Sisterly Love??

Sometimes it is funny to me how much my girls remind me of my own relationship with my sister. People who knew us as kids would agree that it seems funny now, that we are best friends. I realize that it is common for siblings to fight. I know that one will always want whatever it is the other has at that moment, and as soon as one is done with it, the other will be too. Specifically what cracks me up about my kids, and reminds me of myself is that when one is hurt or in trouble, the other is their first choice for comfort (even when we might have been the cause of it). Ellie has gone through this stage where she gets SO mad at Grace (who always insists on knocking down the towers Ellie builds) that she has bit her at least 3 times (BAD!). After being yelled at, and sent to her naughty spot, Ellie will sit there and cry (loudly). I have to physically restrain Grace from visiting Ellie in her naughty spot, even when the punishment is for her sake! I remember that sometimes with my sister that it seemed the only thing we could agree on was when we were banding together against our parents. This picture is of one such event in our household.

$40.00 Worth of Sanity

I knew it was not going to be easy. I tried to prepare myself, and the house for our new addition. I read books and sought advice on the internet, thinking this was something I could handle. We got Sadie on Sunday afternoon, and by Tuesday afternoon, I was ready for her to go back. It makes me feel like a complete failure to admit that, and I know there are plenty of people that were thinking "DUH!" but I honestly thought that I could do it. All I could think was that I wasn't going to have a single hair left on my head by the time this puppy grows out of the teething and we get her house trained. I called my Mom and expressed to her that I needed help, and in one single sentence, it came. "Remember when we first got Harley, we didn't let him everywhere in the house, we contained him to one area?" I got off the phone and sat there for a minute...OH MY GOD THAT IS IT! I have gates all over the house, thats what I need; a gate to keep Sadie in one area where I can keep my eye on her, where I can keep the kids out and away and her from eating their tasty fingers. Needless to say, I went out that afternoon and bought an extra wide gate, and Sadie is now confined to the kitchen. When I can police the girls with her, I let them in, when Warren is home to lend an extra set of eyes and hands, I let her out. Thus far, this really seems to be working for us. I know that like the kids, there will always be more obstacles to come, but for now, I feel so much better, the stress has eased, and my hair will not (yet) fall out! Thank you Mama!

Sadie Joins the Fun

Well, we did it. Sunday we got a puppy. While we knew we were getting a puppy, (we put a deposit down a few weeks ago) we thought we were just going to visit her this weekend. Ellie has been beside herself. She loves animals, and especially loves dogs. I spent a lot of time going over rules with her and telling her over and over that we were not going to be bringing her home this weekend. When we went to visit this weekend, the woman told us the vet had just cleared the dog last night, so we could take her home. It reminded me of the feeling I had when I had Ellie; leaving the hospital I just kept thinking, so you're just going to let me take her now???

So, we are at home with Sadie, and it is about the same as having another infant around. She is a schnoodle which is a schnauzer and poodle mix, and she is 7 weeks old. She's pretty cute. There is a lot of whining going on around the house. The puppy cried a lot yesterday, and she has done slightly better today, the girls are learning about the perils of puppy needle teeth and claws, and I am learning to get pee out of the carpet. So check out the pics and be patient if there aren't a lot of posts for a little bit, I may have my hands full for a little while!

Jack Tagged Uncle Warren

So here are 6 random things about me (Warren) that you might not know...

1. I actually enjoy lawn work.

2. My favorite song and music video right now is "Rock Star" by NickelBack

3. My favorite sport is NASCAR Racing and my Driver is Dale Jr.

4. Though I don't consider myself a lazy person, I do enjoy taking the occasional afternoon nap (especially with Ellie)

5. I love all dogs, except for the smelly ones, well, I love them too just not up close

6. Unlike other members of my family who might have tendencies to hoard, I am more likely to throw something away and later wish I hadn't.

Aunt Tina tagged me (Nancy) a while ago, and here are my random things:

1. I am anal to the end. OCD some might call it, the house, the kids, the schedule.

2. I consider myself an animal lover, and yet unless they are domesticated, I somehow manage to be petrified of even the most placid of animals. Horses, dolphins, you name it, if it is known as gentle and kind, I will love it from far away, BUT PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME TOUCH IT!!

3. I sing at Church. I have since I was 14. Since I have had the girls, I haven't been able to do it, but I am going to get back to being a regular. I have missed it so much!

4. Ellie says "Holy Shit", and It is all my fault. Yes, I know on the heals of my last random thing, this might seem strange. But the one thing I can say about having kids that talk is that you suddenly become very aware of all the things you say and do that are NOT SO PRETTY. The other morning she said, "Good Morning Mommy Freak-O" (how do I not laugh at that??)

5. I just joined Hillary Clinton's website so I can find a way to campaign for her. Democratic and Liberal as I am, maybe I should have been a lesbian. (just kidding)

6. I just finished reading Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell. I always feel a little sad when I finish reading one of her books because I have to wait for the next one to come out.

Stinky Winker

This is one of the nicknames Gracie has at our house. Ellie has especially taken to this one, and sometimes shortens it appropriately to just "Stink". Its funny sometimes, Ellie has such a strong personality, (wallflower she will not be) and with her talking incessantly, she gets a lot of attention. Recently we have seen the emergence of another BIG personality in our house. While Grace seems to be easier going than Ellie, she certainly manages to hold her own against her, and lets everyone know if she does not like what is going on.

