It's time to slow down....

Evenings are the hardest part of my rotating work schedule. It is a challenge to go to bed late because I am wired when I get home at 11:20PM, then get up with Ella about 6:30....feed, change, and play with her and pray she's wants a morning nap. Nap when Ella naps. Then shower, get her stuff ready for daycare, get ready myself including packing something for dinner and eating lunch. I attempt to feed her baby food and she usually drinks a bottle at some point....today she needed it immediately after my shower. I'm lucky to do some "project" like run the dishwasher or a load of laundry (usually with baby in one arm) and then rush to work.

Today, I was running late. I saw a green light and went straight instead of my usual left turn enroute to daycare. I went down a different road going west that was a huge hill. I was the only car on the road and I flew down the hill with no thoughts of speed limit and barely even thinking about driving.....

Sure enough at the bottom of the hill I was greeted by a police officer - my first thought, "why is he standing in the middle of the road?" OOPS.....how fast was I going down that hill. I'm getting a ticket. I had flashbacks of riding with my Grandma while she got several tickets and I immediately started with the excuses...."I have to get my little girl to daycare before I go to work at the hospital, it's been a rough morning, I'm running late, this isn't my usual route.....etc"!

He said, "do you know the speed limit on this road?"

My reply "isn't it 35 mph like the other roads around here?"

He said, "no, it's 25 mph and this is what I clocked you at" as he turned he lovely radar gun into my view.

40 MPH.....I wouldn't have been surprised if it had said 50....it's a HUGE hill.

The longer he was gone with my license, the more I was hoping for a warning. Nope, ticket, but at least he knocked it down to 5 mph over the limit. Damn Speed Trap!

He also asked me what I did at the hospital - I was honest, would the outcome have been different if I replied with nurse, ICU doctor, trauma surgeon?

I deserve a ticket daily the way I drive to and from work. I will slow down and I will never drive down 900 S ever again!!!! He and his motorcycle were hiding behind a tree....that's just rude!

Elmo's Everywhere!

With me working late, Joe and Ella hang out at night and last night she was into her new Elmo and Joe had heard Elmo all night. He was asleep when I came to bed and I turned on random late night talk show. He barely woke up and said, "argh....I hear Elmo even in my sleep". I assured him he wasn't losing his mind. Elmo was actually a guest on the show!!!

We were still laughing about it today!

Sometimes you miss the obvious!

Somedays I wonder how Ella is still alive and growing. We make lots of mistakes. Tonight she was a grump....we did everything that always makes her happy and she was a grump and not that into taking her bottle.

I am working on a presentation for work on Thursday, so Joe did his best with the crab until after 11. I offered to take over. I don't have to be at work until noon tomorrow.

I rocked her and sang to her and offered her a bottle for over 20 minutes. It finally dawned on me that the milk was still in the bottle and we had just bought some new nipples......sure enough DEFECTIVE! So obvious....why didn't I think of that hours ago?

Switched it out for a new nipple and she is sound asleep at midnight.....

Tomorrow will be a new day of adventures!

Elmo Live?

Does anyone have this? Lately when Ella is grumpy we find Elmo on youtube and she is entertained. Would she like the real thing? She won't watch anything on the TV, but if you hold her she likes to watch the computer -- elmo, babies, or pictures and videos of herself!

Her bottom teeth came in a little more in the last 24 hours and I think it is causing the grumpiness and I don't think anything will take away that pain....but we still try!

UPDATE: She has Elmo Live. We took the grump to Target shopping which made her happy temporarily and we all got a real kick out of Elmo. I think he's hilarious and watching her is just priceless. I may have to get a 2nd job when she learns she just has to smile and ask Daddy and he will buy her everything under the sun! He's worse than the Grandma's!

Sunday Fun in the Park!

We took Ella swimming at an indoor aquatic center near our house. They don't allow any toys, so we just had to hold her, but she likes to kick and splash! We need to schedule some parent/tot swimming lessons. I didn't bring a brush, so this is "pool hair".

