This cat eats it!

After peeking in our living room window YET AGAIN today, this crazy-ass neighborhood cat needs to be called out. The thing is freaky.

First school photo of the Bergquist boys TOGETHER

Yeah, this is just great. Simon is leaning in like Billy Charlebois from Slap Shot when he takes a quick look in the mirror and Harmon doesn't know what to do with his hands like Ricky Bobby from Talladega Nights during his first, post-race interview. It's no surprise we didn't purchase 100 wallets of these photos but we HAD to buy this one sheet - priceless!

Our little turtle

Not cool, not cool!

The last four nights, Simon has had some sleep issues and, needless to say, it’s not cool. Wednesday, it was up at 3 a.m.; Thursday, it was up at 5 a.m.; Friday, again with the 5 a.m.; and Saturday, it was back to 3 a .m. God, we are SO hoping he will make it all the way through the night tonight. It would be different if he hadn’t been sleeping through the night for the last two months. BUT, he has so this sucks big time. Get it together kid!

Timeline

Last night was a weird-ass night. Both boys had some issues sleeping (even though they usually are great sleepers). There was not a full moon. There were not monsters under their beds or in their closets and, as far as we know, there were no nearby alien abductions! So, WTF?

10 p.m. – Trying to watch last week’s DVR’d episode of “The Office” – Simon screams through all of it.

10:30 p.m. – Finally plug Simon’s hole with a six-ounce bottle. Please note we were not STARVING him. He had just eaten at 8 p.m. He’s such a hog sometimes!

11:15 p.m. – Put Simon to bed. He was dead asleep as I rocked him so we thought it was safe. It wasn’t. We have to go in and calm him a few times.

11:16 p.m. – As we’re calming Simon, Harmon wakes up. He bolts out of his room and heads to the bathroom. We thought he just had to go potty but he says “I need to get my clothes on for school!” Weirdo. We tell him it’s still nighttime and tuck him back in.

Midnight – Harmon wakes up again, comes into our bedroom and asks Kevin to tuck him back in. Alright.

12:15 a.m. – Harmon wakes up AGAIN, comes into our bedroom AGAIN and tells Kevin he can’t find Chick Hicks, the car he went to sleep with. Kevin locates said car, crawls into bed with him and sleeps with him until 1:45 a.m.

3 a.m. – Simon wakes up crying. In an effort to salvage ANY sleep, I let Simon sleep with me in our bed and Kevin bolts for the big comfy couch in the basement.

We then get rolling, like usual, in the 6 a.m. hour, still wondering WHAT THE HELL! MUST get some sleep tonight!

Four-month-old Newt!

Well, he really doesn’t look like a newt anymore mostly because the only time he really gets mad (and red) is when he’s hungry. And speaking of hunger, he’s up to six ounces at each feeding now. Not including the time while he’s sleeping overnight, he can go anywhere from 3-5 hours in between bottles. I’m sure all this will improve after his four-month appointment (on April 3) because he’ll then be able to mix in some rice cereal! He’s going to love that!

He’s been a GREAT sleeper over the last month. We’ll give him his last bottle around 10:30/11 p.m., I’ll rock him and then he’ll sleep until AT LEAST 7 a.m. most of the time. Every once in a while he’ll wake up a little bit earlier but, for the most part, we’re very happy parents. Our next step will be to keep pushing back the time of the last bottle so we can get both of the boys to bed at 9 p.m. (and have a portion of our nights free again). I don’t want to rush him but he’s already growing like a weed so maybe it’s OK. I don’t know.

The big deal lately has been his giggle. My Mom got him to laugh for the first time last Wednesday (March 18) when he was playing with his activity gym. She would hide behind the mirror and then pop out at him and he thought this was all kinds of hilarious. She said it was a big belly laugh and I’m SO SAD I missed it. I did re-create the experience later in the night and he did giggle for me but it wasn’t a big belly laugh. Kevin then got him giggling a bit Sunday night and Harmon made him giggle – by laughing himself – Monday night.

