It's going to be a long week. I hope I'm wrong, but, I have a sinking feeling I'm right. The husband is in Poland, and Kate is NOT happy about it. He hasn't even been gone for 24 hours yet, and she woke up today with Daddy on her mind. As soon as I lifted her out of her crib, the "da DAH" anthem began. The chanting got faster and faster (and louder and louder), and by the time I was finished changing her diaper, she was crying hysterically for her daddy. How on earth do you explain to an 18-month old that Daddy won't be home for a week???? It's heartbreaking to watch her run from room to room, pointing her little finger as she looks for her number one guy, and then crying as she realizes Daddy isn't in any of the rooms. We may not survive this, and I'm really wishing I could push the fast-forward button so Friday could just get here already.

Despite the drama, the girls did give me one of those sweet-heartwarming-I d0n't want to forget this kind of moments this morning. We were in the basement, hanging out (more specifically, I was on the computer and they were jumping around like little spazzes). Things got a bit quiet and I looked up from my typing to see the girls sitting on our ugly Ikea chair together--Julia had her thumb in her mouth as she clutched Lovey, and Kate had both arms around her lil' sis. It was truly a sight to behold, they both looked so content (rare these days!). Of course, I went to take a pic, and my camera battery had no juice! I hope that's a sign that they will be BFF, just as I want them to.

I already miss Scott, and did something so incredibly stupid last night.......yeah, I do stupid things all the time, but this one really took the cake. I thought it would be a good idea to indulge myself with a pay-per-view and watch some sappy kind of chick flick. I ended up renting Premonition, starring Sandy Bullock and her tinylittletank*. For those of you who haven't seen this very lame movie, Sandy's hubby is killed in a car accident and she time travels to try and stop it. It doesn't work and he dies anyway. These are not the kind of things you want to think about when your honey is traveling internationally, especially on the night that he will be in a big, scary plane flying across an even bigger and scarier ocean. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well last night, and am anxiously waiting for the hubby's phone call to let me know he's made it to solid ground safely.

Which reminds me of a funny Scott story.......most of you know that Scott has a bit of the Polish blood in his ancestry. Before he left yesterday, we were talking about his upcoming trip--neither of us have ever been to Poland. I spoke w/a girlfriend yesterday, and it turns out she was recently in Poland for a business trip. As I was relaying her impressions of Poland to Scott, he looks at me and says the following:

"Well, Poland's a lot like Ohio, it's not impressive but it's where I'm from." (Insert laughter spewing forth from me old belly).

Me: "What do you mean, it's where your from? You grew up in Cleveland. In OHIO."

S: "Well, I may have grown up in Cleveland, but Poland is my home. Just like Cleveland."

He really seemed to believe he was returning to his native land, like he was some Polish refugee that had been uprooted and trapped, forced to live in a place that he didn't really belong.

Aww, Scottie, if you're out there reading this, that logic of yours, as convoluted as it may be, is one of the things I love the most about you. You say such bizarre things, but you say them with such conviction that they *almost* make sense.

Signing off for now.....heart hug.

*For those of you who don't celebrate the entire collection of Sandra Bullock, start watching her movies. If you can find one where she isn't wearing a teeny tiny tank top, I will give you a million dollars. Seriously, I think she makes it a contractual clause that if she's going to accept a role, she'll only do it if she can appear in the majority of scenes in her ttt's (teensy tiny tanks). It's weird.

Wow, I almost can't believe that I'm actually (read: FINALLY) typing my first blog entry. Not that I'm a procrastinator or anything (decopuage, anyone?). I've only had this account set up for about six months now. So, in Karen time, it's pretty amazing that I'm already getting around to this. Of course, now that I am typing, I realize just how little I have to say. Um, yeah, right.

I guess I should say something about the girls, that would be the logical thing to do since this is their blog, or rather, that was the reason behind me wanting to start a blog.

Well, since we've been back from Ohio (thank you again to my beloved Sara and her incredibly tolerant husband, Dan, for the hospitality), Kate has been on a huge "daddy kick." Every single night at 7:30, which is usually when the husband gets home from work, Kate starts screaming in her crib "Da-dah, Da-dah, Da-DAHHHHHHH." It's kind of cute and funny, but with the husband's schedule this past week, it's become a bit exhausting. For the first time, I am not able to placate my child with my loving motherly touch, or my lame attempts at singing/dancing/babble-talk. I've actually kept the girls up late a couple of times, just so Kate could get her Daddy fix. Scott, of course, loves it (he'd be a fool not to), but I dread next week--he jets off to Poland tomorrow, and I'm not quite sure how Kate is going to survive. Is it wrong of me to have visions of doping up my baby dancing around in my head? I'm kidding, kind of.....

Julia is, well, Julia--she's full of smiles, giggles, and kisses. Of course, she has no interest in kissing me, or the husband, or even Lovey......she prefers to just walk around kissing the air. She has been much more of a cuddler the past two weeks, and I've loved every minute of it. She's so fiercely independent sometimes, that I feel like she forgets she has a mom--quite a change from her baby-twaby days when she couldn't leave my side. She's still obsessed with kitchen utensils--she has "her" drawer in the kitchen that is emptied every single morning (and multiple times throughout the day)........she actually managed to sneak a spatula into her crib yesterday. I went to get her from her nap, and there the spatula was, all nestled in right next to Lovey--that spatula doesn't even know what an honor it is to be positioned next to the almighty Lovey--wow!

Both girls have finally, thanks to my goddess of a sister, mastered the art of climbing down the stairs. This has made my life a bit easier, or at least it's made my back ache a bit less. Prior to our Ohio trip, they were pros at climbing up the stairs (annoying), but could not figure out how to successfully navigate their way down. Sara, and darling Miss Olivia (who is such an adorable "mother hen" at only 4 years old), really worked with the girls to show them how to scoot down the stairs without injuring themselves. While I love that they have mastered this task, it's another one of those things that makes me realize my twabies aren't twabies anymore.

Those of you who are actually reading this know that this week has been rough--one of our dear friends Kasey was brutally attacked last weekend in the very town where I grew up. Most of you know that Kasey is a true gem of a guy--witty, creative, hilarious and deeply loved by many. To say that I hope his attackers burn in hell is an understatement, but I will save my vengeful thoughts for another time. Kasey's skull was fractured during the attack, and he's going to be in the hospital for quite some time. The important thing is that Kasey is no longer in a coma, and we are hoping and praying that he will continue down the road to recovery without any major glitches. Sara has been able to see him twice now, and she is keeping me updated on his progress. I ask all of you to keep your prayers coming his way--Kasey is one of a kind, and the world needs more people like him.

So, that's it for now......I need to play around with all the cool templates, etc. so I can truly Karenize ("mah colahs are blush and bashful") this thing.

Heart hug.