Buoyant boys

Although it took us a little while to get there, we took the first of our two family vacations this summer to Minnesota to spend five days on Upper Gull Lake. We left the evening of July 2 and made it as far as Minneapolis, but bad weather back in Detroit had delayed us too much. We made a mad dash — O.J.-style — through the Minneapolis airport, only to see our connecting flight pulled back from the gate. So we spent two hours retrieving our luggage and scrambling to find a hotel at 11:30 at night. We found one of the last few rooms at a Holiday Inn near the airport, and settled in for a quick night.

Harmon and Simon and Aimee were absolute saints during all of this. We kind of expected the boys to be a little cranky, as our second flight would have gotten us into Brainerd at 11:30 p.m. anyway, but they were very well-behaved, considering the circumstances. Even as we sat on the tarmac in Detroit for almost two hours, the boys — albeit distracted by iPads and DVD players — kept their cool.

We were re-booked for the first flight the next day, and arrived in plenty of time to feed the boys and catch up on the Casey Anthony trial — our obsession for the better part of three years, including the final week. The flight from Minneapolis to Brainerd was approximately 20 minutes and my Dad picked us up at the airport. We arrived back at the cabin about 1 p.m. and the boys immediately wanted to get in the water. We knew Harmon would do fine, as he is taking swimming lessons, but we weren’t so sure about Simon on his inaugural trip Up North. Harmon did fine, save for his fear of weeds, but Simon — true to his nature — was the real daredevil. He quickly wanted to venture out into deeper water, and by the end of the week he was jumping off the dock with a life preserver on. In fact, both boys were little fish most of the week and couldn’t wait to get in the water.

We kept very busy during the five days, eating at Bar Harbor, Zorbaz, Ernie’s on Gull, etc., and taking lots of boat rides. The boys loved taking turns “driving” the pontoon with Grandpa, although Simon was very upset when Grandpa put his hands on the wheel, as he wants to do everything “by his own self.

On July 5, while the boys went to the park with Grandma and Aunt Angela, Aimee and I cleaned off the paddleboat and headed down to the north end of the lake to catch two turtles for the boys for the Nisswa Turtle Races. The races have been a summer tradition for my 40 years, including the time we served as turtle “brokers” for about 10 summers, netting (no pun intended), like $1,000 (I know, CSB!). I was a little rusty in seeing and catching turtles, but Aimee spotted a few and we eventually netted two mid-size painters. Harmon and Simon named them, appropriately, “Mario” and “Luigi,” after their favorite video game, Super Mario Kart.

On July 6, we drove the boys into Nisswa and I waited in line for about 30 minutes to get two numbers for the turtles. We secured two spots in the 500-range and settled in to watch the races. When our numbers were called, I took Simon and Aimee took Harmon to the center of the track. I was watching Luigi when I noticed that Harmon’s Mario was booking for the finish line. Lo and behold, Mario crossed the finish line and Harmon had officially settled into his Daddy’s footsteps in Turtle Race lore. Harmon was so proud! Mario let up in the semifinals, so his racing days were over after just two heats (on our final day at the cabin, we let the turtles go off the front of the pontoon and let them swim back to their homes). The boys were tired, so my Dad took them back to the cabin while Aimee and I looked around town a little. When we came back home, of course, Harmon had been swimming.

We left mid-day on July 8, exhausted, but well-tanned and glad the boys had so much fun. They got to spend some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Angela, and my Uncle Bill finally got to meet Simon. I also got to spend some time with Tommy Fournier. We used to be inseparable during our summers growing up, and it was great to catch up. Harmon had fun swimming with his two little girls.

After a quick flight to Minneapolis, the boys both feel asleep on the second leg back to Detroit. We grabbed our luggage, took a shuttle to our car and were back home by 7 p.m. It was our first trip without Isabel in our lives, and it was a little sad to come home and not see her cage in the living room. We took the weekend to recuperate and get ready to go back to work. All in all, it was a great trip and a fun time for the boys.

Last year, we added a second, mini-vacation to our plans by going to Traverse City in mid-August. Hoping to make it a family tradition, we will go again this year and hopefully many years to come. We want to get away and enjoy some time with the boys before Harmon starts Kindergarten after Labor Day (sniff, sniff).

I must be in the front row!

Each year, we hit up Comerica Park several times with the boys and while I would love to watch every pitch of every inning, I know our time at the ballpark with the boys isn't about me. It's about them having a great experience and learning to love everything about Tigers' baseball. Because of this, though, Kevin will usually take me to a game - by ourselves - in July for my birthday. Well, that once-a-summer game was this past weekend and it was freakin' awesome!

Kevin outdid himself getting front-row seats behind home plate for the White Sox- Tigers game on Saturday. It was a 4:10 p.m. start, which meant the ballpark opened just after 2 p.m. and we were there! I felt like a little kid just watching batting practice with my mouth wide open! In all my years, I've NEVER sat that close so I tried to take in every second. It was awesome that it was the White Sox because I have a unexplainable love for Ozzie Guillen. And, to make it even better, it was a Scherzer start and I love me some Max Scherzer!

Aside from moving my arm to get a drink of beer, I did not move for nine innings. While the outcome could have been better (they lost 5-0, score some damn runs) and it could have been a little cooler (it was 88 most of the game), I had an unbelievable time! It was a day that won't soon be forgotten and it was one of the BEST birthday presents ever!

No longer napping 'Nators!

Many kids at school and many of my friends' kids gave up napping LONG AGO but Harmon has remained a good napper ... until now. I think once we hit June, he decided he would phase HIMSELF out of naps. The will still nap if he's up before 7 a.m. - like on school days - of if we're just riding in the car for a while, like on the weekends. He never could resist a car nap!