Ah, yes, Harmon. He loves his little brother (and is a great helper) and Simon is a HUGE fan of his! Simon just watches everything Harmon does and loves to be everywhere he is, especially if it involves reading or playing with cars or balls. You can just see that they’re going to have a great time together very soon!

Other quick things happening – Simon’s eyes have YET to change. They are still grayish blue and so pretty. I know they will change and end up being beautiful just like Harmon’s eyes but it’s just odd to see that they haven’t changed already (like Harmon’s did). While Simon is pretty much aware of his arms and hands now, his feet, legs and knees are totally blowing his mind. When you lay him on his changing pad (his favorite place in the world), he can ALMOST get them. Pretty soon, he’ll have those feet in his mouth! He’s still not interested in holding his bottle but he’ll claw the shit out of your hand while you hold it. But, two things he IS interested in holding are his duck blanket and his Peter Rabbit blanket. I didn’t use these much with Harmon but Simon likes to grab so he loves them.

Despite many attempts, he hasn’t rolled over just yet. Again, I’m not rushing him BUT, once he call roll from belly to back – both ways – he can sleep on his tummy at school. And, he sleeps SO much better on his tummy. School is going really well. It’s nice to drop him off and have teachers fighting over who gets to hold him! When Harmon was at KidZone, he was always the little rock star and we weren’t sure how it would go with Simon at Annie’s. But, it’s gone much the same way so far. The teachers tell us that he’s so good and easy going and, surprise, only really fusses when he’s hungry. We’re very happy with the school situation and it makes it even better when Harmon can come up and visit Simon every once in a while.

So, four months have gone by and it seems like four days! We feel so lucky and blessed to have such strong, smart, handsome boys and we TRY to enjoy every minute with them!

Boys at Chuck E. Cheese

Winter? What winter?

This photo appeared in the March 18th print edition of the Ann Arbor News with the following caption:

"Officially, it still may be winter, but 3-year-old Harmon Bergquist, of Ann Arbor, was more than eager to swing into spring and enjoy Tuesday's temperatures in the mid-60s in his St. Patrick's Day green while playing at Gallup Park with his father, Kevin."

Photo courtesy of Lon Horwedel, Ann Arbor News

Resurrected

For the past 11 years, Selection Sunday has been dead to me. I’ve only paid enough attention to college hoops so as not to totally suck in my tournament brackets but, as each of these Sundays went by, I was bummed because something was missing. All of it just wasn’t the same without my alma mater. I shouldn’t complain because I was a student and a fan and I worked in the athletic department during the Fab Five era. While that was an AWESOME time, we’ve been paying for it the last 11 years.

Anyway, today, Selection Sunday was resurrected. I really can’t describe how I felt after waiting FOREVER and then finally seeing that block M on the screen. I was honestly teary-eyed. It’s been so long and it’s been so awful, especially for the whole generation of kids who have only known crappy Michigan basketball.

No matter what happens when we match up with Clemson on Thursday, it’s so good to know this program is finally headed in the right direction. The only other thing I can say is John FREAKIN’ Beilein!

Go Blue!

Harmon at 40 months

Harmon is counting down the days until we can consistently go outside again. After a long winter, and a new brother, he just longs for parks and walks and playing outside with his toys. In due time, my man!

Since we’ve been trapped inside, Harmon FINALLY discovered the movie “Cars!” I remember trying to get him to watch it over a year ago and he wasn’t the least bit interested. But, a few weeks ago, it was on ABC Family and he was all into it! When I returned to work, I bought both boys a little present and Harmon’s was a Lighting McQueen car and the “Cars” DVD. He has worn this DVD out. It’s replaced the Polar Express and BOTH Madagascar movies (which is probably a good thing). He had cooled a little on playing with his cars but, after seeing this movie, he is back into playing with them all the time.

When he’s not playing with cars or sheepishly asking (with the DVD case behind his back) to watch something, he is reading. I can’t (and don’t want to) total up how much money I’ve spent on books for him but I KNOW it’s a lot. And, the bookstore – especially the Barnes and Noble in Ann Arbor, which has an escalator and is “down the mountain” – is one of his favorite places to go. He loves so many different kinds of books and I hope this NEVER fades!