Then we went to the park and she had a blast watching Nicky fetch the ball and then we tried the swing -- she's too small, but she seemed to like it! I made a fun video -- I'll email to the family!

Saturday Adventures

Ella likes to ride around on her horse -- she needs a cowgirl hat! She got it for Easter, but today she kept crying and looking at her horse. We both spent a lot of time attending to her on her horse and pushing her around the house! Grandma Dorothy stopped by and brought us fresh veggies and bread from her coop order. We recruited her to "play" with Ella on her horse -- great gift Grandma Dorothy!

Next we spent time working on the yard. Ella did super in her exersaucer watching us and bouncing around.

We did a photo shoot in the yard in all of Ella's 4th of July outfits and I'm going to make a cute card for her to send out -- watch your mailbox! She almost has enough outfits to be festive everyday this week in red, white and blue!

I am excited to watch Harper's Island tonight --- we are hooked!

Garage Sale Flop!

I have been seeing all these great finds people are finding at garage sales on blogs I read. I thought I'd give it a try in our neighborhood today. What are these people thinking?

The large lot of baby girl clothes included 4 boxes of clothes.

$1 - stained onesies (I would have thrown them out - they were gross)

$3 - crappy PJ's, more onesies

$5 - gap/old navy pants, shirts - nothing fancy or super cute, again poor condition

$10 - fancier baby brand clothes -- again, nothing worth $10!

Then there was a section of shoes - very worn out shoes $5 - $10, less worn out shoes $15!

Are you kidding me? I think the boxes should have ranged from $0.25 - $3 and the shoes should have been $1 - $5.

No books, no toys.....we bought nothing and we tried 4 or 5 sales.

Bummer....

I'm ready to go!

We were looking into shore excursions for our Alaska cruise and we spotted this picture. I can't wait to see the beauty of Alaska. I'm a little stressed about this all with a 9 month old who has a mind of her own.....but it's what Grandma Dorothy wants and it's her birthday trip. Any advice? Has anyone been to Alaska and have any advice on excursions?

Thanks Mom!

My Mom made this beautiful cupcake quilt for Ella. I am VERY impressed with her quilting skills. It is beautiful and I am lining up requests for her to make for us now! We visited a quilt shop while she was here in Salt Lake and I spotted a quilt made of sock monkey print and it was adorable. I said, "geez, that would be really fun to have". I admit I have no clue how much work it is to make a quilt, but I love this quilt and I thank her! I did pick out some awesome wine cork fabric at Stiches for my mom to make me the perfect size placemats for my bar height square table -- nothing like custom!!

Thanks again Mom! Ella will treasure this forever and Yes, we will give this back to you someday so you can add your "tag" -- you do need to order some of these. This is a one-of-a-kind piece of ART -- put your name on it!!! I know she had help binding the quilt (thanks Becky) and I know she wouldn't be doing any of this if it weren't for Holly and her Shoppe --- THANKS!!!

You all make me want to be more "crafty"!

Must See Movie

Forever Strong

Great movie based on a high school rugby team. Highland High is the high school Ella will attend if we still live here. It was crazy to watch a movie filmed in our neighborhood! Fabulous sports movie. Rent and enjoy!

I will be attending a Highland Rugby game next Spring! I'm a sucker for a good sports movie! Sean Faris is eye candy! I hope to see him in more movies. Even Joe called him a "young Tom Cruise".

How Clever!

Grandpa Larry and Grandma Barb bought Ella this adorable outfit at a carshow last week! I think it is such a neat idea. It's a onesie with a skirt attached! It looks like they just either cut or folded over the onesie and sewed on a skirt. What a fun, simple summer outfit!

