Who's Your Tiger?

"Who's Your Tiger?" is an advertising slogan for the Detroit Tigers but, since I can't choose just one (I love them all), I'll have to choose my own LITTLE tiger. This is Harmon at the park this past Tuesday.


After not wanting anything to do with his baseball cap for a while, he saw I was wearing one and asked where his was. He then found it and wore it for the next few hours. Then, yesterday when he was with my parents, he wore it all day long. I think he saw that Papa had one on too and I think he noticed it kept the sun out of his eyes. Whatever the reason, I hope he keeps wearing that cap - he looks so cute!

And, just to make myself SO sad (he's gotten SO big), here he is the LAST time he wore a cap - October 2006. This particular day was a bad one - the Tigers lost the AL Central on the last day of the season by losing to the freakin' Royals!


Lastly, here is the FIRST time (June 2006) he ever donned the Old English D! God, so damn cute! I want to eat him up (and I want him to be that age again)!

Booty hurt, booty hurt!

Harmon is never shy about telling anyone about his ailments. If he has even the smallest boo-boo on his hand, or other body parts, he will point to it and tell you all about it five times a day. So, when he told us a few times over the weekend that "my booty hurts," we thought maybe it was just raw or that he had a slight diaper rash. Well, on Saturday he developed a small boil near the top of his little crack, and it kept getting harder and more red. He obviously was agitated by it as the weekend went on. We called the doctor and he wanted to see Harmon. There are a lot of "bugs" going around, and they wanted to make sure it was not something serious, like the Super Bug. The boil was coming to a head, so with Aimee and I helping to hold him down (it felt like we were riding a bull), the doctor drained it last night. Harmon cried so hard, but overall was a good patient. We have to keep an eye on the incision over the next few days to make sure it is healing OK. After wiping his tears, Harmon warmed up to a fire truck sticker from the nurse, and was back to his usual self by the time we hit the parking lot. He told us, "My booty feels better," and "I want to go to the park." He crashed hard about 8 last night, and as of 7:15 this morning, he was was still sawing logs.

Go fly a kite

Yesterday my parents took Harmon to Kensington Metropark to go kite flying. My Mom bought him this awesome jelly fish kite last April but, because the weather seems to ALWAYS suck on Wednesdays, she never got to fly it with him. The weather yesterday, though, was perfect for kite flying – 70s and very breezy.

He must have had a good time because he crashed in the car on the way home. Unfortunately, it was a little early for him to go to bed so he played and then couldn’t fall back asleep. I think he tossed and turned in bed until 10 p.m. – he must have been thinking about kite flying.

His fun continues today because, when he gets home from school, his Grandpa and Grandma will be waiting for him. Kevin’s parents will be here for the weekend and they are SO excited to spend time with Harmon. While Kevin’s Dad was here in February, Kevin’s Mom hasn’t seen Harmon since Christmas. I’m thinking there are going to be plenty of walks and trips to the park this weekend so I hope the weather cooperates.

With the grandparents in town, Kevin and I will get a little bit of a break. We’re planning to go to dinner at bd’s Mongolian Grill tomorrow before heading over to the U-M baseball game. It’s supposed to be sunny and 70 degrees at game time – perfect baseball weather. We’re also hoping this weekend will bring us lots of SLEEP. Sleep is SO underrated!

29 months

Today, Harmon is 29 months old. Kevin and I best describe things as steady. He is growing and always learning something new but we haven’t had any major milestones in the past month.

Now that it’s finally getting warmer, his love affair with the park has blossomed again. We’ve gone almost every day this past week until today when it was in the 40s and rainy. He has such simple demands – swings and slides!

When we’re INSIDE the house, we continue to work on potty training. He is wearing the Pampers Feel ‘n Learn training pants a lot when we’re at home and I think he’s getting the hang of it. We’re also starting to transition him into his booster seat and out of his high chair for meals. He seems ready, especially after having breakfast on the bar stool with my Mom last Wednesday, And, speaking of eating, he has been eating (and sleeping) a ton lately so we suspect he’s going through yet another growth spurt.