I suppose it's just as well because he won't get a nap in kindergarten. I think, though, that we'll have to put him to bed a bit earlier each night, at least in the beginning, just to make sure he's getting enough sleep. He's always really welcomed his naps and I hope Simon keeps on napping as long as Harmon has. It helps to have the house quiet, if only for an hour or so!

Brown eyes, blue eyes

On Monday mornings, Kevin drops me off at work first and then drops the boys at school. Before I head into my building, I give and receive all those awesome hugs and kisses but their favorite part is when I saw "bye, brown eyes" to Harmon and "bye, blue eyes" to Simon. I don't know WHY they start looking at each other and getting all giggly but I love those giggles! They are the perfect start to a Monday workday!

Diamondbacks at Tigers

So, our second Tigers' game this year was much, much better. Not only did the Tigers' come away with an awesome come-from-behind win but the boys got to do all the things they wanted to do. We got there early - in time to see the retiring of Sparky Anderson's number - and immediately hit up the face painting booth. Harmon desperately wanted his face painted like a Tiger and it was well worth it - he was very cute! We then grabbed the boys some hot dogs and pretzels so they could make the biggest decision of the afternoon - carousel or ferris wheel. Since they rode the carousel at our last game back in May, the ferris wheel won. The line wasn't too bad and we loaded into our "baseball" car before Simon had the chance to escape (he was a little grumpy and just wanted to run free). We then hit the upper deck concourse and caught the last half of the game. It was hot so I watched in the sun while Kevin kept the boys in the shade. Harmon would join me every now and then to ask what the score was, who was batting, etc.  SIDE NOTE: I LOVE that he's finally asking these questions.

After another save by Papa Grande, we headed down to the main concourse to get in line for kids run the bases. The line - which we were near the end of - wrapped around the entire stadium but it moved pretty quickly. Before we knew it, both boys were hand in hand taking steps on the field at Comerica Park! Harmon was very sweet in showing Simon where to start before he took off running - Harmon was about to home plate as Simon was rounding 2nd base. Kevin and I were trying to snap pictures and videos so we weren't right at home plate when Simon finished. He looked a little lost so Harmon went into the fray to retrieve him and bring him to us. It was, quite frankly, one of the sweetest brother moments I've seen between them!

Once we got packed up, we headed to the car and both of them were out pretty fast. I asked Kevin if we could drive by the old Tiger Stadium site on our way out of town and we did. There was a group of kids playing baseball there, which was good to see. The flagpole was still there too, with the flag flying high. It was a very odd moment for me - thinking about all that has happened at that famous corner of Michigan and Trumbull and thinking about how my boys won't ever know what it was like there. I'll have to tell some very good stories so they'll FEEL like they've been there. Every trip to the ballpark makes me so happy I have boys - I hope there are many, many, many trips to the ballpark in our future.

Cars 2

When Cars premiered - June 9, 2006 - Harmon was only six months old so he didn't care. He didn't even know he was alive. As he got a little older, though, it was ON! He loved that movie like no other and, because his parents are geeks, he had every damn car from that movie along with all the accoutrements. And, because Harmon loved Cars, so does Simon. It was a HUGE step in their relationship when Harmon FINALLY allowed Simon to place with his precious "face cars!"

 

Anyway, once both boys realized Cars 2 was coming out, there was a countdown of sorts. Not much time would go by without Harmon reminding us about the June 24th date!

 

So, on Friday, June 24, Kevin took the day off and we took the boys to an 11 a.m. showing. Things started off very well with both boys fixated on the big screen, snacks in hand. But, as we reached the one-hour mark, Simon started to get a little restless. As an aside, Cars 2 is 1 hour and 53 minutes long. Come ON! That's LONG for a Disney movie (the first one was 1 hour and 17 minutes). Harmon did well but the younger kids were all having a hard time holding it together!

 

Harmon loved it even though it was more Mater-focused and had much more of a plot than the first one. Simon liked it too, even though he didn't see ALL of it. Afterward, I asked them what their favorite parts were. Harmon loved the opening scene with the water, ships, spies, etc. Simon simply liked the racing! They had a great time and so did we! And, of course, we went straight to Toys R Us after the movie to get more "face cars." The boys now have about 10 cars from the new movie and they love them. Or maybe Mom and Dad just love having something to collect (remember those baseball cards)!

31-month update

So, Simon is just over 2 1/2 but you would think he was just over 5 1/2. He wants to do everything his big brother does, it doesn't matter what it is. Rare is it that he'll let me rock him to sleep anymore. If he's still plenty awake, he'll talk your ear off for 20 minutes or so until he settles down. He loves to tell stories and just tell you about "his day." If he's tired, he'll just crawl up in his bed and start playing with his ears. Speaking of his ears, he's always played with them but, lately, it's been excessive so we're getting those things checked out, just in case. Unlike Harmon, he's not one to get out of bed once he's in and he usually doesn't request that someone to stay with him until he settles down or falls asleep. As I've said before, he's our independent one.

 

Lately, we've been transitioning him out of his high chair. It's a challenge but a necessary one. Sometimes he's very good; other times, he's crazy. I assume it will get better as it has with Harmon. On a few occassions, we've tried letting them eat a meal together but that usually ends in chaos. We may wait a bit longer on that. And, speaking of eating, he eats like a horse. Most of the time, he is bottomless. What are we in for?!?!

 

Now that he's bigger, he doesn't put up with his brother's crap as much as he used to. More often that not, Harmon ends up being the first one crying after one of their little "wrestling matches." The look in Simon's eyes when they are scrapping is classic! I have to try to catch it on video. He is pissed off and determined all at once. I can see him having that same look later in life. I wouldn't mess with Simon, as he gets older, that is for sure. 