Even though the winter has been LONG and COLD, he’s been relatively healthy (knock on wood). He’s had one bout with a cough and had a touch of the stomach flu at the end of February. This stomach flu was highlighted by him puking at Boston Market and then on the street in front of Afternoon Delight – yummy! But, even when he wasn’t feeling all that great, he still was eating like crazy. He’s been ravenous for a month or so and I’m sure we’ve made him about 100 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (his favorite) during that time.

Our big task right now is getting him to pee standing up. I wasn’t sure WHEN to start this so I read a ton and spoke with his teacher at school. She said it was the “cool thing” with all the boys in his class right now so we’ve moved forward with it. We make him try at least once a day. He’s doing well and I honestly don’t think it will take very long at all. I’m sure once he can get outside and pee on a tree or something like that, he’ll be hooked!

An open letter to Harmon

Dear son,

I must take this opportunity to apologize for some of the things that will happen during the next 15 years, until you turn 18. Your Mom and I probably will not let you get that earring, or stay out past midnight on your first date, or play hockey (Mom's choice, not mine!). But, these small disappointments are nothing compared to what I put you through this past weekend.

You are a good-looking kid, but your hair was getting a little long. We had planned to take you to your usual spot, Carnival Cuts in Twelve Oaks Mall, but we found out they have closed their doors (at least temporarily). Luckily your usual stylist, Ms. Laurie, called and told us that she was cutting hair at a different salon, so we decided to take you there. I should have been tipped off by the name, but, OH NO! Nothing could have prepared me for what happened next at ... wait for it ... Sweet & Sassy!

Now they do cut boys' hair, as suggested by their Web site: boy's cut, boy's cut with shampoo, and baby's first cut. The girl's menu really points to our experience: the cutie cut, the sweet cut, and the (getting original here) SASSY cut. Not to mention the menu of up-dos! But, it wasn't just the haircuts going on; it was the runway hair and fashion shows, the glittery faces and sugary-sweet music blaring the whole time. You didn't cry once, even though the cloud of perfume and make-up dust made me a little weepy in the eye.

Anyway, you were a good boy, but I am sorry we turned you into Simon's big sister for 20 minutes. OK, so maybe you can stay out until 12:30 a.m.

Love, Dad

Baptized

Last Sunday, we had Simon baptized. Much of it was the same as Harmon’s baptism, with the exception of a) Simon was awake (and very smiley) and b) he crapped his baptism outfit. We had a private ceremony with the same wonderful priest – Father Bob – who baptized me and my sisters. We all went to Mass at noon and then thought we would have some time before the ceremony, which was scheduled for 2 p.m. But, Father Bob was ready to rock and roll so we had to feed Simon quickly and forego the diaper change. Under normal circumstances, this would have been fine but I think he got a touch of the stomach bug that has brought Annie’s Children’s Center to its knees. SO, just as Father Bob began the ceremony, Simon began filling his diaper. And, every time there was a pause in the ceremony, there was a fart to go with it. Luckily, everything went really fast and we were able to get him cleaned and changed in no time.

Kevin’s parents were in town, along with his brother, Steve, sister-in-law, Kim, and nieces, Kourtney and Katelyn. My sister, Stacey, and her fiancé, Marc, also were in from Chicago and they joined my parents and sister, Erin. And, speaking of our families, because of so many issues related to fair representation from both sides, we decided that Simon would have the same godparents – Steve and Stacey – as Harmon did. It’s worked out well for Harmon so we thought it would be fine for Simon too!

After all the serious stuff, we headed to Buddy’s Pizza for an awesome lunch and yummy cake (thanks, Mom and Dad)! While this party was for Simon, he basically slept through all of it. Harmon, on the other hand, was a total ham and he had a great time with everyone.

Later that night, we opened all of Simon’s gifts and he amassed quite a stash! Even though I’m working on the OFFICIAL thank you notes, I would like to thank everyone not just for the gifts but, more importantly, for taking the time to be there for Simon for his first sacrament!

