Waiting for Spring

Buffalo winters are just too long for almost anyone you might ask. The Herdics are no exception to this. I am not a winter person, I don't do outside in the snow or cold, and I haven't since I was a young kid. In the summer, I have the girls outside as much as possible. I think it was hard for Ellie to understand that Mommy just doesn't go outside when there is snow out there, and she has been longing to be outside. Warren and I have started taking the girls outside for a short walk after dinner within the last few weeks whenever the weather permits. As long as it's not freezing cold, or as long as there is not precipitation we load them up in the wagon (in snow suits if necessary) and go for a nice walk. Warren says his Dad would say we're "blowing the stink off" and I have to say it does really feel like we're doing that! This morning, it has to be in the 50's (maybe close to 60) and I opened the door to let a little light and air in. Check out the girls plastered to the door, it cracks me up!

Another sign we are waiting for spring is that Warren has already started with the projects around the house. This is a man who goes so crazy that he can't actually DO work in the winter that he spends the entire time planning all his summer projects. We had 5 trees taken down 3 were pretty substantial pines and the others were kind of weary in comparison. Check out the pile of brush that is in front of the house, the picture doesn't really do it justice, it took Warren the better part of an entire day to get it all there with just a little help from me during naptime. Looks like we are building a pine fortress!

Papa's Girls

One of Ellie's favorite things in the whole wide world is her Papa. This is almost an obsession with her, and it has been almost as long as she has been alive. It is kind of an ongoing joke with my Mom and me that Ellie likes to go to church so much because she thinks the "He and Him" they speak of is Papa. It is honestly THAT bad. Ellie has a lot of people in her life outside of Warren and myself that she is really close with, and she looks forward to visits from many people...(and I mean that sincerely, not just diplomatically speaking) there is just something about Papa. She is a Papa's girl.

I was a Papa's girl too. (Although I am still Nana's girl as well) It has been told to me that when my Papa would come home from work, and he went into the bathroom to shower that I would sit outside the door and wait for him. I remember as a kid, my siblings and I had to take turns going to Nana and Papa's house to avoid fights over who was going that weekend. When I was in junior high my grandparents moved in to an apartment that they had built over my parent's garage, and I think we grew even closer because of that. My Papa passed away 6 years ago, and it's still hard without him, I miss him a lot, it's hard to know that he never got to meet Warren or our girls. He would have loved Warren and he would have gotten a huge kick out of Ellie and her attitude especially. (not that I get that big a kick out of it these days). I do have to mention that Ellie loves her Nana "Up-Up", my Nana (who lives upstairs of my parents thus the up-up). She often asks me if I am going bye-bye and Nana up-up is going to watch her, and tells me that Nana up-up makes THE BEST cookies ever!

Papa took Ellie and Paity to the Easter Egg Hunt at the Boston Town Hall, which was kind of a flop for the older kids (especially because Paity helped Ellie, and by the time she was done, the big kids were done too) but Ellie didn't seem to mind. It was an Easter egg hunt and, well...Papa took her. Then, this past week Papa took Ellie and Paity and Aunt Patti (does it get any beter??) to see Horton Hears a Who. It was Ellie's first time in a movie theater, they told me she was good...I don't know for sure if that is true. When I asked her about the movie she told me once, "there was an elephant, and his name was Horton." Later, I asked her to tell me more and she informed me that, "I don't really want to talk about it right now, ask me later".

This past week the times Papa was at our house, Gracie followed him around, kept wanting him to hold hold her, and she cried when he left our house...Here we go again!

I know it was a little hard for my Dad to decide to use the Papa name, those were big shoes to fill, and my Dad is an amazing Papa. Papas are very special and specific people, I am glad that Paity, Ellie, Gracie and Claire have a Papa, and I am glad that I had one too.

"I AMN'T"

I know, it took me a minute too. This was something Ellie said to us tonight. While I know this isn't a real word, if you think about it, why isn't it? She used the rules to make the contraction, am + not, and of course, it was spoken emphatically as are most things she says. I can't remember now what we were calling her or telling her that she was going to do, but that was the reply. "I AMN'T!" English is a funny language like that where rules apply in certain circumstances and not others, and I have heard it said before that it is one of the hardest languages to learn, but I had to laugh at this tonight.