 

He has a soft side, though. He still loves to give everyone kisses and hugs and, if there is a dog in the vicinity, he has to pet it! As I always tell Kevin, there is not a lot of in-between with Simon: he's on or off. He knows no boundaries and definitely no volume. He can be extreme at times and I imagine that's why he's so damn cute - makes it easier to handle him!

T-ball

When I was pregnant with Harmon, we didn't want to find out what we were having. We figured it was life's last big surprise and we wanted to be surprised. Although we didn't know, we THOUGHT it was a girl, for sure. She was to be named Maizey Bryn Bergquist. I think I wanted a girl because, having two younger sisters, it was just what I was comfortable with. I honestly think Kevin didn't really care one way or another.

So, when Harmon was born and the doctor said "you have a baby boy," we quite honestly felt a little guilty and a little sad. Those feelings only lasted seconds, though, and then they gave Harmon to Kevin and Kevin brought him to see me. It was at that moment that I realized all the awesome things having a boy would bring! One of those things was baseball and you can't get to baseball without t-ball first. It's like crawling and walking before running.

Not that I ever wanted to hurry him in growing up (it goes fast enough) but I have been excited for t-ball since I first saw this perfect little face. The earliest he could start, in the Ann Arbor area, was the summer before kindergarten so he FINALLY had his first practice on June 1. It started off well, too. He was very excited to get out there and he got his team t-shirt - he's rocking the #2 (like Jeter). We've done a lot with him at home so I think this made it easier for him. He likes the hitting part so much more than the throwing and fielding part (he does live in an AL city, thus the DH rule) but we're working on it. I think the most important thing, though, is that after each practice and game, he's made it a point to thank me for signing him up for t-ball. This is something he's never done before and something I hope he's doing because he's having a great time. Having fun is half the battle and, if he keeps having fun, I'll have a good time seeing where this goes.

Blisters and bloody noses

So, this spring has been a little rough on Simon. He doesn't complain about any of it but it happens nonetheless. Two different pairs of shoes have given him some nasty blisters - blisters that can only be soothed with Neosporin and Scooby Doo band aids. He's also had a few bloody noses as well. One came from Harmon (fighting brothers, ugh) but the others came from just bumping his nose while he's playing. I'm hoping, as summer enters the scene, that he'll have fewer blisters and bloody noses.

Tooth #3

Harmon lost tooth #3 Tuesday, June 14. Kevin called me at work to tell me about it and he mentioned that I've not been around for ANY of the tooth losses. I'm sad. Anyway, I wasn't surprised. His bottom front adult teeth are almost all the way in and this latest tooth to bolt his gums was right next to his front, bottom left. When he had kindergarten orientation back in May, the teacher asked all the kids if they had lost any teeth yet. Harmon was the only one to raise his hand. I'm guessing he'll have at least one more (next to his front, bottom right) for the tooth fairy before school starts in September.

At the ballpark

Back when Tigers tickets went on sale, we picked one Sunday (kids' day) each month and bought $5 tickets. We're never in our seats long so we figured why spend more, right? And, this is the last year Simon is free so it's a great deal!

Anyway, our first game was Sunday, May 29 and the boys had a great time (despite the fact that the Tigers lost to the Red Sox). They rode the carousel (Simon's first time) and ate way too much food. Because the game the previous night was postponed due to rain, Sunday turned into a day/night doubleheader and the kids run the bases event after the day game - our game - was cancelled. The boys were sad about this so we tried to make it up with a ride in the ferris wheel but ... yeah ... the wait was HOURS long. Harmon also expressed an interest in getting his face painted (as a Tiger) - something I NEVER thought he would go for - but by the time we got to the face painting booth, they were closed. All in all, we kind of struck out on the day or, at the most, went 1 for 4 (a good day for Brandon Inge). I'm hoping we can do a little better at our next game on Sunday, June 26.

The best part of waking up ...

On Mondays and Thursdays, that days the boys go to school, Kevin will peel Simon off his sheet and bring him to me in our bed. He'll then wake Harmon and have him stumble into our bed, usually with his pillow pet in tow. Having those five morning minutes with my groggy boys is the highlight of my day by far. They are half asleep and all soft and snuggly. It's very sweet to just watch them wake up for another day of being 5 and 2. Simon will usually perk up first and then Kevin will get him on the potty. Harmon takes a little longer so we'll stay back and grab a few more snuggles. I know stuff like this won't last forever so I try to enjoy it as much as I can!

Progressing on the potty

Over a year ago, I was sitting in a work meeting when my Mom texted me a picture of Simon on the potty. I remember being kind of sad because he wasn't even 1 1/2 yet ... so we decided not to push things. As spring and summer came and went, we would try to get him to sit on the potty a couple of times per week. As his 2nd birthday approached, we upped the frequency and tried to get him to sit on the potty at least once each day. This went very well and he did a great job. We took the potty to Kevin's parents' house at Christmas and totally expected him to regress but he didn't. He continued to "get it!" Around March, he started asking if he could use the big boy potty and we decided maybe after our Easter trip back to Kevin's parents' house. He did great on the road once again and, when we returned, he moved to the big boy potty full time.

It's been about a month now and I can't remember the last time I changed a poopy diaper. He's still working on peeing but he's doing so very well. Because of this great progress, we're slowly transitioning him to pull-ups. Actually, his teachers asked us if he was ready for UNDERWEAR because he does so well at school. I was very proud of him but I also wanted to cry a little. He's still too young for underwear. We'll continue to work on the peeing by rewarding him with stickers (which he loves) and soon we'll do away with diapers and move solely to pull-ups. If he follows his brother's progress, I'm seeing underwear as stocking stuffers!

"I can do it by my own self!"