Vegas

Ella survived her first long car ride. It was about 6.5 hours and we stopped along the way for lunch. She slept most of the trip. Joe chose the Hilton Grand Vacation Club at the Flamingo. It was perfect, heated pool, full access to Flamingo, but yet our own pool; full kitchen, 1 bedroom suite. All the amentities and right on the strip. It worked perfectly for us with Ella. It was nice to pick up snacks and drinks and enjoy them in our room. We even needed to use the washer/dryer. I will say the fold out bed was horrible and my Mom opted to just sleep on the couch.

Upon arrival our first priority was swimming!

Day one she wasn't so sure she liked the water, she kept her legs crossed at her ankles and seemed kind of scared. She warmed up to the idea of swimming at the end.

Good luck on your presentation Daddy!

Ella cooperated fully with a nap during our lunch at the Bellagio Buffet (I hope this is a scene we will see on our Alaska trip)


Off to the Show. Better Midler was fabulous! I did get a good deal on the tickets and we were in the 2nd to last row on the far right, but she is a performer! I loved every minute. She is a comedian as well and her language is very adult! She can dance, sing, and entertain! Love you Bette!

Ella wasn't too entertained by the Flamingo's, but I had to get the picture!

Margaritaville, look at her go for the marg -- she is my daughter!

Ella's first shopping trip!

She makes herself comfortable where ever she is. Why not just relax and put your feet up? Shopping is hard work!

Ella's highlight! She went crazy in the mirror. I laughed so hard and I am still laughing as I type this! She was hilarious!

AAAhhhh, Ella's baby doll! I love the kids section at Nieman Marcus. I had to buy this Gund doll that is so soft and WASHABLE! She loves her baby. I also found ideas for her birthday and Christmas!

The Flamingo's!

She was a different kid at the pool day 2. She is a daredevil and she could kick herself around to where ever she wanted to go. She quickly made friends - "hey girls, how do I get my daddy to bring me here again?"

Ready for a night out!

We took the moth baby to the Freemont Experience in downtown Vegas under the canopy of lights! She was mesmerized!
Vegas can really take a toll on a little girl. She fell asleep before we loaded the car to drive home!

Thanks again Mom for coming out to help us and allow us some time together. It was fun to have a shopping buddy during the day! Penn and Teller is an incredible show. They are so funny and awesome magicians.

Customer Service....or lack there of

I am the proud owner of a 2004 Jeep Liberty! Yep, it's officially mine! It was my first brand new vehicle and even though I've been claiming it for 5 years, today I OWN it. I should have officially owned it on June 17th, but Chrysler Financial are idiots!!!! I have made every single payment on time for 5 years because I chose to do automatic debit from my checking account at including zero percent interest!

Today I noticed that the final payment had not been taken out. I wrote myself a note to call them. While Joe was home with Ella this afternoon, Chrysler called several times. He called me at work and I called them.

The idiots do NOT automatically withdraw the final payment. WHY??? That is ridiculous. Well, I guess the loan did cost me $12.95, the fee I had to pay to make a phone payment today from the same checking account they had been debiting every month for the same amount!

FRUSTRATING!!! When I expressed my frustration, the guy just said, "yeah, everyone feels this way". He then continued to tell me I was the only account he had seen who had made every payment on time. Well, almost if they weren't idiots! I bet Honda and Toyota, etc don't do business like this.

I love my little Jeep and I know someday I will have to upgrade to a larger family-size vehicle, but for now I will enjoy my turn on a dime, compact SUV!

What was your first album?

Michael Jackson's death left us discussing music at work tonight. My first records were - Michael Jackson, Thriller, Annie, and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Cindi Lauper. We quickly found the generation gaps between the 4 of us pharmacists at work tonight!

What was yours?

I grew up with Michael Jackson. I think it is sad that he died when he was just days away from his comeback tour. I am very interested in his cause of death -- it's the medical professional in me and I'm nosey! He was an interesting person and I don't think he made great choices.

I also found it very strange when I was reading on his death and the article commented on how he "broke through racial barriers on MTV". I honestly don't even think of him as black. Isn't it funny that some people have such a personality, I don't notice their race?