I do think Ellie is bright. I read a statistic once in a parenting magazine about the percentage of parents that believe their child is gifted and I forget the exact number now, but it was staggering, like in the 80's I think. It is hard for me to tell, as she is my first child and while I was around my cousins a ton when I was young (they are 11 and 13 years younger than me) I don't have much to compare this to. I ran into someone I knew in high school the other day, and she has a 3 year old, and she was telling me how bright her son is as he corrected other fans at a Sabres game on how to cheer for the team. I stood there smiling, and thinking..."yeah, well...Ellie corrects Mickey Mouse's grammar!" I resisted the urge, and seriously I would never say something like that, but sometimes I have to wonder, do I really have a bright kid, or am I just a normal parent?

Welcome Claire Suzan Rybij!

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh

March 10th 2008 at 10:23 p.m., and weighing 7lbs 4oz. I have been so excited waiting for this, and while I know I am not alone in that fact, I am the one writing the blog. (so there!) I have been just waiting for this and she is finally here. My little sister, the baby of our family, the one we once upon a time swore would eat her own young, has added another blessing to our family. She is beautiful, and perfect and she is my first official niece. I have 3 nephews whom I love, but they had Uncle Warren before they had me. I inherited them when I married Warren, and while I know they love me, they LOVE Uncle Warren, and I dare say at times worship him. My sister has a bond with my girls that I marvel at, and in fact sometimes I think that I somehow got Patti's baby, as Ellie can be soooo much like her. I have always wanted that, and this is my chance.

Ellie is beside herself as well. She got to go to the hospital (or hosibal) and visit Claire and Aunt Patti. She even got to hold Claire, and she was singing, rocking and humming to her (so adorable). Ellie already has plans to teach Claire about butterflies, caterpillars and flowers. And while in the hospital, she told us all about how the nurses pinched her baby Claire out of her belly, and it made her feet and leggies itch (??). I get a lot of Ellie-isms in my day, and I have to say these did really make me smile.

Jamie and Patti are going to be amazing parents to Claire, as they are to Paityn (who is 8), and I already sense a calm about them that I didn't have when we first brought Ellie home. I am so happy for their little family, Congratulations, we love you all!

Ellie is THREE!

What a big girl! Ellie turned three on the first of March. We had a party with my side of our family on her birthday, a VERY Disney Princess birthday party. She went shopping with her Nonny for her party dress, and they found a disney princess skirt and shirt, and just in case you missed it, there was a tiarra involved as well. A friend of mine from high school decorates cakes and made an amazing cake for us too.

Ellie got amazing gifts from everyone, and the one thing I have to say about Ellie, is that she really does have the BEST reactions to things. She hugs them, squeals, gasps, even with clothes it is actually fun to watch this kid open presents.

Ellie got very spoiled with all her presents this year. She got a disney princess play tent, bedding, clothes. She got a build a bear and accessories, rain boots and matching coat, and her very first American Girl Doll. The funniest thing about the doll is that it has allowed her to not have the baby in her belly any more. She informed us that Claire came out, and she has made no mention of the baby in her belly since then (Thank you Lang family!!)

Ellie led the singing of Happy Birthday to herself. She is such a tool!

The day was even complete with a "Happy Birthday Meltdown". What day in the life of a three year old isn't complete without a meltdown birthday or not?

Questionable Parenting...

So we put a lemon in front of Gracie. More like it, it was all Warren's idea. Do you think this makes us bad parents? I know my parents would have done these things to me, and Warren says his parents would probably have done the same thing... or maybe we just like to think this way. Either way, it made for amazing dinner entertainment and lasting picture memories. And by the way...Gracie is no fool (although we did wonder why she kept going back for more) she tried to give some to Ellie first...

I know...It's been a while

Sorry about hiatus...I get on and off of kicks frequently, but I promise to try to keep up with this blog a little better. I am going to try to spam blog tonight about a few things that have gone on in the month (can it be almost a month??) since I last wrote. Believe me, I hear about the lack of blogs from enough of you that I think the guilt just might keep me honest!