School has been going well, with the exception of four of Harmon’s older classmates moving up to the next “grade.” We were a little sad as these four kids have been with Harmon since he started at Annie’s but he seems fine with it. He has AWESOME teachers and he’ll see his old friends again soon, I’m sure. One thing we love so much about Harmon’s school is the art and the music. I have a binder full of all his art work (I swear we bring something home each week) and we always can tell when he’s had music time as he sings all night after we pick him up. His class recently learned to sing “Happy Birthday” so we put him to work singing to my Dad earlier this month. He loves to sing and will just sit and sing several songs on his own, all the way through. I hope his love for music continues to grow.

In addition to music, he also LOVES numbers. When I picked him up from school on Thursday, the teacher told me he went potty so he got to choose a sticker. He told her he wanted a #6 sticker and then showed her which one it was. She said she was so impressed because she had NO IDEA he knew all of his numbers (it’s nice to hear when you’re doing something right). He has magnetic numbers on the fridge that he loves to play with and has a numbers puzzle that he does a few times each night. He also loves his “Here Come the 123s” CD/DVD and he counts everything he can get his hands on. He likes his letters too and knows them almost as well but he’s really into the numbers. A typical boy, I guess.

The numbers puzzle is just one of several puzzles that he’s into lately. He also has letters, shapes, emergency vehicles and animals and he loves to play with all of them each night. He’s still into his cars as well as his Lego’s – some things are timeless.

One thing that has been very sweet to watch is the development of Harmon’s relationship with Isabel. He notices her so much more now and, now that she knows he’s not going to hurt her, she’ll let him come up to her and pet her. If she’s in a really good mood, they’ll even have a game of chase. He’s very gentle with her and she seems happy to have the attention. He’ll even go so far as to give her some of his Kix or Cheerios when he’s having breakfast. Food is such a strong bond!

Lastly, we’ve noticed that Harmon LOVES to dwell on his “booboos” FOREVER. If he gets a bump or a scratch, he will milk it for weeks! He loves the attention that accompanies a booboo, whether it’s in the form of some TLC or just a little Neosporin!

Jonesing for the ‘cheese

A few weeks ago, my parents took Harmon to Chuck E. Cheese's when they were with him on Wednesday. Side note: my Dad has been coming with my Mom for about the last two months due to the American Axle strike. Because there are no axles, his GM plant can’t build trucks so they’ve been shut down. He’s been out longer because of this strike than he was because of his own strike last fall. Come on, American Axle!

ANYWAY, since they took him that first time, he wants to go EVERY TIME he's with them now. And, the majority of the time, he gets his way and they go. He IS their first grandchild so naturally they’ve got a soft spot for him.

Kevin and I are more than happy to let Nana and Papa handle the Chuck E. Cheese's duties – we HATE that place. It’s not so much that it’s loud and crazy. It’s simply that the pizza there is GOD AWFUL and we hate to blow our pizza allowance (we must limit ourselves, we could eat pizza every damn day) on Chuck E. Cheese's pizza. The ONLY saving grace for that place is that it serves Diet Coke.

Harmon does love it, though. I’m just hoping this love will fade so that, when it’s time, we don’t have to host any birthday parties there. There are so many OTHER cool places in Ann Arbor. Plus, I think I would feel bad making people eat that pizza (gag)!

Three parks and Ferry Field

We FINALLY had good weather this past weekend and we took full advantage of it. On Saturday, we went for a long walk to and through Arborland Mall (with stops at Toys R Us and Borders for Harmon) and then went to the park by our house – Sylvan Park – on the way home. The park was renovated recently and is much nicer (and I anticipate many stops there in the coming months). It was a gorgeous day and it was so nice to finally be out of the house.

Sunday was even nicer (albeit windy) and, again, we spent most of it outside. We started the day at Ferry Field and Harmon ran around on the infield of the track as well as the long jump lanes. There was a softball game going on as well as a random cook-out near the Academic Center so the place was pretty busy. After he was tired of simply RUNNING, we stopped by Burns Park (one of Harmon’s favorites) and the playground at Allen Elementary School. We then headed home, took another long walk that included a trip to Hiller’s to get some dinner to grill and then finished with another stop at Sylvan Park. After dinner and just a short time of playing, Harmon crashed hard around 8:30 p.m. All that fresh air over the weekend just knocked him out!