A shout-out to my oldest

During my maternity leave with Harmon, Kevin would come home at the end of each day and I would pepper him with questions about his meetings, phone calls, conversations with co-workers, etc. Basically, I was STARVING for conversation and any kind of link to the outside world. Thinking about it now, that was probably the most difficult part of my time off – being alone all day with a baby that really couldn’t interact with me. Frankly, it was lonely.

I was expecting that again during my time off with Simon but it didn’t happen because of Harmon! While certain times were indeed challenging, Harmon made all the difference in the world. He kept me company, he was my partner and helper in caring for Simon, he would give me a much-needed hug or kiss at totally random times, he kept me stimulated and on my toes and, most of all, he made me laugh so much every single day. He is such a great kid (and a great big brother) and so funny and so smart (sometimes a little TOO smart). I know I could not have done it without him.

I had a great 12 weeks with both of my boys and this made it so hard to return to work. When I look back on my leave THIS TIME, I’ll have the best memories of taking care of and being with my precious boys. It’s a shame it only lasted three months – Moms and Dads should definitely get MORE time!

Harmon @ 39 months

I totally suck at monthly updates for the boys. I hope I get better since this blog is my official record of events for Harmon and Simon. I’m not the scrapbooking type – I write … and take way too many pictures.

ANYWAY, Harmon at 3 ¼ is a pretty good time. He can be a sassy cat indeed but sometimes I think that’s our own fault. I mean, he loves the “Pigeon” books (not to mention Naked Mole Rat too) and the pigeon and the mole rat are some sassy little creatures. At this point, his two downfalls are a) that he doesn’t listen all the time and 2) he can be a bit sassy. For his crimes, he spends some time on the stool in his bedroom. This location has replaced the corner of the dining room as the designated time-out spot. He’s become Mr. Independent, wanting to do everything on his own, and one of his biggest thrills in life is getting to help make his PBJ (he is OBSESSED with PBJ)!

He’s doing great at school! He loves telling us about lunch and about running (and running and running) on the playground AND all about Show and Tell Thursdays. He loves his classmates and, as we witnessed last week while picking up Simon, his classmates’ parents. The kid was having full conversations with various classmate Dads as we were TRYING to leave. This chatty side of him is showing up more and more lately too. He’ll talk your ear off if you’re not careful – ask the women at Baby Gap in Briarwood Mall (or ANYONE at Ann Arbor Kroger stores)!

Since Simon’s arrival, Harmon has been way more emotional and affectionate, which is mostly good but sometimes bad. He gives a lot more hugs and kisses and he sure does tell us he loves us an awful lot. But, when something goes wrong, there is extra emotion involved there too. It usually passes quickly but sometimes it’s like, DUDE! He has this new cry (that’s mostly fake) and it is truly awful! Kevin says it rivals the most annoying sound in the world from Dumb and Dumber!

Simon @ three months

In the last few days, Kevin and I have often referenced that we want to freeze Simon right now, at three months. He is so fun! He just smiles and makes so many great noises! And, he seems to dig us AND his awesome big brother. He is doing well and we love every single minute with him. It seems like Harmon was just this age so we’re trying to take in every moment. Here are 10 cool things Simon is doing these days:

1. He gives HUGE smiles right before he spits up a ton.
2. After he sneezes – and these sneezes usually come in multiples – he makes the cutest cooing sound.
3. He has this great hungry cry – it's almost like a single yell - and it's hilarious.
4. He kicks like crazy. His legs are ALWAYS going (now I know what was going on inside).
5. When he cries, his tongue covers the entire opening of his mouth. All you can ever see is the bottom of his tongue.
6. When he’s mad and you try to give him his pacifier (we call it a binky), he rolls his head back and forth to dodge you.
7. He’s not the least bit interested in holding his bottle.
8. He loves it when you hold his left hand as he falls asleep. Whether you’re holding him or lying beside him, it really seems to soothe him.
9. He loves having conversations! I’ll lay him on my pillow and we’ll baby talk and coo back and forth. I did this with Harmon and now I’m doing it with Simon and I love it.
10. He loves his swing and especially loves to hang out on our Michigan bean bag.