Simon is a fiercely independent child. Attempting to help him with anything, big or small, almost always ends with this:

"I can do it by my own self!"

For a while now, he's been climbing into his high chair and he's quickly learned how to get on and off the potty without injuring himself. If you do the injustice of helping him with something, like getting him into his car booster seat, he will have a fit until you back away and let HIM do it. If you somehow manage to get him in the booster seat, he'll climb out and then climb back in - it HAS to be on his terms.

Harmon was never like this so this is new to us. Recently, we saw a note in our church newsletter for a seminar about dealing with your strong-willed child. We mentioned it to each other, looked at him and thought, hmmm, I wonder if we could learn anything from that!

I'm sure this trait will serve him very well later in life but, at this point, it can be tough on us. While he thinks he's 5 like his big brother, he's only 2 and we would like to enjoy him being 2 and, maybe, you know, needing us A LITTLE BIT!

Eggs-cellent

When Harmon was just over a year old, he had a reaction to eggs. He had eaten some scrambled eggs and then threw up a little and started itching his eyes like crazy. Since that time, we've steered away from giving him straight eggs (he CAN have eggs baked into things like cookies, cake, etc.). After the great cashew disaster in the summer of 2009, we went to the allergist to have him tested and he showed an allergy to tree nuts, eggs and fish. The allergist explained that he would always be allergic to tree nuts, might grow out of the fish allergy and most likely would grow out of the egg allergy.

So, a few weeks ago, we decided to test her theory. On a yucky Sunday morning, we got up and made a huge breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast, juice, etc. We were a little nervous about it but decided to go for it and give Harmon some scrambled eggs. He was skeptical as well - he's very in tune with his allergies - but he ate the eggs ... and he was just FINE! He was excited and we were excited! Since then, he's had eggs a few more times without any reaction. I think we can safely say that he's no longer allergic to the incredible edible egg!

2.5

Simon, you’re 2 ½ years old today. To celebrate, your brother drew you a picture of a birthday cake. He can be so sweet SOMETIMES. Other times, though, he gives it to you pretty good but you don’t seem to care. You’re even starting to give it back to him a bit.

The other night, while Daddy and I were making dinner, we heard grunting coming from the living room. Daddy took a peak at you and Harmon and then said to me, “they’re just Greco-Roman wrestling!” This is pretty common these days. You two like to wrestle a lot and, most of the time, Harmon is the first one crying. You’re a pretty tough little guy. You have a huge blister on the top of your foot right now and you never told me or Daddy about it. You fell the other day at the park and didn’t cry a bit even though you were bleeding. You just dusted your hands off and got back up. When I took you to the car to clean up the cut and put some medicine on it, you said “look, Mommy, blood” in the most matter-of-fact way possible. When we were done with the medicine, you were right back at it.

So, you’re tough but you’re also stubborn. SO stubborn … and so independent. You want to do everything by yourself, no matter what the task, and you get so mad if we don’t at least let you try.

Right now, as an eater, you are challenging. If you’re hungry, food is gone fast but, if you’re not, you won’t budge. You would honestly sit in your chair for five hours to prove a point that you don’t want to eat what we’re serving. Fortunately, you’re growing big and strong so, much of the time, you can get away with maybe not finishing everything on your plate.

You talk a ton, my God. Paragraphs just flow from your mouth. And almost everything - barring Ls - is pronounced perfectly. You love cars and you love books and you love to go to the park. You’re a simple kid, just like your brother. Sometimes, we’ll catch you lining up your cars and we flash back to Harmon doing that at the same age.

You’re doing great at school, even though you’ve been to the principal’s office a couple of times. It’s not for anything extreme, just maybe not listening quite so well during circle time, but it's a visit nonetheless. Listening can be hard for you and the fact that your brother has trouble with the same thing only compounds the situation.

Your potty skills are epic – you’re doing fantastic! I see underwear coming in the fall!

Right now, you’re really hit or miss with letting me or Daddy rock you to sleep. Sometimes, you just like to crawl in your bed and fall asleep with us in the rocking chair nearby. Other nights, though, you’ll let us hold you until you fall asleep – those are the best nights.

You don’t like to be alone and you can be quite needy at times. If we’re there, you want our full attention but the minute your brother appears, all eyes are on him. You love him so much and the look in your eyes when you look at your brother makes my heart skip a beat. Sometimes you two will be talking or singing and Daddy and I will try to figure out what you’re doing but we can’t. You two have your own little world and a bond that we hope is unbreakable.

At 2 1/2, you are an amazing child and we are so fortunate to have you and have you happy, healthy and strong. It’s weird to think that we worried about loving a second child enough. In some ways, you have even more love because a) you have your brother and b) we’re better parents. In the end, though, we can’t imagine our days without you, even if you STILL scream like a pterodactyl!

Getting ready for kindergarten

On May 10, there was a pre-orientation for kindergarten at St. Francis. We prepped Harmon about it for a whole week and he was so excited. However, upon arrival to the kindergarten classroom, he went all shy on me. I swear he cut off circulation on my left leg, he was holding onto it SO tight! He has two friends in the class so I didn't understand the panic but, then again, I'm not 5 so ...

Anyway, he finally loosened up and the kids stayed with their new teacher-to-be while the parents went to the library for a Powerpoint presentation about some bigger aspects of starting kindergarten. Lots of good information but most of the time was spent on the drop-off and pick-up flow charts, which made my (and later Kevin's) head asplode. Of course, the whole time I was sitting there, I could NOT stop thinking about Mr. Mom - "North to pick up, south to drop off, moron!"

The most in-depth orientation will take place Tuesday, Sept. 6, the day before schools starts. Between now and then, though, there will be plenty of opportunities for us - and Harmon - to get more comfortable with things.