Shout out to my employer from President Obama!

I have to admit, I have been doing a poor job of following Obama's healthcare plans. I do fear that I am in an overpaid profession and I won't be surprised if we see minor pay cuts in the near future. Utah is doing something right and although I am often frustrated with my employer, we are doing a good job and President Obama recognized "us".

President — and national media — praise Intermountain Healthcare as a role model U.S. health reformers should follow
President Barack Obama is the latest national leader to praise Intermountain Healthcare for providing the kind of healthcare America needs. In a speech given in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the President said: “Even within our own country, a lot of the places where we spend less
on healthcare actually have higher quality than places where we spend more.” “We have to ask why places like the Geisinger Health system in rural Pennsylvania, Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City, or communities like Green Bay can offer high-quality care at costs well below average, but other places in America can’t. We need to identify the best practices
across the country, learn from the success, and replicate that success elsewhere,” he said.
Greg Poulsen, senior vice president of Intermountain Healthcare and a nationally-recognized health policy expert, responded with, “We’re pleased to be cited as a model of how healthcare can be improved. We’re flattered and grateful for the recognition.”

Facts from my company:

Per capita healthcare spending in Utah is $3,972, just a little more than Canada’s $3,912 and slightly less than France’s $4,056 — and dramatically lower than the U.S. average of $7,026. Those figures are leading more and more national leaders to look at Intermountain
Healthcare. Dennis Cortese, MD, the chief executive officer of the Mayo Clinic, told a congressional committee last year: “Perhaps it’s time to stop talking about the French model, or the Canadian model, and start talking about the Utah model.”

I think this is good news for America. We do need to find a way for better access to healthcare for all!

Intermountain Healthcare is pretty cool. I am frustrated often becacuse I work for a freestanding children's hospital that really isn't free standing. We are treated differently than other hospitals in the corporation, but sometimes we have the follow the rules and it doesn't always apply to kids. But, we do such great outcomes research because all of Intermountain throughout the Salt Lake Valley and state including each hospital, clinic, specialist, etc dumps there records into a central data repository and researchers can pull amazing data and do great outcomes research to truly improve patient care.

I am proud to be an Intermountain employee and patient today! It is so nice that Ella's pediatrician can pull up all the notes from her stay in the NICU, to her ENT surgery, stay in the hospital, ENT and neurosurgery appointments from his laptop which he brings into the exam room! It is an amazing healthcare system!

Can it get any crazier?

Thanks everyone for the kind words, notes, emails, phone calls, edible arrangements!!! I guess I freaked everyone out! I just want everyone to know that my life isn't as pretty as this blog appears. I have the same struggles everyone has. No one is alone!

This was another crazy week at our house. Monday I was determined I lost my computer and everything on it -- this one worked out OK. My computer is over worked and I need to find time to take some things off it so it can run better and it did have a virus, but Joe fixed that.

Tuesday mostly went well.....then we awoke to a cry that we'd never heard before. I ran to Ella and picked her up. In my sleep, it took me a minute to realize she was full of puke and so was I and her crib was soaked. Poor Kiddo!!! It was a sleepless night with 2 scared parents and one very sick little girl who kept puking and getting a bath. She spiked a fever at about 7AM and I couldn't believe such a tiny kiddo could radiate such HEAT!!! She was breathing so fast, it was just plain scary. Joe was ready to take her to the ER from the first puking episode and after the fever I promised I would call her pediatrician. By 9, her fever was down, her breathing was back to normalish, but I called anyway and a 102 fever in an 8 month old was a good enough reason for the receptionist to say "see you at 12:30". She just looked like crap and had to feel even worse. Short story: likely a virus, but which one? Swine flu is the most present virus in the community, so it's possible. She was tested. Today we found out she was negative. Just a random GI bug. She's on the mend. I learned a lot through this and I will handle many things differently next time! I'll post my pearls sometime. Joe and I worked it out with both of our jobs and we both missed some work and we are working on getting her better. Poor little munchkin!!!