I keep checking the 10-day forecast to see if we have indeed turned the corner and I think we have. It was a LONG winter and we are more than happy to make up for it and take Harmon to as many parks as his little heart desires!

Potty in public

While Harmon’s doing pretty well with the potty training at home (and at Nana and Papa’s house), he had yet to go potty in public. We FINALLY coaxed him into going #1 at Twelve Oaks Mall after his haircut on March 15. And then, last week, while we were having dinner at Pizza House, he asked twice to go potty. I took him the first time and he again went #1. Kevin took him the second time and they were gone for literally five hours. When they returned, though, there was good news – he had gone #2. So, I think we’re taking another step in this whole potty training adventure. It’s hard to believe that the first time he went on his little potty chair was last August. It doesn’t seem like that much time has gone by but I do hope he’s fully trained by THIS August.

Opening Day 2008

Opening Day 2008 turned into a father-son day for Daddy and Harmon. Aimee was able to go to the real Opening Day at Comerica Park with Stacey, so that left the boys of the house to hang out. Harmon made it perfectly clear that he wanted to go to the Tigers' game, relaying his feelings just minutes after Aimee had left the driveway:

Harmon: "I want to go bye-bye."
Daddy: "Where?"
Harmon: "The baseball game. I am going to get my coat ..."

Well, we obviously did not end up going, but we had fun, nonetheless. After playing with cars and cards and noo-noos (Legos), Harmon took about an hour nap, waking up just before first pitch. After watching said first pitch, he jumped in the stroller and we walked to Subway to grab lunch. Harmon loved being outdoors again (seems like years). He saw all the birds out hunting worms (like the Robin in the Rain), and every large truck within three blocks ("Ohhhh, big fruck.") After returning home, we watched a few innings and Harmon made it clear where Mommy was, all day: "Mommy's at the baseball game."

After playing some more in the house, Harmon said many times that he wanted to go back outside. But the stroller was no longer an option. He wanted to walk, so we went to the renovated park down the street and took a long walk around the block. Save for the few times he fell down in the mud (he made it seem like an accident; I am not so sure :-)), he chugged his little legs the whole way.

When Aimee got home, it was still in the 50s, so we decided to walk and get some dinner at Noodles and Company. Food was good, but a bad decision. Rain had been threatening all day, and while we were ordering food, the skies opened up and we were five blocks from home with Harmon in his stroller and no umbrella.

We made it home wet, but OK, and after dinner, Harmon crashed hard from all of his walking. He has barely moved, but I am sure he is dreaming about his next baseball game.

No, no, no baby

Since we’ve been thinking about baby #2, we often ask Harmon’s opinion on the matter. Today, while he was on the potty, he and Kevin had the following conversation:

Kevin: Hey, Harmon, do you want a brother?

Harmon: No, no brother.

Kevin: What about a sister?

Harmon: No, no sister. I want a cat.

Priceless! We can’t have a cat because I’m allergic so it’s too bad for the little guy. In a follow-up to that conversation, it appears he would be happy with a puppy dog, a fish or a turtle so that’s a good thing. We do hope, however, that he’ll eventually be able to deal with a HUMAN!

Belated Easter blog entry

This year, for the first time since 2005, we stayed in Michigan for Easter. And, what a Michigan Easter it was – complete with six freakin’ inches of snow. Needless to say, with all that snow we decided NOT to take Harmon to the Domino's Petting Farm Easter Egg Hunt. A co-worker of mine took his son and said it was a TRUE hunt. Evidently, the eggs were dispersed before the snow fell so a lot of hunting had to be done to find them. Although Harmon didn’t get to attend the outdoor hunt, my parents and sister, Stacey, set up an indoor hunt in their family room. They hid a bunch of eggs with Matchbox cars in them and Harmon had an awesome time finding them and then opening them up. In addition to the hunt, they went a little overboard (as usual) with the bunny and the gifts. We held off a bit on the gifts in anticipation of him getting so much from everyone else. He got some Magna-Tiles, a new book that he loves, some new Keen sandals and some other spring/summer clothing. We thought about getting him a sandbox but decided to hold off on that for a while.