One of those opportunities came this past Friday (May 20) when Kevin took Harmon in for a very general and very quick kindergarten screening. The kids were alone with the teacher so I had to rely on Harmon for intel - this can be shaky at best. According to him, he had to ID parts of the body, do his numbers and letters, talk about reading, and make sure he knows and can spell his first and last name. I'm sure there was more but those are the things HE highlighted. He did well but we do need to work on the last name. He can write it for sure, he just hasn't needed to. He's the only Harmon anywhere in town so he just puts "Harmon" instead of "Harmon Bergquist" on everything. Kevin said he did pretty well - fortunately not a repeat performance of the orientation episode. I'm sure, by Sept. 7, we'll all be comfortable!

The first of what we hope is MANY graduations!

Today Harmon graduated from pre-school at Annie's Children's Center! He's been at Annie's since February 2007, joining the kids there after our original daycare closed. Even though he was a little late in joining his classmates who had been there since their days as infants, he's had a good time and learned a lot from his fabulous teachers. We've been so happy with Annie's and while I didn't cry today, I know I will when he leaves for good after summer camp to start kindergarten. We will still have Simon at Annie's so he'll get to benefit from all those same wonderful things.

Kevin and I weren't sure what to expect today. We weren't sure how to dress him, weren't sure how the "ceremony" would go, weren't sure if we should plan a special day for him. We dropped him off at 9:30 p.m. so he could get "ready" with his classmates in their room. The parents then took their seats (the tiny pre-school seats, of course) in the Lightning Bug room - a great room with a stage and treehouse. We all chatted and waited and then, just after 10 a.m., the children had a procession into the room. They lined up in two rows on the stage and then the lead teacher - Miss Connie - gave us an intro and an overview of the "program." One by one the children came to the front to shake hands and receiver their "diplomas!" Miss Connie then asked each of them what they wanted to be when they grew up - Harmon's answer was "a firefighter!" There are about 20 or so kids in his class so they distributed diplomas to half the class and then sang some songs before finishing up. At first, all the children were awestruck with huge eyes looking out at a multitude of digital cameras and video cameras flashing and taping. But, as things progressed, they loosened up and did very well.

We were so proud of Harmon - he did a great job! He was very well behaved and did wonderfully when it was his time to come to the front (he can be rather shy so we were hoping he would be OK). After the program, there were treats with the highlight being Capri Suns - Harmon loves those.

Rather than taking him out to lunch or doing something special, he really wanted to stay at school. It was pizza day, which he loves, and he really just wanted to play with this friends. He was quick to tell us goodbye so he could get on with this day and I guess we should be happy about that. He only has so many days left with his friends at Annie's and we want him to enjoy them as much as possible. It's amazing to see all these children grow from babies to kindergartners-to-be before our eyes. It's been amazing for us with Harmon, amazing but much too fast. Congrats, little grad, we love you so much!

Twin towers?

I never bothered to unsubscribe to babybenter.com after Simon hit all the big milestones so I still receive all the emails. I usually just delete but one recent email caught my eye. It was a height predictor and I thought, hmm, let's just see what it says.

 

Well, I plugged in the info and was stunned with the results.

 

It predicted, at age 18, that Harmon would be 6'4" and Simon would be 6'6". If this is true, I need a bigger fridge! And maybe a bigger house!

Mother's Day 2011

When Kevin asked Simon where they should take me for Mother's Day dinner, he replied "ba-ba-ba-ba-ba!" Because advertising does indeed works, he knows the McDonald's jingle! I thought this would indicate a not-so-great Mother's Day but I was wrong - I had a great Mother's Day!

 

The boys bought me a new bike a few weeks ago so I knew that was my big Mother's Day present and we actually went to Pizza House for dinner on Friday night so, by the time Mother's Day actually rolled around, I wasn't expecting much. But, Kevin let me sleep in and then Harmon came to wake me with another beautiful picture he drew (he LOVES to draw)! Kevin got me some beautiful flowers and he intercepted the boys' Mother's Day projects from school so I could open them before breakfast. Simon made me a very cool bracelet and Harmon did handprints for me (I love handprints). 

 

Breakfast was chocolate chip pancakes and then we all took our time getting ready for the day. It was a gorgeous day so I wanted to spend it watching Michigan Baseball at Fisher Stadium. Even though we lost - we're quite terrible this season - we had a great time. Harmon rocked his nacho, we all got some sun, the boys got to run the bases (twice) and we got to see Schneids!

 

I usually read to Simon on Sunday nights but, on this night, me and the boys curled up in bed and I read to both of them. Now that Simon is a little older, I need to do this more. Simon then allowed me to rock him to sleep. This doesn't happen often these days but I like to think he wanted to give me ONE MORE Mother's Day present. Even though I was missing my dear Isabel, I realize how truly blessed I am to be the mother of such wonderful boys. I love them more than anything!

Isabel

Isabel
February 28, 2001-May 1, 2011

We often joked that Isabel had the longest chart in the history of Animal Kingdom Veterinary Hospital. From one of our first appointments in 2001 for bumps on her belly (um, teats, duh!) to her surgery for a bladder stone that would have brought down large dogs, we were told, Isabel had to be one of the most poked and prodded bunnies in their care.

But, it was one final piece of paper that we received from Animal Kingdom that contains an image that will forever be etched in my mind. Dated May 1, 2011, it simply says, “Cremation Private. $146.”

For that is the day our sweet, little Netherland Dwarf passed away on our bed, while Aimee stroked her grey fur with a final, loving touch. We will bring her back home sometime soon, and I have vowed that she will stay with us forever, no matter where we live.

