motorboat

1. Around 3 this morning I was playing with Baby G's legs and started saying "________ go so slow. _________ go so fast! _________ step on the gas!" Only I couldn't remember what ________ was. What goes slow? What goes fast? What steps on the gas?? I knew it was 3 syllables. I thought about it for an hour. Then I went back to sleep. Then I woke up at 6:30 and thought about it again. Then I woke up at 8:30 and thought about it again. At 9:15am I was looking at Baby G and yelled "Motorboat!" What a relief. Sheesh.

2. I had a dream last night that I bought cute colored tights. They were adorable (and looked a lot better in my dream than they will in real life since, of course, my leg were perfect in my dream). I need some colored tights. And skinny legs.

Photo from anthropology.com.

3. I'm watching TV, which I rarely did in the past, but I need something to keep me awake while I feed the babe. And Kelly Ripa happens to be on the station I'm watching (I usually just watch whatever is on when I turn on the TV). She has an amazing body (in case you've never seen her), but holy arms. Is it the shirt or does she always look like a body builder?


4. Pictures of Thanksgiving weekend and video of Baby G coming soon.

finding my voice

I've always loved music. I've played the piano since I was 7, I played the flute from 4th grade to 8th grade, and I've always loved to sing.

I was never amazing, but I always sang. Growing up I sang while playing the piano (I'm positive my siblings loved this). I sang along to my parents' Beatles and The Mamas and The Papas records. I sang in the ward choir, I sang in stake choirs, I was in musicals in high school (in fact, I was a lead in a musical, but really I think there wasn't much musical competition at my high school and I just looked the part).

In college I took a singing class with my friend, Jared. I sang in a volunteer choir performance of He is Jesus Christ with my friend, Kerri. I sang REALLY loud in the car by myself--with or without the radio on. And, of course, I sang in the shower.

Then I got married. I still sang along to songs in the car (perhaps not quite so loud), but I think I got a little self conscious about singing in the shower. I mean, there was someone who could hear me! I never really got back into participating in church choirs (nap time with the hubby was much more inviting). And when you stop singing, your voice kind of goes down the drain.

Then I had a baby. And I started to sing to him. No background music. Just me and the babe and my voice. It was nice. I sing him my favorite primary songs. I sing him "Dream a Little Dream." I sing him Christmas songs. I didn't know I missed it until I started singing again.

So today I decided to start participating in my ward choir again.

But I took a nap with the baby and forgot. I guess I'll start next week...

are you my friend?

Is your name on my side bar? If it isn't, then you probably aren't on my Google Reader list either. And that's a shame.

You see, I often find out a friend of mine has a blog, get all excited, check it out, forget to put it on my list and my Google Reader, and then forget it exists entirely. And I often repeat this process again with the same blogs since my memory is oh so good.

So will you let me know if I know you and you're not on my list?

If you don't want to be listed, that's totally fine, too. Just say the word.

Thanks!!

happy thanksgiving

I'm grateful for...

...my life.
...my family.
...my husband.
...my baby.
...my church.
...my health.
...my body.
...my mind.
...my home.
...a positive outlook on life.
...friends who inspire me with their strength in hard times.
...friends who make me laugh.
...the fact that my friends are like my family.
...the fact that my family members are my best friends.

I could go on and on, but I leave it at that. I'm grateful.

sequoia trail run registration is open!

Okay--Whitney, Maren, Shayla, Rachel, Aubrey, Ashley (Christine, but the other Ashley should be feeling the pressure...), Liz, Kerri (Chicago equivalent), Mary, not Tyler (10k=6.2 miles), and Amy! (Maybe Mom?)

The The Sequoia Trail Run (10k and 20k) I mentioned in a post a while back is now OPEN for registration! I signed up. Shayla signed up. It's your turn. Hurray!

I will hopefully start running again in 2 weeks. Wish me luck!

real advice for itchy skin

{Skip this blog post if you have no interest in itchy skin.}

I've learned a lot with this itchy skin and thought I should pass on the information to anyone searching about postpartum itchy skin on the internet. This, of course, is just based on my own experience. Here is what I have learned:

1. The doctors will likely not have an answer for you, but go see them anyway so you can get a steroid cream and/or antihistamine.

2. If the rash/itching is an allergic reaction to the meds given to you in the hospital, the allergic reaction will show up 8 or 9 days after the baby's birth. The fact that mine showed up about 2 1/2 weeks later meant it was not.

3. Your body is going through so many changes (hormones coming and going after birth) that your skin may have just become ultra sensitive and you might just have to wait it out. I know--this sucks.

4. Go see a dermatologist as soon as possible. I saw my regular doctor after a week of itching. He said to use hydrocortizone cream, Eucerin or Cetaphil, and perhaps Claritin and said to give it a couple weeks to see if it got better. After a week it had gotten worse, so I went to see the dermatologist. She said my doctor's advice was weak sauce and gave me a prescription for a steroid cream and said to come back in a week if it didn't get better. That essentially means the week I waited after seeing my regular doctor was a waste of a week. Go straight to your dermatologist.

5. Hydrocortizone cream is "like spitting in the ocean." Those words came out of the dermatologist's mouth. In other words, it sucks and isn't worth using for serious itching.

6. Over-the-counter antihystamines (like Claritan and Alavert) are not strong enough to affect itchy skin. Dermatologist said I'd need a prescription antihistamine, which she didn't give me for reasons I list below.

7. Prescription antihistamines are transferred through breastmilk to your baby and make him/her drowsy. The dermatologist recommended against doing this since it's important to be able to notice changes in your newborn's behavior in case they get sick. If they are drugged up and drowsy, those changes may not be noticeable.

8. The dermatologist prescribed a steroid cream for me (which she said was fine to use while breastfeeding) and said it would both treat the problem and the itching, while other topical creams only treat the itching.

9. Warmth actually makes the itching inflamed. Hot showers may feel good at the time, but will make the itching worse after the shower. The reason you wake up at night itching horribly is because you are all warm and toasty in bed.

10. Your body isn't good at detecting itching and cold at the same time. Cold wins. Take lukewarm (cold is best if you can handle it) showers and baths. Dress to keep cool. Use Sarna anti-itch lotion. It gives you a menthol feeling on your skin so your skin feels cold.

11. When you get out of the shower, pat yourself dry, and immediately put on the steroid cream followed by Eucerin or Cetaphil cream. Not the lotion. The nasty, super thick cream. This supposedly locks in the moisture. I think it just feels gross. But you do what you gotta do, right?

So there you have it. Everything I learned in the last 3 weeks. Itching sucks, especially when you'd like to be snuggling with your baby and you are instead handing him off to your husband so you can go get in a cold tub.

babies for sale?

Life is so entertaining when I'm actually out and about. I saw this out of the corner of my eye this morning and went back later in the day to confirm what I thought I saw. And confirm I did. Too funny. It all made sense when I saw what kind of store it was...


I will send cookies to the first person who can tell me what kind of store had this sign out front. No googling the answer!