we’re really never apart. So, when I am forced to step back and let go, it truly feels like a part of me is missing.

Advances

At Harmon's last well-child exam, the doctor asked us how many words he was saying. We were caught completely off guard as we gave up trying to keep track a long time ago! He says a TON of words, new ones each and every day (glad to know ALL the reading and talking are paying off). His newest thing has been to say, "Hi, Mama (or Dada)" and "Bye, bye, Mama (or Dada)." The other morning, when I got him out of his crib, he said "Bye, bye, bubbles" as we were leaving his room (of course in reference to the oversized plastic jelly beans I put on the tree outside his window at Easter – he refuses to accept the fact that they no longer are on the tree). I think he is so close to a sentence, it's so exciting!

In addition to the incessant talking, he loves to sing (and dance). His favorite nursery rhymes to sing along to include Old MacDonald; Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star; Where is Thumbkin?; Baa Baa Black Sheep; and B-I-N-G-O. And, last night, when my cell phone rang, he started to sing the tune of "Hail to the Victors!" He also loves Take Me Out to the Ballgame and the music in the Hanson Windows and Empire Carpet commercials (weirdo). Any music, in fact, will get him going (well, except for country music – thank the good Lord)!

When he wants to rock out, he even knows how to turn on his Daddy's clock radio. He kept turning it on yesterday and doing this little headbanger motion to WRIF!

Harmon will get to share all his new tricks with his Grandpa and Grandma Bergquist who will be here for the holiday weekend. They haven’t seen him since Easter so he'll be especially entertaining!

Sleeping like a lamb

Ever since Harmon was just a little baby, he's been a fantastic sleeper. The hardest time, which really wasn't that hard at all when we think about some of our friends, was the first couple of weeks. He would wake up like clockwork at 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.! Once we got through that, he began waking up only once during the night and then, right as we welcomed 2006, he started sleeping through the night.

After Harmon started day care, and I went back to work, I can think of only a few times when we all were dog tired. In fact, the only time Harmon ever strayed from his normal good sleeping habits was when he wasn't feeling too well.

Today, he continues his good sleeping habits and we appreciate it more then he'll ever know! On Tuesdays and Thursdays, when he goes to day care, we have to wake HIM up at 7:30 a.m. And, on the weekends, it's not out of the ordinary for him to sleep until 9 or 10 in the morning. I think, on average, his normal waking time would be somewhere between 8-9 a.m. if we all had the same schedule every day.

I'm sure some of it has to do with his bedtime, which is between 8:30-9 p.m. As an aside, you should see some of the looks we get when we tell people his bedtime, you would think we were abusing our child! But, we simply can't put him to bed any earlier because then we would never see him. We get home between 5-6 p.m. most days and then have dinner and go for a walk or play. And, if it's bath night, we have to build in that time too. So, if he went to bed at say, 7 p.m., we would get no time with him at all. Call us selfish!

In addition to his overnight sleep, he takes at least one huge nap every day. Sometimes he may take a second one but you can count on one for sure. This schedule seems to work for him and it works for us too. So, all that talk about not getting any sleep with a baby hasn’t really applied to us and, sweet little Harmon, we thank you so much for that!

Weekend variety

Since Kevin worked late last Monday and was out of town Wednesday and Thursday, he decided to take Friday off and spend the day with us. Harmon slept in until 10 a.m. (I am not even kidding) so we got a late start but ended up having a great day anyway. We drove up to Kensington Metropark, which was a place Kevin and I used to go when we lived in New Hudson, and visited the Farm Learning Center and the Playfield. It was a great time to stop by the Farm Learning Center as it was feeding time and ALL the animals were talking. There was a cow that was mooing like crazy and two sheep that were yelling back and forth at each other. And, there were a ton of baby animals that were just born including the cutest baby goats and baby pigs that I’ve ever seen. Although Harmon knows the noises most common animals make, it was great for him to hear them live! After our time at the farm, we went to the Playfield for a while. Harmon played on the swings and the slide and spent a lot of time running on the infield and outfield of the baseball field. I think he probably walked a half mile or so and ended up getting really tired on the way back to the car so we gave him a ride! He was worn out on the way home – he was asleep in the car in no time.

On Saturday, Harmon AGAIN slept until 10 a.m. (this kid is the best sleeper ever) but we didn’t have big plans that day so it was OK. We actually had planned on going out to a nice dinner to celebrate Kevin finishing his master’s degree and he decided he wanted to do it yesterday. So, we got ready and trekked up to Brighton to go to Stillwater Grill (Kevin’s dinner locale of choice). We hadn’t been there in a while so it was REALLY good. They give you SO MUCH food, it’s ridiculous. The only strike against this place is that it has Pepsi instead of Coke. After dinner, we walked around the new lifestyle center in Brighton, Green Oak Village Place. We looked a bit for some new shoes for Kevin but he decided to spare me the torture and do this on his own, possibly on Monday afternoon when he's home with Harmon. Once we got home, we took Harmon for a long wagon ride and then put him to bed.

On Sunday, we went to Comerica Park to see my Tigers take on Kevin’s Cardinals. Just like last year, the Tigers swept the Cardinals but Kevin’s still got scoreboard on me since his team decided to field and throw the ball without incident and win the 2006 World Series. We had surprisingly good seats and it was a fun game. And, Harmon was a good boy sitting through all that baseball. I think he’s starting to realize that if he is good, he just might get a present (like a new Tigers’ bat and ball). After another long wagon ride, we gave him his bath and put him to bed thus ending another fantastic weekend with him. What a great kid we have!

Raining in Baltimore

As Kevin reported earlier this evening, it’s raining in Baltimore (like the Counting Crows). He’s there on business with his boss for a couple of days (today and Thursday) and I’m alone with Harmon overnight for the first time. I guess we’re really lucky that he doesn’t have to do this sort of thing too often. Actually, this is the first business trip either one of us has had to take since Harmon was born. He gets Mommy and Daddy all the time!

Kevin just called to say good night and asked me to put the phone near Harmon so he could hear him snoring – so cute. He misses him so much.

Above is a picture Kevin and I took at Oriole Park at Camden Yards when we visited back in 2004. What a great trip that was! I’m a little jealous that’s he there right now, for more reasons than just Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory!

Boys morning out

There were many things to be excited about when we moved into our first home in Ann Arbor in 2005. Being closer to work; finally living in the town in which we met and were married; having a front and back yard and a garage, and basically just owning a house and being able to do what we want with it (just wait until the basement is done!). But, there was more cause for excitement. Yes, there is a Denny's less than a half-mile away. And ever since the day Harmon was born, I dreamed about taking him in his stroller and having a boy's breakfast at Denny's.

Well, Saturday morning he woke up early and it was a nice, sunny day. So, we packed up the stroller and a blanket (it was still a little cool) and headed out at 8 a.m. for the oasis of pancakes. Harmon really likes pancakes and ate a whole one, in addition to a link sausage. He washed it down with milk, and was a very good boy the whole time. We were pretty much alone at the beginning of our breakfast, but there were others around us just before we left. Of course, Harmon has to talk with everyone and show them his Elmo. He is such a social baby.

Our tummies full, we still had some work to do. We stopped by Whole Foods and Harmon picked out some Mother's Day flowers for Nana. Then we continued on to Panera to pick up Mommy some bagels for breakfast. We completed that breakfast run with a final stop, at Starbucks, for Mommy's favorite drink. We ran into a little rain, which caused us to duck into Barnes & Nobles (yes, I know it is Noble). There, Harmon scored a new Elmo book.

It was a fun morning, Harmon was well-behaved, as always, and Daddy fulfilled his dream.