We are beyond exhausted!!! I am now a member of the puked on club and it was a whole new level of puke. How can a 16 pound child puke so much??? I learned the hard way on transitioning to formula too soon and she is still drinking pedialyte. The good ol' rhea followed the puke Such a treat for all. Poor Ella. Cheers for my new fancy washing machine that has come in quite handy this week.

It's been a long week and I am looking forward to a fabulous 3 day weekend with ZERO plans. I want to just spend some time together as a family and relax. I am going to be on Ella's sleep schedule. I may not get much done, but I think sleep is my priority this weekend. Ella's job is to get better!

This is why I keep going.....isn't she cute? Can you see the feisty in her? This picture displays her personality so well! I love my little girl so much!

Out of Commission

My computer may be dying or died. It turns on, but once it is to the point where you can use it, it makes a poof sound and turns itself off. Not looking good. I will be away from blogger until I have a new one.

I guess bad things do happen in three's.

1. A tree hit our house after being struck by lightening and jumping from our neighbors yard.
2. The washer broke last week.
3. My laptop is on the fritz

We got a new front load washing machine and after one use, I am pleased. Joe is slowly working on getting the tree, brush, leaves out of our yard and we think the house is fine. I will let you know soon whether I fix it or just get a new computer as well.....

I am blogging very illegally at work, but I wanted to let you (mostly my family) know that I am OK, I just may be out of commission for a bit. I will also be away from my usual yahoo email, so email me at work if you need me. I guess I can use my blogger and internet surfing time to do something nice for myself???

Happy Father's Day!

Joe - you are a fabulous Daddy! Thanks for all you do for our little girl! I'm glad you were able to spend the day with our munchkin and I'm sorry I missed out.

Happy Father's Day to my Dad as well!

Cheers to all the Dad's!

Life is hard.....

Being a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and daughter-in-law, and full time pharmacist can be tough at times. How do I even find time to wear all of those hats? My whole life I have been a people pleaser. With the added pressure of being a working mom, I often find myself questioning the relationships in my life. I run myself ragged trying to do everything for everyone and I feel everyone should have the same value for family as I do. I set high expectations for myself and family and I want everyone to meet those expectations when it comes to my family. I am not sure if I always come across in the way that I am truly expressing myself. I love my family unconditionally but some days I don't know what I do wrong. I want to raise my daughter in a loving family and I will do anything to make this possible.

I read several blogs written by women who wear as many hats as myself and even more! I paint a very pretty picture on this blog and I just want to let everyone know, my life is not always this pretty. Right now, it is kind of ugly! I was out of town all last week and now back to reality and working 6 of 7 days. I haven't really talked to my husband in over a week and won't really even see him awake until Friday evening. Ella has only been in daycare 3 days in the last 3 weeks and tomorrow she begins 4 days in a row of daycare. My house is a complete disaster. I miss my Mom already and wish we lived closer. I have some stressed relationships with family and it is getting harder everyday to deal with. It leaves me perplexed and wondering what I can do differently.

I am to the point where I need help and I am going to have to start asking for help which is hard for me. No one else does things like I do and I am a control freak. I think it stems from my people pleasing personality because I want to do everything for everyone to please everyone.

Something has to give or I'm going to break and then I will be pleasing no one. I am also going to make time to please myself....I've definitely lost that and it's time to bring that back. I am going to strive to take care of myself so I can be to be the best for those around me whom I love.

We're home

We had a great time in Vegas and I have about a zillion pictures to choose from to post. All in all, Joe did a fabulous job presenting, Ella likes Vegas, and I could get used to having a nanny! A HUGE thanks to my Mom for being at our and especially Ella's beckon call this week. We are all exhausted and had a fabulous time!!

Here's a sneak peek at some pics. More pictures and details to follow.