All in all, Easter was a good time. We had an awesome dinner at Nana and Papa’s house, including my Uncle Max’s awesome twice-baked potatoes. And, Harmon got to hang out with his second cousin, Trent. It’s all good as long as Trent doesn’t try to take Harmon’s cars.

Me time

After fighting off some big-time guilty feelings, I took last Thursday off (and sent Harmon to school) so I could watch some March Madness. As Kevin will attest, I’m not much one for “me time” but that day was NICE! I got up like a usual Thursday and did my part getting Harmon ready and out of the house and then, after he and Kevin left, I went back to sleep for another two hours. Once I woke up, I spent a WHOLE INTERRUPTED HOUR on the internets before getting in my time on the treadmill. I then ate a leisurely lunch and watched basketball for HOURS on the 50-inch plasma. Although I shouldn’t have been tired, I did fall asleep on the couch. I blame it on the couch – it’s just too comfortable. I did manage to do some laundry and get dinner started but, for the most part, it was a full day of “me time” and it was awesome!

Michigan football R.I.P.

I will miss going to Michigan football games with Aimee this fall. It was fun while it lasted, but I think we all knew this day would come. March 19, 2008, will go down in infamy as the day Michigan shut down its football program. No reason to go on, right? I mean, after all, the most wins and highest winning percentage in college football history have been wiped out by the words of an 18-year-old phenom, who, as is his right, wanted to play instead for "the University of Ohio State," wherever that is. I am sure the University of Michigan will survive as a great academic institution, and 20 years from now a father and son will walk by the ruins that are Michigan Stadium and Dad will say, "Son, I remember when they used to play football in there." They will then share coffee in the world's largest Starbucks. I am just sorry Harmon never got a chance to experience Michigan football. Coach Rod gave it a great run, but it is a shame he never got to coach a game here. Well, at least we go out with a 9-game winning streak over Penn State, and Notre Dame is back where it belongs as our little b---h. Ah, memories. We hardly knew ya, Blue!

Spring preview weekend?

Last Friday was a GORGEOUS day – the nicest one so far in 2008 – so Harmon and I headed for campus. We played outside on Ingalls Mall for a good long time before visiting Kevin at work. EVERYONE at Kevin’s work is in love with Harmon and he just eats it up. The floors in Kevin’s building are set up so that Harmon can do laps around all the cubes and he did just that, about 100 times.

Kevin was able to skip out a few minutes early and then we all went for a nice, long walk. We stopped along the way at Lexi’s Toybox and Borders (to get yet another book for Harmon) and ended the walk at Pizza House for dinner. It was a perfect way to start what I hope is spring, although there’s a wintry mix going on outside right now (damn).

On Saturday, we drove up to Novi to go to Twelve Oaks Mall as Harmon was due for a haircut. He can make it about 5-6 weeks before the hair starts to grow down over his ears. We LOVE his buzzcut but often wonder what he would look like with longer hair. I guess we’ll find out when he’s 16! He was a very good boy during his haircut – I think the frequency of his cuts is getting him used to the whole thing.

Sunday was relaxing – errands and lots of playing – and yesterday, Kevin and I switched schedules and really messed with Harmon’s mind. When Kevin was home with him in the morning, he asked him where I was and he replied “probably at work.” When I was home with him in the afternoon, reading in his room, he gave me a hug and said “I’m so glad you’re here, Mommy!” God, I love him so much I just want to eat him up!

28 months

The other day, someone at work asked me how old Harmon was and I said, “oh, he’ll be 28 months next week.” As it was coming out of my month, I thought I should probably just say he’s almost 2 1/2. I guess I’m still holding on to the baby inside. He’s definitely not a baby anymore, though.