Something else on that receipt burns in my mind.  It reads: “Patient ID: 6287-1” — like some kind of prisoner number. In some respects, Isabel has been freed from her prison, an often tough life that we didn’t think would reach three years, much less 10. We are comforted that we gave Isabel everything — from a cage that is bigger square-footage-wise for a 2-pound rabbit than for a family of four in our own house, to more chocolate and treats than most pets should have.

But, Isabel just wasn’t the same during the last year, fighting an infection, overgrown teeth that required monthly trimming and, finally, something that told her body it was time to give up. Part of us wants to know what ultimately took her life, but we just knew it was time. She had rallied so many times in her life with us, but we knew this was it. And it hurts tremendously.

But, understand this: Isabel was a fighter, even as she fought for those final breaths, finally giving up and going to be with her Mommy, and probably some of her brothers, at high noon. It was exactly one week to Mother’s Day, and it will be a tough week for me and Aimee as we celebrate the life of our first baby — our “daughter.”

I always made it a point to get Aimee a Mother’s Day card from Isabel. I don’t know what I can do this year that will make her feel that she was the best possible Mommy to Isabel. We agreed that the best thing Aimee could do for Isabel was just hold her in that final hour and let her know it was OK to go. She didn’t need to fight for us anymore.

I have struggled mightily with my feelings since Sunday. On one hand, I know there are people and families dealing with much, much greater tragedies than we are. They have lost parents, have sick children, are facing foreclosures, or wondering daily how they are going to put food on the table. I get that, and I am somewhat embarrassed that this is our little cross to bear right now.

But, Isabel was different. After we got married in 2000, she was our first true responsibility. Aimee said she always wanted a little, grey bunny. So, off we went in search of our first pet. People that know me well know that I never make quick decisions. I overthink, research and change my mind multiple times on even the simplest things. But, as we sat in the rabbitry in Colon, Michigan, on April 1, 2001, they finally pulled a little grey bunny from the cage and she snuggled on Aimee’s chest.

Without hesitation, I said, “We’ll take her.” The owner of the rabbitry asked for $15. I paid $20 and, had I known then what joy she would bring to our lives, no price would have been too steep. We had no cage, no food, nothing but a cardboard box to bring her home in. And, as she slid around in that box on the drive back to Ann Arbor, we fell in love with that little girl.

At times, we struggled with the fact that we took Isabel from her Mommy and brothers on that spring day, and that we had her spayed and she would never have babies. We even wondered what it would have been like for Isabel to have a friend in her rabbit “condo.” Was she lonely while we were at work? Would she have liked a friend to snuggle and play with? Was she happy? Her vet told us many times during her life, especially late, that pets will let you know if they are not happy, or if they are ready to go. I will always believe that Isabel was happy until her dying day.

Isabel’s life changed dramatically when we brought Harmon home from the hospital in 2005. We knew we had the love in our hearts for a pet and a new baby. And, even when Simon was born in 2008, Isabel was always part of our family. But, things were different now, and we can’t help but feel guilty about the last five years of her life. Did we give enough?

Last night, as we watched videos and looked at old photos of Isabel laying by the fireplace, jumping up on the couch to get a dried cherry, “hiding” under the Christmas tree, and dropping pellets all over the place, we laughed and cried and recalled the good times. I want to write about all of them, and will, because although the boys knew her, and often played with her, I am not sure they will ever realize just what Isabel meant to our lives.

But, right now, I want to be sad and grieve. That can be hard to do with boys, ages 2 and 5, at your feet, but I want Isabel to know that her passing hurts greatly and that we know she is looking down on us, rabbit-dancing in heaven. Her teeth don’t hurt anymore, the infection is gone, and she can lie around in the sun all day.

Looking for a quiet moment, I went home at lunchtime on Monday. I thought for sure that her cage would be right where it has been since the day we moved into our house, and that Isabel would be in a little ball in her familiar spot on the fourth floor. But, the cage is gone from the house, and the hole left in the spot (unfortunately, it also is marked by urine stains on the hardwood floor!), is bigger than anything except the hole that her passing has left in our hearts and in our lives.

Isabel is happy and healthy now, and we cling to that. Maybe we are selfish for wanting her to still be here. But, we got to say goodbye to her on our own terms. And the last thing she saw was the “parents” who loved her so much letting her know it was OK to go. I have lost people close to me, like all of us have, but until Sunday I had never seen a person or pet pass away before my eyes. It is chilling, but also very peaceful.

To you, Isabel, you had many nicknames during your time with us: Belly, Izzy, Morphage, Pelt, Grey Girl, Stinkmonster General (don’t ask). But no matter what we called you, you were our first love and your passing has left a void in our family that I always told people was a family of 5!

We miss you, Isabel. Rest in peace.

Getting a boost

Getting Simon in and out of his car seat has been a challenge lately so we took a look back through old blog entries and photos to see when we moved Harmon to his booster seat. Turns out it was right around 2 1/2 so, being that Simon is pretty much the same size Harmon was at that age, we went ahead and moved Simon too. His first ride in his new booster seat was Saturday, April 30. He seems to like it, mostly because it's just like the booster seat that Harmon has. I think his biggest beef is that he doesn't sleep as comfortably as he did in his car seat. That just means he'll have to take a nap when we ask him too instead of fighting it and then falling asleep in the car!

 

One minor problem, though. It didn't take him too long to figure out how to unbuckle himself. But, lucky for us (I think), Harmon is quite the tattle tail. We've made some adjustments but fully expect more backseat shenanigans with this pair.