I often call Gracie my little kitty kitty. When I am in the kitchen trying to clean dishes or make dinner, she will come and do figure 8's around my feet and try to push me away from the counter. She is in a stage right now where she thinks that we need to lug her around the house where ever we are, she does not appreciate being left behind.

Grace has a few words in her repertoire, among them DOG, DA-DA, NIGHT NIGHT, NANA (for Nonny), UP, (which is more like a grunt) and Here. She has been walking more and more. It seemed like she was ready so long ago, but I think that because she is always trying to go where Ellie goes, Gracie thinks she can run (usually ending up in a face plant). Within the last few days she is walking more than she is crawling which is fun. She blows the best kisses EVER, she makes the noise and everything. Gracie gives really nice loves and kisses too, she is just a lover as we like to say.

My favorite thing that Grace does, and has done for some time now, is the "Stinker Face". I have captured the face in a few pics, and I have put one in with this post, but all I can tell you is that, unless you have gotten this face, you cannot fully appreciate it. Face scrunched up, eyes squeezed shut, and the air going quickly in and out of the nose. She knows when to do it, she does it better than I have ever seen, it gets me laughing every time, she LOVES it, and so do I.

Ellie's Baby

My sister, Patti is pregnant and due March 1. Since Patti has been pregnant, Ellie has had a baby in her belly too. If you rough house with her or tickle her, she might tell you..."STOP, you're hurting my baby!!" If she particularly likes something she is eating, she will tell you, "MMmmmmmm, my baby likes that" or "That makes my baby feel soooo good". Her baby has likes and dislikes in the wardrobe department too. She does not forget that she has this baby, and I am a little worried about what is going to happen when Aunt Patti's baby comes out, and hers doesn't. Ellie asks Patti how Claire is doing, what she is doing, and what she likes.

When Ellie was less than a year old, her cousin Brayden gave her one of his favorite blankets. While she has her own special blankey, Ellie treasures this one because it is from her big cousin. When we were getting ready for Patti's showers, I asked Ellie if she could get one special thing for Claire from her and Gracie, what would she pick. Ellie thought for a minute, and said "A Blankey". I thought this was the perfect choice, and very insightful. Ellie and Grace each have a lullaby that is "their song", and Ellie wants to know what Claire's song is going to be. She is very much interested in this baby, she is very connected with her Aunt's pregnancy.

Today while in the tubby, Ellie informed me that "Aunt Patti's baby is coming on the 15th, and mine is too". We were not talking about Claire, (that's going to be the baby's name) we were not talking about Aunt Patti. She can count to 20, but doesn't have any concept (or so I thought) of calendar days...So I have NO IDEA where this came from, she can be so random. Stuff like this just kills me. If Claire decides to be born on the 15th, we are going to assume there is some psychic connection between them!

Rub-a-dub-dub

Yes, I know these are the days; the kid actually WANTS to get in the tubbie. How funny is this shot of Gracie trying to get into the tub with Ellie? I know that kids are all born with distinct personalities; I have seen this with my siblings and myself. I know this, and yet somehow, it still kills me HOW distinct and different siblings can be. While Ellie now likes to take a tubbie (this month that is, ask again how she feels next month) she FREAKS out if you get the slightest and I mean slightest drop of water in her face. Gracie, on the other hand, will let you dump an entire cup full of water over her head and laugh. She splashes with glee and absolutely LOVES the water. Ellie likes the tub, but as with most things, Ellie likes it on HER terms, under her control.

It seems like among the greatest challenges parents face has to be embracing and nurturing the unique characteristics that make up those tiny people. Keeping kids in line with core values and rules while nurturing and embracing those characteristics that make up those tiny people. And fostering a lasting bond between two people who at some times couldn't seem more different.

Fortunate Ones...

We are the fortunate ones. Our little family is so blessed with an amazing extended family. Today, my Aunt Dawn and Uncle Paul took Ellie to Build-a-Bear with my cousin, Kelsey. Kelsey is 15 and the youngest of 5 kids Dawnie and Paulie have between them, so she wasn't the reason they went. They have been wanting to take Ellie somewhere to do something fun, and today was the day.

Ellie arrived home with a decked out Cat from Build-a-Bear and a balloon (pronounced baboon). This thing was clad with Disney Princess (all the rage in Ellie's life right now) outfit, bows on her ears and tail, and a pair of white dress shoes that Ellie told the employee were just PERFECT! Then they went out for dinner and Ellie got some chicken nuggets and chocolate milk ! What a night!

Warren and I talk all the time about the distinction between family and friend being choice, and we are so fortunate to be able to say that the vast majority of our friends are family. Between the two of us, we have an unbelievable network of love and support that I don't really know that most people have the good fortune to have. And our kids are so lucky to have all of them to spoil the snot out of them. I mean that as lovingly as they do.

In The Beginning

This is the official blog for the Herdic family of Hamburg, NY. Falling to peer pressure from my sister in law Tina, Warren and I decided to try to start a blog together. (I believe there might have been chanting going on, but its hard to tell from an email). I love Tina's blog, I am a regular on the site, and recently trying to use Facebook to accomplish the same thing, have discovered its limitations for woordy people (which I so am). Truthfully, journaling is something I have never had the discipline for, and have always wanted to do so this might be a great way for me to accomplish this. Our day to day life seems very...well..everyday. And not to say that's bad, just that when you look at the seemingly exciting lives of others (you know those without nap schedules and such) sometimes I think we overlook the details that we think will never will, but might someday forget. So, in the days that follow, be patient with us, we are as always, learning and laughing as we go.