He’s getting used to the potty routine and is excited about underwear. The last time we were at Target, we looked at the underwear and he loved the ones with Spiderman and Cars. He has some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse underwear that my Mom bought him for his birthday but I need to make sure he hasn’t outgrown them. He often asks for Backyardigans underwear but I don’t even know if those exist. I guess I should figure that out. ANYWAY, he’s going a lot at school and we’re noticing he’s just going #1 overnight so there is progress. We are, however, still waiting for him to go in a public place. Baby steps.

I have no clue how much he weighs (my guess is high 30s) but we did measure him last week and he was 36 ¼ inches tall. Still a big boy. Generally, he’s been well behaved. After introducing and using the time-out corner early in January, he hasn’t had to visit there in a while. His favorite word lately has been “no” and that’s kind of a bummer. We’re trying to get him to use it only when appropriate instead of ALL THE TIME!

He still loves his books. Actually, we just can’t believe how much he still loves his books. I recently re-organized the bookshelf in his bedroom to give him full access to all of his books. He’s been choosing a good variety to read during the day and at bedtime so he must like it. Instead of toys all the time, we usually get him books. Sometimes I feel like we live at Borders!

Lately, he’s said some pretty funny things. We took Kevin out to lunch last Friday and, while Kevin and I were talking, he grabs us both and yells, “no Mommy and Daddy talk!” If Kevin looks at him wrong or, God forbid, dances, Harmon protests with “no Daddy look” or “no Daddy dance.” Sentences just flow from his mouth and we never know what’s going to come out. We also have to be really careful because he repeats EVERYTHING.

He is DYING to get to the park so I’m hoping spring is on its way. And, since we’re staying in Michigan this year for Easter, we’re hoping it will be warm enough to take him to a local Easter egg hunt that has gotten rave reviews from my co-workers. If he doesn’t score anything at the hunt, he’ll still get some goodies. We got him some Magna-Tiles and probably will get him a sandbox to play in during the summer. I’m sure he’ll get spoiled by everyone else too.

One last thing, Harmon loves PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME!



Actually, we all love it and who knew it was a staple of Tampa Bay Rays’ baseball.

Out.

Harmon the lumberjack

On Saturday, when I was walking on the treadmill, I saw an ad for a new TV series on the History Channel, "Ax Men," about loggers in the Pacific Northwest. Ask Aimee, and she will tell you that I love these types of shows (reality/documentary). "Deadliest Catch" was a favorite, although I never made it through a full season. Anyway, I had planned to watch the premiere last night, but then realized I had already seen a show about lumberjacks. In fact, we see it every day. Or, to be more precise, we hear it every day. You see, Harmon is a big snorer just like his Daddy. He can saw logs with the best of them, and we often can hear him through the wall and closed door of his bedroom. We know it is not his fault, as his tonsils have been enlarged of late. On Sunday, we decided to take a family nap. We usually are able to do this one day per weekend. As we got Harmon snuggled up in our bed -- using the tried and true black panther method -- he immediately began to snore. And it was LOUD! We tried moving him on his back; same thing. One his side; still snoring. I guess we just get used to it after a while, but I really feel sorry for Aimee. She has had to deal with my snoring for seven years, and now Harmon is chiming in, as well.

We just totally ripped him off!

Back in the fall, I got this cool sweatshirt from Russell Crowe’s rugby team, the South Sydney Rabbitohs. I love Russell Crowe anyway so this wasn’t a stretch – especially after his September visit to the Big House. But, I got a little more interested in the whole rugby thing after watching the South Sydney Story documentary on TV (I’m ashamed to say it was on Versus).

Anyway, I ordered the sweatshirt and it arrived and I loved it and wore it non-stop. And then, just a few days later, ANOTHER one came. WTF? I wasn’t sure if we would get double-billed so I kept it in its original packaging with all receipts and tags attached so it would be ready to go back down under if necessary. But, months have come and gone and we’ve never been billed for the second sweatshirt. So, we think it’s kind of funny that we got over on Russell for a whole $82.22. As Beavis and Butthead would say, we just totally ripped him off!