Easter 2011

When Harmon was little, my Mom sang this song for him:

 

Here comes Peter Cottontail

Hopping down the bunny trail

Hippity hoppity, Easter's on its way

Bringing lots of toys for him

Toys for baby Harmon

Hippity hoppity, Easter's on its way

 

While I know it's not an original, she did change the lyrics and this is the part the boys love. We sang it for both boys this year as Easter got closer and the Easter bunny did not disappoint. The Wednesday before Easter, the boys stayed with my parents for the day and scored huge Easter baskets. They got clothes, books, DVDs, toys for summer water play, etc. In short, SPOILED. When we got to Peoria, it was no different. More Easter presents than necessary for a 5 and 2-year-old. We decided to wait until we got back to give them our stuff. This way, you know, they got stuff every other day instead of all at once (SPOILED)!

 

Harmon was very happy to find some Angry Birds stuff animals along with way too many books and a Tom and Jerry t-shirt. Simon scored just as many books and a different Tom and Jerry t-shirt but, most importantly, some Yo Gabba Gabba Van's shoes. He couldn't wait to put them on even though they were way too big. He proved to be patient and we remedied the situation within the week. Now, they fit and he can't get enough.

 

All in all, Easter was great, more like Christmas but great nonetheless.

STL

Kevin left U-M to take a job at Washington University in St. Louis in 1996, returning to Ann Arbor in 2000. During those four years, we had a lot of good times in and fell in love with St. Louis. Unbelievably, though, our last trip there was September 2001. I remember staying with Kevin's friend Keith, eating Pointer's chicken pizza and watching Michigan football lose yet another September game (this time at Washington). It's hard to believe that we let 10 years go by before returning.

 

The Easter holiday offered the perfect opportunity to head back there, if only for one day. We typically head to Kevin's parents' house for Easter and did so again this year. We arrived Friday and got the boys all settled and then hit up St. Louis all day Saturday. We got some of that chicken pizza and ate it on Wash U's Brookings Quad. We made our way around campus with Kevin saying every two seconds "well, THAT wasn't here before" and scored some new gear at the bookstore. 

 

We drove through Kevin's old neighborhood and also drove past all the places we used to hang out (Forest Park, Union Station, Cathedral, etc.). We then headed downtown for the Cardinals game. It was the first time we would see the new Busch Stadium so we splurged for some good seats. We had to endure a brief rain delay but that just afforded Kevin some time to finally get the Cardinals hat he's been wanting! Although the Cardinals did lose to the Reds (the rivalry grows), we did see a Pujols HR. After the game, we headed down to the riverfront to take way too many pictures of the Arch and to check out (again) the high water mark from the flood of 1993. That still freaks me out! 

 

Well not totally a St. Louis tradition, we did have to hit up the Cheesecake Factory on the way home for a piece of Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake. It was an interesting day, a day filled with lots of good memories but also some regrets. We felt like those four years flew by and we didn't enjoy St. Louis quite enough. But, we'll try to make up for that by taking the boys there for our 2012 summer vacation - we know they'll love it just as much as we do.

29 months

Simon, you like to sing. You'll sing "The Victors" or "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" almost on cue. You'll mix in nursery rhymes with Lady Gaga (yep, he likes Lady Gaga). On the days you have music at school, we'll often hear you singing, in perfect tune, on the way home. The old dance parties you used to have with your brother before bed have turned into music at breakfast time. Harmon will choose something on our leisurely mornings and then you'll both sing along (most of the team instead of eating). All in all, when it comes to music, you are my sunshine!

Super Mario Brothers

Since spring is taking it's sweet-ass time getting here, we've still been trapped in the basement trying to entertain ourselves. While Simon is still pretty happy with his Geo Trax, Harmon was looking for something new and different to occupy his time so Kevin introduced him to Super Mario Brothers on the Wii. This has been a questionable decision on our part as he just can't get enough! In his defense, it's in his genes - we spent way too much time playing Atari!

 

He actually picked it up really fast and is pretty good at it. He also can be a bit competitive at times, especially when he's playing with me! I got him a Super Mario Brothers t-shirt that he wants to wear every day and he and Simon (Simon digs the music and "thinks" he's playing when he holds ANY controller) have a few of the action figures. Harmon rolls with Luigi and Yoshi while Simon rocks Mario and Toad. Donkey Kong remains unclaimed.

 

Donkey Kong's status may be on the rise, though, because last night (April 17), we picked up Mario Kart for the Wii. It's part of Kevin's Easter present and away we go.

"We don't fight over food!"

When I was little, I remember my Mom telling me and my sisters that "we don't fight over food." For some reason, we were concerned over how much was there and how many different things we were having (but, Mom, we're only have 2, 3 things) and we were GIRLS. Fast forward many years and I've got two growing boys at my table. Most days, they are ravenous so you don't dare take something off their plates. And, the days of going out to eat and having them SPLIT a meal are long gone. Knowing all this, I should not have been surprised by the incident at lunch this past Friday (April 15).

 

The boys and I picked up Kevin and heading to the Blue Tractor for lunch. It was a bit of a late lunch so I knew they were hungry. We had to get an appetizer to tide them over until Harmon's macaroni and cheese and Simon's cheese quesadilla were ready for consumption. Harmon inhaled much of the appetizer and his macaroni and cheese and then started asking for more. I asked him if he wanted some of Simon's quesadilla but he was lobbying hard for dessert (which I told him we weren't getting). Meanwhile, Simon was working his way through an adult-sized quesadilla (the plate was huge) and had one piece in his hand and two pieces left on his plate.

 

Out of nowhere, Harmon dove for Simon's plate and swiped one of the remaining quesadilla pieces and Simon was none too happy. In his defense, he was a little on edge as we had to wake him from his car nap to go in but he went pretty crazy. He screamed and yelled at Harmon and we had to calm him down. We tried to get Harmon to put it back but he had already taken a few bites of it. Our last-ditch effort was to try to get Harmon to retroactively ASK Simon for a piece of quesadilla but Harmon's half-assed requested landed on deaf (and angry) ears.