Although it didn’t make the list – mostly because it’s truly deserving of its own special mention – Simon is sleeping through the night! The first time was Friday, Feb. 6. We put him to bed just before midnight and he work up between 6-7 a.m. Since that night, he’s been getting better and better. The last few nights, we’ve put him down around 11:15 p.m. and he’s slept until 7:15 a.m. or so. So, finally, we’re getting more than a few hours of sleep at a time!

And, before I go, here are two little things I forgot to note about Simon at two months (and I want to make sure I document them): 1) When he would wake up from a nap (we let him nap on his belly – bad parents, I know), he would be STARVING and he would start pecking at the bed – kind of like a chicken! It was so cute to see the back of his little bald head just bobbing! 2) For the first couple of months of his life, he would nap on the chaise area of our big, leather, sectional couch. It was HIS spot, complete with a Mickey blanket on loan from big brother.

Who's who?

OK, which one is Simon and which one is Harmon (no cheating)?




The point of the exercise is to stress HOW MUCH THEY LOOK ALIKE!

Back to the grind

I’m headed back to work tomorrow. It will be hard but the good news is that at least the boys will be with my Mom during the day. The bad news, though, is tomorrow is my longest work day of the week – I work 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. I’ll have to make it up to both boys on Friday because, thankfully, I still have Fridays off. Upon returning to work, I’ll have a slightly different schedule. I’m not in love with it but there's not much I can do about it. Kevin and I used to split Mondays – he would work 7 a.m. to noon and I would work 12:30 – 5:30 p.m. Now, we’ll split Tuesdays instead and we’ll work 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Mondays. I mentioned Wednesdays and Fridays above and the remaining day – Thursday – we’ll work 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. I’m still at 32 hours so there’s not a huge change for me. The big change will be for Harmon as we’ll be switching his school days to Mondays (instead of Tuesdays) and Thursdays. Simon will go to school those days too but he doesn’t know any better! I’m sure we’ll all get used to the grind in due time. I just think it will take a little longer for ME to adjust this time around.

Benefits of returning to work

Here I sit on the eve of my return to work and I'm trying to psyche myself up about the benefits of doing so. Here is what I’ve come up with so far:

1. I will be able to shower daily.
2. I will be able to take a piss without an audience (especially an audience that includes an inquisitive three-year-old).
3. I can take more than five minutes to eat lunch.
4. And speaking of food – Cinnamon Melt Wednesdays!
5. I can bypass dual screaming fits.
6. I’ll no longer be solely responsible for overnight feedings (although, in Simon’s defense, he is sleeping 6-7 hours most nights now).
7. I’ll have uninterrupted computer access for more than five SECONDS.
8. I won’t have to wipe someone’s ass for at least eight hours.

Despite this brief list, the cons of returning to work FAR outweigh the pros but, alas, it is what it is!

Naps in the cave

One of the fun things the boys and I did during my maternity leave was take huge naps in our comfy, dark basement. It’s not like we could go outside, with it being one of the coldest and snowiest winters on record, so we grabbed some good books and headed to the cave. We usually retreated after Harmon’s lunch (and Simon’s bottle), read and then Harmon would pass out at one end of our big leather sectional and Simon and I would settle in at the other end. Sometimes, I would actually get to sleep but, most of the time, I just kept Simon company so he wouldn’t wake up his big brother. On a few occasions, both boys slept until after Kevin came home from work and that made it so much easier to get dinner going. Overall, those naps in the cave were some good times all around.

Back together

Before I got pregnant with Simon, I could not get enough of Starbucks. Most of the time, my drink of choice was a Mocha Frappuccino Light but, when it was cold outside, I would mix in a peppermint hot chocolate every once in a while. Anyway, from the moment I found out I was pregnant and all throughout my pregnancy, the mere thought of ANY drink from Starbucks would turn my stomach. So, from April through the day I had Simon, Starbucks and I were officially “on a break!” I managed a small frappuccino just hours before my water broke (maybe that’s what caused it) and my taste returned. And, ever since that day, Starbucks and I have been pretty hot and heavy. Kevin is a little annoyed that he didn’t have to go to Starbucks for almost eight months and now he’s there all the time!