ADDENDUM: The second sweatshirt still has the tags on it and still is in the original packaging. I would return it if it didn’t cost a million dollars to send it back to Australia. And, I have to ask, why should I have to pay for their merchandise fulfillment mistake? Maybe wearing the original sweatshirt around town is worth $82 of publicity.

Cartoons

In case Harmon asks me one day what his favorite cartoons were when he was little, I've got it covered. I’ve been meaning to document this, via blog, so here goes!

Before I start, though, one quick side note. Back when Kevin and I were kids, cartoons were only on Saturday mornings, not every damn day! And, we walked five miles - each way - to school, uphill, in 18 inches of snow ...

ANYWAY, right now, Harmon’s cartoon viewing falls into three tiers:

Tier One – Must-see toddler TV
Tier Two – Maintains a general interest
Tier Three – Likes it for a bit and then it quickly becomes background noise

Tier One contains Handy Manny and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He can’t live without these and, thankfully, Kevin and I aren't annoyed by either of them so it all works out nicely. And, with Handy Manny, there’s the added bonus of Harmon picking up some Spanish, which we think is so important these days.

In Tier Two are Little Einsteins, My Friends Tigger & Pooh and the Backyardigans. He loves to name all the Little Einstein characters with our favorite being, as he says, Pency (it’s really Quincy). He likes the songs on Tigger & Pooh along with all the complimentary characters. On Monday afternoons, Kevin lets him watch the Backyardigans and he’s all excited for half of it and then … it’s on to cars AND the tube!

Tier Three includes Blues Clues, Wonder Pets and Yo Gabba Gabba. He likes each of these for about two minutes and then he finds something better to do. He will point out the paw-print clues and sing the Wonder Pets theme song and he loves some of the songs – like There’s a Party in my Tummy and Hold Still Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle – from Yo Gabba Gabba. But, if these cartoons suddenly were cancelled, I don’t think he would care at all.

Every so often, if Harmon gets up WAY earlier than usual (anytime before 7 a.m.), one of us will have to find Curious George or Clifford the Big Red Dog on Detroit Public TV. This is our emergency plan so we can get ready for work. He’s familiar with these cartoons but they don’t rock his world.

Two shows he doesn’t like, and frankly neither do we, are the Wiggles and the Doodlebops. Both shows freak the hell out of all of us. I don’t know if it’s grown-ass people dressing up or what but we’re not fans at all. We much prefer animation but, if grown-ass people in costumes ARE necessary, we prefer they be in FULL costumes instead of fruity outfits, wigs and face paint. Call us crazy!

Sound bytes

Harmon has been so funny lately. Here are some recent sound bytes from him:

Monday morning at breakfast, after looking at all of the Valentine’s Day cards posted on our card rack:

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Mommy!”

Last Friday at Target:

“Oh my gosh, careful, Mommy, don’t fall down!”


Last Sunday when I was putting on his puffy vest:

“HAPPY HALLOWEEN!”

NOTE: He hadn’t worn this vest since Halloween day (what a good memory).

Last week after I got out of the shower (please note I was fully covered by a huge towel):

“I see Mommy’s booty!”

Last week when Kevin brought me a brownie square after dinner:

“What’s that?” I answered chocolate and he then said, with hands placed softly at his chest, “Well I like chocolate!”

At totally random times, if he’s sad, he’ll say things like “Harmon is sad” or “Harmon is upset.” He also loves to say “I’ll go back to bed” if he’s not getting what he wants.

We never know what's going to come out of his mouth!

Valentine’s Day redux

Valentine’s Day was fun and Harmon finally had a holiday fall on one of his school days. So, he was able to give and receive treats. We put together small gift bags with cards, stickers and packages of mini M&Ms for Harmon’s 12 classmates. In exchange for what he gave, he received Valentine gifts from seven of his friends – with everything from cards to Play-Doh to mini tattoos.