 

Kevin and I looked at each other and just shook our heads. While this was the first time, we highly doubt it's the last time!

Strep throat

Over the first weekend in April, Harmon slowed down a little. He wasn't coughing much and only had a touch of a runny nose. When asked, nothing hurt and he had no fever. We thought keeping him home from school on Monday would help but, instead of getting better, he was getting worse. While he has huge tonsils anyway, we were stunned when we looked in his mouth and saw them all but blocking his airway. When he was breathing, he straight up sounded like Darth Vader so we started calling him Darth 'Nater!

 

We tried to make him comfortable but, as Kevin laid next to him during the night, it was clear he was having a hard time breathing. So, we woke him and he made his first ever trip to the ER (early on April 5).

 

While he was a little scared, he did great. It might be because Kevin brought along the iPad to ease his mind AND pass the time. After some tests, he was diagnosed with strep throat. They actually did two tests because they were shocked he wasn't really showing any symptoms. He was prescribed some antibiotics (and avoided the shot, thanks to his Daddy) and then he and Kevin were sent on their way.

 

Gross things, though. Once he got going on his antibiotics and his decongestant, he was flowing infection out of his nose like crazy. He STUNK of infection. Instead of wiping his nose, he would use his snot rag to instead smear the snot across his face. This lead to a ton of face chapping, which he hated to deal with (well, let's see, SO DID I). And, when we were there to wipe his nose, it would come out in strings, kind of like something a clown would do. SICK!

 

ANYWAY, he did great starting his antibiotics. I think he realized they made him feel so much better so, much of the time, he was reminding us it was time to take them. We did keep him home on Thursday, April 7 as well, just to be safe. He returned to school on April 11 and finished up his antibiotic cycle on April 14. The docs said it could have developed into an ear infection or even mono so we kept a close eye on him but he recovered great. And, thankfully, Simon didn't get it. I don't want anymore trips to the ER.

28 months

Simon, this past month we spent a lot of time thinking about your size, compared to your brother. The image accompanying this post tells us a lot! While you weighed less at birth and continue to be 2-3 pounds behind Harmon's pace, you are taller and your hands and feet are huge! You mastered walking so much faster than Harmon and your vertical leap is probably the highest in the house. You're very nimble, which you demonstrate almost daily but crawling up and on things you shouldn't (on the counter, via the bat stools, in particular). I wonder what size shoes you'll wear one day ...

Random stuff that Simon says

Here is a brief compilation of random Simon-isms over the past few months:

• Simon, like Harmon did at his age, is learning how to properly use his pronouns. He often gets them confused and says stuff like "Daddy holds you" when he wants Kevin to hold him. Also, because he has trouble with Ls, "hold you" sounds like "ho-you."  
• Every time Simon sees me with a Starbucks cup, he says: "Mommy, you have your coffee!" Since the only coffee I ever have is mixed in a frappuccino, I explained to him that I drink hot chocolate. He now says: "Mommy, you have your hot chocowate!" Ls are Ws here!
• During the last few months, Simon has had really dry lips so we've used a lot of lip balm on him. Most days, he would clutch his little cherry-flavored Chap Stick all day long. He did, however, lose a few Chap Sticks - one, in particular, at Kroger. If you ask him what happened, he'll tell you "I threw it in the turkeys!" He threw his Chap Stick in the huge turkey bin at Kroger and Kevin was unable to retrieve it.
• Since I drink my fair share of Diet Coke, both boys are familiar with Coca-Cola. One night, at Boston Market (which has awesome Coca-Cola cups), Simon said "I need my Coca-Cola!"
• When you ask Simon a question, he'll often answer "don't know" and then he'll immediately give the answer. Example - Us: what's your name? Simon: don't know ... Simon.
• Many times when I'm getting him dressed, Simon will say "let's talk." That means we have to take a break from what we're doing and just talk. When I ask him what he wants to talk about, he ALWAYS says "wolverines" and "Michigan!" That's my boy!
• When you're reading, talking, playing, etc., Simon will often ask "which do you like?" If we're playing with cars, he HAS to know which one you prefer and you have to tell him or he'll keep asking 10,000 times!
• Simon calls sloppy joes "frosty jones!"
• Harmon asked Simon why he fell asleep at the lunch table at school. Simon responded: "I don't like to sleep in my bed there so I wanted to sleep on the table."

Hitting up the dentist

On Tuesday, March 8, Simon had his first dental appointment. I actually scheduled them at the same time as I thought it might help BOTH of them be more at ease. They were in chairs right next to each other - Kevin was with Harmon and I was with Simon - and I think it worked out well. Harmon is doing great after recently losing his two bottom teeth. His uppers are a bit loose now so the dentist would not be surprised if they are the next to go. Overall, a good check-up for him.

Simon did a great job too. His molars are in so he's rocking all 20 teeth. He enjoyed playing with the water squirter and the suction and didn't seem to mind so much when those tools were in his mouth. He really only got annoyed near the end of the appointment after having two different people probe his mouth for a while. He'll go again in six months and they'll ATTEMPT to get x-rays - good luck with that.

S'mores

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

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

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

iPad

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

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

27 months

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

Introducing ...

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

^Yost = Fielding H. Yost. Enough said.

 

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

Harmon and his Chiclets!

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

Harmon picks a hat

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

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

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

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

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

26 months

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

Gator Bowl

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

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

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

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

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

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

Christmas 2010

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

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

Ah, Christmas, you come and go SO fast!

Babo

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

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

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

Working the system

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

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

Big boy bed

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

25 months

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

Sports

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

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

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

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

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

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

Simon Says

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

Simon's stats at 2

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

 

Harmon - 34 pounds and 35 1/4 inches tall

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

 

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