Kevin and I exchanged a few small things. I got him a cool hoodie (in crisp green) from Gap and Harmon gave him a certificate to buy a new Nintendo Wii game. Kevin got me perfume, a dozen gorgeous peachy/orangey roses and a gift to be named later and Harmon got me a personalized $25 Starbucks card (note the message he put on it and note that it's orange – love that orange – in person). Speaking of Starbucks, and thanks to Kevin, every time we leave the house together Harmon says we’re going to Starbucks to get Mommy a Frappuccino!

Since he is spoiled beyond belief, we only got Harmon a few small things for Valentine’s Day. The best gift, though, was the “Here Come the 123s” CD/DVD from They Might Be Giants. We’ve seen a few of the “videos” between cartoons on the Disney Channel and he loves them so we thought we would get the whole CD/DVD. And, it is a total hit. He loves it so much and we like it too. Although it’s kids’ stuff, so many of the songs have great beats or catchy tunes and we find ourselves singing them all the time. Take “Zeroes” for example! I dare you NOT to sing it!

For dinner, we decided to eat at our favorite restaurant, Pizza House. It was a good time, mostly because Harmon was hungry as a horse. It’s nice to eat out when he’s like this, we don’t have to beg, pretend to cry or threaten him with the black panther to get him to eat!

The day ended with the nicest present of all – Harmon let me rock him to sleep. Usually, after we’re done reading, he just wants to go straight to bed. But, last Thursday, he let me hold him until he fell asleep just like when he was a baby. What a Valentine’s Day!

27 months

Today is Harmon’s 27-month birthday and, each month, it just gets more fun. It also gets more interesting as there’s always something new.

Recently, we moved him from the potty chair to the toilet and that seems to be going well. Just in case he tells us he has to go when we’re out, we bought a portable seat that folds nicely and fits in his diaper bag. We haven’t tried it yet but I suspect it will be an event when we do. As I mentioned here, he’s also making some potty progress at school so it’s good all around as far as the potty goes.

Speaking of school, since returning after the holiday break, his drop-offs have been great. As Kevin has noticed, he likes to walk up the stairs but then prefers that we carry him into the room. At this point, he gets down and is off on his way. One sad thing about school, though. Harmon’s lead teacher, Miss Deborah, has left. Harmon’s last day with her was last Thursday. He’s been with Miss Deborah almost the entire time he’s been at Annie’s as she assisted the lead teacher in his previous class. We all will miss her but we understand. She is a musician and wants to follow her dreams. Until she makes her next move, though, she will stop by Annie’s every other Thursday for music time with the kids. In Miss Deborah’s absence, Miss Laura – who Harmon just loves – will move into the lead teacher role.

At home, he’s really been into drawing on his Aqua Doodle lately. He asks us to draw lots of shapes, letters and numbers and then he tries to copy. He’s got the oval mastered! He also asks us to draw cars, dump trucks, garbage trucks, etc. but Kevin and I are both terrible at it. I hope he doesn’t try to copy those!

He continues to devour any book we buy him. His newest favorites are Bossy Bear (which was bought intentionally to teach a lesson), Walter the Farting Dog, Buzzy the Bumblebee and Have You Ever Seen a Moose Taking a Bath? If he sees a cute animal in these books, or in any of his books, he says “awwwww” and then gives the book a HUGE hug. It’s so sweet.

He still loves his cars and can’t go anywhere without at least one in each hand. He also continues to show his softer side with his love for his stuffed animals, especially his snow leopard.

Health-wise, he’s been fine with the exception of a day care cold here and there. We did take him to see the doctor last week as his tonsils – especially his right one – were enlarged. Since he had no other symptoms that were out of the ordinary, the doctor assumed he was just fighting something off which could cause the tonsils to swell. The doctor asked us if he snores and we said, oh my God, yes! As an aside, in church last week he fell asleep and was snoring SO loud. It was a little embarrassing. ANYWAY, the doctor said just to keep an eye on things and also told us that it’s very rare to remove tonsils these days. I was glad to hear that – I don’t think I could handle him having any kind of surgery at this point.

All in all, he is doing well and we are so blessed to have such a smart, happy and healthy 27-month old!